U.S. Tropical Pacific Seabird Surveying Guide Version 1.0, May 2018
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U.S. Tropical Pacific Seabird Surveying Guide Version 1.0, May 2018 Dr. Eric A. VanderWerf and Dr. Lindsay C. Young Pacific Rim Conservation, PO Box 61827, Honolulu, HI 96839 Prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge System, Office of Migratory Birds, and the Inventory & Monitoring Program Disclaimer: ‘‘The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.’’ Suggested citation: VanderWerf, E. A., and L. C. Young. 2018. U.S. Tropical Pacific seabird surveying guide. Report prepared for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 1, Portland, OR. Pacific Rim Conservation, Honolulu, HI. 55 pp., 3 tables, 1 figure. Cover photos by E. VanderWerf: Clockwise from top left - Black-footed Albatross, Hawaiian Petrel, White Tern, and Red-tailed Tropicbird. TABLE OF CONTENTS Table of contents ...........................................................................................................................2 List of tables ..................................................................................................................................3 List of figures ................................................................................................................................3 List of abbreviations used in the text ............................................................................................3 Executive summary .......................................................................................................................4 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................5 Establishing a monitoring program ...............................................................................................7 Defining goals and objectives ...........................................................................................7 Priority survey needs in the USTP ....................................................................................8 Designing a monitoring program ......................................................................................8 Survey resources needed .......................................................................................8 Training, accuracy, and precision .........................................................................9 Biological and site considerations ................................................................................................9 Biology of USTP seabirds ..............................................................................................10 Foraging guilds ...................................................................................................10 Life span..............................................................................................................10 Breeding phenology and synchrony....................................................................11 Breeding frequency .............................................................................................12 Age at first breeding............................................................................................13 Metapopulations ..................................................................................................13 Site considerations ..........................................................................................................13 Timing and number of surveys .......................................................................................14 Monitoring methods ....................................................................................................................14 Selecting methods and designing protocols ....................................................................14 Population size ................................................................................................................15 Censuses: total colony & nest counts..................................................................16 Mean incubation counts ......................................................................................16 Nesting, roosting, and fly-by counts ...................................................................16 Plot-based designs ...............................................................................................17 Distance-based methods......................................................................................18 Mark-recapture and survival ...............................................................................18 Aerial surveys .....................................................................................................19 Other measures of abundance .........................................................................................20 At-sea counts from shore ...................................................................................20 At-sea counts from vessels..................................................................................20 Nest/burrow occupancy ......................................................................................21 Radar ...................................................................................................................21 Acoustic monitoring............................................................................................22 Automated cameras .............................................................................................22 Population trend ..............................................................................................................22 Distribution .....................................................................................................................23 Mapping colony boundaries ................................................................................23 Photo points ........................................................................................................23 Acoustic monitoring............................................................................................24 At-sea tracking ....................................................................................................24 2 Banding/mark-recapture .....................................................................................25 Breeding biology .............................................................................................................25 Hatching success .................................................................................................25 Fledging success .................................................................................................25 Overall breeding success.....................................................................................25 Daily nest survival probability ............................................................................25 Nesting phenology ..............................................................................................26 Effects of threats and management .................................................................................26 Predation and predator control ............................................................................26 Habitat disturbance and management .................................................................27 Marine pollution, plastics, and contaminants .....................................................28 Scenario-based surveying ...........................................................................................................29 Rapid assessments/reconnaissance surveys ....................................................................29 Whole-island and species-specific surveying .................................................................30 Albatrosses ..........................................................................................................31 Burrowing shearwaters and petrels - coastal species ..........................................31 Burrowing shearwaters and petrels - montane species .......................................32 Boobies, frigatebirds, and tropicbirds .................................................................33 Terns - ground nesters .........................................................................................35 Terns - tree nesters ..............................................................................................36 Terns - cliff nesters .............................................................................................37 Species Prioritization ..................................................................................................................38 Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................41 Literature cited ............................................................................................................................41 List of Tables Table 1. Summary of seabird monitoring methods and questions they can answer ...................15 Table 2. Methods recommended for monitoring different seabird groups .................................30 Table 3. Monitoring prioritization scores for seabirds in the U.S. Tropical Pacific. ..................39 List of Figures Figure 1 Map of the U.S. Tropical Pacific ....................................................................................5