DOCSLIB.ORG

Amnwr 2019/02 Biological Monitoring at Aiktak Island

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Amnwr 2019/02 Biological Monitoring at Aiktak Island AMNWR 2019/02 BIOLOGICAL MONITORING AT AIKTAK ISLAND, ALASKA IN 2018 Sarah M. Youngren, Daniel C. Rapp, and Nora A. Rojek 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 March 2019 Cite as: Youngren, S. M., D. C. Rapp, and N. A. Rojek. 2019. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2018. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 2019/02. Homer, Alaska. Tufted puffins swirl on the south side of Aiktak island. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................................................... 1 METHODS .................................................................................................................................................... 2 INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS ................................................................................................................ 6 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................................................ 7 REFERENCES .............................................................................................................................................. 7 ISLAND MAPS .............................................................................................................................................. 9 FIGURES AND TABLES ............................................................................................................................. 11 Black oystercatcher .............................................................................................................................. 12 Breeding chronology ...................................................................................................................... 12 Reproductive performance ............................................................................................................. 15 Populations .................................................................................................................................... 17 Food habits .................................................................................................................................... 19 Common murre ..................................................................................................................................... 21 Breeding chronology ...................................................................................................................... 21 Reproductive performance ............................................................................................................. 24 Thick-billed murre ................................................................................................................................. 28 Breeding chronology ...................................................................................................................... 28 Reproductive performance ............................................................................................................. 31 All murres .............................................................................................................................................. 35 Populations .................................................................................................................................... 35 Pigeon guillemot ................................................................................................................................... 39 Populations .................................................................................................................................... 39 Ancient murrelet.................................................................................................................................... 43 Breeding chronology ...................................................................................................................... 43 Reproductive performance ............................................................................................................. 46 Horned puffin ........................................................................................................................................ 49 Breeding chronology ...................................................................................................................... 49 Reproductive performance ............................................................................................................. 52 Chick growth .................................................................................................................................. 54 Populations .................................................................................................................................... 56 Food habits .................................................................................................................................... 61 Tufted puffin .......................................................................................................................................... 64 Breeding chronology ...................................................................................................................... 64 Reproductive performance ............................................................................................................. 67 Chick growth .................................................................................................................................. 69 Populations .................................................................................................................................... 71 Food habits .................................................................................................................................... 75 Glaucous-winged gull ........................................................................................................................... 84 Breeding chronology ...................................................................................................................... 84 Reproductive performance ............................................................................................................. 87 Populations .................................................................................................................................... 91 Food habits .................................................................................................................................... 97 i TABLE OF CONTENTS (continued) Page Fork-tailed storm-petrel ...................................................................................................................... 108 Breeding chronology .................................................................................................................... 108 Reproductive performance ........................................................................................................... 112 Chick growth ................................................................................................................................ 116 Food habits .................................................................................................................................. 118 Adult morphology ......................................................................................................................... 124 Leach’s storm-petrel ........................................................................................................................... 125 Breeding chronology .................................................................................................................... 125 Reproductive performance ........................................................................................................... 128 Chick growth ................................................................................................................................ 132 Food habits .................................................................................................................................. 134 Adult morphology ......................................................................................................................... 138 All storm-petrels .................................................................................................................................. 139 Reproductive performance ........................................................................................................... 139 Populations .................................................................................................................................. 143
Load more

Recommended publications
  • 14Th North American Arctic Goose Conference and Workshop Program and Abstracts
    14th North American Arctic Goose Conference and Workshop Lincoln, Nebraska March 13-17, 2018 Program and Abstracts 14th North American Arctic Goose Conference and Workshop Program and Abstracts Table of Contents Welcome ................................................................................... 1 General Information ................................................................... 2 Conference Center Map ............................................................. 3 Conference Sponsors ................................................................ 4 Conference Committees ............................................................ 5 Plenary Speakers ...................................................................... 6 Meeting Schedule ...................................................................... 9 Abstracts–Plenaries ................................................................ 15 Abstracts–Oral Presentations .................................................. 17 Abstracts–Poster Presentations............................................... 43 14th North American Arctic Goose Conference and Workshop Lincoln, Nebraska March 13-17, 2018 We are pleased to welcome you to Lincoln and the 14th North American Arctic Goose Conference and Workshop! Lincoln is the state capital of Nebraska and home to the University of Nebraska. March is a special time in Nebraska. Millions of ducks and geese and a half-million sandhill cranes have or will come through the state stopping and “fueling” up before they migrate on to their
    [Show full text]
  • The Mark of the Japanese Murrelet (Synthliboramphus Wumizusume): a Study of Song and Stewardship in Japan’S Inland Sea
    Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont Pomona Senior Theses Pomona Student Scholarship 2019 The aM rk of the Japanese Murrelet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume): A study of song and stewardship in Japan’s Inland Sea Charlotte Hyde The Mark of the Japanese Murrelet (Synthliboramphus wumizusume): A study of song and stewardship in Japan’s Inland Sea Charlotte Hyde In partial fulfillment of the Bachelor of Arts Degree in Environmental Analysis, 2018-2019 academic year, Pomona College, Claremont, California Readers: Nina Karnovsky Wallace Meyer Acknowledgements I would first like to thank Professor Nina Karnovsky for introducing me to her work in Kaminoseki and for allowing me to join this incredible project, thereby linking me to a community of activists and scientists around the world. I am also so appreciative for her role as my mentor throughout my years as an undergraduate and for helping me develop my skills and confidence as a scholar and ecologist. Thank you also to my reader Wallace Meyer for his feedback on my writing and structure. I am so thankful for the assistance of Char Miller, who has worked tirelessly to give valuable advice and support to all seniors in the Environmental Analysis Department throughout their thesis journeys. Thank you to Marc Los Huertos for his assistance with R and data analysis, without which I would be hopelessly lost. I want to thank my peers in the Biology and Environmental Analysis departments for commiserating with me during stressful moments and for providing a laugh, hug, or shoulder to cry on, depending on the occasion. Thank you so much to my parents, who have supported me unconditionally throughout my turbulent journey into adulthood and who have never doubted my worth as a person or my abilities as a student.
    [Show full text]
  • Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands Management Area Herring Sac Roe and Food and Bait Fisheries Annual Management Report, 2002
    ALASKA PENINSULA AND ALEUTIAN ISLANDS MANAGEMENT AREA HERRING SAC ROE AND FOOD AND BAIT FISHERIES ANNUAL MANAGEMENT REPORT, 2002 By Matthew T. Ford Charles Burkey Jr. and Robert L. Murphy Regional Information Report1 No. 4K03-11 Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Commercial Fisheries 211 Mission Road Kodiak, Alaska 99615 March 2003 1 The Regional Information Report Series was established in 1987 to provide an information access system for all unpublished division reports. These reports frequently serve diverse ad hoc informational purposes or archive basic uninterpreted data. To accommodate timely reporting of recently collected information, reports in this series undergo only limited internal review and may contain preliminary data; this information may be subsequently finalized and published in the formal literature. Consequently, these reports should not be cited without prior approval of the author or the Division of Commercial Fisheries. AUTHORS Matthew T. Ford is the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands Management Area Assistant Herring Biologist and Alaska Peninsula-Southeastern District Salmon Assistant Management Biologist for Region IV, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 211 Mission Road, Kodiak, Alaska, 99615. Charles Burkey Jr. is the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands Management Areas Herring Biologist and Alaska Peninsula-Southeastern District Salmon Management Biologist for Region IV, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 211 Mission Road, Kodiak, Alaska, 99615. Robert L. Murphy is the North Alaska Peninsula Area Herring Biologist and North Alaska Peninsula Salmon Management Biologist for Region IV, Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Commercial Fisheries, 211 Mission Road, Kodiak, Alaska, 99615.
    [Show full text]
  • Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus Antiquus
    Major: Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus colony attendance at Langara 233 ANCIENT MURRELET SYNTHLIBORAMPHUS ANTIQUUS COLONY ATTENDANCE AT LANGARA ISLAND ASSESSED USING OBSERVER COUNTS AND RADAR IN RELATION TO TIME AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS HEATHER L. MAJOR1,2 1Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC V5A 1S6, Canada 2Current address: Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 5050, Saint John, NB E2L 4L5, Canada ([email protected]) Received 10 June 2016, accepted 26 July 2016 SUMMARY MAJOR, H.L. 2016. Ancient Murrelet Synthliboramphus antiquus colony attendance at Langara Island assessed using observer counts and radar in relation to time and environmental conditions. Marine Ornithology 44: 233–240. The decision to attend a colony on any given day or night is arguably the result of a trade-off between survival and reproductive success. It is often difficult to study this trade-off, as monitoring patterns of colony attendance for nocturnal burrow-nesting seabirds is challenging. Here, I 1) examined the effectiveness of monitoring Ancient Murrelet colony arrivals using marine radar, and 2) evaluated differences in colony attendance behavior in relation to time, light, and weather. I found a strong correlation between the number of Ancient Murrelets counted by observers in the colony and the number of radar targets counted, with estimated radar target counts being ~95 times higher than observer counts. My hypothesis that patterns of colony attendance are related to environmental conditions (i.e. light and weather) and that this relationship changes with time after sunset was supported.
    [Show full text]
  • Biological Monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2016
    AMNWR 2017/02 BIOLOGICAL MONITORING AT AIKTAK ISLAND, ALASKA IN 2016 Sarah M. Youngren, Daniel C. Rapp, and Nora A. Rojek 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 January 2017 Cite as: Youngren, S. M., D. C. Rapp, and N. A. Rojek. 2017. Biological monitoring at Aiktak Island, Alaska in 2016. U.S. Fish and Wildl. Serv. Rep., AMNWR 2017/02. Homer, Alaska. Tufted puffins flying along the southern coast of Aiktak Island, Alaska. TABLE OF CONTENTS Page INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................... 1 STUDY AREA ............................................................................................................................................... 1 METHODS ...................................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Designation of Critical Habitat for the Southwest Alaska Distinct Population Segment of the Northern Sea Otter; Final Rule
    Thursday, October 8, 2009 Part III Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Designation of Critical Habitat for the Southwest Alaska Distinct Population Segment of the Northern Sea Otter; Final Rule VerDate Nov<24>2008 19:03 Oct 07, 2009 Jkt 220001 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 4717 Sfmt 4717 E:\FR\FM\08OCR3.SGM 08OCR3 srobinson on DSKHWCL6B1PROD with RULES3 51988 Federal Register / Vol. 74, No. 194 / Thursday, October 8, 2009 / Rules and Regulations DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR northern sea otter, refer to the final published in the Federal Register on listing rule published in the Federal August 9, 2005 (70 FR 46366). Fish and Wildlife Service Register on August 9, 2005 (70 FR Summary of Comments and 46366), the proposed rule to designate Recommendations 50 CFR Part 17 critical habitat published in the Federal Register on December 16, 2008 (73 FR We requested written comments from [FWS–R7–ES–2008–0105; 92210–1117– the public during the public comment 0000–FY08–B4] 76454), and the June 9, 2009 (74 FR 27271), notice of availability of the draft period on the proposed rule to designate RIN 1018–AV92 economic analysis (DEA). More detailed critical habitat for the southwest Alaska information on northern sea otter DPS of the northern sea otter. During the Endangered and Threatened Wildlife biology and ecology that is directly public comment period, we also and Plants; Designation of Critical relevant to designation of critical habitat contacted appropriate Federal, State, Habitat for the Southwest Alaska is discussed under the Primary and local agencies; Alaska Native Distinct Population Segment of the Constituent Elements section below.
    [Show full text]
  • The Status and Occurrence of Emperor Goose (Chen Canagica) in British Columbia
    The Status and Occurrence of Emperor Goose (Chen canagica) in British Columbia. By Rick Toochin and Jamie Fenneman. Introduction and Distribution The Emperor Goose (Chen canagica) is largely restricted to the Bering Sea region of the North Pacific throughout the year (Schmutz et al. 2011). The species breeds in coastal habitats of western Alaska, including the Yukon-Kuskokwim delta, Seward Peninsula, and St. Lawrence Island, as well as along the coast of Russia from the Chukchi Peninsula south to Anadyr Bay (Schmutz et al. 2011). Most of the world’s population winters along the Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula, regularly occurring east to Kodiak Island (Schmutz et al. 2011). This Bering Sea species is a rare annual vagrant found south along the Pacific coast of North America, with numerous records south to southern California (Hamilton et al. 2007). Most records south of Alaska are from coastal habitats, although there are also many records from inland areas that support large numbers of wintering waterfowl south of British Columbia, including California’s Central Valley (Hamilton et al. 2007), Oregon’s Willamette Valley (Pacific Flyway Council 1998), and the Klamath Basin of northern California and southern Oregon (Hamilton et al. 2007).The only U.S. inland record away from the Pacific states is a bird collected in November 2000 in southern Idaho (IBRC 2014). Vagrants have also occurred south along the Pacific coast of Asia to Japan as well as in Hawaii (both singles and small flocks) (Schmutz et al. 2011). Although this species experienced population declines between the 1960s and 1980s, recent surveys suggest that populations have stabilized or even increased slightly over 1980s levels (Schmutz et al.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction
    AMNWR 08/13 BIOLOGICAL MONITORING AT AIKTAK ISLAND, ALASKA IN 2008: SUMMARY APPENDICES Brie A. Drummond 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 leucorhoa, Oceanodroma furcata, 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 Aleutian Islands Unit 95 Sterling Hwy, Suite 1 Homer, Alaska 99603 September 2008 Cite as: 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. 139 pp. Southern coast of Aiktak Island, Alaska, in early June. TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................................................... 1 STUDY AREA............................................................................................................................................. ..1 METHODS.................................................................................................................................................. ..2 INTERESTING OBSERVATIONS..............................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Specimen Record of a Long-Billed Murrelet from Eastern Washington, with Notes on Plumage and Morphometric Differences Between Long-Billed and Marbled Murrelets
    SPECIMEN RECORD OF A LONG-BILLED MURRELET FROM EASTERN WASHINGTON, WITH NOTES ON PLUMAGE AND MORPHOMETRIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LONG-BILLED AND MARBLED MURRELETS CHRISTOPER W. THOMPSON, WashingtonDepartment of Fish and Wildlife, 16018 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek, Washington98012, and Burke Museum,Box 353100, Universityof Washington,Seattle, Washington 98195 KEVIN J. PULLEN, ConnerMuseum, Washington State University, Pullman, Wash- ington 99164 RICHARD E. JOHNSON, Conner Museumand School of BiologicalSciences, WashingtonState University,Pullman, Washington 99164 ERICB. CUMMINS, WashingtonDepartment of Fishand Wildlife, 600 CapitolWay North, Olympia,Washington 98501 ABSTRACT:On 14 August2001, RobertDice found a Brachyramphusmurrelet approximately12 mileseast of Pomeroyin easternWashington state more than 200 milesfrom the nearestmarine waters. The bird died later that day. It had begun definitiveprebasic body molt, but not flightfeather molt. Necropsy indicated that the birdwas a female,probably in her secondcalendar year. Johnson and Thompson identifiedthe birdas a Long-billedMurrelet, Brachyramphus perdix, on the basisof plumageand measurements;it is the firstspecimen of thisspecies for Washington state. Contrary to many recent publicationsstating that Long-billedand Marbled Murreletshave white and brownunder wing coverts, respectively, we confirmedthat bothspecies typically have white under wing coverts prior to definitiveprebasic molt andbrown under wing coverts after this molt. Absence of anyextensive storm systems in the North Pacificin
    [Show full text]
  • A Review of the Fossil Seabirds from the Tertiary of the North Pacific
    Paleobiology,18(4), 1992, pp. 401-424 A review of the fossil seabirds fromthe Tertiaryof the North Pacific: plate tectonics,paleoceanography, and faunal change Kenneth I. Warheit Abstract.-Ecologists attempt to explain species diversitywithin Recent seabird communities in termsof Recent oceanographic and ecological phenomena. However, many of the principal ocean- ographic processes that are thoughtto structureRecent seabird systemsare functionsof geological processes operating at many temporal and spatial scales. For example, major oceanic currents,such as the North Pacific Gyre, are functionsof the relative positions of continentsand Antarcticgla- ciation,whereas regional air masses,submarine topography, and coastline shape affectlocal processes such as upwelling. I hypothesize that the long-termdevelopment of these abiotic processes has influencedthe relative diversityand communitycomposition of North Pacific seabirds. To explore this hypothesis,I divided the historyof North Pacific seabirds into seven intervalsof time. Using published descriptions,I summarized the tectonicand oceanographic events that occurred during each of these time intervals,and related changes in species diversityto changes in the physical environment.Over the past 95 years,at least 94 species of fossil seabirds have been described from marine deposits of the North Pacific. Most of these species are from Middle Miocene through Pliocene (16.0-1.6 Ma) sediments of southern California, although species from Eocene to Early Miocene (52.0-22.0 Ma) deposits are fromJapan,
    [Show full text]
  • Aleutian Islands
    Journal of Global Change Data & Discovery. 2018, 2(1): 109-114 © 2018 GCdataPR DOI:10.3974/geodp.2018.01.18 Global Change Research Data Publishing & Repository www.geodoi.ac.cn Global Change Data Encyclopedia Aleutian Islands Liu, C.1* Yang, A. Q.2 Hu, W. Y.1 Liu, R. G.1 Shi, R. X.1 1. Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China; 2. Institute of Remote Sensing and Digital Earth，Chinese Academy of Sciences，Beijing100101，China Keywords: Aleutian Islands; Fox Islands; Four Mountains Islands; Andreanof Islands; Rat Islands; Near Islands; Kommandor Islands; Unimak Island; USA; Russia; data encyclopedia The Aleutian Islands extends latitude from 51°12′35″N to 55°22′14″N and longitude about 32 degrees from 165°45′10″E to 162°21′10″W, it is a chain volcanic islands belonging to both the United States and Russia[1–3] (Figure 1, 2). The islands are formed in the northern part of the Pacific Ring of Fire. They form part of the Aleutian Arc in the Northern Pacific Ocean, extending about 1,900 km westward from the Alaska Peninsula to- ward the Kamchatka Peninsula in Russia, Figure 1 Dataset of Aleutian Islands in .kmz format and mark a dividing line between the Ber- ing Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The islands comprise 6 groups of islands (east to west): the Fox Islands[4–5], islands of Four Mountains[6–7], Andreanof Islands[8–9], Rat Islands[10–11], Near Is- lands[12–13] and Kommandor Islands[14–15].
    [Show full text]
  • Aleutian Islands Management Area Food and Bait Herring Management
    ALEUTIAN ISLANDS MANAGEMENT AREA FOOD AND BAIT HERRING MANAGEMENT PLAN, 1998 By Mark J Witteveen and Rodney D. Campbell Regional Information Report! No. 4K98-8 Alaska Department ofFish and Game Commercial Fisheries Management and Development Division 211 Mission Road Kodiak, Alaska March 1998 'The Regional Information Report Series was established in 1987 to provide an information access system for all unpublished division reports. These reports frequently serve diverse ad hoc informational purposes or archive basic uninterpreted data. To accommodate timely reporting of recently collected information, reports in this series undergo only limited internal review and may contain preliminary data; this information may be subsequently finalized and published in the formal literature. Consequently, these reports should not be cited without prior approval of the author or the Commercial Fisheries Management and Development Division. TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES . LIST OF FIGURES . LIST OF APPENDICES . INTRODUCTION . MANAGEMENT PLAN . 2 Registration Requirements For Fishing Vessels, Tenders, And Processors .. 2 Fishing Periods . 2 Catch Reporting . 2 Fish Tickets . 3 Gillnet And Seine Specifications . 3 Aircraft . 3 Industry and ADF&G Cooperation .. 3 Test Fishing . 3 Aleutian Islands "Dutch Harbor" Commercial Food And Bait Fishery .. 4 Gear Testing . 4 Harvest Projection For The 1998 Fishery .. 4 LITERATURE CITED . 6 TABLES . 7 FIGURES . 9 APPENDIX 13 LIST OF TABLES 1. Aleutian Islands area "Dutch Harbor" food and bait herring fisheries historical summary, 1929-97 7 2. Aleutian Islands area "Dutch Harbor" commercial food and bait herring fishery, including landing date, days fished, preseason Togiak spawning biomass, guideline harvest level, harvest, and number ofvessels, 1981-97................
    [Show full text]