United States

**Abstract:**

Pygoscelid penguins in Antarctica require ice-free terrain for nesting, open-water access to their colonies on the coast, and adequate marine food supplies nearby, thus the presence or absence of penguin colonies act as proxy for these conditions. Ornithogenic soils are formed over hundreds to thousands of years and contain a natural archive of well-preserved tissues that can be used to track the initiation and abandonment of penguin colonies over geologic time. This &#39;penguin record&#39; complements traditional paleoclimate and sea-ice records such as ice cores and lake and marine sediment cores. Previous radiocarbon dating of Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) tissues from ornithogenic soils in the northern Antarctic Peninsula have suggested a very young occupation, dating to less than 800 calendar years before present (BP). This is at odds with other proxies that indicate earlier deglaciation of this region. To address this enigma we excavated active and abandoned Adélie penguin colonies at the Danger Islands, Paulet Island, and Brown Bluff, Tabarin Peninsula, along the northern Antarctic Peninsula to determine their occupation history. We discovered that Adélie penguins first occupied the Danger Islands and Paulet Island approximately 2820 to 2935 BP. In contrast, ornithogenic soils at Brown Bluff dated to less than 400 BP, similar to previous dates on soils in this region. When compared to past studies these new dates indicate a north-to-south occupation across breeding colonies in the northeastern Antarctic Peninsula that began around 2900 BP. This agrees with paleoclimate and sea-ice proxies that suggest that the northern Antarctic Peninsula underwent complete deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum by approximately 6000 to 3000 BP. However, a mismatch remains between the late Holocene age of ornithogenic soils and the middle Holocene age of marine sedimentary deposits and penguin guano bio-elements in lake sediments from the region that warrants future investigations.

**Authors:**

Michael Polito¹, Gemma Clucas², Tom Hart³, Rachael Herman⁴, Chantel Michelson¹, Heather Lynch⁴, Hanumant Singh⁵, Stephanie Jenouvrier⁶, Steven Emslie⁷

¹Louisiana State University, ²Cornell University, ³University of Oxford, ⁴Stony Brook University, ⁵Northeastern University, ⁶Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, ⁷University of North Carolina at Wilmington

3rd World Seabird Conference

Penguins as paleoclimate and sea-ice proxies: Radiocarbon dating indicates a late Holocene, north-to-south, penguin colonization in the northern Antarctic Peninsula

Welcome Seabirders!  

Welcome to Virtual World Seabird Conference 3 - vWSC3! Whether you are in your office or lab, at home, in a coffee shop or bar poaching some wifi, or at a remote field site or research vessel – we are very excited to welcome you to the third ever World Seabird Conference. 

We would like to thank ALL of you for being so patient as WSC3 was scheduled, postponed, rescheduled, revised to virtual, and scheduled again. Throughout all those iterations there was one message that remained perfectly clear – seabirders were eager to meet and share their science. If we could not meet in person then virtual it would have to be, but a 3rd WSC was something everyone wanted. That support and commitment helped the WSU Board of Directors and Member Societies sort through all of the challenges they faced to plan and hold this conference. 

The list of those that need to be thanked is long and, while we plan on recognizing many during the live closing plenary, it is important to do so here in writing as well. 

The Australasian Seabird Group was our Local Host for our plan to meet in Hobart, Tasmania. They invested substantial time and effort to find venues and plan events that we unfortunately were not able to visit. Nonetheless we appreciate their work on behalf of WSC3 and encourage all of you to thank them when you see their members in Gathertown or elsewhere during our virtual meeting. Their willingness to host created the initial excitement for WSC3 and without that our vWSC would not have been possible.

We also wish to thank the Science Program Committee, the Virtual Committee, and the Early Career Scientist Committee for their hard work planning the logistics, events, and schedule for vWSC3. These committees also had to deal with changing parameters and short timelines that made what is always a challenging task even more challenging. The Travel Awards Committee also invested time and effort in developing procedures for awarding travel funds that ultimately would not be implemented. 

Our ability to shift from an in-person to a virtual meeting, and to do so in a way that would be financially feasible, was due to the effective efforts of The International Fundraising Committee and to our financial sponsors. The IFC raised funds to support WSC3 and then, through the good relationships they built with sponsors, ensured we could re-envision how those funds could be used to support a virtual conference that would be affordable and high-quality.

We all owe the WSU Board of Directors and the Representatives of the Member Societies a great deal of thanks. They are the ones who manage the WSU and, for the past 18 months, have had to have a series of challenging meetings and conversations, have had to make a series of difficult choices, have had to do all of that while considering the short- and long-term health of WSU and the World Seabird Conferences, and did this while also managing their own challenges at their day jobs. We are grateful for their diligence, patience, foresight, and throughout all of the meetings, their collegiality. Also – a 6-year term is quite a commitment!

There would not be a WSC3 without a successful WSC1 and WSC2. Thanks go to the Pacific Seabird Group for their support of WSC1 in Victoria, Canada, and to the African Seabird Group for their support of WSC2 in Cape Town, South Africa. In each of these endeavors and for our current conference we were fortunate to work with a dependable and trustworthy partner in Podium Conferences. Michelle Smith and Marischal de Armond have become valued members of our team and have not only helped us plan conferences but have assisted and advised the WSU Chairs and Board on issues above and beyond conference planning. 

As we embark on our vWSC3 week we extend to all of you our thanks for showing up, for being patient, and most importantly for the work you do with seabirds. We are all part of a unique, global community that shares an interest, a fascination, and a passion for birds that make a living in our world’s oceans. We have advanced the science, conservation, and management of seabirds as well the ecosystems they inhabit. We are consistently impressed and motivated by the work you do. 

The WSU formed in 2010 because we saw the need for a global organization to address challenges at a global level. Over the past 11 years WSU has grown, adapted, and evolved to become the community that this week is making vWSC3 a reality. Enjoy the week, appreciate and support the friends and colleagues you have made in the community, and if you see us in a virtual hallway please stop and say hello! 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve all of you and the WSU over the past few years,

Nicholas Carlile, Interim Chair, WSU<br>
Patrick Jodice, 2nd Chair of the WSU<br><br>

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Join us for four days of science, networking and virtual engagement with delegates from around the world!

**Abstract:**

Pygoscelid penguins in Antarctica require ice-free terrain for nesting, open-water access to their colonies on the coast, and adequate marine food supplies nearby, thus the presence or absence of penguin colonies act as proxy for these conditions. Ornithogenic soils are formed over hundreds to thousands of years and contain a natural archive of well-preserved tissues that can be used to track the initiation and abandonment of penguin colonies over geologic time. This 'penguin record' complements traditional paleoclimate and sea-ice records such as ice cores and lake and marine sediment cores. Previous radiocarbon dating of Adélie penguin (Pygoscelis adeliae) tissues from ornithogenic soils in the northern Antarctic Peninsula have suggested a very young occupation, dating to less than 800 calendar years before present (BP). This is at odds with other proxies that indicate earlier deglaciation of this region. To address this enigma we excavated active and abandoned Adélie penguin colonies at the Danger Islands, Paulet Island, and Brown Bluff, Tabarin Peninsula, along the northern Antarctic Peninsula to determine their occupation history. We discovered that Adélie penguins first occupied the Danger Islands and Paulet Island approximately 2820 to 2935 BP. In contrast, ornithogenic soils at Brown Bluff dated to less than 400 BP, similar to previous dates on soils in this region. When compared to past studies these new dates indicate a north-to-south occupation across breeding colonies in the northeastern Antarctic Peninsula that began around 2900 BP. This agrees with paleoclimate and sea-ice proxies that suggest that the northern Antarctic Peninsula underwent complete deglaciation following the Last Glacial Maximum by approximately 6000 to 3000 BP. However, a mismatch remains between the late Holocene age of ornithogenic soils and the middle Holocene age of marine sedimentary deposits and penguin guano bio-elements in lake sediments from the region that warrants future investigations.

**Authors:**

Michael Polito¹, Gemma Clucas², Tom Hart³, Rachael Herman⁴, Chantel Michelson¹, Heather Lynch⁴, Hanumant Singh⁵, Stephanie Jenouvrier⁶, Steven Emslie⁷

¹Louisiana State University, ²Cornell University, ³University of Oxford, ⁴Stony Brook University, ⁵Northeastern University, ⁶Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, ⁷University of North Carolina at Wilmington

poster

**Abstract:**

Artificial lights reduce fledgling survival through distraction and disorientation during fledging, leading to the grounding of seabirds, termed "fallout," and an increased risk of mortality from land-based threats. This study evaluated spatial and temporal factors, such as fallout clustering near light sources and fallout proximity to colonies to inform targeted management actions that can reduce fallout and increase survival. Standardized surveys were conducted from 2002 to 2010 for Wedge-tailed Shearwater (Ardenna pacifica) fallout on the island of O'ahu, Hawai'i, USA. The location of fallout and presence of an artificial light source or power line were compared between fallout points and randomly-selected points along the transect. Wildlife rehabilitation data from recovered individuals collected following non-fatal fallout events were analyzed to determine physical factors, such as condition upon arrival, and temporal factors that may influence the likelihood of fallout and survival. From 2002-2010, artificial light was present in 94% of fallout events, and power lines in 83%. The number of fallout events increased over time, and decreased over distance from artificial light sources, with the number of fallout individuals negligible further than 5 km from a source colony. Fallout showed high clustering in "hotspot" regions with up to 60% of all detected fallout events over eight years occurring in a region of less than 1.4 km. The majority of recovered fallout individuals submitted to wildlife centers were successfully released, suggesting that recovery efforts focused near high-risk colonies and in hot spot regions are likely to decrease fatalities due to fallout. Based on these highly actionable results, similar studies of other species in the order Procellariformes are recommended to direct management toward places and times of highest risk to reduce fallout-induced mortality.

**Authors:**

Brooke Friswold¹, Keith Swindle², David Hyrenbach³, Melissa Price⁴

¹University of Hawaii at Manoa, ²U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, ³Hawaii Pacific University, ⁴University of Hawaii Manoa

Spatial and temporal factors influence fallout in Wedge-tailed Shearwaters: Mitigating threats through directed management

**Abstract:**

The annual customary harvest of titi (Sooty Shearwaters, Ardenna grisea) is a culturally defining wildlife harvest that is of fundamental importance to identity, mahinga kai (food provisioning), transmission of mātauranga (knowledge and wisdom) and the economy of Rakiura Maori. The harvest and Rakiura Titi Islands are managed by Rakiura Maori using tikanga (customary protocols) and matauranga Maori. These cultural guidelines and knowledge are embedded within bylaws and management documents, highlighting the importance of indigenous frameworks for managing seabird populations and habitat. A 14-year research partnership between Rakiura Maori and the University of Otago, founded in matauranga Maori, Rakiura tikanga and science began in 1994. At the time collaborative research partnerships between Maori and university were unique, but none-the-less Rakiura Maori recognised the need to ensure the sustainability of titi harvesting. The research tracked titi breeding density, harvest intensity, bycatch, population changes, measures of survival, reproduction and migration. These parameters were used to build computer simulations of past and future populations under different harvest intensities and climate scenarios. The research highlighted three main threats to sustaining customary harvesting are: climate change, the predation on titi by introduced weka (a native rail, Gallirallus australis), and potential increases in harvest intensity. The model highlighted that the biggest and quickest gain for sustainability would be the removal of introduced weka from birded areas. Weka were introduced to these islands, however management of this species is complicated because of their taonga (treasured species) status and legislative protection mechanisms. Management of weka and harvest intensity requires adaptation of Rakiura Maori management frameworks. The ability to adapt management responses is already demonstrated within this community. Adaptive initiatives include conservation projects, succession planning and development of an application to empower harvesting families to model their harvest management decisions on their manu (birding area).

**Authors:**

Jane Kitson¹, Corey Bragg¹, Phil Lyver²

¹Rakiura Titi Islands Administering Body, ²Landcare Research

Sustaining seabirds and culture: Rakiura Maori management of titi (Sooty Shearwaters) in New Zealand.

**Abstract:**

The largest remaining Hawaiian petrel colony (ʻuaʻu, Pterodroma sandwichensis) exists in alpine and sub-alpine habitats on Haleakalā, Maui. The Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project has monitored the portion of the colony and the vegetation community within the Kahikinui Forest and Nakula Natural Area Reserves following ungulate exclusion in 2014. Here we report on the expansion of the ʻuaʻu colony in these recently protected areas, and how management has positively impacted the habitat. We use Automated Acoustic Monitoring (AAM), annual standardized burrow searching, and burrow monitoring during the breeding season to assess activity, recruitment, and reproductive success of ʻuaʻu. Vegetation surveys are conducted at burrow sites and annually at randomly generated permanent plots to determine abundance and coverage of native and non-native plant species. The number of ʻuaʻu burrows is increasing at an average of 22 annually, and reproductive success has steadily increased to 58% in 2020. Results of AAM surveys show greater ʻuaʻu activity over time, particularly in locations popular with prospecting birds. Vegetation surveys reveal that although native species diversity remains unchanged, the abundance of uncommon native shrubs is increasing. Overall, vegetation characteristics at burrow sites do not differ from the surrounding landscape, suggesting that the resilience of the high-elevation community makes it attractive as a recruitment site. Our results show how an ecosystem-level approach can facilitate the assessment and recovery of a population of endangered seabirds.

**Authors:**

Jennifer Learned¹, Martin Frye¹, Cecelia Frisinger¹, Jay Penniman¹

¹Maui Nui Seabird Recovery Project

Recovery of sub-tropical alpine habitat and the endangered Hawaiian petrel on leeward Haleakalā, Maui

**Abstract:**

Neotropical cormorants (Phalacrocorax brasilianus) are common seabirds along the Peruvian coast. They frequently perch in urban areas (trees, harbors, poles, etc.), causing potential aesthetic and public health problems due to the dropping of feces on infraestructure and people. Large number of these birds use lighting poles to rest on a narrow median in a 12.5 km coastal highway in Lima, Peru. We hipothesized that the distribution of the cormorants in this highway is not random, but it may be associated with abiotic features of the coastline that may favor prey accesibility. Biweekly counts of cormorants per lighting pole between July 2018 and July 2019 revealed that during the study period the total number varied between 15 to 430 birds, and that only 16% of the total number of posts (N = 651) were occupied. A large amount of cormorants were present in the posts at 1000 h and 1400 h, matching the prefered timing of foraging between mid-morning and mid-afternoon. Cormorants were clustered in four recurrent main groups along the highway, i.e., the spatial distribution was no-random. An AIC model selection approach determined that the presence of the cormorants in these sites were strongly related to a closer distance to the coastline and the isobath 7 m, and to the presence of breakwaters. No relation was found with the turbidity of the sea (measured < 1,300 m from the shorline). These findings suggest that neotropical cormorants may select these sites for a better sighting or detection of prey. Any management for relocation of cormorants from the lighting poles in this highway must take into consideration mainly the distance of perching sites to the shoreline and the occurrence of breakwaters.

**Authors:**

Sebastián Lozano¹, Carlos Zavalaga¹

¹Universidad Científica del Sur

Non-random spatial distribution of the neotropical cormorant (phalacrocorax brasilianus) in an urban area in Peru

**Abstract:**

Longitudinal studies of basic biological features in seabirds, such as chick growth rate, can provide important information on how parents respond to environmental conditions during the breeding season. Humboldt penguins (HUPE) have adapted to cope with the varying conditions (ENSO) of the dynamic Humboldt Current System, e.g., flexible diet or abandoning the nest if conditions are adverse. Furthermore, studies show that chicks reared under adverse conditions show longer rearing periods reflected in lower growth rates. Our goal was to determine the growth rate of HUPE chicks born and reared until fledgling, during the first breeding season of years 2000 to 2019 in Punta San Juan, Peru. For this, we accessed a long-term database on individual nest checks conducted annually during 2000-2019. We extracted values for three morphometric measures (foot, flipper and bill length) and body mass. Then, we fit measures to non-linear regressions, asymptotic and slope values were extracted to evaluate daily growth rates and the percentage of adult size reached by end of rearing. Due to small sample sizes, only years from 2004 to 2007 were considered for interannual comparisons. The measures that reached adult size at the end of the rearing period were flipper and foot length, while bill length only reached ~80% of adult size. The measure with greatest interannual variation was body mass, followed by bill, flipper and foot length. Significant interannual differences in body mass were only found between years 2005 and 2006 (Wilcoxon, p<0.05). A negative relationship (R=-0.88, p=0.12) was found between mean body mass and SSTA (ONI index) during months of adults post-molt feeding trip. Lack of significance may be affected by small sample sizes. Low correlation during years with weak positive SSTA (2004, 2007) suggest HUPE have strategies to cope with smaller scale environmental changes; however stronger anomalies during onset of breeding may be affecting final chick body mass gain, which is key for post fledging survival.

**Authors:**

Karen Lau-Alarcón¹, Marco Cardeña-Mormontoy¹, Andrés Chavieri-Salazar², Susana Cárdenas-Alayza¹

¹Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, ²Universidad Ricardo Palma

Interannual variation in Humboldt penguin chick growth rate at Punta San Juan, Peru from 2000 and 2019: Preliminary findings

**Abstract:**

Chick vocalization towards parents primarily serves to provide information about its food demands but may be also used for chick recognition. For colonially nesting seabirds the ability to recognize their own offspring is crucial to ensure a breeding success. However, in the case of burrow nesting species, the chick recognition by parents may be less significant, since the own nest can be identified by geographic cues alone. But at some stage of the nesting period chicks get mobile and leave the nest and/or simply fledge, and when still in that time the parental care is to be continued the ability to recognize and care for their own offspring should be important. In the little auk, Alle alle, a burrow-nesting, colonially breeding seabird with a monogamous breeding system, both parents share incubation and care over a single, semi-precocial chick. The male accompanies the chick during fledging and his presence and care is crucial for the young to survive. The aim of this study was to test the inter-individual differences in chick calls at different stages of the nesting period, as well as the recognition of the own chick by the parents. Given the importance of male parent accompanying the chick during the fledging and paternal care at sea, we expected that there are inter-individual differences in the acoustical parameters of the chicks' calls, which allow parent birds to recognize and provide care for their own offspring. Chick calls were recorded in the nests in 2016-2018. Additionally, the cross-fostering experiment was conducted and the parents' feeding performance was monitored. As expected, significant inter-individual differences were revealed in chicks' fledging calls. Also, the begging calls showed a significantly different acoustic features between individuals, both, at the end, and in the mid of the chick rearing period. Surprisingly, parent birds accepted cross-fostered chicks, providing the parental care. Results suggest that there is a potential for chick recognition in the species but apparently recognizing the chick consider geographic cues over the acoustic.

**Authors:**

Dorota Kidawa¹, Mateusz Barcikowski¹, Katarzyna Wojczulanis-Jakubas¹, Dariusz Jakubas¹

¹University of Gdansk

Do inter-individual differences in chick calls assure chick recognition by parents of burrow-nesting colonial seabird, the little auk Alle alle?

**Abstract:**

The Abbott's Booby Papasula abbotti is amongst the most threatened seabirds in the world. The species' only current breeding location is the Australian territory of Christmas Island in the eastern Indian Ocean. There, Abbott's Boobies benefit from conservation actions but insights into its behaviour at sea are crucially missing to implement effective holistic conservation strategies. In particular, the species' migratory behaviour and non-breeding distribution are largely unknown but it is likely that the birds are exposed to various threats during these periods. Using GLS loggers, we studied Abbott's Booby movements during non-breeding. 22 adult birds were tracked between 2007 and 2014, yielding a total of 27 migrations. The birds migrated predominantly easterly off Christmas Island to a relatively restricted area around the Banda Sea, Indonesia. The mean duration of the migration was 121 days (± 21), taking place from 7th December (± 29 days) to 7th April (± 27 days). No significant differences were found in the 50% (core area) and 95% (home range) utilisation distributions (kernel density estimates) between males and females. The results can help develop effective conservation measures: along their migration routes and in their non-breeding foraging habitat Abbott's Boobies are exposed to a number of potentially harmful human activities, in particular fisheries. In addition, oceanographic changes due to global warming could make the crucial foraging area around the Banda Sea less suitable as non-breeding habitat. The spatial restriction of the non-breeding core area makes it a good candidate for an Important Bird Area/Key Biodiversity Area.

**Authors:**

Johannes Chambon¹, Janos Hennicke², Henri Weimerskirch³, Rory Wilson¹, Luca Börger¹

¹Swansea University, ²Bundesamt für Naturschutz, ³French National Centre for Scientific Research

Non-breeding distribution of the endangered Abbott's Booby

**Abstract:**

Bycatch in industrial fisheries is the most pervasive at-sea threat to seabirds globally, for which an array of mitigation measures have been developed. However, seabird interactions with accessory gear, deployed by crew to improve catches or for self-consumption, remains poorly understood. We quantified seabird bycatch in a novel accessory gear deployed by pelagic longline (PLL) fishers off southern Brazil, termed 'buoy hooks' (BH), which consists of short (2-4 m) branchlines clipped straight to bullet buoys, targeting sharks and dolphinfish. This practice was first recorded in 2013, in only two vessels and six trips, by on-board observers voluntarily taken by fishermen. BHs were deployed in 23 (49%) of 47 observed sets, comprising 36,737 and 1,598 hooks for PLL and BH, respectively. Catch rates (number/1000 hooks) of seabirds (BPUE) and target species (CPUE) were compared between gear types. In total, 24 albatrosses or petrels were caught in the PLL (BPUE=0.65) and 28 in BH (BPUE=17.52). Considering only dead birds, BPUE was 0.33 and 6.26 for PLL and BH, respectively. CPUE of target species was 8.66 for PLL (mostly blue shark, tuna and swordfish) and 14.89 for BH (blue shark and dolphinfish). Given the high BPUE in BH, explained by its very shallow fishing depth, even sporadic use across the fleet represents a menace to threatened albatrosses and petrels in this region. Even though the high BPUE recorded was observed in a low number of hooks, we recommend monitoring the use of this accessory gear across the fleet and its potential impacts on seabirds.

**Authors:**

Augusto Silva-Costa¹, Gabriel Canani¹, Tatiana Neves², Dimas Gianuca³

¹Projeto Albatroz/Albatross Task Force Brazil, ²Projeto Albatroz, ³Birdlife International Marine Program

Seabird bycatch in a novel, and unregulated, accessory fishing gear deployed by pelagic longline fishers off southern Brazil.

**Abstract:**

Seabird bycatch is an important global conservation issue and very often cited as one of the causes leading to the population declines of different seabird species. Significant gaps still exist in our knowledge of seabird bycatch patterns, namely in artisanal fisheries. Studies to better understand bycatch impact by this type of fleet should focus on smaller areas and include higher observation effort. Although bycatch has been recently recorded in artisanal coastal fisheries operating in the Portuguese mainland coastal waters, little is known about its magnitude and main effects for seabird populations. Here, we present a comprehensive study in Ilhas Berlengas Special Protection Area (SPA) and surrounding waters to properly quantify seabird bycatch. Three mitigation measures were tested: high contrast panels in gillnets, black hooks in longlines and a scary-bird device in purse seines. The efficacy, acceptance and economic viability were tested for each mitigation measure. Sixty five individuals of 7 different seabird species were caught during the 295 observed fishing trips between 2015 and 2018. Gillnet and purse seine bycatch events occurred outside the SPA limits, while demersal longline bycatch events occurred mainly within the SPA. Bycatch occurred mainly in the demersal longlines set at a longer distance from coast (>500m), near the surface (≤2m), with longer soaking times (>24h) and during the summer. It was not possible to evaluate the efficacy of two of the mitigation measures implemented, as no bycatch events were recorded during control and experimental trials. Nevertheless, the scary bird measure presented promising results, causing birds to interact less with the vessel The scary bird has proved to be a low-cost and easy to implement mitigation measure, being also well accepted by purse seine fishermen. The measure presented promising results, causing birds to interact less with the vessel, thus reducing the likelihood of being caught.

**Authors:**

Nuno Oliveira¹, Ana Almeida¹, Emanuel Constantino¹, André Ferreira¹, Iván Gutiérrez¹, Ana Santos¹, Elisabete Silva¹, Joana Andrade¹, Hany Alonso¹

¹SPEA - Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves

Contribution to reduce bycatch in a top priority area for seabird conservation in Portugal

**Abstract:**

The island of Helgoland (Germany) in the southern North Sea holds several cliff-breeding seabird species, some of them close to the southern edge of their breeding range. In spring and summer 2018, unusual high air temperatures in combination with low wind had considerable impact on these seabirds. Various observations indicated that especially adult northern gannets and black-legged kittiwakes were under heat stress, leading to extensive nest abandonment before hatching, especially in parts of the colony with long sun-exposure and shelter from wind. Although heat continued throughout that summer and very high temperatures were measured at the nests, chick rearing appeared to be less affected, but overall breeding success was untypical low in gannets and close to colony failure in kittiwakes. Common murre chicks left the colony at younger age and with critical body mass, many of them died just after jumping from the breeding ledges. As food provisioning in parts of the colony protected from solar radiation appeared to be good and because species with different prey and ways of foraging were involved, it is unlikely that feeding conditions and food supply were responsible for the poor breeding success. To a lesser extent, the observed phenomena recurred in 2019, when spring was very warm again. In the light of predicted warming due to climate change it is discussed whether the breeding range of North Atlantic seabirds might retreat northwards in future.

**Authors:**

Volker Dierschke¹, Jochen Dierschke², Nils Guse³, Stefanie Rolfsmeier⁴

¹Gavia EcoResearch, ²Institute of Avian Research, ³Christian-Albrechts-Universität Kiel, ⁴Helgoland

Penguins as paleoclimate and sea-ice proxies: Radiocarbon dating indicates a late Holocene, north-to-south, penguin colonization in the northern Antarctic Peninsula

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