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5 Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle Inventory and Stewardship in the Columbia Basin (2007-2008)

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5 Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle Inventory and Stewardship in the Columbia Basin (2007-2008) 5 Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle Inventory and Stewardship in the Columbia Basin (2007-2008) Prepared for: Fish & Wildlife Compensation Program Suite 103, 333 Victoria St., Nelson, BC V1L 4K3 Prepared by: Marlene M. Machmer Pandion Ecological Research Ltd. 532 Park St., Nelson, BC V1L 2G9 March 2008 Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle Inventory & Stewardship in the Columbia Basin EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report describes year six of a Great Blue Heron inventory and stewardship project completed in the Columbia Basin from April 2007 to March 2008. This project was intended to provide resource management agencies and the public with updated information on heron breeding distribution, population trends and habitat use in the Columbia Basin, and to promote habitat stewardship and conservation efforts directed at this blue-listed species. Increasing rates of heron nest failure and abandonment attributed to eagle disturbance in 2005-2006 prompted the initiation of bald eagle nest surveys in key heron breeding areas. The latter surveys were initiated in 2006 and expanded in 2007 by soliciting eagle nest sighting information from the public for follow-up during the breeding season. Bald eagle survey data provide a benchmark for the basin and permit a preliminary evaluation of eagle population trends and distributions in relation to critical heron habitats. Project objectives in 2007 were to: (1) monitor breeding locations and productivity of heron colonies within the Columbia Basin; (2) continue with stewardship follow-up activities at selected heron breeding sites in cooperation with the Nature Conservancy of Canada; (3) document productivity of eagle nests identified in the Creston Valley and Columbia Wetlands surveys in spring 2007; (4) co-ordinate a bald eagle nest sighting program targeting the spring 2007 nesting season; and (5) provide a summary report of activities and two databases capturing heron nest data from 2002-2007 and eagle nest data for 2006-2007. Biologists spent 195 hours (24.4 person-days) conducting heron and eagle field surveys in the Columbia Basin. Sixteen active heron breeding sites (12 in the East Kootenay and 4 in the West Kootenay) were confirmed, including 6 new sites and 10 known from previous years. A total of 341 active heron nests (170 in the West Kootenay and 171 in the East Kootenay) were counted, and active sites had from 1–45 nest trees (mean ± SE = 10.0 ± 2.9) and 1–129 active nests (mean ± SE = 21.3 ± 8.0). The total number of active nests has increased during the six years (2002-2007) of monitoring, whereas the number of active sites has generally been decreasing. However in 2007, six new breeding sites were found and three previous sites were no longer used, bringing the total number back up to 16, comparable to the maximum number counted in 2002. As in previous years, five large colonies with >20 active nests each accounted for 78% of all active heron nests in the basin. Based on a sub-sample of visible nests, rates of reproductive success in 2007 averaged 2.18 ± 0.43 chicks per active nest (n = 180) and 2.76 ± 0.36 chicks per successful nest (n = 132). Overall reproductive success was greater in 2007 than in any other year of monitoring, in part because all of the new breeding sites produced young. Also, large colonies in the East Kootenay that have been active and then consistently abandoned due to eagle harassment in past years (e.g., Parson, Wilmer) were not used in 2007. Hence, active nest and site failure rates were lower than in previous years (i.e., 27% and 6% of all active nests and sites failed, respectively). Only the Wasa breeding site was confirmed active and then abandoned in 2007. Eagle harassment may have been a factor, although this could not be conclusively determined. Eagle incursions were confirmed at the Leach Lake and Dutch Creek rookeries, and at the new Ft. Steele, St. Mary’s River and Parson Shrub breeding sites. Observations of herons building nests in shrubs and suffering considerable eagle harassment suggest localized eagle impacts are occurring. Pandion Ecological Research Ltd./page ii Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle Inventory & Stewardship in the Columbia Basin Active and historical breeding sites were located mainly in drier biogeoclimatic variants from 0 – 1,300 m (mean ± SE of 151.4 ± 39.4 m) away from water bodies. Closest water bodies included wetland complexes (37.5%), rivers (27.5%), small lakes (10%), large creeks (10%), reservoirs (10%) and large lakes (5%). Breeding sites were in mature (70.7%), young (17.1%), old forest (9.8%) and pole-sapling (2.4%) structural stages and tended to have higher levels of crown closure (59.1 ± 3.1%), although a broad range was observed (25–93%). Nest stands were characterized as either pure coniferous (46.3%), cottonwood deciduous (48.8%), or mixed (4.8%), and mainly live trees of large diameter (mean ± SE = 58.5 ± 1.9 cm dbh) and height (27.6.0 ± 0.7 m) were used for nesting. Approximately two thirds (68.8%) of active heron breeding sites in the Columbia Basin are located on private land, with the remainder on crown land (18.8%) and in provincial wildlife management areas (12.5%). These results emphasize the need to promote stewardship efforts and work cooperatively with private landowners to protect heron breeding habitat and minimize disturbance at active sites. Stewardship activities conducted in 2007/2008 included: (1) ongoing liaison, provision of annual reports/data, and updates on local inventory, monitoring and stewardship activities to relevant regional, provincial and federal land management agencies, (2) provision of a stewardship information package and additional support to Nature Conservancy of Canada staff, (3) completion of the site visits, layout, mapping and application process for two Wildlife Habitat Areas on crown lands; (4) written follow-up with selected landowners, managers, neighbors, developers, municipal and regional district representatives to provide them with background information or to address issues of concern for specific breeding sites; and (5) to raise concerns and promote greater awareness and protection of herons and their habitat. Site-specific stewardship activities completed or underway in 2007/2008 are itemized in Appendix 4 with a summary of management concerns, recommendations and priority rankings for further actions. A total of 66 bald eagle nests (31 in the West; 35 in the East Kootenay, respectively), including 60 active nests were documented during 2007 ground-based surveys. The numbers of known eagle nests has increased substantially since 2006, when 43 total nests were counted. This increase is attributed to the greater survey effort expended in 2007, and to the eagle nest sighting information provided by the public. The only portions of the basin where survey effort has been relatively consistent from 2006-2007 is in the Creston Valley and Columbia Wetlands Wildlife Management Areas. Comparing these two areas, there does seem to be an increase in the total number of nests, especially in relation to data from previous surveys. These differences provide some support for increased eagle breeding populations. Of 60 active eagle nests, 45 (75%) were successful, 13 (21.7 %) failed, and 2 (3.3%) nests had unknown outcomes. Productivity was estimated at 1.62 ± 0.11 young per active nest (n = 58) and 1.74 ± 0.9 young per successful nest (n= 27), based on a visible sub-sample. These estimates are considered relatively high when compared to nearby jurisdictions, and suggest healthy growing populations. Of the eagle nest trees (64 visible), 81.3% were in black cottonwood (42 live; 10 dead) and the remaining 18.7% were in various conifer tree species (7 live; 5 dead). General and site-specific recommendations for inventory, management and stewardship are provided, within the context of eagle populations and various other stressors influencing herons and their habitat within the Columbia Basin. Community presentations will on the results of this project will be delivered in spring 2008. Pandion Ecological Research Ltd./page iii Great Blue Heron and Bald Eagle Inventory & Stewardship in the Columbia Basin TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY .............................................................................................................. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS............................................................................................................... iv LIST OF TABLES......................................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................................. v 1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND .................................................................................1 1.1 Project Objectives ...............................................................................................................2 1.2 Study Area ..........................................................................................................................2 2.0 METHODS ..............................................................................................................................2 2.1 Heron Breeding Survey and Monitoring of Productivity ......................................................2 2.1.1 Assessment of Nesting Activity ....................................................................................2
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