Falklands Conservation

NEWS DIGEST 7

With Spring well under way, our field season is now up and running. The Penguin Tracking Team are already out in the field, Becky and Hay have started bird surveys on the grassland SS6 plot and will be venturing further afield within the next week or so to commence the Seabird Monitoring Programme, and Nick Rendell (this year's field assistant) will be joining us in November. UK Trustee Robin Woods is also currently in Falklands, completing the Johnny Rook Survey, ably assisted by local Trustee Mike Morrison.

On 2nd October 1998 we got our first three oily Rockhopper penguins. Nic Huin (a scientist from the British Antarctic Survey who is carrying out an albatross tracking programme) has spotted these oily penguins on the cliffs of Mount Rookery on Saunders Island. He walked into the settlement on the same day to tell us. About an hour after he arrived, Dad and Nic went over to the Rookery and collected the penguins in our specially built penguin box, which we have used in the months before for oily Gentoo and King Penguins. The night the penguins arrived we gave them charcoal and Ionaid, then the next morning we gave them a bath in lukewarm water and rubbed near Fairy Liquid into the feathers with our finger tips. After we got the oil off we rinse them off with clean water. Then we brought them home from the shed and put them in a box by the fire.

The diets of all the species varied markedly between sites, reflecting the variety of inshore habitats and prey types available to seabirds around the Falklands. A shift was seen in the diet of southern Magellnic and Gentoo Penguins throughout the breeding season from predominantly krill to fish in southern areas. Significantly larger body weights of both species were found at southern sampling sites compared to the north, which may be related to both the higher quality diet observed during chick rearing and also the higher productivity figures.

The following afternoon we went to The Neck and we found eight more oiled Rockhoppers. When I saw the poor little cold birds sitting on the cliff edge, I burst into tears. It really brought it home to me just how important and sensitive penguins and other birds really are to oil or any disaster. We bought them home and washed them the same night. We now had eleven penguins in boxes in our kitchen. The next morning the kitchen didn't half smell like a Rocky rookery!

The next day two helpers from Falklands Conservation (Field Science Officer, Becky Ingham and Seabirds at Sea Observer, Richard White) came out to help us look after the penguins as it takes a lot of effort feeding them and in case we should find any more oiled birds. The same day we got two more Rockies. After a week we released all the penguins and since then we haven't had any more.

I would like to thank Falklands Conservation and the Department of Agriculture for their support, and Eurofishing Ltd and FIGAS for providing and delivering frozen squid free of charge.

Recent events involving oiled birds have highlighted a number of issues which are not adequately addressed in the recently adopted National Oil Spill Contingency Plan.

Although the Plan identifies the Departments of Fisheries and Agriculture as having responsibility for co-ordinating the response to marine pollution emergencies in the Islands, and as having the veterinary expertise useful for dealing with oiled birds, respectively, it does not spell out a clear procedure for dealing with any incident involving a requirement to clean contaminated wildlife. Neither is there a procedure laid down elsewhere for dealing with incidents not stemming from marine spills.

Falklands Conservation, the Department of Agriculture and some local volunteers took the responsibility of dealing with the recent oilings but none of these parties would have resources to cope with a larger or more sustained incident, without a significant reduction in their capacity to deal with their normal responsibilities. The cost of cleaning birds is considerable and includes wages, cleaning materials, food and medicine. Logistically, matters are complicated further if the contaminated wildlife is outwith Stanley and its environs.

In the light of lessons learnt over the last few months, FC is encouraging all parties identified as having some responsibility in responding to pollution incidents to work together. A clear procedure needs to be developed for reporting and responding to incidents of contaminated wildlife. A training programme to familiarise people with their responsibilities is also proposed and should be held as a matter of urgency before the training comes in the form of a real life incident on a larger scale than that all ready experienced.

A Meeting of the Steering Group of the South West Atlantic Seabirds at Sea Team was held on 14th October 1998. It was chair by Jeremy Smith of FC and attended by Jim Reid (Head of JNCCs Seabirds at Sea Project), Richard White (Head of the South West Atlantic Seabirds at Sea Team), the FIG Environmental Planning Officer, Professor Alasdair McIntyre (Chairman of the FIEPEF) and representatives of the Falklands Operators Sharing Agreement.

The main aims of the meeting were to review the first six months of the Project, and discuss its future after the current funding arrangement with FOSA ends in March 1999 (FOSA have sponsored the first years work).

Jim Reid firs talked about the history of the Project which currently takes the form of seven different projects over various areas, one of them being the surveys in Falklands waters. He commented that the Islands were now in a similar position to that which the UK was in some 20-30 years ago - on the brink of a potential threat from surface pollution due to an oil industry - and the importance of building a database of areas of vulnerability and seabird dispersion.

Richard White presented results of the Team's work over the last six months. The results take the form of a map of the Islands and surrounding waters, showing the density (numbers) of each species of bird sighted in any one square kilometre over a period of months. Richard commented particularly on how satisfied the three observers were with the penguin results as it had initially been thought that, given the amount of time penguins spend underwater, they would not be easily surveyed.

As the future of FOSA is not certain the need for alternative sponsors was discussed. The next meeting of the Steering Group is scheduled to take place in UK in March 1999 by which time it is hoped funding to ensure the project's running for the next three years will have been secured.

Yesterday afternoon I said to Nanny, "Let's go to the bay to look for goose eggs". Nanny said "Yes, when Paul comes back". About four o'clock we went on the four-wheeler to the gate. We stopped to open the gate and Paul came in his Rover. When Paul stopped I asked "Did you find any goose eggs?" Paul said "No we didn't". Then I shut the gate and we carried on.

When we got to the bay I saw something grey on the beach. As we got nearer I saw it was a dolphin. I said "Nanny, stop! I can see a dolphin on the beach". She stopped the four-wheeler and we walked over to the dolphin. It was still alive. Nanny said "Let's roll the dolphin to the water because it is too heavy to carry'.

We started to roll the dolphin but I felt sorry for it, so I said "Nanny, go and fetch the four-wheeler and we can put the dolphin on the back". Nanny got the four-wheeler and drove up beside the dolphin. We lifted it onto the back of the four-wheeler and Nanny drove very slowly towards the water. When we got there we lifted the dolphin down into the water. Nanny said "I think he's sick". I said "No, he's not sick. His skin is hard with being out of the water so he can't move". I look off my shoes and socks and went into the water with the dolphin. I moved his fins and tail very carefully and splashed water over him. After about half an hour the dolphin began to move his tail up and down. I pushed him into deeper water and he started swimming!

I looked out to sea where there were eight dolphins and they swam around my lucky dolphin. I watched them swimming together for a while. Then Nanny aid "Let's go home". I said "Yes, I'm very cold".

When we got home I rang Paul to tell him that I have saved a dolphin. I was really pleased to have saved a dolphin and it was the first time I had touched a live dolphin. I have always wanted to swim with a dolphin. At home I looked up the dolphin in a book. I had saved a Peale's dolphin.

• Contact us?
• Return to Index?