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Home , Clonmel Island, Dannevig Island, Greater crested tern, Kanowna Island, Silver gull

Australian Field Ornithology 2020, 37, 166–171 http://dx.doi.org/10.20938/afo37166171

Colony relocation of Greater Crested bergii in , south-eastern

Aymeric Fromant1, 2*, Yonina H. Eizenberg1, Rosalind Jessop3, Arnaud Lec’hvien1, Johanna J. Geeson1 and John P.Y. Arnould1

1School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Deakin University, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood VIC 3125, Australia 2Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 du CNRS-La Rochelle Université, 79360 Villiers-en-bois, France 3Victorian Wader Study Group, P.O. Box 1088, Cowes VIC 3922, Australia *Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

Abstract. A newly established Greater Crested Thalasseus bergii colony was observed on , northern Bass Strait, in December 2019 and was monitored through January 2020. A maximum of 532 ± 28 nests was counted, representing ~15–20% of the known northern Bass Strait breeding population. Resightings of 69 leg-banded individuals (from 3 to 24 years of age) demonstrated that founding individuals originated from colonies in [The Nobbies on (54%), Barrier Islands (39%), in Bay (6%)] and one individual from South Australia. Breeding began 2 months later than usual for northern Bass Strait, perhaps because the only moved to Kanowna Island after failed nesting attempts elsewhere (Corner Inlet and Phillip Island). Individuals were observed to mainly feed their chicks with Barracouta Thyrsites atun and Jack Mackerel Trachurus declivis, contrasting with the usual predominance of Australian Engraulis australis in the diet of this in the Bass Strait region. This relocation may result from local changes in prey availability and/or a combination of potential human disturbance, predation and storm events. The recent 50% decrease in the number of breeding Greater Crested Terns in Victoria suggests substantial changes in the regional environmental conditions, highlighting the importance of understanding the impact of environmental variations on seabird species.

Introduction average depth of 0.8 m (Weller 2007). The chicks are fed predominantly with such as juvenile Jack The Thalasseus bergii is a medium- Mackerel Trachurus declivis and Australian Anchovy sized (320–400 g) seabird breeding in coastal temperate Engraulis australis, a diet that varies among colonies and and tropical habitats (Olsen & Larsson 1995). In south- years (Chiaradia et al. 2002; Weller 2007; McLeay et al. eastern mainland Australia, the main breeding season 2009). occurs between October and January, with each pair incubating a single egg for c. 28 days and both parents In northern Bass Strait, where the population of Greater provisioning the chick for 5 weeks after hatching (Langham Crested Terns is historically established in three main & Hulsman 1986; Chiaradia et al. 2002). The adults colonies along the Victorian coast (Mud Islands, Phillip undertake several short foraging trips per day close to Island with and The Nobbies, and Corner Inlet the colony (<40 km: McLeay et al. 2010) and dive to an island group: Figure 1) (Harris & Norman 1981; Higgins &

Figure 1. Location of the three historic Greater Crested Tern colonies in northern Bass Strait [Mud Islands (MI); Phillip Island (Seal Rock and The Nobbies) (PI); and Corner Inlet with (CI), Box Bank (BB) and Dream Island (DrI)]; and the newly established colony on Kanowna Island (KI). A small colony of 16 breeding pairs was observed on (DI) in December 2009 (Minton et al. 2010). Greater Crested Tern colony relocation, Bass Strait 167

Davies 1996; Radford 2019), adult breeders have shown high site fidelity, though local relocation during years of food shortage and juvenile dispersal has been reported (Weller 2007; Radford 2019). Long-term monitoring of these three colonies by the Victorian Wader Study Group revealed substantial annual variations in the numbers of breeding pairs (Radford 2019); this may be a result of early failure to breed or relocation of breeding sites because of food shortages or predation/disturbance (Chiaradia et al. 2002). Although the majority of colonial seabirds exhibit high levels of site fidelity (Bried & Jouventin 2002), Greater Crested Terns exhibit substantial flexibility in their breeding localities when food resources are not spatially and temporally reliable (Crawford et al. 2002). In the present study, we document the establishment of a new Greater Crested Tern breeding colony on Kanowna Island in northern Bass Strait, provide details of the feeding and breeding ecology of the species, and discuss the potential factors that might have contributed to this relocation.

Figure 2. Aerial view of the Greater Crested Tern colony Methods on Kanowna Island in December 2019 (colony delimited by the black dashed line). The white dotted line and circles Fieldwork was conducted on Kanowna Island (39°10′S, show, respectively, the presence of a Silver colony and 148°16′E) in northern Bass Strait, south-eastern Australia Australian Fur Seals in the direct vicinity of the Tern nests. Photo: Johanna J. Geeson (Figure 1). Kanowna Island is a small (35 ha) granite island within the Anser Islands Group. It is covered with thick Coast Tussock Grass Poa poiformis on the upper breeding area of the Australian Fur Seal colony (Lourie parts and with a mix of Angular Pigface Carpobrotus et al. 2014). On 16 December, this Tern colony was well glaucescens and bare soil/rock on the steep periphery. established and a total of 532 ± 28 nests was counted It is a breeding site for a variety of birds, including Cape (Figure 2), with most of the breeding pairs incubating Barren Goose Cereopsis novaehollandiae, Little Penguin one egg. On 13 January 2020, the number of nests was Eudyptula minor, Fairy Prion Pachyptila turtur, Short-tailed estimated at 158 ± 12 and 5–10 young chicks were seen in Shearwater Ardenna tenuirostris, Common Diving- the colony. On 20 January, there were no birds incubating Pelecanoides urinatrix, Sooty Oystercatcher Haematopus eggs or brooding chicks, and the colony was limited to a fuliginosus, novaehollandiae, Pacific crèche of 20–25 chicks. At this time, a total of ~1600 adults Gull L. pacificus and Corvus tasmanicus was counted on four different roosting sites on the island (Schumann et al. 2014; Fromant et al. 2020). and on off-shore rocks. During concurrent studies monitoring the Australian Fur Approximately 400 of the Greater Crested Terns seen Seal Arctocephalus pusillus doriferus breeding colony on had been fitted with metal leg-bands and 69 of these were Kanowna Island, drone surveys were conducted regularly successfully identified: they had been banded at the chick (every 3–4 days) from mid October until mid December stage between 1995 and 2016 (Figure 3) and originated 2019. In December, a breeding colony of Greater Crested from colonies in Victoria (The Nobbies at Phillip Island, Terns was observed for the first time on the north-eastern n = 37; Mud Islands, n = 4; and Corner Inlet, n = 27; see tip of the island. The number of breeding pairs was counted Figure 1), and one individual from Troubridge Island, South (three counts by three observers) from a vantage point Australia. In the present study, most of the Terns identified using binoculars. The colony size and breeding status of were resighted for the first time since banding, apart from individuals were monitored three successive times during six individuals that had been previously resighted once. January 2020 to estimate breeding success. Opportunistic All of these previously recorded resights occurred in the observations of banded individuals were conducted with a colony of origin for the respective individuals (The Nobbies spotting telescope (480-mm objective, 32x magnification) or Corner Inlet), from 4 to 13 years after banding (Victorian or a digital SLR camera (Nikon D7000 with 400-mm Wader Study Group unpubl. data). lens) to determine the band numbers. In addition, where possible, prey items provisioned to chicks by adults were Adult Greater Crested Terns were observed to bring photographed for subsequent identification of species back prey to the colony to feed either their partner during (Gaglio et al. 2016). incubation or their chick. There were 108 usable digital images of individuals with prey. In these, the prey species were Barracouta Thyrsites atun (76%) and Jack Mackerel Results (23%) and occasionally unidentified juvenile fish (1%) (Figure 4). The birds were regularly observed to feed No tern colony was visible in the drone aerial images until <1 km from the island, sometimes in large flocks including 28 November 2019, when 100 Greater Crested Terns were Silver associated with Short-beaked Common observed gathered on the north-eastern edge of the main Dolphins Delphinus delphis. In all the observations, the 168 Australian Field Ornithology A. Fromant et al.

Colony of origin Corner Inlet Mud Island Phillip Island Number of resighted terns Number of resighted

Breeding year

Figure 3. Origin of resighted Greater Crested Terns breeding on Kanowna Island in 2019– 2020: number of individuals, colony of origin and year of banding. All the individuals identified were banded as a chick in their colony of origin. One additional individual (banded as a chick in 2013) from Troubridge Island, South Australia, is not included here.

(a) (b) (c)

Figure 4. Main prey species caught by Greater Crested Terns breeding on Kanowna Island in January 2020. (a) Barracouta, (b) Jack Mackerel and (c) unidentified juvenile fish. Photos: Aymeric Fromant

Terns delivered only a single fresh prey item to their young; variation in environmental conditions in Bass Strait, the in some cases, the prey was still alive. divergent trends of breeding pairs at the colony level suggest important population movements (Radford 2019). Greater Crested Terns have regularly been observed Discussion at Kanowna Island, feeding in the vicinity and resting on surrounding islets, over the last 23 years (JPYA unpubl. Historically, there have been three main colonies of data). However, the first breeding attempt was recorded Greater Crested Terns on the south-eastern Australian only in December 2017 (JPYA unpubl. data), with five coast in the state of Victoria (Mud Islands, Phillip Island, pairs (individuals were banded but could not be identified) and Corner Inlet: Harris & Norman 1981; Higgins & incubating on the edge of a Silver Gull colony. A small Davies 1996; Radford 2019). The Mud Islands colony colony of 16 breeding pairs was also observed in 2009– was established in 1966 and progeny from that colony 2010 on Dannevig Island, 8 km north-west of Kanowna were involved in establishing the colony on Phillip Island Island (Figure 1) (Minton et al. 2010), highlighting the in 1994 (Chiaradia et al. 2002; Menkhorst 2010). Despite regular presence of the species in the a significant increase in the Victorian population size islands group. since the late 1980s, the total number of breeding pairs in the region has dramatically declined in the last 3 years During the same period, the number of Greater Crested (from 6000–7000 breeding pairs between 2008 and 2016 Terns breeding on Corner Inlet islands exhibited inter- to 2500–3500 breeding pairs between 2017 and 2019: annual variations, with 2 years of no nesting individuals in Radford 2019). Although this could indicate temporal 2017–2018 and 2019–2020. Additionally, the size of this Greater Crested Tern colony relocation, Bass Strait 169

colony (487 ± 490 pairs between 1987–1988 and 2018– in fidelity to breeding site (Crawford 2009). In Bass Strait, 2019), similar to the number of pairs counted in the present inter-annual and spatial variations of the oceanographic study (532 ± 28 pairs), may suggest the relocation of the conditions may affect prey availability at a local scale, hence entire colony to Kanowna Island. However, the origin of the impacting seabird communities differently throughout banded individuals resighted only partially corroborates the region (Mickelson et al. 1992; Chiaradia et al. 2010). this scenario, as only 39% originated from Corner Inlet Relocating the breeding site could therefore potentially be (65 km from Kanowna Island), whereas 54% were from a response of breeding Greater Crested Terns to recent The Nobbies on Phillip Island (125 km from Kanowna changes in prey availability (Menkhorst et al. 2015). Island). This accords with the recent status of The Nobbies The prey delivered to Greater Crested Tern chicks at colony, where no Greater Crested Terns have bred in Kanowna Island in January 2020 was dominated by two the last 3 years (Radford 2019). The increase in number species of fish (Barracouta and Jack Mackerel), which is in of breeding pairs in the nearby colonies of Seal Rocks accordance with previous studies at Phillip Island and Mud (1.5 km from the Nobbies) and Mud Islands (40 km from Islands (Chiaradia et al. 2002; Weller 2007). However, The Nobbies) suggests that approximately half of the these studies had also demonstrated the high importance 4000 pairs previously breeding at The Nobbies relocated of the Australian Anchovy, a species that was not been locally. observed in the present study. In Bass Strait, anchovy is a However, in addition to the observations of the present major prey species of several seabirds, including Greater study, the presence of adult Greater Crested Terns from Crested Terns (Cullen et al. 1992; Bunce 2001; Chiaradia The Nobbies breeding at a new site on King Island, et al. 2002) but its abundance varies greatly inter-annually, Tasmania (Minton et al. 2018), suggests that a substantial affecting substantially the breeding success of those proportion of the colony moved at a larger scale (Kanowna species relying on this resource (Chiaradia et al. 2002, and King Island being 125 km and 190 km from The 2010). The apparent absence of this prey species in the Nobbies colony, respectively). Banding studies highlighted diet of the Greater Crested Terns on Kanowna Island in that site fidelity in Victoria was relatively high (Higgins & the present study could, therefore, reflect a decrease in Davies 1996; Radford 2019), with adults often breeding abundance of this resources around Kanowna Island at in the same area in successive years and first breeders the time. breeding within 100 km of their natal colony (Higgins & In northern Bass Strait, the breeding success of Greater Davies 1996). Although occasional long-distance dispersal Crested Terns at the different colonies has been shown is possible (Carrick et al. 1957; Higgins & Davies 1996), to vary substantially inter-annually (Radford 2019). the recent 50% decrease in number of breeding Greater Over the last 25 years, breeding success at the Corner Crested Terns in Victoria suggests substantial changes in Inlet colony (similar in size to that on Kanowna Island) the regional breeding population. fluctuated between 0 and 96% (mean 51 ± 34%). Previous The reasons for colony relocations in Victoria remain studies have suggested that low breeding success is a unknown but are likely to involve a combination of colony- result of depletion in local food resources (Chiaradia et specific factors. For the Corner Inlet colony, for example, al. 2002; McLeay et al. 2009). In recent years, successive the nesting site changes regularly, and the Greater Crested unprecedented marine heatwaves were recorded in south- Terns seem to prefer newly emerged sand-hills (Higgins eastern Australia (Oliver et al. 2017; Perkins-Kirkpatrick & Davies 1996; Minton et al. 2002). This preference for et al. 2019), significantly impacting the coastal ecosystem low-elevation areas, however, potentially exposes the (Evans et al. 2020). By restructuring the zooplankton nests and chicks to storm events, resulting in repeated community, warming waters can reduce the quality breeding failure (Minton et al. 2002). In the present study, and quantity of fish, directly affecting the reproductive the late breeding start on Kanowna Island suggests that performance of piscivorous species (Piatt et al. 2020). the birds might have attempted to breed elsewhere earlier Similarly, in the present study, the late start of the breeding in the season. It is possible that a sequence of storm attempt on Kanowna Island might also have resulted in a tides events in Corner Inlet could have forced the Terns mismatch between timing of breeding and food availability to find a less exposed breeding site; November 2019 needed to feed the chicks. Unfortunately, it was not was 26% windier than average in the Corner Inlet area possible to assess local prey abundance. Other factors, (Bureau of Meteorology data, www.bom.gov.au). Similarly, including destruction of nests by Fur Seals transiting ground-nesting birds are exposed to human disturbance through the colony and kleptoparasitism by Silver and (Medeiros et al. 2007) or predation (Levermann & Tøttrup Pacific Gulls might also have contributed to lowering the 2007), especially in small colonies (Rounds et al. 2004). breeding success of Greater Crested Terns at Kanowna Corner Inlet Islands are regularly visited by people with Island. dogs (Marks et al. 2019), a potential disturbance which, In addition, in the present study Greater Crested combined with storm and predation events, might have Terns were observed to experience intense egg and contributed to the abandonment of this breeding site. chick predation by Forest Ravens (3–5 individuals). The Additionally, the desertion of some localities by Greater populations of some corvid species have greatly expanded Crested Terns could highlight local shortage and/ in recent years in Australia (Higgins et al. 2006; BirdLife or displacements of food items or change in the prey Australia 2020), and there are increasing concerns about community. The inter-colony and inter-annual variations the ecological impacts related to the proliferation of these in the number of Terns breeding is likely to be related to opportunistic predators (Stevenson 2011; Ekanayake et al. the abundance and distribution of prey within the foraging 2015a). In Australia, there is increasing recent evidence of range of the colony (Crawford et al. 1994). Therefore, corvids taking eggs of shorebirds and seabirds including surface-feeding species with a small foraging range, Little Terns Sternula albifrons, Fairy Terns S. nereis and such as Greater Crested Terns, have to exhibit flexibility burrow-nesting species such as Little Penguins (Cardilini 170 Australian Field Ornithology A. Fromant et al.

et al. 2012; Ekanayake et al. 2015a,b; Greenwell et al. Crawford, R.J.M., Cooper, J., Dyer, B.M., Upfold, L., Vener, A.D., 2019). Therefore, the expansion of corvids, and their high Whittington, P.A., Williams, A.J. & Wolfaardt, A.C. (2002). capacity for cultural learning (Izawa & Watanabe 2011), Longevity, inter-colony movements and breeding of Crested may become a common threat to seabird species, such Terns in . Emu 102, 265–273. Crawford, R.J.M., Dyer, B.M. & Brooke, R.K. (1994). Breeding as Greater Crested Terns, breeding on off-shore islands. nomadism in southern African seabirds-constraints, causes In summary, the present study has described a substantial and conservation. Ostrich 65, 231–246. population movement of the Greater Crested Tern in Cullen, J.M., Montague, T.L. & Hull, C. (1992). Food of little penguins Eudyptula minor in Victoria: Comparison of three northern Bass Strait. With individuals originating mainly localities between 1985 and 1988. 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