Biological Monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011

AMNWR 2011/12

BIOLOGICAL MONITORING AT AIKTAK ISLAND, ALASKA IN 2011

Crystal A. Bechaver and Joanna M. Gehrig

Key words: Aiktak Island, Alaska, Aleutian Islands, ancient murrelet, Cepphus columba, common murre, double-crested cormorant, fork-tailed storm-petrel, Fratercula cirrhata, Fratercula corniculata, glaucous-winged gull, horned puffin, Larus glaucescens, Leach’s storm-petrel, Oceanodroma furcata, Oceanodroma leucorhoa, pelagic cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, Phalacrocorax pelagicus, Phalacrocorax urile, pigeon guillemot, population trends, productivity, red-faced cormorant, Synthliboramphus antiquus, thick-billed murre, tufted puffin, Uria aalge, Uria lomvia.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge 95 Sterling Highway, Suite 1 Homer, AK 99603

October 2011

Cite as: Bechaver, C. A. and J. M. Gehrig. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 2011/12. Homer, Alaska.

A Steller’s sea lion looking out toward the Pacific Ocean at Pleasure Cove, Aiktak Island, Alaska.

TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

INTRODUCTION ...... 1 STUDY AREA ...... 1 METHODS ...... 2 INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS ...... 4 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ...... 5 REFERENCES ...... 5 ISLAND MAPS ...... 7 FIGURES AND TABLES ...... 9 Fork-tailed storm-petrel ...... 10 Breeding chronology ...... 10 Reproductive performance ...... 14 Chick growth ...... 18 Food habits ...... 19 Leach’s storm-petrel ...... 22 Breeding chronology ...... 22 Reproductive performance ...... 25 Chick growth ...... 29 Food habits ...... 30 All storm-petrels ...... 33 Reproductive performance ...... 33 Populations ...... 37 Morphology ...... 40 Band resightings ...... 41 Double-crested cormorant ...... 42 Reproductive performance ...... 42 Red-faced cormorant ...... 45 Reproductive performance ...... 45 Pelagic cormorant ...... 48 Reproductive performance ...... 48 All cormorants ...... 51 Populations ...... 51 Black oystercatcher ...... 52 Breeding chronology ...... 52 Reproductive performance ...... 55 Populations ...... 57 Glaucous-winged gull ...... 59 Breeding chronology ...... 59 Reproductive performance ...... 62 Populations ...... 65 Food habits ...... 71 Common murre ...... 78 Breeding chronology ...... 78 Reproductive performance ...... 81 Thick-billed murre ...... 83 Breeding chronology ...... 83

TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page

Reproductive performance ...... 86 All murres ...... 88 Populations ...... 88 Pigeon guillemot ...... 92 Populations ...... 92 Ancient murrelet...... 96 Breeding chronology ...... 96 Reproductive performance ...... 99 Horned puffin ...... 101 Breeding chronology ...... 101 Reproductive performance ...... 104 Chick growth ...... 106 Populations ...... 107 Tufted puffin ...... 112 Breeding chronology ...... 112 Reproductive performance ...... 115 Chick growth ...... 117 Populations ...... 118 Food habits ...... 122 Miscellaneous ...... 128 Boat-based circumnavigations ...... 128 Point counts ...... 129 Beach transects ...... 130 COASST surveys ...... 131 Annotated list ...... 138 Plants ...... 147 Sea surface temperature...... 150

INTRODUCTION

The Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge (AMNWR) conducts annual ecological monitoring at nine sites throughout Alaska. The objective of this long-term monitoring program is to collect baseline status and trend information for a suite of seabird species representing piscivorous and planktivorous trophic guilds, including key species that serve as indicators of ecosystem health. Members of these guilds include surface feeders and divers feeding in both near shore and offshore waters. By relating data to environmental conditions and information from other sites, ecosystem processes may be better understood. Data also provide a basis for directing management and research actions, and in assessing effects of management.

Aiktak Island, in the eastern Aleutian Islands, has been an annual monitoring site since 1995, with additional seabird data collected on the island since 1981. Brief visits were first made to Aiktak to monitor populations of puffins and storm-petrels from 1981 to 1983 and in 1989 (DeGange et al. 1981; Forsell 1983a,b; Blomstrom and Nault 1989). In 1990, data collection also included counting murres and conducting circumnavigation surveys of the island (O’Daniel et al. 1990). Since 1995, intensive season- long monitoring of most seabird populations at Aiktak has been conducted each year (Woodward 1997; Howard and Woodward 1999; Thomson and Smith 2000; Stukowski and Oleszczuk 2001; Dykstra and Wynn 2002; Helm and Zeman 2005, 2006; Helm et al. 2007; Drummond 2008; Sapora et al. 2009, and Hand et al. 2010).

The specific monitoring goals in 2011 were to estimate productivity and/or population parameters for 11 indicator species representing three major feeding guilds: 1) diving fish-feeders (pelagic, red-faced and double-crested cormorants [Phalacrocorax pelagicus, P. urile, and P. auritus], common and thick-billed murres [Uria aalge and U. lomvia], pigeon guillemots [Cepphus columba], horned and tufted puffins [Fratercula corniculata and F. cirrhata]), 2) diving plankton feeders (ancient murrelets [Synthliboramphus antiquus]), and 3) surface plankton feeders (Leach’s and fork-tailed storm-petrels [Oceanodroma furcata and O. leucorhoa]). Similar data were also collected for intertidal-foraging black oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) and flexible-foraging glaucous-winged gulls (Larus glaucescens). Additional monitoring goals include the description of breeding chronology, food habits, and chick growth for one or more of the above species.

Detailed results of the 2011 monitoring program are contained in these appendices and archived at the AMNWR headquarters in Homer, Alaska. Summary data will also be included in the annual Alaska seabird monitoring summary report. Due to occasional reanalysis of some data, correction of typographical errors, and efforts to standardize presentation across sites, some values used in this report have changed from previous versions. The values presented here are considered the “cleanest” data set available at the time this report was issued and should supersede previous reports.

STUDY AREA

Aiktak Island (54º11.19’N, 164º49.84’W) is located in the Krenitzin Islands in the eastern Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Aiktak is on the west side of Unimak Pass, with Ugamak Island directly to the north across a 0.8 km channel and Tigalda Island about 5 km to the west. Unimak Pass is the main shipping route between the North Pacific Ocean and the Bering Sea and transiting container ships are often seen on the horizon from the east side of the island.

Aiktak is a small island approximately 2 km long and 1 km wide, encompassing 155 ha and with a circumference of 7.3 km (see Figures 1-3). The low-lying north shore consists of alternating grassy slopes and low rock cliffs (10-15 m) that back a number of small coves with cobble beaches. The south side of the island rises to high, sheer bluffs, the tops of which approach the highest parts of the island. Maximum elevation is 170 m. Several small Leymus-covered islets lie just offshore the eastern and western ends of the island. Vegetation is composed of maritime tundra: Leymus and Heracleum dominate the near-shore edges, while the island’s interior is about half covered by Poa and Calamagrostis, and a quarter composed of a short tundra community of Empetrum, lichens, mosses, and Anemone. Intermixed within these communities around the island are Angelica, Claytonia, Frittilaria, Equisetum, Rumex, Conioselinum, Ranunculus, Viola, Pedicularis, Sanguisorba, Geranium, Acontium, Epilobium, ferns, and several other herbaceous plants.

Arctic foxes were introduced to Aiktak in 1921 and were trapped for pelts (Bureau of Biological Survey 1940) but eventually died off. With no foxes present on the island today, Aiktak has a breeding bird community that is one of the most diverse of any island in the eastern Aleutian Islands. The tufted puffin colony that exists at Aiktak is one of the largest in Alaska, supporting hundreds of thousands of birds. For these reasons, Aiktak Island has been designated as the annual monitoring site in the eastern Aleutian Island portion of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge seabird monitoring system.

METHODS

Personnel: The USFWS field crew at Aiktak Island in 2011 consisted of Crystal Bechaver and Joanna Gehrig (23 May to 5 September).

Data Collection and Analysis: Researchers followed data collection and analysis methods outlined in the Aiktak Island Protocols, archived at Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, in Homer, Alaska with the following exceptions:

 Storm-petrels. o Comparisons between plots checked every 7 and 14 days indicate that more frequent checks may decrease reproductive success (see Helm and Zeman 2006 for data separate by check frequency). Therefore, since 2007, reproductive performance data include only nests in productivity plots (n=13), which were visited on a 14-day interval. Chronology plots (n=5) were visited on a 7-day interval and used only for chronology and chick growth data.

o All plots (productivity and chronology plots) were included in analysis of occupancy rate except plot 26, which contains artificial burrows.

o Chicks were measured only in chronology plots. Chick wing lengths were measured using only relaxed wing chord, rather than both relaxed and flattened wing as in previous years.

o To minimize disturbance, adults were not measured in chronology plots as in prior years; instead, data on adult morphology were collected on birds captured in mist nets during food collection, consistent with protocols for Buldir and Kasatochi islands (Williams et al. 2002).

o Food samples were collected by capturing adults with mist nets on four nights in August in Petrel Valley and at Petrel Valley Cove. To help attract birds, recordings of fork-tailed and

Leach’s vocalizations (from Alaska Bird Vocals: Alaska) were broadcast using an iPod and portable speakers placed at the base of mist-nets. Samples were not analyzed in time to be included in this report.

 Black oystercatchers. o All nesting attempts (first clutches and relays) were included in analyses of reproductive success and chronology.

 Cormorants. o Cormorants nested on the cliffs adjacent to Sail Rock. The boom or bust method was applied to monitor all three species nests. For more details refer to the annotated list.

 Glaucous-winged gulls. o No chick regurgitation samples were collected during 2011 due to low hatching success.

 Murres. o Murre reproductive effort was low this year and has been recorded as such since 2001. A low percentage of birds on cliffs were observed with eggs. No murre chicks were seen on Aiktak in 2011.

 Horned puffins. o In 2008, during four days spread across late June to late July, horned puffins were counted on the water in Petrel Valley Cove at 30 minute intervals from 0800h to 2000h Aleutian Standard Time (ALST). Counts were made from the observation point for the Petrel Valley Cove land-based horned puffin plot, just below pole 502 on the west side of the cove. Across all days, patterns of attendance were relatively consistent, with a clear peak in puffin numbers during the late afternoon. On 25 June, an all-day count (0800 to 2000h ALST) was conducted and results were consistent with 2008. Therefore, we conducted land-based horned puffin counts around the whole island between peak hours of 1530h and 1830h ALST. During population surveys no horned puffins were seen on land.

 Tufted puffins. o Data analysis for productivity includes both artificial burrows and natural burrows found during mid-incubation (early-late July).

o Natural burrows were monitored above and adjacent to plot C, but all burrows were recorded as a part of Plot C. Flags were left in place at burrow entrances at the end of the field season.

o Nests used for chick growth were included in the productivity sample, as analysis indicates that chick growth measurements do not bias productivity (per data analysis by J. McDonough in 2004).

o Food samples were collected by screening burrows on four sampling bouts during August. Samples were not analyzed in time to be included in this report.

Over the past three years, AMNWR has been developing a database to analyze reproductive success and chronology data automatically, which will both reduce human calculation errors and ensure consistency across sites and years. As of fall 2011, this database is currently up and running for

3 kittiwakes, murres, auklets, and puffins.

The refuge’s ultimate intent is to reanalyze all available historic data with this database. This database uses slightly different conventions to calculate nest fate than previous hand-calculated summaries in that it includes the interval between nest checks as part of the uncertainty around hatch and fledge events rather using Julian midpoints (see Williams et al. 2002). This new approach will likely change historic summary numbers to a small degree, mostly due to differences in which nests are included or excluded from analysis due to excess uncertainty and correction of prior errors or inconsistent analyses. Based on testing the database over the past several years, these changes are not expected to be large, however, and the end result will represent a stronger and repeatable dataset.

At the time of this report, we were still working to import all historic data files into the database. In the meantime, we present in this report:

 Reproductive success and chronology data for murres and puffins from 2010 and 2011 summarized using the database.

 Reproductive success and chronology data for murres and puffins from 1995-2009, and for all other species from 1995-2011, summarized by hand following methods outlined in the Aiktak Island protocols.

 Data for all other parameters summarized by hand following methods outlined in the Aiktak Island protocols.

INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS

 Glaucous-winged gulls suffered high rates of egg loss during the incubation period and had low reproductive success for the sixth year in a row. This is unusual because gulls are opportunistic foragers and have an abundant food source in the water surrounding Aiktak and to the northeast, Dutch Harbor, the largest fishing port in the United States.

 Since 2001, murre reproduction on Aiktak has been varied between low and complete failure; this trend continued in 2011. No chicks were observed and all attending murres were gone by 2 September.

 Pelagic, red-faced and double-crested cormorants nested successfully on the cliffs adjacent to Sail Rock.

 A black oystercatcher pair attempted two relays after the initial nest was abandoned and depredated. On the third attempt, the chick hatched, but was not seen after hatch and was presumed to be dead. This is the first recording of two relay attempts on Aiktak.

 Two whiskered auklets were observed on Aiktak in 2011. A juvenile was seen on the trail above Pleasure Cove and a dead adult was found on the trail heading toward Tower Cove. There is a large colony of auklets in the Unalaska and Akutan area.

 A bald eagle nest on Big West Island fledged three eaglets.

 A harbor seal pup was observed on New Camp Beach on 2 September above the high tide line. It appeared weak and did not feel threatened by our presence. It remained on the beach, which prompted calls to the Sea Life Center at Dutch Harbor to come out and rescue the pup. It was later determined that the Tiglax would pick up the rescue supplies at Dutch Harbor and then transport the pup back to Homer. Thankfully, the pup returned to the water sometime during the night of 3 and 4 September.

 On the night of 22 August, a short-eared owl attacked the mp3 player and speakers being used to attract storm-petrels into the mist nests near storm-petrel Plot 27. Once the owl figured out it did not want the speakers it flew into the net and was caught. The bird was extracted and several pictures were taken before it was released.

 Eleven banded storm-petrels were resighted in 2011. One storm-petrel was resighted in the same burrow when it was banded in 1996. All resighted birds are between 14 and 16 years old.

 We responded to two tsunami warnings during the summer. Both earthquakes (7.1 and 6.8) occurred at Amukta Pass. The warnings were sent to us via pager. The first warning came around 1830 ALST on 23 June. We hiked to a high point, contacted Adak and waited for about thirty minutes until the warning was canceled. The second warning came at 0215 ALST on 2 September. After waking to the wonderful sound of the pager beep and trying to figure out what time it was, we groggily put on our rain gear, hiked up to a high point, laid down, and waited for one and a half hours for the warning to be canceled. At this time we did not have a satellite phone (it stopped working in mid-June) and we couldn’t communicate with Adak, but we were finally told through pager messages that it was safe to go back to bed “if we ever got out of bed in the first place.”

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Crystal would like to thank Joanna for all the hard work she put in to helping make this field season a fun and successful one. We would like to thank the crew of the M/V Tiˆglaˆx for providing smooth transport, good times, great food and hospitality throughout the summer and was instrumental in the success of the monitoring program at Aiktak. We would like to thank Steve Ebbert and the trappers for helping us set up our camp. A number of refuge staff and others supplied excellent support and cheerful radio communications from Adak throughout the summer, including Lisa Spitler and Jeff Williams. We would also like to thank Lisa Spitler for being our voice after our satellite phone stopped working and risking her life to make sure we were safe and informed about both tsunami warnings. Finally, Jeff Williams, Heather Renner, Nora Rojek and Brie Drummond provided guidance and unwavering enthusiasm, and without them the monitoring program would not exist.

REFERENCES

Blomstrom, D. and A. Nault. 1989. Seabird monitoring at Aiktak Island, Aleutian Islands, June--July 1992. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Unpubl. Rep., AMNWR 89/11. Homer, Alaska. Bureau of Biological Survey, U.S. Department of Agriculture. 1940. Status of Fox Islands in the Aleutian Islands National Wildlife Refuge in fiscal year 1940. Unpublished report, Juneau, Alaska.

DeGange, A. R. and D. J. Forsell. 1981. Summary of work completed on Aiktak Island and recommendations for future work. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 81/16. Anchorage, Alaska. Dragoo, D. E. and S. Woodward. 1996. Seabird monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 1995. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 96/02. Homer, Alaska. Drummond, B. A. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska, in 2008: summary appendices. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 08/13. Homer, Alaska. Dykstra, D. and D. Wynn. 2002. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2002: summary appendices. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 02/09. Homer, Alaska. Forsell, D. J. 1983a. Observations of seabirds at Aiktak Island- August 1982. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 83/09. Anchorage, Alaska. Forsell, D. J. 1983b. Progress report on field studies in the Aleutian Islands, Semidi Islands, and Bering Sea, 1983. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 83/01. Anchorage, Alaska. Hand, C. E., J. M. Thibault, and B. A. Drummond. 2011. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2010. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 2011/04. Homer, Alaska. Harding, A. M. A., J. F. Piatt, G. V. Byrd, S. A. Hatch, N. B. Konyukhov, E. U. Golubova, and J. C. Williams. 2005. Variability in colony attendance of crevice-nesting horned puffins: implications for population monitoring. Journal of Wildlife Management 69: 1279-1296. Helm, J. A. and T. A. Zeman. 2005. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2005: summary appendices. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 06/07. Homer, Alaska. Helm, J. A. and T. A. Zeman. 2006. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2006: summary appendices. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 06/10. Homer, Alaska. Howard, R. J. and S. Woodward. 1999. Results of seabird monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 1999. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 99/06. Homer, Alaska. O’Daniel, D. L., H. Knechtel, and J. C. Schneeweis. 1990. Seabird monitoring at Aiktak Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska in 1990. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 90/06. Adak, Alaska. Sapora, S.F., A.L. Larned, and B.A. Drummond. 2010. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2009. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 2010/04. Homer, Alaska. Sztukowski, L. and D. Oleszczuk. 2001. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2001: summary appendices. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 01/14. Homer, Alaska. Thomson, G. L. and J. Smith. 2000. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2000: summary appendices. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 00/06. Homer, Alaska. Woodward, S. 1997. Results of seabird monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 1995 and 1996: summary appendices. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 97/12. Homer, Alaska. Williams, J.C., L. Scharf, and G.V. Byrd. 2002. Ecological monitoring methods of the Aleutian Islands Unit, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge – revised edition 2. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 00/01. Adak, Alaska.

Figure 1. Map of Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Figure 2. Aerial view of Aiktak Island from the west.

Figure 3. Aerial view of Aiktak Island from the east.

FIGURES AND TABLLES

0 16 Jul

-5

Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean -10

-15

-20

-25 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 4. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1996-2010 average of 16 July) for fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 7 days. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; red highlights the current year.

Table 1. Breeding chronology of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 7 days.

Year Mean hatch SD na First hatch Last hatch First fledgeb

1995 no data - - - - - 1996 16 Jul 4.8 6 3 Jul 25 Jul 21 Aug 1997 21 Jul 10.1 16 7 Jul 13 Aug >1 Sep 1998 31 Jul 11.2 16 14 Jul 20 Aug >3 Sep 1999 25 Jul 8.0 28 9 Jul 21 Aug >31 Aug 2000 10 Jul 9.7 35 26 Jun 13 Aug 25 Aug 2001 15 Jul 8.9 38 16 Jun 4 Aug 3 Sep 2002 3 Jul 8.6 21 20 Jun 2 Aug 22 Aug 2003 no data - - - - - 2004 6 Jul 7.6 32 22 Jun 19 Jul 17 Aug 2005 14 Jul 8.1 45 23 Jun 10 Aug 30 Aug 2006 16 Jul 6.5 20 8 Jul 30 Jul >1 Sep 2007 17 Jul 9.7 23 5 Jul 13 Aug >30 Aug 2008 12 Jul 7.7 28 2 Jul 31 Jul 25 Aug 2009 16 Jul 6.7 29 29 Jun 12 Aug >2 Sep 2010 15 Jul 8.6 26 3 Jul 4 Aug >30 Aug 2011 23 Jul 15.1 24 3 Jul 28 Aug >5 Sep

Table 2. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only chronology plots in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 7 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

171 no ------1 no ------172 data ------data ------173 ------174 ------1 ------175 ------176 ------2 - 2 ------177 ------1 ------178 ------179 ------2 ------180 ------1 ------181 ------182 - - - - - 2 - 8 - 5 ------183 ------2 ------184 ------3 3 - - 5 2 2 1 185 ------1 ------186 - - - - - 9 3 5 - 4 ------187 ------2 4 - - - - 188 - - 1 - - - 1 - - - 9 ------189 ------190 - - - - - 10 2 1 - - - - - 11 - 5 5 191 - - - - - 1 1 ------192 ------2 1 - 5 16 - - - 8 - - 193 - - 1 - 1 ------7 7 - - - - 194 - - - - 2 4 5 ------195 - 4 - 1 - 2 2 ------196 ------8 8 - - - - 10 - 197 - 1 5 - 3 ------7 - - - 198 - - - - 1 - 7 ------14 - 6 199 - - 1 2 1 3 2 - - - - 8 6 - - - - 200 ------2 - - - - 1 - 201 - - 2 ------202 - - - 1 2 - 3 - - 2 ------203 - - 1 - 1 1 1 ------204 ------3 - - 2 - 4 2 205 - - - - 4 ------1 2 - - - - 206 - - - 1 1 - 1 ------3 - - 207 - 1 1 ------1 - - - 208 - - - 4 1 - - - - - 1 ------209 - - 1 - 2 ------210 - - - 1 1 1 5 ------2 - 2 - 211 ------2 2 - - - - 212 - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - - 2 - 3 213 - - - 1 3 ------214 ------1 ------215 ------216 ------1 - - - 1 - - - - 2 - 217 - - 1 ------1 - - - - 218 - - - 1 3 ------1 219 - - 1 ------220 ------221 - - - - 1 ------222 - - - 1 - 1 - - - - 1 ------223 ------1 - - - - 224 ------225 - - 1 ------226 - - - - - 1 ------1 227 ------228 - - - 2 ------229 ------230 ------231 ------232 - - - 1 ------1 aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

Table 2 (continued). Frequency distribution of hatch dates for fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only chronology plots in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 7 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

233 no ------no ------234 data ------data ------235 ------236 ------237 ------238 ------239 ------240 ------1

n - 6 16 16 28 35 38 21 - 32 45 20 23 28 29 26 24 aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

18 11 18 8 33 20 48 46 50 54 39 55 100%

80%

60% Egg loss

Chick loss

Reproductive success 40% Percent of of Percent nest sites

20%

0% 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 5. Reproductive performance of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. Egg loss=(B-D)/B; Chick loss=(D-F)/B; Maximum reproductive success=Fmax/B, where B=nest sites with eggs; D=nest sites with chicks; Fmax=maximum nest sites with chicks fledged. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (B).

Table 3. Reproductive performance of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. Most chicks are too young to fledge by the time of last visit so fledging success and reproductive success represent maximum potential estimates, based on the assumption that any chick still present at last check could fledge.

Nest sites Max. nest sites Maximum Maximum Occupied Nest sites Nest sites Occupancy Nesting w/ known w/ chicks Nest sites w/ fledging reproductive Year nest sites w/ eggs w/ chicks viable eggs rate success contents fledged b success success at last visit (N) (O) (B) (D) (Fmax)a (O/N)c (D/B)d (Fmax/D)e (Fmax/B)

1995 110 21 18 16 15 0 0.19 0.89 0.94 0.83 1996 no data ------1997 no data ------1998 no data ------1999 154 12 11 10 9 0 0.08 0.91 0.90 0.82 2000 199 18 18 14 14 0 0.09 0.77 1.00 0.77 2001 94 8 8 8 7 0 0.09 1.00 0.88 0.88 2002 no data ------2003 no data ------2004 296 33 33 31 28 0 0.11 0.94 0.90 0.85 2005 272 41 20 18 18 0 0.15 0.90 1.00 0.90 2006 273 48 48 45 39 1 0.18 0.94 0.87 0.81 2007 278 52 46 40 38 0 0.19 0.87 0.95 0.83 2008 300 52 50 40 35 0 0.17 0.80 0.88 0.70 2009 411 55 54 49 38 0 0.13 0.91 0.78 0.70 2010 200 43 39 35 29 1 0.22 0.90 0.83 0.74 2011 237 60 55 48 44 2 0.25 0.87 0.92 0.80

aFmax=maximum number of chicks potentially fledged and includes both fledged chicks and all chicks still present at last check, regardless of age. bEggs still present and apparently viable at last check are considered unknown fate and are not included in the number of nest sites w/ eggs (B) or success estimates. cThis value represents only occupancy rate of non-chronology plots used for monitoring reproductive performance and therefore differs from occupancy rates of all plots (both non-chronology and chronology plots) presented in Tables 20 and 21. dFor single-egg species, nesting success (D/B) is the same as hatching success (E/C) because nest sites w/ eggs (B)=total eggs (C) and nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E). eFor single-egg species, fledging success (F/B) is the same as chick success (G/E) because nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E) and nest sites w/ chicks fledged (F)=total chicks fledged (G).

Table 4. Standard deviation in reproductive performance parameters of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. For sampling clustered by plot, values are calculated using ratio estimator spreadsheets.

Max. Max. No. Sampling Occupancy Nesting Year fledging reproductive plots design rate success success success

1995 xxa xx xx xx xx xx 1996 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1997 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1998 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1999 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2000 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2001 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2002 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2003 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2004 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2005 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2006 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2007 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2008 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2009 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2010 13 Cluster by plot xx 0.14 0.19 0.22 2011 13 Cluster by plot xx 0.04 0.05 0.04

axx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized.

Table 5. Reproductive performance of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days.

Plot Parameter Total SDa 9 10 11 13 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 26

Nest sites w/ known contents (N) 28 17 22 9 8 26 24 24 22 12 9 6 30 237 - Occupied nest sites (O) 8 2 10 2 2 5 7 6 3 2 1 0 12 60 - Nest sites w/ eggs (B) 6 2 9 2 2 5 5 6 3 2 1 0 12 55 - Nest sites w/ chicks (D) 6 1 8 2 2 4 5 5 3 2 1 0 9 48 - Max. nest sites w/ chicks fledged 5 1 6 2 2 4 4 5 3 2 1 0 9 44 - (Fmax)b Nest sites w/ viable eggs at last visitc 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 -

Occupancy rate (O/N)d 0.29 0.12 0.45 0.22 0.25 0.19 0.29 0.25 0.14 0.17 0.11 0.00 0.40 0.25 xxe Nesting success (D/B)f 1.00 0.50 0.89 1.00 1.00 0.80 1.00 0.83 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.75 0.87 0.04

Maximum fledging success (Fmax/D)g 0.83 1.00 0.75 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.80 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 1.00 0.92 0.05 Maximum reproductive success 0.83 0.50 0.67 1.00 1.00 0.80 0.80 0.83 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.00 0.75 0.80 0.04 (Fmax/B)

aStandard deviations are calculated from ratio estimator spreadsheets, based on plot as a sample unit. bFmax=maximum number of chicks potentially fledged and includes both fledged chicks and all chicks still present at last check, regardless of age. cEggs still present and apparently viable at last check are considered unknown fate and are not included in the number of nest sites w/ eggs (B) or success estimates. dThis value represents only occupancy rate of non-chronology plots used for monitoring reproductive performance and therefore differs from occupancy rates of all plots (both non-chronology and chronology plots) presented in Tables 20 and 21. exx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized. fFor single-egg species, nesting success (D/B) is the same as hatching success (E/C) because nest sites w/ eggs (B)=total eggs (C) and nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E). gFor single-egg species, fledging success (F/B) is the same as chick success (G/E) because nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E) and nest sites w/ chicks fledged (F)=total chicks fledged (G).

Table 6. Mean growth rates of fork-tailed storm-petrel chicks at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include chicks measured at least two times during the linear phase of growth (approximately mass 0-80g; wing chord 20-140mm); chicks that died or did not exhibit linear growth were excluded.

Mass (g/day) Wing chord (mm/day)a Year Mean SD Range n Mean SD Range n

1995 no data ------1996 2.4 0.5 1.7-3.6 16 3.4 0.2 3.0-3.6 16 1997 2.8 0.4 1.7-3.7 16 3.4 0.3 2.7-4.0 16 1998 2.8 0.6 1.9-4.4 25 3.2 0.8 1.1-4.1 24 1999 2.5 0.5 1.4-3.9 32 3.6 0.3 2.8-4.1 30 2000 2.9 0.6 2.0-4.7 33 3.5 0.2 3.0-3.8 33 2001 2.7 0.5 1.3-4.1 44 3.5 0.2 3.2-4.0 16 2002 2.8 0.7 1.6-4.0 17 3.5 0.5 2.4-4.6 18 2003 no data ------2004 2.6 0.7 1.1-4.0 26 3.2 0.6 0.7-4.2 37 2005 2.7 0.5 1.7-3.8 41 2.9 0.3 2.1-3.6 40 2006 2.3 0.6 1.3-4.1 19 3.0 0.2 2.7-3.4 20 2007 2.3 0.5 1.5-3.1 18 3.1 0.4 2.0-3.5 20 2008 2.4 0.9 0.8-4.0 22 3.2 0.3 2.2-3.6 21 2009 2.0 0.5 1.5-3.2 22 3.0 0.3 2.2-3.6 22 2010 2.6 0.8 1.2-4.5 20 3.0 0.5 1.7-3.6 20 2011 2.1 0.4 1.3-2.6 18 2.7 0.6 1.4-3.3 18

aAll rates of growth are based on relaxed wing chord measurements, except 1998 when only flat wing data were recorded.

4112 100

60 Amphipoda Euphausiacea Other fish 40 Myctophidae

Percent biomass (%) Percent biomass Other

0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year

Figure 6. Relative biomass of prey in diets of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

300

250

1 200 Amphipoda Euphausiacea 150 Myctophdae Other fish 1 1 2 100 Other Percent occurrence (%) Percent occurrence

0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year

Figure 7. Frequency of occurrence of prey in diets of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

Table 7. Relative biomass of prey in diets of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers represent the percentage of the mass of combined food samples comprised by each prey item (sums to 100% each year). Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

No. samplesa 4 no datab 1 1 2 Total mass (g) 24.9 - <0.1 3.9 8

Amphipoda Hyperiidea Parathemisto/Themisto spp. - - - 100.0 - Euphausiacea Euphausiid spp. 15.1 - - - - Unid. invertebrate 0.4 - - - - Fish Myctophidae Stenobrachius spp. 79.6 - - - - Gadidae Theragra chalcogramma 4.8 - - 100.0 50.0 Ammodytidae Ammodytes hexapterus - - - 100.0 - Other Offal (fish liver) - - - - 50.0

aMass data are not always available for all samples; therefore, sample sizes for biomass may not equal those for frequency of occurrence (Table 8) and some prey types may not appear in biomass data although they were present in diet samples. bOne diet sample was collected in 1998 but biomass could be not calculated because mass of prey items were not recorded.

Table 8. Frequency of occurrence of prey in diets of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Frequency is expressed as the percentage of food samples in which each prey item was present. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

No. samples 6 1 1 1 2

Amphipoda Hyperiidea Parathemisto/Themisto spp. - - 100.0 - - Euphausiacea Euphausiid spp. 50.0 100.0 - - - Unid. invertebrate 16.7 - - - - Fish Myctophidae Stenobrachius spp. 50.0 100.0 - - - Gadidae Theragra chalcogramma 16.7 - - - 50.0 Ammodytidae Ammodytes hexapterus - - - 100.0 - Other Oil 16.7 - - - - Plant seed 33.3 - - - - White lava rock 16.7 - - - - Offal (fish liver) - - - - 50.0

0 1 Aug

-5 Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean

-10

-15

-20 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 8. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1996-2010 average of 1 August) for Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 7 days. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; red highlights the current year

Table 9. Breeding chronology of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only chronology burrows monitored on an interval of about 7 days.

Year Mean hatch SD na First hatch Last hatch First fledgeb

1995 no data - - - - - 1996 1 Aug 7.4 33 6 Jul 18 Aug >20 Aug 1997 6 Aug 9.1 62 20 Jul 30 Aug >1 Sep 1998 20 Aug 4.4 23 14 Jul 1 Sep >3 Sep 1999 4 Aug 9.4 35 11 Jul 29 Aug >31 Aug 2000 30 Jul 10.9 42 9 Jul 4 Sep >11 Sep 2001 29 Jul 7.3 27 10 Jul 26 Aug >8 Sep 2002 23 Jul 6.5 10 9 Jul 31 Jul >9 Sep 2003 no data - - - - - 2004 24 Jul 8.7 37 5 Jul 16 Aug >31 Aug 2005 27 Jul 10.7 44 11 Jul 30 Aug >31 Aug 2006 1 Aug 12.2 34 12 Jul 29 Aug >1 Sep 2007 1 Aug 11.1 38 17 Jul 23 Aug >30 Aug 2008 30 Jul 8.4 45 15 Jul 25 Aug >28 Aug 2009 29 Jul 9.8 57 11 Jul 28 Aug >2 Sep 2010 1 Aug 9.1 23 15 Jul 18 Aug >30 Aug 2011 30 Jul 7.9 31 17 Jul 20 Aug >5 Sep

Table 10. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only chronology plots in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 7 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

190 no ------1 no ------191 data ------data ------192 ------1 4 - - - 2 - - 193 ------1 - - - - - 194 ------195 ------196 ------6 - - - - - 1 - 197 ------2 - - - 198 ------11 - 3 199 - - - - - 3 1 1 - - - 4 5 - - - - 200 ------6 ------201 - - 1 - 2 ------202 ------3 - - 8 2 ------203 - 2 2 - 1 8 ------204 - 4 1 - - - - 5 - 1 13 - - 14 - 6 6 205 - - - - 3 ------11 11 - - - - 206 - - - - - 8 7 - - 8 - - - - 15 - - 207 - 2 ------208 ------6 ------209 - - 10 - 7 ------210 - 2 - - - 4 7 1 - - - - - 12 - 6 - 211 - 7 1 ------3 6 - - - - 212 - 1 - - 1 - - 2 - 4 4 - - - 13 - 13 213 - - 13 - 5 - 1 ------214 - - - - - 4 1 - - - 1 ------215 - 7 1 ------216 ------2 - - 5 2 - - - - 6 - 217 - - 8 - 3 ------8 7 - - - - 218 - - - - - 2 ------10 - - 5 219 - 2 1 - - - 1 ------220 ------12 - - 221 - - 8 - 5 ------222 - - - - - 9 2 - - 3 3 - - - - 1 - 223 - 3 1 ------3 3 - - - - 224 - - - 1 ------225 - - 4 - 5 ------226 - - - 2 - - 2 - - 1 - - - 7 3 - 1 227 - 2 ------1 ------228 - - - 4 ------229 - - 6 - 1 ------1 2 - - - - 230 - - - 3 - 2 ------3 - 231 - 1 ------232 - - - 7 ------1 233 - - 1 - 1 ------234 - - - 2 ------235 - - - 1 ------4 - - - - 236 ------237 - - 2 2 ------238 ------1 ------239 ------240 ------1 - - 241 - - - - 1 ------3 - - - - - 242 - - 2 - - 2 - - - - 1 ------243 ------244 - - - 1 ------

n - 33 62 23 35 42 27 10 - 37 44 34 38 45 57 23 31 aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

52 61 58 52 38 71 69 64 77 99 48 57 100%

80%

60% Egg loss

Chick loss

Reproductive success 40% Percent of of Percent nest sites

20%

0% 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 9. Reproductive performance of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. Egg loss=(B-D)/B; Chick loss=(D-F)/B; Maximum reproductive success=Fmax/B, where B=nest sites with eggs; D=nest sites with chicks; Fmax=maximum nest sites with chicks fledged. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (B).

Table 11. Reproductive performance of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. Most chicks are too young to fledge by the time of last visit so fledging success and reproductive success represent maximum potential estimates, based on the assumption that any chick still present at last check could fledge.

1995 129 55 52 45 43 0 0.43 0.87 0.96 0.83 1996 no data ------1997 no data ------1998 no data ------1999 205 65 61 49 48 2 0.32 0.80 0.98 0.79 2000 223 60 58 49 44 1 0.27 0.84 0.90 0.76 2001 218 53 52 48 48 0 0.24 0.92 1.00 0.92 2002 no data ------2003 no data ------2004 321 38 38 35 34 0 0.12 0.92 0.97 0.89 2005 272 72 68 62 59 1 0.26 0.91 0.95 0.87 2006 273 71 69 64 62 1 0.26 0.93 0.97 0.90 2007 276 68 64 58 57 1 0.25 0.91 0.98 0.89 2008 300 81 77 69 66 4 0.27 0.90 0.96 0.86 2009 411 108 99 81 74 0 0.26 0.82 0.91 0.75 2010 200 49 48 42 39 0 0.25 0.88 0.93 0.81 2011 237 71 57 54 50 10 0.30 0.95 0.93 0.88

Table 12. Standard deviation in reproductive performance parameters of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. For sampling clustered by plot, values are calculated using ratio estimator spreadsheets.

Max. Max. No. Sampling Occupancy Nesting Year fledging reproductive plots design rate success success success

1995 xxa xx xx xx xx xx 1996 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1997 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1998 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1999 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2000 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2001 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2002 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2003 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2004 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2005 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2006 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2007 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2008 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2009 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2010 13 Cluster by plot xx 0.06 0.03 0.05 2011 13 Cluster by plot xx 0.02 0.02 0.03

axx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized.

Table 13. Reproductive performance of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days.

Plot Parameter Total SDa 9 10 11 13 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 26

Nest sites w/ known contents (N) 28 17 22 9 8 26 24 24 22 12 9 6 30 237 - Occupied nest sites (O) 9 5 7 1 2 7 6 5 9 5 4 2 9 71 - Nest sites w/ eggs (B) 6 4 6 1 0 5 5 5 8 5 3 1 8 57 - Nest sites w/ chicks (D) 6 4 5 1 0 5 5 5 8 5 2 1 7 54 - Max. nest sites w/ chicks fledged 6 4 4 1 0 5 5 4 7 4 2 1 7 50 - (Fmax)b Nest sites w/ viable eggs at last visitc 2 1 1 0 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 10 -

Occupancy rate (O/N)d 0.32 0.29 0.32 0.11 0.25 0.27 0.25 0.21 0.41 0.42 0.44 0.33 0.30 0.30 xxe Nesting success (D/B)f 1.00 1.00 0.83 1.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.67 1.00 0.88 0.95 0.02

Maximum fledging success (Fmax/D)g 1.00 1.00 0.80 1.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 0.80 0.88 0.80 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.93 0.02 Maximum reproductive success 1.00 1.00 0.67 1.00 0.00 1.00 1.00 0.80 0.88 0.80 0.67 1.00 0.88 0.88 0.03 (Fmax/B)

Table 14. Mean growth rates of Leach’s storm-petrel chicks at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include chicks measured at least two times during the linear phase of growth (approximately mass 0-60g; wing chord 20-140mm); chicks that died or did not exhibit linear growth were excluded.

Mass (g/day) Wing chord (mm/day)a Year Mean SD Range n Mean SD Range n

1995 no data ------1996 2.1 0.4 1.3-3.4 36 2.8 0.4 1.8-3.4 35 1997 2.1 0.4 1.1-3.0 40 2.4 0.5 1.4-3.5 32 1998 1.9 0.6 0.6-3.2 40 2.3 0.6 1.2-3.4 24 1999 2.2 0.5 0.7-3.4 29 3.1 0.1 3.0-3.3 3 2000 2.4 0.7 1.4-4.5 36 3.3 0.8 1.3-5.0 20 2001 1.9 0.4 1.4-2.7 28 - - - - 2002 1.8 1.0 1.0-2.5 8 3.1 0.5 2.5-4.1 7 2003 no data ------2004 1.8 0.5 0.9-3.1 41 2.7 0.9 0.9-4.2 24 2005 2.1 0.5 1.4-4.1 37 2.4 0.4 1.1-3.3 37 2006 2.0 0.5 1.1-3.4 26 2.5 0.3 1.8-3.0 25 2007 1.8 0.6 1.1-3.0 30 2.5 0.5 1.7-3.6 19 2008 1.8 0.7 0.3-3.7 30 2.5 0.4 1.8-3.0 21 2009 1.9 0.7 0.5-3.6 42 2.0 0.5 1.0-3.8 41 2010 1.9 0.6 0.8-3.1 21 2.2 0.6 1.1-3.2 20 2011 1.8 0.6 0.9-3.3 27 2.1 0.6 0.9-3.4 27

aAll rates of growth are based on relaxed wing chord measurements, except 1998 when only flat wing data were recorded.

4112 100

60 Amphipoda Euphausiacea Other fish 40 Myctophidae

Percent biomass (%) Percent biomass Other

0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year

Figure 10. Relative biomass of prey in diets of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

300

250

1 200 Amphipoda Euphausiacea 150 Myctophdae Other fish 1 1 2 100 Other Percent occurrence (%) Percent occurrence

0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year

Figure 11. Frequency of occurrence of prey in diets of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

Table 15. Relative biomass of prey in diets of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers represent the percentage of the mass of combined food samples comprised by each prey item (sums to 100% each year). Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

No. samplesa 2 1 no samples 1 1 Total mass (g) 26.5 10.6 - 0.2 0.1

Cephalopoda Unid. squid 11.3 - - - - Amphipoda Gammaridea Lysianassidae 8.3 - - - - Unid. amphipod - - - - 100.0 Euphausiacea Euphausiid spp. 26.0 - - - - Fish Myctophidae Stenobrachius spp. 4.2 100.0 - - - Hexagrammidae Hexagrammos spp. 50.2 - - - - Unid. fish - - - 100.0 -

aMass data are not always available for all samples; therefore, sample sizes for biomass may not equal those for frequency of occurrence (see Table 16) and some prey types may not appear in biomass data although they were present in diet samples.

Table 16. Frequency of occurrence of prey in diets of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Frequency is expressed as the percentage of food samples in which each prey item was present. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

No. samples 7 1 no samples 1 1

Cephalopoda Unid. squid 14.3 - - - - Amphipoda Gammaridea Lysianassidae 57.1 - - - - Hyperiidea Hyperoche medusarum 14.3 - - - - Unid. amphipod - - - - 100.0 Euphausiacea Euphausiid spp. 57.1 - - - - Unid. invertebrate 14.3 - - - - Fish Myctophidae Stenobrachius spp. 71.4 100.0 - - - Hexagrammidae Hexagrammos spp. 57.1 - - - - Unid. fish - - - 100.0 - Other Plastic 14.3 - - - - Plant seed 14.3 - - - - White lava rock 14.3 - - - -

73 76 82 65 71 94 121 118 128 153 98 115 100%

80%

60% Egg loss

Chick loss

Reproductive success 40% Percent of of Percent nest sites

20%

0% 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 12. Reproductive performance of all storm-petrels (fork-tailed, Leach’s, and unknown storm-petrel species) at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. Egg loss=(B-D)/B; Chick loss=(D-F)/B; Maximum reproductive success=Fmax/B, where B=nest sites with eggs; D=nest sites with chicks; Fmax=maximum nest sites with chicks fledged. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (B).

Table 17. Reproductive performance of all storm-petrels (fork-tailed, Leach’s, and unknown storm-petrel species) at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non- chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. Most chicks are too young to fledge by the time of last visit so fledging success and reproductive success represent maximum potential estimates, based on the assumption that any chick still present at last check could fledge.

1995 129 84 73 61 58 0 0.65 0.84 0.95 0.79 1996 no data ------1997 no data ------1998 no data ------1999 205 94 76 59 57 4 0.46 0.78 0.97 0.75 2000 223 89 82 63 58 1 0.40 0.77 0.92 0.71 2001 219 87 65 56 55 4 0.40 0.86 0.98 0.85 2002 no data ------2003 no data ------2004 334 71 71 66 62 0 0.21 0.93 0.94 0.87 2005 272 123 94 79 76 1 0.45 0.84 0.96 0.81 2006 273 156 121 111 102 1 0.57 0.92 0.92 0.84 2007 279 136 118 101 97 2 0.49 0.86 0.96 0.82 2008 300 135 128 110 102 4 0.45 0.86 0.93 0.80 2009 411 163 153 130 112 0 0.40 0.85 0.86 0.73 2010 200 108 98 84 69 3 0.54 0.86 0.82 0.70 2011 237 131 115 102 94 14 0.55 0.89 0.92 0.82

Table 18. Standard deviation in reproductive performance parameters of all storm-petrels (fork-tailed, Leach’s, and unknown storm-petrel species) at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days. For sampling clustered by plot, values are calculated using ratio estimator spreadsheets.

Max. Max. No. Sampling Occupancy Nesting Year fledging reproductive plots design rate success success success

1995 xxa xx xx xx xx xx 1996 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1997 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1998 xx xx xx xx xx xx 1999 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2000 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2001 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2002 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2003 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2004 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2005 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2006 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2007 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2008 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2009 xx xx xx xx xx xx 2010 13 Cluster by plot xx 0.12 0.09 0.11 2011 13 Cluster by plot xx 0.03 0.03 0.03

axx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized.

Table 19. Reproductive performance of all storm-petrels (fork-tailed, Leach’s, and unknown storm-petrel species) at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Data include only non-chronology plots monitored on an interval of about 14 days.

Plot Parameter Total SDa 9 10 11 13 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 26

Nest sites w/ known contents (N) 28 17 22 9 8 26 24 24 22 12 9 6 30 237 - Occupied nest sites (O) 17 7 18 3 5 12 13 11 13 7 5 2 21 131 - Nest sites w/ eggs (B) 12 6 16 3 3 10 10 11 12 7 4 1 20 115 - Nest sites w/ chicks (D) 12 5 13 3 2 9 10 10 11 7 3 1 16 102 - Max. nest sites w/ chicks fledged 11 5 10 3 2 9 9 9 10 6 3 1 16 94 - (Fmax)c Nest sites w/ viable eggs at last visitb 3 1 2 0 1 1 1 0 2 1 0 1 1 14 -

Occupancy rate (O/N)d 0.61 0.41 0.82 0.33 0.63 0.46 0.54 0.46 0.59 0.58 0.56 0.33 0.70 0.55 xxe Nesting success (D/B)f 1.00 0.83 0.81 1.00 0.67 0.90 1.00 0.91 0.92 1.00 0.75 1.00 0.80 0.89 0.03

Maximum fledging success (Fmax/D)g 0.92 1.00 0.77 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.90 0.90 0.91 0.86 1.00 1.00 1.00 0.92 0.03 Maximum reproductive success 0.92 0.83 0.63 1.00 0.67 0.90 0.90 0.82 0.83 0.86 0.75 1.00 0.80 0.82 0.03 (Fmax/B)

aStandard deviations are calculated from ratio estimator spreadsheets, based on plot as a sample unit. bEggs still present and apparently viable at last check are considered unknown fate and are not included in the number of nest sites w/ eggs (B) or success estimates. cFmax=maximum number of chicks potentially fledged and includes both fledged chicks and all chicks still present at last check, regardless of age. dThis value represents only occupancy rate of non-chronology plots used for monitoring reproductive performance and therefore differs from occupancy rates of all plots (both non-chronology and chronology plots) presented in Tables 20 and 21. exx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized. fFor single-egg species, nesting success (D/B) is the same as hatching success (E/C) because nest sites w/ eggs (B)=total eggs (C) and nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E). gFor single-egg species, fledging success (F/B) is the same as chick success (G/E) because nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E) and nest sites w/ chicks fledged (F)=total chicks fledged (G).

0.25 All storm-petrels Density

0.20 ) 2 0.15

0.10 Density (no. entrances/m (no. Density

0.05

0.00 Fork-tailed Leach's Occupancy All storm-petrels 0.60

0.50

0.40

0.30

0.20

Occupancy Occupancy rate (no. occupied burrows/total) 0.10

0.00 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 13. Burrow entrance densities and chamber occupancy rates of storm-petrels on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Table 20. Burrow entrance densities and chamber occupancy rates of storm-petrels on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include all plots except plot 26, which is excluded due to the existence of artificial burrows within the plot. Data from 1990 and 1995-1999 are excluded because not all plots were counted.

Parameter 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Densitya No. burrow entrancesb 534 554 520 584 544 633 609 769 584 777 672 719 Total area (m2) 3917 3917 3917 3917 3917 3917 3917 3917 3917 3917 3917 3917 Density of burrow entrances 0.14 0.14 0.13 0.15 0.14 0.16 0.16 0.20 0.15 0.20 0.17 0.18

Occupancy No. burrows occupied (O)c by: Fork-tailed storm-petrels 45 43 16 45 55 63 64 67 72 79 68 76 Leach’s storm-petrels 115 78 16 114 73 119 105 108 127 160 75 103 All storm-petrelsd 189 152 34 184 128 229 222 197 201 246 166 188 Total no. burrows w/ known contents (N)e 393 358 451 340 552 451 439 413 452 614 327 374 Occupancy rate (O/N) of: Fork-tailed storm-petrels 0.12 0.12 0.04 0.12 0.10 0.10 0.15 0.16 0.16 0.13 0.21 0.20 Leach’s storm-petrels 0.29 0.22 0.04 0.31 0.13 0.26 0.24 0.26 0.28 0.26 0.23 0.28 All storm-petrelsd 0.48 0.43 0.08 0.50 0.23 0.51 0.51 0.48 0.44 0.40 0.51 0.50

aDensity is expressed as the number of small/medium burrow entrances per m2. bNumber of burrow entrances comprise all small/medium entrances viewable from the outside, regardless of the presence of a chamber or numerous branching tunnels further in. Numbers of small and medium entrances were combined since small entrances have been artificially enlarged by arms reaching in to check burrow contents. cFor occupancy, burrows are those with a chamber that, at some point in the season, contained an adult with unknown status (BU) on two consecutive checks or an egg, fresh membrane/eggshell fragments, or chick on at least one check; nest does not have to have known reproductive fate. Nests with multiple chambers are counted as separate “burrows”. dIncludes fork-tailed, Leach’s, and unknown species. eBurrows with known contents are those with a chamber that were either occupied (see definition above) or confirmed empty (burrow ends could be reached).

Table 21. Burrow entrance densities and chamber occupancy rates of storm-petrels on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Data include all plots except plot 26, which is excluded due to the existence of artificial burrows within the plot.

Plot Parameter Total

8 9 10 11 12 13 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 27

Densitya No. burrow entrancesb 45 65 42 30 19 15 15 31 60 60 34 36 29 86 13 58 81 719 Total area (m2) 100 200 150 50 50 50 100 50 494 125 75 119 288 455 52 1219 340 3917 Density of burrow entrances 0.45 0.33 0.28 0.60 0.38 0.30 0.15 0.62 0.12 0.48 0.45 0.30 0.10 0.19 0.25 0.05 0.24 0.18

Occupancy No. burrows occupied (O)c by: Fork-tailed storm-petrels 3 8 2 10 0 2 2 5 7 6 3 2 0 12 0 7 7 76 Leach’s storm-petrels 4 8 4 6 4 1 2 7 6 5 9 5 4 20 2 3 13 103 All storm-petrelsd 8 18 7 17 4 3 5 12 13 11 12 8 4 32 2 11 21 188 Total no. burrows w/ known contents (N)e 22 34 18 22 14 9 9 29 24 24 22 12 9 56 6 22 45 374 Occupancy rate (O/N) of: Fork-tailed storm-petrels 0.14 0.24 0.11 0.45 0.00 0.22 0.22 0.17 0.29 0.25 0.14 0.17 0.00 0.21 0.00 0.32 0.16 0.20 Leach’s storm-petrels 0.18 0.24 0.22 0.27 0.29 0.11 0.22 0.24 0.25 0.21 0.41 0.42 0.44 0.36 0.33 0.14 0.29 0.28 All storm-petrelsd 0.36 0.53 0.39 0.77 0.29 0.33 0.56 0.41 0.54 0.46 0.64 0.67 0.44 0.57 0.33 0.50 0.49 0.50

Table 22. Morphological measurements of adult fork-tailed and Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Mass (g) Wing chord (mm) Diagonal tarsus (mm) Year Mean SD Range n Mean SD Range n Mean SD Range n

Fork-tailed storm-petrel 2005 67.5 5.9 58.5-80.0 22 156.5 4.4 146-163 22 27.9 0.9 26.0-29.0 22 2006 65.5 5.8 55.0-81.5 33 158.1 3.8 150-165 33 27.5 1.0 26.0-29.5 33 2007 65.0 4.5 55.0-74.0 30 157.0 4.9 147-166 30 27.1 0.9 25.1-28.5 30 2008 58.9 4.9 47.5-71.0 32 156.0 4.2 148-165 32 26.9 0.7 25.1-28.2 32 2009 60.6 2.8 57.0-65.0 10 160.0 3.6 155-165 10 27.3 0.7 25.5-28.1 10 2010 62.9 5.9 50.0-76.0 41 155.9 5.9 140-165 41 26.6 0.9 24.3-28.4 41 2011 61.8 4.3 55.0-71.0 12 158.3 2.9 153-163 12 26.4 0.9 24.8-28.2 12

Leach’s storm-petrel 2005 47.1 4.2 39.0-58.0 72 153.5 3.1 148-160 72 24.5 0.8 23.0-26.0 72 2006 46.2 4.4 38.5-55.5 48 154.2 3.8 146-162 48 24.4 0.6 22.5-25.5 48 2007 46.0 4.4 38.0-54.0 56 155.6 4.1 147-166 56 24.3 0.9 22.9-27.3 56 2008 42.9 3.2 37.5-53.0 45 154.8 3.3 148-163 45 24.1 0.7 22.9-25.6 45 2009 42.7 2.6 36.5-42.7 34 155.4 3.9 148-165 34 24.5 0.9 22.2-26.7 34 2010 42.0 3.2 36.0-50.0 51 155.4 4.6 143-163 51 24.0 0.7 22.7-25.4 51 2011 41.1 3.0 35.0-49.0 36 154.6 3.4 144-161 36 24.1 0.9 22.3-26.1 36

Table 23. Band resights of fork-tailed storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Resight data are collected primarily as incidental observations of banded birds captured during the course of other work and should not be considered a comprehensive dataset of banded individuals for survival analysis.

Birds initially banded in: Total 1995 1996 1997

No. birds banded 22 38 17 77 No. birds ever resighteda 16 31 7 54 No. birds resighted in 2011 0 1 2 3

aIncludes any bird resighted in at least one year following the year it was banded.

Table 24. Band resights of Leach’s storm-petrels at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Resight data are collected primarily as incidental observations of banded birds captured during the course of other work and should not be considered a comprehensive dataset of banded individuals for survival analysis.

Birds initially banded in: Total 1995 1996 1997

No. birds banded 72 90 59 221 No. birds ever resighteda 51 70 28 149 No. birds resighted in 2011 4 2 2 7

aIncludes any bird resighted in at least one year following the year it was banded.

2.5

2.0

15 24

1.5

1.0 Chicks per nest start

0.5

20 7 16 6 0.0 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 14. Reproductive performance of double-crested cormorants at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Success is measured by the number of chicks per nest start (E/A), where E=total chicks and A=total nest starts (including those without chicks). Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (A).

Table 25. Reproductive performance of double-crested cormorants at Aiktak Island, Alaska, as determined by a Boom or Bust methodology. Measures of success are based on a count of nests (or maximum of several counts) conducted early in the nesting period and a count of large chicks (or maximum of several counts) conducted late in the nesting period.

Total Nest Mean Prop. Chicks/ Nest a Date(s) of Date(s) of nest sites Nest sites w/ x chicks : sites w/ Total brood nest sites nest Year starts chicks chicks size w/ chicks start max. nest max. chick w/ unk. count count (A) contents 0 1 2 3 4 (D) (E) (E/D) (D/A)b (E/A)b

1995 species bred but no data ------

1996 species bred but no data ------

1997 species bred but no data ------

1998 species bred but no data ------1999 no nests ------2000 7 - 0 2 2 2 1 7 16 2.3 1.00 2.29 20 Aug 20 Aug

2001 no nests ------2002 15 - 9 2 4 0 0 6 10 1.7 0.40 0.67 N/Ac N/A

2003 species bred but no data ------2004 20 - 20 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 22 Jun -

2005 no nests ------2006 7 - 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 11 Jul - 2007 16 - 16 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 10 Jun - 2008 24 - 6 4 5 9 0 18 41 2.3 0.75 1.71 17 Jun 20 Aug 2009 6 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 16 Jun - 2010d 40 individual nests monitored during 2010; see Table 26 - - - - - 18 Jun - 2011 15 - 3 2 6 3 1 12 27 2.3 0.80 1.80 21 Jun 5 Aug

aNumbers of chicks may represent a minimum count as not all may have been visible. bProportion of nest sites with chicks (D/A) and chicks/nest start (E/A) may be considered maximum potential values of productivity (F/A) and fledglings/nest start (G/A), respectively, based on the assumption that all chicks counted eventually fledge. cN/A indicates data not available. dExcluding counts of nest starts (A), remainder of reproductive performance data in 2010 come from a subset of individual nests that were monitored frequently and may not be comparable with estimates of reproductive performance from Boom or Bust methodology; thus, these data are presented separately (see Table 26).

Table 26. Reproductive performance of double-crested cormorants at Aiktak, Alaska. Measures of success are based on frequent monitoring of individual nests (as opposed to Boom or Bust methodology presented in Table 25). Most chicks were too young to fledge by the time of the last visit so fledgling numbers and productivity represent maximum estimates, based on the assumption that any chick still present at last check could fledge.

Total Nest Max. nest sites Max. total Mean Prop. Chicks/ Max. nest Nest sites w/ x chicksa: sites w/ Total w/ chicks chicks brood nest sites nest fledglings/ Max. Year starts chicks chicks fledged fledged size w/ chicks start nest start prod.

(A) 0 1 2 3 4 (D) (E) (Fmax)b (Gmax)b (E/D) (D/A) (E/A) (Gmax/A) (Fmax/A)

2010 36 6 2 10 16 2 30 78 26 65 2.6 0.83 2.17 1.81 0.72

aNumbers of chicks may represent a minimum count as not all may have been visible. bAll chicks that were present at last check and chicks that were huge when they disappeared were considered to be potentially fledged.

2.0

21 1.5 82

1.0 Chicks per nest start 53 248

32 0.5

49 13 2 0.0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 15. Reproductive performance of red-faced cormorants at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Success is measured by the number of chicks per nest start (E/A), where E=total chicks and A=total nest starts (including those without chicks). Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (A).

Table 27. Reproductive performance of red-faced cormorants at Aiktak Island, Alaska, as determined by a Boom or Bust methodology. Measures of success are based on a count of nests (or maximum of several counts) conducted early in the nesting period and a count of large chicks (or maximum of several counts) conducted late in the nesting period.

1995 no nests ------1996 no nests ------1997 53 - 37 4 6 6 0 16 34 2.1 0.30 0.64 N/Ac N/A 1998 species bred but no data ------1999 no nests ------2000 no nests ------2001 21 - 8 3 3 6 1 13 32 2.5 0.62 1.52 N/A N/A 2002 49 - 12 3 19 15 0 37 86 2.3 0.76 1.76 N/A N/A

2003 species bred but no data ------2004 49 - 49 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 22 Jun - 2005 no nests ------2006 no nests ------2007 13 - 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 10 Jun - 2008 248 - 113 41 71 20 3 135 155 1.9 0.54 0.63 17 Jun 20 Aug 2009 2 - 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 16 Jun - 2010d 134 individual nests monitored during 2010; see Table 28 - - - - - 7 Jul - 2011 32 - 25 1 3 3 0 7 16 2.3 0.22 0.50 21 Jun+1 Jul 26 Jul

Table 28. Reproductive performance of red-faced cormorants at Aiktak, Alaska. Measures of success are based on frequent monitoring of individual nests (as opposed to Boom or Bust methodology presented in Table 27). Most chicks were too young to fledge by the time of the last visit so fledgling numbers and productivity represent maximum estimates, based on the assumption that any chick still present at last check could fledge.

(A) 0 1 2 3 4 (D) (E) (Fmax)b (Gmax)b (E/D) (D/A) (E/A) (Gmax/A) (Fmax/A)

2010 82 29 8 24 20 1 53 120 41 75 2.26 0.65 1.46 0.91 0.50

2.5 9

6 2.0

58 14 1.5

1.0 Chicks per nest start

0.5 3

31 419126 0.0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 16. Reproductive performance of pelagic cormorants at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Success is measured by the number of chicks per nest start (E/A), where E=total chicks and A=total nest starts (including those without chicks). Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (A).

Table 29. Reproductive performance of pelagic cormorants at Aiktak Island, Alaska, as determined by a Boom or Bust methodology. Measures of success are based on a count of nests (or maximum of several counts) conducted early in the nesting period and a count of large chicks (or maximum of several counts) conducted late in the nesting period.

Total Nest Mean Prop. Nest a Date(s) of Date(s) of nest sites Nest sites w/ x chicks : sites w/ Total brood nest sites Chicks/ Year starts chicks chicks size w/ chicks nest start max. nest max. chick w/ unk. count count (A) contents 0 1 2 3 4 (D) (E) (E/D) (D/A)b (E/A)b

1995 9 - N/Ac N/A N/A N/A N/A 9 21 2.3 1.00 2.33 N/A N/A 1996 6 - N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A 5 12 2.4 0.83 2.00 N/A N/A 1997 3 - 2 1 0 0 0 1 1 1.0 0.33 0.33 N/A N/A

1998 species bred but no data ------

1999 no nests ------

2000 species bred but no data ------

2001 14 - 3 4 4 3 0 11 21 1.9 0.79 1.50 N/A N/A

2002 18 - 7 2 6 3 0 11 23 2.1 0.61 1.28 N/A N/A

2003 species bred but no data ------

2004 4 - 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 22 Jun

2005 no nests ------2006 19 - 19 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 17 Jul - 2007 1 - 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 10 Jun - 2008 69 - 12 10 31 15 1 57 121 2.1 0.83 1.75 22 Jul 20 Aug 2009 26 - 26 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0.00 0.00 16 Jun - 2010d 64 individual nests monitored during 2010; see Table 30 - - - - - 27 Jun - 2011 31 - 30 0 1 0 0 1 2 2.0 0.03 0.06 21 Jun+1 Jul 28 Jul

Table 30. Reproductive performance of pelagic cormorants at Aiktak, Alaska. Measures of success are based on frequent monitoring of individual nests (as opposed to Boom or Bust methodology presented in Table 29). Most chicks were too young to fledge by the time of the last visit so fledgling numbers and productivity represent maximum estimates, based on the assumption that any chick still present at last check could fledge.

(A) 0 1 2 3 4 (D) (E) (Fmax)b (Gmax)b (E/D) (D/A) (E/A) (Gmax/A) (Fmax/A)

2010 58 16 8 20 13 1 42 91 39 85 2.17 0.72 1.57 1.47 0.67

50 600 Double-crested Red-faced Pelagic All cormorants 500

400

300 Mean number of birds 200

100

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Year

Figure 17. Mean numbers of cormorants counted during circumnavigation surveys at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values come from general circumnavigation data (Table 83). Error bars represent standard deviation. No circumnavigation surveys were conducted in 2010 or 2011.

51 25

0 25Jun

-5

-10 Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean

-15

-20

-25 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 18. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1997-2010 average of 25 June) for black oystercatchers at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; red highlights the current year.

Table 31. Breeding chronology of black oystercatchers at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the date of the first chick hatched in each nest.

Year Mean hatch SD na First hatch Last hatch

1995 no data - - - - 1996 no data - - - - 1997 27 Jun 6.2 7 18 Jun 5 Jul 1998 25 Jun 5.4 5 19 Jun 3 Jul 1999 25 Jun 5.4 5 19 Jun 3 Jul 2000 26 Jun 8.5 2 20 Jun 2 Jul 2001 21 Jun 8.2 10 9 Jun 6 Jul 2002 30 Jun 15.3 6 14 Jun 19 Jul 2003 20 Jun 8.0 6 13 Jun 5 Jul 2004 16 Jun 8.0 9 10 Jun 6 Jul 2005 6 Jul 8.7 4 27 Jun 17 Jul 2006 23 Jun 4.4 10 15 Jun 1 Jul 2007 24 Jun 8.2 6 17 Jun 7 Jul 2008 28 Jun 10.6 11 17 Jun 27 Jul 2009 26 Jun 9.5 9 13 Jun 7 Jul 2010 2 Jul 9.9 5 15 Jun 11 Jun 2011 1 Jul 4.4 4 26 Jun 6 Jul

aSample sizes for mean hatch dates are a sub-sample of total nests for which egg to chick interval is ≤ 5 days.

53 Table 32. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for black oystercatchers at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the date of the first chick hatched in each nest and include only nests in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 5 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

160 no no - - - - 1 ------161 data data ------162 ------2 ------163 - - - 1 ------164 ------1 2 - - - - 1 - - 165 ------1 ------166 ------2 - - 1 - 1 - - - 1 - 167 - - - 1 - - 1 - 2 - - - - - 1 - - 168 ------1 - 1 1 - - 3 - - - - 169 - - 1 ------1 - - - 170 - - - - 1 - - - - 2 - 1 - - 1 - - 171 - - - 1 ------172 - - 1 - 1 1 ------1 - - - 173 ------3 - - - 3 - 1 1 - - 174 ------1 - - 2 - - - - - 175 - - - - 1 ------1 - - 1 - - 176 - - - - 1 ------1 - - - 177 ------2 ------1 178 - - 1 - - - 2 - - - 1 - 2 1 - - - 179 - - 1 1 ------1 - 2 - - - 180 - - 1 ------1 181 ------182 ------1 1 - 1 - 1 - 183 ------2 - - - 184 - - - - 1 1 ------185 - - 1 ------1 - 2 186 - - 1 - - - - - 1 - - - - - 1 1 - 187 ------1 ------1 - 188 ------1 1 - 1 - 2 - - 189 ------190 ------191 ------192 ------1 - 193 ------194 ------195 ------196 ------197 ------198 ------1 ------199 ------200 ------2 ------201 ------202 ------203 ------204 ------205 ------206 ------207 ------208 ------209 ------1 - - -

n - - 7 4 5 2 10 6 6 9 4 10 6 11 9 5 4 aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

54 1.0 Nesting success 10 0.9 12 11 0.8 13

0.7

0.6 17 11 18 0.5 14 12 5 15 0.4 22 Nesting success Nesting 16 0.3 14

20 0.2

0.1

0.0

Mean brood size 6 2.5

10 9 4 5 2 9 10 5 2.0 9 8 6

10 6 4 1.5

Mean brood size Mean brood 1.0

0.5

0.0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Year

Figure 19. Reproductive performance of black oystercatchers at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Nesting success=D/B; Mean brood size=E/D; where B=nest sites with eggs, D=nest sites with chicks; E=total chicks. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes ([B] for nesting success, [D] for brood size).

Table 33. Reproductive performance of black oystercatchers at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include both first and second nest attempts for pairs that relaid after initial nest failure.

Nest sites Total Nest sites Total Mean Mean Nesting Hatching Nest sites w/ x eggs: Year w/ eggs eggs w/ chicks chicks clutch size brood size success success

(B) 1 2 3 (C) (D) (E) (C/B) (E/D) (D/B) (E/C)

1995 no data ------1996 no data ------1997 10 0 7 3 23 9 17 2.3 1.9 0.90 0.74 1998 14 4 2 8 32 4 8 2.3 2.0 0.29 0.25 1999 12 0 4 8 32 5 10 2.7 2.0 0.42 0.31 2000 5 1 1 3 12 2 4 2.4 2.0 0.40 0.33 2001 12 2 5 5 27 10 22 2.3 2.2 0.83 0.81 2002 14 1 2 11 38 6 11 2.7 1.8 0.43 0.29 2003 15 3 5 7 34 6 9 2.3 1.5 0.40 0.26 2004 11 1 2 8 29 9 18 2.7 2.0 0.82 0.62 2005a 20 4 9 7 43 4 6 2.2 1.5 0.20 0.14 2006 13 0 6 7 33 10 16 2.5 1.6 0.77 0.48 2007 11 0 5 6 28 6 15 2.6 2.5 0.54 0.54 2008 17 2 7 8 40 10 20 2.4 2.0 0.59 0.50 2009 18 3 9 6 39 9 19 2.2 2.1 0.50 0.49 2010 16 2 10 4 34 5 10 2.1 2.0 0.31 0.29 2011 22 4 7 11 51 8 15 2.3 1.8 0.36 0.36

aIn 2005, an early-season storm on 27 May pushed kelp over many nests, causing a large number of pairs to relay.

30 Number of birds

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 20. Numbers of breeding black oystercatchers counted at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values are based on the number of nests or breeding pairs observed on the island throughout the year and do not include flocks of migratory birds passing through the area in the fall.

Table 34. Numbers of breeding black oystercatchers counted at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values are based on the number of nests or breeding pairs observed on the island throughout the year and do not include flocks of migratory birds passing through the area in the fall.

No. Total no. Year territories breeding birds

1995 21 42 1996 19 38 1997 13 26 1998 18 36 1999 18 36 2000 13 26 2001 12 24 2002 25 50 2003 15 30 2004a >10 >20 2005 14 28 2006 14 28 2007 11 22 2008 15 30 2009 20 40 2010 14 28 2011 17 32

aNo data on the total number or distribution of breeding pairs were found for 2004; numbers represents minimum number of breeding pairs and birds from those nests monitored for productivity.

58 25

0 10 Jul

-5 Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean

-10

-15

-20 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 21. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1995-2010 average of 10 July) for glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; red highlights the current year.

Table 35. Breeding chronology of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the date of the first chick hatched in each nest.

Year Mean hatch SD na First lay First hatch Last hatch

1995 23 Jul 4.1 43 20 Jun 17 Jul 1 Aug 1996 15 Jul 4.1 76 13 Jun 10 Jul 26 Jul 1997 6 Jul 2.8 95 1 Jun 28 Jun 14 Jul 1998 9 Jul 2.9 90 6 Jun 3 Jul 17 Jul 1999 12 Jul 3.2 50 10 Jun 7 Jul 19 Jul 2000 3 Jul 5.0 70 31 May 7 Jun 19 Jul 2001 3 Jul 3.7 38 1 Jun 28 Jun 14 Jul 2002 28 Jun 2.5 95 26 May 22 Jun 3 Jul 2003 29 Jun 3.2 93 23 May 19 Jun >5 Julb 2004 4 Jul 3.9 85 29 May 25 Jun 12 Jul 2005 3 Jul 3.1 79 31 May 27 Jun 11 Jul 2006 27 Jul 5.4 10c 24 Jun 21 Jul 4 Aug 2007 6 Jul 2.5 36 1 Jun 28 Jun 10 Jul 2008 8 Jul 2.4 40 3 Jund 30 Jun 12 Jul 2009 11 Jul 3.7 38 7 Jun 4 Jul 19 Jul 2010 24 Jul 5.5 7c 28 Jun 18 Jul 3 Aug 2011 16 Jul 4.1 5c 4 Jun 11 Jul 22 Jul

aSample sizes for mean hatch dates are a sub-sample of total nests for which egg to chick interval is ≤ 5 days. bIn 2003, four nests had yet to hatch before researchers departed the island early on 10 July. cIn 2006, 2010 and 2011, sample sizes were small and recorded hatch dates were late due to high rates of egg loss during the early egg-laying period. dActual first lay dates were earlier: three nests with single eggs were found on the first check on 1 June. However, convention of subtracting 27 days from the first hatch date puts their lay dates at 3 June.

60 Table 36. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the date of the first chick hatched in each nest and include only nests in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 5 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

170 ------1 ------171 ------172 ------173 ------3 ------174 ------2 ------175 ------7 ------176 ------7 25 ------177 ------3 ------178 ------39 4 - 2 ------179 - - 1 - - 11 7 - 4 - 3 - 1 - - - - 180 ------18 43 6 10 ------181 ------2 4 1 - 5 ------182 - - - - - 22 3 10 - - 11 - - 1 - - - 183 - - 13 - - - 7 3 1 - 8 - 1 - - - - 184 - - 2 3 - - 4 2 4 30 12 ------185 ------5 - - - 4 - 15 1 1 - - 186 - - 44 2 - 16 1 - 10 - 14 - - 1 3 - - 187 - - - - - 2 2 - - 25 3 - 8 2 - - - 188 - - 20 39 6 11 4 - - - 2 - - 10 7 - - 189 - - - 8 - - 1 - - 2 1 - 8 - - - - 190 - - - 5 1 - - - - 5 2 - - 6 2 - - 191 - - 8 21 - 2 1 - - 5 - - 3 11 4 - - 192 - 18 4 - 22 - - - - - 2 - - 5 9 - 1 193 ------7 - - - 2 2 - - 194 - 4 2 7 1 1 - - - 2 - - - 1 4 - - 195 - 13 1 - - 1 1 ------1 196 - 5 - - 16 1 ------1 197 ------3 - - 198 7 19 - 5 1 ------2 - 1 199 - - - - - 2 ------1 - 200 - 3 - - 3 ------1 - - 201 - 1 - - - 1 ------1 - 202 14 ------1 - - - 2 - 203 1 8 ------2 - - - - 1 204 1 3 ------205 ------1 - - - - - 206 9 1 ------1 - - - 1 - 207 ------2 - - - - - 208 8 1 ------1 - 209 ------210 ------211 ------212 ------213 3 ------214 ------1 - - - - - 215 ------1 - 216 ------2 - - - - -

n 43 76 95 90 50 70 38 95 93 85 79 10 36 40 38 7 5 aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

Table 37. Reproductive performance of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska, as determined by a nest-monitoring methodology. Measures of success are based on frequent monitoring of individual nests.

Total Nest Nest Mean Mean Prop. Chicks/ Nest sites w/ Nest sites w/ Year nest sites Total sites w/ Total Laying clutch brood Nesting Hatching nest sites nest x eggs: x chicks: starts w/ eggs eggs chicks chicks success size size success success w/ chicks start

a a a (A) 0 1 2 3 4 (B) (C) 1 2 3 4 (D) (E) (B/A) (C/B) (E/D) (D/B) (E/C) (D/A) (E/A)

1995 - - 11 25 12 0 48 97 9 20 7 0 36 70 - 2.0 1.9 0.75 0.72 - - 1996 - - 17 38 38 0 93 207 19 33 23 0 75 154 - 2.2 2.1 0.81 0.74 - - 1997 - - 9 17 80 0 106 283 3 30 60 0 93 243 - 2.7 2.6 0.88 0.86 - - 1998 - - 11 21 74 0 106 275 4 30 57 0 91 235 - 2.6 2.6 0.86 0.85 - - 1999 - - 16 27 35 0 78 175 7 23 20 0 50 113 - 2.2 2.3 0.64 0.65 - - 2000 - - 6 17 45 0 68 175 11 21 34 0 66 155 - 2.6 2.4 0.97 0.89 - - 2001 - - 2 21 17 0 40 95 8 22 8 0 38 76 - 2.4 2.0 0.95 0.80 - - 2002 - - 1 13 86 0 100 285 7 42 46 0 95 229 - 2.9 2.4 0.95 0.80 - - 2003 - - 8 23 66 1 98 256 13 30 49 1 93 224 - 2.6 2.4 0.95 0.88 - - 2004 - - 13 33 52 2 100 243 27 37 21 0 85 164 - 2.4 1.9 0.85 0.67 - - 2005 - - 15 33 73 0 117 300 16 31 32 0 79 174 - 2.6 2.2 0.68 0.58 - - 2006 - - 26 17 4 0 47 72 2 8 0 0 10 18 - 1.5 1.8 0.21 0.25 - - 2007 - - 43 20 54 0 117 245 8 16 12 0 36 73 - 2.1 2.1 0.30 0.30 - - 2008 - - 48 63 45 1 157 313 9 17 14 0 40 85 - 2.0 2.1 0.25 0.27 - - 2009 - - 93 69 38 0 200 345 21 16 1 0 38 56 - 1.7 1.5 0.18 0.16 - - 2010 - - 78 25 4 0 107 139 2 4 1 0 7 13 - 1.3 1.9 0.07 0.09 - - 2011 - - 80 42 11 0 133 195 3 2 0 0 5 7 - 1.5 1.4 0.04 0.04 - -

aSampling at Aiktak includes only nests with eggs so total nest starts (A), laying success (B/A), proportion of nest sites with chicks (D/A) and chicks per nest start (E/A) cannot be estimated.

Table 38. Standard deviation in reproductive performance parameters of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. For sampling clustered by plot, values are calculated using ratio estimator spreadsheets.

No. Sampling Laying Mean Mean Nesting Hatching Prop. nest sites Chicks/ Year plotsa design success clutch size brood size success success w/ chicks nest start

1995 xxb xx - xx xx xx xx - - 1996 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 1997 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 1998 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 1999 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2000 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2001 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2002 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2003 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2004 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2005 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2006 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2007 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2008 xx xx - xx xx xx xx - - 2009 4 Cluster by plot - 0.11 0.11 0.03 0.02 - - 2010 4 Cluster by plot - 0.05 0.05 0.02 0.03 - - 2011 4 Cluster by plot - 0.07 0.07 0.02 0.02 - -

aPlots that are combined for analysis are counted as a single “plot”. bxx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized.

Table 39. Reproductive performance of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011.

Plot Parameter Total SDa 40 [a] 41 [b] 42 [c] 43 [d]

Total nest starts (A)b ------

Nest sites w/ x eggs: 0 ------1 22 13 20 25 80 - 2 9 9 15 9 42 - 3 5 3 3 0 11 - 4 0 0 0 0 0 -

Nest sites w/ eggs (B) 36 25 38 34 133 - Total eggs (C) 55 40 57 43 195 -

Nest sites w/ x chicks: 1 2 0 0 1 3 - 2 1 0 0 1 2 - 3 0 0 0 0 0 -

Nest sites w/ chicks (D) 3 0 0 2 5 - Total chicks (E) 4 0 0 3 7 -

Laying success (B/A)b ------Mean clutch size (C/B) 1.5 1.6 1.5 1.3 1.5 0.07 Mean brood size (E/D) 1.3 0.0 0.0 1.5 1.4 0.07 Nesting success (D/B) 0.08 0.00 0.00 0.06 0.04 0.02 Hatching success (E/C) 0.07 0.00 0.00 0.07 0.04 0.02 Prop. nest sites w/ chicks (D/A)b ------Chicks/nest start (E/A)b ------

aStandard deviations are calculated from ratio estimator spreadsheets, based on plot as a sample unit. bSampling at Aiktak includes only nests with eggs so total nest starts (A), laying success (B/A), proportion of nest sites with chicks (D/A) and chicks per nest start (E/A) cannot be estimated.

5000 800 Adults (mean) Fledglings (maximum) 700

4000 600

500 3000

400

2000 300 Mean number of adults Maximum number of fledglings Maximum number 200 1000

100

0 0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 22. Mean numbers of glaucous-winged gull adults and maximum numbers of glaucous-winged fledglings counted on index plots (adults) or along beach transects (fledglings) at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Table 40. Numbers of glaucous-winged gulls counted on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Replicate 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

1 1994 1701 2689 2481 2004 1975 2564 2233 2804 2280 2130 2333 3412 4494 3252 1775 2993 2 2240 1875 3211 3039 1275 1872 2996 2684 2725 2639 2887 1450 4546 4749 3749 2191 2676 3 2527 1671 2329 2553 1631 1926 - 2719 2936 4007 2423 999 4176 4187 4227 1728 3046 4 - - - 2592 2734 1909 - 2152 2718 3519 2695 1530 4265 4490 2966 - 3427 5 - - - 1944 - - - 1887 2657 2889 2379 1617 - 4420 3600 - 2377

Mean 2189 1811 2557 2435 1929 1936 2520 2335 2768 3067 2503 1586 4100 4468 3558 1898 2904 Max. 2527 1875 3211 3039 2734 1975 2996 2719 2936 4007 2887 2333 4546 4749 4227 2191 3427

n 3 3 3 5 4 4 2 5 5 5 5 5 4 5 5 3 5 SD 267 110 444 390 624 43 306 358 108 693 294 481 485 201 482 255 397 First count 9 Jun 19 Jun 30 May 2 Jun 30 May 16 Jun 6 Jun 29 May 22 May 24 May 3 Jun 1 Jun 4 Jun 3 Jun 4 Jun 31 May 3 Jun Last count 16 Jul 18 Jul 16 Jun 15 Jun 11 Jun 25 Jun 8 Jun 15 Jun 6 Jun 14 Jun 19 Jun 17 Jun 14 Jun 11 Jun 12 Jun 5 Jun 5 Jun

Table 41. Numbers of glaucous-winged gull fledglings counted on New Camp and Old Camp beaches at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Replicate 1998 2000 2001 2002 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

1 28 37 112 81 20 14 0 3 1 11 3 0 2 31 87 431 376 22 17 0 9 23 9 1 0 3 38 189 62 404 50 18 1 15 37 22 - 1 4 106 120 - 433 133 50 - 31 - 28 - 1 5 305 113 - 361 193 123 - 43 - 40 - - 6 - 171 - - - 172 - - - 54 - -

Max. 305 189 431 433 193 172 1 43 37 54 3 1

n 5 6 3 5 5 6 3 5 3 6 2 4 SD 118 56 200 142 77 67 1 17 18 17 1 1 First count 14 Aug 13 Aug 17 Aug 10 Aug 10 Aug 4 Aug 23 Aug 13 Aug 20 Aug 24 Aug 28 Aug 20 Aug Last count 1 Sep 7 Sep 8 Sep 25 Aug 28 Aug 31 Aug 2 Sep 30 Aug 28 Aug 4 Sep 2 Sep 3 Sep

67 Table 42. Numbers of glaucous-winged gulls counted on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011.

Date Plot Mean SD 3 Jun 4 Jun 5 Jun 6 Jun 8 Jun

A 69 31 35 47 27 - - B 448 442 723 742 486 - - C-west 950 1014 998 987 794 - - C-north 1132 862 925 1234 725 - - D 4 8 9 11 5 - - E 41 25 45 48 39 - - F 22 32 28 30 20 - - G 5 4 2 4 5 - - H 26 21 21 20 25 - - I 34 34 28 38 54 - - Club A 110 52 68 75 59 - - Club B 109 104 115 147 95 - - Club C 44 47 49 45 43 - -

Total 2993 2676 3046 3427 2377 2904 397

Table 43. Numbers of glaucous-winged gull fledglings counted on New Camp and Old Camp beaches at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011.

Date Plot Max. 20 Aug 24 Aug 29 Aug 2 Sep

Old Camp Beach 0 0 1 0 - New Camp Beach 0 0 0 1 -

Total 0 0 1 1 1

Table 44. Density of glaucous-winged gull nests on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Total Nest Mean Density Density nest sites w/ Total clutch of nests of total Nest sites w/ x eggs: Area Survey Year 2 starts eggs eggs (m ) size w/ eggs nests date

(A) 0 1 2 3 4 (B) (C) (C/B) (B/area) (A/area)

1995 no data ------1996 no data ------a 1997 93 48 3 13 29 0 45 114 1885.2 2.5 0.02 0.05 xx 1998 76 48 2 7 19 0 28 73 1885.2 2.6 0.01 0.04 xx 1999 84 53 3 18 10 0 31 63 1885.2 2.0 0.02 0.04 xx 2000 47 8 7 16 15 0 38 84 1885.2 2.2 0.02 0.02 xx 2001 70 17 2 15 36 0 53 154 1885.2 2.7 0.03 0.04 xx 2002 90 30 1 12 47 0 49 136 1885.2 2.8 0.03 0.07 xx 2003 90 41 1 9 39 0 49 136 1885.2 2.8 0.03 0.05 xx 2004 81 24 7 18 32 0 57 140 1885.2 2.5 0.03 0.04 xx 2005 81 39 14 8 20 0 42 90 1885.2 2.1 0.02 0.04 xx b b b 2006 86 85 1 0 0 0 1 1 1885.2 1.0 <0.01 0.05 xx 2007 232 204 10 13 5 0 28 54 1885.2 1.9 0.02 0.12 xx 2008 312 275 7 18 11 1 37 80 1885.2 2.1 0.02 0.17 xx 2009 220 182 17 14 7 0 38 66 1885.2 1.7 0.02 0.12 20 Jun b b 2010 153 151 1 1 0 0 2 3 1885.2 1.5 <0.01 0.08 27 Jun b b 2011 170 161 5 3 1 0 9 14 1885.2 1.6 <0.01 0.09 23 Jun

aTotal area consists of sum of six plots of 314.2 m2 each. bIn 2006, 2010 and 2011, density values may underestimate actual effort because gulls suffered exceptionally high rates of egg loss during the early egg- laying period before density surveys were conducted.

Table 45. Density of glaucous-winged gulls on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011.

Plot Parameter Total SD 55 78 40 41 42 43

Total nest starts (A) 25 19 34 28 41 23 170 -

Nest sites w/ x eggsb: 0 22 18 34 28 38 21 161 - 1 1 1 0 0 3 0 5 - 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 3 - 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 - 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 -

Nest sites w/ eggs (B) 3 1 0 0 3 2 9 - Total eggs (C) 6 1 0 0 3 4 14 -

Area (m2) 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 1885.2 -

Mean clutch size (C/B) 2.0 1.0 0.0 0.0 1.0 2.0 1.6 0.58 Density of nests w/ eggs (B/area) 0.01 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.01 0.01 <0.01 <0.01 Density of total nests (A/area) 0.08 0.06 0.11 0.09 0.13 0.07 0.09 0.03

Survey date 23 Jun 23 Jun 23 Jun 23 Jun 23 Jun 23 Jun - -

70 140

32 5 120 77 99

21 100 84 26

Sea urchin 80 Limpet Chiton Other invert. 60 Birds Fish Percent occurrence (%) Percent occurrence

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002

Year

Figure 23. Frequency of occurrence of prey in diets of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data comprise a mix of adult and chick regurgitations and pick-ups and do not include regurgitated pellets collected in 2008-2011. Number above columns indicates sample sizes. Diet samples were collected in 2004-2009 but have not yet been summarized.

71 Table 46. Frequency of occurrence of prey in diets (adult and chick regurgitations and pick-ups) of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Frequency is expressed as the percentage of food samples in which each prey item was present. Diet samples were collected in 2004-2009 but have not yet been summarized. Data do not include regurgitated pellets collected in 2008-2011, which may not be comparable and are reported separately (Tables 47 and 48).

1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000a 2001 2002 2003

No. samples 5 99 84 77 32 26 no 21 no samples samples Invertebrates N/Ab N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A - N/A - Sea urchin - 5.1 3.6 1.3 - 3.8 - - - Limpet - 1.0 - 1.3 - - - - - Chiton - 2.0 3.6 2.6 6.3 - - 4.8 - Crangonidae - - - - 3.1 - - - - Mytilus spp. - - - - 3.1 - - - - Mya spp. - - - - 3.1 - - - - Unid. pill bug - - - - 3.1 - - - - Unid. fly 60.0 ------Unid. parasite - - - - 3.1 - - - -

Fish N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A - N/A - Pacific herring - 82.8 78.6 67.5 46.9 11.5 - 23.8 - Pacific sandlance - 1.0 3.6 23.4 15.6 57.7 - 61.9 - Capelin - 3.0 ------Atka mackerel - 1.0 ------Pollock - - - 11.7 - - - - - Gadidae - 1.0 - - - 3.8 - - - Pleuronectidae - - - 1.3 - - - - - Unid. fish eggs - 1.0 - 1.3 - - - - - Unid. fish 20.0 1.0 - 3.9 31.3 15.4 - 9.5 -

Birds N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A - N/A - Fork-tailed storm-petrel - - - 2.6 - - - - - Black-legged kittiwake (chick) - 2.0 ------Glaucous-winged gull (chick) - - - - 9.4 - - - - Least auklet - 3.0 ------Whiskered auklet - 1.0 2.4 ------Ancient murrelet - - 1.2 ------Tufted puffin - 2.0 2.4 ------Tufted puffin (chick) - 4.0 ------Unid. murre (chick) - - - - - 3.8 - - - Unid. alcid - - 1.2 ------Unid. egg - 1.0 ------Unid. small bird - 2.0 - 2.6 - - - - - Unid. feather 40.0 ------

Mammals N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A - N/A - Microtine - - - 1.3 3.1 - - - -

Miscellaneous N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A - N/A - Plant material 40.0 - - - 6.3 - - - - Offal - - - - - 3.8 - - - aIn addition to adult pellets, chick regurgitations were collected and included in the 2000 report. bValues in bold are composite totals for invertebrates, fish, birds, mammals, and miscellaneous. Summation of individual prey types may exceed group totals because of overlap (i.e. occurrence of more than one prey species per pellet).

72 140 167 217 120 135 168

100 Sea urchin Limpet 80 Chiton Other invert.

60 Birds Fish Percent occurrence (%) Percent occurrence 40 Other

0 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 24. Frequency of occurrence of prey in regurgitated pellets of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Number above columns indicates sample sizes.

167 135 168 217 100

Sea urchin Limpet 60 Chiton Other invert. Birds 40 Fish Percent volume(%) Other

0 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 25. Percent volume of prey in regurgitated pellets of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers above columns indicates sample sizes.

Table 47. Frequency of occurrence of prey in regurgitated pellets of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Frequency is expressed as the percentage of food samples in which each prey item was present. Data do not include adult and chick regurgitations and pick-ups collected 1995-2009, which may not be comparable and are reported separately (Table 46).

2008 2009 2010 2011

No. samples 167 135 168 217

Invertebrates 50.3a 27.4 45.8 44.7 Sea urchin 41.4 7.4 11.3 8.3 Limpet 9.0 5.2 13.7 9.7 Crab 3.0 - 1.2 1.8 Barnacle - 2.2 0.6 0.5 Unid. bivalve - - 1.2 - Blue mussel 1.2 0.7 3.0 3.7 Snail 7.2 2.2 - 2.8 Chiton 12.6 14.1 17.3 20.3 Unid. shellfish 0.6 0.7 1.8 6.9 Beetle - - - 0.5

Fish 43.1 68.9 45.2 41.9

Birds 10.8 7.4 12.5 15.2 Fork-tailed storm-petrel - - 1.8 4.1 Leach’s storm-petrel - - - 2.3 Unid. storm-petrel - - 1.8 3.2 Ancient murrelet - - 1.2 - Tufted puffin 1.2 0.7 - 0.5 Unid. alcid 0.6 1.5 - 1.4 Unid. bird 6.0 3.7 6.0 1.4 Glaucous-winged gull egg - - - 0.9 Murre egg - - - 0.5 Unid. egg 4.8 1.5 1.8 2.3

Miscellaneous 2.4 9.6 2.4 12.4 Kelp/seaweed 1.2 3.7 - 5.1 Pebbles 1.2 4.4 1.8 8.3 Plant material 0.6 3.7 - 1.4 Sea lion excreta/hair - - 0.6 -

aValues in bold are composite totals for invertebrates, fish, birds, and miscellaneous. Summation of individual prey types may exceed group totals because of overlap (i.e. occurrence of more than one prey species per pellet).

Table 48. Percent volume of prey in regurgitated pellets of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values represent the average percent composition of a prey item in all pellets (sums to 100% each year). Data do not include adult and chick regurgitations and pick-ups collected 1995-2009, which may not be comparable and are reported separately (Table 46).

2008 2009 2010 2011

No. samples 167 135 168 217

Invertebrates 48.4a 25.4 43.5 40.1 Sea urchin 21.2 5.3 11.3 6.8 Limpet 6.6 4.0 11.4 7.7 Crab 1.0 - 0.7 1.3 Barnacle - 1.7 0.1 0.1 Unid. bivalve - - 0.8 - Blue mussel 1.2 0.2 2.9 3.0 Snail 5.9 0.9 - 1.8 Chiton 12.3 12.6 14.6 15.4 Unid. shellfish 0.2 0.4 1.8 3.6 Beetle - - - -

Fish 41.3 62.4 42.3 37.8

Birds 9.3 6.4 12.4 13.8 Fork-tailed storm-petrel - - 1.8 3.9 Leach’s storm-petrel - - - 2.0 Unid. storm-petrel - - 1.8 2.8 Ancient murrelet - - 1.2 - Tufted puffin 1.2 0.7 - 0.3 Unid. alcid 0.6 1.5 - 1.4 Unid. bird 3.9 2.7 6.1 1.4 Glaucous-winged gull egg - - - 0.7 Murre egg - - - 0.1 Unid. egg 3.6 1.5 1.8 1.3

Miscellaneous 1.0 5.8 1.8 8.5 Kelp/seaweed 0.4 2.3 - 1.9 Pebbles 0.4 1.3 1.2 5.9 Plant material 0.6 2.2 - 0.3 Sea lion excreta/hair - - 0.6 -

aValues in bold are composite totals for invertebrates, fish, birds, and miscellaneous.

Table 49. Frequency of occurrence of prey in regurgitated pellets of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Frequency is expressed as the percentage of food samples in which each prey item was present.

Beachesa Interiorb Total

No. samples 59 158 217

Invertebrates 47.5c 43.7 44.7 Sea urchin 8.5 8.2 8.3 Limpet 5.1 11.4 9.7 Crab 5.1 0.6 1.8 Barnacle - 0.6 0.5 Unid. bivalve - - - Blue mussel 8.5 1.9 3.7 Snail 10.2 - 2.8 Chiton 15.3 22.2 20.3 Unid. shellfish 8.5 6.3 6.9 Beetle - 0.6 0.5

Fish 42.4 41.8 41.9

Birds 8.5 17.7 15.2 Fork-tailed storm-petrel - 5.7 4.1 Leach’s storm-petrel - 3.2 2.3 Unid. storm-petrel 5.1 2.5 3.2 Ancient murrelet - - - Tufted puffin - 0.6 0.5 Unid. alcid - 1.9 1.4 Unid. bird 1.7 1.3 1.4 Glaucous-winged gull egg - 1.3 0.9 Murre egg 1.7 - 0.5 Unid. egg 1.7 2.5 2.3

Miscellaneous 6.8 14.6 12.4 Kelp/seaweed 3.4 5.7 5.1 Pebbles 1.7 10.8 8.3 Plant material 3.4 0.6 1.4 Sea lion excreta/hair - - -

aBeach locations comprise New Camp Beach, Old Camp Beach, and Petrel Valley Cove. bInterior locations comprise Gull Mountain and SW Slope. cValues in bold are composite totals for invertebrates, fish, birds, and miscellaneous. Summation of individual prey types may exceed group totals because of overlap (i.e. occurrence of more than one prey species per pellet).

Table 50. Percent volume of prey in regurgitated pellets of glaucous-winged gulls at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Values represent the average percent composition of a prey item in all pellets (sums to 100% each year).

Beachesa Interiorb Total

No. samples 59 158 217

Invertebrates 47.3c 37.4 40.1 Sea urchin 8.3 6.2 6.8 Limpet 3.8 9.2 7.7 Crab 3.7 0.4 1.3 Barnacle - 0.2 0.1 Unid. bivalve - - - Blue mussel 7.6 1.3 3.0 Snail 6.8 - 1.8 Chiton 10.9 17.1 15.4 Unid. shellfish 6.1 2.7 3.6 Beetle - - -

Fish 41.5 36.4 37.8

Birds 8.1 16.0 13.8 Fork-tailed storm-petrel - 5.4 3.9 Leach’s storm-petrel - 2.7 2.0 Unid. storm-petrel 4.7 2.1 2.8 Ancient murrelet - - - Tufted puffin - 0.5 0.3 Unid. alcid - 1.9 1.4 Unid. bird 1.7 1.3 1.4 Glaucous-winged gull egg - 0.9 0.7 Murre egg 0.4 - 0.1 Unid.egg 1.3 1.3 1.3

Miscellaneous 3.1 10.6 8.5 Kelp/seaweed 1.9 1.9 1.9 Pebbles 0.4 7.9 5.9 Plant material 0.8 0.1 0.3 Sea lion excreta/hair - - -

0 13 Aug

-5 Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean

-10

-15

-20 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 26. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1995-2010 average of 13 August) for common murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; no data exist for the current year.

Table 51. Breeding chronology of common murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Year Mean hatch SD na First hatch Last hatch First “jump”b

1995 10 Aug 7.0 21 30 Jul <27 Aug 22 Aug 1996 19 Aug 5.6 46 5 Aug 4 Sep 25 Aug 1997 16 Aug 18.8 36 28 Jul 26 Aug 22 Aug 1998 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 1999 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2000 7 Aug 5.2 8 23 Jul 16 Aug 17 Aug 2001 10 Aug 7.9 8 23 Jul 23 Aug 15 Aug 2002 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2003 no data - - - - - 2004 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2005 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2006 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2007 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2008 12 Aug 9.4 7 30 Jul >26 Augc 15 Aug 2009 no eggs hatched in plots - - <20 Augd >31 Aug 2010 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2011 no eggs hatched in plots - - - -

aSample sizes for mean hatch dates are a sub-sample of total nests for which egg to chick interval is ≤ 7 days. bIn years when no chicks fledged before the field crew left the island at the end of the season, date of first fledge is listed as > the date of last nest check. cAt least one bird was still incubating an egg at last visit in 2008. dHatch data based on incidental observations of chicks in 2009.

79 Table 52. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for common murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only nests in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 7 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

211 1 - - no no - - no no no no no no - no no no 212 - - - data data - - data data data data data data 1 data data data 213 ------214 1 - - - - - 1 ------215 - - - - - 4 ------216 1 - 3 - - - 2 ------217 ------218 6 3 ------1 - - - 219 - - 2 ------220 ------2 ------221 1 ------222 3 - 2 - - 2 ------2 - - - 223 ------224 - - - - - 1 ------225 - 1 ------226 6 2 7 ------227 - - 2 - - - 1 ------228 - 6 1 - - 1 ------1 - - - 229 ------230 - 1 10 ------231 ------232 - 4 6 - - - 1 ------233 ------234 - 19 1 ------235 ------1 ------236 - 1 1 ------237 - 1 ------2 - - - 238 1 4 1 ------239 ------240 1 1 ------241 - 2 ------242 ------243 ------244 1 ------

n 21 46 36 - - 8 8 ------7 - - - aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

80 93 172 165 0 0 75 132 0 0 0 4 13 17 4 17 8 100%

80%

60% Egg loss

Chick loss

Reproductive success 40% Percent of of Percent nest sites

20%

0% 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 27. Reproductive performance of common murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Egg loss=(B-D)/B; Chick loss=(D-F)/B; Reproductive success=F/B, where B=nest sites with eggs; D=nest sites with chicks; F=nest sites with chicks fledged. Failure in years when no eggs were laid is considered 100% egg loss. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (B).

81 Table 53. Reproductive performance of common murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Nest sites Nest sites w/ Max. potential Nest sites Nest sites Nesting Fledging Reproductive w/ chicks young chicks reproductive w/ eggs w/ chicks success success success Year fledged still presenta successd

(B) (D) (F) (H) (D/B)b (F/D)c (F/B) [(F+H)/(B+H)]

1995 93 79 70 0 0.85 0.89 0.75 0.75 1996 172 123 107 0 0.72 0.87 0.62 0.62 1997 165 94 89 0 0.57 0.95 0.54 0.54 1998 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1999 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2000 75 53 50 0 0.71 0.94 0.67 0.67 2001 132 85 65 0 0.64 0.76 0.49 0.49 2002 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2003 no data ------2004 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2005 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2006 4 1 1 1 0.25 1.00 0.25 0.40 2007 13 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2008 17 4 3 3 0.24 0.75 0.18 0.30 2009 4 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2010 17 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2011 8 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

aChicks still present at last check but too young to consider successfully fledged by fledging age conventions (still present >13 d for common murres). These. nests are not included in the number of nest sites w/ eggs (B) or chicks (D) or estimates of success but are used only to calculate a value of maximum potential reproductive success. bFor single-egg species, nesting success (D/B) is the same as hatching success (E/C) because nest sites w/ eggs (B)=total eggs (C) and nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E). cFor single-egg species, fledging success (F/B) is the same as chick success (G/E) because nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E) and nest sites w/ chicks fledged (F)=total chicks fledged (G). aValues in bold are composite totals for invertebrates, fish, birds, and miscellaneous. Summation of individual prey types may exceed group totals because of overlap (i.e. occurrence of more than one prey species per pellet). dMaximum potential reproductive success includes nest sites with chicks too young to consider fledged at the last check; this value may be useful in years when crews leave the island before many chicks reach fledging age.

82 20

0 12 Aug

-5 Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean -10

-15

-20 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 28. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1995-2010 average of 12 August) for thick-billed murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; no data exist for the current year.

Table 54. Breeding chronology of thick-billed murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Year Mean hatch SD na First hatch Last hatch First “jump”b

1995 12 Aug 7.6 7 2 Aug 28 Aug 18 Aug 1996 11 Aug 3.3 10 5 Aug 21 Aug 25 Aug 1997 10 Aug 5.2 14 4 Aug 26 Aug 22 Aug 1998 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 1999 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2000 3 Aug 8.2 7 23 Jul 20 Aug 7 Aug 2001 11 Aug 7.3 5 23 Jul 23 Aug 18 Aug 2002 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2003 no data - - - - - 2004 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2005 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2006 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2007 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - 2008 20 Aug 6.4 2 15 Aug 24 Aug >26 Aug 2009 no eggs hatched in plots - - - <20 Augc >31 Aug 2010 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - - 2011 no eggs hatched in plots - - - - -

aSample sizes for mean hatch dates are a sub-sample of total nests for which egg to chick interval is ≤ 7 days. bIn years when no chicks fledged before the field crew left the island at the end of the season, date of first fledge is listed as > the date of last nest check. cHatch data based on incidental observations of chicks in 2009.

84 Table 55. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for thick-billed murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only nests in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 7 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

205 - - - no no 2 - no no no no no no - no no no 206 - - - data data - - data data data data data data - data data data 207 ------208 ------209 ------210 ------211 ------212 ------213 ------214 ------215 ------216 - - 4 - - - 1 ------217 ------218 2 1 ------219 - - 3 - - 1 ------220 - - - - - 1 2 ------221 - - 2 ------222 3 2 - - - 2 ------223 ------224 - - 2 - - 1 1 ------225 - 1 ------226 1 5 2 ------227 ------228 ------1 - - - 229 ------230 - 1 ------231 ------232 ------233 ------234 - - 1 ------235 ------1 ------236 ------237 ------1 - - - 238 ------239 ------240 1 ------

n 7 10 14 - - 7 5 ------2 - - - aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

56 65 73 0 0 80 121 0 0 0 8 10 6 9 11 7 100%

80%

60% Egg loss

Chick loss

Reproductive success 40% Percent of of Percent nest sites

20%

0% 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 29. Reproductive performance of thick-billed murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Egg loss=(B-D)/B; Chick loss=(D-F)/B; Reproductive success=F/B, where B=nest sites with eggs; D=nest sites with chicks; F=nest sites with chicks fledged. Failure in years when no eggs were laid is considered 100% egg loss. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (B).

86 Table 56. Reproductive performance of thick-billed murres at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

(B) (D) (F) (H) (D/B)b (F/D)c (F/B) [(F+H)/(B+H)]

1995 56 41 32 0 0.73 0.78 0.57 0.57 1996 65 27 19 0 0.42 0.70 0.29 0.29 1997 73 49 45 0 0.67 0.92 0.62 0.62 1998 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1999 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2000 80 59 51 0 0.74 0.86 0.64 0.64 2001 121 84 70 0 0.69 0.83 0.58 0.58 2002 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2003 no data ------2004 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2005 0 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2006 8 3 2 1 0.29 1.00 0.29 0.38 2007 10 1 1 0 0.10 1.00 0.10 0.10 2008 6 2 0 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.33 2009 9 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2010 11 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 2011 7 0 0 0 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00

aChicks still present at last check but too young to consider successfully fledged by fledging age conventions (still present >13 d for thick-billed murres). These nests are not included in the number of nest sites w/ eggs (B) or chicks (D) or estimates of success but are used only to calculate a value of maximum potential reproductive success. bFor single-egg species, nesting success (D/B) is the same as hatching success (E/C) because nest sites w/ eggs (B)=total eggs (C) and nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E). cFor single-egg species, fledging success (F/B) is the same as chick success (G/E) because nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E) and nest sites w/ chicks fledged (F)=total chicks fledged (G). dMaximum potential reproductive success includes nest sites with chicks too young to consider fledged at the last check; this value may be useful in years when crews leave the island before many chicks reach fledging age.

8000

7000 Land-based counts Boat-based counts 6000

5000

4000

3000 Mean number of birds

2000

1000

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 30. Mean numbers of murres (includes common, thick-billed, and unknown murres) counted on land-based index plots and during boat- based circumnavigations at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Land-based counts represent the number of murres attending cliffs and do not include rafting birds; boat based-counts include all murres attending cliffs and rafting on the water. Error bars represent standard deviation.

Table 57. Numbers of murres (includes common, thick-billed, and unknown murres) counted on land-based index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Replicate 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

1 2597 2873 2553 1840 1566 1761 no count 1240 no count no count 370 511 1775 1117 2498 1283 1031 2 2591 2897 1836 581 1518 1726 - 1471 - - 276 837 1944 1215 1441 1899 763 3 1937 3190 2310 894 2272 1601 - 1115 - - 2147 1966 2222 2293 2396 1767 1351 4 2528 3168 3148 1335 1969 1819 - 1127 - - 1749 268 2403 2419 1965 1854 236 5 - 3193 3414 1617 - 1841 - - - - - 178 2454 1975 - - 1423 6 - 3286 3273 2581 - 1426 - - - - - 2186 2332 - - - 1163 7 - - - 2554 - 1702 ------812 8 - - - 2350 ------9 - - - 2455 ------

Mean 2413 3101 2756 1801 1831 1697 - 1238 - - 1136 991 2118 1805 2075 1701 968

n 4 6 6 9 4 7 - 4 - - 4 6 6 5 4 4 7 SD 319 173 623 747 357 143 - 165 - - 953 874 272 604 482 284 408 First count 17 Jul 17 Jul 21 Jul 22 Jul 24 Jul 10 Jul - 10 Jul - - 10 Jul 14 Jul 28 Jul 16 Jul 24 Jul 22 Jul 17 Jul Last count 28 Jul 7 Aug 12 Aug 11 Aug 20 Aug 22 Aug - 5 Aug - - 1 Aug 5 Aug 18 Aug 6 Aug 6 Aug 10 Aug 5 Aug

89 Table 58. Numbers of murres counted on land-based index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011.

Date Plot Species Mean SD 17 Jul 23 Jul 26 Jul 28 Jul 1 Aug 4 Aug 5 Aug

1 COMU 15 30 23 32 34 4 27 - - TBMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

2 COMU 32 32 68 49 65 10 42 - - TBMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

3 COMU 158 5 70 62 401 62 92 - - TBMU 114 22 50 43 106 31 61 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

4 COMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - TBMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

5 COMU 7 21 40 0 102 77 62 - - TBMU 27 15 28 0 18 18 17 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

6 COMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - TBMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - UNMU 58 98 381 38 340 103 141 - -

7 COMU 34 27 47 1 12 68 35 - - TBMU 56 62 65 11 39 65 53 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

8 COMU 189 62 163 0 182 278 72 - - TBMU 45 86 99 0 124 103 78 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

9 COMU 2 0 0 0 0 33 0 - - TBMU 30 21 25 0 0 42 19 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

10 COMU 118 120 112 0 0 126 29 - - TBMU 146 162 180 0 0 143 84 - - UNMU 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - -

Raftsa UNMU NC NC NC NC NC NC NC ‐ ‐

Totala COMU 555 297 523 144 796 658 359 476 224 TBMU 418 368 447 54 287 402 312 327 133 UNMU 58 98 381 38 340 103 141 166 138 ALL 1031 763 1351 236 1423 1163 812 968 408

aMurres rafting below cliffs were not counted (NC) in 2011.

Table 59. Numbers of murres (includes common, thick-billed, and unknown murres) counted during boat-based circumnavigation surveys at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Replicate 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

a 1 4800 6124 7095 5031 no count 2790 no count 81 no count 2756 2619 1836 2486 no count 3380 no count no count 2 5200 3752 4839 3796 - 2307 - 73 - 1234 3348 3875 3617 - - - - 3 4968 6022 7259 - - 3023 - 998 - 2116 2126 - 3187 - - - - 4 - 7692 - - - 3142 - 1256 - 957 ------5 - - - - - 3304 ------

Mean 4989 5898 6398 4414 - 2913 - 602 - 1766 2698 2856 3097 - 3380a - -

n 3 4 3 2 - 5 - 4 - 4 3 2 3 - 1 - - SD 201 1341 1352 873 - 365 - 532 - 764 615 1442 571 - - - - First count 25 Jun 21 Jul 23 Jul 27 Jul - 9 Jul - 26 May - 22 Jul 22 Jul 21 Jul 22 Jul - 25 Jul - -

Last count 5 Aug 15 Aug 9 Aug 3 Aug - 11 Aug - 18 Jul - 10 Aug 14 Aug 27 Aug 20 Aug - ‐ - -

aMurres rafting below cliffs were not counted in 2009 due to rough sea-conditions.

91 80

70 Land-based counts Boat-based counts 60

30 Maximum number of birds Maximum number

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 31. Maximum numbers of pigeon guillemots counted from land-based observation points and during boat-based circumnavigation surveys at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values represent the highest count of individuals each year. Land-based counts all occurred during a standardized count window but times of day and seasons of boat-based counts vary (see Table 62).

Table 60. Maximum numbers of pigeon guillemots counted from land-based observation points at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the highest single daily count of individuals each year. Data do not include counts made 2000-2002 and 2004-2007 due to differences in observation points, times of day, and times of season.

Observation point 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Pleasure Cove 2 no count no count no count no count 1 0 0 0 Old Camp Beach 1 - - - - 5 5 0 3 New Camp Beach 2 - - - - 3 0 0 2 4 Sisters 2 - - - - 0 0 0 0 Ivory Cove 0 - - - - 0 0 0 0 Tower Cove 1 - - - - 0 0 0 0 Arch’s Cove 0 - - - - 6 15 22 17 Petrel Valley Cove 0 - - - - 4 1 0 0

Total 8 - - - - 19 21 22 3

Date of max. count 21 Jun - - - - 19 Jun 12 Jun 5 Jun 13 Jun Start timea 0845 - - - - 0930 0830 0800 0620 End timea 1110 - - - - 1045 1030 1005 0811

aTimes are Aleutian Standard Time (-1 hr from Alaska Standard Time).

Table 61. Numbers of pigeon guillemots counted from land-based observation points at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011.

Date Observation point Mean SD Max. 12 Jun 13 Jun 21 Jun 25 Jun 28 Jun

Pleasure Cove 0 0 0 0 0 - - - Old Camp Beach 0 3 3 0 1 - - - New Camp Beach 0 2 0 2 0 - - - 4 Sisters 0 0 0 0 0 - - - Ivory Cove 0 0 0 0 0 - - - Tower Cove 0 0 0 0 0 - - - Arch’s Cove 7 17 5 8 6 - - - Petrel Valley Cove 1 0 0 0 0 - - -

Total 8 22 8 10 7 11 6 22

Start timea 0845 0620 0746 0656 0632 - - - End timea 0954 0811 0841 0759 0741 - - -

aTimes are Aleutian Standard Time (-1 hr from Alaska Standard Time).

Table 62. Maximum numbers of pigeon guillemots counted during boat-based circumnavigation surveys at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the highest single daily count of individuals each year. Count time varied among years; morning counts may not be comparable with afternoon counts.

Segment 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

1-2 - 2 6 14 3 4 12 12 no 2 4 2 0 no 1 no no count count count count 3-5 - 8 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 2 1 6 - 8 20 19 4 2 0 2 - 0 3 1 5 - 0 - - 7-10 - 3 0 0 2 0 0 0 - 2 0 7 0 - 1 - - 11-12 - 25 21 22 11 13 0 0 - 0 10 3 6 - 1 - - 13 - 13 17 12 4 4 8 2 - 1 1 0 0 - 0 - - 14 - 9 1 9 3 0 2 0 - 1 1 5 1 - 0 - -

Total 42 68 65 76 27 26 22 16 - 6 21 18 14 - 4 - -

Date of 5 Aug 22 Jul 26 Jul 28 Jun 5 Jul 19 Jul 18 Jun 26 May - 22 Jul 22 Jul 21 Jul 8 Aug - 25 Jul - - max. count Start timea 1230 0640 0659 0625 0726 0700 0550 1200 - 1000 1100 1500 1430 - 1300 - - End timea 1630 0830 0800 0755 0844 0810 0650 1730 - 1400 1330 1640 1630 - 1800 - -

aTimes are Aleutian Standard Time (-1 hr from Alaska Standard Time).

95 15

0 4 Jul

-5 Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean

-10

-15 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 32. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1997-2010 average of 4 July) for ancient murrelets at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; red highlights the current year.

Table 63. Breeding chronology of ancient murrelets at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the date of the first chick hatched in each nest.

Year Mean hatch SD na First hatch Last hatch

1995 no data - - - - 1996 no data - - - - 1997 6 Jul 8.4 8 29 Jun 22 Jul 1998 10 Jul 8.0 12 27 Jun 25 Jul 1999 11 Jul 6.1 21 29 Jun 23 Jul 2000 3 Jul 5.8 23 26 Jun 14 Jul 2001 29 Jun 4.1 22 26 Jun 14 Jul 2002 1 Jul 6.0 33 25 Jun 16 Jul 2003 27 Jun 5.0 21 19 Jun 5 Jul 2004 30 Jun 5.6 23 20 Jun 12 Jul 2005 28 Jun 4.4 27 19 Jun 5 Jul 2006 7 Jul 5.8 41 29 Jun 23 Jul 2007 5 Jul 6.6 41 23 Jun 23 Jul 2008 4 Jul 6.6 37 20 Jun 21 Jul 2009 5 Jul 7.3 83 18 Jun 22 Jul 2010 5 Jul 6.5 57 21 Jun 25 Jul 2011 2 Jul 6.3 62 21 Jun 19 Jul

aSample sizes for mean hatch dates are a sub-sample of total nests for which egg to chick interval is ≤ 7 days.

97 Table 64. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for ancient murrelets at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the date of the first chick hatched in each nest and include only nests in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 7 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

170 no no ------3 - 1 - - - 3 - 1 171 data data ------172 ------1 - - 1 - - - 1 - 1 - 173 ------2 ------174 ------1 5 - 2 - - - - 175 ------176 - - - - - 1 10 9 ------12 - 10 177 ------1 - - 3 9 ------178 - - - 1 - 7 ------6 - - - 179 ------8 - 5 ------2 180 - - 1 1 1 - 10 - 5 - - 6 11 - - 13 - 181 - - 1 - - 2 - 2 ------182 - - 1 ------5 8 - - - - - 17 183 - - 1 1 - 2 - 4 ------5 - 184 - - 1 - 1 - 6 1 - 3 - - 1 14 33 - - 185 ------1 ------186 - - 1 - - 5 - - 4 - 4 18 13 1 - 7 1 187 ------1 - 2 ------188 - - - 1 6 - 1 1 - - - 1 - 1 - 8 - 189 ------1 ------190 - - - - 1 3 ------2 9 22 - 9 191 - - - 3 - - - 3 ------192 - - - - 4 3 - - - - - 12 8 - - 9 - 193 ------194 - - - - 3 - - - - 2 - - - - 1 3 - 195 - - - 3 - - - 1 ------196 - - - - 2 1 ------3 197 - - 1 - - - - 1 - - - - - 4 - - - 198 ------2 3 - 11 3 - 199 - - - 1 ------200 - - - - 1 ------201 ------202 - - - - 1 ------203 - - 1 ------1 - - - 204 - - - - 1 ------2 1 - 1 - - 205 ------206 - - - 1 ------1 -

n - - 8 12 21 23 22 33 21 23 27 41 41 37 83 50 43 aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

1.0

88 84 0.9 70 100 209 108 67 0.8 44 58 120 29 88 60 0.7 57 75

0.6

0.5

Fledglings / egg 0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.0 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 33. Reproductive performance of ancient murrelets at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Success is measured by the number of chicks fledged per egg (G/C), where G=total chicks fledged and C=total eggs. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (C).

Table 65. Reproductive performance of ancient murrelets at Aiktak Island.

Nest Nest Nest sites Total Mean Mean Nesting Hatching Chick Egg Fledging Reprod. Fledglings/ sites Total sites Total w/ chicks chicks clutch size brood size success success success success success success egg w/ eggs eggs w/ chicks chicks fledged fledged

Year (B) (C) (D) (E) (F) (G) (C/B) (E/D) (D/B) (E/C) (G/E) (G/C) (F/D) (F/B) (G/C)

1995 no data ------1996 no data ------1997 15 29 13 21 13 21 1.9 1.6 0.87 0.72 1.00 0.72 1.00 0.87 0.72 1998 22 44 19 35 19 34 2.0 1.8 0.86 0.80 0.97 0.77 1.00 0.86 0.77 1999 30 57 22 39 22 39 1.9 1.8 0.73 0.68 1.00 0.68 1.00 0.73 0.68 2000 29 58 24 45 24 45 2.0 1.9 0.83 0.78 1.00 0.78 1.00 0.83 0.78 2001 35 67 29 53 29 53 1.9 1.8 0.83 0.79 1.00 0.79 1.00 0.83 0.79 2002 35 70 33 61 33 61 2.0 1.8 0.94 0.87 1.00 0.87 1.00 0.94 0.87 2003 40 75 28 51 27 50 1.9 1.8a 0.70a 0.68a 0.98a 0.67a 0.96a 0.68a 0.67a 2004 31 60 23 42 23 42 1.9 1.8 0.74 0.70 1.00 0.70 1.00 0.74 0.70 2005 44 88 33 65 33 64 2.0 2.0 0.75 0.74 0.98 0.73 1.00 0.75 0.73 2006 44 88 41 80 41 80 2.0 2.0 0.93 0.91 1.00 0.91 1.00 0.93 0.91 2007 51 100 45 83 45 83 2.0 1.8 0.88 0.83 1.00 0.83 1.00 0.88 0.83 2008 42 84 37 74 37 74 2.0 2.0 0.88 0.88 1.00 0.88 1.00 0.88 0.88 2009 106 209 92 173 91 172 2.0 1.9 0.87 0.83 0.99 0.82 0.99 0.86 0.82 2010 57 108 48 87 48 87 1.9 1.8 0.84 0.81 1.00 0.81 1.00 0.81 0.81 2011 62 120 47 88 47 88 1.9 1.9 0.76 0.73 1.00 0.73 1.00 0.73 0.73

aIn 2003, values of success represent a maximum estimate because there were still burrows with eggs at the time of field crew departure in mid July.

100

0 2 Aug Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean

-5

-10

-15 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 34. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1996-2010 average of 2 August) for horned puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; red highlights the current year.

101

Table 66. Breeding chronology of horned puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Year Mean hatch SD na First hatch Last hatch First fledgeb

1995 no data - - - - - 1996 5 Aug 6.3 2 1 Aug 10 Aug >13 Aug 1997 no data - - - - - 1998 4 Aug 7.5 6 25 Jul 16 Aug >3 Sep 1999 no data - - - - - 2000 13 Aug 17.0 5 26 Jul 29 Aug 1 Sep 2001 no data - - - - - 2002 1 Aug 0.0 1 1 Aug 1 Aug - 2003 no data - - - - - 2004 26 Jul 0.0 4 26 Jul 26 Jul >27 Aug 2005 29 Jul 6.4 4 24 Jul 8 Aug >30 Aug 2006 27 Jul 7.5 5 21 Jul 4 Aug 28 Aug 2007 31 Jul 6.5 6 25 Jul 12 Aug >30 Aug 2008 3 Aug 6.5 7 28 Jul 15 Aug >29 Aug 2009 1 Aug 6.7 14 20 Jul 14 Aug >3 Sep 2010 2 Aug 4.7 5 27 Jul 6 Aug >1 Sep 2011 29 Jul 5.9 8 21 Jul 10 Aug >5 Sep

102 Table 67. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for horned puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only nests in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 7 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

201 no - no - no - no - no - - - - - 1 - - 202 data - data - data - data - data - - 2 - - - - 1 203 ------1 - - - - - 204 ------205 ------206 - - - 1 ------1 - 1 - 1 - - 207 ------1 - - - 4 208 - - - - - 2 - - - 4 2 - - - - 2 1 209 ------210 ------2 3 4 - - 211 ------212 ------1 - - - - 213 ------1 ------214 - 1 ------2 4 - - 215 - - - 3 ------1 - - 216 ------2 - - - - 1 217 ------1 - 218 ------2 - 219 ------220 ------1 - - 2 2 - - 221 ------222 - - - 1 ------1 223 - 1 ------224 ------1 - - - - 225 ------226 - - - - - 1 ------1 - - 227 ------228 - - - 1 ------1 - - - 229 ------230 ------231 ------232 ------233 ------234 ------235 ------236 ------237 ------238 ------239 ------240 ------241 ------242 - - - - - 2 ------

n - 2 ‐ 6 - 5 - 1 - 4 4 5 6 8 14 5 8 aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

103 4 10 10 1 5 10 9 17 11 24 16 12 100%

80%

60% Egg loss Chick loss Max. reprod. success 40% Percent of of Percent nest sites

20%

0% 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 35. Maximum potential reproductive performance of horned puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values include nest sites with chicks still present but too young to consider fledged at the last check. Egg loss=[(B+H)-D+H]/(D+H); Chick loss=[(D+H)-F+H]/(B+H); Maximum potential reproductive success=[(F+H)/(B+H)], where B=nest sites with eggs; D=nest site with chicks; F=nest sites with chicks fledged; H=nest sites with young chicks still present. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (B+H).

104

Table 68. Reproductive performance of horned puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Nest sites Nest sites w/ Max. potential Max. potential Max. potential Nest sites Nest sites Nesting Fledging Reproductive w/ chicks young chicks nesting fledging reproductive w/ eggs w/ chicks success success success Year fledged still presenta successd successd successd

(B) (D) (F) (H) (D/B)b (F/D)c (F/B) [(D+H)/(B+H)][(F+H)/(D+H)] [(F+H)/(B+H)]

1995 no data ------1996 2 0 0 2 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.50 1.00 0.50 1997 no data ------1998 8 4 4 2 0.50 1.00 0.50 0.60 1.00 0.60 1999 no data ------2000 8 3 2 2 0.38 0.67 0.25 0.50 0.80 0.40 2001 no data ------2002 1 1 0 0 1.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 0.00 2003 no data ------2004 5 4 2 0 0.80 0.50 0.40 0.80 0.50 0.40 2005 10 5 3 0 0.50 0.60 0.30 0.50 0.60 0.30 2006 7 4 3 2 0.57 0.75 0.43 0.67 0.83 0.56 2007 11 4 4 6 0.36 1.00 0.36 0.59 1.00 0.59 2008 6 4 4 5 0.67 1.00 0.67 0.82 1.00 0.82 2009 20 14 13 4 0.70 0.93 0.65 0.75 0.94 0.71 2010 9 4 1 7 0.44 0.25 0.11 0.69 0.73 0.50 2011 8 7 6 4 0.88 0.86 0.75 0.92 0.91 0.83

aChicks still present at last check but too young to consider successfully fledged by fledging age conventions (still present >30 d for horned puffins). These nests are not included in the number of nest sites w/ eggs (B) or chicks (D) or estimates of success but are used only to calculate a value of maximum potential reproductive success. bFor single-egg species, nesting success (D/B) is the same as hatching success (E/C) because nest sites w/ eggs (B)=total eggs (C) and nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E). cFor single-egg species, fledging success (F/B) is the same as chick success (G/E) because nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E) and nest sites w/ chicks fledged (F)=total chicks fledged (G). dValues of maximum potential success include nest sites with chicks still present but too young to consider fledged at the last check; these values may be useful in years when crews leave the island before many chicks reach fledging age.

105

Table 69. Mean growth rates of horned puffin chicks at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include chicks measured at least two times during the linear phase of growth (up to approximately 450g); chicks that died were excluded.

Mass (g/day) Wing chord (mm/day) Year Mean SD Range n Mean SD Range n

2000 12.9 4.5 7.9-18.3 6 3.6 0.9 2.7-4.5 6 2001 no data ------2002 no data ------2003 no data ------2004 no data ------2005 8.0 2.3 5.7-10.2 3 3.4 0.2 3.2-3.6 3 2006 no data ------2007 12.4 5.9 4.7-22.3 6 3.4 0.6 2.6-4.4 6 2008 no data ------2009 11.8 2.3 9.6-15.5 5 4.0 0.6 3.3-5.0 5 2010 15.9 - - 1 3.3 - - 1 2011 7.1 3.8 4.4-11.4 3 2.8 0.1 2.8-2.9 3

106 300

Land-based counts Boat-based counts

250

200

150

Maximum number of birds Maximum number 100

0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 36. Maximum numbers of horned puffins counted from land-based observation points and during boat-based circumnavigation surveys at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values represent the highest count of individuals each year. Land-based counts all occurred during a standardized count window but times of day and seasons of boat-based counts vary (see Table 72).

107

Table 70. Maximum numbers of horned puffins counted from land-based observation points at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the highest single daily count of individuals each year. Data do not include counts made 2000-2007 due to differences in observation points, times of day, and times of season.

Observation point 2008 2009 2010 2011

Pleasure Cove 4 10 0 0 Old Camp Beach 25 25 18 19 New Camp Beach 2 2 6 5 4 Sisters 42 47 49 33 Ivory Cove 6 18 10 6 Tower Cove 10 20 17 26 Arch’s Cove 17 16 24 12 Petrel Valley Cove 154 119 161 92

Total 260 252 285 193

Date of max. count 7 Jul 19 Jul 20 Jul 16 Jul Start timea 1550 1630 1600 1556 End timea 1630 1800 1720 1739

aTimes are Aleutian Standard Time (-1 hr from Alaska Standard Time).

108

Table 71. Numbers of horned puffins counted from land-based observation points at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011.

Date Observation point Mean SD Max. 2 Jul 4 Jul 5 Jul 7 Jul 9 Jul 14 Jul 16 Jul

Pleasure Cove 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 - - - Old Camp Beach 0 7 1 19 10 32 6 - - - New Camp Beach 0 3 0 5 2 2 4 - - - 4 Sisters 5 6 16 33 31 23 17 - - - Ivory Cove 0 5 2 6 4 2 3 - - - Tower Cove 5 20 9 26 12 5 9 - - - Arch’s Cove 12 17 8 12 18 18 6 - - - Petrel Valley Cove 88 95 68 92 101 104 77 - - - - - Total 110 153 104 193 178 186 125 150 37 193

Start timea 1545 1634 1614 1556 1551 1559 1545 - - - End timea 1717 1747 1728 1739 1650 1716 1644 - - -

aTimes are Aleutian Standard Time (-1 hr from Alaska Standard Time).

109

180 2008 160 28 Jun 2 Jul 140 10 Jul 120 100 80 60 Number of birds 40 20 0 140 2009 27 Jun 120 100

80 60

Number of birds 40

20 0 100 2010 24 Jun

Number of birds 20

0 100 2011 25-Jun

Number of birds

0 0700 0800 0900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500 1600 1700 1800 1900 2000

Time (ALST)

Figure 37. Attendance patterns of horned puffins on the water in Petrel Valley Cove during the incubation period at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

110

Table 72. Numbers of horned puffins counted during boat-based circumnavigation surveys at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Count time varied among years; morning counts may not be comparable with afternoon counts.

Replicate 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

1 99 113 108 11 no 89 no 67 no 36 63 191 165 no 100 no no 2 59 62 88 92 count 166 count 48 count 30 203 192 254 count 85 count count 3 117 125 24 - - 161 - 119 - 57 156 - 167 - - - - 4 - 65 - - - 85 - 128 - 38 ------5 - - - - - 74 ------

Mean 92 91 73 52 - 115 - 91 - 40 141 192 195 - 93 - - Max. 117 125 108 92 - 166 - 128 - 57 203 192 254 - 100 - -

n 3 4 3 2 - 5 - 4 - 4 3 2 3 - 2 - - SD 30 32 44 57 - 45 - 39 - 12 71 1 51 - 11 - -

Date of 5 Aug 2 Aug 23 Jul 3 Aug - 4 Aug - 18 Jul - 4 Aug 4 Aug 21 Jul 8 Aug - 25 Jul - - max. count Start timea 1230 1115 1100 1230 - 1230 - 1600 - 1500 1450 1500 1430 - 1400 - - End timea 1630 1330 1430 1545 - 1430 - 2000 - 1730 1900 1640 1630 - 1900 - -

aTimes are Aleutian Standard Time (-1 hr from Alaska Standard Time).

111 20

0 2 Aug

-5 Deviation (days) from from hatch Deviation (days) mean -10

-15

-20 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 38. Yearly hatch date deviation (from the 1995-2010 average of 2 August) for tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Negative values indicate earlier than mean hatch date, positive values indicate later than mean hatch date. Error bars represent standard deviation around each year's mean hatch date; red highlights the current year.

112

Table 73. Breeding chronology of tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Year Mean hatch SD na First hatch Last hatch First fledgeb

1995 26 Jul 3.5 17 21 Jul 31 Jul >31 Aug 1996 24 Jul 8.0 27 8 Jul 9 Aug 27 Aug 1997 2 Aug 4.0 23 23 Jul 8 Aug >2 Sep 1998 14 Aug 7.2 7 13 Jul 23 Aug >2 Sep 1999 17 Aug 2.2 5 30 Jul 27 Aug >3 Sep 2000 14 Aug - 1 16 Jul 15 Aug >11 Sep 2001 8 Aug 11.1 6 19 Jul 21 Aug 30 Aug 2002 29 Jul 7.4 17 18 Jul 18 Aug 1 Sep 2003 no data - - - - - 2004 28 Jul 4.0 46 26 Jul 17 Aug >27 Aug 2005 8 Aug 6.6 8 21 Jul 14 Aug >30 Aug 2006 5 Aug 9.9 12 22 Jul 25 Aug >2 Sep 2007 2 Aug 7.6 10 26 Jul 19 Aug >30 Aug 2008 24 Jul 6.8 55 11 Jul 15 Aug 22 Aug 2009 26 Jul 5.7 53 14 Jul 11 Aug 1 Sep 2010 24 Jul 9.1 25 13 Jul 20 Aug 30 Aug 2011 29 Jul 5.7 15 21 Jul 10 Aug >5 Sep

113 Table 74. Frequency distribution of hatch dates for tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include only nests in which observations of egg to chick ≤ 7 days.

Julian No. nests hatching on Julian date a date 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

190 - 1 ------no ------191 ------data ------192 ------193 ------1 - - - 194 ------1 - 3 - 195 ------196 ------197 ------198 - 7 ------1 - 2 - 199 - 3 ------1 - - 200 ------1 1 - - - - - 12 - 7 - 201 ------18 - - 202 2 1 ------2 1 2 1 203 ------2 - - 2 204 4 3 1 - - - - 4 - - - - - 16 - 2 - 205 ------1 206 4 ------3 - - 14 - - 207 ------4 - - - - 1 2 - - 5 208 - 3 3 ------32 - - 2 1 1 6 1 209 - 2 ------2 - - 210 4 ------1 - - - - - 7 10 - - 211 1 ------212 2 1 3 - - - - 3 - - 1 3 2 - - - 1 213 - 3 ------2 - 2 - - 214 - - 1 ------13 3 - 1 5 8 - - 215 - - 2 - 1 ------1 - - 216 - - 10 1 - - - 2 ------3 217 - 1 ------1 - - - 218 ------1 - - - - 1 - 1 - - - 219 - - 1 - 3 - 1 - - - - 1 - - 1 - - 220 - 1 2 1 - - - 1 - - - - - 2 - - - 221 - - - - 1 ------222 - 1 ------1 223 - - - 2 ------1 2 - 224 ------1 - - - - 1 1 - - - - 225 ------1 - - - 1 1 - - - - - 226 ------3 ------227 - - - - - 1 ------228 ------1 - - - 229 ------230 ------1 - 1 - 1 - - - - - 231 ------1 - - - - 232 - - - 2 ------1 - 233 ------1 ------234 ------

n 17 27 23 7 5 1 6 17 - 46 8 12 10 55 55 25 15 aJulian dates are adjusted by one day in leap years.

114 38 67 81 85 58 62 57 38 65 79 73 84 136 119 117 117 100%

80%

60% Egg loss Chick loss Max. reprod. success 40% Percent of of Percent nest sites

20%

0% 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11

Year

Figure 39. Maximum potential reproductive performance of tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values include nest sites with chicks still present but too young to consider fledged at the last check. Egg loss=[(B+H)-D+H]/(D+H); Chick loss=[(D+H)-F+H]/(B+H); Maximum potential reproductive success=[(F+H)/(B+H)], where B=nest sites with eggs; D=nest site with chicks; F=nest sites with chicks fledged; H=nest sites with young chicks still present. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes (B+H).

115

Table 75. Reproductive performance of tufted puffins in artificial and natural burrows at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

(B) (D) (F) (H) (D/B)b (F/D)c (F/B) [(D+H)/(B+H)][(F+H)/(D+H)] [(F+H)/(B+H)]

1995 32 17 16 6 0.53 0.94 0.50 0.61 0.96 0.58 1996 66 34 25 1 0.52 0.74 0.38 0.52 0.74 0.39 1997 69 18 5 12 0.26 0.28 0.07 0.37 0.57 0.21 1998 65 11 5 20 0.17 0.45 0.08 0.36 0.81 0.29 1999 38 4 1 20 0.11 0.25 0.03 0.41 0.88 0.36 2000 55 47 21 7 0.85 0.45 0.38 0.87 0.52 0.45 2001 48 38 32 9 0.79 0.84 0.67 0.82 0.87 0.72 2002 34 31 26 4 0.91 0.84 0.76 0.92 0.86 0.79 2003 no data ------2004 40 25 0 25 0.63 0.00 0.00 0.77 0.50 0.38 2005 62 20 12 17 0.32 0.60 0.19 0.47 0.78 0.37 2006 49 27 20 24 0.55 0.74 0.41 0.70 0.86 0.60 2007 56 18 13 28 0.32 0.72 0.23 0.55 0.89 0.49 2008 94 72 63 42 0.77 0.88 0.67 0.84 0.92 0.77 2009 97 80 78 22 0.82 0.98 0.80 0.86 0.98 0.84 2010 96 74 71 21 0.77 0.96 0.74 0.81 0.97 0.79 2011 89 19 17 28 0.31 0.89 0.28 0.40 0.96 0.38

aChicks still present at last check but too young to consider successfully fledged by fledging age conventions (still present >33 d for tufted puffins). These nests are not included in the number of nest sites w/ eggs (B) or chicks (D) or estimates of success but are used only to calculate a value of maximum potential reproductive success. bFor single-egg species, nesting success (D/B) is the same as hatching success (E/C) because nest sites w/ eggs (B)=total eggs (C) and nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E). cFor single-egg species, fledging success (F/B) is the same as chick success (G/E) because nest sites w/ chicks (D)=total chicks (E) and nest sites w/ chicks fledged (F)=total chicks fledged (G). dValues of maximum potential success include nest sites with chicks still present but too young to consider fledged at the last check; these values may be useful in years when crews leave the island before many chicks reach fledging age.

116

Table 76. Mean growth rates of tufted puffin chicks at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data include chicks measured at least two times during the linear phase of growth (up to approximately 450g); chicks that died were excluded.

Mass (g/day) Wing chord (mm/day)a Year Mean SD Range n Mean SD Range n

1996 xxb xx xx-xx xx xx xx xx-xx xx 1997 xx xx xx-xx xx xx xx xx-xx xx 1998 xx xx xx-xx xx xx xx xx-xx xx 1999 xx xx xx-xx xx xx xx xx-xx xx 2000 xx xx xx-xx xx xx xx xx-xx xx 2001 xx xx xx-xx xx xx xx xx-xx xx 2002 xx xx xx-xx xx xx xx xx-xx xx 2003 no data ------2004 7.6 1.8 3.0-11.4 23 2.0 1.1 0.6-4.7 25 2005 7.7 2.4 3.4-14.5 23 2.8 0.4 1.8-3.5 23 2006 9.7 3.4 5.1-18.3 20 2.8 0.4 2.0-3.5 15 2007 14.1 3.8 9.7-23.5 13 3.8 0.6 3.1-5.0 11 2008 12.7 5.4 0.9-20.1 17 3.4 0.7 2.0-4.6 17 2009 9.5 5.0 2.3-22.7 28 3.1 0.9 1.1-5.8 28 2010 16.6 4.9 5.7-31.3 21 3.3 0.6 1.6-4.0 21 2011 5.1 2.4 1.4-10.2 15 2.6 0.9 0.6-4.1 15

aAll rates of growth are based on relaxed wing chord measurements, except 1998 when only flat wing data were recorded. bxx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized.

117 1.0

Density

0.8 ) 2

0.6

0.4 Density (no. entrances/m (no. Density

0.2

0.0

Occupancy

1.0

0.8

0.6

0.4

Occupancy Occupancy rate (no. occupied burrows/total) 0.2

0.0 1995 1996 1997 1998 1990 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Year

Figure 40. Mean burrow entrance densities and occupancy rates of tufted puffins on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Errors bars represent standard deviation.

118

Table 77. Burrow entrance densities of tufted puffins on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Density is expressed as the number of large (>14.5 cm) burrow entrances per m2.

Plot Year Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1995 0.41 0.52 0.92 0.86 0.33 0.29 0.89 0.22 0.77 0.44 0.57 0.3 1996 0.39 0.63 0.93 0.87 0.36 0.31 0.85 0.18 0.71 0.42 0.57 0.3 1997 0.40 0.56 0.97 0.76 0.37 0.28 0.83 0.08 0.73 0.42 0.54 0.3 1998 0.35 0.54 0.92 0.76 0.37 0.31 0.74 0.20 0.80 0.35 0.53 0.3 1990 0.34 0.54 0.87 0.97 0.40 0.35 0.79 0.16 0.81 0.43 0.57 0.3 2000 0.32 0.53 0.96 0.86 0.38 0.35 0.81 0.22 0.72 0.39 0.55 0.3 2001 0.33 0.50 0.88 0.83 0.36 0.35 0.89 0.21 0.86 0.39 0.56 0.3 2002 0.22 0.45 0.66 0.67 0.41 0.35 0.83 0.26 0.83 0.37 0.51 0.2 2003 0.36 0.55 0.98 0.64 0.39 0.37 0.86 0.21 0.90 0.36 0.56 0.3 2004 0.33 0.47 0.90 0.80 0.40 0.35 0.85 0.20 0.85 0.41 0.56 0.3 2005 0.29 0.43 0.90 0.69 0.36 0.36 0.71 0.21 0.77 0.41 0.51 0.2 2006 0.30 0.42 0.80 0.72 0.32 0.33 0.79 0.21 0.81 0.32 0.50 0.3 2007 0.31 0.38 0.91 0.76 0.38 0.36 0.86 0.18 0.85 0.35 0.54 0.3 2008 0.33 0.46 0.98 0.83 0.35 0.43 0.95 0.23 0.90 0.34 0.58 0.3 2009 0.34 0.45 0.97 0.77 0.36 0.48 0.87 0.21 1.07 0.38 0.59 0.3 2010 0.25 0.39 0.67 0.84 0.22 0.40 0.76 0.19 0.81 0.31 0.49 0.3 2011 0.33 0.48 1.02 0.85 0.46 0.45 0.78 0.28 1.01 0.34 0.60 0.3

Plot area (m2) 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 150 98.5 98.5 98.5 - -

119

Table 78. Burrow entrance occupancy rates of tufted puffins on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Occupancy rate is expressed as the number of occupied large burrows (those in which feathers, droppings, chicks, eggs, or eggshell fragments were observed in the entrance) divided by the total number of large (>14.5 cm) burrow entrances.

Plot Year Mean SD 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

1995 0.82 0.80 0.86 0.97 0.93 1.00 0.85 0.86 0.96 0.93 0.90 0.1 1996 0.87 0.95 0.85 0.96 0.67 0.96 0.90 0.62 0.95 0.81 0.85 0.1 1997 0.71 0.74 0.78 0.88 0.70 0.82 0.89 0.67 0.77 0.55 0.75 0.1 1998 0.70 0.82 0.83 0.81 0.77 0.81 0.87 0.69 0.74 0.63 0.77 0.1 1999 0.74 0.66 0.71 0.71 0.76 0.82 - 0.53 - 0.73 0.71 0.1 2000 0.54 0.36 0.56 0.52 0.51 0.64 0.55 0.63 0.49 0.56 0.54 0.1 2001 0.78 0.73 0.55 0.77 0.70 0.75 0.69 0.57 0.69 0.56 0.68 0.1 2002 0.58 0.62 0.81 0.61 0.78 0.75 0.52 0.65 0.77 0.62 0.67 0.1 2003 no data ------2004 0.39 0.57 0.74 0.57 0.83 0.83 0.66 0.60 0.79 0.76 0.67 0.1 2005 0.60 0.50 0.37 0.69 0.58 0.63 0.51 0.35 0.63 0.39 0.53 0.1 2006 0.53 0.46 0.46 0.69 0.63 0.70 0.54 0.52 0.57 0.56 0.57 0.1 2007 0.52 0.64 0.51 0.53 0.61 0.69 0.76 0.53 0.66 0.41 0.59 0.1 2008 0.73 0.70 0.57 0.79 0.69 0.70 0.65 0.71 0.69 0.56 0.68 0.1 2009 0.86 0.89 0.87 1.02 0.76 0.89 0.93 0.76 0.85 0.70 0.85 0.1 2010 0.87 0.87 0.86 0.89 0.78 0.68 0.67 0.90 0.76 0.66 0.79 0.1 2011 0.74 0.83 0.55 0.77 0.79 0.71 0.74 0.65 0.80 0.78 0.74 0.1

120

Table 79. Burrow entrance densities and occupancy rates of tufted puffins on index plots at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. All burrow entrances counted during density surveys early in the season may not be relocated during occupancy surveys later in the season, so the number of burrows used to calculate occupancy rates is not necessarily the same as those presented for density.

Plot Parameter 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Density Number of burrow entrances Small (<9.5 cm) 4 1 2 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 Medium (9.5-14.5 cm) 13 9 12 12 24 15 10 2 7 10 Large (>14.5 cm) 104 152 320 266 144 140 117 28 99 33 Plot area (m2) 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 314.2 150.0 98.5 98.5 98.5 Density of large burrowsa 0.33 0.48 1.02 0.85 0.46 0.45 0.78 0.28 1.01 0.34 Survey date 25 May 25 May 25 May 25 May 25 May 25 May 25 May 25 May 25 May 25 May

Occupancy Occupied large (>14.5 cm) burrowsb 56 91 142 175 67 92 78 13 61 18 Total large (>14.5 cm) burrow entrances 76 109 258 228 85 130 105 20 76 23 Occupancy rate of large burrowsc 0.74 0.83 0.55 0.77 0.79 0.71 0.74 0.65 0.80 0.78 Survey date 14 Aug 14 Aug 14 Aug 14 Aug 23 Aug 23 Aug 23 Aug 14 Aug 27 Aug 23 Aug

aDensity is expressed as the number of large burrow entrances per m2. bLarge burrows were considered occupied if feathers, droppings, chicks, eggs, or eggshell fragments were observed in the entrance. cOccupancy rate is expressed as the number of occupied large burrows divided by the total number of large burrow entrances.

121

89 63 39 4725 40 100

Osmeridae Gadidae 60 Ammodytidae Scorpaenidae Hexagrammidae Cottidae 40 Other fish Percent biomass (%) Percent biomass Invertebrates Other

0 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year

Figure 41. Relative biomass of prey in diets of tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

122

250 22 11

200 12

Osmeridae 93 91 248 40 Gadidae 150 13 Ammodytidae 161 Scorpaenidae Hexagrammidae

74 Cottidae 100 Other fish Percent occurrence (%) Percent occurrence Invertebrates Other

0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year

Figure 42. Frequency of occurrence of prey in diets of tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

123

13 22 11 12 161 91 93 248 74 40 100

Osmeridae Gadidae 60 Ammodytidae Scorpaenidae Hexagrammidae Cottidae 40 Other fish

Species composition (%) Invertebrates Other

0 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 Year

Figure 43. Species composition of prey in diets of tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers above columns indicate sample sizes. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

124 Table 80. Relative biomass of prey in diets of tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Numbers represent the percentage of the mass of combined food samples comprised by each prey item (sums to 100% each year). Samples consist of bill loads from adults returning to the colony to feed chicks, collected by blocking from burrow screening using field identification and measurements (1996-1999) or laboratory identification and measurements (2000-2001). Data do not include samples collected 1992-1995 because mass data do not exist. Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

No. samplesa 89 63 39 47 25 40 Total mass (g) 898.8 517.0 299.5 397.0 211.8 405.8

Cephalopoda Gonatidae Unid. squid - 2.9 - - - - Octopodidae Unid. octopus - 0.6 - - - - Euphausiacea Thysanoessa spinifera - <0.1 - - - - Unid. euphausiid - - - 0.6 - - Nereidae Unid. polychaete 0.1 - 0.3 1.9 - - Fish Osmeridae Mallotus villosus 23.6 18.4 1.2 34.7 - 12.6 Gadidae Theragra chalcogramma 55.8 30.0 35.7 5.0 37.7 7.3 Gadus macrocephalus 5.3 4.6 2.0 - - 2.0 Microgadus proximus - - - - 0.8 - Unid. gadid - - - 1.0 6.1 - Scorpaenidae Sebastes aleutianus 0.2 - - - - - Unid. rockfish 0.2 17.2 0.7 - - 0.5 Anoplopomatidae Anoplopoma fimbria 0.4 0.6 - - - 0.6 Hexagrammidae Hexagrammos decagrammus 8.8 11.2 21.7 1.4 4.7 13.3 Unid. greenling - - - - 5.7 - Cottidae Triglops pingelii - - - - 5.7 - Unid. sculpin - - 1.0 - - - Zaproridae Zaprora silenus 0.4 - - - 5.7 - Trichodontidae Trichodon trichodon 0.6 - - 2.3 - - Ammodytidae Ammodytes hexapterus 4.5 13.4 37.2 51.0 32.4 63.6 Pleuronectidae Unid. flatfish 0.1 0.1 - - - - Unid. fish - 0.9 0.2 2.0 1.3 -

aMass data are not always available for all samples; therefore, sample sizes for biomass may not equal those for frequency of occurrence (Table 81) and species composition (Table 82) and some prey types may not appear in biomass data although they were present in diet samples.

125 Table 81. Frequency of occurrence of prey in diets of tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Frequency is expressed as the percentage of food samples in which each prey item was present. Samples consist of adult stomach contents (1992-1995) and bill loads from adults returning to the colony to feed chicks, collected by blocking from burrow screening using field identification and measurements (1996-1999) or laboratory identification and measurements (2000-2001). Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

No. samples 13 22 11 12 161 91 93 248 74 40

Cephalopoda Gonatidae Unid. squid - 13.6 27.3 16.7 - 4.4 - - - - Octopodidae Unid. octopus - - - - - 3.3 - - - - Gastrodpoda Unid. snail - - 27.3 41.7 ------Euphausiacea Thysanoessa spinifera - - - - - 2.2 - - - - T. inermis - - - - - 1.1 - - - - Unid. euphausiid ------8.3 - - Amphipoda Unid. amphipod ------1.4 - Decapoda Unid. shrimp ------1.1 - 1.4 - Nereidae Nereis spp. - - - - - 1.1 - - - - Unid. polychaete 30.8 31.8 36.4 50.0 1.2 - 1.1 6.3 - - Fish Osmeridae Mallotus villosus - - - - 9.3 14.3 3.2 22.9 - 15.0 Gadidae Theragra chalcogramma 100.0 81.8 81.8 91.7 83.9 47.3 55.9 25.0 40.5 20.0 Gadus macrocephalus - - 9.1 - 18.0 11.0 4.3 - - 7.5 Microgadus proximus ------1.4 - Unid. gadid 15.4 - - - - 2.2 1.1 8.3 18.9 - Scorpaenidae Sebastes aleutianus - - - - 1.9 - - - - - Unid. rockfish - - - - 0.6 30.8 5.4 - - 10.0 Anoplopomatidae Anoplopoma fimbria - - - - 1.2 2.2 - - - 5.0 Hexagrammidae Hexagrammos decagrammus - - - - 7.5 14.3 12.9 4.2 2.7 15.0 Pleurogrammos monoptergius - - - - 0.6 - - - - - Unid. greenling ------1.4 - Cottidae Triglops pingelii ------1.1 - 1.4 - T. forficatus - - - - 0.6 - - - - - Unid. sculpin - 45.5 9.1 - - - 1.1 - - - Zaproridae Zaprora silenus - - - - 0.6 - - - 1.4 - Trichodontidae Trichodon trichodon - - - - 0.6 - - 2.1 - - Ammodytidae Ammodytes hexapterus - 9.1 - 8.3 5.6 12.1 59.1 68.8 33.8 80.0 Pleuronectidae Unid. flatfish - - - 8.3 3.7 3.3 5.4 8.3 - - Unid. fish - 18.2 9.1 8.3 1.2 3.3 4.3 - 13.5 - Other (rocks and plastics) - 13.6 18.2 8.3 ------

126 Table 82. Species composition of prey in diets of tufted puffins at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Values are expressed as the percentage of total individual prey items comprised by each prey item (sums to 100% each year). Samples consist of adult stomach contents (1992-1995) and bill loads from adults returning to the colony to feed chicks, collected by blocking from burrow screening using field identification and measurements (1996-1999) or laboratory identification and measurements (2000-2001). Diet samples were collected in 2002 and 2004-2011 but have not yet been summarized.

1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001

No. samples 13 22 11 12 161 91 93 248 74 40 No. individuals 125 286 258 333 778 431 475 284 247 237

Cephalopoda Gonatidae Unid. squid - 3.8 7.8 1.2 - 0.9 - - - - Octopodidae Unid. octopus - - - - - 0.7 - - - - Gastrodpoda Unid. snail - - 24.8 4.5 ------Euphausiacea Thysanoessa spinifera - - - - - 0.5 - - - - T. inermis - - - - - 3.2 - - - - Unid. euphausiid ------7.7 - - Amphipoda Unid. amphipod ------0.4 - Decapoda Unid. shrimp ------0.2 - 2.0 - Nereidae Nereis spp. - - - - - 1.2 - - - - Unid. polychaete 12.8 10.8 4.7 6.3 1.2 - 0.4 8.5 - - Fish Osmeridae Mallotus villosus - - - - 2.7 5.1 0.8 5.3 - 3.4 Gadidae Theragra chalcogramma 80.0 38.8 60.5 85.3 81.2 36.2 41.5 16.9 50.2 7.2 Gadus macrocephalus - - 0.8 - 5.5 3.7 1.3 - - 0.8 Microgadus proximus ------0.8 - Unid. gadid 7.2 - - - - 0.5 0.2 3.9 10.5 - Scorpaenidae Sebastes aleutianus - - - - 0.6 - - - - - Unid. rockfish - - - - 0.1 33.4 2.7 - - 1.7 Anoplopomatidae Anoplopoma fimbria - - - - 0.8 0.7 - - - 0.4 Hexagrammidae Hexagrammos decagrammus - - - - 3.9 5.3 6.9 1.1 1.6 3.4 Pleurogrammos monoptergius ------0.4 - Unid. greenling - - - - 0.1 - - - - - Cottidae Triglops pingelii ------0.2 - 0.4 - T. forficatus - - - - 0.1 - - - - - Unid. sculpin - 33.6 0.4 - - - 0.2 - - - Zaproridae Zaprora silenus - - - - 0.1 - - - 0.4 - Trichodontidae Trichodon trichodon - - - - 0.1 - - 1.4 - - Ammodytidae Ammodytes hexapterus - 1.4 - 0.3 2.3 6.0 42.3 51.4 27.1 83.1 Pleuronectidae Unid. flatfish - - - 1.5 0.9 1.6 1.9 - - - Unid. fish - 10.1 0.4 0.3 0.3 0.9 1.3 3.9 6.1 - Other (rocks and plastics) - 1.4 0.8 0.6 ------

127

Table 83. Mean numbers of birds and marine mammals counted during circumnavigation surveys at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Species 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Green-winged teal 1 3 0 1 no 3 no 11 no 25 2 4 1 no 9 no no Harlequin duck 12 25 8 48 count 3 count 4 count 3 15 21 13 count 9 count count Short-tailed shearwater 0 0 0 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 0 0 0 - 0 - - Unid. shearwater 0 0 6 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 0 1 0 - 0 - - Cormorant (all species) 56 87 160 47 - 51 - 345 - 84 67 53 78 - 176 - - Pelagic cormorant 36 34 17 17 - 4 - 16 - 0 1 10 2 - 8 - - Red-faced cormorant 0 0 38 4 - 0 - 229 - 36 0 0 1 - 2 - - Double-crested cormorant 15 20 17 13 - 27 - 28 - 49 17 17 26 - 19 - - Unid. cormorant 5 33 89 14 - 20 - 73 - 0 48 26 48 - 149 - - Bald eagle 7 5 6 10 - 5 - 12 - 16 5 4 8 - 6 - - Peregrine falcon 0 0 1 2 - 1 - 1 - 4 0 0 1 - 2 - - Black oystercatcher 31 28 20 23 - 29 - 24 - 28 25 91 41 - 44 - - Rock sandpiper 0 0 0 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 <1 0 0 - 0 - - Glaucous-winged gull NCa NC NC NC - NC - NC - NC NC NC NC - NC - - Murre (both species) 4989 5898 6398 4414 - 2913 - 602 - 1766 2698 2856 3097 - 2235b - - Pigeon guillemot 44 35 34 33 - 28 - 9 - 4 16 12 13 - 4 - - Ancient murrelet 0 0 0 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 0 0 0 - 1 - - Parakeet auklet 0 0 0 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 0 0 0 - 1 - - Horned puffin 92 91 73 52 - 115 - 91 - 40 141 192 195 - 93 - - Tufted puffin NCa NC NC NC - NC - NC - NC NC NC NC - NC - - Common raven 4 2 3 10 - 4 - 14 - 13 7 2 9 - 4 - - Harbor seal 31 28 29 28 - 27 - 23 - 10 21 23 42 - 39 - - Steller’s sea lion 106 3 4 1 - 5 - 47 - 66 62 109 106 - 95 - - Sea otter <1 0 0 0 - 0 - 0 - <1 1 0 0 - 1 - -

n xxc xx xx xx - xx - xx - xx xx xx xx - 2 - - 25 Jun- 21 Jul- 23 Jul- 27 Jul- 9 Jul- 26 May- 22 Jul- 22 Jul- 21 Jul- 22 Jul- 25 Jul- Survey dates ------5 Aug 15 Aug 9 Aug 3 Aug 11 Aug 18 Jul 10 Aug 14 Aug 27 Aug 20 Aug 15 Aug

aGlaucous-winged gulls and tufted puffins were not counted during circumnavigation surveys due to their abundance. bIn 2009, murre counts are birds observed on cliffs and not those rafting below in water. cxx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized.

128 Table 84. Numbers of birds detected during off-road point count surveya at Ugamak Island, Alaska. Data represent only individuals observed from survey points and do not include birds flying over census area; asterisks indicate species observed between points along the route but not at actual survey points.

Species 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Green-winged teal 3 0 no 0 3 9 0 0 0* 2 1 0* 0 no no Harlequin duck 0 0 count 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 count count Common goldeneye 0 0 - 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 - - Rock ptarmigan 0* 1 - 1 2 3 5 5 6 10 4 2 6 - - Double-crested cormorant 0 0 - 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 - - Bald eagle 1 0 - 0* 0 12 0 0 2 2 4 3 0 - - Rough-legged hawk 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0* 1 1 - - Peregrine falcon 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0* 0* 1 0 0 - - Black oystercatcher 1 0 - 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0* 0 0 - - Least sandpiper 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 - - Rock sandpiper 0* 2 - 1 8 2 1 6 4 5 1 9 13 - - Glaucous-winged gull 10 0 - 23 0 4 1 0 1 0 6 4 2 - - Tufted puffin 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 - - Short-eared owl 2 0* - 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 0* 0* 0 - - Common raven 1 1 - 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 4 1 - - Bank swallow 0 0 - 0 0 0 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 - - Pacific wren 3 3 - 0 5 8 12 1 2 7 1 11 8 - - American pipit 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 2 0* 9 4 3 - - Savannah sparrow 19 33 - 8 24 10 14 14 25 33 32 26 22 - - Fox sparrow 0 0 - 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 - - Song sparrow 5 8 - 17 8 24 23 19 9 1 12 11 3 - - Lapland longspur 7 5 - 5 15 6 22 9 3 2 9 18 9 - - Snow bunting 5 2 - 0* 1 1 0 0 1 2 0* 0* 1 - - Gray-crowned rosy-finch 1 4 - 0 4 5 2 3 12 4 0* 4 5 - -

Date 4 Jun 14 Jun - 16 Jun 18 Jun 4 Jun 4 Jun 9 Jun 22 Jun 11 Jun 12 Jun 10 Jun 13 Jun - - Survey designb xxc xx - xx xx xx xx xx xx xx xx B B - -

aRoute established 8 September 1996. bA=5-minute counts, < and > 50m; B=5-minute counts, distance estimation out to 400m. cxx indicates data potentially exist but have not yet been summarized.

129 Table 85. Mean numbers of birds detected on beach transect surveys along Old Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent species’ presence but not necessarily absence in all years.

Species 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Black oystercatcher 7 7 9 9 no 0 5 4 8 6 6 6 6 4 5 6 Rock sandpiper 0 0 0 0 count 0 1 0 <1 0 0 0 0 <1 <1 0 Pacific wren 3 4 0 1 - 2 2 3 4 2 1 1 3 2 <1 <1 Savannah sparrow 4 3 N/Aa 2 - 1 1 4 5 N/A 2 6 8 3 <1 0 Song sparrow 6 7 5 5 - 9 4 9 7 12 12 8 10 7 7 10 Gray-crowned rosy finch 0 2 0 0 - 0 <1 0 3 1 <1 0 0 <1 0 0

n 5 5 5 4 - 1 5 6 5 3 4 5 5 6 5 5 First survey 21 Jun 1 Jun 11 Jun 8 Jun ‐ 7 Jun 2 Jun 26 May 30 May 6 Jun 1 Jun 1 Jun 1 Jun 4 Jun 3 Jun 3 Jun Last survey 10 Jul 10 Jun 20 Jun 18 Jun ‐ ‐ 13 Jun 13 Jun 12 Jun 12 Jun 14 Jun 14 Jun 14 Jun 14 Jun 11 Jun 9 Jun

aN/A indicates species was not counted during surveys, so presence is unknown.

Table 86. Numbers of birds detected on beach transect along Old Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011.

Date Species Mean SD 3 Jun 4 Jun 6 Jun 8 Jun 9 Jun

Black oystercatcher 5 4 6 6 9 6 2 Rock sandpiper 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Pacific wren 1 0 1 2 0 <1 1 Savannah sparrow 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Song sparrow 8 9 11 11 12 10 2 Gray-crowned rosy finch 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Start time (AKST) 0812 0633 0751 0811 0752 - - End time (AKST) 0825 0650 0818 0822 0817 - -

130

Table 87. Mean numbers of individuals found and encounter rates during COASST surveys along Old Camp-New Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska. Mean number of individuals comprises the average number of new birds found per survey and do not include birds still present and re-encountered from previous surveys. Encounter rate is defined as the number of all birds (including both new individuals and re-encountered birds) found per km beach surveyed (1.3 km for Old Camp-New Camp Beach) divided by the number of surveys.

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Species Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc.

ind. rate ind. rate ind. rate ind. rate ind. rate ind. rate

Northern fulmar ------0.1 0.2 - - - - Short-tailed shearwater 0.1 0.2 - - - - 0.1 0.1 - - - - Pelagic cormorant - - 0.1 0.5 ------Bald eagle - - 0.1 0.1 ------Black oystercatcher ------0.1 0.3 - - - - Glaucous-winged gull ------0.1 0.1 - - - - Common murre ------0.1 0.1 Unidentified murre ------0.3 0.4 Ancient murrelet ------0.1 0.1 - - Tufted puffin 0.1 0.1 0.6 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.1 Unidentified puffin - - 0.3 0.3 0.1 0.1 ------Unidentified bird - - - - 0.1 0.4 ------

All species 0.2 0.3 1.1 1.4 0.4 0.7 0.7 0.9 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.6

n 17 7 7 7 9 8 First survey 17 May 2 Jun 28 May 29 May 22 May 27 May Last survey 30 Aug 24 Aug 20 Aug 26 Aug 28 Aug 3 Sep

131 Table 88. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Old Camp-New Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 27 May 11 Jun 25 Jun 9 Jul 23 Jul 6 Aug 20 Aug 3 Sep Total Mean SD Total Enc. ratec

Common murre 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 0.1 Unidentified murre 1 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 2 0.3 0.5 4 0.4 Tufted puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.1 1 0.1

Total new individuals 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0.5 0.8 - - Total encounters 2 1 0 1 2 0 0 0 - - - 6 0.6

aIndividuals represent new birds seen on surveys only and do not include birds still present and re-encountered on surveys. bEncounters represent all birds seen on surveys, including both new individuals and all instances of re-encountered birds. cEncounter rate = number of birds encountered / km beach surveyed (1.3 km for Old Camp-New Camp Beach) / number of surveys.

Table 89. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Old Camp-New Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2010. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 22 May 4 Jun 19 Jun 3 Jul 5 Jul 17 Jul 31 Jul 14 Aug 28 Aug Total Mean SD Total Enc. ratec

Ancient murrelet 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.3 1 0.1 Tufted puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 3 (1) 0 (1) 3 0.3 1.0 5 0.4

Total new individuals 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 4 0.4 1.0 - - Total encounters 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 1 - - - 6 0.5

132 Table 90. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Old Camp-New Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2009. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 29 May 15 Jun 29 Jun 13 Jul 27 Jul 12 Aug 26 Aug Total Mean SD Total Enc. ratec

Northern fulmar 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (1) 1 0.1 0.4 2 0.2 Short-tailed shearwater 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 0.1 Black oystercatcher 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 3 0.3 Glaucous-winged gull 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 0.1 Tufted puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 0.1

Total new individuals 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 5 0.7 0.8 - - Total encounters 0 1 1 1 1 1 3 - - - 8 0.9

Table 91. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Old Camp-New Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2008. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 28 May 12 Jun 24 Jun 9 Jul 23 Jul 8 Aug 20 Aug Total Mean SD Total Enc. ratec

Tufted puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 0.1 Unidentified puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 0.1 Unidentified bird 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (1) 1 0.1 0.4 4 0.4

Total new individuals 0 1 1 0 1 0 1 3 0.4 0.5 - - Total encounters 0 1 1 0 2 0 2 - - - 6 0.7

133 Table 92. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Old Camp-New Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2007. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 2 Jun 17 Jun 29 Jun 14 Jul 28 Jul 11 Aug 24 Aug Total Mean SD Total Enc. ratec

Pelagic cormorant 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (1) 1 0.1 0.4 5 0.5 Bald eagle 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 0.1 Tufted puffin 3 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 4 0.6 1.1 4 0.4 Unidentified puffin 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1) 2 0.3 0.5 3 0.3

Total new individuals 4 2 0 0 2 0 0 8 1.1 1.6 - - Total encounters 4 2 1 1 3 0 2 - - - 13 1.4

Table 93. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Old Camp-New Camp Beach, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2006. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 17 9 13 17 18 25 2 8 10 14 22 30 6 10 20 26 30 Enc. Total Mean SD Total c May Jun Jun Jun Jun Jun Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul Aug Aug Aug Aug Aug rate

Short-tailed shearwater 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (1) 0 (1) 2 0.1 0.3 4 0.2 Tufted puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 1 (0) 2 0.1 0.3 2 0.1

Total new individuals 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 4 0.2 0.5 - - Total encounters 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 2 - - - 6 0.3

134

Table 94. Mean numbers of individuals found and encounter rates during COASST surveys along Petrel Cove, Aiktak Island, Alaska. Mean number of individuals comprises the average number of new birds found per survey and do not include birds still present and re-encountered from previous surveys. Encounter rate is defined as the number of all birds (including both new individuals and re-encountered birds) found per km beach surveyed (0.1 km for Petrel Cove) divided by the number of surveys.

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 Species Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc. Mean # Enc.

ind. rate ind. rate ind. rate ind. rate ind. rate ind. rate

Northern fulmar - - 0.1 2.0 no survey no survey - - no survey Unidentified gull ------0.1 1.4 - - Ancient murrelet - - 0.1 1.0 - - - - 0.1 1.4 - - Tufted puffin ------0.1 1.4 - - Unidentified puffin - - 0.1 2.0 - - - - 0.1 1.4 - - Unidentified bird 0.1 4.0 ------

All species 0.1 4.0 0.3 5.0 - - - - 0.6 5.7 - -

n 10 10 - - 7 - First survey 18 May 2 Jun - - 22 May - Last survey 2 Sep 2 Sep - - 27 Aug -

135 Table 95. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Petrel Cove, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2010. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 22 May 8 Jun 19 Jun 16 Jul 30 Jul 13 Aug 27 Aug Total Mean SD Total Enc. ratec

Unidentified gull 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 1.4 Ancient murrelet 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 1.4 Tufted puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 1.4 Unidentified puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 1 0.1 0.4 1 1.4

Total new individuals 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 4 0.6 1.0 - - Total encounters 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 - - - 4 5.7

Table 96. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Petrel Cove, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2007. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 2 Jun 17 Jun 29 Jun 14 Jul 28 Jul 11 Aug 25 Aug 10 Aug 23 Aug 2 Sep Total Mean SD Total Enc. ratec

Northern fulmar 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1) 1 0.1 0.3 2 2.0 Ancient murrelet 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.3 1 1.0 Unidentified puffin 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 1 0.1 0.3 2 2.0

Total new individuals 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0.3 0.5 - - Total encounters 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 - - - 5 5.0

136

Table 97. Numbers of birds encountered on COASST surveys along Petrel Cove, Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2006. Data represent numbers of new individual birds found each survey; numbers of birds still present and re-encountered on each survey are shown parentheses.

Date Individualsa Encountersb Species 18 May 12 Jun 18 Jun 21 Jun 10 Jul 23 Jul 30 Jul 10 Aug 23 Aug 2 Sep Total Mean SD Total Enc. ratec

Unidentified bird 0 (0) 1 (0) 0 (1) 0 (1) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (0) 0 (1) 1 0.1 0.3 4 4.0

Total new individuals 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.1 0.3 - - Total encounters 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 - - - 4 4.0

137 Annotated list of wildlife species observed at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2011 (23 May to 5 September).

Abundance categories were defined as follows: Status categories are defined as follows: Abundant: annual, sure to see many Breeder: evidence breeding, either confirmed Common: annual, sure to see some (observations of current nests, eggs, or chicks; Uncommon: annual, likely to see some adults carrying nesting materials or food to nests Rare: annual but not guaranteed to see any or chicks; recently fledged young; distraction Irregular: not annual but numerous records displays) or probably (observations of pairs or Casual: not annual, only a few records territorial behavior) Accidental only one or two records ever Resident non-breeder: occurs throughout season but does not breed at site Migrant: through-migrant BIRDS

Emperor goose (Chen canagica). Rare migrant. On 1 September, three adults were observed feeding and roosting on and around intertidal rocks near New Camp Beach and Sea Lion Cove. Six geese were seen from 2 September until the end of the field season, on 5 September, at New Camp Beach.

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Rare migrant. A single adult male was observed foraging near Big West Island on 13 June. On 18 August, a single male in eclipse plumage was observed foraging with green-winged teals at New Camp Beach.

Green-winged teal (Anas crecca). Common breeder. Many teal were observed throughout the summer, primarily along the northern shores of Aiktak. A single nest was discovered, on 1 June, next to the trail going toward storm-petrel Plot 21. The nest contained seven eggs and the female was incubating the nest when we first approached the area. She flew off, but stayed within ten feet of the nest and once we past she went back to sit on it. On 13 June, the nest hatched six ducklings. On 20 June, a hen and three ducklings were observed in the stream near the cabin. Three fledglings were observed with an adult female in Sea Lion Cove on 13 July. Five to 10 fledglings were seen at New Camp Beach intermittently throughout August.

Common eider (Somateria mollissima). Rare migrant. On 21 June, one adult female was seen foraging at Old Camp Beach. On 6 and 20 August, one adult female was seen again foraging at Old Camp Beach.

Harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus). Common resident non-breeder. Groups of two to 15 birds were observed regularly throughout the summer along the northern side of the island and Pleasure Cove, feeding in near-shore waters or loafing on the rocks.

White-winged scoter (Melanitta fusca). Uncommon migrant. One female adult was observed foraging with the tufted puffins off of New Camp Beach on 4 and 5 July.

Red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator). Rare migrant. A single female was observed foraging with the green-winged teals off New Camp Beach on 21 June.

Fork-tailed storm-petrel (Oceanodroma furcata). Abundant breeder. This species nests primarily in soil burrows on slopes of creek drainages across the island. Highest concentration of nesting birds were found among index plots of Petrel Valley. Birds were heard calling in Petrel Valley and along the banks of New Camp Beach at night throughout the summer. Birds were already on eggs during our initial check of

138 productivity and chronology plots beginning on 28 May. Most egg laying occurred during June, but continued throughout July. First chicks were observed within productivity Plot 27 on 3 July. Nine young chicks were found dead in chronology and productivity plots. None of the monitored chicks fledged before our last check on 31 August.

Leach’s storm-petrel (Oceanodroma leucorhoa). Abundant breeder. This species nests primarily in soil burrows along creek drainages and slopes across the island. Highest concentration of nesting birds were found among index plots of Petrel Valley. Birds were heard calling in Petrel Valley throughout the summer. Most laying occurred during June and July. First chicks were observed in Plot 23 on 20 July. Eight young chicks were found dead in chronology and productivity plots. None of the monitored chicks fledged before our last check on 31 August.

Double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus). Abundant breeder. This species nested successfully on the cliffs adjacent to Sail Rock. A total of 15 active nests were counted from Pole 6 on 21 June. All chicks were fledged by 22 August. No re-nesting attempts were observed.

Red-faced cormorant (Phalacrocorax urile). Abundant breeder. This species nested successfully on the cliffs adjacent to Sail Rock. Red-faced cormorants were monitored in two sections of the colony. A total of 14 active nests were counted from Pole 51 on 21 June. All nests in this area were abandoned by 30 June. A total of 18 active nests were counted from Pole 6 on 1 July. Seven of those nests hatched and fledged 16 chicks. All chicks were fledged by 22 August. No re-nesting attempts were observed.

Pelagic cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus). Abundant breeder. This species nested unsuccessfully on the cliffs adjacent to Sail Rock. A total of 17 active nests were counted from Pole 51 on 21 June. Only four nests remained in this part of the colony, on 30 June, and only one of those nests hatched and fledged chicks. On 1 July, 14 nests were counted from Pole 6. These nests were possible relays of birds that failed earlier (nests observed at Pole 51). All nests, observed from Pole 6, were abandoned by 17 July. Only one nest with two chicks remained and neither chick fledged prior to our departure from the island.

Cormorants (all species). All three species of cormorants nested on the cliffs adjacent to Sail Rock during 2011. Population counts were conducted from Pole 6 and Pole 51. On 4 June, >100 unknown cormorants were observed building nests from Pole 51. On 8 June, all nests were abandoned and >100 cormorants were sitting on the water. Very few cormorants continued nesting in this part of the colony. We are unsure as to what caused so many cormorants to abandon the nesting effort this year.

Bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). Common breeder. Two eagle nests were observed during 2011. One nest was on Aiktak and the other on Big West Island. On 30 May, an adult and three eaglets were observed in the nest on Big West Island. On 12 June, an adult and one eaglet was observed in a nest on the east side of Petrel Valley Cove. The nest on Big West Island fledged three chicks on 11 August and the nest on Aiktak fledged one chick between 15 to 20 August. Throughout May, June, and early July adults and sub adults were observed flying over and landing within glaucous- winged gull colonies. Carcasses of adult gulls were observed within the colonies, and high egg loss was occurring during this time. Eagles were seen feeding on tufted puffins on the

139 northern and southern shores of the island and surrounding islets. Eagles spent the majority of their time perched on cliffs along the perimeter of the island. Eagles seemed to decrease in number on Aiktak in

late July and remained low throughout August.

Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). Uncommon breeder. One falcon was seen on 4 June at Arch’s Cove. Since 12 June only one adult was seen around the island. On 25 June two adults were observed flying around Petrel Valley Cove. During 2011, the nest was never observed, but we believe it was located east of Petrel Valley Cove, in an area that was only viewable by boat. Both adults would defend this area and cackle when ravens and eagles came into the vicinity. On 13 August, a dead bird, possibly a fledgling, was found in Petrel Valley Cove. No fledglings were ever observed, but at various times toward the end of August, both adults were noticed flying around the cabin area.

Semipalmated plover (Charadrius semipalmatus). Rare migrant. A single individual was observed foraging along the water line at New Camp Beach on 4

August.

Black oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani). Common breeder. Up to 17 pairs were observed on territories around the island, along the northern coast, Pleasure Cove, Petrel Valley Cove, Little West and Big East Islands. Reproductive success was average this season. Seven nests hatched, but only two nests fledged two chicks each. Three nests were washed away by storms and high winds. A pair was observed nesting on Big East Island, but the nest contents and chicks were never observed. A pair at Tower Cove relayed twice, which is uncommon and a first for Aiktak. The initial nest was abandoned with one egg in the nest scrape and one egg ejected. The first relay nest, observed on 5 June, was laid approximately ten feet from the abandoned nest. The first relay nest and the abandoned nest were observed depredated on 14 June. The second relay was laid around 30 June. This nest only had one egg, which was ejected from the nest, but the adults still attended the egg. It successfully hatched, but only a membrane was found on 25 July, no chick was ever observed. Seven pairs re-nested during the season. No large migrant flocks were observed in August. On 27 May, 22 adults were counted, which was the highest count for oystercatchers this year.

Wandering tattler (Tringa incana). Uncommon migrant. Single individuals were observed foraging in the intertidal areas of Four Sisters on 25 and 27 May.

Least sandpiper (Calidris minutilla). Uncommon possible breeder. One to three individuals were seen foraging on New Camp Beach on 30 July. On 31 July and 2 August, two individuals, one possibly a juvenile, were seen foraging on Old Camp Beach and Pleasure Cove.

Rock sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis). Uncommon migrant. On 11 and 13 August, single adults were seen on New Camp Beach. Up to four individuals were seen on 20 August until the end of the field season on 5 September, in the boulder area on New Camp Beach. Six individuals were seen at Ivory Cove on 23 August. On 13 August, we captured a single individual in a mist net while netting storm-petrels above Petrel Valley Cove.

Black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla). Casual migrant. On 8 August, seven adults and one juvenile were seen foraging and roosting at New Camp Beach. On 18 August, approximately 120 adults and juveniles were seen foraging and roosting around along Old Camp and New Camp Beaches and Sea

140 Lion Cove. Several individuals were intermittently seen foraging and roosting on the northwest side of the island until we departed on 5 September. It is presumed that these birds are from Tanginak Island, which is approximately 19 miles from Aiktak.

Glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaucescens). Abundant breeder. Gulls primarily nested in the interior of the island, concentrated mainly on Gull Mountain and the Southwest Slope. Smaller numbers of birds also nested along and at the base of the low bluffs backing Old Camp Beach. This was the lowest of six consecutive years of low nest numbers and low hatching success, likely due to high rates of egg loss during incubation. On multiple occasions during nest checks in monitoring plots, unattended eggs were eaten by neighboring gulls. Bald eagles were also seen frequently flushing gulls in the colonies, and several freshly depredated adult gull carcasses were found in monitoring plots. Only two fledglings were seen at Old and New Camp Beaches (only one seen during fledgling surveys). On 31 August, a gull was observed in the tufted puffin burrow area scavenging for food. A puffin flew in with a bill full of food and the gull chased the puffin until the puffin dropped its food and flew off. The gull then ate the fish.

Common and thick-billed murre (Uria aalge and U. lomvia). Abundant breeders. Through late May and June thousands of birds were observed rafting on the water below the cliffs off the southern and western coast, and in late June, murres were present on cliffs with highly variable attendance. Birds were regularly attending cliffs and few birds were in incubation postures in early July, but by late July, many had failed on both the southeastern and southwestern sides of the island. Ravens were seen carrying murre eggs on numerous occasions. In monitoring plots, eggs were first observed on 1 July in Plot 7. No eggs hatched and no chicks were observed. All murres were gone from the cliffs by 2 September. Murres have not bred in great numbers on Aiktak since 2001.

Pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba). Fairly common breeder. Singles and pairs of birds were seen frequently in near shore waters around the island, most abundant in Arch’s Cove, off of New and Old Camp Beaches. A few birds were observed roosting on outcrops on Big West Island. On 13 August, one adult was seen carrying fish at Petrel Valley Cove and on 29 August and 2 September; one adult was seen carrying fish back to its nest around Guillemot Rock and Old Camp Beach respectively.

Ancient murrelet (Synthliboramphus antiquus). Abundant breeder. Murrelet nests occurred along the northern coast of the island. Birds were found occupying soil burrows along beach cliffs and creek drainages, as well as, shallow holes under grass tussocks and among driftwood piles. One nest was found in storm-petrel Plot 17 at the top of Petrel Valley Cove, which fledged two chicks and one nest was found in an artificial puffin burrow in Plot A. This nest failed after being ejected by a nesting puffin.

Whiskered auklet (Aethia pygmaea). Uncommon migrant. On 1 August, a juvenile was found stuck on the trail above Pleasure Cove. After pictures were taken to confirm species, the bird was released under a boulder in Pleasure Cove. On 23 August, a dead adult was discovered on the trail above Four Sister, heading to Tower Cove.

Horned puffin (Fratercula corniculata). Abundant breeder. Horned puffins nested among beach boulders, in rock crevices, and in cracks in the cliffs around the island, with the highest concentrations in Petrel Valley Cove and other coves along the southern coast. None of the chicks that were followed for productivity had fledged by our last check on 5 September.

141 Tufted puffin (Fratercula cirrhata). Abundant breeder. Thousands of birds were observed soaring above the cliffs of the island and attending burrows. Colony attendance was sporadic through the season but more consistent once chicks hatched and were being fed in July and throughout August. On calm days throughout July and August, many adults were found wandering in the thick vegetation in Petrel Valley. A few individuals were found dead in the stream and on trails. When we encountered stranded puffins, we released them on the beaches. No chicks monitored for productivity fledged before we departed from the island.

Short-eared owl (Asio flammeus). Rare possible breeder. On 9 July, a single adult was seen dive bombing a roosting eagle at Plot 27 in Petrel Valley. After the eagle flew off, the owl flew east up a gully and disappeared. On 20 July, an owl pellet full of rodents kidneys was found close to storm-petrel burrows in storm-petrel Plot 25. Two individuals were seen at dusk on 6 August while mist netting for storm- petrels in Petrel Valley. The pair flew up and down the valley and around the mist nets at Plot 27. One individual flew into the top of the mist net and bounced out. It then flew to a cow parsnip plant above Plot 25 and sat for about ten minutes. On 22 August, while mist netting, one adult attacked the mp3 player and speakers thinking it was a Leach’s storm-petrel. After it figured out it didn’t want the speakers, it flew into the bottom of the net and became entangled. We freed the bird, took pictures, and it flew off into the night.

Common raven (Corvus corax). Common resident. Throughout the summer groups of four to five individuals were commonly observed flying around cliff edges and across the island. A group of 11 ravens was observed flying above Gull Mountain on 31 August. No nests were found during 2011. During July, ravens were frequently observed depredating murre eggs and flushing groups of murres from cliffs. Depredated murre eggs were found in Petrel Valley Cove, Old Camp Beach, and New Camp Beach.

Pacific wren (Troglodytes pacificus). Common breeder. Wrens were commonly seen throughout the season mostly along the perimeter of the island on beaches and cliffs. On 3 July, the first fledglings were observed in Pleasure Cove.

American pipit (Anthus rubescens). Uncommon. Throughout August, one to three pipits were regularly seen on the beaches on the northern side of the island.

Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis). Abundant breeder. Birds were seen regularly throughout the summer both along the beaches and in vegetation of the interior. They were frequently observed in high numbers feeding on insects in the kelp wrack along the north coast. The first fledgling was observed on 12 July. Newly fledged chicks were observed throughout July and August across the island.

Fox sparrow (Passerella iliaca). Common migrant. One adult landed on an outcrop at Ivory Cove, while conducting an oil survey, on 8 August.

Song sparrow (Melospiza melodia). Abundant breeder. Birds were commonly observed all across the island. On 9 June, the first fledgling was observed on the trail between Four Sisters and Two Crik Cove. Newly fledged chicks continued to be observed across the island throughout June and July.

142 Gray-crowned rosy finch (Leucosticte tephrocotis). Uncommon breeder. On 27 May, two individuals were observed in Petrel Valley Cove. Several individuals were seen in Petrel Valley Cove and Arch’s Cove on 21 June. On 17 July, three fledglings were seen in Petrel Valley Cove. Few individuals were seen in Pleasure Cove throughout August.

Marine Mammals

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris). Uncommon resident. Throughout the summer, one to three otters were occasionally seen in the waters surrounding Aiktak. On 9 August, an otter was observed foraging on a large orange octopus, which was larger in length then the otter. Two otters were observed playing off of New Camp Beach on 22 August.

Harbor seal (Phoca vitulina). Common breeder. Throughout the summer, up to 20 individuals were observed hauled out around the island on rocky ledges, mostly on the north coast within Harbor Barbor, Phoca Cove, and Four Sisters. Beginning in late June, small pups were observed with adults in Four Sisters and Phoca Cove. A maximum of 4 pups were counted in Four Sisters on 5 July. Most of the pups appeared to survive until they were weaned. On 2 September, a small seal pup was found on New Camp Beach by Upland Access. It appeared to be weak and shivered intermittently. It only raised its head to move and didn’t seem to be disturbed by our presence. Sealife Center in Dutch Harbor was called and a plan was set into motion to take the seal off Aiktak on the Tiglax to be taken back to Homer. The seal had other plans and left the beach sometime during the night of 3 and 4 September.

Steller’s sea lion (Eumetopias jubatus). Common. Individual and small groups of bulls were frequently seen hauled out on Pleasure Cove and Old Camp Beach throughout the summer. In addition, groups of up to 68 animals were observed regularly hauled out on Sea Lion Rock. Several branded sea lions were observed during the season and information was relayed to the Ugamak field crew.

Humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Uncommon. On 23 August, while working on the east side of the island, a mom and calf were observed in the channel. They remained in the channel for about an hour before heading east back out into the Pacific Ocean.

Orca (Orcinus orca). Rare. Two to three orcas were seen in the channel between Aiktak and Ugamak on 21 May and 26 July. One was a large male with a notch in his dorsal fin and the other two appeared to be females or a female with a calf.

* All images by C. Bechaver and J. Gehrig

143 Table 98. Observations and breeding status of birds and selected mammals at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Dashes indicate species not recorded that year but may not necessarily indicate absence from the island during the time period (e.g., species not observed although present, or species not recorded although observed).

Codes: B=confirmed breeder, P=probable/possible breeder, X=observed non-breeder X/B?=bred in other years but not specified in current year

Species 2000 2001 2002 2003a 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Greater white-fronted goose ------X - - - - Emperor goose X X X - X X X X - X X X Brant goose - - - - X X - X - - - - Aleutian cackling goose - X X - X X X X X X X - Gadwall ------X - - Eurasian wigeon ------X - - - - American wigeon ------X - - - - Mallard - - - - - X X - - X - X Northern shoveler - X X X X - - - - X - - Northern pintail X X X - - X - X X - X - Green-winged teal B B B B B B B B B B B B King eider - - - - X ------Harlequin duck X X X X X X X X X X X X Common eider ------X Surf scoter - - - - X ------White-winged scoter - - X - X ------X American (formerly black) scoter ------X - X X - - Long-tailed duck - - - - X ------Common merganser - - - - - X - X - - - - Red-breasted merganser X X X - X X X X - X X X Rock ptarmigan - - - X X - X - X X X - Common loon - - - - X ------X Red-necked grebe - - - - - X - X X - - - Northern fulmar X - X - X - - X - - - - Sooty shearwater ------X - - - - Short-tailed shearwater - - - - - X X X - - - - Fork-tailed storm-petrel B B B B B B B B B B B B Leach’s storm-petrel B B B B B B B B B B B B Double-crested cormorant B X B B B X B B B B B B Red-faced cormorant X B B B B X P B B B B B Pelagic cormorant B B B B B X B B B B B B Bald eagle B B B B B B B B B B B B Rough-legged hawk ------X - - Golden eagle - - - - X ------Peregrine falcon B B B B B B P B B B B B Semipalmated plover X - - X X X X X X X X X Black oystercatcher B B B B B B B B B B B B Terek sandpiper X ------Gray-tailed tattler ------X - - - - Wandering tattler X X X X X X X X X X X X Lesser yellowlegs - - - - - X - - - - X - Wood sandpiper - X - - - - X - - - - - Bristle-thighed curlew ------X - X - - Bar-tailed godwit X ------Ruddy turnstone X X X - - X X X X X X - Semipalmated sandpiper ------X - - - - Western sandpiper ------X - - - - Least sandpiper X X X X X P P P P P P X Rock sandpiper X X X - X P X X X X X X Dunlin ------X - - Short-billed dowitcher X X X - - - X - X - - - Red-necked phalarope - - - - X ------Red phalarope ------X - -

aData may be incomplete in 2003 due to the early departure of field crew (10 July).

144 Table 98 (continued). Observations and breeding status of birds and selected mammals at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Dashes indicate species not recorded that year but may not necessarily indicate absence from the island during the time period (e.g., species not observed although present, or species not recorded although observed).

Codes: B=confirmed breeder, P=probable/possible breeder, X=observed non-breeder X/B?=bred in other years but not specified in current year

Species 2000 2001 2002 2003a 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Black-legged kittiwake - X - - - X X - - X - X Slaty-backed gull - - - - X - - X - - - - Glaucous-winged gull B B B B B B B B B B B B Common murre B B X B X X B B B B B B Thick-billed murre B B X B X X B B B B B B Pigeon guillemot B X/B? B P P B B B P B B B Marbled murrelet ------X - - - - Ancient murrelet B B B B B B B B B B B B Cassin’s auklet ------B P - Parakeet auklet X - X - - - - X - X - - Least auklet - - X ------Whiskered auklet ------X - P - X Rhinoceros auklet X - - - - X - - - P X/B? - Horned puffin B B B B B B B B B B B B Tufted puffin B B B B B B B B B B B B Oriental cuckoo ------X - - Short-eared owl X P X X X X X X X P X P Belted kingfisher - - - - X - X - - - - - Common raven P B B B B P P B B B P B Purple martin - - - - - X ------Tree swallow - - - - X X X - X - X - Violet-green swallow - - X ------Bank swallow X X X X X - X X X X X - Cliff swallow - X - - - - - X - - X - Barn swallow - - X - X ------Pacific (formerly winter) wren B B B B B B B B B B B B Ruby-crowned kinglet X ------American pipit X X X - - X X X X X X X Yellow warbler ------X - - Savannah sparrow B B B B B B B B B B B B Fox sparrow X X - - X - X X - X - X Song sparrow B B B B B B B B B B B B Golden-crowned sparrow X - - - X X ------White-crowned sparrow - X ------Lapland longspur - - - - X X - - X X - - Snow bunting - - - - X ------Gray-crowned rosy-finch B B B X X B B B B B P B

Sea otter X X X X X X X B X X X X Harbor seal X/B? X/B? X/B? B B B B B B B B B Steller’s sea lion ? ? ? X X X X X X B X X Harbor porpoise ------X - - - - Humpback whale X - - - X - - X X X X X Minke whale ------X - - - Gray whale - - - - X ------Orca X - - - X X X X X X X X

16 Jun- 16 May- 12 May- 18 May-10 May- 10 May- 16 May-24 May- 21 May- 21 May- 21 May- 23 May- Observation dates 12 Sep 11 Sep 11 Sep 10 Jul 28 Aug 10 Sep 3 Sep 1 Sep 31 Aug 4 Sep 3 Sep 5 Sep aData may be incomplete in 2003 due to the early departure of field crew (10 July).

145 Table 99. Appearance of first fledglings at Aiktak Island, Alaska. Question marks indicate fledglings were not observed but probably existed; question marks with superscript “AD” indicate fledglings were not observed but likely appeared after departure from the island; dashes indicate the species did not breed successfully that year; “N/A” indicate fledging data could not be determined using historic reports.

Species 2000 2001 2002 2003a 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Aleutian green-winged teal Ducklings 19 Jun 13 Aug 4 Jun 5 Jun 9-Jun 12 Jun ? 5 Jun 13 Jun 8 Jun 24 Jun 13 Jun AD Fledglings N/A N/A 2 Aug ? 11 Jul ? ? 7 Aug 11 Jul ? 3 Aug 13 Jul AD AD AD AD AD AD Fork-tailed storm-petrel N/A N/A ? ? 19 Aug 30 Aug ? ? ? ? ? ? AD AD AD AD AD AD AD AD AD AD Leach’s storm-petrel N/A N/A ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? AD Double-crested cormorant N/A N/A 25 Aug ? - - - - 20 Aug ? ? 22 Aug AD AD Pelagic cormorant N/A N/A 17 Aug ? - - - - 25 Aug ? ? 1 Sep AD AD Red-faced cormorant N/A N/A 14 Aug ? - - - - 25 Aug ? ? 22 Aug AD Bald eagle N/A N/A - ? 19 Aug ? 17 Aug 10 Aug - ? - 11 Aug b Peregrine falcon 16 Jul 17 Jul unk. date 7 Jul 9 Jul ? ? 14 Jul 10 Jul 15 Jul 7 Jul ? Black oystercatcher Walked from nest N/A N/A ? ? 12 Jun 2 Jul ? 17 Jun 22 Jun 15 Jun 19 Jun 2 Jul Flew from nest area 29 Jul N/A 23 Jul ? 30 Jul ? 26 Jul 27 Jul 21 Jul 20 Jul 8 Aug 24 Aug AD Glaucous-winged gull 11 Aug mid Aug 13 Aug ? 10 Aug 20 Jul 27 Aug 8 Aug 19 Aug 15 Aug 14 Aug 22 Aug AD AD AD AD AD Common murre N/A N/A - ? - - ? ? ? ? ? - AD AD AD AD AD Thick-billed murre N/A N/A - ? - - 29 Aug ? ? ? ? - AD AD AD AD Pigeon guillemot N/A N/A ? ? ? 21 Aug 27 Aug ? ? ? ? ? Ancient murrelet N/A N/A ? ? 27 Jun 21 Jun 21 Jun 25 Jun 6 Jul 3 Jul 3 Jul 23 Jun AD AD AD AD AD AD AD Horned puffin N/A N/A ? ? ? ? 28 Aug ? ? ? ? ? AD AD AD AD AD Tufted puffin 27 Aug N/A 6 Sep ? ? ? ? ? ? 1 Sep 27 Aug ? Common raven N/A N/A 13 Jun 6 Jun 6 Jun ? ? <26 May 7 Jun 9 Jun ? 7 Jun Pacific wren N/A N/A 8 Jul 25 Jun 25 Jun ? 8 Jul 2 Jul 11 Jul 30 Jun 13 Jul 3 Jul Savannah sparrow N/A N/A ? 15 Jun 15 Jun ? 4 Jul 24 Jun 3 Jul 30 Jun 10 Jul 12 Jul Song sparrow N/A N/A 7 Jul 14 Jun 15 Jun ? 10 Jun 4 Jun 2 Jun 5 Jun 22 Jun 16 Jun Gray crowned rosy-finch N/A 8 Sep ? ? ? 18 Aug 10 Aug 20 Jul 10 Jul ? ? 17 Jul

aData may be incomplete in 2003 due to the early departure of field crew (10 July). bFledglings observed but date not recorded.

146 Table 100. First flowering dates of plants identified on Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the day a fully-opened flower was first observed on the island each year. Dates may be poor indicators of actual phenology because observations of initial flowering events for uncommon or inconspicuous plants may be missed or depend on timing of field crew activities. Identifications are made by field personnel on-island and have not been confirmed by other authorities.

Family Species 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Lycopodiaceae Lycopodium selago selago - - 16 May late May - - - - - Lycopodium annotinum annotinum - - 16 May late May - - - - - Equisetaceae Equisetum arvense 3 Jun - 18 Jun 27 May late May early Jun 8 Jun early Jun 28 May Ophioglossaceae Botrychium lunaria ------28 May - - Athyriaceae Cystopteris fragilis fragilis - - early Jun 1 Jun - - 8 Jun - - Athyrium filix-femma cyclosorum - - early Jun early Jun - - 8 Jun - - Graminae Poa spp. 22 May 15 Jul ------Elymus arenarius mollis 20 Jun 10 Jul - - early Jul 12 Jul early Jul - - Calamagrostis canadensis 25 Jun 15 Jul - - - - Jul - - Festuca rubra aucta 14 Jun 15 Jul - - - - Jul - - Phleum commutatum americanum early Jun 10 Jul - - - - 2 Jul - - Hordeum brachyantherum - 17 Jul - - - - Jun - - Cyperacea Eriophorum russeolum spp. 15 Jun 26 Jun 5 Jul 18 Jun - late Jun - 6 Jul 2 Jul Eriophorum angustifolium subarcticum - 27 Jun ------Carex macrochaeta - 1 Jun - - - - 2 Jun - - Carex saxatilis laxa - 1 Jun ------Carex spp. 4 Jun - - - - 7 Jun - - - Juncaceae Luzula multiflora multiflora - 1 Jul ------Luzula multiflora Kobayasii - 1 Jul ------Juncus arcticus sitchensis - 1 Jul ------Liliaceae Fritillaria camschatcensis 8 Jun 12 Jun 4 Jun 6 Jun 27 Jun 26 Jun 12 Jun 23 Jun 15 Jun Streptopus amplexifolius ------6 Jul - Orchidaceae Platanthera convallariaefolia 2 Jul 1 Jul early Jul 25 Jun 27 Jun 2 Jul 23 Jun 6 Jul 23 Jun Platanthera dilatata 19 Jun 16 Jun ------Listera chordata 5 Jun 1 Jun ------Dactylorhiza aristata 3 Jun 29 May 4 Jun 27 May 26 Jun 13 Jun 28 May 9 Jun 28 May Salicaceae Salix arctica crassijulis 19 Jun 26 Jun - 14 Jun 26 May 22 Jun - 23 Jun 14 Jun Salix reticulata - - - 29 Jul 29 Jul - - - - Polygonaceae Oxyria digyna - - - - 27 Jun - - - - Rumex fenestratus - 3 Jul early Jul 20 Jun late Jun 2 Jul 29 Jun 6 Jul 15 Jun Polygonum viviparum - - - 23 Jul 1 Aug 25 Jul 7 Jul 26 Jul 14 Jul Portulaceae Claytonia sibirica <18 May 13 May 16 May 24 May 29 May 3 Jun 24 May 9 Jun 26 May Montia fontana Fontana ------Jun - - Caryophyllaceae Honkenya peploides major - 13 May 30 May 19 Jun - 9 Jun 13 Jul - - Cerastium beeringianum grandiflorum - 12 Jun - 27 May late May 13 Jun 10 Jun 23 Jun 28 May Cerastium fischerianum ------<30 Jun - - Moehringia lateriflora ------1 Jul - - Stellaria media - - - - late Jun - 24 May - 28 May

147 Table 100 (continued). First flowering dates of plants identified on Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the day a fully-opened flower was first observed on the island each year. Dates may be poor indicators of actual phenology because observations of initial flowering events for uncommon or inconspicuous plants may be missed or depend on timing of field crew activities. Identifications are made by field personnel on-island and have not been confirmed by other authorities.

Family Species 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Caryophyllaceae Stellaria ruscifolia - - - 31 May - - - - - Stellaria sitchana bongardiana - - - 13 Aug - - 7 Jul - - Ranunculaceae Caltha palustris asarifolia - 17 May 24 May 28 May late Jun 11 Jun 8 Jun 23 Jun 2 Jun Aconitum maximum - 16 Jul - 14 Jul - 25 Jul 22 Jul 6 Aug 20 Jul Aconitum delphinifolium delphinifolium - 16 Jul mid Jul mid Jul 2 Aug late Jul 25 Jul early Aug 20 Jul Ranunculus occidentalis ------5 Jun - 14 Jun Ranunculus eschscholtzii ------8 Jun - - Ranunculus spp. - 15 Jun mid Jun 1 Jun mid Jun 3 Jun - 9 Jun - Anemone narcissiflora villosissiflora - 13 May 19-May 24 May 24 May 31 May 26 May 9 Jun <22 May Cruciferae Draba hyperborea 26 May 13 Jun - 26 May - 1 Jun 22 May 1 Jul 24 May Draba borealis 26 May 25 May late May 27 May - early Jun 17 Jun 9 Jun 3 Jun Draba nivalis - - - 14 Jun - - - - - Cardemine umbellata 15 Jun 15 Jun 5 Jul 31 May mid Jun mid Jul 23 May - 13 Jul Arabis lyrata - 15 Jun ------Cochlearia officialis oblongifolia - - - 28 Jul - - - - 28 Jul Saxifragaceae Saxifraga punctata insularis 25 Jun 25 Jun - 19 Jun 1 Jul 15 Jun 2 Jul 6 Jul 12 Jul Saxifraga bracteata 5 Jun 5 Jun - 31 May - 20 Jun 28 May 20 Jun 4 Jun Parnassia palustris - - - 8 Aug - - - - - Parnassia kotzebuei - - - 27 Jun - - 30 Jul - - Chrysosplenium wrightii ------13 Jul 10 Jul - Rosaceae Rubus arcticus stellatus 14 Jun 30 May 19 Jun 6 Jun late Jun 3 Jul 16 Jun - 3 Jun Potentilla villosa 30 May 10 Jun 16 Jun 6 Jun mid Jun 20 Jun 10 Jun 6 Jul 28 May Geum macrophyllum 19 Jun 16 Jun - 27 Jun 26 Jul 11 Jul 26 Jun - - Sanguisorba stipulata - 20 Jun 29 Jul - mid Jul - 2 Aug - - Leguminosae Lupinus nootkatensis <18 May 13 May 25 May 28 May 28 May 13 Jun 5 Jun 9 Jun 26 May Geraniaceae Geranium erianthum early Jun 29 May 4 Jun 2 Jun 27 Jun 29 Jun 23 Jun 23 Jun 2 Jun Violaceae Viola langsdorffii 23 May 17 May 31 May 28 May 29 May 9 Jun 28 May 9 Jun 22 May Onagraceae Epilobium glandulosum 7 Jul 6 Jul - 4 Jul 8 Aug 20 Jul 19 Jul - 13 July Epilobium treleaseanum - - - 28 Jul - - - - - Epilobium angustifolium - 14 Aug 6 Aug 29 Jul - 28 Aug 15 Aug - 24 Aug Epilobium behringianum - - 27 Jul ------Epilobium hornemannii - - 27 Jul ------Epilobium leptocarum - 29 Jul ------Epilobium sertulatum ------16 Jul >3 Sep - Apiaceae Heracleum lanatum 25 Jun 2 Jul 5 Jul 11 Jul 13 Jul 15 Jul 7 Jul 19 Jul 6 Jul Angelica lucida 15 Jun 30 Jun 5 Jul 28 Jun 1 Jul 10 Jul 29 Jun early Jul 15 Jun Ligusticum scoticum-Hultenii 27 Jun 30 Jun late Jun - 26 Jul 7 Aug late Jul - 26 July Conioselinum chinense - 20 Jul 4 Aug 28 Jul 10 Aug 19 Aug 18 Jul 4 Aug 6 Aug

Ericaceae Rhododendron camtschaticum 7 Jul 26 Jun 8 Jul 17 Jul 23 Jul 31 Jul 16 Jul 3 Aug 26 Jul

148 Table 100 (continued). First flowering dates of plants identified on Aiktak Island, Alaska. Data represent the day a fully-opened flower was first observed on the island each year. Dates may be poor indicators of actual phenology because observations of initial flowering events for uncommon or inconspicuous plants may be missed or depend on timing of field crew activities. Identifications are made by field personnel on-island and have not been confirmed by other authorities.

Family Species 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

Primulaceae Trientalis europaea arctica 25 Jun 30 Jun 5 Jul 14 Jun - 11 Jul 30 Jun - 29 Jun Androsace chameajasme Lehmanniana 8 Jun 7 Jun - - - - 20 Jun 1 Jul - Primula tschuktschorum ------21 Jun - - Gentianaceae Gentiana amarelle acuta var. Plebeya - - 28 Jul - - - 16 Jun - 3 Aug Polemoniaceae Polemonium acutiforum 25 Jun 15 Jun 10 Jul 20 Jun late Jun 14 Jul 3 Jul 5 Jul 28 Jul Hydrophyllaceae Romanzoffia unalaschecensis - 10 Jun - - - - 21 Jun - - Boraginacea Mertensia maritima - - - - 7 Jul - - - - Scrophulariaceae Mimulua guttatus 7 Jul 5 Jul 6 Jul 29 Jun 16 Jul 25 Jul 14 Jul 26 Jul 13 Jul Pedicularis langsdorffii langsdorffii 15 Jun 23 Jun 15 Jun 22 Jun 14 Jul 11 Jul 14 Jul 7 Jul 15 Jun Veronica stelleri 11 Jun 11 Jun - - - 29 Jun 23 Jun 6 Jul 14 Jun Veronica wormskjoldii - - - 15 Jun - - - - - Castilleja unalaschcenis 8 Jun 15 Jun 5 Jul 9 Jun 30 Jun 11 Jul 23 Jun 23 Jun 15 Jun Rhinanthus minor boreales - 27 Jul 29 Jul 8 Aug 8 Aug 12 Aug 13 Aug - 3 Aug Lagotis glauca - - - 8 Jun - 25 Jun 15 Jun 27 Jun 11 Jun Rubiaceae Galium aparine - 26 Jun 5 Jul 23 Jul - 24 Jul 13 Jul - - Campanulaceae Campanula lasiocarpa lasiocarpa - 28 Jul 1 Aug 23 Jul - 5 Aug 14 Jul early Aug 28 Jul Campanula chamissonis - - - 30 Jul 27 Aug - - - - Asteraceae Petasites frigidus 25 Jun 17 May - 31 May late May 23 May 22 May 5 Jul 23 May Achillea borealis 15 Jun 2 Jun - 19 Jun 27 Jun 11 Jul 11 Jul 6 Jul 11 Jul Senecio pseudo-arnica 3 Jul 17 Jul 7 Jul 10 Jul 23 Jul 20 Jul 13 Jul - 7 Jul Taraxacum trigonolobum 15 Jun 23 Jun 30 Jun 13 Jun 22 Jul 3 Jul 19 Jun 9 Jun 12 Jun Erigeron peregrinus 7 Jul 2 Jul 6 Jul 29 Jun - 19 Jul 7 Jul 19 Jul 13 Jul Anaphalis margaritacea - - 29 Jul 25 Jul 18 Aug 12 Aug 14 Jul 9 Aug 4 Aug Solidago multiradiata - 1 Aug - 22 Aug - - 16 Aug 17 Aug 5 Aug

149

9.0

8.0

7.0

6.0 Temperature (°C)

5.0

2011 Mean 1998-2010

4.0

3.0 7-13 14-20 21-27 28 May- 4-10 11-17 18-24 25 Jun- 2-8 9-15 16-22 23-29 30 Jul- 6-12 13-19 20-26 27 Aug- 3-9 May May May 3 Jun Jun Jun Jun 1 Jul Jul Jul Jul Jul 5 Aug Aug Aug Aug 2 Sep Sep

Figure 44. Mean weekly sea surface temperatures (°C) at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

150

Table 101. Mean weekly sea surface temperatures (°C) at Aiktak Island, Alaska.

Week 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

7-13 May - - - no data 4.4 - 4.7 ------14-20 May 4.8 - - - 4.5 5.3 4.8 - 4.1 - - 3.6 3.8 - 21-27 May 5.1 - - - 4.8 5.5 5.1 - 4.5 3.7 3.8 3.8 4.1 4.9 28 May-3 Jun 5.4 4.1 - - 5.2 6.2 5.4 - 5.0 3.9 4.1 4.1 4.5 5.2 4-10 Jun 5.6 4.4 - - 5.7 6.5 5.5 - 5.4 4.3 4.3 4.4 5.1 5.3 11-17 Jun 5.8 4.8 5.2 - 5.9 6.5 6.0 - 5.6 4.6 4.8 5.3 5.3 5.8 18-24 Jun 6.2 4.9 5.3 - 6.3 6.9 6.0 - 5.7 5.2 5.0 5.4 5.6 6.0 25 Jun-1 Jul 6.6 5.2 5.7 - 6.7 7.1 6.8 - 6.1 5.2 5.3 5.7 5.8 6.1 2-8 Jul 7.1 5.8 6.0 - 7.3 7.2 6.9 - 6.8 5.9 5.6 5.9 6.7 6.3 9-15 Jul 7.1 6.2 6.4 - 7.0 7.7 7.5 - 7.0 6.0 5.8 6.4 6.6 6.6 16-22 Jul 7.6 6.3 6.4 - 7.6 8.1 7.6 7.5 7.5 7.2 6.0 6.4 6.9 6.8 23-29 Jul 7.7 6.5 7.2 - 7.5 8.3 7.9 8.2 7.7 6.9 6.6 6.6 7.0 7.0 30 Jul-5 Aug 8.3 6.3 6.9 - 8.6 8.7 7.4 8.4 7.8 6.9 6.7 6.9 7.5 7.2 6-12 Aug 8.5 6.4 7.2 - 8.3 8.9 8.1 7.8 7.8 7.6 8.0 7.2 7.2 7.4 13-19 Aug 8.2 7.1 7.7 - 8.9 8.9 8.1 8.7 8.0 7.8 8.3 6.9 7.6 7.8 20-26 Aug 8.1 7.0 7.7 - 8.5 8.8 8.8 8.7 8.2 8.0 7.7 7.2 7.8 7.7 27 Aug-2 Sep - 7.0 7.4 - 8.8 8.9 - - 8.6 7.8 7.8 7.0 8.2 7.6 3-9 Sep - - 7.9 - 8.2 9.3 - - - - - 6.9 - 7.5 10-16 Sep - - 7.6 - - 9.5 ------

151