Ascension : Conservation Weekly - Frigate Bird Rescue
Submitted by The Islander (Conservation Office) 12.07.2007 (Article Archived on 26.07.2007)
On Tuesday 3rd July 2007 Conservation was alerted. A juvenile Frigate Bird, endemic to Ascension was seen at Pan Am Beach.
On Tuesday 3rd July 2007 Conservation was alerted. A juvenile Frigate Bird, endemic to Ascension was seen at Pan Am Beach. Once captured by Adrian and Nathan it was observed that a large stainless steel fish hook was lodged half way down its throat, the bird was clearly in distress. With help from Jimmy Peters and Mark Thomas from Ascension Island Government and a hefty wire cutter, the hook was dislodged, and the bird was then fed and released.
This is a common occurrence when fishing. When lines are thrown, birds dive down for the bait and sometimes are unlucky, as they get caught on the hook. Frigate birds cannot land or take off from the water like the Boobies and other seabird species that are seen diving into the waters around the coast of Ascension; as they are not adapted for this. The Frigate birds then pursue other seabird species and force them to drop their catch and then retrieve it for themselves.
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