seabirds penguins albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels pelicans, cormorants, boobies gulls, terns,...
TRANSCRIPT
Seabirds
Penguins
Albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels
Pelicans, cormorants, boobies
Gulls, terns, skuas, puffins
Diving ducks
Loons, grebes
“Waterbirds”
Herons, egrets
Ducks, geese, swans
Shorebirds
Global seabird declines
% of species in each IUCN Red List category
Red List Indices for (a) seabird and non-seabird species; (b) coastal species, pelagic speciesand listed in Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)
Threats/factors for decline
Seabirds
Pelagic seabirds
Coastal seabirds
Puget Sound declines
• Common marine birds declining– 19 of 30 most common species in no. Puget
Sound decreased by ~20% from 1978-2004• Since 1979, marine bird numbers in the
Puget Sound region has dropped 47% • Western grebe populations declined by
95% over last 20 years
Likely factors (Puget Sound)
• Forage fish population declines• Changing migration patterns• Predation/hunting• Habitat loss• Fisheries interactions
– Bycatch from active fisheries– Derelict fishing gear
• Harm to Arctic breeding grounds
Puget Sound studies• PSAMP Winter Seabird Surveys (plane)
• WDFW
• Puget Sound and Washington Coast Seabird Population Trends (boat)– WDFW, USFWS
• Puget Sound Seabird Survey (shore*)– Seattle Audubon
• Rhinoceros Auklet Ecology (colony)– WDFW, UPS, NOAA
Foraging ecology/behavior
• Indirect evidence– Inferred from diet and movements
• Bill load contents, stomach contents– Auklets, terns, cormorants
• Regurgitated pellet analysis– Gulls, terns
• Tagging studies (satellite, TDRs), radio– Auklets, terns, cormorants
• Radar– Marbled murrelets. passerines
Foraging ecology/behavior
• Direct evidence– Observing individual behavior/movements
• Line/strip transects (at-sea)• Scan and focal animal sampling (shore)
Puget Sound Seabird Survey
• Monthly (Oct.-Apr.)• High tide (4-hour window)• Shore-based (but of water)• Random, pre-selected sites
• Binoculars/spotting scope• Geese, ducks, swans, loons, grebes,
cormorants, gulls, terns, alcids• Spp., #, distance, bearing, sex ratio,
flocks, weather
Scan/focal sampling• Scan sampling
– Counts of individuals in proscribed area(s)• Generates species densities, community
composition, habitat association• Noting behavior (standing/sleeping, walking,
foraging), generates # or % per behavior
• Focal animal sampling– Individual behavior over proscribed time
• Time-stamped behaviors• Note predators/competitors, habitat• Generates time budgets, consumption data, etc.
• Capture rates• Handling times• Prey selection• Kleptoparasitism
• Migration timing• Habitat associations• Prey associations• Restoration activity