Counts of surface-nesting seabirds at Marion Island in 2003/04

Numbers of gentoo penguins Pygoscelis papua, macaroni penguins Eudyptes chrysolophus, eastern rockhopper penguins E. chrysocome filholi and Crozet shags Phalacrocorax [atriceps] melanogenis continued to decrease at Marion Island in 2003/04. The decreases are thought to be due to a reduced availability of prey to birds foraging near island. Numbers of wandering albatrosses Diomedea exulans, grey-headed albatrosses Thalassarche chrysostoma, light-mantled sooty albatrosses Phoebetria palpebrata, northern giant petrels Macronectes halli, Antarctic terns Sterna vittata and Kerguelen terns S. virgata appear stable at the island, but often with large fluctuations in numbers breeding. Numbers of dark-mantled sooty albatrosses P. fusca, southern giant petrels M. giganteus and kelp gulls Larus dominicanus have shown a long-term decrease, although the count for dark-mantled sooty albatrosses was higher in 2003/04 than for several seasons.