NYC Audubon Harbor Herons Program 34th Annual Survey Wading Bird, Cormorant, and Gull Nesting Activity in 2018

Tod Winston1, Susan Elbin1 1) NYC Audubon Harbor Herons Annual Subcommittee Meeting: Greater NY/NJ Harbor Colonial Waterbirds Working Group

December 12, 2018 Acknowledgements

Study PI: Susan Elbin Numerous collaborators and volunteers: • Fieldwork! Novem Auyeung, Ryan Baker-Urzua, John Burke, Ariel Cordova-Rojas, Georgina Cullman, Susan Elbin, Willis Elkins, Michael Feller, Carla Garcia, Andrew Garn, Stefan Guelly, Dave Kunstler, Marit Larson, Melissa Malloy, Rita McMahon, Kaitlyn Parkins, Ellen Pehek, Don Riepe, Robin Rodier, Lisa Scheppke, Brady Simmons, David Spawn, Alex Summers, Emilio Tobón, Gerardo Vildostegui

• Permits and administration! Dana Filippini, George Frame, Kathy Garofalo, Marit Larson, Joe Pane, Ellen Pehek, Dave Taft

• American Littoral Society/ Guardian • Huckleberry Indians • • Alliance • NJ Audubon • NYC Parks and Recreation • USDA/APHIS • Wild Bird Fund Acknowledgements

NYC Audubon’s Conservation Programs are made possible by the leadership support of the Leon Levy Foundation. Support for the Harbor Herons Nesting Surveys is provided by Elizabeth Woods and Charles Denholm, individual contributions from NYC Audubon’s major donors, and the State Department of Environmental Conservation. Survey Area May 15-June 26, 2018 # of Location Surveyed Date Observers Ownership Sound Goose Island 24 May 4 NYC DPR Huckleberry Island 24 May 5 Huckleberry Indians, Inc. South Brother Island 21 May 10 NYC DPR 21 May 4 NYC DPR U Thant 29 May 3 NYC DPR Arthur - 14 May 2 NYC DPR Prall’s Island 15 June 2 NYC DPR 22 May 2 NYC DPR Lower 20 May 4 NPS 20 May 4 NPS 23 May 6 NPS Jamaica Bay Elders Point East 15 May 6 NPS Elders Point West 30 May 2 NPS Subway Island 15 May 6 NPS Little Egg Marsh 15 May 6 NPS Mainland – Far Rockaway Redfern Houses 28 May 2 NYC Housing Authority Hammels Houses 28 May 2 NYC Housing Authority Mainland – Harmon Cove 26 June 3 Harmon Cove Wading birds of the NY/NJ Harbor Islands Out of 10 historically nesting species of long-legged waders: 7 species observed nesting on 8 of 15 surveyed islands in 2018 1-2 species nesting only only at mainland sites

Black-Crowned Night-Heron, Nycticorax nycticorax Great Egret, Ardea alba Snowy Egret, Egretta thula Glossy Ibis, Plegadis falcinellus Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron, Nyctanassa violacea Little Blue Heron, Egretta caerulea Tricolored Heron, Egretta tricolor Great Blue Heron, Area herodias (Green Heron, Butorides virescens)

Cattle Egret, Bubulcus ibis Other Nesting Species Colonial Nesters Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus

Herring Gull, Larus argentatus

Great Black-Backed Gull, Larus marinus

Common Tern, Sterna hirundo

Single Nesters Waterfowl: Canada Goose, Mute Swan, American Black Duck, Mallard, Gadwall

American Oystercatcher Willet Spotted Sandpiper Passerine sp. Methods

• May 15-June 26, 2018 • Travel to islands by boat • Conduct ground surveys of nesting birds using 1-3 teams of surveyors – One person to record data – One person to observe nest content – One person to navigate through colony • When possible, we identify each nest to species, and record nest content and nesting substrate Results

• Species Profiles • Island Group Trends

http://www.dancingotter.ca Total Islands and 0 7 0 1 1 0 291 605 119 128 444

Mainland 1596

Total Islands 0 3 7 0 1 0 0 291 605 128 255 161 318 444 1479 2093 1014

Other Mainland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 Colonies 51 52 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Red Fern 65 65 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

U Thant Island 56 0 0 0 Isle of Meadows 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Prall's Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Shooter's Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Swinburne Island 51 468 145 0 0 0 0 9 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Little Egg Island 10 371 251 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 48 Subway Island 31 67 288 122 114 335

Elders Point Marsh 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 99 12 19 29 10 60 DATA! West 155 Elders Point Marsh 7 2 0 0 1 6 0 1 0 0 26 27 63 East 160 200 0 0 0 0 0 0 Huckleberry Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Goose Island 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 22 17 69 Mill Rock 14

South Brother 8 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 0 0 87 412 376 Island 130 194 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 73 Hoffman Island 75 55 581 865 103 211 237 Gulls GLIB LBHE TRHE SNEG GRHE GBHE GREG CAEG DCCO BCNH YCNH Unidentified Cormorants HERG Nests HERG GBBG Nests GBBG Total Total Active Wader Wader Nests HERG HERG Adults GBBG Adults GBBG Wader Wader Species Wading Bird Nesting Activity – 1982-2018

Harbor Heron Populations (1982-2018) GREG 2500

2233 CAEG 2115 2000 1982 1892 18491841 1837 1836 1846 1875 1789 1779 SNEG 1742 1725 1655 1624 1560 1519 1516 1500 1467 1479 1439 14401457 1420 BCNH 1355 1367 1268

1217 Nesting Pairs Nesting 1000 9711002 YCNH 909 764 688 LBHE 500 333 GLIB

0

1997 2005 2013 1982 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Black-Crowned Night-Heron

Harbor Heron Populations (1982-2018) GREG 1600 CAEG 1400 1343 SNEG 1200 1211 1091 1089 1092 BCNH 1049 1000 997 1017 1022 932 932 936 YCNH 855 857 854 884 802 817 800 750 781 700 LBHE 645658 600 597 605 Nesting Pairs Nesting 519 554 551 517538552 GLIB 400 366 320 277 GRHE 200 170 TRHE 0

UNID

1982 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Black-Crowned Night-Heron

Great Egret

Harbor Heron Populations (1982-2018) GREG 700

600 CAEG 567 500 498 444 425410 408 SNEG 400 381 361346 345 300 308 265 280 247 Nesting Pairs Nesting 241 YCNH 216215 230 200 206 190 189 166 182 152 136 146 113 108 100 89 48 45 62 48 LBHE

0 5 22

1988 1995 2002 2009 1982 1985 1986 1987 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Great Egret

Snowy Egret

Harbor Heron Populations (1982-2018) CAEG 350 SNEG 313 301 302 308 300 295 290291 279 276 YCNH 264 263 271 250 246 243 240 239 236 225 212 217 217 LBHE 204 201 204 201 209 200 192200 194 177 GRHE 150 138

Nesting Pairs Nesting TRHE 100 96 80 70 50 55 UNID

0 Linear

(SNEG)

1990 1997 2004 2011 1982 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Snowy Egret

Glossy Ibis

Harbor Heron Populations (1982-2018) CAEG 400 YCNH 350 350348 329 LBHE 300 275 264 271 250 254 246 254 GLIB 242 235237 215 224 200 205 GRHE 180180 178 175 178 174 152 161 150 142 142 149 148 Nesting Pairs Nesting 125 128 115 TRHE 100 111 79 UNID 50 51

0 9 2 Linear

(GLIB)

1986 1993 2000 2007 2014 1982 1985 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2015 2016 2017 2018 Glossy Ibis

Yellow-Crowned Night-Heron Redfern Houses, Far Rockaway, NY

65 YCNH nests -Matching high count of 2010

YCNHs Across the Harbor

• Hammel Houses, Rockaway Beach (37n) • Lindenwood, (3n) • Governors Island (1n) • Harmon Cove, NJ: (14n) • Elsewhere? Other Waders in 2018

• Little Blue Heron: 7 pairs • Tricolored Heron: 1 pair • No Cattle Egret (last pair seen in 2010) • No Green Heron on islands – Breeding on SI • No Great Blue Heron on islands – Breeding in , S.I.

Double-Crested Cormorant vs. Waders

Other Colonial Waterbirds - 2018

# 2018 Increase or decrease since 2017 Pairs interim survey Species

HERG* 255 increased from 156

GBBG* 161 stable, from 162

* Pairs determined by nest or adult count on islands excluding Jamaica Bay (see USDA report)

Fluidity in Wader Colony Placement Over 30+ Years

Nesting Island Trends, All Waders (1982-2018) Elders W. 2500 Elders E. Canarsie

2000 Little Egg Subway Huckleberry 1500 Goose North Brother South Brother 1000 Nesting Pairs Nesting Mill Rock Hoffman Swinburne 500 Shooters I. of Meadows

0 Pralls

1982 1995 2005 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Northern Harbor Islands

Nesting Island Trends, All Waders (1982-2018) 1000 Huckleberry 900

800 Goose 700

600 North Brother 500

400 Nesting Pairs Nesting

300 South Brother

200

100 Mill Rock

0

1982 2011 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Islands of and Kill van Kull Complex

Nesting Island Trends, All Waders (1982-2018) 1600 Swinburne 1400

1200

Shooters 1000

800

Nesting Pairs Nesting 600 I. of Meadows

400

200 Pralls

0

1982 1995 2005 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Lower Harbor and Jamaica Bay Islands

Nesting Island Trends, All Waders (1982-2018) 1400 Elders W.

1200 Elders E.

1000

Canarsie 800

600 Little Egg Nesting Pairs Nesting

400 Subway

200 Hoffman

0

1982 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 1985 1986 1988 1989 1991 1992 1994 1995 1997 1998 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 Lower Harbor and Jamaica Bay Islands

Nesting Island Trends, All Waders (1982-2018) 700 Elders W.

600

Elders E. 500

400 Canarsie

300 Nesting Pairs Nesting Little Egg 200

100 Subway

0

1990 1998 1982 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018

Elder’s Point East • USACE marsh restoration, first nesting pairs (18) in 2010 • Most diverse island at 6 species of waders (SNEG, BCNH, GREG, GLIB, LBHE, TRHE) • Third consecutive year of wader decline (63n in 2018), possibly unsuccessful

Elder’s Point West Marsh • USACE marsh restoration • Third consecutive year that wader colony is present, since small numbers of GREG and SNEG in 2007-2009 (60n in 2018) Waterbird Survey Grid System

• NPS permit received for implementation of a grid system of directionally marked posts on Hoffman Island • No Trespassing signs will be attached to selected perimeter posts • Similar plan for South Brother Island in collaboration with Parks Looking Forward

1. Continue analysis of data from the Audubon Harbor Heron Surveys (1986-present), adding environmental data layers 2. Monitor productivity to gain better understanding of population statuses 3. Participate in global Glossy Ibis genetics research Thank You!!!