Distribution and Foraging Behaviour of Wintering Western Grebes

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Distribution and Foraging Behaviour of Wintering Western Grebes DISTRIBUTION AND FORAGING BEHAVIOUR OF WINTERING WESTERN GREBES by James S. Clowater BSc., University of Victoria, 1993 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in the Department of Biological Sciences O James S. Clowater 1998 SMON FRASER UNIVERSITY November 1998 Al1 rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. National Library Bibliothèque nationale (*m of Canada du Canada Acquisitions and Acquisitions et Bibliographie Services services bibliographiques 395 Wellington Street 395. rue Wellington Ottawa ON KIA ON4 Ottawa ON K1A ON4 Canada Canada Your filo Vorre réfirence Our file Nofie refdrence The author has granted a non- L'auteur a accordé une licence non exclusive licence allowing the exclusive permettant à la National Library of Canada to Bibliothèque nationale du Canada de reproduce, loan, disûibute or sell reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou copies of this thesis in microform, vendre des copies de cette thèse sous paper or electronic formats. la fome de microfiche/^, de reproduction sur papier ou sur format électronique. The author retains ownership of the L'auteur conserve la propriété du copyright in this thesis. Neither the droit d'auteur qui protège cette thèse. thesis nor substantial extracts fiom it Ni la thèse ni des extraits substantiels may be printed or othenivise de celle-ci ne doivent être imprimés reproduced without the author's ou autrement reproduits sans son pemission. autorisation. The Western Grebe, Aechmophorus occidentalis, is a species which breeds mainly in the prairie regions of Canada and the United States and winters on the Pacific Coast. Little is hown of its distribution and behaviour during this period on coastal marine waters. I studied the seasonal distribution, the diurnal distribution, and the foraging behaviour of Western Grebes off southern Vancouver Island. 1 found that Western Grebes arrive in Saanich Inlet in late August and remain until mid May. Excluding migratory transients, coastai populations reach peak numbers in mid winter. Seasonal changes in flock numbers appear to be the result of both transitional migrants as well as birds that disperse to adjacent foraging areas. This research is the first to show that wintering Western Grebes are nocturnal predators. Roosting flocks disperse at dusk to take advantage of vertically migrating prey that is available in surface waters at night. In daytime Western Grebes form large roosting flocks as an anti-predator defense whiie resting. While noctumal foraging is not an unusual strategy among birds, it is most unusual for a bird that specializes on pelagic fish as prey. How can birds find such cryptic elusive prey in darkness? 1 suggest that Western Grebes may use ambient marine bioluminescence to locate and capture prey. This mechanism of prey capture has not previously been suggested for birds and may explain how grebes can take advmtage of the increased abundance of fish in the surface waters at night. iii Clouds must be douds always, even if they've not decided what to be at all, and trees trees, stones stones, unnoticed, the magic power of anything is gone. .. (Purdy 1972) 1 thank Dr. Fred Cooke for his help and support on this project as well as my cornmittee mernbers, Dr. Ron Ydenberg, Dr. Bob Elner, and Dr. Glen Jamieson. The research was funded by a NSERC PSGA awarded to James Clowater and by operating grants to Dr. Fred Cooke and the CWS/NSERC Wildlife Ecology Chair at Simon Fraser University. 1 am thankful to Dr. Larry Dill for showing me the value of teaching and mentoring, his sense of humour, and his appreciation fur the grandeur of nature. I am particularly indebted to the many volunteers that helped Uri the field work much of which would not have been possible without their assistance. A special thanks to Ken Harris who was persistent in his tolerance of both me and the cold winter days on Saanich Inlet. VOLUNTEERS Richard Anderson Mauxecn Mitcheu Mike Bentley Daniel Ney James Burns Jim Phillips Jane Calvert Cathy Reader Meghan Graham Karen Reid Risa Handler Diane Richardson Ken Harris Pam Rutherford Pam HengeveId Carol Sewell Miranda Hoekstra Andrew Seweli Jenifer Hoffman Brandy Smaii Dalia Huil Jeff Stevens Steven JuU Karen Truman Robyn Itidd Nicole Tunstdi PatQ May Lawson Arlene Yaworsky Diana McBratney Kerry Zibin SCIENTIFIC CONSULTANTS AND CONTRIBUTORS Sean Boyd (CWSJ Paul Hendford (UWO) DougYelland (10s) Alan Burger (UVIC) Doug Hay (pw C.F.B. Esquimalt (DND) Rob Butler ww Dave Mackas (10s) Jim Coldweli (10s) Clara Clowater-Francis Er1 McIsaac (PBS) Fred isba Mill Bay Marina Larry D~U (SFU) Mike McNaU (RBCM) Dale Mumford (PARKS) Warrin Drennin (Aquatic Science) Gary Neuchterlein Malahat Band Bnan Emmett (Archipelago) Ian Peny (PBS) Ann Eriksson Theunis Piersma (NIOZ) Rod Forbes (10s) Monique Wilson (USFWS) TABLE OF CONTENTS .. APPROVAL ...................................................................................... il ... AB STRACT ..................................................................................... 111 DEDICATION .................................................................................. iv ACKNO WLEDGMENTS ......................................................................v TABLE OF CONTENTS ......................................................................vi ... LIST OF FIGURES ............................................................................vu1 LIST OF TABLES ...............................................................................x GEFERAL INTRODUCTION ................................................................1 CHAPTER 1 - SEASONAL DISTRIBUTTTON .....................................4 INTRODUCTION..................................................................... -4 METHODS .............................................................................. 6 Study site. ................................................................................ 6 Seasonal distribution surveys......................................................... 7 Analysis: ................................................................................ -9 RESULTS ..............................................................................10 Seasonal distribution surveys: ....................................................... 10 DISCUSSION .......................................................................... 16 CHAPTER 2 - DIURl!J;4L DISTRIBUTION AND FLOCKING ..............21 INTRODUCTION .................................................................... 21 METHODS ...........................................................................-23 Shidy site. .............................................................................-23 Diurnal distribution sweys: ........................................................ 23 Behavioral observations. ............................................................25 Analysis :.............................................................................. 25 RESULTS Figure 1. Wintering and breeding range of the Western Grebe in North America.......................................... 1 Figure 2. Map showing the location of the study site on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. ...................-6 Figure 3. Map showing location of seasonal distribution surveys off southern Vancouver Island. ................ 8 Figure 4. Roost flock locations off southern Vancouver Island. .................................................................. 9 Figure 5. Mean monthly nurnber of Westem Grebes in the Saanich Inlet flock based on weekly surveys. Error bars are standard deviation of the mean. Data for 1986 are fiom Morgan (1989). .....................1 O Figure 6. Changes in numbers of Westem Grebes at 6 sites in British Columbia. Numbers of grebes are scaled to per cent of maximum observed at each site. Okanagan data fiom Cannings et al. (1 987), Boundary Bay data fiom Fred Cooke (unpublished data), Saanich Inlet (this study), Northeast coast Vancouver Island data fiom Campbell et al. (1990), Albemi Inlet data fiom Vermeer and Morgan (1992), and West Coast Estuaries data fiom Vermeer et al. (1992). ................................................. 1 1 Figure 7. Comparative arriva1 times, departure tirnes, and duration of roosting flocks off southern Vancouver Island. ...............................................................................................................................-13 Figure 8. Changes in numbers of grebes in the Saanich Inlet flock compared to changes in the total number of grebes in Saanich Iniet plus adjacent flocks ........................ .........................................................13 Figure 9. Three scenarios to mode1 changes in numbers of birds censused at a coastal wintering location. A) Birds migrate directly to a specific wintering site with no mermigration or dispersal into areas outside of the census. B) Birds migrate to the wintering site and then sorne birds disperse into adjacent areas (not censused). There is no migration through the site. C) Birds migrate into the site and then some disperse outside of the censused area, plus a further 500 birds that migrate through and are counted in the spring and faH. ........................................................................................................14 Figure 10. Site plan showing the location of diurnal distribution surveys conducted in both 199411995 (solid line) and in 199511996 (dotted
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