Aspects of Breeding Behavior of the Royal Tern (Sterna Maxima) with Particular Emphasis on Prey Size Selectivity
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TREND NOTE Number 021, October 2012
SCOTTISH NATURAL HERITAGE TREND NOTE Number 021, October 2012 SEABIRDS IN SCOTLAND Prepared by Simon Foster and Sue Marrs of SNH Knowledge Information Management Unit using results from the Seabird Monitoring Programme and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee Scotland has internationally important populations of several seabirds. Their conservation is assisted through a network of designated sites. Figure 1 shows the distribution of the 50 Special Protection Areas (SPA) which have seabirds listed as a feature of interest. The map shows the widespread nature of the sites and the predominance of important seabird areas on the Northern Isles (Orkney and Shetland), where some of our largest seabird colonies are present. The most recent estimate of seabird populations was obtained from Birds of Scotland (Forrester et al., 2007). Table 1 shows the population levels for all seabirds regularly breeding in Scotland. Table 1: Population Estimates for Breeding Seabirds in Scotland. Figure 1: Special Protection Areas for Seabirds Breeding in Scotland. Species* Unit** Estimate Key Points Northern fulmar 486,000 AOS Manx shearwater 126,545 AOS Trends are described for 11 of the 24 European storm-petrel 31,570+ AOS species of seabirds breeding in Leach’s storm-petrel 48,057 AOS Scotland Northern gannet 182,511 AOS Great cormorant c. 3,600 AON Nine have shown sustained declines European shag 21,500-30,000 PAIRS over the past 20 years. Two have Arctic skua 2,100 AOT remained stable. Great skua 9,650 AOT The reasons for the declines are Black headed -
Seabirds? What Seabirds?
Seabirds? What seabirds? An exploratory study into the origin of seabirds visiting the SE North Sea and their survival bottlenecks Mardik F. Leopold Publication date: 23 May 2017 Wageningen Marine Research Den Helder, May 2017 Wageningen Marine Research report C046/17 Mardik F. Leopold, 2016. Seabirds? What seabirds? An exploratory study into the origin of seabirds visiting the SE North Sea and their survival bottlenecks. Den Helder, Wageningen Marine Research (University & Research centre), Wageningen Marine Research report C046/17. Keywords: survival, dispersal, offshore wind farms. Client: Rijkswaterstaat / WVL Attn.: Maarten Platteeuw Zuiderwagenplein 2 8224 AD Lelystad This report can be downloaded, paper copies will not be forwarded https://doi.org/10.18174/416194 Wageningen Marine Research is ISO 9001:2008 certified. © 2017 Wageningen Marine Research Wageningen UR Wageningen Marine Research The Management of Wageningen Marine Research is not responsible for resulting institute of Stichting Wageningen damage, as well as for damage resulting from the application of results or Research is registered in the Dutch research obtained by Wageningen Marine Research, its clients or any claims traderecord nr. 09098104, related to the application of information found within its research. This report BTW nr. NL 806511618 has been made on the request of the client and is wholly the client's property. This report may not be reproduced and/or published partially or in its entirety without the express written consent of the client. A4_3_2_V24 2 -
Sandwich Terns to Isla Rasa, Gulf of California, Mexico, with Our Observations of Single Individuals in 1986 and Again in 2008
NOTES SANDWICH TERNS ON ISLA RASA, GULF OF CALIFORNIA, MEXICO ENRIQUETA VELARDE, Instituto de Ciencias Marinas y Pesquerías, Universidad Veracruzana, Hidalgo 617, Col. Río Jamapa, Boca del Río, Veracruz, México, C.P. 94290; [email protected] MARISOL TORDESILLAS, Álvaro Obregón 549, Col. Poblado Alfredo V. Bonfi l, Cancún, Quintana Roo, México, C.P. 77560; [email protected] In North America the Sandwich Tern (Thalasseus sandvicensis) breeds locally along marine coasts and offshore islands primarily of the southeastern United States and Caribbean (AOU 1998). In these areas it commonly nests in dense colonies of the Royal Tern (T. maximus) and Laughing Gull (Leucophaeus atricilla; Shealer 1999). It winters along the coasts of the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from Florida to the West Indies, more rarely as far south as southern Brazil and Uruguay. It also winters on the Pacifi c coast, mainly from Oaxaca, Mexico, south to Panama (Howell and Webb 1995), occasionally to Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru (AOU 1998). As there are no breeding colonies on the Pacifi c coast, all birds wintering there are believed to represent migrants from Atlantic and Caribbean colonies (Collins 1997, Hilty and Brown 1986, Ridgely 1981, Ridgely and Greenfi eld 2001). Sandwich Terns have occasionally wandered as far north as eastern Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland) and inland to Minnesota, Michigan, and Illinois (AOU 1998, Clapp et al. 1983). In the Pacifi c vagrants are known from California and the Hawaiian Islands (Hamilton et al. 2007, AOU 1998). Here we report vagrancy of Sandwich Terns to Isla Rasa, Gulf of California, Mexico, with our observations of single individuals in 1986 and again in 2008. -
Lady's Island Lake Tern Report 2011
Lady’s Island Lake Tern Report 2011. David Daly, C.J.Wilson & Tony Murray 1 The author and the area ranger, on behalf of the National Parks and Wildlife Service (Department of Arts, Heritage & and the Gaeltacht), wish to acknowledge the support of the landowners and rights holders of Our Ladys Island Lake with the management of the tern conservation project throughout the year. 2 Contents page Site synopsis…………………………………………………………….. 4 Acknowledgements………………………………………………………… 5 Site map…………………………………………………………………… 6 Lady’s Island Tern Report Summary…………………………………………………………………… 7 Methods Preparatory work…………………………………………………………… 8 Vegetation management Predator control…………………………………………………………… 9 Monitoring of disturbance…………………………………………………. 13 Feral Greylag Geese……………………………………………………….. 14 Location of island and colonies Censusing ………………………………………………………………. 15 Water levels……………………………………………………………. 19 Weather…………………………………………………………………. 21 Location of colonies…………………………………………………… 22 Productivity & feeding biology of Roseate & Sandwich terns ………… 23 Species accounts . Black-headed Gulls……………………………………………………… 24 Mediterranean Gulls…………………………………………………….. 27 Common Gulls………………………………………………………….. 30 Sandwich Terns………………………………………………………… 31 Common/Arctic terns…………………………………………………… 37 Little Terns………………………………………………………………. 42 Roseate Terns……………………………………………………………. 43 Other species……………………………………………………………… 51 3 SITE SYNOPSIS SITE NAME: LADY'S ISLAND Site codes SAC: 000704 SPA: 004010 Lady’s Island Lake is situated in the extreme south-east of Ireland and is comprised of a shallow, brackish coastal lagoon separated from the sea by a 200 meter wide sand and shingle barrier. The lake is 3.7 km in length and 1.3 km at its widest, southerly point. The lake and its two islands, Inish and Sgarbheen, are designated Special Protection Areas (SPA), holding internationally important numbers of breeding terns. This site is of high conservation importance, having three habitats which are listed on Annex I of the EU Habitats Directive and one of these (lagoons) with priority status. -
1. Background EAAFP Seabird Species Prioritization Project 2015
Coordinating Seabird Conservation along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway Mayumi SATO1, Yat-Tung YU2, Mark CAREY3, Paul O’NEILL3 1. BirdLife International Tokyo, 2. Hong Kong Bird Watching Society, 3. Department of the Environment, Australian Government [email protected] 1. Background The East Asian-Australasian Flyway Partnership Seabird Working Group East Asian-Australasian Flyway (EAAF) is one of nine major migratory Over 150 seabird species inhabit the EAAF, some which have long trans- routes, extending from arctic Russia and Alaska through South-East and equatorial migration routes while others move at a smaller regional scale. East Asia to Australia and New Zealand. The East Asian-Australasian Although some species have very large populations, many species are Flyway Partnership (EAAFP) was established in 2006 as an informal, declining or are facing a high risk of extinction due to several ongoing voluntary international framework aimed at coordinating the conservation threats at their breeding and wintering sites. To achieve positive for migratory waterbirds and their habitat. conservation outcomes, a joint and equal responsibility for the conservation of seabirds is urgently required across the region. Unfortunately, Partners National governments (17) IGOs (6) conservation, management, education, and research activities for seabirds in International NGOs (10) the EAAF have lacked coordination in terms of objectives, field methods, International private enterprise (1) reporting and information exchange. The EAAFP Seabird -
A Recently Formed Crested Tern (Thalasseus Bergii) Colony on a Sandbank in Fog Bay (Northern Territory), and Associated Predation
Northern Territory Naturalist (2015) 26: 13–16 Short Note A recently formed Crested Tern (Thalasseus bergii) colony on a sandbank in Fog Bay (Northern Territory), and associated predation Christine Giuliano1,2 and Michael L. Guinea1 1 Research Institute for the Environment and Livelihoods, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, NT 0909, Australia. Email: [email protected] 2 60 Station St, Sunbury, VIC 3429, Australia. Abstract A Crested Tern colony founded on a sandbank in northern Fog Bay (Northern Territory) failed in 1996 presumably due to inexperienced nesters. Attempts to breed in the years following were equally unsuccessful until 2012 when the colony was established. In 2014, the rookery comprised at least 1500 adults plus numerous chicks. With the success and growth of the colony, the predators, White-bellied Sea Eagles and Silver Gulls, were quick to capitalise on the new prey. Changes in the species diversity and numbers of the avifauna highlight the dynamic and fragile nature of life on the sandbanks of Fog Bay. Crested Terns (Thalasseus bergii) are the predominant colonial-nesting sea birds in the Northern Territory, with at least five islands supporting colonies of more than 30 000 nesting birds each year (Chatto 2001). These colonies have appeared stable over time with smaller satellite colonies located in the vicinity of the major rookeries. Silver Gulls (Chroicocephalus novaehollandiae) and White-bellied Sea Eagles (Haliaeetus leucogaster) prey heavily on the adults and chicks (Chatto 2001). In December 1989, Guinea & Ryan (1990) documented the avifauna and turtle nesting activity on Bare Sand Island (12°32'S, 130°25'E), a 20 ha sand dune island with low shrubs and a few trees. -
Fish Prey of the Black Skimmer Rynchops Niger at Mar Chiquita, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina
199 FISH PREY OF THE BLACK SKIMMER RYNCHOPS NIGER AT MAR CHIQUITA, BUENOS AIRES PROVINCE, ARGENTINA ROCÍO MARIANO-JELICICH, MARCO FAVERO & MARÍA PATRICIA SILVA Laboratorio de Vertebrados, Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Funes 3250 (B76002AYJ), Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina ([email protected]) Received 13 September 2002, accepted 20 February 2003 SUMMARY MARIANO-JELICICH, R., FAVERO, M. & SILVA, M.P. 2003. Fish prey of the Black Skimmer Rynchops niger at Mar Chiquita, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Marine Ornithology 31: 199-202. We studied the diet of the Black Skimmer Rynchops niger during the non-breeding season (austral summer-autumn 2000) by analyzing 1034 regurgitated pellets from Mar Chiquita, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Fish was the main prey, with five species identified: Odontesthes argentinensis, O. incisa, Anchoa marinii, Engraulis anchoita and Pomatomus saltatrix. O. incisa and O. argentinensis were present in all the sampled months, showing also larger values of occurrence, numerical abundance and importance by mass than other items. The average size of the fish was 73±17 mm in length and 2.2±1.7 g in mass. Significant differences were observed in the comparison of the occurrence, importance by number and by mass throughout the study period. The presence of fish in the diet of the Black Skimmer coincides with a study carried out on the North American subspecies. Our analysis of the diet suggests that skimmers use both estuarine and marine areas when foraging. Keywords: Black Skimmer, Rynchops niger,Argentina, South America, diet INTRODUCTION METHODS Black Skimmers Rynchops niger are known by the morphological Study area characteristics of the bill and their particular feeding technique, We studied the diet of Black Skimmers by analyzing 1034 skimming over the water surface to catch fish and other prey. -
Lowrie, K., M. Friesen, D. Lowrie, and N. Collier. 2009. Year 1 Results Of
2009 Year 1 Results of Seabird Breeding Atlas of the Lesser Antilles Katharine Lowrie, Project Manager Megan Friesen, Research Assistant David Lowrie, Captain and Surveyor Natalia Collier, President Environmental Protection In the Caribbean 200 Dr. M.L. King Jr. Blvd. Riviera Beach, FL 33404 www.epicislands.org Contents INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................................... 3 GENERAL METHODS ............................................................................................................................ 4 Field Work Overview ........................................................................................................................... 4 Water‐based Surveys ...................................................................................................................... 4 Data Recorded ................................................................................................................................. 5 Land‐based Surveys ......................................................................................................................... 5 Large Colonies ................................................................................................................................. 6 Audubon’s Shearwater .................................................................................................................... 7 Threats Survey Method ................................................................................................................. -
First Confirmed Record of Belcher's Gull Larus Belcheri for Colombia with Notes on the Status of Other Gull Species
First confirmed record of Belcher's Gull Larus belcheri for Colombia with notes on the status of other gull species Primer registro confirmado de la Gaviota Peruana Larus belcheri para Colombia con notas sobre el estado de otras especies de gaviotas Trevor Ellery1 & José Ferney Salgado2 1 Independent. Email: [email protected] 2 Corporación para el Fomento del Aviturismo en Colombia. Abstract We present photographic records of a Belcher's Gull Larus belcheri from the Colombian Caribbean region. These are the first confirmed records of this species in the country. Keywords: new record, range extension, gull, identification. Resumen Presentamos registros fotograficos de un individuo de la Gaviota Peruana Larus belcheri en la region del Caribe de Colombia. Estos son los primeros registros confirmados para el país. Palabras clave: Nuevo registro, extensión de distribución, gaviota, identificación. Introduction the Pacific Ocean coasts of southern South America, and Belcher's Gull or Band-tailed Gull Larus belcheri has long Olrog's Gull L. atlanticus of southern Brazil, Uruguay and been considered a possible or probable species for Argentina (Howell & Dunn 2007, Remsen et al. 2018). Colombia, with observations nearby from Panama (Hilty & Brown 1986). It was first listed for Colombia by Salaman A good rule of thumb for gulls in Colombia is that if it's not et al. (2001) without any justification or notes, perhaps on a Laughing Gull Leucophaeus atricilla, then it's interesting. the presumption that the species could never logically have A second good rule of thumb for Colombian gulls is that if reached the Panamanian observation locality from its it's not a Laughing Gull, you are probably watching it at Los southern breeding grounds without passing through the Camarones or Santuario de Fauna y Flora Los Flamencos, country. -
An Exploratory Study Into the Origin of Seabirds Visiting the SE North Sea and Their Survival Bottlenecks
Seabirds? What seabirds? An exploratory study into the origin of seabirds visiting the SE North Sea and their survival bottlenecks Mardik F. Leopold Publication date: 23 May 2017 Wageningen Marine Research Den Helder, May 2017 Wageningen Marine Research report C046/17 Mardik F. Leopold, 2016. Seabirds? What seabirds? An exploratory study into the origin of seabirds visiting the SE North Sea and their survival bottlenecks. Den Helder, Wageningen Marine Research (University & Research centre), Wageningen Marine Research report C046/17. Keywords: survival, dispersal, offshore wind farms. Client: Rijkswaterstaat / WVL Attn.: Maarten Platteeuw Zuiderwagenplein 2 8224 AD Lelystad This report can be downloaded, paper copies will not be forwarded https://doi.org/10.18174/416194 Wageningen Marine Research is ISO 9001:2008 certified. © 2017 Wageningen Marine Research Wageningen UR Wageningen Marine Research The Management of Wageningen Marine Research is not responsible for resulting institute of Stichting Wageningen damage, as well as for damage resulting from the application of results or Research is registered in the Dutch research obtained by Wageningen Marine Research, its clients or any claims traderecord nr. 09098104, related to the application of information found within its research. This report BTW nr. NL 806511618 has been made on the request of the client and is wholly the client's property. This report may not be reproduced and/or published partially or in its entirety without the express written consent of the client. A4_3_2_V24 2 -
Nest Spacing in Elegant Terns: Hexagonal Packing Revisited Charles T
WESTERN BIRDS Volume 39, Number 2, 2008 NEST SPACING IN ELEGANT TERNS: HEXAGONAL PACKING REVISITED CHARLES T. COLLINS and MICHAEL D. TAYLOR, Department of Biological Sci- ences, California State University, Long Beach, California 90840 (current address of Taylor: Santiago Canyon College, 8045 East Chapman Ave., Orange, California 92869); [email protected] ABSTRACT: Within an important breeding colony in southern California, Elegant Terns (Thalasseus elegans) nest in one to several tightly packed clusters. Inter-nest distances within these clusters average 31.2 cm. This value is less than that reported for the larger-bodied Royal Tern (T. maximus) and Great Crested Tern (T. bergii). For Elegant Terns, the modal number of adjacent nests was six (range 5–7). This type of nest arrangement has been previously described as hexagonal packing and now appears to be typical of all Thalasseus terns for which data are available. Many seabirds nest in large, often traditional, colonies (Coulson 2002, Schreiber and Burger 2002). The ontogeny of annual colony formation has been reviewed by Kharitonov and Siegel-Causey (1988), and the evolution- ary processes which have led to coloniality have been considered by a number of authors (Lack 1968, Fischer and Lockley 1974, Wittenburger and Hunt 1985, Siegel-Causey and Kharitonov 1990, Coulson 2002). Seabird colonies may be rather loosely organized aggregations of breeding pairs of one to several species at a single site. At the other extreme, they may be dense, tightly packed, largely monospecific clusters where distances between nests are minimal. A graphic example of the latter is the dense clustering of nests recorded for several species of crested terns (Buckley and Buckley 1972, 2002, Hulsman 1977, Veen 1977, Symens and Evans 1993, Burness et al. -
Mute Swan (Cygnus Olor) ERSS
Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) Ecological Risk Screening Summary U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, February 2011 Revised, November 2018, March 2019 Web Version, 8/16/2019 Photo: Nolasco Diaz. Licensed under CC BY-SA. Available: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cisne_por_la_noche.jpg. (11/28/2018). 1 Native Range and Status in the United States Native Range According to GISD (2018), Cygnus olor is native to Australia, Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Europe, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Korea, Democratic People's Republic Of Korea, Republic Of Latvia, Lithuania, Republic Of Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russian Federation, Serbia And Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom. 1 From BirdLife International (2018): “NATIVE Extant (breeding) Kazakhstan; Mongolia; Russian Federation (Eastern Asian Russia); Turkmenistan Extant (non-breeding) Afghanistan; Armenia; Cyprus; Iran, Islamic Republic of; Iraq; Korea, Republic of; Kyrgyzstan; Spain Extant (passage) Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Extant (resident) Albania; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Croatia; Czech Republic; Greece; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Liechtenstein; Luxembourg; Macedonia, the former Yugoslav Republic of; Montenegro; Netherlands; Russian Federation; Serbia; Slovenia; Switzerland; Turkey; United Kingdom Extant Bosnia and Herzegovina; Bulgaria; China; Denmark; Estonia; Finland;