Seabirds: Linking the Global Oceans Poster Session 1 Abstracts The 1st World Seabird Conference has the distinct pleasure of presenting over 700 presentations during the conference September 7 to 11, 2010 in Victoria, Canada. These presentations include over 120 Invited Sessions, over 120 Contributed Sessions, and over 380 Posters. A series of Legacy Worshops, other Workshops and a Legacy Plenary round out the conference program. This document presents the full abstracts for the Contributed Session. Victoria Conference Centre Victoria, Canada • September 7- 11, 2010 1ST WORLD SEABIRD CONFERENCE • POSTER SESSION 1 ABSTRACTS 12 Behavior & Breeding Biology most social interactions that create a behavioral structure of the colony occur in clubs, or arenas on the surface of talas, P1-1 Patricia Baird apart from nesting crevices. Not enough room for arenas is available under stones. Both non-breeders and breeders attend Group adherence, age structure, pair bonds and these arenas. Little Auks (LA) create very unusual two- changes in prey in a Least Tern colony leveled territorial system. A number of birds participate in the higher territory level: they hold territories up to 15 m in “At one of the larger sink colonies of California least terns, diameter. Each owner protects its territory from other such where I had marked most of the adult population, I found that owners. Most LA hold smaller territories (1-2 m in diameter) during poor food years, pairs nesting near each other the for breeding within mentioned larger territories. Larger previous year often switched colonies as a group. territory owners control the content of breeding pairs on their Additionally, other seemingly monogamous pairs entered into territory, allowing them to breed there or not. The formers a loose bond with a third adult during food-poor years. These interfere conflicts between breeding birds, supporting one of three adults did not remain together the next year, and the competing pairs; stop fights between pairs or chase a pair original pair often returned to breed. Most of the birds that away. Crested Auklets (CA) can stop other pair conflicts, as had moved en masse also returned to the breeding colony the well. The territorial system of CA looks very ambitious: next year. There did not appear to be an effect on reproductive males try to strengthen themselves not only on their main success by either strategy.” demonstration territory on stones, but also, more or less P1-2 Kelly Boadway temporarily, on the territories of neighboring males, trying to subordinate them. Sometimes, there could be a kind of display Comparisons of breeding ecology: range-centre order near tops of local elevations (filmed). However, the versus range-edge of a ground-nesting seabird dominant status is never permanent: singing order may occasionally reverse. The denser arena, the male activity is “Studies of the variation in breeding ecology of several more spread among greater number of neighboring species across their breeding ranges have led to the abundant- territories.” centre hypothesis, which states that species are more abundant in the centre of their range. However, a considerable number P1-4 Maria Ushakova of species do not conform to it, which may mean that the Modern distribution, number in colonies of many ecological hypotheses that have been developed based Rhinoceros Auklet, Tufted Puffin and Spectacled on the abundant-centre could be incorrect. At a time when Guillemot on South Kurils and methods of their Arctic waters are increasingly open to human activities, number estimation” assumptions about the breeding ecology of seabirds in the Arctic based on research conducted in temperate colonies at “We research day and night activity, number in colonies of the southern edge of their range may prove detrimental if South Kuril of Rhinoceros auklet ( Cerorhinca monocerata ), management decisions are incorrectly applied to Arctic Spectacled guillemot ( Cepphus carbo ) and Tufted Puffin colonies. We are conducting research on the breeding ecology (Lunda cirrhata ) in 2002-2005. We found that number of of Arctic terns ( Sterna paradisaea ) on a small, unnamed birds near the colonies on South Kurils is different for each island in the High Arctic of Nunavut. We present data period of reproductive cycle and time of the day. There is the comparing Arctic terns breeding in the High Arctic and those best time for nesting pairs number monitoring. Morning well-studied terns breeding near the southern extent of their activity is always predominated for Spectacled guillemot and range in the temperate Gulf of Maine, North America. This Tufted Puffin. We found empiric coefficients of difference research will allow managers to make better decisions between number of nesting birds and birds one can observe relevant to ground-nesting seabirds breeding in the High near the colony and used it for colony size estimation. The Arctic of Canada, and increase our understanding of the number of nesting pairs Rhinoceros auklet may be hold only variation in breeding ecology of Arctic terns across different during late evening (2 hours befor darkness) accumulation of oceanic regions within their breeding range.” Antony Diamond; Mark Mallory rhinoceros auklet near the colonies in late incubation and chick rearing periods, using our empiric coefficient equaled from 10 to 20, because most birds arrive during night in P1-3 Sergei Kharitonov darkness. There are about 25 colonies and more then 375 000 Behavioral structure of Little Auk (Alle alle) and nesting pairs of Rhinoceros auklet ( Cerorhinca monocerata ), Crested Auket (Aethya cristatella) colonies 38 colonies and more then 2300 nesting pairs of Spectacled guillemot Cepphus carbo; 18 colonies and about 800 nesting “Study was conducted in 2005 at Bear Island (74 23 N, 19 02 pairs of Tufted Puffin ( Lunda cirrhata ) on South Kurils by E); in 1987-88, 2008 Talan Island (59 20 N, 146 05 E); 1974, 2005. It greatly differs from their earlier estimations.” 2009 Saint Jonah's Island (56 24 N, 143 23 E). In both species 1ST WORLD SEABIRD CONFERENCE • POSTER SESSION 1 ABSTRACTS 3 P1-5 Hirata Kazuhiko two times during the night; indicating that they stool fish from The factors to affect landing of Rhinoceros other birds. These suggest that 1) the auklets got some amount Auklets: the risk of kleptoparasitism by gulls and of food by stealing from other parents, 2) there was large sex the distance to nest and individual variation in taking this foraging strategy that was not reported before in alcids.” Motohiro Ito; Kazuhiko Hirata; Yutaka Watanuki “During chick-rearing period, Rhinoceros Auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata ) are often robed fish for their chick by gulls. Rhinoceros Auklets land synchronously in P1-7 Shandelle Henson crepuscule to reduce the risk of kleptoparasitism. However none show how Rhinoceros Auklets behave to reduce the risk Socially-induced synchronization of egg-laying in in fine scale. In this study, the landing behavior of Rhinoceros a seabird colony Auklets was observed in high risk condition (e.g. on bare area and in light hour) on Teuri Island. I focused synchrony and “Spontaneous oscillator synchrony has been documented in a the distance to nest and gulls. I presumed the probablistic wide variety of electrical, mechanical, chemical, and distribution of interval of time between landings of biological systems, including the menstrual cycles of women Rhinoceros Auklets as index of synchrony. Rhinoceros and estrous cycles of Norway rats. It has been unknown, Auklets did not land synchronously on any vegetative and however, whether the analog of menstrual synchrony occurs brightness condition. On bare area, Rhinoceros Auklets landed in birds, that is, whether avian ovulation cycles can near their own nest and away from gulls. The distance from synchronize. We report every-other-day egg-laying synchrony nest did not impact the level of the risk of kleptoparasitism. in a breeding colony of Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus On the other hand, the nearer from gulls, the higher risk. Why glaucescens) and show that the level of synchrony declined did not Rhinoceros Auklets land away from gulls? Rhinoceros with decreasing colony density. We also pose a mathematical Auklets land only once a day intensively. At crepuscule, model based on the hypothesis that preovulatory luteinizing landing rush hour, the level of the risk might be low because hormone surges synchronize through social stimulation. it was enough dark for visual predator such as scale. It is Model predictions are consistent with observations.” suggested that Rhinoceros Auklets accorded landing near their James Hayward own nest priority over landing away from gulls. Then Rhinoceros Auklets have a greate tendency to be P1-8 Nora Rojek kleptoparasitized when there are gulls near nest contingently.” Yutaka Watanuki Use of video and time-lapse cameras to monitor nest fate of Steller’s Eiders near Barrow, Alaska” P1-6 Megumi Shikata “Breeding effort and success of Steller’s eiders ( Polysticta Intraspecific kleptoparasitism in an alcids: stelleri ) and their predators near Barrow, Alaska varies widely Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca monocerata from year to year in response to fluctuations in abundance of brown lemmings ( Lemmus trimucronatus ). Predation is “Intraspecific kleptoparasitism, the stealing of food from believed to be the main cause of low eider nest success members of the same species, is often reported in seabird (averaging 27% 1991-2008). Understanding causes of nest species that breed at high density and bring food in the bills, failure is important to recovery efforts for the Alaska-breeding i.e. terns, but not yet in alcids that share these characteristics. Steller’s eider, a population listed as threatened in the United Rhinoceros Auklets Cerorhinca monocerata breed at high States. From 2005-2008, we monitored 25 Steller’s eider nests density (>1 nests/m2), forage during the daytime and bring using video and time-lapse digital cameras. Seven nests failed fish in their bills to the chicks once per night.