Life on Gough Island

Blog post by Steffen Oppel, Senior Conservation Officer, RSPB Centre for Conservation Science.

Imagine sitting at a bus stop in a rural part of Wales or Scotland.

The wind is driving sleet and rain over the boggy hills, it is foggy, wet, and miserable. You sit and wait.

After 30 min you get annoyed, after six hours you are totally soaked and miserable, and starving. After a few days one of your parents comes along and vomits some rancid fish oil in your mouth to keep you alive.

They leave and come back every week or so. You sit and wait, knowing that the bus that will finally get you out of this godforsaken place will not come for another eight months.

Welcome to how a Tristan Albatross chick must feel growing up on the remote island of Gough in the South Atlantic Ocean.

The normal ordeal of growing up sounds already pretty daunting, but the chicks on Gough Island face another threat: they are eaten alive by mice.

Non-native mice that were introduced by sailors have gradually learned to eat albatross chicks that are too young to fly or run away. Every year, hundreds of albatross chicks are killed and eaten by mice.

The annual count of albatross chicks

Finding out just how many chicks survive every year is a key task of the Gough Island team. Twice each year, in January and September, the team hikes around the island and counts all Tristan albatrosses. In January adult birds are incubating eggs, and in September large chicks are counted.

By comparing with January's egg count, this provides data on the year's success rate.

The RSPB team on a ridge, scanning the valley below for surviving albatross chicks (S.Oppel)

Tristan albatrosses breed in the upland valleys of Gough Island, and a census therefore requires extensive travel across mountainous and boggy terrain far away from any established trails. Because the weather on Gough can change rapidly, the team always carries survival gear to sit out ferocious storms in some remote valley.

Members of the RSPB team on Gough during the survey in September 2018 (S.Oppel)

Depressing results from the count in September 2018

After a glorious day on 18 September, when the team enjoyed blue skies and calm winds, it became apparent that 2018 was again a dismal year for albatross chicks. In valleys where dozens of albatrosses had been incubating eggs in February, only a handful of chicks remained.

RSPB team hiking into the valley in which 43 chicks survived out of 146 nests (S.Oppel)

After a short break due to rain, strong winds, and thick clouds that rendered any survey impossible, the team resumed the surveys and completed a count of all surviving albatross chicks on the 26th of September. The results were bitter, and highlight how urgent mice need to be removed from Gough Island:

Out of 1453 nests counted in February, only 309 chicks (21%) survived until late September.

As long as four out of five Tristan albatross chicks perish before they have a chance to leave Gough Island, the decline of this Critically Endangered species is set to continue.

The team take a break in the background as this chick and its parent enjoy the sunshine! (S.Oppel)

Tristan albatross chick curiously eyeing RSPB scientist Steffen! (J.Cleeland)

How you can help

The round island count shows the decline in just one species on Gough Island, but we know mice are predating on 15 seabird species and one land-bird. A new study shows that mice are eating up to two million chicks a year.

If you'd like to support our action to remove mice from Gough Island and allow these species to thrive once again please help us to restore Gough by donating or sharing our social media and website.

Acknowledgements

The Gough Island Restoration Programme is being carried out by the RSPB in partnership with Tristan da Cunha, BirdLife South Africa and the Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa and Island Conservation.

The programme is part-funded by the RSPB, the UK Government, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and other generous individuals and organisations.