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Notes on the birds of Schirmacher Oasis, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica.
Citation
RYAN, P.G. 2024. Notes on the birds of Schirmacher Oasis, Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica..
Marine Ornithology 52: 197
- 202
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.52.2.1582
Submitted 15 January 2024, accepted 16 February 2024
Date Published: 2024/10/15
Date Online: 2024/09/15
Key words: Antarctica, Adelie Penguin, Snow Petrel, South Polar Skua, Southern Fulmar, Wilson’s Storm Petrel
Abstract
The Schirmacher Oasis in central Dronning Maud Land, East Antarctica, has a long history of ornithological observations and is one of the few areas in East Antarctica experiencing a warming climate. Snow Petrels Pagodroma nivea and Wilson's Storm Petrels Oceanites oceanicus were reported to breed at Schirmacher Oasis in the past, but currently the only confirmed regular breeding species is the South Polar Skua Stercorarius maccormicki. This note summarises observations at the Oasis in November and December 2023. Wilson's Storm Petrels were the most abundant bird, breeding at several sites along the northern scarp in December. Pairs of Adelie Penguins Pygoscelis adeliae were seen at two sites, but no breeding was observed. A pair of Southern Fulmars Fulmarus glacialoides displaying on a cliff in December represent the first record of this species for the Oasis. Snow Petrels were only recorded in November, commuting through the area, presumably to breeding sites farther inland. Three pairs of South Polar Skuas were recorded incubating in mid-December, with the first chick hatching on 18 December. Numbers of skua pairs have decreased steadily from 10 pairs in the 1980s and 1990s, presumably due to removal of food subsidies from station scraps.
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