Albatross

Questa  ricerca si propone di esporre il percorso creativo di uno dei più grandi incisori del secolo XIX: Gustave Doré, approfondendo , in particolare, il percorso illustrativo dell'autore e l'intensità delle sue opere più celebri. La tesi triennale qui esposta tratta infatti nel particolare la lavorazione della 'Ballata del Vecchio Marinaio' di S.T. Coleridge a cui Doré dedicò anima e corpo per la realizzazione di un prodotto intenso e unico nel suo genere. Buona lettura.

It is suggested that valuing objects is a distinctive human trait. It is a prerequisite for rational behaviour. Factors that are likely to influence valuations, the difficulties of getting agreements about valuations and the limited perspective of economics as a basis for valuation are discussed generally. Attributes of Otago Peninsula that seem to be valuable and worth conserving are listed and discuss taking into account possible conflicts in getting maximum value from these attributes. Particular attention is given to the economic value of conserving wildlife species on the Otago Peninsula. It is estimated that as a result of the presence of these species and their use for tourism, expenditure of over $100 million annually is generated in the Dunedin regional economy (directly or indirectly) and that 800-1000 full-time equivalent jobs are created. The economic opportunity cost of this wildlife conservation on the Peninsula is low and it is clear that the economic benefits from this conservation are well in excess of the costs involved. When non-use economic values and the social values associated with Otago Peninsula are taken into account, this further adds to the value of conserving this wildlife. While there has been remarkable expansion in wildlife tourism on the Otago Peninsula and its economic impact in the Dunedin region in the last two decades, (especially in the viewing of yellow-eyed penguins) difficulties and constraints are emerging that are likely to hamper its future expansion. However, wildlife tourism on the Otago Peninsula will still have a huge economic impact on Dunedin regional economy. Consequently, even if assessed solely in terms of their economic value, the wildlife attractions of the Otago Peninsula are well worth conserving. It can be argued however, that the value of conserving biodiversity on the Peninsula exceeds its touristic and its economic value. Some conservation organizations (such as the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust) even though not directly involved in tourism add to its economic value as well as its social value and promote the highly desired goal of conserving biodiversity.

The visual aspect of Penguin Books is the most discussed factor of the publisher’s success, with discussion that Penguin books strongly resembled those of Albatross Publishing. Lane was open to admitting him inspiration from Albatross. Hans Schmoller stated “Allen Lane frequently stated in conversation that when he launched Penguin Books in 1935 he was trying to emulate the Albatross collection.

The middle age classes of albatrosses are the most productive, yet exhibit great variation in reproductive success. In the absence of individual lifetime reproductive success, nine years of breeding history from a Marion Island study colony of Grey-headed Albatrosses Thalassarche chrysostoma, was used as a proxy for quality. Individuals and pairs were classified according to breeding experience and success. Breeding behaviours in the 2006/07 breeding season were documented and investigated according to experience: experience counted. Males arrived significantly earlier, in significantly better body condition and attended significantly more during the pre-laying period than females. Experience led to earlier and more synchronous male arrival in better body condition. Successful experience meant earlier arrival for both sexes as well as increased male attendance. Earlier male arrival and persistence may improve the likelihood of partner reunion, reduce cuckoldry and provide opportunities for extra-pair copulations (14.4% of observed copulations). Philandering reduced breeding success and was linked to experience as naïve birds philandered most and had the lowest breeding success. Pairs with successful breeding histories laid earlier within a highly synchronised laying period (17 d). Breeding success increased with experience and failure for experienced females was more likely at the earlier egg rather than chick stage. These results were similar to the T. chrysostoma study colony on Bird Island, South Georgia, although timing was earlier due to a lower latitude and different ocean basin.

By examining Orson Welles's Chimes at Midnight (1965) and Gus Van Sant's My Own Private Idaho (1991), this essay explores how adapting Shakespeare's language into a cinematic medium plays out a sociological shift from a high to a low literary discourse.

Large-scale climatic processes such as the El Ni~ no-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) can have severe effects on the survival of seabirds in their breeding regions. However , there is a fundamental lack of understanding about how environmental factors are related to the mortality of these organisms in non-breeding areas of the tropics. We investigate here the direct and indirect effects of ENSO and oceanographic variables on the mortality of three migratory seabird species targeted by conservation programmes focused on human impacts: the Atlantic yellow-nosed albatross Thalassarche chlororhynchos, the Magellanic penguin Spheniscus magellanicus and the Manx shearwater Puffinus puffinus in a non-breeding area in Brazil, tropical Atlantic. We find that the intensification of ENSO increases the mortality of Manx shearwaters by enhancing the local storm activity. The mortality of Atlantic yellow -nosed albatrosses and Magellanic penguins is also related to a local increase in storm activity but regardless of the ENSO signature. Increased mortality of Magel-lanic penguins is observed when biological productivity falls below the annual average (1.7 mg m À3). Adverse climatic conditions are highly deleterious for migratory seabirds and single storm episodes can cause massive deaths, thus exacerbating population declines. We argue that conservation and management strategies for migratory seabirds studied here should not only focus on direct human impacts but should also consider mitigating the effects of climate variability.

Skeletal remains are commonly recovered from archaeological deposits, both historic and prehistoric. Zooarchaeology, the study of animal bones from archaeological sites, sheds light not only on human use of wildlife but on its past distribution and abundance, a perspective that complements and extends the historical record. For this study, we reviewed previously published zooarchaeological records and identified avifaunal remains recovered from five archaeological sites throughout San Diego County, California, representing periods of human occupation from 10,000 years before present to the mid-19th century. These  remains reflect many notable avifaunal changes from this region. Bones of the flightless sea duck Chendytes lawi from ≥15 coastal sites attest to human exploitation of this species for ≥8000 years before it was driven to extinction ~2400 years ago. Bones of the Short-tailed Albatross (Phoebastria albatrus) and at least one of the two smaller North Pacific albatrosses (P. nigripes and P. immutabilis) from numerous sites confirm they once occurred along the California coast in greater numbers and suggest that the Short-tailed Albatross may have nested on San Nicolas
Island. At Carrizo Marsh in the Anza-Borrego Desert, excavation of the Carrizo Stage Stop, used in the late 1850s, yielded multiple bones of both sexes of the Yellow-headed Blackbird (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus), implying existence of a former colony where none had been recorded since at least the 1960s, confirming a wetland more substantial than today’s small remnant. This site also produced remains of at least 12 species of ducks and geese. Remains of the American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) from the San Diego Presidio, occupied in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, indicate that this species had occurred in an area where it was absent from the historical record from the 1870s until the 1980s. The perspective these specimens contribute to our understanding of avian distributions argues for the importance of
collecting and studying faunal remains from archaeological sites. In some areas, this resource remains underused, and the current regulations and infrastructure for preserving and curating the specimens are inadequate.

This chapter focuses on tourism and the conservation of yellow-eyed penguins (Megadyptes antipodes) and the northern royal albatross (Diomedea sanfordi) on New Zealand's Otago Peninsula. These wildlife species have proven to be very valuable tourism resources and expenditure by tourists coming to view these species adds substantially to incomes and employment in the Dunedin region of New Zealand. This chapter examines the role of tourism in supporting the conservation of these species, and the contribution to income and unemployment in the Dunedin region of the tourism generated by these species, both of which are considered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to be endangered. This is followed by a general discussion of how wildlife which is used to meet the demands of tourists should be valued, and consideration is given to whether landholders relying on income from wildlife-based tourism can be expected to conserve wildlife species to an extent that is socially optimal from an economic point of view.

Changes to patterns of wind and ocean currents are tightly linked to climate change and have important implications for cost of travel and energy budgets in marine vertebrates. We evaluated how El Niñ o-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-driven wind patterns affected breeding Laysan and black-footed albatross across a decade of study. Owing to latitudinal variation in wind patterns, wind speed differed between habitat used during incubation and brooding; during La Niñ a conditions, wind speeds were lower in incu-bating Laysan (though not black-footed) albatross habitat, but higher in habitats used by brooding albatrosses. Incubating Laysan albatrosses benefited from increased wind speeds during El Niñ o conditions, showing increased travel speeds and mass gained during foraging trips. However, brooding albatrosses did not benefit from stronger winds during La Niñ a conditions, instead experiencing stronger cumulative headwinds and a smaller proportion of trips in tailwinds. Increased travel costs during brooding may contribute to the lower reproductive success observed in La Niñ a conditions. Furthermore, benefits of stronger winds in incubating habitat may explain the higher reproductive success of Laysan albatross during El Niñ o conditions. Our findings highlight the importance of considering habitat accessibility and cost of travel when evaluating the impacts of climate-driven habitat change on marine predators.

ABSTRACT.—Black-Browed Albatross (Diomedea melanophris) displays little sexual dimorphism and although males are usually larger than females, sexing birds by direct observation is difficult. We evaluated sexual size dimorphism in this species and provided ...

We report the results of 212 radiocarbon determinations from the archaeological excavation of 70 shell mound deposits in the Wathayn region of Albatross Bay, Australia. This is an intensive study of a closely co-located group of mounds within a geographically restricted area in a wider region where many more shell mounds have been reported. Valves from the bivalve Tegillarca granosa (Linnaeus, 1758) were dated. The dates obtained are used to calculate rates of accumulation for the shell mound deposits. These demonstrate highly variable rates of accumulation both within and between mounds. We assess these results in relation to likely mechanisms of shell deposition and show that rates of deposition are affected by time-dependent processes both during the accumulation of shell deposits and during their subsequent deformation. This complicates the interpretation of the rates at which shell mound deposits appear to have accumulated. At Wathayn, there is little temporal or spatial consis...

We describe a new colony of Black-browed Albatross, Thalassarche melanophyrs, from the Magellanies region, southern Chile.  The colony was located at Islote Leonard with a population of 594 breeding pairs.  We also did measure some eggs and comment on other colonies mentioned on the literature, such as Evout and Noir Islands.  The total approximated number of breeding pairs for Chile is 49,142, a 34.8% higher than estimated by Gales (1998) and 42% lower than estimated by Clark (1992).