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A Survey of Leach's Storm-‐Petrel, European Storm

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A Survey of Leach's Storm-‐Petrel, European Storm A Survey of Leach’s Storm-petrel, European Storm-petrel and Atlantic Puffin on North Rona, Western Isles in 2009. S. Murray Easter Craigie Dhu Butterstone Dunkeld Perthshire PH8 0EY A survey of Leach’s Storm-petrel, European Storm-petrel and Atlantic Puffin on North Rona, Western Isles in 2009. Contents………………………………………………………………………………………………..i Summary…………………………………………………………………………………………..…..ii Introduction……………………………………………………………………………………………1 Methods……………………………………………………………………………………….………..1 Results………………………………………………………………………………………………….3 Discussion……………………………………………………………………………………..………8 Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………..…….10 Recommendations……………………………………………………………………………...…..11 Acknowledgements……………………………………..………………………………………….12 References…………………………………………………………………………………..……….12 List of Tables Table 1. Number of Leach’s Storm-petrel AOS on North Rona in 2001 & 2009 Table 2. Leach’s Storm-petrel calibration plot results Table 3. Number of European Storm-petrel AOS on North Rona in 2001 & 2009. Table 4. European Storm-petrel calibration plot results Table 5. Counts of occupied puffin burrows in 5 transects on North Rona 1976 -2009 Table 6. Counts of Black-legged Kittiwake AON on North Rona 1958-2009 List of Figures Figure 1. North Rona and Sula Sgeir. Survey sections A to P and names given in the text. Figure 2. Leach’s Storm-petrel survey response sites. Total 253. Figure 3. Leach’s Storm-petrel showing all response sites found in the village. Group A/82, Group B/26, Group C/39. Total 147. Figure 4. European Storm-petrel survey response sites. Total 132. Figure 5. Distribution of Atlantic Puffin colonies. Figure 6. Distribution of Great Skua AOT. Total 18. Figure 7. Distribution of Black-legged Kittiwake AON. Total 852. i SUMMARY North Rona • In a whole-island survey 253 Leach’s Storm-petrels responded to tapes, giving an extrapolated total (x 3.077) of 761 AOS, a population decline of 32.8% since 2001. • A whole island survey was attempted for European Storm-petrel, but only 13 of the 16 sections defined in the 2001 survey were covered. A total of 132 European Storm-petrels responded to tapes, giving a minimum extrapolated population (x 2.550) of 337 AOS. There has been no overall change in the population since 2001. • There was no evidence of change in the Atlantic Puffin population since 2001. • A total 18 AOT of Great Skua found suggested no change since 2001 (18 AOT) and 2005 (17 AOT). • Great Blacked-Gulls experienced near complete breeding failure and counts suggested only 3-400 AOT. • A total of 852 Black-legged Kittiwake nests (AON) indicated a decline of 54% since 2005. Sula Sgeir • A search for Leach’s Storm-petrel was made of the bothies and surrounding area but failed to elicit a response. ii INTRODUCTION North Rona and Sula Sgeir are designated a Special Protection Area (SPA) under Articles 4.1 of the EC Birds Directive, for supporting more than 1% of the UK and Ireland breeding population of Leach’s Storm-petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa and European Storm-petrel Hydrobates pelagicus. A requirement of SPA status is the regular population monitoring of qualifying species. This was done for both petrel species (and Atlantic Puffin Fratercula artica) for the first time in 2001 (Murray et al 2001 & 2008)). The survey in 2009 was required to meet international obligations for SPA monitoring and to provide the first complete colony assessment of all three species since 2001. Aims and objectives The aim of the of the survey was to estimate the size of the breeding population of Leach’s Storm- petrel, European Storm-petrel and Atlantic Puffin on North Rona. The objectives were: 1. A whole island survey of North Rona for all three species, based on the surveys carried out in 2001. 2. A limited survey of Sula Sgeir based on the surveys done in 2001. 3. Discuss population trends of all three species on North Rona. 4. Attempt population counts, or estimates of, Great Skua Stercorarius skua, Great Black- backed Gull Larus marinus and Black-legged Kittiwake Rissa tridactyla. 5. Discuss predation impacts by skuas and gulls on small petrels and puffins. METHODS Timing of visits We arrived on North Rona at 10.30am on 27 June 2009 and left at 16.00 on 10 July. The aim was to conduct the survey as close as possible to the hatching date for Leach’s Storm-petrel, assumed to be similar to that of St Kilda, ie mid to late July (Money et al 2008). Sula Sgeir was visited briefly on 5 July. Leach’s and European Storm-petrel survey methods Ground survey The playback method entails playing recordings of the chatter call of a male Leach’s Storm-petrel or the purr call of a European Storm-petrel in suitable habitat during the late incubation period, in order to elicit a reply from an incubating adult within a burrow. A hand-held dictaphone with integral speakers was used. All accessible areas on both islands, including the highest sea-cliffs on North Rona were systematically surveyed for Leach’s Storm-petrel using the tape playback 1 technique (Giilbert et al 1999) and responses were counted and mapped. European Storm-petrel was partially surveyed on North Rona but not at all on Sula Sgeir. A drawback with the tape playback method is that not all individuals respond to the taped calls (Ratcliffe et al 1998), so a count of responses will underestimate the total number of apparently occupied sites (AOS) at a colony. Furthermore, Leach’s Storm-petrel only respond to taped chatter calls of the same sex (Taoka et al 1989). Therefore it is necessary to measure what proportion of birds, of both species, are present in burrows and responding to the taped calls. This was achieved by setting up a calibration plot for each species, which entailed repeatedly visiting a delimited section of the colony on successive days and each time marking new responding AOS. Calibration plots Calibration plots were set up on the North Rona storm beach for European Storm-petrel and along the village graveyard wall and adjacent ruins for Leach’s Storm-petrel, both sites used in the 2001 survey. On the first visit to each plot, 20 responding sites were located and marked with flagged canes. The Leach’s Storm-petrel plot was visited on 10 days and the European Storm-petrel plot on 8 days. The total number of AOS was then estimated by multiplying counts of responding birds, by the response rate derived from the calibration plots (see below). North Rona In 2001 the island was sub-divided into 16 sections (Murray et al 2008) following clearly defined natural or man-made boundaries (Fig. 1). In 2009 each was searched systematically for both species, except for sections I, O and P for European Storm-petrel. Only one species was searched for at a time to ensure that each section received the same level of effort. On Fianuis (section L) and the storm beach (section M), ropes and canes were used to sub-divide the ground into strips 15-20 metres wide to aid coverage. Island coverage was close to 100% for Leach’s Storm-petrel (Fig. 2) and 87% for European Storm- petrel, (figure derived from 2001 section totals) (Fig. 4). The only site possibly holding breeding petrels that was not surveyed was the lower, inaccessible half of Geo Mairi, between sections O and P. The Toa Rona cliffs (section P) are difficult to access and were surveyed by a single surveyor only. Sula Sgeir To minimise disturbance to the dense assemblage of breeding seabirds on the flat top of the rock, only the five bothies, set in a small area of eroded soil edged by boulders were surveyed (Fig. 1). Due to lack of time, only Leach’s Storm-petrel could be surveyed. 2 Atlantic Puffin survey methods Ground survey The presence or absence of birds ashore was checked in the late evenings when there is a high probability of birds attending colonies, and results compared with the 2001 distribution map (Fig.5). Burrow densities Five transects had been set up on the east cliffs of Toa Rona in 1976/80 (Murray 1993) and periodically recounted since (Murray et al 2001). In 2009 the area of the original transects was revisited and burrow densities sampled (see below). Great Skua survey methods A whole island survey was made of apparently occupied territories (AOT) and nests were searched for (Fig. 6). Black-legged Kittiwake survey methods A whole island count of well built nests capable of holding eggs or small young (AON) was made (Fig. 7) and sample plots checked for breeding productivity. RESULTS Leach’s Storm-petrel 253 birds responded to the taped calls, giving an extrapolated population of 761 AOS in 2009 compared with 490 responses in 2001, representing 1,133 AOS. There has, therefore, been an overall population decline of 32.8% between 2001 and 2009 on North Rona (Table 1). Table 1. Number of Leach’s Storm-petrel AOS on North Rona in 2001 & 2009. Section 2001 2009 Section 2001 2009 A 0 0 I 85 51 B 65 48 J 97 48 C 0 0 K 159 69 D 12 9 L 185 171 E 328 250 M 28 15 F 5 9 N 51 54 G 23 12 O 21 0 H 30 24 P 44 0 Total 1133 761 3 The decline was evident in 12 out of 14 sections where there had been responses in 2001 (Table 1). The most striking losses were in sections O and P, where no responses were elicited. Both are steep cliff sites and difficult to survey, but in both years they were searched by the same surveyor, in the same way and in good weather. There are no obviously different, external circumstances to account for the lack of responses.
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