Hi folks,

Here's a cross-posting that actually has to do with a bird we can see
here in the Pacific NW (at least *some* might... ). The STAL story
is basically one of success, much of it due to the efforts of Doctor
Hasegawa Hiroshi. With luck, some day I might even luck into
seeing one!

Jon Anderson
Olympia, Washington
festuca at olywa.net
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---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 6 Feb 2000 12:34:14 SAST-2
To: seabird at uct.ac.za, birdbycatch at pond.net
Subject: Short-tailed Albatross update

Once abounded in millions in North Pacific, the Short-tailed
Albatross had almost been wiped out by plume hunters by 1930s, and
the last remaining population on Torishima Island, 600 km to the
south of Tokyo, was considered extinct after World War II. However,
in 1951, a small number was found surviving on a steep slope on this
island. After the rediscovery the population is slowly recovering and
the present total population is estimated to be around 1000, the
majority breeding in Torishima Island, and only a handful in
Minami-kojima, Senkaku Islands*, in southernmost Japan. The steepness
and the vulnerable condition of the breeding site on Torishima
Island is responsible for the low recovery rates and Yamashina
Institute for Ornithology, in collaboration with Hasegawa Hiroshi,
an albatross expert, is conducting the 'DECOY OPERATION' on this
remote island uninhabited by humans, in which nearly 100 plastic
decoys and sound recordings are used to attract albatrosses to a
safer site on the other side of the island.

According the February issue (vol. 12, no. 2) of YAMASHINA CHOKEN
NEWS (a monthly newsletter of YIO), a just hatched chick was
confirmed on 7 January through a remote-controlled camera at the new
breeding site, Hatsune-zaki, on Torishima Island. This is the fourth
hatching success at Hatsune-zaki since the start of the DECOY
OPERATION in 1991. Two remote controlled cameras transmit images of
the new breeding site via a communications satellite to the office
of YIO in Chiba Prefecture near Tokyo. The cameras are driven
electrically by solar batteries because no electricity is readily
available on this uninhabited island.

Those who are interested in this DECOY OPERATION may consult the
following paper, which is written in Japanese but has an English
abstract: Sato, F., et al. 1998. The first breeding success in the
Short-tailed Albatross colony restoration project on Tori-shima,
using decoys and vocal lure. Journal of Yamashina Institute for
Ornithology, 30(1):1-21.

Also you may get some visual images at the web-site of Suntory, one
of the major sponsors of this project at:

http://www.suntory.co.jp/culture/birds/albatross1.html#1
http://www.suntory.co.jp/culture/birds/albatross2.html#3

These pages are in Japanese and those who do not understand Japanese
may have to jump there directly to see some photos and a map.

There is going to be a cruise from Yokohama to view the Short-tailed
Albatross from aboard a luxury ship this April. The whole island of
Torishima is designated a natural monument and participants are not
allowed to land, but the ship goes round the island so that this
rare seabird in flight can be very well watched. The Short-tailed
Albatross is otherwise very difficult to see and this is a very good
opportunity to include this rarity in your life list. The cruise is
going to be from 7 April to 9 April 2000. For more information of
this cruise, contact Pacific Tour Systems Co. by phone:
03-5950-5914(Tokyo).

*Senkaku Islands are a place of territorial dispute between China
and Japan, and no biological research has been made recently.

************************************************
Hiraoka Takashi
(family name)(given name)
Chiba Pref., Japan
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