Global Birding In association with eBird & Swarovski Optik, supporting BirdLife Intl
Celebrate 100 Years of BirdLife International -Albatross SOS
Join BirdLife and Global Birding for Global Bird Weekend and Fundraise while you count birds
More details about how you can join in on Birdlife International's dedicated event page
It’s estimated 100,000 Albatrosses are killed as they forage behind fishing vessels each year. Some birds are caught on the hooks of longline boats, pulling them under the water to drown. Others are killed when they collide with cables on trawlers. Of the 22 species of Albatross, 15 face extinction.
"BirdLife and our Partners are turning the tide. In South Africa we have already succeeded in reducing Albatross deaths by 99% in some trawl fisheries. With your support we can save our seabirds and protect other species from extinction."
Seabirds on Christmas Island
How Seabirds are affected and how you can help
We are delighted that Christmas Island is taking part in Global Bird Weekend
Here's a photograph of some of the Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) colony on the island.
Read on to understand the vital balances threatening places such as Christmas Island and why we are supporting BirdLife International in Protecting Marine Birds with their SOS Albatross Appeal
THE GOOD
This is a Brown Booby colony of about 50 families - some have 2 chicks - between Ethel and Lilly Beach on Christmas Island.
The island has several large colonies of seabirds that are known to have inhabitited the island for over 60 MILLION YEARS.
During this time the seabirds phosphate rich droppings have created phosphate deposits.
A dense rain forest covered the entire island and remained intact over millions of years.
The unique relationship between Christmas Island's land and marine enviroment during this time has developed into one where both the marine and the land ecosystems depend on one another for each other's existence, biodiversity, health and sustainability eg Monsoon season rain carries nutrient rich soil into the sea providing an important food source for plankton and onwards up the food chain. The seabirds feed on smaller fish which are driven up to the surface by larger pelagic fish. The wheel of life in action.
Plenty of birdwatchers love visiting the island to enjoy the 69% which is a designated National Park.
It is hoped that nature tourism can expand and save the vital habitat needed for much of the wildlife in and around Christmas Island.
THE BAD
The phosphate rich seabird deposits accumulated to the extent that they have been mined over a number of years - resulting in almost 24% of the island's vegetation being cleared. The current mining lease expires in 2034. Many islanders depend on the mines for their livelihoods.
THE UGLY
Much of the phosphate is shipped and used for fertilisers in palm oil plantations - at the expense of more natural rainforests.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
We all love nature
It is vital that we all join to protect nature.
Given the story above, what might appear to be an island paradise is a habitat under threat.
This can be saved by making more people aware of the need to protect such places and encouraging nature tourism visitors to enjoy and nurture these sites.
Hopefully this can redress some of the balance of nature as well as provide sustainable livelihoods for the people who also call it home.
In the meantime, by participating in Global Bird Weekend and sending your bird sighting lists to eBird, you are playing your part in collecting vital data about the state of the birds of the world - our planet's health barometer.
If you are able to donate any funds to BirdLife International we will add the link to our website on Monday 3 October when the appeal goes live.
THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR SUPPORT