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The Numbers and Distribution of the Great Skua Stercorarius Skua Breeding in Iceland 1984-1985

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The Numbers and Distribution of the Great Skua Stercorarius Skua Breeding in Iceland 1984-1985 ISSN 0365-4850 The numbers and distribution of the Great Skua Stercorarius skua breeding in Iceland 1984-1985 Lars Chr. Lund-Hansen Peter Lange ICELANDIC MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY Reykjavik 1991 ACfA NATIJRALIA ISLANDICA PUBLISHED BY THE ICELANDIC MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY (NA'rrURUFRAEDISTOFNUN ISLANDS) The Museum published two volumes of Acta Naturalia Islandica in the period 1946-1971, altogether 20 issues. From 1972 each paper has appeared under its own serial number, start­ ing with no. 21. ACTA NATURALIA ISLANDICA contains orginal articles dealing with the botany, geo­ logy, and zoology of Iceland. ACTA NATURALIA ISLANDICA is published preferably in English, and appears at ir­ regular intervals. ACTA NATURALIA ISLANDICA may be obtained: 1) on basis of institutional exchange from the Icelandic Museum of Natural History, P.O. Box 5320, 125 Reykjavik, Iceland. 2) by purchase (including mailing costs) from B6kaverslun Sigfusar Eymundssonar Austurstraeti 18, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland. EDITORIAL BOARD: Sveinn P. Iakobsson (ed.) Erling Olafsson Eyth6r Einarsson ODDI hf. The numbers and distribution of the Great Skua Stercorarius skua breeding in Iceland 1984-1985 Lars Chr. Lund-Hansen Peter Lange Institute of Geology, Jeksenvej 108, University of Aarhus, DK-8464 Galten, Denmark Ny Munkegade, DK-8000 Aarhus C, Denmark Abstract. The breeding population of the Great Skua Stercorarius slaw in Iceland was censused in the sum­ mers of 1984 and 1985. It numbered about 5400 pairs, which is about 42% of the entire North Atlantic pop­ ulation. The survey was based on the line-transect technique, but two outwash plains, together 1000 km2 in area, were covered from an aeroplane. The importance of the distribution of the colonies is discussed in re­ lation to factors which may influence this. Other species of birds breeding in the Great Skua colonies are listed. 2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION .............................................................. 3 METHODS.................................................................... 3 RESULTS..................................................................... 4 COLONY DESCRIPTIONS 5 AREAS SURVEYED BUT WITHOUT NESTING GREAT SKUAS 13 OTHER BIRD SPECIES ......... 13 DISCUSSION.................................................................. 14 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS...................................................... 15 REFERENCES ................................................................. 16 3 known and potential breeding sites of the INTRODUCTION Great Skua in Iceland. This very helpful in­ The Great Skua Stercorarius skua breeds in formation was supplemented with a study of the Shetlands, Orkneys, Outer Hebrides and the literature. Whenever work was started at a other Scottish islands, on the Faroes and in presumed breeding site, a contact was made Iceland. It also breeds irregularly on the Scot­ with the local farmers for detailed information. tish mainland (Cramp & Simmons 1983), and a They turned out to be extremely well informed few pairs in Norway, Spitsbergen, and on Bear about the breeding distribution, but they al­ Island (Vader 1980). most always overestimated the number of Censuses have been made of almost all the pairs. major breeding colonies in the world (Evans The study was basically a one-visit census 1984, Furness 1986). Iceland, though being the based on the line-transect technique. Breeding second most important area next to the Shet­ pairs of the Great Skua react violently to any lands, was the main exception. An estimate of interference by diving and attacking the in­ the breeding population was made by Gud­ truder, which makes breeding pairs easy to de­ mundsson (1954), but opinion has been divided tect on a line-transect (Fig. 1). The territories on whether the population was increasing or of Great Skuas were searched for eggs or declining (Dickens 1964, Bjornsson 1976). Cen­ chicks, when adult birds were present in the sus in Iceland was thus much needed so that a colonies, without showing any aggressive beha­ complete up-to-date picture of the size of the viour. Great Skua breeding population in all of the The breeding colonies were traversed by North Atlantic, would be available. walking and breeding pairs plotted on maps. It seemed particularly interesting to study The distance between transects varied from 50 the topography of the breeding grounds, since to 300 m, depending on local conditions, vis­ in Iceland, the Great Skuas primarily breed on ibility, and the density of breeding pairs. We large open fluvio-glacial plains, in contrast to have no quantitative information on territory their moorland breeding habitat in Shetland size in Iceland, but in general the radius of ter­ and Faroes. The census also provided an op­ ritories was bigger than the 50 m recorded in portunity to study the feeding ecology of the Shetland by Furness (pers. comm.). Notes species. This last part of the study is reported were taken on the vegetation and topography, on elsewhere (Hansen & Lange, in prep.). as well as other species of birds observed in the breeding areas of the skuas. At a few sites, especially on small inacces- METHODS The distribution of the Great Skua breeding colonies in Iceland is fairly well known (Tim­ mermann 1949, Gudmundsson 1954, Bjornsson 1976). The main grounds are the fluvio-glacial outwash plains of the southeast. There are also minor colonies along the southern and south­ western coasts, and a few along the eastern and northern shores. In 1982 a single pair was found breeding 120 km from the coast, at Thj6rsarver in central Iceland (Thorleifsson 1983), but breeding so far inland is reckoned to be quite exceptional. Aevar Petersen of the Icelandic Museum of Fig. 1. Working with Great Skuas. 6xarfjordur, July Natural History provided maps showing the 1984. Photo: Peter Lange. 4 sible islands in rivers, a telescope (25 x 60) was used to observe the parents feeding their chicks, chicks walking around, etc. which of course, gives some uncertainty. Such colonies were, however, small. The big fluvio-glacial plains of Skeidan'ir­ sandur and Brunasandur, with a combined ar­ 2 ea of about 1000 km , were covered by an aeroplane. The glacial rivers constantly change their course, which make maps inaccurate, and many areas are inaccessible by foot. The aerial survey was carried out on 19 July 1985. Great Skuas reacted to a low-flying aeroplane in the I 100 KM I same way as they do to ground intruders. The birds flew up and around in the territories, Pairs making it easy to detect and count the pairs. • 1-50 • 51-100 The plane was hired at Vfk and the pilot had a • 101-300 • 1000-1500 good knowledge of local conditions. By 19 July Fig. 2. The distribution and size of Great Skua co­ quite a few pairs will have failed breeding, but lonies in Iceland 1984-85. we have no data on this point. The aerial survey was started east of Ing6lfs­ hafdi, and we flew due north on a straight line to the Skeidan'irjakull glacier. There we turned At nearly all colonies pellets regurgitated by southwest, starting on a series of parallel tran­ Great SImas were collected. Corpses of all sects 25 km long and 1.5 km apart. The plane dead birds taken by Great Skuas were identi­ flew at a height of 45-60 m, at a speed of 100­ fied. Outer primary feathers from adult Great 130 km/h. Skua corpses were collected for later heavy We do not think many territories were over­ metal analysis (cf. Furness et al. 1986). looked in the aerial survey although transects It took us two summers to cover all the colo­ were 1.5 km apart. In order to test the aerial nies. In the summer of 1984 we stayed in Ice­ survey results, the area between Salthafdi and land from 21 June to 19 July, covering the east the river R6la (in Oraefi), was covered both coast from Oxarfjardur in the north to Rafn in by plane (600-650 pairs) and by land-based the south. In the summer of 1985 the area be­ line-transects (660-730 pairs). It is assumed tween Reykjanes in the west and Rafn in the that the average of the land transect (695 east was covered between 27 June and 1 Au­ pairs) is nearer the true value. Since the aerial gust. survey results were 9% lower, all these figures have been adjusted accordingly. When making a census of breeding Great Skuas it is possible to overestimate the number RESULTS of breeding pairs by recording non-breeding In Table 1, the estimated number of breed­ territory holders (Cramp, Bourne & Saunders ing pairs in each colony, the approximate sizes 1974). To solve this problem a test was carried of the breeding areas, and the number of pairs/ 2 out at nearly all colonies. All pairs in a repre­ km , are given. Fig. 2 shows the breeding dis­ sentative part of the colony were counted, and tribution of the Great SIma in Iceland, with an all nests, eggs and chicks were recorded to ob­ indication of the size of the colonies. tain a figure of the number of non-breeding Fig. 3 shows the regions in Iceland covered territory holders. This figure was then used to by Maps I-XI, which give the location of the adjust the totals for the entire colony. The Great Skua colonies in more detail. Place number of non-breeding pairs holding territo­ names are also given as further help in localiz­ ries varied between 5 and 10%, so the average ing the colonies. of 7% was deducted from the air survey data A total of 23 separate colonies were identi­ from Skeidararsandur and Brunasandur. fied, containing from 35 to 1418 pairs each. 5 Some of these colonies were divided into smaller sub-colonies. Great Skuas are known COLONY DESCRIPTIONS to have bred at one additional locality. It was 1. Hafnasandur. Map 1. sometimes difficult to determine, whether two 10-12 pairs. 1-2 July 1985. close-lying colonies were one or two colonies. Notes were also made on the vegetation and The colony is south of Keflavik, between basic topographic features of the areas.
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