![]() Recently, there's an upsurge of tourists that has been recorded due to its rising popularity as one of a handful of Pink Sand Beaches in the World and is the only one in Asia. The island started to become popular since the 1970s and early 1980s when it was frequented by German, Japanese and Italian tourists. The color of the sand comes from the pulverized red organ pipe coral from eons of surf erosion mixed with the white sand. The island, located 4 kilometres (2.49 mi) south of downtown at the Santa Cruz Bank in the Basilan Strait, boasts one of the pink sand beaches in the Philippines. A total of 144 nests were found and monitored in 2012, including 34 nests on Orizaba Rock.Great Santa Cruz Island is a small inhabited island in Zamboanga City in the southern region of the Philippines that is famous for its pink coralline sand. During 2010-2011, biologists used video cameras pointed at nesting sites to monitor Ashy Storm-Petrel nocturnal behavior and began using passive integrated transponder (PIT-tags) technology to understand recruitment, or how the population is sustaining itself. Biologists have also set out skunk traps to protect petrels from predation in the sea caves, and installed signs to prevent human disturbance to the nesting colonies.īiologists are performing annual nest surveys for Ashy Storm-Petrels at five locations on Santa Cruz Island including Orizaba Rock. The speakers played Ashy Storm-Petrel vocalizations continuously throughout the night to encourage nesting of these seabirds. A vocalization broadcast system with two speakers was also used from 2008-2011 on Orizaba Rock. Biologists have had to modify the original nest designs when it was discovered that Common Ravens were visiting the sites and potentially preying on birds. Annual monitoring of nesting success at several sea caves and Orizaba Rock has continued since 2006.īiologists have installed various artificial nests on Orizaba Rock for Ashy Storm-Petrels in order to provide additional nesting habitat. Scientists are also studying how Common Ravens may be impacting the seabird colonies on Orizaba Rock and sea caves. Restoration actions in sea caves include reducing human disturbance and predation and installing protected, artificial habitat. Recorded vocalizations were also used to attract Ashy Storm-Petrels to the artificial nests. MSRP restoration activities on Orizaba Rock have involved installing artificial nest sites for Ashy Storm-Petrels to provide secure nesting habitat. Sea cave silhouette on Santa Cruz Island. Small colony sizes and fragile habitats make Ashy Storm-Petrels highly susceptible to natural or human impacts. Nests are primarily found in rock crevices, under small rocks or boulders, under driftwood, or in open sites along cave walls. At Santa Cruz Island, offshore rocks (such as Orizaba Rock) and sea caves continue to host important nesting colonies. With the growth of the native vegetation, it is even hard to find the new nesting sites within the restored areas!Īshy Storm-Petrels are rare and endemic to California and northwestern Baja California, with a world population of less than 10,000 individuals. In 2014, there were 12 documented natural burrow sites on the Rock. There has also been a documented reduction in predation of adult Cassin’s Auklets due to the increased plant cover that provides protection. Native plant cover has increased 15 times from 2008 (3.5%) to 2012 (58%) and non-native cover has decreased dramatically from 94% in 2008 to 2.6% in 2012. Annual activities include the removal of non-native plants, soil stabilization, and monitoring of seabird nesting on the Rock.īased on our work, a native plant community has now been established and Cassin’s Auklets are recovering. Over 8,000 plants of 19 species were outplanted on Scorpion Rock between 20. Biologists have also installed artificial nests to provide stable and secure nest sites for Cassin’s Auklets. MSRP restoration activities on Scorpion Rock have improved and enhanced existing natural habitat for Cassin’s Auklets by restoring native vegetation, stabilizing soil to minimize erosion, and removing non-native vegetation. ![]() Natural Cassin’s Auklet burrows were in decline on the rock, mainly from 94% coverage of ice plant that made nesting inaccessible and a high rate of soil erosion. Scorpion Rock is a small islet located off the northeast coast of Santa Cruz Island and is a historically-known important nesting area for seabirds. Scorpion Rock with blooming coreopsis plants.
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