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Surf Scoter (Melanitta Perspicillata) Survey Stanley Park 1999-2000

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Surf Scoter (Melanitta Perspicillata) Survey Stanley Park 1999-2000 Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) Survey Stanley Park 1999-2000 Prepared for: Daniel J. Catt, Wildlife Management Instructor British Columbia Institute of Technology Burnaby, BC & Dr. Sean Boyd, Research Biologist Canadian Wildlife Service Delta, BC Prepared by: Christine Williams, student Fish, Wildlife, Management Technology i Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000 Stanley Park _______________________________________________________________________________ British Columbia Institute of Technology Summary The Stanley Park Surf Scoter Survey was made possible through a co-operative arrangement between the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). The purpose of the study was to document the distribution and abundance of Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata) observed along the Stanley Park foreshore in Vancouver, British Columbia from October 1999 to April 2000. An oil spill occurring on November 24, 1999 gave the survey another objective in the form of monitoring the effects of the spill on the distribution and abundance of Surf Scoter that utilise the foreshore of Stanley Park as wintering habitat. The Stanley Park foreshore sees large concentrations of wintering Surf Scoters from late October to April/May. The rocky shoreline, extensive mussels beds and combination of winds and tide make the foreshore an important habitat for Surf Scoters. Data were gathered and analysed from November 3, 1999 to April 15, 2000 to document the following: • Trends in the abundance and distribution of Surf Scoter throughout the wintering season • Observer variability in data collection • Tidal influence on Surf Scoter abundance and distribution • Sex ratios of Surf Scoter observed along the Stanley Park foreshore The results of the data analysis show the following: • Distribution: The Stanley Park foreshore was not utilised uniformly by Surf Scoters throughout the survey period. Certain areas of the foreshore were favoured more than others. The distribution of Surf Scoter varied throughout the survey period. Zones that were heavily used in fall saw little Surf Scoter utilisation towards the end of the survey in the spring. This is thought to have been due to the depletion of food sources. • Abundance: The number of Surf Scoter utilising the Stanley Park foreshore varied greatly throughout the 1999-2000 wintering season, arriving in late October and remaining until the end of April. The greatest number of Surf Scoter were observed in early November and then again in the beginning of March. This is thought to be due to the utilisation of the Stanley Park foreshore as a resting spot for Surf Scoters as they migrate south in fall, or back to the northern breeding grounds in the spring. Fluctuations in the wintering population were thought to have been due to movements of birds in and out of the survey area. Two canola oil spills occurred in Burrard Inlet during the survey period. The first occurred on November 24, 1999 and the second occurred on February 11, 2000. Numbers recorded during the first survey after the first spill showed significantly lower numbers than recorded ii Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000 Stanley Park _______________________________________________________________________________ in previous surveys. Numbers started to stabilise and in January were comparable to numbers observed by Rotinsky in the Stanley Park Survey, 1998-1999. The second oil spill was not as extensive and did not appear to have had a significant impact on numbers of Surf Scoter around the foreshore. • Observer Variance: On the day chosen for testing, the observers encountered only one large flock of Surf Scoter. The counts made by each observer varied significantly and may have been caused by some of the flock dispersing before the second observer arrived. Because of this, discussion of observer bias is limited. • Tidal Influence: A greater number of Surf Scoter were observed during the period +/- 1.5 hours from high tide than during the period when the tide was decreasing toward low tide. Distribution of Surf Scoter did not show significant differences with changing tide. • Sex Ratios: The male to female ratio averaged over the survey was 1.5:1. The average proportion of males, females and juveniles in flocks was calculated to be 52%, 39% and 9%, respectively. It is recommended that another year of study under the supervision of the CWS and BCIT be completed. Another season using similar methodology would be useful for comparative purposes. iii Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000 Stanley Park _______________________________________________________________________________ Acknowledgments The Stanley Park Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000, was supported by the Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) and the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT). Without their assistance, this study would not have been possible. I would also like to acknowledge and thank Sean Boyd, CWS, and Daniel Catt, BCIT, for their guidance and support throughout the project. Brenda Rotinsky should also be recognized for her work done on the Barrow’s Goldeneye Survey, 1998-1999, which lay much of the framework for this survey. Thank you also to Sam Iverson, Simon Fraser University (SFU), for providing me with additional background on Surf Scoters and for setting up the observational format used throughout the survey. And finally, thank you to my brother Stephen, for his help with all things computerized. iv Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000 Stanley Park _______________________________________________________________________________ Table of Contents Summary ii-iii Acknowledgements iv List of Figures vii-viii 1.0 Introduction 1 1.1 Background 1 1.2 Surf Scoter Ecology 2 1.2.1 Range 2 1.2.2 Wintering Habitat 3 1.2.3 Food and Foraging 4 2.0 Study Area 5 2.1 Study Area Location 5 2.2 Study Area Description 7 2.2.1 Stanley Park – Terrestrial Environment 7 2.2.2 Stanley Park - Marine Environment 8 2.3 Survey Zones 9 3.0 Materials and Methods 10 3.1 Materials 10 3.2 Sex and Age Determination 10 3.3 Orthophoto Map 12 3.4 Survey Methods 12 3.4.1 Distribution and Abundance 12 3.4.2 Observer Variance 12 3.4.3 Tidal Influence 12 3.4.4 Sex Ratios 12 3.5 Data Analysis 13 3.5.1 Distribution and Abundance 13 3.5.2 Observer Variance 13 3.5.3 Tidal Influence 13 3.5.4 Sex Ratios 13 4.0 Results and Discussion 14 4.1 Limitations of Survey Techniques 14 4.2 Abundance 15 4.3 Distribution 17 4.4 Observer Variance 19 4.5 Tidal Influence 19 4.6 Sex Ratios 21 5.0 Conclusions 23 v Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000 Stanley Park _______________________________________________________________________________ 6.0 Recommendations 24 References Cited 25 List of Appendices 26 Appendix 1. Distribution and Abundance of Surf Scoter observed along the 27 Stanley Park foreshore from November 3, 1999 to April 16, 2000. Appendix 2: Distribution and abundance of SUSC observed by Sam Iverson 28 and Christine Williams along the Stanley Park foreshore on March 5, 2000 Appendix 3. Stanley Park Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000, tidal influence data 29 collected on Wednesday, January 12, Wednesday, January 26, Wednesday, February 9, 2000. Appendix 4. Averages of male, female and juvenile Surf Scoter and flock sizes 30 observed along the Stanley Park foreshore from November 3, 1999 to April 16, 2000. vi Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000 Stanley Park _______________________________________________________________________________ List of Figures Figure 1: Range of surf scoter in North America 2 Figure 2: Rocky substrate exposed at low tide in zone 51 along the Stanley Park 3 foreshore during the Stanley Park Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000. Figure 3: Cluster of mussels on a rock along the Stanley Park foreshore. 4 Figure 4: Aerial view of Stanley Park, Vancouver, BC. Location of the Stanley Park 5 Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000. Figure 5: Map of Stanley Park shown within the context of the greater Vancouver area. 6 Figure 6: North side of seawall looking west showing zones 56 to 54 with flock of 7 Surf Scoter and Barrow’s Goldeneye. Figure 7: Industrial activity on the north shore, Vancouver, BC opposite Stanley Park. 8 Figure 8: Stanley Park Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000, study area along the Stanley Park 9 foreshore, Vancouver, BC, showing study zone delineations. Figure 9: Adult male Surf Scoter. 10 Figure 10: Adult female Surf Scoter. 10 Figure 11: Male Surf Scoter, first year. 11 Figure 12: Male Surf Scoter, approaching second winter. 11 Figure 13: Around 1,300 Surf Scoter in zone 53 on November 17, 1999 of the Stanley 14 Park Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000. Figure 14: Surf Scoter abundance observed along the Stanley Park foreshore 15 from November 3, 1999 to April 16, 2000. Figure 15: Comparison of monthly average number of Surf Scoter observed along 16 the Stanley Park foreshore, during the 1998-1999 Stanley Park Barrow’s Goldeneye Survey and the 1999-2000 Stanley Park Surf Scoter Survey. vii Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000 Stanley Park _______________________________________________________________________________ Figure 16: Average number of Surf Scoter observed by study zone along the Stanley Park 17 foreshore from November 3, 1999 to April 16, 2000, during the Stanley Park Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000. Figure 17: Average number of Surf Scoter observed in two month increments showing 18 zone use along the Stanley Park foreshore, during the Stanley Park Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000. Figure 18: Total number of Surf Scoter observed by Sam Iverson and Christine Williams 19 along the Stanley Park foreshore, Vancouver, BC, on March 5, 2000. Figure 19: Tidal influence on distribution and abundance of Surf Scoter observed on 20 January 12, 2000. Figure 20: Tidal influence on distribution and abundance of Surf Scoter observed on 20 January 26, 2000. Figure 21: Tidal influence on distribution and abundance of Surf Scoter on 20 February 9, 2000. Figure 22: Monthly averages of male, female and juvenile Surf Scoter observed 21 from November 3, 1999 to April 16, 2000 along the Stanley Park foreshore during the Surf Scoter Survey, 1999-2000.
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