The intrepid adventures in search of Manx shearwater in La Palma
Picture credit: José Luis Correia
The Biodiversity Foundation has funded the AMPLIAMAR project, an initiative with the aim of expanding the network of marine protected areas in Spain by identifying Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) for seabirds and other marine species.
The Seabird Ecology Lab research group at the Institut de Recerca de la Biodiversitat of Universitat of Barcelona has carried out an exciting campaign to capture Manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus canariensis) in La Palma, Canary Islands, to fit them with GPS/GSM devices. These devices allow us to determine both breeding and foraging areas, thus contributing to expanding our knowledge of sensitive and little-studied seabird species.
The Manx shearwater is an endemic subspecies of Macaronesia, which breeds in La Palma and other places in the Canary Islands and Macaronesia. Having organized two previous expeditions, in 2006 and 2023, the research group well equipped with night vision goggles, night drones, search dogs and climbers, failed to find their nests, hiding from their view, even though they reproduce in the middle of the laurel forests.
This year, the group changed their strategy to catch the elusive species. Therefore, they defied the turbulent waves of the sea to capture these birds in their natural habitat. The task was not easy at all, but, despite the difficulties, they managed to capture six specimens. Each of them was fitted with a GPS/GSM that sends their positions via mobile phone every ten minutes creating a real time map. Thanks to the creativity of our intrepid researchers, we are discovering for the first time both the location of their nests and their feeding areas at sea.
The movement data obtained over the coming weeks will improve our understanding of this little-known population, and will help identify Key Biodiversity Areas, with the hope of expanding the current network of Marine Protected Areas in Spain (RAMPE) to safeguard their habitat. As well as in the MAC Puffinus LIFE2030: Conservation of the Manx Shearwater in Macaronesia project, an integral initiative of the BESTLIFE2030 Programme aimed at safeguarding this species in Macaronesia, with the participation of the Seabird Ecology Lab of the University of Barcelona.
Fundación Biodiversidad finances through the programa Pleamar and co-financed by the European Union through FEMPA (European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund)
If you want to read more about the adventures of the SeabirdEcologyLab: Blog