The breeding websites on the Lummenfelsen on Helgoland are slowly filling up once more. The first pairs of gannets have returned, billing, some are already nesting, others are simply arriving.
Actually, every little thing is as typical firstly of April earlier than the breeding season of the pelagic birds – and but one thing is totally different: There are considerably fewer gannets to be seen at their conventional nesting websites, particularly on the plateaus and on the Lange Anna rock, says the affiliation’s protected space supervisor for Helgoland Jordsand, Elmar Ballstaedt. It is just not foreseeable what number of breeding pairs will come to Germany’s solely offshore island till round mid-April. But there will certainly be fewer than typical, says Ballstaedt.
The cause for this goes again a little bit: For years, chicken flu solely appeared in reference to chicken migration on this nation within the winter months. But in 2022 the extremely contagious pathogen didn’t disappear and precipitated immense losses within the seabird colonies on the North Sea coast. “An outbreak in the middle of the breeding season like last year was completely new,” says Florian Packmor, who’s accountable for breeding birds on the Lower Saxony Wadden Sea National Park Administration.
But as a result of the virus is consistently being detected alongside the coast this 12 months, scientists and conservationists are trying with concern on the forthcoming breeding season on Heligoland and within the Wadden Sea National Parks. They completely wish to defend the colonies from devastating outbreaks like final 12 months.
Colonies supply virus optimum circumstances
While tons of of gannets died on Helgoland in 2022 or their breeding stopped prematurely, the virus in Lower Saxony primarily affected the sandwich terns, which had been already threatened with extinction. The virus was rampant in 4 of a complete of 5 sandwich tern colonies close to the German North Sea coast – on the islands of Minsener Oog, Langeoog and Neuwerk and on the Hallig Norderoog. Almost 3,000 useless grownup animals and a pair of,800 useless chicks had been discovered on Minsener Oog alone, stories Packmor.
In the breeding colonies of sandwich terns, the virus discovered optimum circumstances for spreading. “Sandwich terns form the narrowest breeding colonies that we have in the Wadden Sea,” says the knowledgeable. In the middle of the colonies, there are solely 30 to 40 centimeters between the nests. With the brood within the dense, noisy colonies, the white-feathered birds with the distinctive black crest really defend themselves from predators.
From the scientists’ perspective, it was tragic that many grownup birds specifically died. Because to be able to guarantee their continued existence, sandwich terns, like gannets and guillemots, rely on getting outdated. They solely lay a number of eggs and solely develop into sexually mature after a number of years. “The survival of the adult birds is important to keep the population stable at all,” says Packmor.
Virus apparently adjustments eye colour in gannets
On Heligoland, the breeding success of the gannets was beneath common final 12 months. A phenomenon that has been noticed in some gannets there for the reason that outbreak in the summertime is a special eye color. Some birds which have died from the virus, in addition to some which can be nonetheless alive, have all or half black eyes.
“It looks like contact lenses on Halloween,” says Ballstaedt. Such a discoloration had by no means occurred earlier than chicken flu – so it may be assumed that these animals have recovered. However, too little is understood concerning the immunity of untamed birds.
Scientists and conservationists wish to change that and completely forestall new, attainable outbreaks within the upcoming breeding season. At the top of March, virologists, ornithologists, epidemiologists and veterinarians from Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark, Great Britain and Sweden met in Wilhelmshaven to debate threat components and the entry routes of the virus into the colonies – this assembly was organized by the Wadden Sea Secretariat of the States, amongst others Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands.
Lower Saxony begins “series of pilot measures”
With the interdisciplinary workshop, a joint threat evaluation by varied specialists for chicken flu within the Wadden Sea was carried out for the primary time on a trilateral degree, says Kristine Meise, program supervisor for migration and biodiversity on the Wadden Sea Secretariat. “We agreed at the workshop that there is a high risk that a new outbreak could occur.” But whether or not it’ll really occur and which chicken species may then be affected can’t be predicted.
In order to be ready for brand spanking new outbreaks, the specialists additionally exchanged views on attainable programs of motion. In order to safe the inventory of sandwich terns, the Lower Saxony nationwide park administration desires to depend on a package deal of measures: “We will now tackle a series of pilot measures,” mentioned Packmor.
Above all, monitoring ought to be intensified. In order to get an summary of the unfold of the virus as early as attainable, sandwich tern chicks are to be examined for the virus for the primary time.
Webcams are designed to observe colonies
Another measure might be the elevated assortment of carcasses. “As a result, there is even a chance of containing an outbreak,” says Meise. However, such interventions must be fastidiously thought of, since accumulating them additionally means disturbing the colonies. “It could cause infected animals to migrate and spread the virus to other colonies.” Therefore, there are additionally concerns to arrange outside webcams within the colonies, with which the sandwich terns, for instance, may be monitored remotely.
On Helgoland, Ballstaedt and his colleagues search the island for useless birds as soon as per week and take samples if crucial. “As of now, things are looking good for our seabirds. None of the species have shown any signs of bird flu as of yet,” says Ballstaedt.
But if the gannets do develop into contaminated, guillemots, kittiwakes and different species that breed shut collectively on the Lummenfels would most likely be affected as properly. Last 12 months it was simply luck that the guillemot chicks had already left their nesting websites when chicken flu broke out.
Source: www.nationalturk.com
