The Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs recently (26th and 27th May) sent a technical team to Praia Islet, in Graciosa, as part of the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA Project, with the aim of monitoring the artificial nests of Monteiro’s storm-petrel (Hydrobates monteiroi) that are installed in that colony. This study, which has the collaboration of the Environment Service/Graciosa island Natural Park, will assess the nest occupancy rate and determine the reproductive success of that seabird, endemic of Azores. Twenty-six occupied nests were observed, with 28 birds, 27 of which had already been ringed in previous years and only one bird was a new capture.

In parallel, the annual census of Common and Roseate’s tern (Sterna hirundo and Sterna dougalli) is currently taking place throughout the archipelago, an action coordinated by the Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs, in collaboration with the Environmental Services/Island Natural Parks. This census is part of the monitoring program of the MONIAVES Marine Strategy Framework Directive and is a complementary action to LIFE IP AZORES NATURA. The seabird monitoring actions are part of action D5 “Monitoring of terrestrial and marine habitats, species and conservation problems” of the LIFE IP AZORES NATURA project. This action foresees, this year, the evaluation of the reproductive success of these species. We will have more news soon!