Sight Record Research Articles

First recorded sighting of the Critically Endangered Tricolour Langur, Presbytis chrysomelas cruciger (Thomas, 1892) (Primates, Cercopithecidae), in Jemoreng Protected Forest, Sarawak, Malaysia

Presbytis chrysomelas cruciger (Thomas, 1892) is a Critically Endangered langur subspecies that has rarely been studied due to the difficulty of encountering it in the wild. Previously, this subspecies was sighted in Maludam National Park, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo. Here, we provide the first sighting record of P. c. cruciger in Jemoreng Protected Forest in Sarawak, where a total of eight groups were observed. We urge for further comprehensive studies and immediate conservation action.

The Tasmanian Thylacine Sighting Record Database (TTSRD): 1,223 quality-rated and geo-located Thylacine observations from 1910 to 2019

The Tasmanian Thylacine Sighting Record Database (TTSRD): 1,223 quality-rated and geo-located Thylacine observations from 1910 to 2019

The observation records from whale and dolphin watching inshore of Hualien, eastern Taiwan.

The eastern waters of Taiwan have been lacking baseline and research data for several years. This study was initiated by Kuroshio Ocean Education Foundation (KOEF) in collaboration with the Turumoan whale-watching company since 1998, collecting long-term ecological data for cetaceans in the inshore of Hualien, eastern Taiwan. This dataset includes 10,675 records of cetacean sightings from June 1998 to December 2021. Collection of cetacean sighting records was paused for one year in 2001 due to budgetary reasons. All of the sighting records were collected by whale-watching boat guides that were trained by KOEF. Following a standardised protocol, guides used a handheld GPS device and cetacean sighting record sheets to document information about the cetacean species identification, location, time, number of individuals, the presence of mother-calf pairs and mixed-species groups and other states of each sighting during a whale-watching tour. The collection of citizen-science data during this period has significantly advanced Taiwan's cetacean baseline data in the study area. Additionally, we make data available to the public in the form of citizen-science, making a substantial contribution to the advancement of ocean scientific research. We have published the dataset on Global Biodiversity Information Facility, allowing users around the world to download the dataset. This is currently the largest dataset of cetacean sighting records in Taiwan (last updated on 2023-09-05). We have also recorded several species on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List categorised as "Data Deficient" during our survey inshore of Hualien, eastern Taiwan, including Ginkgo-toothed beaked whales (Mesoplodonginkgodens Nishiwaki & Kamiya, 1958), Omura's whales (Balaenopteraomurai Wada, Oishi & Yamada, 2003) and killer whales (Orcinusorca (Linnaeus, 1758)). There are also sperm whales (Physetermacrocephalus Linnaeus, 1758), categorised as "Vulnerable" in the IUCN Red List and false killer whales (Pseudorcacrassidens (Owen, 1846)), categorised as "Near Threatened". This study is also the first and only long-term study that has documented cetaceans in the study area.

Resolving when (and where) the Thylacine went extinct

Like the Dodo and Passenger Pigeon before it, the predatory marsupial Thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), or ‘Tasmanian tiger’, has become an iconic symbol of anthropogenic extinction. The last captive animal died in 1936, but even today reports of the Thylacine's possible ongoing survival in remote regions of Tasmania are newsworthy and capture the public's imagination. Extirpated from mainland Australia in the mid-Holocene, the island of Tasmania became the species' final stronghold. Following European settlement in the 1800s, the Thylacine was relentlessly persecuted and pushed to the margins of its range, although many sightings were reported thereafter—even well beyond the 1930s. To gain a new depth of insight into the extinction of the Thylacine, we assembled an exhaustive database of 1237 observational records from Tasmania (from 1910 onwards), quantified their uncertainty, and charted the patterns these revealed. We also developed a new method to visualize the species' 20th-century spatio-temporal dynamics, to map potential post-bounty refugia and pinpoint the most-likely location of the final persisting subpopulation. A direct reading of the high-quality records (confirmed kills and captures, in combination with sightings by past Thylacine hunters and trappers, wildlife professionals and experienced bushmen) implies a most-likely extinction date within four decades following the last capture (i.e., 1940s to 1970s). However, uncertainty modelling of the entire sighting record, where each observation is assigned a probability and the whole dataset is then subject to a sensitivity analysis, suggests that extinction might have been as recent as the late 1980s to early 2000s, with a small chance of persistence in the remote south-western wilderness areas. Beyond the intrinsically fascinating problem of reconstructing the final fate of the Thylacine, the new spatio-temporal mapping of extirpation developed herein would also be useful for conservation prioritization and search efforts for other rare taxa of uncertain status.

The occurrence and status of black-and-white Puffinus shearwaters on the Kenyan and Tanzanian coasts, with the first specimen records of Persian Shearwater P. persicus persicus

We review specimens and sight records of small black-and-white Puffinus shearwaters in Kenya and Tanzania. An early specimen of an Audubon's Shearwater P. lherminieri sensu lato found inland at Limuru, Kenya in October 1963, long held to represent taxon bailloni (now treated as Tropical Shearwater P. bailloni), is reassigned here to P. b. nicolae. We refer three other specimens and two well-documented sight records to Persian Shearwater P. persicus persicus and a third sight record in northern Tanzania to P. persicus. We suggest that nominate persicus is a regular visitor to the central Kenya coast in December–March, probably as far south as the Pangani region of north-east Tanzania at least, concurrent with a seasonal upwelling event on the Kenya Banks associated with the north-east monsoon. Tropical Shearwater, however, is no more than a rare visitor to East African shores based on current evidence. Our data clarify the status of these shearwaters in the region, provide additional biometric data to complement published sources, and extend the western Indian Ocean non-breeding range of the nominate subspecies of Persian Shearwater approximately 2,000 km south from northern Somalia.

First sighting record of the Orange-breasted Green-Pigeon Treron bicinctus (Aves: Columbiformes: Columbidae) from Chittaranjan, West Bengal, India

The Orange-breasted Green-pigeon is a non-migratory frugivorous bird species from the family Columbidae. It is distributed in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and south-east Asian countries. In this paper, we report the first sighting record of the Orange-breasted Green-pigeon Treron bicinctus from Chittaranjan, West Bengal, India with photographic evidence.

Notable sighting record of the Himalayan vulture Gyps himalayensis (Hume, 1869) in the outer western Himalayas, Uttarakhand, India

We report the sighting of a large flock of immature Gyps himalayensis (Hume, 1869) in the Garhwal Himalayas area of the outer Himalayan range. This avian species is classified as near–threatened according to the IUCN Red List. We recommend future surveys and documentation of breeding and juvenile vagrant sites in this area in order to determine population numbers, moult and breeding schedules, and population trends in the area.

First Asian record of Light-mantled Albatross Phoebetria palpebrata (Foster, 1785) from Rameswaram Island, Tamil Nadu, India

This document is a first sighting record of the Light-mantled Albatross Pheobetria palpebrate from Rameswaram island in Southern India. This is an unusual record from the region as it has not previously been recorded from either South Asia or the Oriental region.

Evidential sighting of Mottled Wood-Owl Strix ocellate (Lesson, 1839), in Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus, Pune, Maharashtra

The Mottled Wood-Owl (Strix ocellate) is rarely seen endemic species to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Least Concern by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The sighting of this species is very rare. This species usually prefers nesting away from the human settlement area. There was no previous record of its presence and nesting in the Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus (SPPU). In this note, we are reporting the first evidential sighting record of the Mottled Wood-Owl in Savitribai Phule Pune University Campus (SPPU).

Richard Meinertzhagen's 1938 observation of Spectacled Eiders Somateria fischeri at Petsamo, Finland (now Pechenga, Russia)

During a 1938 visit to what was Petsamo in northern Finland (today Pechenga, north-west Russia), Richard Meinertzhagen claimed to have observed several individuals of Spectacled Eider Somateria fischeri, a species that had previously been observed just once in Europe, in northern Norway in 1933. Due to the insufficient documentation, and inconsistencies regarding the number of birds seen, it is recommended that this sight record be treated henceforth with suspicion.

Annotated Checklist of the Plants of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest, Coastal Kenya

A total of 605 vascular plant species, including flowering plants, gymnosperms and ferns, are included in this annotated checklist for Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Reserve in Kilifi County in the Coast Region of Kenya. Out of these 491 are supported by a voucher specimen in the East African herbarium, and 106 are sight records, whereas an additional 8 are cited from the Flora of Tropical East Africa (FTEA). This total represents approximately 9% and 18% respectively of the flora of Kenya and the coastal region (K7 of FTEA). Taxa are distributed in 103 families and 389 genera, the largest families being Leguminosae (Fabaceae) with 62 taxa, Rubiaceae with 53 and Malvaceae with 26. The largest genera include Grewia, Cyperus, Ficus and Ipomoea. For each record a name, a cited specimen or sight record, a short general description, and its known phytogeographic distribution is provided. Globally threatened species are also indicated. The conservation importance of Arabuko-Sokoke is discussed.

Record of a Few Pelagic Bird Sightings along Sindhudurg Coast, Maharashtra

Record of a Few Pelagic Bird Sightings along Sindhudurg Coast, Maharashtra

English

The white-tailed Lapwing, Vanellus leucurus, is a species of bird which is listed by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as Least Concern, winter visitor to India and breed in Central Asia and Southern Russia. It is occasionally sighted in the western region of Maharashtra State, Gujarat, Rajasthan, India, but hardly ever documented. There is no record of its presence in the study area. In this note, the first sighting record of the white-tailed Lapwing at Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh was reported. Key words: Winter visitor, Nawabganj Bird Sanctuary, Uttar Pradesh, Vanellus leucurus.

First record of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Canadian Pacific waters

BackgroundCommon bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are distributed globally in tropical and warm-temperate waters with coastal and offshore ecotypes known. In the eastern North Pacific Ocean, common bottlenose dolphins are typically found in offshore waters as far as 41° N and in coastal waters as far as 38° N. Despite considerable survey effort, the species has not been previously recorded in Canadian Pacific waters.ResultsOn 29 July 2017, a group of approximately 200 common bottlenose dolphins were observed together with approximately 70 false killer whales (Pseudorca crassidens) in waters of 16.5° C at 50° N during a pelagic seabird and marine mammal survey off the west coast of northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.ConclusionsThis sighting represents the only occurrence of common bottlenose dolphins recorded in Canadian Pacific waters and, to our knowledge, is the most northerly record for this species in the eastern North Pacific. It is also the first sighting record of false killer whales in non-coastal waters in British Columbia, Canada. The occurrence of both species may be associated with a prolonged period of warming in offshore regions of the eastern North Pacific.

Recent Sight Records of Black Microhylid Frog, Melanobatrachus indicus Beddome, 1878 in Marayoor Forests, Idukki District, Kerala

The Black Microhylid Frog Melanobatrachus indicus is a rare and endangered species known only from very few specimens from the southernmost part of the Western Ghats. A good population of these species was reported for the first time from the highland montane shola forests Marayoor, Idukki district, Kerala. The present report forms the highest altitude record for the species, about 1700 m and also accounts for the most numerous populations ever recorded for the species from the Western Ghats. An updated review of the present distribution of the Black Microhylid frog is also provided.

First documented record of the Sapphire Quail-Dove Geotrygon saphirina Bonaparte, 1855, in Brazil, an overlooked specimen from the Klages expedition to Amazonia

We report the long overlooked first record of Sapphire Quail-Dove Geotrygon saphirina in Brazil, a male specimen collected at Sao Paulo de Olivenca, Amazonas state, in March 1923, by Samuel M. Klages. This is the first and only documented record for the country, pre-dating a sight record from Benjamin Constant, in extreme western Brazil, in April 1966.

Changes in the Occurrence and Behavior of Mammal-Eating Killer Whales in Southern British Columbia and Washington State, 1987–2010

The primary prey species of mammal-eating killer whales in the Salish Sea, the inland waters of southern British Columbia and Washington state, have experienced dramatic increases in population abundances in the last 25 years. It is possible that changes in prey abundance over time have resulted in changes in predator spatial use, occurrence and group size. Focused studies of mammal-eating killer whale behavior in the area were undertaken from 1987–1993, and an extensive record of sightings with confirmed identifications was available from 2004–2010. Changes in occurrence across years, months, and subareas of the Salish Sea were examined as well as changes in group size and in the identity of specific matrilines using the area. Occurrence of mammal-eating whales increased significantly from 2004–2010 with different seasonal peaks compared to 1987–1993. Different matrilines occurred in different seasons, time periods, and subareas. Group size was larger in 2004–2010 than in 1987–1993. The whales may be increasing use of the area due to increasing prey abundance or an overall increase in the whale population size. Changes in seasonal patterns of occurrence and the increase in group size between the two periods could be due to increased prey diversity.

Inferring species extinction: the use of sighting records

Summary Accurate measures of extinction are needed in biodiversity monitoring and conservation management, but ascertaining the exact time at which a species became extinct is difficult since a small population may go undetected for many years. For little‐studied species, often the only information available is historical sighting data. Several statistical tests have been developed which use this information to make inferences about a species’ extinction. The increasing array of methods can present a daunting choice. We review the more frequently cited methods, for each model explaining its assumptions, the data required, the scenarios it was developed for and power considerations, if known. We provide guidance on selecting the most appropriate method for a particular sighting record. We give examples from the literature to show how the methods have been usefully applied across conservation research, informing conservation decision‐making and extinction inference.

Depletion of marine megafauna and shifting baselines among artisanal fishers in eastern Brazil

AbstractIncreasing exploitation effort and efficiency have been leading to population declines and extinctions among large marine animals. Understanding the magnitude of such losses is challenging because current baselines about species' abundances and distributions in the sea were mostly established after humans had started affecting marine populations. For artisanal fisheries, from which written historical records are rarely, if ever, available, approaches based on gathering anecdotal information from fishers' knowledge are a promising method to know the past environmental conditions. We interviewed coastal artisanal fishers, with ages varying from 15 to 85 years, to detect temporal changes in the catch abundance of large fish species, particularly the largetooth sawfish Pristis pristis and the goliath grouper Epinephelus itajara within Abrolhos Bank, Brazil. Most fishers considered that fishing has led to species depletion. However, older fishers reported significantly more species and larger species as depleted than young fishers. Older fishers caught significantly larger largetooth sawfish and goliath grouper in the past than younger fishers. The largetooth sawfish has not been caught or sought for more than 10 years. Probabilistic tests provided no definitive evidence for local extinction, although the past record of sightings indicates a population decline close to the threshold level for extinction probability. We provide evidence that small‐scale artisanal fisheries can decimate the abundance of large coastal fishes, one of those almost close to local extinction. Finally, our results suggest that the younger generation is not aware of past ecological conditions, indicating the occurrence of a shifting baseline syndrome among the fishing community.

British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee: 43rd Report (October 2014)

British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee: 43rd Report (October 2014)