llbrary U.S. Fi , c11 .

i

1 RECONNAISSANCE OF BREEDING MARINE BIRDS AND MAMMALS IN THE LATAX ROCKS AND PERENOSA --- I BAY-SHUYAK-AFOGNAK ISLM'DS

by

.... -

Key; Words: Marine Birds, Raptors, Marine Mammals, Afognak and Shuyak islands

ARLIS ALASKA RESOURCES LIBRARY & INFORMATION SERVICES 3150 C STREET, SUITE!()() ANCHORAGE, ALASKA 99503

I ! 0 I I 0 0 1.!) I 1.!) I r­ et) I ! : C') November 1983 2

A~a::-.a i.~ational Intere:st I..: .. :J•_Is Conservation Act (ANILCA

Sec. 1927) included all public lands, .including

sub~erged lands, adjacent to the exterior boundary of

the former "Afognak Forest and Fish culture Reserve" as

part of the Alaska Maritime NWR. The Act further grants

the Koniag Village Corporation timber rights on Discoverer and Delphin islands, provided that management and harvest of such timber be only in accordance with management plans developed jointly by Koniag and the Fish and Wildlife Service. The Latax Rocks-north of

Shuyak Island also were included in the Maritime Refuge

along with the nearby Barren Islands. - .·I ~!though the Barrens have been studied extensive~y since 1974- (Bailey 1976, Manual 1980), no refuge biologists

have visited the Latax Rocks 25 km to the south. The

Latax Rocks and Perenosa Bay were visited by dory in 1976 by Office of Biological Services personnel, but no

landing was made (Sowls ~ £l. 1978).

The Latax Rocks are composed of mainly three small (4

ha) rocky islets 2 km north of- Dark Island- (Figure 1).

The islands in Perenosa Bay on the north side of Afognak range from rocks and tiny grassy stacks to Discoverer

Island, densely forested and about 100 ha in size (Figurel).

HETHODS

We were flown in a De Havilland Beaver with floats from

i i / 3 I I I Figure 1. Latax Ro7ls and Perenosa Bay andjVicinity. I I I / I I + I ·c... 0 I / I I I· I I

+

'

I ~- / "(..., ;~ ;:. ~ I I 3omer to Carry Inlet OL

From he~e volunteer assistant Nina Fa~st a~~ I proceeded

to Dark! Island, La tax Rocks, and on to Pere:1osa Bay with

a 13-fpot Zodiac and two 25 hp outboards. We were

picked up at Port Williams on the south side of Shuyak

on 19 ,July. The north and east sides of Shuyak Island and offshore islands, including the Perevalnie and Sea

Otter i~lands, and both sides of Shuyak strait also were

I surveyeid enroute to Port Williams. I

Colonie's were indicated on 1:63,360 USGS mapn.

Po pula t:ion estimates for kittiwaj{es, gulls, and

cormorants were based on nest counts. Numbers of ..... - puffin~ were derived from estimates of burrow numbers and numbers of birds observed around islancs. Estimates

of guilllemots represent numbers sighted, and like

' puffin~, should be regarded as minimal.

All marine mammals, raptors, and passerines were documented along with notes on vegetation and other

I significant features on different islands. I

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Island:Accounts

~ Island. Dark Island, covering roughly 160 ha and r~sing to 35m (Figure 1), is dominated mainly by

beach 1 rye (Elymus arenarius.. mollis), bluejoint

(Calamagrostis canadensis), (~happsia s~.), and other

grasses and sedges (Carex spp.) Clumps of wind-blown .')

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) are widely sc~.~t~r~C on

the island. Crowberry (Empetrurn nigrum), Sedum rosea,

Achellia ~' Sanauisorba stjpulat;., and other

moist tundra vegetation predominate on the inland ridges of this island, which appears to be ownec by the State of Alaska. Ponds on the north end were filled with

yellow pond lily (Nunhar polysepalum) •

With the possible exception of a few pairs of Mew Gulls

(Larus canus), no seabirds nested on Dark Island in 1983

(Table 1), which because of its close proximity to

Shuyak is frequented by brown bears (Drsus ~~) •

However, 267 Glaucous - winged Gulls (k Glauces-c;:~) .·• ··.· -and 80 Tufted Puffins (Ftatercula cirrhata) nested on the -island in 1976 (Sowls ~ ~ 1978); these colonies evidently were eliminated by bears. Approximately 100 Mew Gulls used the ponds along with Red-throated Loons

(Gavia stellata), Red-breasted Merga~sers (Mergus

serrator), Northern Pintails (~ acuta), Mallards (~ platyrhynchos), and two broods of Greater Scaup (avthya

mar_..i..la). Four Parasitic Jaegers (Stercorarius

parasiticus) were sighted, but no nest was found.

Twenty Black Oystercatchers (~ bachmani) and Least Sandpipers (Calidris minutilla) and Black

Turns tones (Arenaria melanocephala) were observed. Northwestern Crows (Corvus caurinus) nested in spruce clumps; Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia) and Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) were the primary I ,j,J, I. l•:till11111ll'd 'lll"l~t~dl'llg Jllllrti or llellhlrdti IH'IWI'I'Il lllll'k l~illllld tllld l't'l"l'lllllill llily,,i\lop,nllk' ·- :illllliYIIk ltililll·d, i\liJ:iiUI . . . __ __::~..::====.::.:.::::::.=:::::====.::.::.:.:::.:.::=:::.::::.:.:.==...:.:...::-.:.:.-:.:·_::::..::.:=~=-.:=:.=.=..::.:=.::::::-:_:~ ..:.::~=- .::._.::.==:::.:.:...... :..:.::~::~~=:::::·.. :.___. :.:.: .. --~.-4- ...... ~- :·. =~·.:.:. ::.-.-.:... --- .. - -· ~- --. . . -· --- -·- . -- ~ ·- 4 •

r-i I I

,,.,,.J,J ,. ·creHI l.!d

I: • • t I ill I 1:

C I ;JIIl'lliiii-W lll!',t' r· Cui I ') 'i ()

~1L~w Cull. P'!

Ill ;1ck-l egged 20 20 K_i ttiwake Pigeon Guillemot 5 10 J.O 25 Ancient Murrelet P?

P,u~akeet Auklet 5 5 10 5 ?1 ·w '1'11! tl'd J'uii:Ju :!() I t Hl

-"--'"-=·--=----=·--=--.:...=· =---=-=---=----"-'--=--=--"'--=-'"·=···=-·--=--=- =~-"'-'""-'-' ·=---·=· -=------~------... - .. . ---~'----'-'----'---'-'------=------~------.. -----'--"------'- -~------' '----'-"'-'--'--'---'-'---·"---'--'---'---'--~------'------'------·------1 0 T. I( ·•.:.::======~5==~4~2===~l~~4~9~====:::!2~2~o~===3~7~=:!::1!::.:7 :~s ===~93::2~======P-present C-common A-abundant pa.s .Se r 1ir:e species using the is L I

- Arc':ic1 foxes (Alooex laaoous) were placed on Dark Island

ear2.y 'in the 1900's for fur farming but later reportedly

we~e removed by trapping. The ground squirrels

parr vi) currently present undoubtedly

origiriated from the fut farming era.

Latax Rocks. The southernmost of the three

islets ("Tax" bench mark) is the only one high enough to

suppo~t beach rye and other terrestrial vegetation. An

esti3~ted 5000 sea lions (Eumatopias jubata) were hauled

out o~ "Tax" Island; about 200 more were on each of the

. ' " +- 1S.-.e ... s to t~e northeast (Table 1). ~~o pups were ··.· spo~t~d, but bear tracks were present in the midst of

the 1slet. Though no remains of sea lion pups were

found~ pups would be easy prey for bears; adults

te~po~arily leave the rookery when sust2ined disturbance

OCC'..:rS. Few pups would be expected here, as the Latax

Rocks ~ are regarded as a haulout area rather than as a I I rookery (Caulkins and Pitcher 1982). Generally sea lion ! bear i rookeiies or haulouts are far fro8 brown i l ! I I popul~tions or are inaccessible. Brown bear predation

i on seabirds is common along the Alaska Peninsula (pers. I i I' obs.)( but this is the only place I am aware of where I they :evidently invaded a sea lion haulout. In 1976, I

nearly 3900 sea lions were estimated in the Latax Rocks

(Dick; and Nelson 1976) Caulkins and Pitcher (1982)

recorded' less. I i , I ' :. i ! '

j I ! I 8

~he Latax 2ocks also support a small assemblage of

- seabirds. We found over 100 Glaucous-winged Gulls' and two abandoned nests, scattered puffin burrows in the

grass on the eastern end of "Tax" Island, 20 pairs of

Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa u.li~actvla), and several

Parakeet Auklets (Cyctorrhynchus gsittacula) offshore.

An auklet flew into a rock crevice 1 indicating probable

nesting; a Horned puffin (FrcJtercula cornicu1ata) incubating an egg in a crevice was noted, but the few burrows checked appeared abandoned. Many Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels were in the tide rips around the Latax

Rocks, but no small burrows were detected, and no ••. - nocturnal nesting seabirds were heard while camped on nearby- Dark Island. Over 300,000 storm-petrels nest in the Barren Islands {Manuwal 1980).

In 1976 nearly 800 gulls reportedly nested on the three

Latax Rocks (Sowls ~ ~. 1978) , but since this count

was made from a dory, it was based on the number of

adults observed rather than on an actual nest count.

Most of the gulls in this area are merely loafing, and it is difficult to see how these tiny, low islets, much of which are awash in storms, could support 400 pairs of gulls in addition to several thousand sea lions. In

1976, 150 kittiwakes and Tufted Puffins were recored on

"Tax" Island, and Parakeet Auklets also were noted then.

Because of severe tide rips we djd., not visit the two smaller islets northeast of "Tax", but from the air and 9

from the wate.:.: :.<:..;lL:i t!Jef :.q?pearc.:.. -'- -. too low and

barren to support any significant colony of birds, and

no vascular plants were evident. The only Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba) we saw in the area were three off Dark Island, compared to 70 reported in the

Latax Rocks in 1976 (Sowls ~ al. 1978) • Thousands Qf

shearwaters (Poffinus sp.) were visible in Shelikof

Strait.

Other observations in the Latax Rocks included Black Oystercatchers, Rock Sandpipers (Calidris ptilocnemis),·

Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus ~cocephalus), Song Sparrows, - and 25 sea otters (Enhydra lutris). - ~ Otter Island. This small grassy island lying 10 km east of Andreen Bay on the east side of Shuyak Island has the only sizeable seabird colony in the areas surveyed. After circumnavigating the island we began searching for burrows of nocturnal nesters ashore and

were about to set up camp when we discovered a bear,

necessitating a hasty departure from the island. Twenty

Ancient Murrelets (Synthliborampbus anti~uus) were on the water about 3 km to the west; so it is very possible that this species and perhaps storm-petrels use the

island. However, no nocturnals were found in 1976

{Sowls ~ al· 1978) • Approximately 800 Tufted Puffins and 50 Horned Puffins

were standing beside dense burrows atop the eastern rim :o

of tne island. Puffins often congr0~

burrows during evening hours, but the pr~~ence of a bear

- roaming about probably also attributed to their' conspicuousness. Since we were unable to count and

examine bu~rows because of the bear and impending

darkness, the actual population of puffins may be

considerably higher, p~rticularly before disturbance by

bears. In 1976, 2300 Tufted Puffins were estimated

(Sowls ~ al. 1978) along with 900 Glaucous-winged Gulls, including the observation of chicks. The only

gull we saw was one freshly killed by the bear. Bears apparently eliminated this colony observed 7 years ago.

We have seen similar destruction of colonies by bears on

: .. - the Alaska Peninsula. Interestingly, in 1976 over 300

gulls also nested on °Bald 0 Island 4 km southwest of Sea

Otter Island, but we saw none there. Hatch (1978)

estimated at least 2000 ~airs of Tufted Puffins and 200

pairs of gulls in September 1978 on Sea Otter Island.

Besides puffins the only other seabirds evidently

nesting on Sea Otter Island are Pigeon Guillemots,

Pelagic Cormorants (PhalacrocoraK pelagicus), and Black

Oystercatchers (Table 1). Red-breasted Mergansers and

two Gadwall broods (~ streper..a) were spotted in one

of the ponds in the center of the island. A Peregrine

Falcon (Falco peregrinus), 25 sea otters, and 50 sea

lions also were observed. This interesting island is a regular haulout for sea lions (Caulkins and Pitcher ll

19 82) •

- We found an abandoned cormorant colony with 325 nests' I I along 12 km of low cliffs 10 km northwest of Sea I Islandl on Shuyak Island .between ~urvey markers "Skat" and •Yak".I Sixty Glaucous-winged Gulls and 125 Pelagic - I Cormorants plus scattered pairs of puffins were reported I here ih 1976 (Sowls .e.t. al_. 1978) ..

D1scoverer!. Island. This 100 ha island, which is

locatepI in Perenosa Bay off Afognak Island; rises to about pOI m and is largely covered with dense underbrush,

i mainly! alders (Alnus crispa). A virgin stand of Sitka

! - spruce! and western hemlock (Tsuaa. heterophylla) .... domma:tesI the entire island. Some trees are hundreds

I of ye~rs old (3-4 feet dbh). Similar forests across

I I Discov~rer Bay are being clear-cut, and a huge log dump

I and c:amp are visible from the eastern side of the

i islan~. ANILCA specifically identifies this island and i Delphi:nI Island to the west as sites for joint timber

I harve~t plans between the Fish and Wildlife Service and

I Konia~. Since the island is-so small and since most of i adjoiningI Afognak Island will be clear-cut, hopefully I I Jonia~ will spare these small offshore islands. I

The ~sland is criss-crossed with deer (Odocoileus I hemionus) trails, and use of the island undoubtedly will I I incre~se as clear-cutting ravages nearby Afognak, as I I maturd forests have been shown to be critical for deer 12

~~ters ~ith heavy snow accumulation. Be:3ides {yaccipium contending with alders, blueberry ovalifolium) and salmonberry {Rubus spectabilis), hiking

around Discoverer Island is most difficult because of

ubiquitous devil~s club {Echinppanax horridum). Brown

bears and rive= otter {Lutra ~anadepsis), also use the

island. Four sea otters were seen offshore. Discoverer

Island has no seabird colonies. Two Bald Eagles

! repeatedly circled the island, but no nest could be ; I

located. The ~ost common passerine birds included Varied Thrush {Ixoreus naeyius), Hermit Thrush {Catbarus

auttatus), Fox Sparrow {Passercula iliaca), and Winter

Wre:J. (Troglodytes troglodytes). ··.· - ' We found a significant new cormorant colony 3 km ''

northwest of Discoverer Island near Delphin Point which

was not recorded in the 1976 reconnaissance of Afognak

(Sowls .e.t. £1.. 1978). Almost 300 ~airs of Red-faced (Phalacrocorax urile), and Pelagic cormorants, plus five

pairs of Double-crested Cormorants (~ auritus), nested

along a stretch of low cliffs. We found Double-crested Cormorants nowhere else along Shuyak and Afognak islands

between the Latax Rocks and Perenosa Bay. A few '' Glaucous-winged Gulls also bred here, and a Peregrine i

! eyrie is probable, as a pair of falcons was present. '!

A good campsite exists on the west side of Discover

Island where tje remains of a very old trapper's cabin

lie adjacent to a small stream flowing from the island's 13

centr~l saddle. TherE: is n: record of fox farming on

- this island.

Delphin Island. This island, which is about half

the size of Discoverer, lies 6 km to the west in Delphin

Bay and also is cove~ed by a lush climax forest with patchy underbrush. Hemlock up to 5 feet dbh surmount ·this beautiful island, which is too small and steep to economically log. Delphin is more rugged and diverse _in

both flora and fauna than Discoverer. Cliffs prevail

along most of the east side, and two creeks flow east

and west near the center of the island where a pond and .... - bog also occur. The remains of a cabin.are located on - the...: southern point near a small spit. Deer and bear sign is much heavier on Delphin Island, and we encountered four deer. A well used and littered deer

camp with cut trees and logs nailed between trees is on

the south end. We spent condiderable time removing the fire rings, plastic sheeting, and other trash from this site.

Approximately 20 pairs of Tufted Puffins and at least

one pair of Horned Puffins nested in burrows beneath

tree roots along the top of the cliffs on the northeast

end of the island. In 1976, 250 Tufted Puffins and 4

Horned Puffins were nesting there (Sowls .e.t. a.l. 1976} along with 25 Glaucous-winged Gulls. lie saw several

gulls near the puffin colony, but none were nesting. A few Parakeet Auklets nest

the puffin colony both in 1983 and l976w Pigeon

Guillemots also use the island. No nocturnal nesting

species were heard while remaining overnight. An active

Bald Eagle nest is situated in a western hemlock on the

west side. Mew Gulls regularly loaf on the southern

spit at low tide, and both Common (Gayia iEmer) and Red- throated loons were present offshore. Twenty abandoned

cormorant nests were noted 1 km northwest of Delphin

Island on Afognak.

Delphin is a rich, diverse, and lovely island which will

represent a relict of the region's virgin spruce-hemlock .. .. -forest after surrounding areas on Afognak are logged • Although- attempts to log this small island by Koniag

would appear unlikely, any intent to do so should be

vigorously opposed. Though not as unique and productive, Discoverer Island also should be spared from

clear-cutting to preserve another valuable tract of

mature forest. Nevertheless, if Koniag insists on

cutting these islands, every effort should be made to

negotiate a land exchange or some other arrangement to

save Delphin Island, one of a kind in the Maritime Refuge.

Waterfall ~ Islets. Over 30 islets and rocks lie

east of Big and Little Waterfall bays in the northwest

portion of Perenosa Bay. The larger islets are covered

mainly by beach rye, and a few have scattered clumps of .-

I I wind-b~own spurce. Collectively we estimated roughly 100

~pairs qf Tufted Puffins and 25 pairs of Glaucous-winged·

Gulls using the area. According to Sowls et al. (1978),

2,782 Tufted Puffins ~nd 550 Glaucous-winged Gulls bred

there in 1976. We saw few burrows, and the marked

populatiion disparity · is probably attributable to I I visitation of the larger islets by bears. intermittent- ,.

Along ~he eastern half of the Alaska Peninsula bears are

the ptimary limiting factor on seabird distributiori, I I abundal]lce, and species composi tiOrJ. (J3ai1e.v an.P Faust:, in

Press)~ Although we observed no bear sign when we

I visitecl the islets, nearly all the nesting birds ..... - detect~d were on inaccessible stacks with the ~xception of -Black i Oystercatchers and Common Eiders (Somateria

mQ·l·li§~im9.) • Over 250 Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus I bi§tti2nic:g§) were sighted among these islets. A i I sizeab~e population of sea otters also occurs around these :I islets, as we noted 150 and an additional pod of

approx~mately 200 3 km to the north in the tide rips of

I the chpe Current Narrows, located at the eastern ! I entran~e to Shuyak Strait separating Afognak and Shuyak

island~. The only harbor seal (fhoca yitulina) noted on

I the su,rveyI was in Big Waterfall Bay. I • I 16

LITERATURE CITED

::.- Ba i 1 e y, E • P • 19 7 G• Breeding bird distribution ana abundance in the Barren Islands, Alaska. Murrelet

57(1.):2-12. Bailey, E.P. and N. n. Faust. Distribution and abundance of marine birds breeding between Amber and Kamishak _ bays, Alaska, with notes on interactions with bears.

Western Birds, in press.

Caulkins, D. G. and K. w. Pitcher. 1982. Population assessment, ecology, and trophic relationships of Steller sea lions in the Gulf of Alaska. Final .., - report: Research Unit 243, Alaska Dept of Fish and I Game, Anchorage, Alaska.

Dick, M. and Jay Nelson. 1976. Colony status records. Unpublished forms, u.s. Fis}l and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska.

Hatch, s. 1978. Colony status records. Unpublished forms, u.s. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, Alaska.

Manuwal, D. A. 1980. Breeding biology of seabirds in the Barren Islands, Alaska u.s. Fish and Wildlife Service - Coastal Ecosystems, Anchorage, Alaska.

Sowls, A., S. Hatch, and C. Lensink. 1978, Catalog of

Alaskan s~abird colonies~·· U.s.

Service, Anchora~e, Alaska.