Encounters with the Albatross I

 

Salvin's Albatross (Thalassarche salvini).
Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand.

New Zealand is the seabird capital of the world, so says the World Wildlife Fund.  With over one third of the world’s seabirds present in New Zealand waters, it is an unmatched place to observe these magnificent birds.  New Zealand is made up of two main islands, North Island and South Island and the country stretches for 1000 miles. Diane and I recently visited New Zealand on a tour organized by Naturalist Journeys, where we rode ferries and took four pelagic cruises.  On these boats we encountered albatrosses and many other seabirds.  

Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor).
Half Moon Bay, Stewart Island, New Zealand.

Beyond the South Island lies Stewart Island.  Among the boulders of the Half Moon Bay we found Little Penguins (Eudyptula minor).  These small, flightless birds swim with their wings at lightning speed and snap up small fish.  The Little Penguin is endemic to New Zealand and at sunset they clamber up the rocks to shelter for the night in small caves.  The old name for this bird was Blue Penguin and they really are blue, with white bellies and stand 16 inches tall.  

 

Australasian Gannet (Morus serrator).
Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand. 

Australasian Gannet.
Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand.

Australasian Gannets (Morus serrator) are large seabirds closely related to our Northern Gannets. They range from the southern and eastern coasts of Australia to New Zealand.  Australasian Gannets are white with black on the wings, a pointed tail, a golden-brown head with a strong, dagger-like beak.  They plunge, sometimes from great heights, beak first to catch fish underwater.  One morning while cruising Queen Charlotte Sound on the South Island we saw Australasian Gannets, other sea birds and Dusky Dolphins (Lagenorhynchus obscurus) feeding on a large school of small fish.   

Australasian Gannets, Fluttering Shearwaters (Puffinus gavia)

and Dusky Dolphins (Lagenorhhychus obscurus) feeding. 

Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand. 

Video by Diane Coggin

Common Diving Petrel (Pelicanoides urinatrix).
Foveaux Strait, New Zealand.

The smallest seabird we encountered was the Common Diving Petrel (Pelicanoides urinatrix).  They have a wingspan of just over a foot with black upper surfaces and white undersides.  Common Diving Petrels rapidly flap their wings unlike the larger petrels that spend much of their time gliding. They also use their wings to swim underwater catching small crustaceans.  The local name for these fast-flying birds is Buzzy Bee for their frantic flight pattern.  We saw Common Diving Petrels in the Cook Strait between North and South Islands and in the Foveaux Strait between the South Island and Stewart Island. 

 

Fluttering Shearwater (Puffinus gavia).
Queen Charlotte Sound, New Zealand.

Fluttering Shearwater.
Foveaux Strait, New Zealand. 

Fluttering Shearwaters (Puffinus gavia) are a little larger than Common Diving Petrels and have dark brown backs and white beneath.  They feed by snatching small marine creatures from the surface but will also dive for their prey.  Fluttering Shearwaters breed only in New Zealand, but immature birds disperse to Australia and the Solomon Islands.  This was another bird we saw on ferry runs between islands. 

Northern Giant Petrel (Macronectes halli).
Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand. 

The most bizarre seabirds we saw were the Northern Giant Petrels (Macronectes halli) and Southern Giant Petrels (Macronectes giganteus).  With a wingspan approaching seven feet they are truly giants and dwarf the other petrels and shearwaters in their family, the Procellariidae.  Their coloration is dark, and their massive beaks are strongly hooked. Giant Petrels are predators and scavengers. They can catch fish, kill and consume other seabirds and eat carrion up to the size of seals and whales. 

Southern Giant Petrel (Macronectes giganteaus).  
Taiaroa Head, New Zealand. 

Northern and Southern Giant Petrels are similar in appearance.  One way to distinguish them is Northern Giant Petrels have a pink tip to the bill while the Southern Giant Petrels beak tip is pale green.  We found Northern Giant Petrels off the Kaikoura Peninsula and a single Southern Giant Petrel off Taiaroa Head near Dunedin, both off the coast of the South Island.   

Petrels, shearwaters and albatrosses are all members of the order Procellariiformes.  These birds have tubular nasal passages on the top of the beak.  The tubes contain the nostrils, and these birds have a highly developed sense of smell for location prey at sea.  The nasal tubes also house salt glands that desalinate the sea water the birds drink and expels a concentrated salt solution.   

The largest members of the order Procellariiformes are the Albatrosses.  There are about 20 species of albatrosses. Their taxonomy is undergoing revision so the number of recognized species is under debate. Some albatross species have wingspans of over 11 feet and tend to be long-lived with some reaching more than 50 years of age. We saw six species on pelagic cruises around New Zealand.  

Antipodean Albatross (Diomedea antipodensis).
Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand. 

Antipodean Albatross.
Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand. 

The sea off the Kaikoura Peninsula was the location of our first albatross sightings.  Captain Gary of Albatross Encounter took us out in his small jet boat to cruise the waters off the peninsula on a rainy, windy morning. Captain Gary trailed a block of frozen fish parts, chum, behind the boat to attract seabirds. In North America it is unusual to find large seabirds so close to the coast but on this pelagic trip our boat was never out of sight of land.   The most common albatross at Kaikoura was the endangered Antipodean Albatross (Diomedea antipodensis). This species was formed when the Wandering Albatross was split into four species.  With its 10-foot wingspan, white head and body and black on the upper wing surface these albatrosses were an impressive sight following the boat and landing just off the stern.  

Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomorpha).
Stewart Island, New Zealand. 

The Southern Royal Albatross (Diomedea epomorphora) is even bigger than the Antipodean Albatross with a wingspan of over 10 feet.  Their coloration is similar to that of the Antipodean Albatross but a reliable way to distinguish them is a thin black line where the top and bottom mandibles meet.  This field mark is called the lips.  We saw Southern Royal Albatrosses at Kaikoura and on the Stewart Island pelagic.

Salvin's Albatross .
Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand. 

Salvin's Albatross.
Kaikoura Peninsula. New Zealand. 

The most elegant of the albatrosses off Kaikoura was the Salvin’s Albatross (Thalassarche salvini).  Salvin’s are slightly smaller than the Antipodean with a relatively dainty 8.5 foot wingspan.  Salvin’s Albatrosses have a gray head and body, dark wings and are white below.  They also have a distinctive yellow beak with a black smudge at the tip and dark eyelines that gives them a fierce look.  

A mixed flock of Antipodean Albatrosses, Northern
Giant Petrels and Pintado Petrels (Daption capense).
Kaikoura Peninsula, New Zealand. 

Bobbing in a small boat in the Pacific with scores of seabirds flying around, screeching and landing on the water near us was an unmatched encounter with the albatrosses and other birds. 

More encounters are coming in a future blog. 

 

 

Swamp Things

 

Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Two beautiful flowers bloom in our southern swamps during the long hot summer.  Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus) and Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) bring splashes of light to this dim environment and are important food sources for swamp creatures.  

A stand of Lizard's Tail (Saururus cernuus).
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Flowers of Lizard's Tail.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Lizard's Tail in fruit.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Lizard’s Tail is a member of a small plant family, the Saururaceae, that has only four genera.  It is native to eastern North America, but its closest relative, Asian Lizard’s Tail (Saururus chinensis), is found in east Asia.  Lizard’s Tail is a perennial plant with heart-shaped leaves that grows in still, shallow water.  It is a favorite food of the North American Beaver (Castor canadensis).  The name Lizard’s Tail comes from the plant's nodding spikes of tiny white flowers.  The flowers bloom from the bottom up, so the inflorescence tapers toward the tip.  These flowery spikes look like the tails of the namesake reptile.  In late summer the flowers yield brown fruits along the length of the spike.  Even the scientific name of the genus, Saururus, means Lizard Tail in Greek.   

A detailed view of the Cardinal Flower flowers. 
The reproductive structures arch above the rest of the flower. 
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Cardinal Flower blooms late in the summer flashing red in the swamp.  The brilliant scarlet flowers have five petals that are asymmetrically arranged with two petals on top and three below.  The reproductive structures, both the male stamens and the female carpels, are fused. Together they arch over the flower with nectaries located at its base.  Ruby-throated Hummingbirds are frequent visitors to Cardinal Flowers and as they sip nectar, pollen is deposited on their heads and beaks to carry to another flower. Cardinal Flowers are found in eastern North American, Mexico and into Central America.  The common name comes from the flower's red color that reminded early American naturalists of the red robes of Roman Catholic Cardinals.       

Cardinal Flower.
Rowan County, North Carolina. 

Summer is a challenging time to visit southeastern swamps.  They are hot, humid and buggy. But these spectacular swamp things, Cardinal Flowers and Lizard’s Tail, make the challenge worthwhile. 

Atala: Back From Extinction

 

Atala (Eumaeus atala) on its host plant Coontie (Zamia integrifolia).
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida.

The history of the brilliant butterfly Atala (Eumaeus atala) is a story of both a conservation disaster and a triumph.  This bright butterfly is native to southeastern Florida, the Bahamas, Cuba other islands in the West Indies.  But, by 1937 Atalas were extinct in Florida, the victim of habitat destruction and overharvesting of their host plants.  Then, beginning in 1959 scattered specimens were found and in 1979 a population of Atala was discovered in Miami-Dade County.  Since then, Atalas have spread up the east coast of Florida and have even colonized Florida's west coast, a location where they had not been found before. 

Atala larva on Coontie.
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

What is this unique butterfly and how did it make such a dramatic comeback?   Atala was named for the  heroine of a 19th century French novella by Chateuabriand.   They have black wings with dazzling blue iridescent spots. The hindwings have large red patches and the abdomen is bright orange.   Atalas will only lay their eggs on cycads and the only naturally occurring cycad in Florida is Coontie (Zamia integrifolia).  The Atala eggs hatch on the Coontie and the bright orange and yellow caterpillars eat the leaves.  The larvae go through several molts and the final larval stage forms the chrysalis.  From this the adult butterfly emerges.  

An Atala caterpillar that has eaten most of a Coontie leaf.
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Atala larva beginning to form a chrysalis.
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Atala chrysalis on Coontie.
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida. 

Coontie is native to Florida, southern Georgia and the Bahamas.  Cycads including Coontie have palm-like leaves, but they are gymnosperms more closely related to pines than palms.   Cycads are an ancient lineage that arose before the time of the dinosaurs.  The Jurassic Period is sometimes known as the “Age of Cycads”.  

Coontie is the natural host plant of Atala in Florida.
Ocala National Forest, Florida. 

Coontie roots were used for millennia by native peoples of Florida to produce starch.  But this starch had to be carefully prepared because all parts of the plant contain a toxin called cycasin.  Cycasin is neurotoxic and carcinogenic, but the Atala larvae are able to eat this plant because they are resistant to the toxin.  This chemical protects Atala larvae and adults from most predators.  The bright color pattern of Atala is a warning to birds and lizards not to eat these caterpillars or butterflies. 

In the 1800s when the native people of Florida were removed or driven into the Everglades, American settlers began harvesting Coontie for its starch themselves.  They established factories to make the starch and harvesting drastically reduced the Atala’s only host plant. Development in South Florida also reduced Coontie populations.  One of the reasons the Atala has made a comeback is Coonties are now used as landscape plants.  This native cycad is drought resistant and its toxin makes it unappetizing to most herbivores. Another reason for the surge in Atala populations is other species of cycads are being used for landscaping in South Florida and they too can host the Atala larvae. 

Florida Atalas have made a stunning return.  Atalas are thriving, having gone from extinction in the 1930s to being a common suburban butterfly today, with a some help from people and their plantings.   

Adult Atala.
Green Cay Wetlands, Palm Beach County, Florida.

Pelagic

 

Northern Gannet (Morus bassanus).
Dare County, North Carolina

Birders favor strange places; like swamps in northern Minnesota (in winter), the deserts of southern Arizona (in summer) or tiny islands in the Bering Sea (not in winter).  Then there is a word, a word that brings a gleam to birder's eyes, pelagic.  This ancient word comes from Greek and means the sea. Marine scientists refer to the pelagic zone as the open ocean where marine organisms can move freely and not encounter land.  Pelagic sea life includes creatures ranging in size from herring to whales.  Tunas, sharks and marlins are all pelagic fish.  But to birders pelagic has a different meaning.  Pelagic means a trip on the open ocean looking for birds that only come on land to breed.  

Oregon Inlet sunrise.
Dare County, North Carolina.

Sunrise from the deck of the Stormy Petrel II.
Dare County, North Carolina. 

North Carolina’s geography makes it one of the best places in American for pelagic birding.  Cape Hatteras extends far into the Atlantic and the Gulf Stream is within reach of boats sailing from the Hatteras and Oregon Inlets.  The mix of warm Gulf Stream water from the south and the cold Labrador Current from the north makes for diverse bird life year round.  Many pelagic trips in North Carolina happen aboard the Stormy Petrel II, a 51-foot boat captained by Brian Patteson.  The Stormy Petrel II is crewed by marine biologist Kate Sutherland and sharp-eyed spotters who help the pelagic passengers find birds, fish, marine mammals and turtles.  The crew of the boat drip fish oil into the water behind the boat and tow frozen blocks of chum off the stern that draws in seabirds. 

Winter

Sooty Shearwater (Ardenna grisea).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Winter pelagic trips off the North Carolina coast can yield an amazing variety of birds. Inshore, the water is cold but farther out the warm Gulfstream raises the water temperature and brings other creatures into view. Sooty Shearwaters (Ardenna grisea) breed in the South Atlantic and Pacific then wander counterclockwise around these oceans.  They are sooty gray-brown in color with long straight wings.  Sooty Shearwaters glide low over the surface of the ocean where they snatch up squid and small fish.  One winter day we saw a lingering Sooty Shearwater from the deck of the Stormy Petrel II.    

Razorbill (Alca torda).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Razorbills.
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Razorbills (Alca torda) are black and white seabirds of the North Atlantic.  Their name comes from their bill that is shaped like and old-fashioned straight razor.  Razorbills nest on sea cliffs with about half the world’s population breeding in Iceland.  Razorbills regularly winter off the coast of North Carolina.    

Manx Shearwater (Puffinus puffinus).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Manx Shearwaters (Puffinus puffinus) traditionally bred on islands along the north coast of Europe.  But in the late 20^th century they established nesting colonies in eastern Canada and New England.  Manx Shearwaters are becoming increasing common on North Carolina pelagic trips.  

Two Red Phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicarius) on the left and
and a Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) on the right.
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Phalaropes are odd shorebirds.  They don’t just wade, they float on the water using their legs to spin in circles.  On a winter pelagic we saw flocks of Red Phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicarius) miles out in the Atlantic.  These small birds nest on the Arctic tundra but spend their winters on the open ocean.  Their breeding plumage is impressive with a red breast, white mask and black cap.  In winter these birds sport a much more subdued plumage of black and white and they are perfectly at home riding the waves.  Among the Red Phalaropes there was a single Red-necked Phalarope (Phaloropus lobatus) that usually spends the winter farther south.  

Northern Gannet.
Dare County, North Carolina. 

The most impressive winter birds are the Northern Gannets.  We saw flocks of these large black and white sea birds plunging into the water to catch fish.  Northern Gannets are native to the North Atlantic and nest on cliffs along the coast of Northern Europe and Canada.  They winter as far south as the Caribbean, West Africa and the Mediterranean Sea.  

Hammerhead Shark (Sphyrna sp).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

There were interesting creatures down in the water too.  Several large Hammerhead Sharks (Sphyrna sp.) were feeding close to the surface.  They were sandy brown in color and about 9 feet long.  We also got to see a truly bizarre fish, the Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola).   They are among the largest boney fish and can reach 10 feet in length.  Ocean Sunfish are laterally flattened, like a flounder, and bask at the surface giving them their name.  They have a large dorsal and ventral fins that can extend above the surface and may be mistaken for a shark.  Ocean Sunfish have a greatly reduced tail and look like giant swimming fish heads.  

Ocean Sunfish (Mola mola).
Dare County, North Carolina.

Spring 

Sargassum sp. in the Gulf Stream. 
Dare County, North Carolina. 

A trip in May on the Stormy Petrel II gives a completely different view of the ocean and its inhabitants.  These voyages go into the Gulf Stream and its warm, blue waters brings different species.  The brown seaweed Sargassum sp. is found floating in the Gulf Stream and provides shelter for many fish.  Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) dash through the water and can often be seen riding the bow wake of boats.  These familiar marine mammals are gray, with a strongly hooked dorsal fin and reach  10 feet in length.  They feed on fish, squid and other marine life.  

Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins (Tursiops truncatus).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Gervais’s Beaked Whales (Mesoplodon europaeus) are toothed whales found in tropical and temperate waters of the Atlantic.  They are larger than the Atlantic Bottlenose Dolphins and have a similar diet.  On a pelagic trip in May we were lucky enough to find one of the unusual whales.

Gervais's Beaked Whale (Mesoplodon europaeus).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Several species of Strom Petrels are found in the Gulf Stream off North Carolina and lend their name to the boat that takes us on these pelagic trips.  Wilson’s Storm Petrels (Oceanites oceanicus) are the most common.  They are delicate looking black and white sea birds that patter their feet across the water’s surface as they feed.  They breed on the margins of the Antarctic continent and on southern islands.  Wilson’s Storm Petrels disperse through the world’s oceans for the rest of the year and are common off the coast of North Carolina during our warm months. 

Wilson's Storm Petrel (Oceanites oceanicus).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Pomarine Jaegers (Stercorarius pomarinus) are impressive birds that catch fish at the surface or harass other birds to steal their hard caught meals.  They breed on the Arctic tundra of North America, Europe and Asia then disperse south in all the oceans.  Pomarine Jaegers have a wingspan of over 4 feet, a hooked beak, black head and collar and long central tail feathers.  

Pomarine Jaeger (Stercorarius pomarinus).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Summer

 A summer pelagic brings a still different suite of sea life.  These trips also go to the Gulf Stream and on a recent cruise strong winds from the northeast opposed the current and made for rough seas.  Many of the passengers on the boat were seasick but the birds were fine.  We had Wilson’s Storm Petrels, Cory’s Shearwaters (Calonectris borealis), Scopoli’s Shearwater (Calonectes diomedea) and Great Shearwaters (Ardenna gravis) following the boat.   

Wilson's Storm Petrel.
Dare County, North Carolina. 

 

Great Shearwater (Ardenna gravis).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Great Shearwater.
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Great Shearwaters breed on just a few islands in the South Atlantic then migrate as far north as Greenland.  These large seabirds soar effortlessly over the surface of the water snapping up fish and squid as they do.  Great Shearwaters are dark above, white below with a gray cap.  

Cory's Shearwater (Calonectris borealis).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Cory’s Shearwaters are dark on the top of the wings, back and tail.  Beneath they have a white breast and belly, and white wings edged in black.  Scopoli’s Shearwaters have recently been split off from Cory’s and look very similar. 

Scopoli's Shearwater (Calonectris diomedea),
Dare County, North Carolina. 

One of the most impressive seabirds on this summer trip to the Gulf Stream was the White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus).  This beautiful bird is found in tropical oceans around the world and nests on islands including Bermuda.  White-tailed Tropicbirds are pure white except for a black eye line and black markings on the wings.  They have yellow beaks and a long, white streamer tails.  A pair of White-tailed Tropicbirds followed the boat for 5 minutes, stunning all aboard with their elegance.  

White-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon lepturus).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

White-tailed Tropicbird.
Dare County, North Carolina. 

A small pod of Short-finned Pilot Whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus) also put in appearance.  These black whales are about 16 feet long and live in matrilineal social groups.  They are found in temperate and tropical regions of all the oceans and are often involved in mass strandings.    

Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus).
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Short-finned Pilot Whale.
Dare County, North Carolina. 

Going on a pelagic is always an adventure.  It can be rough, windy, cold or rainy and sometimes all four.  On other days the sea can be like a millpond with dazzling sunlight. These elements; the sea, the sky and the birds make for a memorable day. 

Sunrise over the Atlantic on a pelagic birding trip.
Dare County, North Carolina.