PLASTIC PERIL

Intimate photos of flesh-footed shearwaters reveal fascinating behaviour - and research into a growing threat

- PAUL BLOOMFIELD

Silver surfers

Flesh-footed shearwaters plunge into the waves off Lord Howe Island, between Australia and New Zealand. Their black plumage gleams with tiny air bubbles trapped between feathers as they forage for food. Worryingly, their diet is increasingly seasoned with plastic waste in the world's oceans. This problem is the focus of Adrift Lab (adriftlab.org), a team of experts researching the impacts of marine plastic pollution on seabirds.

Back tracking

A fledgling is fitted with a satellite tag for a pilot tracking project. The full study, launching in 2024, will enable Adrift Lab researchers to measure distances flown, speeds and routes, as well as survival rates. Stomach contents will first be retrieved using a non-harmful technique to assess ingested plastics, enabling researchers to assess links with condition and mortality rates.

Island life

Lord Howe Island, lying in the Tasman Sea some 800km north-east of Sydney, is home to one of the world's few breeding colonies of flesh-footed shearwaters - and to photographer Justin Gilligan, who documents these birds and the work of Adrift Lab. From late September, around 22,500 shearwaters arrive here to mate and nest, having flown for perhaps 10 days non-stop, covering over 8,000km, from feeding grounds around the Sea of Japan.

All at sea

Shearwaters bob in rafts beneath the sheer Cliffs of Malabar on Lord Howe Island's north shore, resting between feeding. Rafting is also an opportunity for socialising: these are busy, noisy assemblies, with birds squabbling and squeaking between shallow dives. They hunt mainly small fish and squid by day, returning to their nests after sunset bearing food for their chicks.

Making a splash