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The Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta breeds during the austral winter and mainly on Gough Island, remaining near the colonies during the breeding season and wintering on the South Atlantic Subtropical Convergence waters. Until now, all information about the diet of this species has been obtained during the breeding season, but these birds may take different prey items on the breeding grounds vs. the wintering grounds. We examined the stomach contents of 61 Atlantic Petrels stranded during the wintering season. A total of 1 183 food items were recorded, mainly cephalopods (93.9 %) and fish (6.1 %). Anthropogenic objects (i.e., debris) were found in 23 birds (37.7 %). Cephalopods are the main prey during both the breeding and the non-breeding seasons. The ingestion of debris by more than one-third of individuals is noteworthy and reveals an additional threat to this endangered species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses findings of a study to evaluate the accuracy of methods used to monitor burrowing activity and population of the Atlantic Petrel or Pterodroma Incerta seabird in Gough Island in the South Atlantic Ocean. It notes the use of a burrowscope to validate activity signs and playback response to recorded calls in order to estimate Atlantic Petrel population. It confirms that the burrowscope provided a more accurate representation of occupancy for 94 percent of burrows.

House mice Mus musculus have successfully colonized many temperate and sub-Antarctic islands that are the location for breeding colonies of millions of seabirds. Unlike other introduced mammals, the impact of house mice on seabirds and endemic birds is believed to have been negligible. The breeding ecology of seabirds breeding on Gough Island, central South Atlantic Ocean, was studied for the first time during September 2000 to September 2001. Breeding success of the endangered Tristan albatross Diomedea (exulans) dabbenena and endangered Atlantic Petrel Pterodroma incerta were 27.3 and 19.9% respectively. Mortality of large Tristan albatross and Atlantic petrel chicks was observed, and the pattern of wounds and observations of feeding indicate that introduced mice were responsible for this predation. Breeding numbers of the endemic Gough bunting Rowettia goughensis are mostly found in upland areas of Gough Island where mice are scarce and are restricted to inaccessible cliffs in the lowlands where mice are abundant. This pattern, together with the high predation rates of artificial-eggs in lowland habitats in comparison to the uplands, strongly suggests that mice constrain the distribution of Gough buntings. The results of this study provide the first evidence for the role of house mice as a significant predator of endangered and endemic birds. Further research is required to determine if the observed levels of mice predation are a regular occurrence. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]