In exciting news, the FMB Marine Team and volunteers have discovered the first confirmed chick of a Cape Verde storm petrel nesting on the islet Laje Branca, around 400m from the coast of Maio. Previously we have only ever caught one adult of this species in our ringing study – in March 2018.
The Cape Verde storm petrel (Hydrobates jabejabe), or ‘Pedreirinho’, is a small pelagic seabird (the smallest that nests in Cape Verde!) which uses crevices between rocks or sandy burrows to create their nests. Not a lot is known about this seabird’s breeding biology, their nests have been found year-round, so it’s not clear when or if it has a breeding season – and when it’s not at the breeding colony it spends all its time at sea.
Pictures: Cape Verde storm petrel chick (left), Cape Verde storm petrel adult (centre), The team preparing for a night of seabird fieldwork (right)
Normally, we only find white-faced storm petrels (Pelagodroma marina), ‘Pedreiro-Azul’, at the breeding colony on Laje Branca where they have begun using our artificial nests, installed in 2017. These artificial nests have allowed us to more closely study the white-faced storm petrel, a key species as part of our protected area monitoring. Our seabird monitoring includes ringing both adults and chicks; taking biometric measurements; creating a population estimate for the island; and proactively detecting for invasive species. FMB also monitors many other aspects of the biodiversity of Maio’s protected areas, including sharks, fish, other underwater marine life, terrestrial birds, cetaceans, and many other species.
Pictures: Ringing nets for our seabird work on Laje Branca (left), White-faced storm petrel chick (right)
Our Marine Program Manager, Sara Ratão, who is responsible for FMB’s protected area projects, knows that Cabo Verde’s beautiful biodiversity still has a lot left to be discovered. “Those species that have had more conservation interest in recent years, such as the national symbol, the loggerhead turtle, are starting to see positive changes to the laws, regulations and awareness regarding their status. This is what we hope for the other species and habitats that make Maio and the Cabo Verde archipelago so unique – to create a better balance between humans and nature.”
Please read more about this news here: https://noticias.sapo.cv/sociedade/artigos/fundacao-maio-biodiversidade-monitoriza-primeira-cria-de-pedreirinho-no-ilheu-de-laje-branca
We thank our funders and partners: Darwin Initiative, The Seabird Group, ARCADIA, MAVA Foundation, Fauna & Flora International (FFI), University of Barcelona, University of Lisbon, the National Directorate of the Environment (DNA) and the Delegation of Agriculture and Environment in Maio (DMAA).
If you would like to help support FMB in our protected areas monitoring work, and with our wider mission of protecting the island of Maio’s beautiful biodiversity whilst creating opportunities for the people of Maio, please consider donating through the link below. Thank you!