Tristan da Cunha Conservation News

Kelp Gull Sighted near the Harbour

Photos and report from Rachel Green
Identification by Peter Ryan

A young Kelp Gull was sighted on a beach west of Calshot Harbour on 25th August 2020. Kelp Gulls are one of the more common vagrant birds from South America that set out over the ocean and may be seen feeding around the Tristan da Cunha Islands on their huge  journey eastwards.

Kelp Gulls breed widely in the Southern Hemisphere, around the coasts of South America, Southern Africa and Australasia as well as the South Atlantic Isands including the Falklands and South Georgia and the Southern Indian Ocean Prince Edward - Heard Island achipelago, but not on the Tristan da Cunha Islands. 

The species is also referred to as the Southern Black-backed Gull and is identified by the common latin name Larus domininanus as it is also known as the Dominican Gull.

Juvenile Kelp Gulls, like the example seen at Tristan in August 2020, have very distinctive and attractive markings that contrast with the yellow bill, white head and black and white tail feathers of breeding adults.

The Kelp Gull will be featured in a forthcoming second issue of stamps from the Tristan Post Office on vagrant species.

World Oceans Day Tristan Blue Belt Update

	Tristan da Cunha's Marine Protection Zone will be formally announced later in 2020.
	In the meantime, Tristan da Cunha's on-going Blue Belt work is celebrated in the Blue Belt Programme Annual Update for 2019/2020 published on World Oceans Day 8th June 2020   The full document is available as a PDF download.   The relevant pages are reproduced below: