PACIFIC SEABIRDS A Publication of the Pacific Seabird Group Volume 29 Number 1 Spring 2002 PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP Dedicated to the Study and Conservation of Pacific Seabirds and Their Environment TfievPacifie Seabird Group (PSG) was formed in 1972 due to the need for better communication among Pacific seabird researchers. PSG provides a forum for the research activities of its members, promotes the conservation of seabirds, and informs members and the public of issues relating to Pacific Ocean seabirds and their environment. PSG holds annual meetings at which scientific papers and symposia are presented. The group’s publications include Pacific Seabirds (formerly the PSG Bulletin ), Marine Ornithology (published jointly with the African Seabird Group), symposium volumes, and technical reports. Conservation concerns include seabird/fisheries interactions, monitoring of seabird populations, seabird restoration following oil spills, establishment of seabird sanctuaries, and endangered species. Policy statements are issued on conservation issues of critical importance. PSG members include scientists, conservation professionals, and members of the public from both sides of the Pacific Ocean. It is hoped that seabird enthusiasts in other parts of the world also will join and participate in PSG. PSG is a member of the U.S. Section of the International Council for Bird Preservation, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), and. the American Bird Conservancy. Annual dues for membership are $25 (individual and family); $15 (student, undergraduate and graduate); and $750 (Life Membership, payable in five $150 installments). Dues are payable to the Treasurer; see Membership/Order Form next to inside back cover for details and application. Pacific Seabirds Pacific Seabirds (ISSN 1089-6317) is published twice a year in the spring and fall. Pacific Seabirds informs PSG members about regional seabird research and conservation news. Pacific Seabirds seeks submissions of short peer-reviewed articles, reports, and other items that relate to the conservation of seabirds in the Pacific Ocean. Abstracts of papers presented at the annual meeting are included in the Spring issue; the Fall issue contains a summary of ongoing research. All materials should be submitted to the Editor, except that conservation-related material should be submitted to the Associate Editor for Conservation. Information for contributors to Pacific Seabirds is published in each Fall issue. Deadlines are March 15 for the Spring issue and September 15 for the Fall issue. Back issues of the Bulletin or Pacific Seabirds may be ordered from the treasurer; please remit $2.50 each for volumes 1-8 (1974-1981) and $5.00 each for volume 9 and later (see Membership/Order Form next to inside back cover for details). World Wide Web Site http:// www. paci ficseabi rdgro up.org Editor Vivian M. Mendenhall, 4600 Rabbit Creek Rd., Anchorage, AK 99516 USA. Telephone (907) 345-7124; Fax (907) 345 0686; e-mail: fasgadair@att.net. Associate Editor for Conservation Craig S. Harrison, 4953 Sonoma Mountain Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, USA. Telephone: (202) 778-2240, Fax: (202 778 2201, e-mail: charrison@erols.com Associate Editor for Regional Reports Elizabeth Flint, US Fish and Wildlife Service, Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. (Submit reports through the Editor.) Donations The Pacific Seabird Group is a nonprofit organization incorporated under the laws of the State of California. Contributions to the Pacific Seabird Group are tax deductible [IRS Section 501(c)(3)] to the fullest extent allowed by law. Pacific Seabirds Submission Deadlines All items intended for publication in Pacific Seabirds must be received by The Editor or Associate Editor for Conservation prior to March 15 (Spring issue) and September 15 (Fall issue). Manuscripts may be submitted at any time. Change of Address Send changes of address to the Treasurer, W. Breck Tyler, Long Marine Laboratory, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA. Telephone: (831) 426-5740; e-mail: ospr@cats.ucsc.edu REPORT SANTA BARBARA ISLAND: NOT FAR FROM JAPAN, FOR A RESEARCHER AND A SHORT-TAILED ALBATROSS Koji Ono [Editor's note: A field trip to Santa Barbara Island, California, was among the one-day excursions that were ar- ranged for attendees at PSG’s Annual Meeting in February 2002. Other re- ports on the meeting follow.] The first time 1 heard of Santa Barbara Island was ten years ago. As a first-year master’s degree student, I was doing a literature search on alcids in preparation for a study of the breeding biology of the Japanese Mur- relet ( Synthliboramphus wumizusume). Among the papers I acquired was one by Murray et al. entitled “Breeding biology of the Xantus’ Murrelet (S'. hypoleucus )” (Condor 85:12, 1983). English is the first language for the majority of PSG members, a status that allows them to read and write the lan- guage effortlessly. For me, however, being Japanese, reading a scientific paper in English usually involves a full day’s work with dictionary in hand. But I clearly remember reading the Murray et al. paper with particular pleasure, while in my research lab sip- ping coffee. Seeing photographs of Xantus’s Murrelet chicks, so like newly hatched Japanese Murrelets, and the species’ nesting environment with its rocky terrain, I thought just how very much 1 would like to visit the is- land. But I never thought I would ever really be able to go. At the 2001 PSG Annual Meeting in Kaua‘i, Harry Carter told me that the venue for the following year’s meeting would be Santa Barbara, California, and he encouraged me to attend. Al- though the meeting would be held out- side of the Xantus’s Murrelet breeding season, he told me I’d be able to see birds on the water and examine the species’ nesting environment. As many people are aware, Xantus’s Murrelet chicks are precocial, like those of its cousin, the Japanese Murrelet, and its breeding biology is also similar to that of the Ancient and Craveri’s Murrelets (S. antiquus, S. craveri). On 19 February 2002, still suffer- ing the effects of jet lag, my wife Mi- hoko and l boarded the Channel Is- lands National Park vessel Ocean Ranger II. As we made our way out of port, we encountered a lone common dolphin ( Delphinus delphis). Less than 30 minutes later, a whole pod of its friends had gathered, and for a brief time we were in the company of these graceful creatures as they cruised and leapt at our bow. The first stop on our tour was Anacapa Island. We dropped off some passengers, then circled around to an- other part of the island where a few researchers in a Zodiac were let off. We had set anchor offshore, rolling with the swells. I was cold and felt a little queasy, so I went to make myself more comfortable in the cabin at the bow of the ship. The leg of our trip from Anacapa Island to Santa Barbara Island seemed long. I looked through the cabin win- dow, keeping my eyes on the water. Not far from Santa Barbara Island 1 spotted a Xantus’s Murrelet. The smallish bird reminded me of the Japa- nese Murrelet in the way that, after spotting our ship, it quickly slipped under the water with much fluster. We arrived at Santa Barbara at about l PM., and a group of sea lions ( Zalophus californianus) saw us safely to the island’s shore. Santa Barbara was much larger than I had imagined. After climbing some steep stairs, we headed for the brown pelican ( Pele - canus occidental is ) colony, making our way on foot through a strange land- scape of desiccated soil and giant Coreopsis plants. Paige Martin of Channel Islands National Park de- scribed how the recent drought had reduced mouse numbers on the island, and she told us about mouse and owl dynamics and their influence on Xan- tus’s Murrelets. When we reached the top of the coastal cliffs, we saw many pelicans and sea Hons on the rocks below. The birds were incubating, and we noticed that most nests contained two eggs. Paige commented that three eggs were more typical. Although I would have liked to spend more time there, we had to return to the ship. In my student days, the first place 1 conducted Japanese Murrelet research was in the Izu Islands south of Tokyo, on the extremely rocky Kojine Reef. Kojine is much smaller than Santa Barbara Island: only 150 by 50 meters, with the top of the island just 40 meters above water. Japanese Murrelets nest in openings within piles of rocks and crevices in steep rocky slopes. I later moved my research to Biro Island in Miyazaki Prefecture, off the east coast of Kyushu. That island is 400 meters square and 85 meters high at its top, and is crowned by broad-leaved ever- green forest. Streaked Shearwaters (Calonectris leucomelas) have laid claim to most nesting sites on the forest floor, so the Japanese Murrelets nest beneath rocks and in crevices in the Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 2 PACIFIC SEABIRDS A Publication of the Pacific Seabird Group Dedicated to the Study and Conservation of Pacific Seabirds and Their Environment Volume 29 2002 Report Santa Barbara Island: Not Far from Japan, for a Researcher and a Short-tailed Albatross. By Koji Ono Lifetime Achievement Award Philip and Myrtle Ashmole. By Lisa Ballance Conservation News........ PSG News PSG Elects Executive Council for 2002 Executive Council Candidates Needed for 2003 PSG is Seeking a Publications Coordinator Award Nominations Needed Karl Kenyon No Longer Able to Receive Pacific Seabirds,.., Japan Seabird Symposium Papers Published PSG Handbook Available PSG’s 2003 Meeting To Be Held in Parksville, British Columbia........ Seaduck Conference and Workshops News of the 2002 Meeting Overview Student Travel Awards Student Awards for Papers and Posters Response to Participant Questionnaire PSG T-shirts For Sale Secretary’s Report on the Executive Council Meeting Committee Reports Abstracts of Papers and Posters Presented at the 28th Annual Meeting Book Review: A Field Guide to the Birds of Korea, by Woo-Shin Lee et al. Reviewed by Malcolm Coulter ; Corrections... General Information Published Symposia of PSG PSG Committees... Life Members and Recipients of Awards..... Membership Application and Order Form Executive Council 2001 Number 1 2 5 10 16 16 16 16 16 17 17 17 17 18 18 18 19 20 21 24 26 74 75 76 77 78 79 Inside back cover REPORT FiGURE 1. Juvenile Short-tailed Albatross in the Santa Barbara Channel, California, 19 February 2002. By Koji Ono. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 3 steep rocky slopes that make up the island’s periphery. As it was not yet the breeding season during my visit to Santa Barbara Island, I wasn’t able to sqe actual nesting Xantus’s Murrelets, but being there I couldn’t help but be reminded of the many similarities and relatively few differences among Synthliboramphus species, i kept thinking I’d like to return someday. Sometime after 3:10 PM., the ship moved away from the island. A little while later someone shouted “Short- tail!” I saw a large black bird with a pink bill, flying in front of the ship. It was 3:19 PM, and we were probably no more than a mile from Santa Bar- bara Island. I’ve only seen a Short- tailed Albatross ( Phoebastria albatrus) once in Japan, but my wife has ob- served two individuals on separate oc- casions. We were certain this was an- other, and I was able to take three digital photographs of the bird as evi- dence (Figure 1). Our boat arrived at Ventura Har- bor at 6 PM. The 2002 annual meeting of the Pacific Seabird Group had, for us, started very auspiciously. At the conference, we heard that our Short-tail sighting was the first one documented in the Channel Islands since the 1800s, so the digital photos I had taken of the bird were the focus of much attention among conference at- tendees. After returning to Japan, I sent my photos to Hiroshi Hasegawa, who had just returned from a survey in the Senkaku Islands. Dr. Hasegawa is well known for his work on the Short-tailed Albatross and was faculty advisor for my past research on the Japanese Mur- relet at Toho University. This was his reply: “Judging from? the uniform blackness of the body, I’d say the bird was one or two years old. Most likely it was born last year. In the third year, about half return to their natal area. In the fourth year, they arrive at the nest- ing grounds from which they fledged. This opportunity to see a Short-tail in the Channel Islands was probably due in large part to the increase in the breeding populations at Torishima and the Senkaku Islands. The fact that young birds are being found in south- ern areas, well distant from their breeding grounds, backs this up. (H. Hasegawa, 8 March 2002, pers. comm, by telephone.) At one time, the Short-tailed Al- batross was being killed in huge num- bers at its breeding grounds on Tor- ishima, and it subsequently was de- clared extinct. But thanks to the work of Dr. Hasegawa and his collaborators, with the cooperation of the Japan Ministry of the Environment (JME) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Torishima population has been recovering steadily. Dr. Ha- segawa was recognized for his long- term efforts to save the Short-tailed Albatross when he was presented with a Special Achievement Award by PSG in Februaiy 2001. But it needs to be pointed out that there is a large number of other seabird species in Japan whose populations also are threatened, a fact that is not very widely known. Indeed 22 of 38 seabirds breeding in Japan (60%) are currently included in the Red Data List published by the JME. There also are species whose present status is un- known. For example, Matsudaira’s Storm-Petrel ( Oceartodroma matsu - dairae) is believed to breed in the Oga- sawara Islands, but no survey has been conducted on this population in 80 years, and its current status is unclear. A similar story can be told about other species. We feel it’s time to seriously consider taking a more comprehensive approach to seabird conservation that extends beyond US-Japan joint efforts. A positive note in this regard is the Japan-US seabird symposium that will be held in Haboro, Hokkaido, in Octo- ber 2002. This could not have hap- pened without the hard work of Kent Wohl (USFWS), Naoko Nakajima (JME), and John Fries, Yutaka Wata- nuki, and other active members of the Japan Seabird Group. This symposium is being designed to promote seabird conservation and research in general, and we hope to have the participation and cooperation of large numbers of people. I’d like to thank Harry Carter, Paige Martin, and Channel Islands Na- tional Park for arranging my field trip to the Channel Islands. I’d also like to express my deep appreciation to Pauline Nol, Roy Lowe, Keith Roney, Roger Helm, and others who were companions on the field trip to Santa Barbara Island and who shared their thoughts at the Santa Barbara confer- ence. John Fries translated this article into Japanese. Were it not for John’s efforts, Japan and the United States would certainly feel far more distant from each other than they currently do. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 4 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD The Pacific Seabird Group occasionally honors outstanding contributors to seabird science and conser- vation with Lifetime Achievement or Special Achievement awards. PSG presented its Lifetime Achievement Award to Philip and Myrtle Ashmole at the 29 th annual meeting on 23 February 2002. PHILIP AND MYRTLE ASHMOLE Lisa T. Bailance At the Pacific Seabird Group’s Annual Meeting in February 2002, it was our distinct honor to present PSG’s Lifetime Achievement Award to a pair of scientists whose names will be fa- miliar to every member: Philip and Myrtle Ashmole. The Pacific Seabird Group peri- odically presents awards to outstanding individuals in the field of marine orni- thology. One of these, instituted in 1993, is the Lifetime Achievement Award. This award recognizes a sea- bird researcher, educator, or conserva- tionist who has made significant, long- term contributions to seabird science, conservation and education in the Pa- cific Ocean or the world. There is no mandate to present this award at every meeting, and in fact we have not done so. Rather the award is presented ir- regularly when a nomination for an outstanding marine ornithologist is received and approved by the Execu- tive Council. Past recipients of this award are James Bartonek, Thomas Howell, Miklos Udvardy, William Bourne, Karl Kenyon, John Warham, Charles Guiguet, James King, and Richard Brown. In 1957, Philip Ashmole began his study of tropical seabirds as a member of the British Ornithologists Union Centenary Expedition to Ascension Island in the Atlantic. From 1957 to 1959, he conducted his doctoral re- search there, and in 1961 he obtained his D.Phil. from Oxford University for his dissertation. The Biology of Certain Terns. He was not focused exclusively on seabirds, for also during this time, he and Myrtle were married. The Ash- moles remained at Oxford for a few years longer, Philip as a research as- sistant of the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology. In 1963 they dis- covered the Pacific Ocean and their research focus moved there. In 1964 Philip become an Assistant Professor of Biology at Yale University. He would stay there for almost another ten years, becoming Associate Professor in 1969. The Ashmoles’ studies of seabirds on Christmas Island, and the influence Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 5 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD of the Ascension Island research on this work, are legendary to seabird bi- ologists. By the early 1970s, their col- lection of scientific papers had made significant contributions in seabird biology and were having far-reaching consequences for the field. A few ex- amples will make this point: • 1963: Philip Ashmole, “The regula- tion of numbers of tropical oceanic birds”: In this classic paper, Philip proposed that seabird populations are regulated by food supply during the breeding season. “Ashmole’s Halo” is the name by which this idea is now known, together with its cor- ollary that seabirds, which are con- strained to be central-place foragers, deplete the prey around their colo- nies. The “halo” has remained a paradigm that continues to be de- bated to this day. • 1967: Myrtle and Philip Ashmole, “The use of food samples from sea birds in the study of seasonal varia- tion in the surface fauna of tropical oceanic areas”: This was one of the first papers to use seabirds as indi- cators of the oceanic environment, an idea that would catch the atten- tion of many seabird and fisheries biologists and managers much later. • 1967: Philip and Myrtle Ashmole, “Comparative feeding ecology of sea birds of a tropical oceanic island”: This was one of the earliest colony- wide studies that addressed com- parative ecology for an entire com- munity. It was also one of the earli- est attempts to address both parts of a seabird’s life, on land and at sea, and to integrate the two into a single, more complete story. • 1968: Philip Ashmole, “Body size, prey size, and ecological segregation in five sympatric tropical terns”: This was among the earliest papers that attempted to place seabirds in the broader ecological context, as it was being developed amongst ter- restrial biologists, in order to explain how similar species can co-exist. • 1971: Philip Ashmole, “Sea bird ecology and the marine environ- ment”: This now-classic paper was one of the first that attempted to place seabirds in a broader context relative to the oceanic environment. It contains a famous Figure 1 enti- tled “Sea bird feeding methods.” The figure has been reproduced in books, papers, and countless lecture hand- outs. Even as I was leaving to attend the PSG meeting, I had my teaching assistant make copies of this paper for my graduate class on marine tetrapods. These few examples are typical of the Ashmoles’ seabird work. Their research was meticulously conducted, their data thoroughly analyzed, their results widely disseminated, and their work raised broad implications. These strengths are well-illustrated by a story a colleague of mine, Chris Thompson, told about the Ashmoles* contribution to our understanding of molt. Here are some excerpts from Chris’s letter: In the context of bird studies, when most people think about the Ashmoles, they think of contributions to our un- derstanding of breeding and foraging ecology of seabirds. One of their lesser appreciated, but no less important, contributions was to our understanding of molt. As a graduate student at Ox- ford, Philip studied the breeding biol- ogy of Black and Brown Noddies, and Sooty Terns on Ascension Island. His studies included molt and he devel- oped a numerical scoring system that was subsequently to form the basis for the Moult Enquiry developed for the British Trust for Ornithology and still used to this day. Unlike many large birds, including many seabirds, that do not replace all of their primaries in a single molt be- tween the end of breeding one year and the beginning of breeding the next, Philip found that Brown and Black Noddies and Sooty Terns all undergo a complete primary molt between con- secutive breeding seasons. But, these three species have intriguing differ- ences. Brown Noddies breed on a regular 12-month schedule, and birds often molt flight feathers for the entire duration of their breeding. Black Nod- dies breed every eleven months, and typically only molt during the very be- ginning and very end of breed- ing — thus minimizing the overlap be- tween the two. Sooty Terns breed on an even shorter cycle, every 9-10 months, and have even less molt- breeding overlap than the two noddies. So, why these differences? Because Sooty Terns are larger than both nod- dies, yet have shorter molt durations and breeding cycles, body size could not be the major determinant. Philip reasoned that food supply for a given species is relatively constant year- round in tropical environments, and concluded that the duration of the breeding cycle of tropical species is determined by two factors: (I) the time necessary to breed (including time for social facilitation at the beginning of the season) and (2) the time necessary for flight feather molt. He thus incor- porated molt into life history strategies, and thus, an evolutionary context, for seabirds. In subsequent studies of museum skins of Sooty Terns from other popu- lations that breed on 6-month breeding schedules, Philip noted marked differ- ences in their molting patterns, and suggested that selection may have fa- vored unsuccessful breeders in one season to undergo only a partial molt, rather than a complete a molt, in order to be able to attempt to breed at the beginning of the next season 6 months later. The Ashmoles also addressed molt in White and Black-naped terns. They documented a molt strategy unique to these two species and further recog- nized that both species are the only terns without melanin in their prima- ries. They suggested that the resulting translucent wings may be advanta- geous in reducing their conspicuous- ness to prey, but at the cost of a higher rate of feather abrasion. This became their proposed selection factor to ex r plain the unique multi-wave molt strat- egy for these species, whereby the first primaries replaced during molt will not become excessively worn before they are replaced in the next molt cycle. Prior to these works, most publica- tions on molt were long, boring, de- scriptive accounts of sequence and timing, with no attempt to explain adaptive significance. Most ornitholo- gists assumed that characteristics of molt were primarily driven by con- straints imposed by demands of the Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 6 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD breeding season and migration. In contrast, the Ashmoles’ work showed that the reverse may also be true: as- pects of "molt may strongly influence aspects of the breeding cycle — in other words, molt can be a strong driving force in the evolution of life-history strategies. These excepts from Chris’s letter illustrate well the reason why the Ash- moles’ contribution to seabird biology was so great, and why their papers continue to be cited so long after they were published: because they placed seabird biology in an evolutionary context. By so doing, they spoke to scientists in other disciplines, and they challenged us in this discipline to test their ideas. In 1972, Philip took a position at the University of Edinburgh, where the Ashmoles have remained ever since. With this geographic move came a shift in their research interests. Most of us know that their seabird publications ceased to appear by the mid-1970s. Many may not be aware that they have continued jointly to conduct research, publish, and influence other fields right up to this day — spider biology, cave entomology, and restoration ecology among them. What is more, in the year 2000, their substantial biological work on Atlantic islands culminated with their jointly published book, St. Helena and Ascension Island: A Natural His- tory. Given the depth of their insight and the impact of their papers on sea- bird ecology, one may wonder: why did the Ashmoles move away from seabirds? When l was pondering this with a colleague of mine some time ago, he speculated, “Perhaps they were too big for seabird biology — it may be that their interests and ideas could not be contained within a single disci- pline.” I’d like to ask them this same question. However, whatever the rea- son, their attention to marine ornithol- ogy has left us with far-reaching ideas and important paradigms. Perhaps the strongest testament to their impact on our field is the fact that some thirty years after their publication, h most tropical and many high- latitude seabird papers continue to contain an Ashmole reference or two in their Literature Cited sections. Our field has been en- riched by their participation, and it has been changed forever. One final note seems appropriate. Not only is this the first time we are awarding the Pacific Seabird Group’s Lifetime Achievement Award to a pair of scientists, it is the first time we are awarding it to a woman. Other women will receive the award; but it is appro- priate that the first is Myrtle Ashmole, who perhaps is the first woman to make major contributions to the study of seabirds. BIBLIOGRAPHY FOR N. PHILIP ASHMOLE AND MYRTLE J. ASHMOLE (nee Goodacre) Citations referred to in the text are marked * Ashmole, N.P., R.G.B. Brown, and N. Tinbergen, 1956. Feeding associa- tion between coot and little grebe. Br Birds 49:501. Ashmole, N.P., R.G.B. Brown, and R.P. Campbell. 1957. La migration a Gavarnie en automne 1955. Alauda 25:94-115. Brown, R.G.B. , N.P. Ashmole, and R.P. Campbell. 1958. Insect migra- tion in the Pyrenees in the autumn of 1955. Entomol Monthly Mag 94:217-226. Goodacre, M.J., and D. Lack. 1959. Early breeding in 1957. Br Birds 52:74-83. Goodacre, M.J. 1959-1960. The origin of winter visitors to the British Isles. 1. Blackbird ( Turdus merula). Bird Study 6:37-50. 2, Chaffinch ( Fringilla coelebs ). Bird Study 6:102-108. 3. Brambling ( Fringilla montifringilla). Bird Study 6:106- 111. 4. Starling ( Sturnus vulgaris). Bird Study 6:180-192. 5. Redwing ( Turdus musicus). Bird Study 7:102-107. 6. Song Thrush ( Turdus philomelos ). Bird Study 7:108-110. 7. Fieldfare ( Turdus pilaris). Bird Study 7:111-113. Ashmole, N.P, D.F. Dorward, and B. Stonehouse. 1961. Numbering of primaries. Ibis l03a:235-273. Ashmole, M.J. 1962. Migration of European thrushes: a comparative study based on ringing recoveries. Ibis 104:314-346,522-559. Ashmole, N.P. 1962. The Black Noddy Anous tenuirostris on Ascension Island. Part l. General biology. Ibis l03b:235-273. Ashmole, M.J. 1963. Guide to the Birds of Samoa. Publ Pacific Sci In- formation Ctr. 21 p. Ashmole, N.P. 1963. The biology of the Wideawake or Sooty Tern Sterna fuscata on Ascension Island. Ibis I03b:297-364. Ashmole, N.P. 1963. Sub-fossil bird remains on Ascension Island. Ibis 103b:382-389. Ashmole, N.P. 1963. The extinct avi- fauna of St Helena Island, ibis 103b:390-408. Cullen, J.M., and N.P. Ashmole. 1963. The Black Noddy Anous tenuiros- tris on Ascension Island. Part 2. Behaviour. Ibis 103b:423-446. Dorward, D.F., and N.P. Ashmole, 1963. Notes on the biology of the Brown Noddy Anous stolidus on Ascension Island. Ibis 103b:447- 457. *Ashmole, N.P. 1963. The regulation of numbers of tropical oceanic birds. Ibis 103b:458-473. Ashmole, N.P. 1963. Molt and breed- ing in populations of the sooty tern Sterna fuscata. Postilla 76. 1 8 p. Ashmole, N.P. 1965. Adaptive varia- tion in the breeding regime of a tropical sea bird. Proc Nat Acad Sci 53:311-318. Ashmole, N.P. 1965. Sea bird studies on Christmas Island. Discovery (Peabody Museum of Natural His- tory, Yale University) 1 :20-24. *Ashmole, N.P., and M.J. Ashmole. 1967. Comparative feeding ecology of sea birds of a tropical oceanic island. Peabody Museum, Yale University, Bulletin 24. 131 p. Ashmole, N.P. 1967. Sexual dimor- phism and colonial breeding in the woodpecker Centurus striatus. Am Nat 101:353-356. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 7 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Ashmole, M.J., and N.P. Ashmole. 1967. The use of food samples from seabirds in the study of seasonal variation in the surface fauna of tropical oceanic areas.Pacific Sci 22 : 1 - 10 . Ashmole, MU., and N.P. Ashmole. 1967. Notes on the breeding season and food of the Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) on Oahu, Hawaii. Ardea 55:265-267. Ashmole, N.P. 1968. Breeding and molt in the White Tern (Gygis alba ) on Christmas Island, Pacific Ocean. Condor 70:35-55. Ashmole, N.P., and H. Tovar S. 1968. Prolonged parental care in Royal Terns and other birds. Auk 85:90- 100 . *Ashmole, ‘N.P. 1968. Body size, prey size, and ecological segregation in five sympatric tropical terns (Aves: Laridae). SystZool 17:292-304. Ashmole, N.P. 1968. Competition and interspecific territoriality in Empi- donax flycatchers. Syst Zool 17:210-212. Ashmole, N.P. 1968. Phoebe dividing clutch between two nests. Wilson Bull 80:332-333. *Ashmole, M.J. and N.P. Ashmole. 1 968. The use of food samples from sea birds in the study of seasonal variation in the surface fauna of tropical oceanic areas. Pac Sci 22:1- 10 . Ashmole, N.P. 1969. Population: cov- ered dish dynamics. Science 166:1354. Ashmole, M.J. 1970. Feeding of West- ern and Semipalmated Sandpipers in Peruvian winter quarters. Auk 87:131-135. Ashmole, N.P. 1970. Overpopulation: from apathy to action. Discovery (Peabody Mluseum of Natural His- tory, Yale University) 5:79-87. Tovar S., H., and N.P. Ashmole. 1970. A breeding record for the Gray- hooded Gull, Larus cirrocephalus, on the Peruvian coast. Condor 72:119-122. Uzzell, T., and N.P. Ashmole. 1970. Suture zones: an alternative view. SystZool 19:197-199. Schreiber, R.W., and N.P. Ashmole. 1 970. Sea-bird breeding seasons on Christmas Island, Pacific Ocean. Ibis 1 12:363-394. * Ashmole, N.P. 1971. Sea bird ecology and the marine environment. P. 223-286 in D.S. Famer and J.R King, editors. Avian Biology, vol- ume 1. Academic Pr, New York. Ashmole, N.P. 1974. Pelecaniformes. Encyclopaedia Britannica, 15th edition. 6 p. Ashmole, N.P., G.H. Locket, A.Q.K. Lodhi, C.J. Smith, and J.H. Sudd. 1978. Pityohyphantes phrygianus (C.L. Koch), a possible recent colo- nist of Britain. Bull Br Arachnol Soc 4:279-284. Ashmole, N.P. 1979. The spider fauna of Shetland and its zoogeographic context. Proc Royal Soc Edinburgh 78B:63-122. Ashmole, N.P., and B.R. Planterose. 1979. Spiders from arctic Fen- noscandia. Fauna Norvegica, Ser B 26:26-30. Ashmole, N.P. 1980. An interim list of the spiders of the Cairngorms. Re- port to the Nature Conservancy Council. 36 p. Ashmole, N.P., and P. Merrett. 1981. Lepthyphantes antroniensis Schenkel, a spider new to Britain (Araneae: Linyphiidae). Bull Br Arachnol Soc 5:234-236. Ashmole, N.P. 1983. Spiders and bee- tles (and other insects) at high lev- els on the Cairngorms. A report to the Nature Conservancy Council (UK). 30 p. Ashmole, N.P,, J.M Nelson, M.R Shaw, and A. Garside. 1983. Insects and spiders on snowfieids in the Cairngorms, Scotland. J Nat Hist 17:599-613. Ashmole, N.P. 1987. Sparrowhawk caching and returning repeatedly to prey. Scot Birds 14:182-183. Ashmole, M.J., and N.P. Ashmole. 1987. Arthropod communities sup- ported by biological fallout on re- cent lava flows in the Canary Is- lands. Entomol Scand, Suppl 32:67- 88 . Ashmole, N.P. and M.J. Ashmole. 1988. Insect dispersal on Tenerife, Canary Islands: high altitude fallout and seaward drift. Arctic Alpine Res 20:1-12. Ashmole, M.J., and N.P. Ashmole. 1989. Natural history excursions in Tenerife: a guide to the countryside. plants and animals. Kidston Mill Pr, Peebles, UK. Merrett, P., and N.P. Ashmole 1989. A new troglobitic Theridion (Araneae: Theridiidae) from the Azores. Bull Br Arachnol Soc 8:5 1 -54. Ashmole, N.P., M.J. Ashmole, and P. Oromi. 1990. Arthropods of recent lava flows on Lanzarote. Vieraea 18:171-187. Disney, R.H.L., M. Baez, and N.P. Ashmole. 1990. A revised list of the Phoridae (Diptera) from the Canary Islands, with habitat notes. Vieraea 18:261-265. Oromi, P., J.L. Martin, N.P. Ashmole, and M.J. Ashmole. 1990. A pre- liminary report on the cavemicolous fauna of the Azores. Mem Biospeoi 17:97-105. Ashmole, N.P., P. Oromi, M.J. Ash- mole, and J.L. Martin. 1992. Pri- mary faunal succession in volcanic terrain: lava and cave studies on the Canary Islands. Biol J Linnean Soc 46:207-234. Eason, E.H., and N.P. Ashmole. 1992. Indigenous centipedes (Chilopoda: Lithobiomorpha) from Azorean caves and lava flows. Zool J Lin- nean Soc 105:407-429. Ashmole, N.P. 1993. Colonization of the underground environment in volcanic islands. Mem Biospeoi 20 : 1 - 11 . Millidge, A.F., and N.P. Ashmole. 1994. A new genus and species of cave spider from Ascension Island (Araneae: Linyphiidae). Bull Br Arachnol Soc 9:221-223. Ashmole, N.P., M.J. Ashmole, and K.E.L. Simmons. 1994. Seabird conservation and feral cats on As- cension Island, South Atlantic. P. 94-121 in Seabirds on Islands: Threats, Case Studies and Action Plans. Birdlife Conserv Ser, Num- ber. 1. Ashmole, N.P., editor. 1994. Restoring Borders Woodland. Peeblesshire Environment Concern, Peebles, UK. Bell, B.D., and N.P. Ashmole. 1995. The feasibility of the eradication of feral cats and rats from Ascension Island. Report prepared on behalf of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, for the Foreign and Com- monwealth Office. 127 p. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number I * Spring 2002 • Page 8 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Ashmoie, N.P., and MJ. Ashmole. 1995. Arthropod fauna of a cave on Trescp, Isles of Scilly, English Channel. Entomologist 1 14:79-82. Ashmole, N.P., P. Oromi, M.J. Ash- mole, and J.L. Martin. 1996. The invertebrate fauna of early succes- sions! volcanic habitats in the Azores. Bol Mus Munic Funchal 48 (264):5-39. Merrett, P., and N.P. Ashmole. 1997. Redescription of Catonetria caeca Millidge and Ashmole from Ascen- sion Island (Araneae: Linyphiidae). Bull Br Arachnol Soc 10:247-248. Ashmole, N.P., and M.J. Ashmole. 1997. The land fauna of Ascension Island: new data from caves and lava flows, and a reconstruction of the prehistoric ecosystem. J Bio- geog 24:549-589. Newton, A.C., and N.P. Ashmole, edi- tors. 1998. Native woodland resto- ration in southern Scotland: princi- ples and practice. Univ Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK, and the Borders Forest Trust. Newton, A.C., and N.P. Ashmole. 1998. How may native woodland be restored to Southern Scotland? Scot Forestry 52:168-171. Whitfield, D.P., W. Cressweii, N.P Ashmole, N.A. Clark, and D.A. Evans. 1999. No evidence for Spar- rowhawks selecting Redshanks ac- cording to size or condition. J Avian Biol 30:31-39. Lienhard, C., and N.P. Ashmole. 1 999. Sphaeropsocopsis myrtleae sp. n., a blind subterranean psocid from St Helena (Psocoptera: Sphaeropsoci- dae). Rev suisse Zool 106:905-912. Ashmole, N.P., M.J. Ashmole, and W.R.P. Bourne. 1999. Bulwefs Pet- rel Bulweria bulwerii on St Helena. Bull Br Omithol Club 1999:91-94. Ashmole, N.P. 1999. Carrifran Wild- wood and the Borders Forest Trust — using the past? Scottish Woodland History Discussion Group Notes (Ctr Environ Hist Policy, Univ St Andrews, UK) 4:36-39. Ashmole, N.P., and M.J. Ashmole. 2000. Fallout of dispersing arthro- pods supporting invertebrate com- munities in barren volcanic habitats. Case study: Canary Islands. In J.H. Wilkens, W. Humphreys, and D. Culver, editors. Ecosystems of the World. Volume 30: Subterranean Ecosystems. Elsevier, Oxford. *Ashmole, N.P., and M.J. Ashmole. 2000. St Helena and Ascension Is- land: A natural history. Anthony Nelson, Oswestry, UK. 500 p. Philip and Myrtle Ashmole in the field— California Condor field trip, 24 February Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 9 CONSERVATION NEWS Craig Harrison PSG PETITIONS TO LIST XANTUS’S MURRELET UNDER ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT At its annual meeting in Santa Barbara during February, PSG’s Ex- ecutive Council approved submitting a petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the California Department of Fish and Game to list the Xantus’s Murrelet ( Synthliboram - phus hypoleucus) as a threatened spe- cies. The petition was prepared by PSG members Gerry McChesney and Scott Newman on contract to PSG, and was formally submitted to the agencies in April. It is unclear how quickly USFWS will act on the petition, but in March 2002 the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the federal government must determine whether a species is endangered or threatened within one year of receiving a petition for listing ( United States v. Biodiversity Legal Foundation). Moreover, the Endangered Species Act requires the USFWS to make an initial finding whether to proceed with a spe- cies petition within 90 days, to the “maximum extent practicable.” USFWS has often taken several years to make such determinations, and counters that it is hindered by budget- ary and staffing shortages. JUDGE RULES THAT NAVY BOMBING SEABIRD COLONY VIOLATES MIGRATORY BIRD TREATY ACT; CONGRESSIONAL BACKLASH IMMINENT? In March a federal district judge in the District of Columbia ruled that the U.S. Navy violated the Migratory Bird Treaty Act by bombing and shelling Farallon de Medinilia, an island in the Northern Marianas. The island is used by at least two dozen species of birds, a dozen of which nest there, including Great Frigatebirds ( Fregata minor). Masked Boobies (Sula dactylatra ), and endangered Micronesian megapodes. The Navy admitted that protected birds are killed by the training exercises, and applied to the USFWS for a permit to continue the bombing. The USFWS declined to issue a permit in 1996 but the bombing continued because the Defense Department claimed that the Migratory Bird Treaty Act does not apply to federal agencies. In an April hearing on remedy, the judge barred the Navy from conducting training exercises. The suit was brought by the Center for Biological Diversity and a birder on Guam named Ralph Frew. The court’s ruling provoked an editorial by the Wall Street Journal entitled “Another Bird-Brained idea.” it noted other disputes concerning bombing sites such as naval weapons testing at Vieques in Puerto Rico and disputes over the Army’s use of Makua Military Reservation in Hawaii because of land snails. The editors wrote that “environmentalists have increasingly relied on courts to turn well-meaning laws into draconian ones,” noting that the Navy claims it kills no more than five of each species (including eggs) annually. The loss of training sites due to environmental regulations and de- creased military training opportunities encouraged the House Armed Services Committee to include in the Depart- ment of Defense authorization bill a measure that exempts the Department of Defense from the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and the Endangered Species Act, and was included in the overall bill that passed the House by a 359-58 margin. It is unclear at this time how the Senate will react to this provision. The National Audubon Society has suggested that if such exemptions are needed, the USFWS should decide what impact on migratory birds would be acceptable. TOURISM VENTURE ENDS ON MIDWAY ATOLL In spring 2002, Midway Phoenix Corporation and the USFWS dissolved their agreement to run an ecotourism destination on Midway Atoll that had been in place since 1996. This ar- rangement had been an attempt to blend tourism and wildlife protection in a remote part of the Hawaii Archi- pelago (see Pacific Seabirds 28:2, 2001). A small Midway Phoenix crew continued to operate the airport and utilities for the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge until 1 May. Visits by tourists and volunteers were ended by Midway Phoenix in January. White Terns ( Gyga alba), Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses ( Phoe~ bastsria immutabilis and P. nigripes ), Great Frigatebirds {Fregata minor), and Red-tailed Tropicbirds ( Phaethon rubricauda) are among the seabirds that breed there. A small colony of endangered monk seals (Monachus schauinslandi ) is resident, and threat- ened green sea turtles ( Chelonia my- das) forage in the lagoon. To avoid disturbance of various species, small parts of Sand Island and all of unoccu- pied Eastern Island were off limits to visitors, except that tourists were al- lowed onto Eastern Island once a week under supervision by agency staff. USFWS and NMFS conducted moni- toring and research on a number of species, and USFWS was restoring habitats, all with the help of the Oce- anic Society and numerous volunteers. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002* Page 10 CONSERVATION NEWS According to Midway Phoenix, it lost over $15 million while operating Midway. $5 million of this was borne by Boeing Corporation; Boeing’s in- terest in Midway is an example of the surprising complexity of politics there— without an FAA-certifted emergency airport on Midway, the agency would not permit two-engine airliners to fly trans-Pacific routes. Midway Phoenix staffed the airport and utilities; they also ran a hotel in some renovated military barracks, pro- vided meal service, and subcontracted tour packages. Midway Phoenix complained that USFWS had “managed at an ex- treme” — which included imposing a limit of 100 visitors per week, remov- ing non-native ironwood trees ( Casu - arina equisetifolia), and refusing to allow activities such as kayaking or surfing. Midway Phoenix also claimed that USFWS had increased restrictions on operations during recent years. For example, most beaches were closed for the protection of monk seals, ocean- going tugs were not allowed to visit for refueling, and few cruise ships could visit. However, according to Jerry Leinecke, supervisor of the Hawaiian and Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex, Midway Phoenix knew and agreed to all the restrictions at the time it signed the cooperative agreement with the government. (Monk seals have begun breeding again on this formerly important atoll, with 14 pups in 2001.) Sport fishing was permitted and was lucrative for the company. Birgit Winning, president of the Oceanic Society, said that wildlife pro- grams would be harmed by the end of the agreement. “Not only will the en- dangered species and habitat recovery process be affected, so will preserva- tion of historic sites and opportunities for long-term biological monitoring and research,” she said. Operations on Midway currently are in a holding pattern. USFWS has contracted with the environmental firm GeoEngineers Inc. for six months to maintain Midway’s infrastructure and airport. The firm also is surveying op- erational costs, but it will not offer tourist services. Current residents of Midway include four USFWS employ- ees and their families, two volunteers, and about 30 employees of GeoEngi- neers. Leinecke says that USFWS hopes to re-open Midway to both tourists and volunteers by spring 2003. USFWS is currently preparing to request bids on a new long-term contract to maintain the island’s facilities and provide visitor services. USFWS is considering changes that may improve their chances of success this time around. The agency would consider increasing the 100-person limit on visitors if wildlife priorities permitted it, although the number was rarely reached during Midway Phoenix’s tenure. USFWS also is hoping they can defray some costs through contributions from other agencies that have interests on the is- land, such as the Department of De- fense and the National Weather Serv- ice. On the other hand, sport fishing will be curtailed until the lagoon eco- system has been better studied, it re- mains to be seen whether these condi- tions will attract a new company to manage Midway. — Craig Harrison and Vivian Mendenhall SALMON RECOVERY IN COLUMBIA RIVER MEETING FEDERAL GOALS The Columbia River salmon re- covery effort is meeting its goals, ac- cording to a joint announcement in May by the Bonneville Power Admini- stration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Bureau of Reclamation. Those federal agencies operate the river’s hydroelectric dams and are meeting their goals without decimating the local Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia ) popula- tion. Progress toward salmon recovery was made in 2001, despite it being the second-worst water year on record for the Columbia. In December 2000, nine federal agencies released a long-term strategy for the recovery of 12 populations of Columbia Basin salmon and steelhead listed under the Endangered Species Act. The strategy was part of a biologi- cal opinion issued by the National Ma- rine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and involved changes in hydropower op- erations, habitat, hatcheries and har- vest — the so-called “Four Hs.” Actions taken during 2001 to en- hance salmon recovery included im- proved passage of juvenile and adult fish at the hydroelectric dams, im- proved water quality, more fish diver- sions from irrigation system intakes, acquiring and protecting fish habitat, and the use of a new type of commer- cial fish net to reduce mortality on wild fish. The recovery effort includes fish passage improvements at the dams, downstream transportation by barge and truck of juvenile salmon, hatchery improvements and habitat improve- ments. PSG COMMENTS ON CORMORANT MANAGEMENT Thanks to PSG member Dan Roby, PSG commented in February on a draft environmental impact statement that would allow to allow states and other federal agencies to shoot large numbers of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritis) under a gen- eral depredation order, without permits. PSG noted that Double-crested Cormo- rants breeding along the West Coast from British Columbia to Sinaloa, Mexico belong to the subspecies P. a . albociliatus . This subspecies is mor- phologically distinct from P. a. auritus , which is the common cormorant in the interior and eastern contiguous US ( auritus is smaller and lacks the white- plumed crests of some individuals of the Pacific Coast subspecies). ThesSize of the western population is much smaller than that the population east of Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002* Page 1 1 CONSERVATION NEWS the continental divide, numbering tens of thousands of breeding pairs as op- posed to hundreds of thousands of breeding pairs. Some West Coast populations have declined recently. Unlike interior populations of au- ritus, West Coast populations of albo~ ciliatus have not been implicated in widespread and significant damage to commercial aquaculture or displace- ment of other colonial-nesting water- birds. For all of these reasons, PSG urged that the western sub-species be managed separately and that the USFWS not allow a general depreda- tion order for west coast populations of Double-crested Cormorants. The USFWS is proceeding to propose regulations to implement a depredation order for this species, and the final rules will be timed to be issued with the final environmental impact state- ment. It is unclear whether PSG’s comments will be implemented and the western population managed separately from the population east of the Rocky Mountains. CASPIAN TERN MANAGEMENT IN MID- COLUMBIA RIVER The U.S. Department of Agricul- ture’s Wildlife Services (a predator control unit) has prepared an environ- mental assessment for piscivorous bird damage management for salmonids in the Mid-Columbia River Basin. The American Bird Conservancy (PSG is a member organization), the National Audubon Society, and several other conservation organizations wrote to Wildlife Services concerning the as- sessment. These organizations success- fully sued the Army Corps of Engi- neers concerning the need for an envi- ronmental impact statement with re- gard to taking Caspian Terns in the lower Columbia River. One of the highlights of that decision is the agreement that a system-wide tern management plan — including broadly based nesting sites — must be accom- plished within the next three years. This should include the mid-Columbia. Wildlife Services destroyed 928 Caspian Terns in 2001 under a depre- dation permit, on behalf of public util- ity districts that manage dams in along the mid-Columbia River. The public utility districts have concerns about tern predation on threatened and en- dangered salmon smolts migrating through their jurisdictions. Terns, among other species (principally Ring- billed and California Gulls, Lams delaw arens is and L. californicus), have been implicated as significant smolt predators. To date, little to no quantita- tive information exists on the diet of these birds, where they come from, or even how many there are in the system. Of particular concern is the Cas- pian Tern colony in the Potholes Res- ervoir — the closest inland colony of terns to the mid-Columbia dams. At a mere 300 birds in 2001, this colony could sustain considerable damage if these birds are foraging within the Columbia system and subject to lethal take. The conservation groups are urg- ing that Wildlife Services ascertain what effect Caspian Terns and other fish-eating birds are having, if any, on the return of listed salmonid species as well as other non-listed salmonids. Other species destroyed by Wildlife Services include Ring-billed Gulls, California Gulls, Double-crested Cor- morants, Common Merganser ( Mergus merganser ), Western and Clarke's Grebes ( Aechmophorus occidentals and A. clarkii\ and occasionally For- ster’s Terns {Sterna forsteri ), Belted Kingfishers ( Ceryle alcyon), and Great Blue Herons {Ardea herodias). The American Bird Conservancy notes that while the total number of Caspian Terns nesting in the Columbia River estuary increased in 1998, 1999 and 2000, numbers of nesting terns were stable or slightly lower in 2001. In late May 2002 the Caspian Tern colony on East Sand Island had de- clined by almost one-quarter from the previous year and there has been no increase in Caspian Terns observed elsewhere. PSG commented in early July 2002 on two other documents relating to Caspian Terns in the Columbia River: a draft “Status Assessment and Conservation Recommendations for the Caspian Tern ( Sterna Caspia) in North America,” by USFWS, and “Caspian Tern Predation on Salmon and Steelhead Smolts in the Columbia River Estuary,” by NMFS. David Ain- ley wrote for PSG that the USFWS document was a thorough review, al- though the conservation recommenda- tions should be made more practical. In particular, a regional survey/analysis should be done to document historical breeding sites, which sites are currently being used, and what should be done to insure a well-distributed population throughout the region. On the other hand, PSG found that NMFS’s analysis of tern impacts on smolts was poorly done; it omitted much relevant research and did not support its conclusion that tern predation “significantly affects [salmon] recovery.” PSG members Julia Parrish and Chris Thompson have been contracted by the Chelan County Public Utility District to study the interactions be- tween piscivorous birds and salmon smolts in the mid-Columbia River with a view toward assessing the actual im- pacts on the fish, as well as under- standing the origin, age structure and other attributes of the bird populations which could contribute to intelligent ecosystem-based management. PANEL OPENS DOOR FOR ENDING BRITISH COLUMBIA’S BAN ON OFFSHORE DRILLING An expert panel appointed by the British Columbia government con- cluded in May that there is no scientific reason to maintain a decades-old ban on drilling off the province’s shores. PSG wrote British Columbia Minister of Energy and Mines Richard Neufeld in 2001 asking that the government agencies proceed very carefully with any plans to exploit those resources Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number l * Spring 2002* Page 12 CONSERVATION NEWS ( Pacific Seabirds 28:71, 2001). The three-member panel of scientists con- cluded: “There is no inherent or fun- damental inadequacy of the science or technology, properly applied in an ap- propriate regulatory framework, to justify retention of the ... moratorium.” The moratorium has been in place since 1959. It was temporarily lifted in 1966 to permit the drilling of explora- tory wells. In 1972, Canada’s federal government, which has jurisdictional precedence in the development of off- shore resources, re- invoked the mora- torium. The panel did not recommend lifting the ban, only studying the idea further. Many British Columbia officials seem keen to spark economic growth in coastal communities, but there are strong objections from conservation organizations and hesitation on the part of Canada’s federal government. Even more problematic may be that fact that energy companies with long-stagnant leases in the region do not plan to exer- cise them unless aboriginal land claim disputes are cleared up and other major problems resolved. The Charlotte Ba- sin has drawn the most interest from the oil and gas industry and could contain 10 billion barrels of oil and 26 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. CANADA REQUIRES HALIBUT FISHERY TO IMPLEMENT SEABIRD BYCATCH TECHNIQUES Last year, PSG wrote Canada’s Minister of Fisheries and Oceans to urge it to develop and implement a national plan of action to reduce the incidental take of seabirds in longline fisheries ( Pacific Seabirds 28:71, 2001). We had heard from our Cana- dian colleagues that the group that had been assigned this task was unofficially called the “non-working group.” In May 2002, the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans wrote to summarize the efforts to date and to announce that beginning March 2002 the halibut fleet in the Pacific is required to adopt methods to reduce seabird bycatch. In addition, the sablefish and rockfish fisheries on the Pacific coast are ex- pected to be required employ tech- niques to reduce seabird bycatch soon. NEW TECHNOLOGY MINIMIZES SEABIRD DEATHS IN HAWAII LONGLINE FISHERY Albatrosses and other seabirds are drowning by the thousands after being hooked and drowned in the world’s longline fisheries. Many of the world’s albatross species are now considered to be seriously threatened, with longlines being the major threat. As these devel- opments indicate, effective and inex- pensive solutions exist for most fish- eries. The American Bird Conservancy (PSG is a member organization) re- cently released a new report on sea- birds and longlines: http://www.- abcbirds.org/policy/seabirds.htm. A new device which keeps fish bait and hooks out of sight of birds may help avoid mortality of albatrosses and other seabirds in the Hawaii tuna longline fishery. The equipment, called an underwater chute, enables longline fishing vessels to catch tuna and swordfish without killing the thousands of albatrosses that get caught on baited hooks and drown each year. The birds get hooked or entangled when gear is being set and are dragged underwater and drown as the fishing gear sinks. First developed in 1995, the un- derwater setting chute releases baited hooks underwater, out of sight and reach of these diving seabirds. It has been tested in New Zealand and is un- dergoing trials in Australia’s tuna longline fisheries. The results of recent Hawaii tests indicate when setting un- der controlled conditions without the underwater setting chute, seabirds contacted 6.5% of baited hooks set, resulting in the mortality of 24 sea- birds. When setting with the chute, seabirds contacted 0.2% of baited hooks set, and no birds were caught or killed. According to Jim Cook, owner of the fishing vessel Katy Mary and representative of the Hawaii Longline Association, “The data indicate that the chute is effective at avoiding seabird interactions with longline gear in the Hawaii fleet. And, equally important, the longline industry is likely to sup- port use of the chute, as it promises to save fishers money by reducing bait loss, and does not require significant alteration of normal fishing practices.” The chute may resolve seabird bycatch problems in the Hawaii tuna fishery, and if the Hawaii swordfish fishery (closed in 1999 due to concerns over sea turtle mortality) resolves their turtle bycatch problem and is allowed to re- sume, the chute may be effective at avoiding seabirds in this fishery as well. PSG SUPPORTS NORTHWESTERN HAWAIIAN ISLANDS CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM RESERVE Thanks to PSG member Mark Rauzon, PSG provided comments on draft reserve operations plan for the new marine sanctuary in the North- western Hawaiian Islands, suggesting that seabirds should figure prominently in the management of this reserve. PSG corrected errors in the draft list of breeding seabirds, and suggested that the reserve develop a list of all seabirds that commonly occur in the marine area. PSG supported most of the pro- posed directions in management, in- cluding marine debris cleanup, public education and regulation of bottom fishing at submerged banks. PSG also encouraged seabird monitoring in the offshore sanctuary, and improved en- forcement in these remote waters. STATUS OF CONSERVATION AND REINVESTMENT ACT Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002* Page 1 3 CONSERVATION NEWS The efforts for federal funding of state wildlife work continue apace. Since the failure of the Senate to pass the CARA bill (Conservation and Re- investment Act) in the last Congress (in late 2000), the drive has been taking two tracks. First, there has been an inconsistent effort to get the states yearly appropriated funding. It has been relatively successful, with $50 million and $80 million available in Fiscal Year (FY) 2001 and FY 2002, respectively. Unfortunately, the re- quirements and standards for the two years have been different, creating all kinds of problems in getting the states to comply. At this moment it is unclear what the amount may be for FY 2003. Second, there continues the effort to get CARA or something close to CARA (with long-term or permanent funding included) passed. The House Resource Committee marked up CARA months ago, but the bill has yet to go to the House floor. At the same time, the Senate’s passage of the ex- cellent American Wildlife Enhance- ment Act, S990 (a good bill but with- out permanent funding) is hopeful. These two bills present an important opportunity to enact dedicated conser- vation funding — to support wildlife conservation and related wildlife edu- cation and wildlife recreation- — during this Congressional session. We may yet get one or the other bill passed, or a combination with elements of both. Meaningful state participation on var- ied aspects of bird conservation may very well depend on the outcome of this situation. — Paul J. Baicich EFFORTS CONTINUE TO LOCATE BAND-RUMPED STORM-PETREL NESTS ON KAUAI The search narrows as researchers have located a remote predator-free valley that holds a colony of Band- rumped (Harcourt’s) Storm-Petrels {Oceanodroma castro) — the only Ha- waiian seabird whose nest remains thus far undetected. David Kuhn reports that during 2001 he continued his attempts to find a nesting colony of Band- rumped Storm-Petrels on Kauai. He and others continue to hear and record calls every 5-15 seconds from 2000 to 2130 hours in June, in extremely rug- ged terrain at about 3000 feet near Waimea Canyon Lookout. He also listened at stations over a wide area and heard storm-petrels throughout the upper Waimea Canyon, from Waimea Canyon Lookout 6 miles northeast to Poomau Canyon, and north to Kaialau Valley. Calls continued until mid- October. Kuhn is continuing his efforts in 2002. During a late August 200 1 botani- cal research visit within the hanging valley of Pohakuao, Ken Wood, Na- tional Tropical Botanical Garden, was fortunate to find himself camped amidst nesting populations of Band- rumps and Newell’s Shearwaters (Puffmus newelli). This was the first confirmation of a Band-rump breeding site in Hawaii, although the actual nest still defies detection. CHRISTMAS ISLAND RATS The appearance of ship rats (Rat- tus rattus) at Kiritimati (Christmas Island, Pacific Ocean) is bad news in- deed. Their arrival was predicted in 1986 by Ian Atkinson, who foresaw catastrophic environmental and eco- nomic damage when ship rats reached Kiritimati. Already Pacific rats (R. ex- ulans) plague the seabirds on the re- maining seabird colonies there. Ship rats apparently arrived about three years ago either from copra shipments from nearby Fanning Island or in Japa- nese heavy equipment. This develop- ment will speed the decline of seabirds, which already are pressured by human population growth. Ship rats will make feral cat control even more difficult, and make the loss of the Christmas Island warbler more likely. PSG members William T. Everett and Mark Rauzon visited the island in January 2002 and have developed a conservation plan for saving remnants of the once tremendous seabird popu- lation. They propose working on the small islets where Phoenix Petrel (Pterodroma alba) and Polynesian (White-throated) Storm-Petrel (Nesof- regetta fuliginosa) exist, and where Pacific rats are easy to eradicate. PSG members Tara Zimmerman, Holly Friefeld and Kent Wohl will attend the South Pacific Regional Envi- ronmental Programme meeting in the Cook Islands in July to explore a USFWS effort to implement the priori- ties in the Environmental Programme’s plan, including projects on Christmas Island. Already the Environmental Programme is supporting the efforts of New Zealanders in eradicating Pacific rats from a small islet where Phoenix Petrels attempt to nest. RATS REMOVED FROM HELEN ATOLL, PALAU PSG member Mark Rauzon con- sulted with Michael D. Guilbeaux of the Community Conservation Network in Hawaii concerning rat control. Guil- beaux reports that rat poisoning under the guidance of the Palau Department of Sanitation occurred in late 2001. One month after initial deployment, no rats were caught by ten traps set out on each of six consecutive nights. Officers who have since visited the island claim they have not seen even one rat, and that bird populations are getting bigger. Helen Reef is a 162 km 2 coral reef atoll situated between the Palau archi- pelago in Micronesia and insular Southeast Asia. This large remote coral reef atoll is unparalleled in Palau and Micronesia in terms of its ecological integrity, abundance, and biological diversity. It provides habitat for many renowned and critical wildlife popula- tions. Helen Reef historically supports some of the largest known nesting sea- bird colonies in Micronesia, all of which are threatened, to a greater or lesser extent, by alien rats. These colo- nies include pan tropical seabirds and Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002* Page 14 CONSERVATION NEWS important colonies of Great Crested Terns {Sterna bergii ) and Black-naped Terns ( S . sumatrana). The rare coastal nesting population of the Great Crested Tern at Helen Atoll is thought to be one of the largest colonies remaining in the entire Pacific Ocean. In addition, regionally important foraging and nesting populations of Green and Hawksbill sea turtles ( Chelonia mydas and Eretmochelys imbricata) may benefit, as rats have attacked hatchling turtles. Future monitoring will be neces- sary to determine whether rat eradica- tion was complete. METHUSELAH LAYSAN ALBATROSS MOM Chandler S. Robbins recaptured a Laysan Albatross on Midway Atoll in February 2002 that he had initially banded in 1956. This bird was incu- bating an egg when he first banded it, indicating that it was at least five years old at the time. Robbins had replaced the worn band in 1962, and other col- leagues had replaced it again in 1985 and 1993. When he gave this bird its 5th sequential band in February 2002 it was at least 51 years old — and was brooding a healthy chick. This breaks the longevity record for North Ameri- can birds in the wild, the previous re- cord being for this same species at the age of 42 years 5 months. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002* Page 15 PSG NEWS PSG ELECTS EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FOR 2002 The following members of the Ex- ecutive Council were elected in fall 2001: Officers: • Chair-eiect: David Irons • Secretary: Lora Leschner Regional Representatives: • Alaska/Russia: Verena Gill • Northern California: Meredith Eliot • Old World: Mark Tasker • Pacific Rim: Beth Flint • Student Representative: Stephani Zador A complete list of Executive Council members is on the inside back cover. Thirty percent of all members voted. Among the regions, the Old World and Hawaii/Pacific Rim trailed the pack at 21% return; Alaska/Russia topped all, with 49% return of ballots (although no votes came back from Russia). Perhaps the Regional Repre- sentatives can muster more enthusiasm within their ranks for voting, or else they could propose more alternate can- didates. However, the one Region with two candidates. Northern California, ran a poor next-to-Iast showing with only 23% of ballots returned. Some of the races were quite close, with only one vote separating the two candidates. Therefore, I encourage all who did not get elected this year to run again in the future. There were a few write-in candidates; I will circulate their names to the appropriate Repre- sentatives, who can contact them and ask if they want to run next time. Thank you all for your help in se- lecting the slate of nominees. It was a great line-up of candidates. EXECUTIVE COUNCIL CANDIDATES NEEDED FOR 2003 The following positions will be up for election in fall 2002: * Chair-elect * Vice-chair for Conservation * Treasurer * Southern California representative * Oregon-Washington representative * Non-Pacific US representative * Canada representative PSG needs candidates who would like to serve in these positions. Being a member of the Executive Council is extremely interesting. You can keep up on current issues surrounding seabirds, and you are helping PSG maintain its prominent role in seabird conservation. Students are invited to become candidates for any position on the Ex- ecutive Council. Only one position is restricted by academic or professional standing: that of Student Representa- tive, who must be a student. APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR FOR PSG’s PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE PSG is pleased to announce the ap- pointment of Pat Jodice for this posi- tion. As Publication Committee Chair, Dr. Jodice will oversee the production of PSG publications, and will sit on the board of Marine Ornithology. You may reach him atjodicep@ucs.orst.edu PSG’s 2003 MEETING TO BE HELD IN PARKSVILLE, BRITISH COLUMBIA PSG will hold its 30th meeting in Parksville, British Columbia, at Tigh- Na-Mara Resort (the name is Gaelic for “By the Sea”), on 19-22 February 2003. Parksville is on Vancouver Is- land, 30 minutes north of Nanaimo and 2 hours north of Victoria by road. Visitors can fly to Vancouver, Victoria or Seattle and take the BC or Wash- ington State ferry systems to Nanaimo or Victoria. The meeting will take place on site. There are several varie- ties of accommodation; many have kitchenettes. There is also a fine restau- rant at the resort. The web site for Tigh-Na-Mara is www.tigh-na- mara.com. The Local Organizing Committee is Doug Bertram, Shelagh Bucknell, Neil Dawe, Bob Elner, Mark Hipfner, and Ron Ydenberg, We look forward to seeing you at the 30th meeting in Parksville, BC. AWARD NOMINATIONS NEEDED Since 1993, PSG has given occa- sional awards for outstanding contri- butions to seabird research, conserva- tion, or education. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes sig- nificant, long-term contributions to seabird science, conservation and edu- cation in the Pacific Ocean or the world. The Special Achievement Award is given for a single outstanding accomplishment or for service to PSG. Past recipients of both awards are listed at the end of this issue. The Awards Committee would like to receive nominations for either award from any member. In order to nominate someone, send a one-page letter to the coordinator of the Awards Committee, explaining the reasons for your nomination. (The committee Co- ordinator for 2002 is Bill Sydeman; phone (15) 868-1221, extension 19; e- mail wjsydeman@prbo.org). The Awards Committee and Ex- ecutive Council will vote on the nomi- nation. If your candidate is accepted, Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 1 6 PSG NEWS you will be asked to plan the presenta- tion of the award at the annual meeting, and to write a brief article (photos in- cluded) for Pacific Seabirds. KARL KENYON NO LONGER ABLE TO RECEIVE PACIFIC SEABIRDS The editor received the following letter on behalf of Karl Kenyon: 02/13/02 1 am writing this note at the request of Karl W. Kenyon (please see enclosed magazine mailing address). Because Karl is 83 years old, in failing health and has lost his eyesight he has de- cided he no longer wishes to continue receiving Pacific Seabirds and hopes that the funds remaining for his sub- scription can be better used to further scientific research. Sincerely, Clarence Larson (ATF/- POA) for Karl W. Kenyon. Karl is a lifetime member of PSG. He was honored with PSG’s very first Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993 (Pacific Seabirds 21:16, 1994). He pio- neered colony surveys in Alaska, man- agement of seabird-aircraft conflicts, and beached bird surveys; he did among the earliest research on inges- tion of plastic by seabirds and the homing abilities of albatrosses. His other talents have included research on marine mammals, piloting Navy fighter planes in the Pacific during World War II, and painting. Until recently he has attended PSG’s annual meetings faith- fully. JAPAN SEABIRD SYMPOSIUM PAPERS PUBLISHED Five papers from the joint sympo- sium of PSG and the Japanese Seabird Group at Kihue, Hawaii, in February 2001 have been published in the Jour- nal of the Yamashina Institute for Or- nithology. The papers are in volume 33, number 2 of the journal: Watanuke et al., “Biology, status, and conserva- tion of Japanese seabirds” (introduction to the symposium); Carter et ai., “Status and conservation of the Japa- nese Murrelet in the Izu Islands”; Nel- son et al, “The status and conservation of the Long-billed Murrelet in Japan”; Osa and Watanuki, “Status of seabirds breeding in Hokkaido”; and Lee and Yoo, “Breeding population of Streaked Shearwaters and the effect of Norway rat predation on Sasudi Island.” Sea- bird papers are on pages 57-147; pa- pers on other subjects occupy the rest of the issue, pages 148-213. All papers are in English with Japanese abstracts. A few copies of the journal con- taining the symposium papers are available through the PSG treasurer for $75 each. PSG HANDBOOK AVAILABLE The PSG Handbook is now avail- able for use by PSG members. This handbook was prepared primarily for PSG officers, regional representatives, committee coordinators, and Annual Meeting organizers. However, it will also be useful for any PSG member who wonders how PSG functions. The handbook includes PSG’s Bylaws, the responsibilities of Executive Council members, information on our journals. Pacific Seabirds and Marine Ornithol- ogy, and step-by-step directions on how to put on an annual meeting. If you have ever considered running for an Executive Council position, hosting an annual meeting, or becoming more involved in PSG, this document should answer your questions about roles you could play in the organization and po- tential responsibilities. The handbook was written over a period of four years by Kim Nelson and Amanda Wilson, with input from the Executive Council and the Annual Meeting local com- mittees. It will be revised yearly, as needed, by the Secretary of PSG (cur- rently Lora Leschner). Please read the handbook and pro- vide suggestions or additions. You will find a copy soon at PSG’s web page (http://www.pacificseabirdgroup.org); in the meantime, you can request a copy from Lora at leschll!@- dfw.wa.gov. SEADUCK CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOPS The North American Sea Duck Conference and Workshop will be held in Victoria, British Columbia, on 6-10 November 2002. Sponsored by Sea Duck Joint Venture partners, this meeting will gather researchers, man- agers, and administrators with an inter- est in sea duck biology and conserva- tion. The goal is to provide a focal point for initiating and furthering the goals of the Sea Duck Joint Venture. Activities will include science presen- tations to define where we are in our understanding of sea duck biology and population status, and there will be workshops on specific issues. For more information, or to propose workshop topics or special sessions, please check out the web site: (www.seaduckjv.org/- conference. You may also contact Dan Esler, Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University, 5421 Robert- son Road, Delta, BC V4K 3N2, Can- ada; e-mail seaducks@sfii.ca Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 17 NEWS OF THE PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP’S ANNUAL MEETING OF 2002 The 29 th Annual Meeting of the Pacific Seabird Group was held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History on 20-23 February 2002. This section contains short reports on the meeting. Elsewhere in this issue are longer reports on the Santa Barbara Island field trip, Lifetime Achievement Award, Executive Council meeting, and committee activities, plus abstracts of the papers and posters. OVERVIEW OF THE MEETING PSG’s 2002 Annual Meeting com- bined an elegant setting with a high- calibeF scientific program. The meeting was attended by 252 people, 52 of whom were students. Sessions were held at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History. The meeting was anchored by three plenary lectures: “Relative survival of some hypotheses in seabird biology,” by Philip and Myrtle Ashmole; “Why murre biologists might want to know more about Adelie Penguins,” by David Ainley; and “Aggressive com- petition among broodmates,” by Hugh Drummond. There were two symposia: “Biology and conservation of Ameri- can White Pelicans” and “Oil and Cali- fornia’s seabirds.” A total of 100 pa- pers and 40 posters were given, in- cluding 35 student presentations. Committees and the Executive Council met on 20 February, and the editorial board of Marine Ornithology met on 23 February with South African editor John Cooper. A special tribute was held on 22 February at the Radisson Hotel for Steve Speich, PSG’s long-time editor and Publications Chair who died in December 2001. Ron LeValley, Bob Pittman, and many others contributed reminiscences of Steve; Pat Baird read poetry. Malcolm Coulter recorded the presentations for the benefit of Steve’s family. Coffee breaks, lunch, and the eve- ning poster session were held on the beautiful patios of the Spanish-style museum. The annual banquet on 23 February took place at the Santa Bar- bara Maritime Museum; PSG’s Life- time Achievement Award was given to Philip and Myrtle Ashmole. Both mu- seums made their exhibits available to us after hours. Several field trips went to the Channel Islands National Park — Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, Anacapa, and Santa Cruz Islands. Trips were also arranged to the Sespe Condor refuge, the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, and the Salton Sea. The weather was idyllically warm and sunny, although Californians might have preferred rain to break the drought. The Local Committee consisted of Harry Carter and Sarah Fangman (co- leaders), Mark Pierson, Cathie Dunkel, Mike McCrary, Paige Martin, Gerry McChesney, Bill Mclver, John Mason, and Pam Barnes. Lisa Ballance was Scientific Program Chair. Major sup- port was received from the Santa Bar- bara Museum of Natural History, the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Channel Islands National Park, U.S. Minerals Management Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Humboldt State University. PSG thanks all of them for an outstanding meeting. STUDENT TRAVEL AWARDS FOR PSG’S 2002 MEETING Funds were generously donated by the Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary and U.S. Geological Survey to help students who were presenting papers or posters to attend the meeting. Awards of $2O0-$5OO/person were given by the Local Committee to Rus- sell Bradley, Eli Bridge, Morgan Be- nowitz-Fredericks, Tomohiro Deguchi, Christine Hamilton, Christina Maranto, Catherine Murra, Martin Renner, Julie Thayer, Ignacio Viclhis, Lucy Vliet- stra, Francis Wiese, and Carlos Zavalaga. STUDENT AWARDS FOR PAPERS AND POSTERS At every PSG Annual Meeting, the Awards Committee and several volun- teer judges determine the best student paper and poster, plus a runner-up in each category. Usually at least two people judge each presentation, and final decisions are reached in a confer- ence among all judges. At the 2002 meeting, the best stu- dent paper was: Nina Kamovsky, Jan Marcin Weslawski, Slawik Kwaniewski, and Wojtek Walkusz, “The foraging behavior of Little Auks in a heterogeneous environment.” The best student poster was: Jaime Jahncke, K. David Hyrenbach, Cheryl L. Badu- ini, Kenneth O. Coyle, and George L. Hunt, Jr., “Distribution of foraging shearwaters with respect to the inner front of the southeastern Bering Sea.” So many good papers were pre- sented by students that two runners-up were chosen: Jaime Jahncke, David Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 1 8 PSG ANNUAL MEETING Checkley, and George L. Hunt Jr., “Long term-trends in carbon flux to guano-producing seabirds in the Peru- vian upwelling system,” and Christina Maranto, “The influence of food qual- ity on reproductive performance in an arctic tern population.” The runner-up for best poster was Alexis Blackmer, “The effect of investigator disturbance on the reproductive success of a long- lived seabird” PSG congratulates the winners of these awards. Students presented many high-quality papers and posters, which contributed greatly to the caliber of the meeting. More information on student awards is available from the Chair of the Awards Committee. RESPONSE TO PARTICIPANT QUESTIONNAIRE AT PSG’S 2002 MEETING Compiled by Lisa T. Ballance and Joshua Fluty This year the local and scientific committees for PSG’s 29 th Annual Meeting composed a questionnaire so that all participants could make their opinions known. Approximately 260 persons registered; 50 questionnaires were returned. The responses are sum- marized below. Did you attend the 28 th annual meeting in Kauai, Hawaii? Yes — 29 No— 21 Other — 0 How many days did you attend the 29 th annual meeting in Santa Barbara? 1 day— 0 2 days — 1 3 days— 14 4 days— 22 5 days — 10 Other — 3 Do you plan to attend the 3 0 th annual meeting on Vancouver Island , British Columbia? Yes — 36 No— 2 Other— 12 Do you think you received a reason- able value for your registration fee? Yes— 42 No-1 Other — 7 If a secure web site were available , would you use it to pay registration fees by credit card? Yes — 32 No— 16 Other — 2 Did you find the abstract submission process via the web site useable? Yes— 30 No— 0 Other— 20 Did you receive sufficient information via the web site without paper mail- ings? Yes — 47 No— 2 Other — 1 Did you attend a pre-conference com- mittee meeting? Yes— 24 No— 26 Other— 0 Did you like having Plenary Speakers and were there too many, too few, or just right? Too many — 6 Too few — 0 Just right — 42 Other — 2 Was there sufficient space to view the posters? Yes— 29 No— 9 Other— 12 Did you like having a dedicated time to view posters? Yes-46 No— 0 Other — 4 Did you like having Symposia and were there too many, too few, or just right? Too many — 2 Too few — 1 Just right — 36 Other — 1 1 Did you like having social events/mixers and were there too many, too few, or just right? Too many — 1 Too few — 0 Just right — 47 Other — 2 We also encouraged general com- ments on all meeting-related topics. These fell into the following catego- ries: Location : All comments on the lo- cation of the meeting were positive. Many preferred this location to a con- vention center or hotel venue. How- ever, one person preferred that every- one stay at a single hotel to facilitate networking. A few suggested that more accommodation options, especially lower-cost options, would have been helpful. Transportation: A few commented on problems with the bus schedules and some requested more flexibility with respect to pick-up and drop-off times. Some suggested that a local bus schedule be included in the meeting packet. Program: Many commented that the format and design of this year’s printed program were the best in many years. There were a number of requests to return to the format of 15 minutes for presentations plus 5 minutes for questions. Some noted that the pace of the meeting felt hectic and that the ses- sion chairs’ attempts to stay on sched- ule were often not successful, contrib- uting to the problem. A large number of respondents commented that they enjoyed how well-organized this meeting was. Posters: Several suggested that a room separate from that in which oral papers were heard would be better for poster display. Some requested more dedicated time with authors and a number would have preferred all post- ers to be in the same room, along with food and drink during the mixer. Audio-visual: A number of re- spondents noted the importance of a dedicated A/V person and requested that all rooms in which oral papers were given be assigned such a person. There were requests that a remote con- trol be available for all LCD projectors. Food: Most agreed that the quality of the food was outstanding, but a few Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 19 PSG ANNUAL MEETING commented that lunch and the banquet were over-priced. Some requested that coffee be available at the start of each meeting day. Symposia : A few commented on the narrow, local focus of this year’s symposia. Others thought the topics timely and valuable. Tote bags : All who commented loved them. Our thanks go to all of you who returned the meeting questionnaire. We hope to make this a regular part of the annual meeting, so please plan to give us your comments at the end of next year’s meeting. PSG T-SHIRTS FOR SALE If you forgot to buy your T-shirt at the Santa Barbara meeting, or you weren't able to attend, you are in luck. Leach's Storm-Petrel T-shirts (white, short-sleeved; L, XL, and XXL sizes only) cost $12 each, and can be ordered from Harry Carter (707-678-0682, ext. 625; Harry_Carter@usgs.gov). White Pelican t-shirts (black, short-sleeved; L and XL sizes only) cost $15 each; White Pelican sweatshirts also are available (black, long-sleeved; L and XL sizes only) for $25 each. White Pelican shirts can be ordered from Dan Anderson (530-752-2108; dwanderson@ucdavis.edu). All prices include shipping. T-shirts from the 2002 Annual Meeting — for sale! See article on this page. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 20 SECRETARY’S REPORT SUMMARY OF PROPOSED MINUTES OF THE 2002 PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, California, 20 February 2002 [The full text of the proposed minutes is available from the Secretary, Lora Leschner (leschlil@dfw.wa.gov). The minutes will become official when they are approved at the 2003 Executive Council meeting.] The 2002 meeting of the PSG Executive Council (Council) was called to order at 9:35 AM. Present were Bill Sydeman, Lisa Ballance, Craig Harrison, Julia Parrish, Lora Leschner, Breck Tyler, Vivian Mendenhall, Ken Morgan, Jan Hodder, Kyra Mills, Pat Mock, Malcolm Coulter, and Rob Suryan. Absent were Elizabeth Flint, Mark Tasker, and Louise Blight; Ballance had Tasker’s proxy. Minutes The minutes from the 2001 meeting were approved. Report from Chair — Bill Sydeman The Chair worked on getting the endangered species petition for the Xantus’s Murrelet into final preparation. The incoming chair, Lisa Ballance, will draft a cover letter and submit the petition to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife in next 2 or 3 weeks. Other issues that the Chair worked on included the future of Marine Ornithology , future meetings, and the PSG web site. PSG website Bill Sydeman asked the webmaster, Ben Saenz, to give an update on the web site. Abstracts in Pacific Seabirds could be put on web. The publications committee will discuss the options. The Seabird Gallery takes time to update. PSG needs to be clear on copyrights. Ken Morgan will contact current contributors and ask if it is OK to use the photos. Ben, Bill and Ken will work on a policy statement. It was suggested to add to duties of regional representative in the by-laws the action that they update information on the web and keep the web master informed of regional activities. The local committee for the Santa Barbara meeting put information on the web and then sent postcard to the members. Executive Council members supported this method of registration and received no complaints from members. Ben can be reached at the Web comments e-mail address. The Executive Council and members can send additional comments. Links page- Members should submit ideas for additional links. Treasurer’s report — Breck Tyler Breck referred to the Treasurer’s Report in Pacific Seabirds 28:101 (fall 2001 ). There was a question about operating income. The answer was that operating income appears to have dropped, but actually it is fairly stable. PSG made some profit on meetings and spent that income with one-time expenditures. Accounts for the annual meeting in Hawaii still are not complete; there has been some problem in reporting. The Treasurer has submitted requests to local committees many times — he knows the bottom line for previous meetings, but he still lacks details from several. The Council suggested that the reporting process for accounts of annual meetings needs to be formalized. [See “Meetings — general,” below, for reports by local chairs to the Council.] The Executive Council adopted the proposed budget of $10,600 for 2001 - 2002 . Breck Tyler announced that he will not run for re-election as Treasurer, so the Council needs to recruit a new Treasurer for the 2003 elections. PSG Handbook — Kim Nelson. Nelson presented the latest version of the PSG handbook. A discussion followed on important things that should be included in the handbook. The Council thanked Kim for all her work to gather the information together that keeps PSG organized. The handbook was passed to Secretary to maintain. Committee Reports Xantus Murrelet committee — Bill Everett This is the 10 lh anniversary of the Xantus murrelet committee, which represents 10 years of pondering what to do about this rare species. PSG provided funding to complete and prepare a report on its status. The committee is ready to move forward. The weakness in the report is the huge gaps in information. Hie latest version of the petition has more documentation and less advocacy. The Executive Council has the power to revise and send it out. However, this is just a first step; after receiving the petition, the agencies have to do the remaining work. PSG needs to put the petition on the web site. However, the document is not to be distributed or cited until the Chair issues the final version. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 2 1 SECRETARY’S REPORT The Council voted to accept the revision and submit the Endangered Species petition. Bill Everett stated that committee’s goal of producing the petition has been met and recommended that the Executive Council consider eliminating the committee. The Council voted to keep the committee in place for at least one year to help answer questions about the petition. A discussion on PSG committees followed. Committees provide answers to specific questions from the Executive Council; any statement from other organizations should come through the Executive Council. Awards Committee — Julia Parrish The Council voted to approve the Lifetime Achievement Award for Phillip and Myrtle Ashmole. PSG’s awards were defined. The Lifetime Achievement Award is given for an entire body of work and multiple activities — e.g., the Ashmoles have published a number of papers which are cited widely, spoken to many people, and put seabirds in evolutionary context. The Special Achievement Award is given for specific accomplishments — service to PSG, or one major achievement in seabird work. To nominate someone for an award, you should submit a one-page letter to the Awards Committee (its chair is the Past President). If the award is approved, you are responsible for planning the introduction at the annual meeting, and for writing a brief article (photos included) for Pacific Seabirds . Conservation Committee — Craig Harrison Six letters were sent by PSG to comment on seabird issues during the past year. A report on conservation activities was submitted to Pacific Seabirds. Publications committee The position of chair is vacant. Bill Sydeman gave a brief report of activities and then referred the publications committee discussion to a later meeting date. PSG agreed in a previous year to support Marine Ornithology for 3 years. A sub- committee was formed to evaluate options for the journal. The Secretary will work with the Editor to print a hard copy of the membership list in an issue of Pacific Seabirds. Editor’s report — Vivian Mendenhall The editor encourages people to submit short articles and notes. Regional representatives should try to expand regional reports. Chair referred additional discussion to publications section. The editor requests that people submitting information to Pacific Seabirds should provide definitions for acronyms. Mendenhall reported that she has investigated cost saving features offered by the U.S Postal Service. Election Committee The committee chair, Pat Baird, was absent. Lisa Ballance read Baird’s report on the 2001 PSG election. The following people were elected: Chair elect — David Irons; Secretary, Lora Leschner; Alaska representative, Verena Gill; Northern California, Meredith Elliot; Old World, Mark Tasker; Pacific Rim, Beth Flint. Only 30% of members voted. Alaska and Russia voted the highest. A discussion followed on how voter turnout could be improved. Marbled Murrelet Technical Committee — Anne Harfenist The last revision of the inland survey protocol was in 2000. In 2001, PSG sent out letter saying there were no changes in the protocol. The committee advises that PSG should send out a letter in 2002 directing surveyors to use the 2000 protocol. The letter should advise that a new protocol should be available for 2003 and to consult the web site for additional information. Harfenist described the activities of four sub-committees. A more extensive report on committee activities will be in Pacific Seabirds 29(1), spring 2002. The Council discussed improved communication. They voted to request quarterly reports of activities from the Marbled Murrelet Committee, and to receive the latest version of the Inland Survey Protocol by 15 October 2002 for Council review. Japan Seabird Conservation Committee — John Fries Several papers from PSG’s Japanese Seabird Conservation symposium last year in Kauai will be published in the Journal of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology. The committee has been working to develop a Japanese version of the U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service’s “Learn About Seabirds” curriculum. The Hokkaido Seabird Center will work to distribute the materials to schools. The committee is working on a seabird colony catalog database. Committee members continue to work on improving the conservation of seabirds in Japan. They are working with the US and Japanese governments via the Convention on Migratory Birds and are advocating international agreements and projects. The Japanese Seabird Committee is important because it links PSG with seabird issues in Japan and lends our support to seabird conservation there. The Council voted to designate the Japan Seabird Committee as PSG’s formal link with the Japanese seabird research community. Seabird Monitoring Committee — Scott Hatch Hatch discussed the progress of the monitoring database. Three things are necessary: (1) the database should be consolidated and served on a PC, (2) an arrangement should be continued with a web database developer to update the site; (3) a database administrator should be hired to oversee the pelagic database, seabird diet database, and colony catalog. Scott sees a need to fund the position for the future. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 22 SECRETARY’S REPORT The Council voted to ask the Monitoring Committee chair for a written report. Recommendations to the Council should include a proposal and cost analysis for PSG to maintain the existing monitoring database. A committee report will also be published in Pacific Seabirds 29(1). MEETINGS 2002 meeting — Lisa Ballance There will be 100 verbal presentations and 40 posters, including 35 student presentations. Registration was 220 on Monday. The Symposia should be well attended. Many people are coming to the meeting just for the White Pelican symposium. The latest budget forecast had projected a profit. Future meetings The 2003 meting will be in Parksville, British Columbia, in February 2003. The proposed meeting location for 2004 is La Paz, Mexico. Dan Anderson is working with other members on the details. Local Committees for meetings The Council discussed goals and budgets of annual meetings. One of the suggestions was to have a standing committee on annual meetings. Local committees should continue to negotiate for reduced prices on meeting space and accommodations. The committee should support costs for invited guests; the Executive council supports costs for award recipients. The Council voted some requirements for local committees: (1) Each local committee chair must develop a budget. Proposed income for the meeting will be based on the median of attendance figures for the last 5 years, both student and full members. The draft budget will be submitted to the PSG Chair, according to a schedule that will be in the PSG handbook. (2) The local committee will have discretionary ability to waive registration fees for up to 10 attendees. A higher number of waivers would require approval of Chair. The Council discussed additional support for students. The Student Representative should have the duty of looking for ways to provide additional support. If outside funds for student travel are obtained by the local committee, then the funding agency and the local committee are responsible for distributing the funds. If PSG sponsors student awards, PSG decides who will receive them, through the awards Committee and the Council. The meeting adjourned at 5:30 PM. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 23 COMMITTEE REPORTS SEABIRD MONITORING COMMITTEE Scott A. Hatch, Committee Coordi- nator During the past year, the Pacific Seabird Monitoring Database (PSMD) project contracted with a software de- veloper in Boise, Idaho, to write a data entry application for use over the World Wide Web. In the future, con- tributors to the PSMD will log in to a password-protected website to enter their seabird monitoring data records, and to submit, retrieve, and edit them. The application provides for efficient interaction with a Database Adminis- trator, who will be responsible for managing the process and reviewing new data prior to release. Records will be held in a “staging” database until they are approved for inclusion in the distributed version of the PSMD. This data entry application will complement the software developed last year (under contract with Environmental Systems and Research institute, Inc.) for web- based query, mapping, and download- ing of data from the PSMD. Other activity during the year in- cluded peer review of previously con- tributed data through a process estab- lished at the PSG annual meeting in Lihue (February 2001). The Committee believes that fu- ture maintenance of the PSMD requires three elements of infrastructure. These requirements may be contracted from commercial sources or contributed by partnering organizations in the PSMD project. Requirements include: • The continuing services of a pro- grammer able to deal with bugs, en- hancements, and upgrades to the software, as dictated by evolving user needs, operating systems, and the Internet • Suitable hardware and system main- tenance for serving the database on the Web — services which should be rendered by a government agency or a commercial web-hosting company • A Database Administrator to coordi- nate activities and address the needs of data contributors, the system pro- grammer, the Internet service pro- vider, and PSMD clients. Arrangements are now being sought to fulfill the functions previ- ously discharged by Charla Sterne, who took another job in February 2001. The Committee’s goal is for the PSMD to be fully operational and ac- cessible via the PSG website within the calendar year. The Committee envisions and en- courages implementation of the PSMD as part of a larger Internet-based sys- tem of seabird databases. This database system would include a consolidated colony catalog, pelagic survey data- base, and food habits database for Pa- cific seabirds. The sum of all four da- tabases will be a comprehensive and continually updated repository of key results from seabird research and monitoring in the North Pacific. MARBLED MURRELET TECHNICAL COMMITTEE Anne Harfenist, Committee Coordi- nator The Marbled Murrelet Technical Committee (MMTC) met at the 2002 PSG conference in Santa Barbara. Lee FolHard and Doug Bertram brought us up to date on the activities of the US and Canadian Marbled Murrelet Re- covery Teams, respectively. Those presentations were followed by a summary by Pat Jodice of progress made on the Effectiveness Monitoring Plan for Marbled Murrelets. Tom Hamer and Danielle Prenzlow outlined the work done over the last year on statistical analyses of the Inland Survey Protocol. Those analyses are examin- ing how many survey visits are re- quired in order to achieve certain levels of confidence in determining presence and occupancy, and how those visits should be distributed across time. Di- ane Evans, coordinator of the Inland Survey Protocol Sub-committee, re- viewed some lingering issues from the last major rewrite of the protocol (April 2000) and reiterated the timeline for incorporation of the results of the sta- tistical analyses and any other changes into the next revision. We expect to send that document out for external peer review by mid- August. We discussed other issues related to Marbled Murrelet terrestrial habitat, including tree-climbing as a manage- ment tool, disturbance, implementation of existing regulations, and use of aer- ial photos in management. Kim Nelson presented information related to tree- climbing as a method of approving a stand for harvesting; it was agreed that Kim and others will draft a letter to address concerns. The issue of distur- bance was raised at the 2001 MMTC meeting, and a group was formed to review relevant data and suggest guidelines. At the 2002 meeting, Paul Phifer presented a set of options devel- oped by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). That agency will decide on their guidelines within days. Given the lack of opportunity for input before the USFWS decision, the MMTC will comment on the guide- lines when they are available. Steve Singer presented a request that Mar- bled Murrelets receive increased con- sideration in the extension of 10-year plans in the Zone 6 recovery zone, and that laws already on the books be better implemented. Alan Burger would like to discuss the use of aerial photos to delineate good Marbled Murrelet nest- ing habitat with anyone who has expe- rience in this technique. The Marine Survey Protocol Sub- committee, coordinated by Sherri Miller, has decided to wait for the re- sults of statistical analyses of marine Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 24 COMMITTEE REPORTS surveys before developing a PSG pro- tocol. Esther Burkett coordinates both the Research and the Education Sub- committees. She will distribute a list of research priorities for comment. She noted that funds were still insufficient for an educational video. if you would like further informa- tion about any of the activities of the MMTC, please contact Anne Harfenist at harfenis@bulkley.net. JAPAN SEABIRD CONSERVATION COMMITTEE: Report on Recent Seabird Work in Japan John Fries and Koji Ono, Committee Co-coordinators [Editor's note: This report includes activities beyond those of the commit- tee, sensu stricto. But news about Ja- pan’s growing seabird research is wel- come, and it is a valuable product of the committee as PSG’s liaison with Japan.] The Japan Seabird Group (for- merly the Japan Alcid Society, estab- lished autumn 2000) is compiling a Seabird Colony Database, the first of its kind in Japan, with funding from the Ministry of the Environment. An an- notated bibliographic database of over 1200 papers has been completed. Staff of the Hokkaido Seabird Center (mail@seabird.go.jp) have read through these papers to retrieve usable information on seabird breeding. This work is Finally making clear where gaps exist in past survey efforts, such as the absence of data for the Matsu- daira’s Storm-Petrel ( Ocecmodroma matsudairae) colony on Kita-lojimar. The information is now being trans- lated into English, and standard coding is being added. The data will eventu- ally be transferred into the North American database. A US-Japan symposium on Japa- nese and North Pacific seabird conser- vation, scheduled to be held in Hok- kaido in conjunction with the official meeting of parties to the US-Japan Migratory Bird Agreement, looks to be held in October. It was originally scheduled for last year, but was yet another collateral victim of the tragedy that occurred on September 1 1th. The curtailment of official government travel in the US forced its postpone- ment. A special issue of the Journal of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithol- ogy , focussing on issues related to the conservation of Japanese seabirds, will be published this year. It will include four papers given at the symposium on this subject held during PSG’s annual meeting in Kauai in February 2001. Regarding the activities of indi- vidual researchers in Japan, Dr. Yutaka Watanuki (Hokkaido University, ywata@res.agr.hokudai.ac.jp) contin- ues to be fully engaged in his research on Teuri Island and training students there on seabird research techniques. Dr. Nariko Oka (Yamashina In- stitute of Ornithology, oka@- yamashina.or.jp) is analyzing stomach contents to look at habitat selection among seaducks. She is also investi- gating at-sea distribution and foraging habits of Procellariformes using diving meters and transmitters, preparing to look at correlation of distribution re- cords with marine environmental fac- tors, and is gathering specimens to study exposure of seabirds to toxic substances. She is one of the core members of the satellite-tracking pro- ject for the Short-tailed Albatross ( Phoebastria diomedea ) and is work- ing with Fumio Sato (QYR01766@- nifty.ne.jp) of the Yamashina Insti- tute’s Bird Banding Laboratory. This project is funded by the Ministry of the Environment. Finally, she is also in- volved with work on a database that will make available 3000 hours of re- cords on seabird distribution in the Pacific. Dr. Masaoki Takagi (Osaka City University, YRQ013Il@nifty.com) is using Australasian Gannets ( Sula serrator ) nesting on artificial structures in Port Phillip, Australia, to investigate two broad research topics: (1) quantifying the previously neglected factor of energetic cost of incubation as a way to measure the fitness of breeding birds, and (2) trying to explain the asynchronous timing of breeding among this population by taking advantage of the fact that the flat, manmade structures they nest on have no available microhabitats, so colony structure is determined solely by interference from other breeders. Together with his students, he is also investigating lifetime reproductive strategies and cost-benefit of colonial breeding among Black-tailed and Slaty-backed Gulls ( Larus crass irostr is and L schistisagus ) on Teuri Island, and is working to explain varying response between these congeners to changes in marine resources in the area. Yasuhiro Fujita (hujita@- kankyosekkei.co.jp) has been docu- menting at-sea distribution of seabirds along the ferry route between the Oki Islands (southwestern Japan Sea) and the mainland since October 1991, looking at seasonal, spatial, and be- tween-year variation in local seabird communities. He is also comparing data from before and after the 1997 Nakhodka oil spill, and he is investi- gating changes that might be seen since a die-off of Streaked Shearwaters (Calonectris leucomelas ) in early spring of this year. Koji and Mihoko Ono have trans- lated a curriculum on seabird conser- vation provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Migratory Bird Management. The Japanese ver- sion will be tailored to focus on local species, and is already being used on an experimental basis in schools in Hokkaido. Finally, Professor Haruo Ogi of Hokkaido University is tirelessly con- ducting physiological and ecological research on the Black-tailed Gull population on Rishiri Island. We con- gratulate Professor Ogi on receiving the Yamashina Yoshimaru Prize last spring for his important contributions to the study of ornithology in Japan. Well deserved! Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 25 ABSTRACTS ABSTRACTS OF PAPERS AND POSTERS PRESENTED AT THE 29 lh ANNUAL PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP MEETING Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, Santa Barbara, California 20-23 February 2002 Abstracts are arranged alphabetically by name of first author. Affiliations are given for all authors; full addresses are given for first authors, private firms and individuals, and some others. Inter- and intra-decada! variability in the growth rates of Cassin’s Ank- lets: effects of regime shifts and ENSO events Christine L. Abraham and William J, Sydeman , Marine Science Division, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Hwy., Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA, cabraham@prbo.org It is widely accepted that climatic regime shifts transpired in the North Pacific Ocean in the winters of 1976-77 and 1989-90. Preliminary evidence also suggests that a regime shift occurred in the winter 1998-99. Empirical evidence suggests that oce- anic productivity (zooplankton abun- dance and distribution) varies signifi- cantly not only between regimes, but also with El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events and annual atmospheric changes. The euphausiids Thysanoessa spinifera and Euphausia pacifica are the principal prey of the Cassin’s Auklet during the breeding season at Southeast Farallon Island (SEFI). Ad- ditionally, a warm-water euphausiid species, Nyctiphanes simplex , is con- sumed occasionally. Cassin’s Auklets on SEFI appear to respond to inter- and intra-decadal variability in oceanic conditions by alternating between these primary prey species. If variable ocean climate results in a change from a more profitable to a less- preferred prey spe- cies, there may be corresponding con- sequences for growth and development of auklet chicks. We examine the growth rates of Cassin’s Auklet chicks on SEFI from 1973 to 2001 in relation to diet and corresponding trends in large-scale atmospheric and oceano- graphic conditions. At-sea distribution and central-place foraging of Cassin’s Auklets in the California Channel Islands Josh Adams 1 ' 3 , John Takekawa l , and Harry R. Carter 2 , ! U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, P.O. Box 2012, Vallejo, CA 94592, USA, cerorhinca@hotmaiL- com; 2 Humboldt State University and U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon, CA 95620, USA; 3 Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95093, USA We used radio telemetry to study the at-sea distribution of Cassin’s Auklets ( Ptychoramphus aleuticus ) nesting in the northern Channel Islands at Prince Island (PI) from 1999 to 2001 and on Scorpion Rock (SR) from 2000 to 2001. Central-place foraging was examined through the movements of 98 adults attending colonies nightly during the breeding season. PI auklets were concentrated north of the colony near the insular shelf break and over the Santa Barbara Basin, and SR auk- lets frequented the narrow passage ad- jacent to and along the north side of Santa Cruz Island. We found little overlap in foraging ranges between the two nesting colonies (separated by 60 km). However, there was no difference in mean maximum foraging ranges (35 km) between colonies and years (2000- 01). In 2001, PI home ranges increased 3-fold to 3770 km , but maximum for- aging ranges were similar to 1999 and 2000. In May -June 2000 and 2001, auklets from both colonies dispersed north of Point Conception coincident with changing oceanographic condi- tions. Auklet foraging ranges, concen- trated at-sea distribution, and locations of breeding colonies were likely linked to persistent prey (euphausiids and larval fish) availability near colonies, due to local oceanographic processes driven by upwelling in the Southern California Bight, and the availability of suitable nesting habitats at colonies. During the colony attendance period, PI and SR auklets are vulnerable to mortality from oil spills in these at-sea foraging areas, whereas during the post-breeding season, they are vulner- able to mortality from oil spills north of Point Conception. Why murre biologists might want to know more about Adelie Penguins David Ainley, H.T. Harvey & As- sociates, 3150 Almaden Expressway, Suite 145, San Jose, CA 95118, USA, dainley@harveyecoIogy.com One of the most basic of seabird life-history traits, and one that guides interpretation of seabird patterns and management of seabird resources, is the supposed high degree of natal and breeding philopatry exhibited by these creatures. Short-term (within a re- searcher’s life span) data prove this the case. Recent studies, however, have indicated little differentiation over Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 26 ABSTRACTS broad spatial scales among most sea- bird species in which genetic work has been accomplished* Therefore, philo- patry is called into question. The Ade- Ite Penguin ( Pygoscelis adeliae ) is not exceptional to this conundrum. It is unique, however, in that for targe por- tions of its range, the chronology of colony founding and extinction is known since the end of the Pleistocene {ca 10,000 BP). This is possible from the facts that (1) penguin bones do not degrade in the cold, dry Antarctic cli- mate, and, therefore, (2) glaciologists have used penguin bones found in pre- sent and extinct colonies to date the advance and retreat of the Antarctic ice sheets. The history is fascinating and shows that populations, in response to climate change, are far more mobile than heretofore appreciated. I propose that this history is a mode! for other high-latitude seabird species. See also my web site: www,- penguinscience.com. Occurrence patterns of seabirds in the California Current GLOBEC study area: indicators of top-down influences on food-web structure D. G, Ainley 1 , L.B. Spear 1 , C.T, Tynan 2 , J.A. Barth 3 , and R.G. Foret, ’H.T. Harvey & Associates, San Jose, CA 95118, USA, dailey@- harveyecology.com; 2 Estuarine and Ocean Ecology Program, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Ad- ministration, Northwestern Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA, USA; 3 Schoo! of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA; 4 R.G. Ford Consulting, Portland, OR, USA We investigated the occurrence of seabirds in the GLOBEC-Northeast Pacific-California Current study area during a process cruise on 30 May to 13 June 2000. Using flux-adjusted strip transects, we estimated seabird bio- mass within a fixed grid bounded along the shore from Newport, OR to Cres- cent City, CA and offshore from the beach to well beyond the shelf break. Water column characteristics were measured nearly simultaneously using SeaSoar technology. During the cruise, intense upweiling alternated with a downwelling episode, and marked blooms of phytoplankton persisted. In a multiple-regression model, respecta- bly high (for seabirds) 29% of variation in log biomass (all species combined) was essentially explained by 10°C iso- therm depth, depth of chlorophyll maximum, and the chlorophyll maxi- mum itself. Among individual species, 57.5% and 31.4% of variation in log biomass for Rhinoceros Auklet {Cerorhica monocerata) and Common Murre ( Uria aalge) respectively, two known predators of juvenile salmon (the GLOBEC target species) was ex- plained by chlorophyll maximum and its depth, plus interactions with other variables. It was not possible (but will be in the future) to include variables related directly to seabird prey. In fact, seabirds did not occur at centers of phytoplankton blooms but at their, edges. Seabirds are not vegetarians, but feed on phytoplankton grazers (euphausiids) or their predators (small fish). Therefore, the seabird concentra- tion at the edges of high-biomass blooms, including "‘holes” within the blooms, may indicate that the spatial extent of blooms is influenced greatly by grazing (top-down control). Alter- natively, the grazers are concentrated in more mature portions of blooms temporally “down-stream” from bloom centers (bottom-up control). Eggshell variation in the American White Pelican Daniel W. Anderson , Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA, dwanderson@- ucdavis.edu Eggshell dimensions in the Ameri- can White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) were examined for historical geographic variation based on one of two possible hypotheses: (I) that variation is similar to described geographical population separation (based largely on band returns), or (2) that variation follows one or more en- vironmental gradients in both popula- tions, the eastern and the western. The null hypothesis would be that there is that there is no detectable geographic variation in egg dimensions anywhere in the historical range. Although the current distribution of White Pelican populations is different from that of historical populations, data in this analysis were all derived from museum specimens to avoid potential new envi- ronmental effects on some of the measurements of more recently- collected specimens: those collected before the era of organochlorine insec- ticides and before recent changes in distribution. Most of the significant variations observed were associated with the size of the egg (length, breadth, volume, and eggshell weight). Smaller eggs were found in southern populations in both the east and west, and populations associated with highly saline lake systems or estuaries (P < 0.05). Egg shapes, length/breadth ra- tios, eggshell thickness, and eggshell thickness indices did not vary signifi- cantly anywhere (P > 0.05). These findings support a hypothesis that a possible genetic component in geo- graphic egg-size variation is lacking or of only minor importance compared to other factors. Suggested baseline val- ues for comparisons with modern populations over the entire range of the American White Pelican are presented. Pacific flyway connectivity issues and the importance of the Colorado River Delta region to wintering and migrating American White and Brown Pelicans Daniel W, Anderson, Kenneth Sturm 2 , and Leopoldo A. Moreno 1,3 . department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA, dwanderson@ucdavis.edu; 2 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Calipatria, CA 92233, USA; California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Sacramento, CA 95812, USA The two North American pelican species, the Brown Pelican ( Pelecanus occidentalis ) and American White Pelican (P. erythrorhynchos) Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 27 ABSTRACTS importantly co-occupy the Colorado River Delta Region during significant portions of their annual cycles (the ‘‘Delta” includes the Saiton Sea and extends into the northern Gulf of California). Here, both species form interspecific feeding and loafing groups, and utilize similar food sources. This is unusual in that the two species seldom overlap ecologically in other parts of their ranges (other than occasional, unusual mixed-species roosting groups or rare mixed-species feeding aggregations). The American White Pelican historically bred in the Delta, but currently a rare, inland colony of the Brown Pelican is the only one of the two to nest, albeit sporadically. Yet the major importance of the region comes during the post- breeding, migration, and wintering stages of both species’ annual cycles. American White Pelicans that utilize the Delta are comprised and dominated by individuals from the declining or reduced western population segment, so that events in the Delta will importantly affect the status of White Pelicans in the entire western portions of the continent. The source of Brown Pelicans is from much larger populations in the northern Gulf of California, so that the Delta region supports a smaller proportion of the “global” population. As a case-history of conservation, both North American pelican species abundantly demonstrate what has been shown for other migratory avifauna of the Delta region: that this area is a unique and critical bi- national treasure that represents a vital element in the ecological connectivity of Pacific Flyway for all migratory avian species. Sixty years of White Pelicans: a GIS analysis of band returns John G.T. Anderson 1 and Karen B. Anderson 2 , College of the Atlantic, 105 Eden St., Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA, jga@ecology.coa.edu; 2 U.S. Na- tional Park Service, Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, ME 04609, USA A total of 3855 banding records of American White Pelicans ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) banded between 1922 and 1981 at 43 sites in the U.S. and Canada was analyzed using GIS. Returns showed a clear pattern of two major migratory routes, with birds from California, Oregon and Nevada colonies dispersing south to the Sea of Cortez and the Pacific Coast of Mexico and birds from central Canada, the Da- kotas, Colorado, Minnesota, and Mon- tana following the Missouri and Mis- sissippi river drainages to the Gulf Coast, Florida, and Central America. Pelicans banded in Utah and Wyoming were recovered along both routes, with some evidence of a third pathway for these birds along slope of the Rockies. There was little evidence of mixing between the two major migratory populations on the breeding grounds, although there is significant overlap in returns in southern Mexico. Returns from Central America consisted almost exclusively of birds banded in the east- ern portion of the breeding range. Sur- vivorship analysis is complicated by differential cohorts and band reporting, but some results can be calculated. Mean time between banding and re- covery was 2.7 years (0.059 SE, n - 3855), with a maximum age of 37 for a bird banded in Saskatchewan. Of the 1375 birds recovered that had been banded prior to 1960, 39% (535) were recovered within I year of banding, and 27% of the survivors were still alive 5 years later. Prey type and tide stage affect prey delivery rates of Caspian Terns Scott K. Anderson\ Daniel D . Roby 1 , and Ken Cotlis 2 ' 'U.S. Geologi- cal Survey, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Depart- ment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA, anderss3@ucs.orst.edu; 2 Real Time Research, Bend, OR, USA. We observed 29 Caspian Tern {Sterna caspia ) nests used by radio- tagged adults at the East Sand Island colony in the Columbia River Estuary. Forage fishes delivered to their young by radio-tagged adults and their mates were visually identified to several dis- tinct taxa. We sought to determine re- lationships between time of day, tide stage, prey type, and prey delivery rate. The four most common taxa of forage fish delivered to nests were, in de- scending order, sardine/herring (Clu- peidae), anchovies (Engraulidae), sal- monids {Oncorhynchus spp.), and smelt (Osmeridae). Sardines/herring and anchovies were delivered to nests at a 61% higher rate (number of fish delivered per hour of observation) than salmon ids and smelt. Overall prey de- livery rates did not differ with time of day or tide stage, but delivery rates were higher for salmonids during ebb and low tides and for sardine/herring during flood tides. Thus, the availabil- ity of particular forage fishes appears to be differentially influenced by tidal fluctuations. Assuming that breeding adults attempt to maximize colony at- tendance, these data suggest that sar- dine/herring and anchovies were more available than salmonids and smelt during the 2001 chick-rearing period. Compared to tern diets in previous years, the higher proportions of sar- dine/herring and anchovies, and lower proportions of salmonids and smelt, appear to reflect major changes in rela- tive availability of these prey types. This suggests there has been a dramatic influx of sardines and anchovies, and perhaps a decline in juvenile salmon- ids, in the Columbia River Estuary in 2001 . Too close for comfort?: the effects of nesting density on breeding success of Caspian Terns in the mid- Columbia River Michelle Antolos , Daniel D. Roby, Scott K Anderson , and Donald E. Ly- ons. U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Re- search Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA, an- tolosm@onid.osu.edu We investigated the breeding biol- ogy of Caspian Terns {Sterna caspia) nesting on Crescent Island in the mid- Columbia River, near the confluence of the Snake River. The Crescent Island Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 28 ABSTRACTS tern colony consisted of 720 breeding pairs in 2001 and had an overall nest- ing density of 1.04 pr/m 2 (range * 0.25 to 1.48), a high density compared to Caspian Tem colonies in the Columbia River estuary. ^A/e conducted a study to test our hypothesis that higher nesting density within the Crescent Island col- ony would be associated with lower nesting success. We used a total station (Leica TCRA 1 105) to obtain spatial data on all existing Caspian Tem nests at hatching. We then used these data to calculate nest characteristics (nearest neighbor distance, density of nests within a 5 m diameter circle, and dis- tance to colony edge) for a randomly- selected subset of nests that were monitored for productivity. Nesting density, nearest neighbor distance, and distance to colony edge were not re- lated to productivity; however, hatch date was strongly negatively correlated with productivity. Overall breeding success at Crescent Island was 0.84 fledglings/pair, high compared to other Columbia River Caspian Tem colonies. We conclude that high nesting densi- ties do not necessarily negatively im- pact breeding success of Caspian Terns, at least at this range of densities. This information is relevant and poten- tially useful for planning minimum area requirements of Caspian Tern habitat at managed colony sites. Relative survival of some hypotheses in seabird biology Philip and Myrtle Ashmole , Divi- sion of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK, ashmoles@clan.com Some ideas from the past are still relevant, others less so. Widespread interest in proximate and ultimate con- trols of breeding time led to the 1957- 59 British Ornithological Union expe- dition to Ascension Island. Seabirds there proved to show a variety of syn- chronized and unsynchronized, sea- sonal and aseasonal breeding sched- ules, with intervening slow molt. Incu- bation shifts were mostly long, as were fledging periods. Low reproductive rates in seabirds, claimed by Wynne- Edwards to result from group selection favoring reproductive restraint as a mechanism to avoid overfishing, were re-interpreted on the basis of David Lack's (Darwinian) concept of selec- tive maximization of reproductive rate. Lack also championed density- dependent regulation of bird popula- tions, especially through winter food competition, but Ashmole argued that in long-lived colony-nesting tropical seabirds, competition for available food was more likely during breeding. Low feeding rates around colonies could favor deferred first breeding, evolution of low clutch-size and pro- longed parental care, and also the sib- licidal behavior of boobies investigated by Dorward on Ascension. Trophic niche differentiation was also pre- dicted, and for the seabird community of Christmas Island (Pacific) our 1960s study documented it in feeding meth- ods, prey type and prey size. Feeding ranges also appeared to differ, and stomach oil in petrels was interpreted as an adaptation for exploiting distant food sources. Patchiness in prey avail- ability was recognized as a key envi- ronmental feature for many seabirds, and convergences as well as upwel- lings were thought to provide espe- cially rich feeding areas. Environ- mental variability between years was recognized by 1960 as an important determinant of variation in breeding success, but the widespread impact of ENSO events became clear only sub- sequently. A preliminary analysis of the geo- graphic structure of Sooty Shearwa- ter populations from the eastern and western Pacific Ocean using cyto- chrome b Cheryl L Baduini\ and Kenneth /. Warheit 2 ,' Joint Science Department, The Claremont Colleges, 925 North Mills Avenue, Claremont, CA 91711, USA, cbaduini@jsd.ctaremont.edu; 2 Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA 98501, USA Global declines of Sooty Shearwater ( Puffinus griseus) popula- tions have been associated with cli- mactic perturbations, declines in repro- ductive success, and possible changes in trans-oceanic migration routes. However, a full understanding of these declines requires more information on the geographic structure of shearwater populations, and details concerning specific migration routes. Both of these topics can be addressed using molecu- lar tools. The primary objective of this study is to determine if Sooty Shearwaters nesting along the eastern (Chile/Ecuador) and western (New Zealand/Australia) margins of the Pa- cific Ocean constitute genetically dis- tinct populations. An additional objec- tive is to develop a molecular marker that would differentiate the two popu- lations, and to use this marker to iden- tify the geographic origin of individu- als collected along migratory routes or incidentally taken as fisheries by catch. We sequenced a 747-base pair frag- ment from the 5' end of cytochrome b in 84 individuals from Chile/Ecuador (30) and New Zealand (54). Prelimi- nary results indicate that there are no fixed mutational differences between the two populations, although haplo- type frequencies may differ. These results suggest that the two populations either originated from a single source population or that the populations are exchanging individuals. We are now initiating sequence analyses on the more variable mtDNA control region to help ascertain the degree to which dispersal occurs between these two regions, and to continue to develop a molecular marker that would differen- tiate the populations. Disturbance causes and effects and habituation at a colony of California Least Terns Pat Herron Baird 1 and Scot Hink 2 , ’Kahiltna Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, 1250 Bellflower Blvd., Long Beach, CA 90840, USA, pat- baird@csulb.edu; 2 Kahiltna Research Group-Buena Park, Beven-Herron Inc., Buena Park, CA, USA We observed behavior of Least Terns ( Sterna antillarum browni ) for Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 29 ABSTRACTS 8-12 h per day during the height of their breeding over 2 years. We noted all sources of disturbance and linked them with behavior during a period of heavy disturbance during the ESPN Extreme Sports Games (X-Games) that were held adjacent to the colony, and during the period before and after this event. Terns averaged 10.08 min/h off nests (16.8%) in 1997 and 7.96 min/h of disturbance (13.3%) in 1998. The X- Games had no effect on behavior. The majority of disturbance minutes over the entire time period for both years were from the nest/egg (California Fish and Game) monitors, and from the Animal Damage Control (Wildlife Services) person, both in total duration and in amount of off-nest behavior per visit. Other major behavior changes were from perceived predators on or near the colony. Birds attenuated to all other disturbance events, notably the X-Games. There was no difference in recruitment the years following the X- Games or in reproductive success dur- ing the two years of observation. Adelie Penguin foraging behavior: variation depending on breeding season, colony, and individual Grant Ballard 1 , David A in ley 2 , Josh Adams 2 , Kerry Barton 3 , Sacha Heath 2 , Michelle Hester 2 , B.J. Karl 2 , Hannarose Nevins 2 , and Sophie Webb 2 , 'Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA, gbal- lard@prbo.org; 2 H.T. Harvey & Asso- ciates, 3150 Almaden Expressway, Suite 145, San Jose, CA 95118, USA; 3 Landcare Research New Zealand, Pri- vate Bag 6, Nelson, New Zealand. We report results from studies of foraging behavior of Adelie Penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae ) provisioning chicks during 2 breeding seasons at 3 colonies on Ross Island, Antarctica. We attached time-depth recorders, with onboard temperature and light sensors, to 79 individuals, recording 62,166 dives: 16% exploratory, 59% foraging, and 25% of other types (mostly trav- eling). Foraging dive duration averaged 104 s (range 30-235 s) and depth aver- aged 44 m (range 6-138 m). Colony, breeding season, 5-day period within breeding season, sex, individual, and light level all significantly affected depth and duration of foraging dives, though individual and breeding season were the most important in explaining variation. Adelie diving depths were largely limited by available light level; only very rarely did they venture into total darkness. Total number of forag- ing dives, both as a function of fre- quency (dives/h) and total trip duration, reveal the largest differences among colonies and seasons, with both meas- ures being much higher in one season and at one colony than the other(s). We discuss relationships between these diving variables and sea-ice conditions, diet composition, and chick provision- ing. As in a related study, we again caution researchers from drawing con- clusions about the foraging of seabirds using small samples of instrumented individuals. A comparison of variables affecting American White Pelican nesting suc- cess at Anaho Island National Wild- life Refuge Styron Bell and Donna Withers, Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge, 1000 Auction Road, Stillwater, NV 89406, USA, styron_bell@fws.gov Anaho Island National Wildlife Refuge contains one of the largest nesting colonies of the American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhyn- chos) in western North America. The island is located in Pyramid Lake in northwestern Nevada. The nesting suc- cess of pelicans at Anaho Island varies annually, primarily in relation to the availability of food resources in Pyra- mid Lake and nearby wetland areas in the Lahontan Valley. This poster will critically evaluate different factors be- lieved to affect nesting success. These factors include the size of the spawning runs of Pyramid Lake fishes, including threatened Lahontan cutthroat trout ( Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi ) and the endangered cui-ui ( Chasmistes cu- jus). Another factor examined in this study is total acreage of Lahontan val- ley wetlands, located 60 miles south- east of Anaho Island. The shallow wetlands of the valley offer extensive foraging opportunity for the pelicans in good water years. The purpose of this poster is to compare Pyramid Lake fish spawning run data and Lahontan valley wetland acreage with the Anaho Island American White Pelican breeding population and juvenile survival. Late versus early Common Murre ( Vria aalge ) chicks: costs and bene- fits of rapid growth Morgan Benowitz-Fredericks and Alexander S. Kitaysky, Department of Zoology, Box 351800, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA, zmbf@u. washington.edu While accelerated growth can be advantageous to nestling birds, there may be a tradeoff between rapid growth and resistance to nutritional stress. Common murres (Uria allge) are colonial seabirds that experience higher reproductive success if they synchronize reproduction with neigh- bors; however, eggs are often laid asynchronously. Parents of late-laid eggs should benefit if they can produce chicks capable of growing quickly and fledging synchronously with their neighbors, but rapid growth might not be without cost. We used captive- hatched murres to examine differences in growth between early-hatched chicks and their later-hatched neigh- bors. We tested potential costs of rapid growth by comparing growth rates of chicks under an ad libitum feeding regime with their growth rates under subsequent food restrictions. We found that chicks that hatched later were heavier, ate more and gained body mass more quickly than chicks that hatched earlier. Late-hatched chicks grew quickly enough to reach the same mass as their early-hatched neighbors in five days. However, chicks that grew more quickly under ad libitum food conditions grew more slowly when food-restricted. We conclude that par- ents can produce chicks capable of fledging at the same time and body mass as neighbors but that this poten- tial might only be realized when food Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 30 ABSTRACTS is not limited. The ability to compen- sate for late hatching by growing quickly is costly for chicks when food availability is low. Do birds and mammals of a feather flock together? — species- environment relationships of marine predators in a coastal upwelling sys- tem Scott R . Benson Don A. Croll 2 , Baldo Marinovic 2 , and James T. Har- vey , 'Moss Landing Marine Labora- tories, 8272 Moss Landing Rd., Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA, Ben- son@mlml.calstate.edu; 2 Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA Management of human impacts on marine ecosystems requires an under- standing of both anthropogenic effects and natural patterns of variability. Tra- ditionally, single-species approaches have been employed to identify critical habitat for particular species of interest. Increasingly, however, it is becoming apparent that successful management will require multi-species approaches towards identifying important marine habitats. We report on ecosystem studies conducted in a coastal upwell- ing region, Monterey Bay, California. Monthly random-systematic transect surveys were conducted between May and November of 1996 to 1999. The objective of the study was to determine the distribution and relative abundance of marine mammals, seabirds, and krill with respect to physical variables, in- cluding depth, depth gradient, surface temperature, and mixed layer depth. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA), a unimodal ordination tech- nique, was used to identify relevant patterns of species association and habitat partitioning for the most com- mon species. The first two canonical axes cumulatively explained 85% of the variation in species-environment patterns. Axis 1 strongly correlated with bathymetric depth and slope. Axis 2 correlated with mixed layer depth and Julian date. Marine birds and mammals negatively associated with Axis l represented species known to forage on krill or krill predators, such as squid. Species positively associated with Axis 1 were primarily piscivo- rous. Axis 2 separated late-season mi- grants, associated with a deeper mixed layer, from an assemblage of species associated with early-season upwelling. Multidisciplinary surveys and CCA appear to be an effective means of de- scribing associations of upper trophic level predators and their habitats in a highly variable coastal upwelling sys- tem. Contrasting adult survival of Cas- sin’s Auklet on colonies in different oceanographic domains within Brit- ish Columbia Douglas Bertram Barry D. Smith 1 , and Anne Harfenist 1 , 'Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Canadian Wildlife Service, 5421 Robertson Road, Delta, BC, V4K 3N2, Canada, bertramd@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca; 2 Harfe- nist Environmental Consulting, Box 2498, Smithers, BC, VOJ 2N0, Canada We report on the survival of resi- dent adult Cassin’s Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleuticus) from two breeding colonies in British Columbia: Triangle Island, influenced by the Cali- fornia Current ecosystem, and Freder- ick Island, influenced by the Alaska Current ecosystem. We captured and banded birds at both colonies from 1994 to 2000 and analyzed the recov- ery data with Program MARK. Local adult annual survival was significantly lower on Triangle Island (~0.42-0.80) than on Frederick Island (~0.82-0.93, except 1997-1998). In 1998, the year of a large-scale ENSO event, significantly fewer birds were breeding on both is- lands than in previous years. Adult survival was also markedly lower from 1997 to 1998 (0.54-0.61) than in other years for Frederick Island, though both islands experienced depressed survival from 1997 to 1998. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that ocean climate during the 1990s was generally a greater survival challenge for Cassin’s Auklets breeding on Tri- angle Island (California Current eco- system) than for those breeding on Frederick Island (Alaska Current eco- system). However, the 1997-1998 ENSO event was particularly stressful for the Frederick Island birds. We offer explanations for our observed differ- ences in adult survival in the context of the availability of zooplankton prey, and also of reproductive performance and nestling diet collected concurrently on both colonies. Clearing the air: using radar to re- fine marbled Murrelet habitat use patterns David Bigger ', Sal Chinnici 2 , and Steven Courtney '. 'Sustainable Eco- systems Institute, 0605 SW Taylors Ferry Rd., Portland, OR 97219, USA, bigger@sei.org; 2 Scotia Pacific Com- pany LLC, P.O. Box 712, Scotia, CA 95565, USA A key conservation objective of The Pacific Lumber Company Habitat Conservation Plan is to understand patterns of inland habitat use by Marbled Murrelets. in California, Marbled Murrelet {Brachyramphus marmoratus ) habitat relationships are primarily based on information from Pacific Seabird Group (PSG) protocol surveys. However, using PSG protocol data to evaluate the conservation importance of lands set aside for Marbled Murrelets remains controversial. Recent studies have found that radar is an extremely effective tool for detecting murrelets. In Humboldt County California, we conducted simultaneous radar and audio-visual surveys across a wide range of habitats and environmental conditions. In the 2001 breeding season, 30 audio-visual survey stations were simultaneously surveyed four times by radar and audio-visual surveyors. We quantified the likelihood of an audio-visual surveyor detecting the same murrelets tracked by radar. We also explored the relationship between environmental and habitat factors associated with audio-visual surveyors detecting radar tracked murrelets. At best, audio-visual surveyors detected less than 20% of the murrelets tracked by radar and were Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 3 1 abstracts less likely to detect murrelets in closed canopy areas. Finally, we discuss how this information may refine our understanding of Marbled Murrelet behavior and habitat relationships. The effect of investigator distur- bance on the reproductive success of a long-lived seabird Alexis L. Blackmer , Department of Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA, a I b 1 a c mer@ucdavis.edu Long-lived birds are expected to invest little in each reproductive event and therefore to abandon a breeding attempt when conditions become unfa- vorable, such as under investigator disturbance. I tested whether the fre- quency and timing of investigator dis- turbance influenced Leach’s Storm- Petrels’ ( Oceanodroma leucorhoa) hatching success (HS), and whether the effects of disturbance persisted one year later. HS was affected by the fre- quency of disturbance: 39% of 1 8 eggs belonging to pairs receiving daily dis- turbance (FREQUENT) and 45% of 20 eggs belonging to pairs receiving weekly disturbance (MODERATE) hatched, whereas 95% of 20 eggs be- longing to CONTROLS hatched. Most (91%, n = 23) failures were caused by egg desertion. I predicted that pairs disturbed in the EVENING would have lower HS than pairs disturbed in the MORNING, since birds disturbed in the morning must wait until night to leave, at which time they might no longer be motivated to terminate incu- bation. However, the time of day of disturbance did not affect HS (MORNING: 57%, EVENING: 65% overall). The effect of disturbance on HS did not persist one year later (FREQUENT: 92%; MODERATE: 100%; CONTROL: 89%). That year, 78% of FREQUENT, 55% of MODERATE, and 90% of CONTROL burrows were active, suggesting that disturbance caused pairs to relocate. Since most changes in nest-site also result in a mate change, disturbance that causes birds to desert their burrows may be costly. Overall, these results indicate that long-lived birds are sensi- tive to disturbance during incubation and that studies requiring >2-3 vis- its/season will cause high rates of egg desertion. Pelagic foraging areas of Cassin’s Auklets breeding on Triangle Island, 1999-2001 W. Sean Boyd 1 , John L. Ryder 2 , Douglas F, Bertram 1,2 , and Steven G. Shisko 1 , Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, Canadian Wildlife Service, RR #1, 5421 Robertson Road, Delta, BC, V5A IS 6, Canada; department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada We describe the at-sea distribu- tions of Cassin’s Auklets, a seabird that breeds on Triangle Island, BC, and forages on zooplankton in pelagic wa- ters during the day. Our results may be used by managers to design an effec- tive Marine Protected Area (MPA) for the Scott Island group. Triangle Island supports the largest population of Cas- sin’s Auklets in the world, estimated at over 500,000 pairs. Radio-transmitters were attached to Cassin’s Auklets that were rearing chicks. Between 35 and 40 transmitters were attached to adult birds in late May or early June in each of 3 years, from 1999 to 2001. Te- lemetry flights were conducted to lo- cate these marked birds using high altitude (3000 m) grids. Over 90% of the birds confirmed to be attending the colony were detected at sea each year. In 1999 and 2000; most marked birds were located 30-75 km southwest of Triangle Island in waters 1 500-2000 m deep. In 2001, however, most marked birds were located 60-90 km northwest of Triangle Island in waters >1500 m deep. This distribution shift in 2001 likely reflects a change in the distribu- tion of Cassin’s preferred prey. Once an Alcid, always an Alcid; the effects of timing of breeding, forag- ing location, and terrestrial habitat use on reproductive success in radio- marked Marbled Murrelets Russell Bradley, Centre for Wild- life Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada, rbradley@sfu.ca I describe the effects of behavioral and habitat variables on annual repro- ductive success in radio-marked Mar- bled Murrelets ( Brachyramphus mar- moratus) from Desolation Sound, British Columbia from 1998 to 2001. Correlation analyses showed that ear- lier-breeding birds tended to travel further from foraging areas to nesting areas, and nest at sites that had steeper slopes than later-breeding birds. Nest site elevation was not correlated with any other variables, except nest site slope in one year. In univariate logistic regression, timing of breeding, com- muting distance, nest site slope, and nest site elevation were all significant predictors of reproductive success. Relationships between these predictors and breeding success were all positive, except timing of breeding. There were no significant effects of year on these relationships. Multivariate analyses were unsuccessful in discriminating the relative importance of each variable, but there were no significant interac- tion effects. I also examined the effects of close proximity to forest edge on murrelet reproductive success. Despite the high level of logging in our study site, most nest sites of radio-marked birds were located adjacent to natural edges. In “small scale” analyses of ground-accessible nests with known fledging success (n = 37), no signifi- cant differences in nesting success were detected between nests in edge and interior conditions. Large scale GIS analyses (n = 98) showed nests within 200 m of a natural forest edge had higher success than those found in interior conditions. I discuss our results in terms of Alcid life history theory. A comparative analysis of seabird wing shape using traditional morphometries and relative warp analysis Michael L. Brewer 1 , Lisa Bal- lance 2 , and Fritz Hertel 1 . ‘Department Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 32 ABSTRACTS of Biology, California State University, 18111 Nordhoff St., Northridge, CA 91330-8383, USA, fitheach@- pacbell.net; 2 Ecology Program, South- west Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA Wing morphology of nine species of seabirds from Johnston Atoll in the central tropical Pacific was analyzed to determine how wing size and shape correlated with observed foraging be- havior. Red-tailed Tropicbirds (. Phaethon rubricauda ) and Christmas Shearwaters {Puffinus nativitatis) had lower wing areas, shorter wing spans, and higher relative wing loading than would be predicted from mass alone. Brown Noddies {Anous stolidus) and Red-footed Boobies ( Sula sula) had lower wing loading, Brown Boobies {Sula leucogaster ) and Sooty Terns {Sterna fuscata) had higher aspect ra- tios, and Brown Noddies had lower aspect ratio than would be predicted from mass alone. In most cases, pre- dicted differences in wing morphology correlated well with observed foraging differences among species, and species that did not differ significantly in body mass differed with respect to wing size and shape. Using a different method, the wing shape of Brown, Red-footed, and Masked Boobies {Sula dactylatra), as well as the Red-tailed Tropicbird, was analyzed by recording landmark coordinates from the wing tracings. These coordinates were then used to model wings as thin-plate splines (TPS), and TPS relative warp analysis was performed to compare wing shape among the four species. Red-tailed Tropicbirds, Brown, and Masked Boo- bies are typically plunge divers, whereas Red-footed Boobies typically practice aerial pursuit of flying fishes. Although the tropicbirds (family Phaethontidae) are similar in their diving behavior to the Brown and Masked Boobies (family Sulidae), their wing shape was most distinct, sug- gesting a phylogenetic signal. This method provides an alternative view of wing shape compared with traditional morphometries. Coevolution or coincidence: host specificity and microhabitat selection in the analgoid feather mites of Cas- pian Terns Eli Bridge , Department of Ecol- ogy, Evolution, and Behavior, Univer- sity of Minnesota, 100 Ecology Bldg., 1987 Upper Buford Cir., St. Paul, MN 55108, USA, brid0030@tc.umn.edu Symbiotic feather mites are found on virtually all bird species, yet there is considerable confusion regarding their ecological roles. Are they parasites, commensalists, or mutualists? Is each species of mite adapted to a particular bird species, or do they have a number of potential host species? I studied a species of analgoid feather mite living on the primary feathers of Caspian Terns {Sterna caspia) using two ap- proaches. First, I quantified mite loads on birds collected throughout a breed- ing season to compare levels of mite infestation with host condition and to document the spatial distribution of mites among the primaries. Second, I tested the extent of host specificity by imping (transplanting) California Gull {Larus californicus) feathers onto the wings of Caspian Terns and examining the mites’ capacity to colonize gull feathers. Although mite loads varied greatly, they showed no relationship with host body condition, date, or sex. Mites were most abundant among the more distal portions of the outer prima- ries, which is contrary to what one would predict based on aerodynamic considerations. Mites “incubated” on tern wings showed no preference for feather type, and further experiments showed no response to treatments in- volving different preen oils. My results show little evidence for a coevolution- ary “arms race” and, therefore, imply that feather mites are commensal or perhaps mutualistic. The observed colonization of gull feathers suggests that some mite species have the poten- tial to occupy a number of host species by selecting different microhabitats, although opportunities for host switching in nature may be rare. Use of the Vandenberg “no take” marine reserve by foraging Brandt’s and Pelagic Cormorants Adam Brown, Dan Robinette, Na- talia Collier, and William J. Sydeman, Marine Science Division, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA, browncollier@hotmail.com As indicators of marine environ- ments, seabirds can be useful in as- sessing the effectiveness of “no take” marine reserves. During the 2000 and 2001 breeding seasons, we studied the nearshore foraging activities of Brandt’s Cormorants {Phalacrocorax penicillatus ) and Pelagic Cormorants {P. pelagicus ) at four study plots along the coastal margin of Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Two of our plots were located on the leeward side of a major promontory, while the other two on the windward side. For each pair of windward and leeward plots, one plot was located inside the marine reserve and the other outside. For both cormorant species, there were signifi- cantly more birds foraging in plots outside the marine reserve than inside. This was true during both years. The foraging activity outside the reserve was mostly due to high use of the southernmost plot (a leeward plot) in our study area. In fact, both leeward plots were used significantly more than windward plots. We present two possi- ble explanations. First, the two cormo- rant species may prefer to forage in waters with calmer surface conditions. Second, and most probable, there may be a greater abundance of prey in pro- tected waters. These results suggest that nearshore marine reserves de- signed to protect the foraging opportu- nities of seabirds should be located on the leeward side of coastal promonto- ries in the California upwelling system. Density and spacing of Marbled Murrelets in forest nesting habitat; evidence of territoriality? Alan E. Burger and Angeline R,M. Tillmanns , Department of Biology, Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 33 ABSTRACTS University of Victoria, Victoria, BC, V8W 3N5, Canada, aburger@uvic,ca Studies using radar to count Mar- bled Murrelets ( Brachyramphus mar- moratus) in British Columbia and Washington show significant linear relationships between numbers of mur- relets per watershed and areas of old- growth forest within these watersheds. This pattern indicates a relatively con- stant density of birds per hectare of available habitat within each study area. Three studies from different parts of BC gave relatively similar densities when considering all available old- growth (range among studies 0.033-0.042 birds per ha), or sub-sets of more optimal forest habitat (range 0.057-0.083 birds per ha). These den- sities include both breeding and non- breeding birds, which cannot be sepa- rated using radar. The radar data show that murrelets breed at low densities per area of available forest (confirmed by tree-climbing studies), and suggest that there might be mechanisms en- suring spacing of nests. We review the behavior of murrelets flying over for- ests for evidence of territoriality or spacing behavior. The nature, fre- quency, and timing of certain behaviors and vocalizations are consistent with spacing behavior, although overt ago- nistic encounters are rare. Infrequent re-use of nest-sites argues against de- fense of specific nest platforms, but there might be defense of larger areas containing many suitable platforms. Spacing behavior might have evolved if widely spaced nests experienced lower predation. Spacing behavior also has important management implica- tions. Patches of forest in fragmented landscapes might support fewer breeding pairs than expected if the birds maintain widely spaced nests or defend large areas around nest sites. Battling invasive species at seabird colonies: a war worth winning Vernon Byrd, Art Sowls, and Steve Ebbert, Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, 2355 Kachemak Bay Drive, Suite 101, Homer, AK 99603, USA, vemon_byrd@fws.gov Seabirds are particularly suscepti- ble to devastating impacts caused by introduced predators that eat adults, chicks, and eggs, and ungulates that trample burrows and nests. It is tech- nologically feasible to remove many invasive species, but such actions can be politically complicated. Over the past 50 years, the staff at Alaska Mari- time National Wildlife Refuge has re- moved introduced foxes ( Alopex lagopus and Vulpes vulpes) from 39 islands totaling 480,000 ha. Feral live- stock (cattle and reindeer) has been removed from 4 islands totaling nearly 40,000 ha. Within the past 1 0 years, we have instituted programs to prevent additional rat ( Rattus spp.) introduc- tions and have begun evaluating rat removal from some of the smaller ref- uge islands. Furthermore, we are be- ginning a program to remove intro- duced ground squirrels ( Spermophilus undulautus ). Bird recovery has been dramatic. For example, we estimate that breeding populations of seabirds, particularly those nesting on the sur- face and in earthen burrows, have in- creased by more than 100,000 follow- ing fox removals. Populations should continue to increase for several dec- ades. Fox removal has also been the principal reason for recovery of the formerly endangered Aleutian Canada goose ( Branta canadensis leucopa - reia). Invasive species removal initially can be expensive and controversial, but the return will likely be dramatic and lasting. It is a war worth winning, whatever it takes. Brown Pelican roosting patterns in June-October 2001 at Mugu Lagoon, California Phil Capitolo 1 , Harry R. Carter Thomas W. Keeney 1 , William R. Me Iver , Gerard J. McChesney\ John W. Mason 1 , Richard T. Golightly*, and Dennis L. Orthmeyer 4 . ’Humboldt State University and U.S. Geological Survey, 6924 Tremont Road, Dixon, CA, 95620 USA, Phil_CapitoIo@- usp.gov; 2 Navai Base Ventura County, Point Mugu, CA 93042, USA; department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Areata, CA 95521, USA; 4 U.S. Geological Survey, West- ern Ecological Research Center, Dixon, CA 95620, USA Daily and seasonal patterns of roost attendance by Brown Pelicans ( Pelecanus occidentalis ) were exam- ined at Mugu Lagoon, California, from June to October 2001. Roost atten- dance typically increased shortly after sunrise and decreased at sunset. Num- bers of roosting pelicans were similar between days in June, increased in July, peaked in August, and declined during September and October (range of monthly high counts: 89-572). Brown Pelicans roosted overnight through August, with some nocturnal movements due to disturbance and high tides, but ceased night roosting in September. Daytime disturbance events occurred sporadically due to aircraft and raptors. Monthly aerial photo- graphic surveys within 60 km of Mugu Lagoon in 2000 showed different pat- terns of seasonal attendance at other major roosts. Seasonal aerial photo- graphic surveys of all pelican roosts in the Southern California Bight were conducted in 1999—2001 and indicate that Mugu Lagoon continues to be the largest estuarine roost in the bight. Oil spills and seabird mortality in California, 1969-1999 Harry R. Carter ', R. Glenn Fore f, Paul R . Kelly *» Gary W. Page \ William J . Sy deman 4 , Steve Hampton * , Roger C. Helm*, and Daniel Welsh 6 'Humboldt State University and US. Geological Survey, 6924 Tremont Road, Dixon, CA 95620, USA, Harry_Carter@usgs.gov; 2 R.G. Ford Consulting, 2735 NE Wiedler St., Portland, OR 97232, USA; California Department of Fish and Game, OSPR, Sacramento, CA 95814, USA; 4 Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA; 5 U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, Portland, OR 97232, USA; 6 U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, CA 95825, USA Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 34 ABSTRACTS We summarize available informa- tion on species composition and num- bers of seabirds recovered on shore and the total estimated mortality during 45 oil spills in California between 1969 and 1999. After the 1969 Santa Bar- bara and 1971 San Francisco oil spills, organized efforts by private groups to document seabird oiling through beached bird surveys and to rehabili- tate oiled seabirds grew considerably. Large-scale efforts to enumerate num- bers of oiled seabirds on shorelines and effective techniques to estimate total mortality were first developed by pri- vate groups, with limited agency sup- port, during the 1984 Puerto Rican and 1986 Apex Houston oil spills. During the 1990 American Trader oil spill, agencies first led efforts to document seabird mortality. In the 1990s, state and federal agencies developed large- scale programs, in cooperation with private groups and universities, to en- sure detailed documentation of seabird mortality as a key component of ob- taining settlements from responsible parties for restoration of affected natu- ral resources. In the 1997 Kure oil spill, the most complete documentation of seabird mortality to date was ob- tained. Seabirds often recovered in large numbers include: Common, Pa- cific, and Red-throated loons (Gavia immer, G. pacifica, G. stellata ); West- ern, Clark’s, Homed, Red-necked, and Eared grebes (. Aechmorphorus occi- dental is, A. clarkii, Podiceps auritus , P, grisegena, P, nigricollis ); Brown Pelican (. Pelecanus occidentalism Dou- ble-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritis ); White-winged and Surf sco- ters ( Melanitta fusca and M. perspicil - lata ); Common Murre ( Uria aalge)', Cassin’s Auklet (Ptychoramphus aleu- ticus) | and Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata). The 1986 Apex Houston oil spill in central California: seabird mortal- ity, injury assessment, litigation, and restoration planning Harry R, Carter 1 , Valerie A. Lee , Gary W. Page 3 , Michael W. Parker *, R. Glenn Ford 5 , Gordon Swartzman 6 , Stephen W. Kress 1 , Bernard R. Siskin 8 , Steven W. Singer 9 , and D. Michael Fry 10 , 'Humboldt State University and U.S.Geological Survey, 6924 Tremont Rd., Dixon, CA 95620, USA, Harry_Carter@usgs.gov; Environment Inti., 10334 48 th Ave. NE, Seattle, WA 98125, USA; 3 Point Reyes Bird Obser- vatory, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA; 4 U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, Newark, CA 94560, USA; 5 R.G. Ford Consulting, Portland, OR 97232, USA; ^Applied Physics Laboratory, Univer- sity of Washington, Seattle, WA 98105, USA; National Audubon Soci- ety, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; 8 Center for Forensic Economic Studies, Phila- delphia, PA 19103, USA; 9 Santa Cruz Mountains Murrelet Group, 218 Ne- vada St., Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA; !0 Department of Avian Science, Uni- versity of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA We describe over a decade of biological, legal, and agency efforts to address impacts to seabirds from the 1986 Apex Houston oil spill in central California. This relatively small spill (616+ barrels) was conservatively es- timated to have killed about 9900 sea- birds, including 6300 Common Murres ( Uria aalge). Direct mortality was rea- sonably well documented by private groups, using beached bird surveys, at- sea surveys, and oil trajectory model- ing. Adequate knowledge of the biol- ogy and status of local breeding popu- lations allowed identification of poten- tial long-term impacts on relatively small, depleted, and declining local populations of murres and Marbled Murre lets (Brachyramphus marmora- tus). This incident demonstrated that small oil spills can have serious im- pacts to seabirds and that injury, not just the amount of oil, must be meas- ured before judging appropriate dam- ages. During lengthy litigation, federal and state governments scrutinized available biological information, re- fined direct mortality and population injury determinations, and proposed specific restoration plans. A $6,400,000 settlement was reached in 1994. After additional restoration plan- ning, most funds were assigned to two restoration projects in central Califor- nia, which were administered by fed- eral and state trustee agencies. (1) Recolonization of extirpated murre colonies using “social attraction” tech- niques began in 1996, especially at Devil’s Slide Rock, where the colony probably was extirpated by this spill after reduction from gill-net mortality; (2) Privately-owned residual old- growth forest nesting habitat was pur- chased for murrelets in the Gazos Creek Watershed in 1998. Murres held hostage: do decoys pre- vent flushing of Common Murres? Christine Caurant 1,2 , Michael W. Parker *, Stephen W. Kress 3 , Harry R. Carter 4 , and Richard T. Golightly 2 . ! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 524 Newark, CA 94560, USA; department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Areata, CA 95521, USA, mike_parker@fws.gov; 3 National Audubon Society, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; 4 U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon, CA 95620, USA As part of an ongoing restoration project for Common Murre ( Uria aalge) colonies in central California, we examined murre flight response to disturbance from nearby aircraft and boats during the breeding season from 1997 through 2001 at Devil’s Slide Rock (DSR), Castle/Hurricane Colony Complex (CHCC), and Point Reyes Colony Complex (PRCC). Despite greater numbers of fly-overs at lower altitudes at DSR, murres flushed less frequently at DSR and more frequently at CHCC during helicopter fly-overs - 56.11, p < 0.01). A similar pat- tern was found for aircraft fly-overs - 7.24, P < 0.05). Murres on DSR may exhibit less flight response to aircraft disturbance due to: (1) the presence of the immobile decoys and recorded murre colony sounds (used as social attractants) that may reduce the ten- dency for murres to take flight during a potential disturbance; (2) murres on DSR may be more habituated to air- craft and associated noise because of the close proximity of the Half Moon Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 35 ABSTRACTS Bay airport; (3) the presence of breed- ing Brandt’s Cormorants (Phalacroco- rax penicillatus ), which may be less apt to take flight during a potential disturbance. Improving the conservation status of the world’s seabirds through the Bonn Convention on Migratory Spe- cies John Cooper ’, Barry Baker 2 , Gerard C. Boere 3 , Michelle du Toit\ Bert Lenten 4 , Narelle Montgomery 2 , and Arnulf Muller-Helmbrecht 5 , ’Avian Demography Unit, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Af- rica; jcooper@botzoo.uct.ac.za; Environment Australia, Canberra, ACT 2601, Australia; 3 Wetlands Inter- national, Wageningen, The Nether- lands; 4 African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (UNEP/AEWA) Secre- tariat, Bonn, Germany; 5 Secretariat of the Convention on Migratory Species (UNEP/CMS Secretariat), Bonn, Ger- many The seabirds of the world are linked by one sea. Many have ranges that are unrestricted by national boundaries, and few are endemic to a single country. Most undertake regular migrations or practice juvenile disper- sal across international borders and into international waters. The United Nations-based global Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (Bonn Convention or CMS) came into force in 1979 to im- prove the conservation status and man- agement (including sustainable use) of migratory species, including but not restricted to birds, through collabora- tive actions by states within the ranges of species. The CMS works mainly as a framework convention, encouraging its parties to adopt Agreements, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) and/or Action Plans for species or groups of species that have previously been listed in its appendices. Such Agreements and MOUs are stand-alone instruments that may be ratified by range states that are not parties to the CMS, thus offering considerable op- portunity and flexibility for regional actions. The CMS has 76 parties (as of 1 November 2001) on all inhabited continents, although some countries are conspicuous by their absence, includ- ing several that border the North Pa- cific Ocean. Currently, 47 of the 350- odd species of seabirds (Orders Sphenisciformes, Procellariiformes, and Pelecaniformes, families Laridae, Stercorariidae, Stemidae and Alcidae) are listed in CMS Appendices, notably including all the world’s albatrosses. The CMS will hold its 7th Conference of Parties in September 2002 when South Africa intend to nominate a fur- ther 12 seabird species to Appendix II, which lists migratory species for which Agreements (including MOUs) would improve their conservation status. Two Agreements that include seabirds have been developed to date. The Agree- ment on the Conservation of African- Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) came into force in 1999. It includes, inter alia, 26 seabird species, mostly gulls and terns. It currently has 34 Parties and aims to improve the conservation status of 172 migratory waterbird species (mainly anatids and charadriiform shorebirds) that utilize the flyways between Eurasia and Af- rica. The Agreement on the Conserva- tion of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP) was negotiated at meetings in Australia and South Africa in 2000 to 2001, and will come into force once five coun- tries have ratified it, which is expected to happen during 2002. It covers 21 species of albatrosses (new taxonomy) and seven large petrels, and aims to provide an integrated and holistic ap- proach to albatross and petrel conser- vation which will enhance coordination and harmonization of conservation actions, both on land and at sea. Be- cause ACAP is not geographically re- stricted in scope, it can in the future be expanded to cover all the world’s alba- trosses by the simple addition of the three Northern Hemisphere species to its annex, without need for renegotia- tion. South Africa is working towards proposing a MOU for southern African breeding seabirds (15 species), in order to improve their conservation status through collaborative actions by their breeding range states. Opportunities exist for further Agreements and MOUs to be negotiated under the CMS that can work towards conserving sea- birds elsewhere in the world. Examples include the guano seabirds of the Humboldt Current along the Pacific coast of South America, the large number of alcid species of the North Pacific, the seabirds of the Mediterra- nean, and the tropical seabirds of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. For all these existing and proposed instruments, the aim is that countries with similar suites of seabird species and conservation problems share knowledge, expertise, and resources in a cooperative way. Such regional co- operation for seabird conservation can be greatly facilitated by marine orni- thologists who are wilting to use their experience and enthusiasm to motivate national governments to become par- ties to the CMS, nominate seabird spe- cies to its appendices, and work to- wards the adoption of new “daughter” instruments under its aegis. Field guide to fish identification for Caspian Tern diet studies in the Columbia River estuary David Craig 1 , Penny Spier ing 1 , and Michael Wilhelm 2 , ’Department of Biology, Willamette University, Sa- lem, OR 97301, USA, dpcraig@- willamette.edu; 2 Wilhelm Photo, P.O. Box 1817, Tualatin, OR 97062, USA We present a fish identification guide based on field characteristics of fish that were caught and carried in the bills of Caspian Terns {Sterna caspia ) during the 2001 breeding seasons on East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary. This guide includes images of over 20 fish species in the bills of terns. The guide describes fish behavior, body rigidity, colors, textures, sizes, and anatomical changes based on over 4000 observations. Other data recorded included adult handling time, number and age of chicks, chick feeding behaviors, and the fish’s fate. We also measured aggression, piracy, and klepto- Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 36 ABSTRACTS parasitism between chicks within and among broods, chicks and adults, and gulls and terns. We anticipated that larger fish were more likely involved in kleptoparasitism, piracy, and chick fights. The diet was primarily anchovies, (Engraulidaej (39.5%), herring, shad, sardines, (Clupeidae) (18.0%), perches (Embiotocidae) (14.4%), and salmon (Salmonidae) (10.9%). The size of fishes ranged from 5 to 26 cm with a mean size of 13.6 ± 2.9 cm (n = 2719). Chick feeds that encountered hostility, (i.e., attempts of kleptoparasitism, piracy, or fish fights), were significantly larger than the mean size of all chick feeds (14,91 ± 2.8 cm, P « 0.05). There was also significantly less hostility with fishes 15 cm and less, and significantly more hostility with fishes larger than 16 cm (P « 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between chick age and the mean size of fish (r = 0.80, P < 0.05). These results support our hypotheses that larger fish are more often the subjects of kleptoparasitism or agonistic behavior among Caspian Terns. Using Radar to Monitor Populations and Assess Habitat Associations of Marbled Murrelets within the Sunshine Coast Forest District Sean A. Cullen, P.O. Box 85, Rob- erts Creek, BC, VON 2W0, Canada, sacullen@sfu.ca I used radar to count numbers of Marbled Murrelets ( Brachyramphus marmoratus ) flying into 27 watersheds within the Sunshine Coast Forest Dis- trict (SCFD), British Columbia, in 2000 and 2001. My goals were (1) to document the size and distribution of the Marbled Murrelet population within watersheds of the district, and (2) to investigate habitat associations of this population at the watershed scale. In the two years of survey, the maximum predawn counts ranged from 7 Marbled Murrelets at Rainy River to 435 at Toba River. The highest num- bers of Marbled Murrelets were de- tected at Toba River, Brem River, Forbes River and Quatam River. The lowest counts were at watersheds asso- ciated with Howe Sound and Sechelt Inlet. At eleven watersheds, more than 100 Marbled Murrelets entered during dawn surveys, and these sites ac- counted for more than 80% of the total count. These radar surveys have estab- lished, for the first time, the presence of Marbled Murrelets in the more re- mote regions of the SCFD, such as those along Bute Inlet. Radar counts provide a baseline estimate for future assessments of whether or not forest development and species recovery plans are meeting the required objec- tives. The area of habitats within 21 watersheds, which were categorized by Biogeoclimatic (BEC) zones, eleva- tion, and forest age, was derived from the overlay of 6 digital CIS databases. Radar counts at these watersheds most strongly correlated to the amount of Old Forest (>250 yr) in both High (>650 m) and Low (<650 m) BEC zones. After controlling for the total area of the watersheds, counts were also negatively correlated to the area of Alpine Tundra and Mature forest (140-250 yrs). In comparison to other radar studies in BC, the SCFD radar counts were more strongly correlated to higher elevation BEC zones, rather than lower elevation BEC zones. This is likely a response to the relative pau- city of habitat at low elevations within the SCFD. Marbled Murrelets appear to nest at much lower densities (birds/ha) in the SCFD than in other areas in BC. Densities of Marbled Murrelets within specific watersheds did not increase with greater percentages of immature and recently logged habitat, or in rela- tion to the amount of habitat originally available before industrial timber ex- traction. This concurs with other stud- ies that propose Marbled Murrelets do not pack into areas at higher densities when nesting habitat is removed. Seabird identification verification techniques in the North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program Sharon Davis , North Pacific Groundfish Observer Program, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 7600 Sand Point Way, NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA The North Pacific Groundfish Ob- server Program was implemented in early 1990. Potential observers must posses a four-year degree from an ac- credited institution in the natural sci- ences or related field. Candidates at- tend an intensive three-week training course at either the Alaska Fisheries Science Center in Seattle or the Ob- server Training Center in Anchorage. The course covers all aspects of ob- server sampling methodologies, re- sponsibilities, and priorities and in- cludes fish, crab, seabird, and marine mammal identification training. The seabird component of the training in- corporates an audiovisual presentation and hands-on identification of study skins with the aid of a dichotomous key. Upon successful completion of the course, observers are placed on com- mercial fishing vessels in the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska. Observers collect a variety of catch effort and biological data for a host of end users to meet a suite of management objec- tives. The seabird component of ob- server responsibilities has increased since the inception of the observer pro- gram. Observers collect data on the incidental take of seabirds, as well as documenting interactions and record- ing sightings of species of interest. To ensure the quality of the data being collected, three techniques are being used or are in the process of being im- plemented. Observers on longline ves- sels are collecting seabird specimens for demographic studies and these specimens also provide species identi- fication verification. New observers will be provided with disposable cam- eras with instructions to take photos of each species of seabird incidentally caught during their deployment. And a seabird identification form is being developed for use in the field to record the key characteristics of each species of incidentally caught seabird. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 37 ABSTRACTS Proximate factors determining fledging mass and age in Rhinoceros Auklets Tomohiro Deguchi Akinori Ta- kahashi 2 , and Yutaka Watanuki 1 , laboratory of Animal Ecology, Graduate School of Agriculture, Hok- kaido University, Sapporo, Japan, tdeguchi@res.agr.hokudai.ac.jp; 2 British Antarctic Survey, High Cross, Cambridgeshire, UK. Food acquisition at the nest and expectation of post-fledging survival, which will be functions of growth rate and fledging date, are hypothesized to be ultimate factors determining fledg- ing mass and age. Many studies of al- cids have shown that faster-growing chicks fledged younger and heavier and earlier-hatched chicks fledged older and heavier, which should result a negative and a positive relationship between fledging age and mass, re- spectively. How growth rate and hatching date determine fledging age and mass in large-year food variability has been uncertain. The effects of growth of wings and synchronization of fledging, which may be critical for post-fledging survival, are also unclear. We studied the effects of chick growth rate and hatching date on fledging age and mass in Rhinoceros Auklet 0 Cerorhinca monocerata) at Teuri Is- land in 1995—2000. Although there was no significant relationship between fledging age and mass in most of the years, the results of multiple-linear regression analysis indicated faster- growing chicks fledged younger and heavier and earlier-hatched chicks fledged older and heavier in every year. The mass growth rate did not affect the wing length at fledging, and most of the chicks fledged with similar wing length in every year. Later- hatched chicks showed the possibility of large mass recession, but chicks did not synchronize timing of fledging except in 1995, possibly because par- ents laying later might stop food provi- sioning at younger chick age but their chicks did not leave the nests soon. Therefore, growth rate and hatching date were certainly proximate factors determining fledging mass and age, and chicks may optimize resource allo- cation under a constraint of food acqui- sition. Spatio-temporal variation of seabird bycatch in Alaska longline fisheries Kimberly S. Dietrich \ Ed Melvin , and Julia K. Parrish ’School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, Univer- sity of Washington, Box 355020, Seat- tle, WA 98195, USA, kdiet@u.- washington.edu; 2 Washington Sea Grant, University of Washington. Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195, USA Incidental take (or bycatch) of seabirds in longline fisheries has been linked to the decline of several seabird populations worldwide. In Alaskan waters, more than 2,000 vessels in demersal longline fisheries set over 200 million hooks each year. Manage- ment efforts to reduce bycatch are driven by concern for all North Pacific albatrosses, especially the endangered Short-tailed Albatross ( Phoebastria albatrus). However, the observed by- catch is dominated by Northern Ful- mars ( Fulmarus glacialis ; 60-75%), followed by gulls {Larus spp.; 14—18%), albatrosses {Phoebastria spp.; 3-10%), and shearwaters {Puffinus spp.; 2-6%). Bycatch rates have been characterized on a gross (large marine ecosystem) scale, but smaller scale patterns remain unex- plored. Using data from the NMFS Groundfish Observer Program, we contrast 1995-2000 bycatch rates for the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea fisheries by seabird taxa (5), geo- graphic region (>10), vessel type (2), target fish species (5), and season (>10). Although bycatch rates fluctuate wildly in time, trends persist. Catcher- processing vessels, which process fish on board, have consistently higher by- catch rates than catcher vessels, which deliver fish to land-based processors, regardless of fish species targeted. In the Pacific cod ( Gadus macrocephalus) fishery, fulmars are the dominant by- catch. Albatrosses are a relatively mi- nor component of the catch by the Pa- cific cod fishery, whereas in the halibut ( Hippoglossus stenolepis) and sablefish ( Anoplomoma fimbria) fisheries, alba- trosses make up a much larger percent. Differences in seabird bycatch rates between vessel types and between tar- get species may be driven by seabird species-specific geographic variation, including proximity to colony, envi- ronmental and oceanographic condi- tions, and migration routes. A compre- hensive understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics impacting sea- bird bycatch is necessary for fisheries managers, as well as seabird biologists, to more accurately estimate total by- catch and to make informed choices when evaluating tools to reduce seabird bycatch. The effects of a phase shift in the Arctic Oscillation on Black Guillemots in the western Arctic George Divoky, Institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska Fair- banks, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA, fiigjd@uaf.edu The Arctic Oscillation (AO) refers to a pattern of fluctuation in atmospheric pressure at polar and middle latitudes. In its negative phase, higher than normal sea level pressure over the polar regions acts to prevent the northward movement of lower- latitude weather systems, resulting in cooler conditions. In the positive phase, lower pressure at the pole results in warmer temperatures. A shift in the AO from the negative to the positive phase in the late 1980s coincides with a number of changes in the population size and breeding chronology of Black Guillemots {Cepphus grylle) in northern Alaska. The largest breeding colony in Alaska declined from 225 pairs in 1989 to <125 pairs by the end of the 1990s. This decline may be related to documented decreases in the extent and thickness of sea ice over the same period. Guillemots forage in and next to the pack ice throughout the year. Changes in spring snowmelt related to the shift in the AO resulted in a step- wise advancement of clutch initiation, as nest sites became snow- free earlier. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 38 ABSTRACTS These effects demonstrate the conflicting effects of regional warming; for guillemots in the arctic, reduced sea ice may be causing a decline in prey availability while an increased snow-free period decreases temporal constraints on breeding. Sexual dimorphism in culmen length as a tool to determine the sex of indi- vidual American White Pelicans Brian Dorr 1 , D. Tommy King 1 , J. Brent Harrel 1 , Patrick Gerard 1 , and Marilyn G. Spalding *U.S. Depart- ment of Agriculture, Animal Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, P.O. Drawer 6099, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA, brian.s.dorr@usda.gov; Mississippi State University, Experimental Statis- tics Unit, Mississippi State, MS 39762, USA; 3 University of Florida, College of Veterinary Medicine, Department of Pathobiology, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA Culmen length is potentially diag- nostic for sex in American White Peli- cans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) . However, the literature on the use of culmen length to determine sex is in- consistent, with a reported overlap in culmen lengths for males and females ranging from 1 mm to >120 mm. We took morphological measurements on a sample of 186 pelicans collected in Mississippi and Louisiana whose sex was determined by dissection and go- nadal inspection. We developed a mul- tivariate discriminant function model to determine sex from our data and com- pared the diagnostic accuracy of the model with the accuracy based on oil- men length alone. Culmen length and wing chord length were significant variables in the resulting discriminant function model. The model was vali- dated using both cross-validation and an independent sample of 22 pelicans collected in Florida. The resulting model correctly classified sex of peli- cans 97% of the time using cross- validation and 94% of the time for the independently collected FL sample. A culmen length of £310 mm for males and s309 mm for females correctly classified sex for 98% of pelicans for the MS and LA sample and 94% of pelicans for the FL sample. Therefore culmen length alone provides an accu- rate, simple, and non-lethal method for sex-determination in the American White Pelican. Aggressive competition among brood mates Hugh Drummond, Instituto de Ecologia, Universidad Nacional Auto- noma de Mexico, AP 70-275, 04510 D.F., Mexico, hugh@servidor.- unam.mx Violent aggression between young brood mates has been discovered in diverse avian species including the Brown Pelican {Pelecanus occiden - talis) several boobies ( Sula spp), the Black-legged Kittiwake {Rissa tridac- tyla ), and the Black Guillemot (Cep- phus grylle ). Chicks sometimes kill each other by expulsion from the nest or exclusion from parental feeding, but it is also common for brood mates to coexist all the way through fledging, but showing a marked dominance hier- archy in which distinct agonistic roles are adopted by different brood mem- bers. To understand the nature and the evolution of this agonism, my col- leagues and I have analyzed the con- trol, development and function of both aggressiveness and submissiveness in chicks of the Blue-footed Booby ( S . nebuoxii). This talk will review our findings from descriptive and experi- mental field studies and try to offer additional insights by contrasting the behavioral ecology of the facultatively siblicidal Blue-footed Booby and the obligately siblicidal Brown Booby (S. leucogaster). Breeding status of the California Least Tern at Alameda Point, Alameda, California, 2001 Meredith L. Elliott and William J. Sydeman , Marine Science Division, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA, melliott@prbo.org The California Least Tern (Sterna antillarum brownf) has been on federal and state endangered species lists since 1970 and 1971, respectively. The northernmost breeding location of this subspecies is on the former Naval Air Station, Alameda, in San Francisco Bay; since the Air Station’s closure in 1997, the area is now referred to as Alameda Point. Alameda Point has hosted the largest California Least Tem colony in northern California since 1977. Through contracts with the U.S.Navy and U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, the colony has been managed and protected by the Golden Gate Audubon Society (1979-1999) and PRBO (2000-2001). Data on repro- ductive success, predation, disturbance, ' nest distribution, and dropped prey composition have been collected. There were 275 total nesting attempts in 2001, slightly down from the 312 attempts in 2000. The estimated 265 breeding pairs in 2001 is also a de- crease from the 280 pairs observed in 2000. The estimated 320 fledglings produced by the colony in 2001 was a marked increase from the approxi- mately 200 fledglings in 2000, Of all the eggs laid in 2001, 89.9% hatched; this was higher than the 62.6% that hatched in 2000. We speculate the dif- ference in hatching success between years to be due to an unusual heat wave in June 2000. Although the Alameda Point population has grown over time, factors that may be limiting colony growth and potential growth of the San Francisco Bay metapopuiation (e.g., food availability, habitat constraints, and predation pressures) are currently being evaluated and researched. Contaminant load in four species of pelagic seabirds Myra Finkelstein 1 , Don Crolt 2 , Brad Keitd, Wally Jarman \ Bernie Tershy $ , Theresa Lowe 4 , Corinne Ba- con 4 , and Don Smith 1 , department of Environmental Toxicology, depart- ment of Biology, institute of Marine Sciences, University of California, Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 39 ABSTRACTS Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA, myraf@cats.ucsc.edu; island Conser- vation, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA; 4 Energy and Geoscience Institute, Uni- versity of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA Seabirds, due to their high trophic level and wide foraging ranges, are good indicators of contamination in the marine environment. In order to test the hypothesis that seabird contaminant body burden is determined by their trophic feeding strategy, we measured contaminant loads in four species of North Pacific seabirds: Black-footed Albatross (BFAL) ( Phoebastria ni- gripes ); Laysan Albatross (LAAL) ( P . immutabilis ); Red-tailed Tropic- birds (RTTR) ( Phaethon rubricauda ); and Wedge-tailed Shearwaters (WTSH) {Puffmus pacificus ). Blood samples were collected from adult birds on Johnston Island (RTTR [n - 10], WTSH [n = 5]) and Midway Atoll (BFAL [n = 10], LAAL [n = 10]). Samples were analyzed for lead, arse- nic, and cadmium using a Finnegan Element ICP-MS. Total mercury was analyzed by cold vapor AFS. Total PCBs and DDE were analyzed by gas chromatograph. Average blood con- centrations (ng/ml) (SD) are shown in Table 1. Levels in BFAL showed a 3-fold increase in DDE compared to values reported for 1992-93 (Auman et al. 1997). These data support the hypothe- sis that trophic feeding strategy is im- portant for contaminants that bio- accumulate. Analyses of C and N sta- ble isotopes will be conducted to fur- ther substantiate how trophic relation- ships affect different contaminant loads in these species. Techniques for estimating seabird mortality from oil spills R. Glenn Ford , R.G. Ford Con- sulting, 2735 NE Weidler St, Portland, OR 97232, USA Numerous studies have demon- strated that only a fraction of the sea- birds killed in most oil spills are recov- ered. Recovering damages for injury to FIGURE 1 . Contaminant load in four species of pelagic seabirds on Midway Atoll (Finkelstein et al.) See text for abbreviations of bird names. Pb As Cd PCBs DDE Hg BFAL 16(9) 1000(700) 19(9) 135 (72) 108 (81) 2700 (900) LAAL 10(9) 500 (300) 22(14) 45 (20) 28 (17) 800 (400) RTTR 1 (0.3) 1300 (700) 3 (0.7) 8(3) 2(2) 700(300) WTSH 9(4) 2600 (300) 21(8) 4(0.5) 2(2) 70 (60) seabirds, however, requires that defen- sible estimates of mortality be made. There are several alternative ap- proaches for injury assessment that are applicable under differing circum- stances, including the beached bird model, swept-through model, and changes in colony size. Studies carried out subsequent to recent spills, includ- ing the New Carissa , the Stuyvesant , and the Kure, have been used to refor- mulate the beached bird model and lend new insight on the swept-through model. I describe a proposed damage assessment methodology that promises greater accuracy but requires signifi- cant coordinated effort during the spill response phase. Patterns of temporal and geographi- cal variation in prey selection by three sympatric auklet species {Aethia spp.) in the Aleutian Islands, Alaska Gail Fraser l , Jeffrey C. Williams 2 , Ian L. Jones 3 , Fiona M. Hunter 4 , Lisa Scharf 2 , G. Vernon Byrcf, and Martin Renner 1 , 1 Department of Biology, York University, 4700 Keele St., Toronto, ON, M3J 1P3, Canada, fraserg@- tamug.tamu.edu; 2 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Aleutian Island Unit, Adak, AK 99546 USA; 3 Dept. of Biology, Memorial Univer- sity of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NF, Canada; 4 Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK; 5 Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, Homer, AK 99603, USA We compared variation among species, years and locations in prey selected by sympatric Aethia Auklets while they were provisioning chicks in the western and central Aleutian Is- lands. On Buldir Island, we collected chick meals from Crested (A. crista tel la). Least (A. pus ilia), and Whiskered (A. pygmaea ) Auklets dur- ing 1994-1997. On Kasatochi Island, chick meals were collected from Crested and Least Auklets in 1996 and 1997. We quantified prey selection and interspecific overlap using Principal Components Analysis (PCA) and Spearman Rank Correlations. Principal Component scores for PCI and PCII explained 81% of diet variance and indicated that euphausiids ( Thysano - essa spp.) and Neocalanus plumchrus were the most important coefficients for PCI, and N . cristatus and euphau- siids for PCII. Crested Auklets deliv- ered euphausiids and N. cristatus pri- marily, Least Auklets delivered the smaller copepod N. plumchrus , whereas Whiskered Auklets had con- siderable annual variation in the pro- portions of euphausiids and both cope- pod species. On Buldir, Whiskered Auklets’ prey overlapped considerably with that of both Crested and Least Auklets, but was most similar to that of Least Auklets. The prey of Least Auk- lets on Buldir varied more than those of Least Auklets on Kasatochi Island, probably due to oceanographic differ- ences in foraging areas near the two colony sites. Our results provide no evidence for a role of competitive ex- clusion in determining species’ prey selection during chick rearing. We suggest that auklet species respond independently, and somewhat opportu- nistically, to variation in food supplies and oceanography among breeding areas and among years. Is there evidence of programmed mass loss in response to increased flight demands in breeding auklets on Saint Lawrence Island, Alaska? Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 40 ABSTRACTS Adrian Gall 1 , Daniel D. Roby 1 , and David B. Irons 2 , 'U.S.Geological Survey, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA, galla@ucs.orst.edu; 2 Migratory Bird Management, US. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA Body mass was measured in nesting Least Auklets ( Aethia pus ilia) and Crested Auklets (A. cristatella ) on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska during June- August, 2000 and 2001, to assess within-season, inter-annual, and among-colony variation. Breeding adults were captured and weighed during incubation and chick rearing. Least Auklets are not sexually dimorphic, so they were not sexed. Crested Auklets were sexed by bill shape (Jones 1993). There was no detectable decline in mean adult body mass from mid-incubation through mid chick rearing for either species in either year (P > 0.05 for all cases). Thus there was no support for the hypothesis that a programmed mass loss occurred around hatching in response to increasing flight demands of parents feeding young at this site in these years. There were no significant between-year differences in mean adult body mass from mid-incubation though chick-rearing for Least Auklets (P = 0.07, two-sample /-test) or Crested Auklet males (P = 0.52, two-sample /-test). Female Crested Auklets, however, had lower mean body mass in 2001 than 2000 (P = 0.03, two-sample Mest). Previous work on St. Lawrence indicates that a seasonal decline in adult body mass of breeding auklets once occurred. Inter-annual variation and previously observed within-season declines in body mass suggest that seasonal mass change is facultative and dependent on energy reserves at the outset of the breeding season. Within- and between-year differences in auklet body mass may be a response to variation in zooplankton prey availability rather than adaptation to reduce flight demands during chick rearing. Assessment of noise disturbance on nesting Marbled Murrelets in Red- wood National and State Parks: a progress report Richard T. Go lightly 1 , Percy N. Hebert \ and Dennis L. Orthmeyer 2 , department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Areata, CA 95521, USA, rtgl@axe.humboIdt.edu; 2 U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Re- sources Division, Dixon, CA 95620, USA In April-May 2001, we captured 23 Marbled Murrelets at sea and at- tached radio transmitters. Subsequently we located 5 nests within the Redwood National and State Parks. Based on radio-detected attendance patterns, 3 of these nests probably were successful in fledging young. We conducted a noise experiment using a chain saw at one of the successful nests during the chick- period. Overt changes in behavior (ac- tivity, posture) that could be attributed to the experimental disturbance were not apparent in analyses of video re- cordings during a 30-min pretrial pe- riod, the 15-min trial, or during 30-min post-trial period. Caution in interpreta- tion of these data is necessary because of variation in nest locations, variation in ambient noise levels, and nesting stage. Predation among the natives: direct and indirect interactions among ea- gles, gulls and salmon Thomas P. Good 1 and Julia K. Parrish 2 . Conservation Biology, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, 2725 Montlake Boulevard East, Seat- tle, WA 98122, USA, tom.good@- noaa.gov; department of Zoology and School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sci- ences, University of Washington, Se- attle, WA 98195, USA Increasing populations of Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) in the Pacific Northwest impact seabird colonies along the outer Washington coast. For pairs of the Western Gull ( Larus oca^en/a/ri:)/Glaucous- winged Gull ( L . glaucescens ) hybrid complex, eagles directly and indirectly influence breeding success. In colonies wholly comprised of gulls (Grays Harbor), eagle disturbances indirectly facilitate predation of gull eggs by congeners. At Tatoosh Island, where 10 seabird spe- cies breed on the island complex, ea- gles and eagle disturbances affect gulls, but eagles primarily reduce breeding success of Common Murres ( Uria aalge ) by facilitating predation of murre eggs by gulls and crows. In 1996 and 1997, when eagle pressure was low, gull breeding success was high. From 1998 to 2000, eagle pressure greatly increased, and predation of gull chicks by eagles resulted in near is- land-wide breeding failure in gulls. In 2001, eagle pressure declined to pre- 1998 levels, and gull success was again high. While eagle pressure strongly impacts both gulls and murres, levels of breeding success of gulls on Tatoosh Island results from direct effects of predation on gull chicks rather than indirect facilitation of egg predation observed for murres. In the light of increasing eagle populations on the Olympic Peninsula and in the Pacific Northwest in general, the sudden rever- sal in eagle pressure is not easily ex- plained, but may result from foraging switches or dispersal of individual ea- gles away from Cape Flattery. Overall eagle foraging behavior and diet during the seabird breeding season may also be influenced by increased salmon re- turns attributed to improved ocean conditions. Terrestrial flights of ratio-tagged Marbled Murrelets in Redwood Na- tional and State parks during the 2001 breeding season Rebecca Green \ Richard T. Go- lightly 1 , Dennis L. Orthemeyer 2 , and Percy N. Hebert 1 . 'Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Areata, CA, USA; 2 U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Dixon, CA 95620, USA We followed 19 radio-tagged Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus ) on terrestrial flights from the ocean to inland sites within Red- wood National and State Parks, Cati- Pacijlc Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 41 ABSTRACTS fomia. Five of the birds eventually nested, whereas 14 non-nesting birds routinely flew inland. We detected inland flights using a combination of stationary automated telemetry record- ers and mobile human-operated te- lemetry. For individual nesting and non-nesting birds with adequate data, the timing of flights and geographical routes traveled were consistent. Across individuals, the timing of flights and landscapes used also had distinct pat- terns. One of the nesting adult birds showed a marked increase in conspicu- ous behaviors within the nest stand; these occurred before, and at least two weeks after, the fledging period. One non-nesting bird consistently vocalized and had a conspicuous flight pattern in one canyon that was frequently visited and near the terminus of the inland flight path. Automated telemetry re- corders were useful in detecting pres- ence of nesting and non-nesting birds at particular sites, but data should be periodically verified by observers with mobile telemetry equipment. A tangerine-scented pheromone In a monogamous seabird Julie C. Hagelin 1 , Ian L. Jones 1 , and L.E.L. Rassmusser ?. 1 Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, 75 N. Eagleville Road, Unit 3043, Storrs, CT 06269, USA, hagelin@sp.uconn.edu; department of Biology, Memorial University of New- foundland, St. John’s, NF, A IB 3X9, Canada; department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Oregon Graduate Institute, Beaverton, OR 97006, USA Pheromones, chemical social sig- nals, are well known in every living class of vertebrate except birds. The apparent absence is surprising, as every bird examined has a functional olfac- tory system, and some produce dis- tinctive odors. The Crested Auklet (Aethia cristatella ), a monogamous seabird, exhibits a distinctive tanger- ine-like scent during breeding that is closely associated with courtship ac- tivities. Using T-maze experiments, we tested whether birds preferred con- specific scent or distinguished between different kinds of odors, two necessary pre-requisites for chemical communi- cation. Four pieces of evidence indicate that the tangerine scent of the Crested Auklet is currently the best example of a pheromone in any bird: (1) attraction to conspecific feather odor; (2) attrac- tion to a mixture of two volatile chemi- cals in feather scent (cis-4 decenal and octanai), which we identified as sea- sonally significant; (3) differential re- sponses to odors, as indicated by pref- erence for auklet scent, and aversion to mammalian musk, but no significant response to a novel odor, amyl acetate (banana scent); and (4) a striking rela- tionship during mutual mate choice between feather odor and “ruff sniff’ courtship displays. Although the social function of odors is just beginning to be realized in birds, such as Crested Auklets, future studies promise to re- veal the more widespread use of chemical communication in avian spe- cies. Oil tanker and ship operations in California Steve Hampton \ Paul R. Kelly 1 , and Harry R, Carter 2 , 1 California De- partment of Fish and Game, Office of Spill Prevention and Response, 1700 K Street, Sacramento, CA 94244, USA, pkeliy@ospr.dfg.ca.gov; ^Humboldt State University and U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon, CA 95620, USA During the 20 th century, tens of thousands of seabirds were killed in California by oil tanker and barge spills. Following major tanker oil spills in Alaska (1989) and California (1990), state and federal legislation mandated many new oil spill prevention meas- ures. The advent of harbor vessel- tracking systems, tug escorts, off-shore tanker routing, certificates of financial responsibility, requirements for dou- ble-hulled tankers, inspections, and spill contingency plans have contrib- uted to a dramatic decline in tanker- related spills. Awareness of the signifi- cant costs of oil spill clean-up and the threat of criminal and civil financial liability may have influenced industry performance standards. Although about 650,000,000 barrels of petroleum products are transferred through Cali- fornia waters annually, no significant seabird mortality has been attributed to accidental tanker spills in California in recent years. In contrast, non-tanker vessel spills, oil pipeline breaks, and chronic oil pollution have killed thou- sands of seabirds in California over the past five years. Foraging ecology of endangered American White Pelicans in British Columbia William L. Harper and Katherine VanSpall , Osiris Wildlife Consulting, Victoria, BC, Canada, Bill.Harper@- shaw.ca and kvanspal@stardate.bc.ca The small population of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythro- rhynchos) breeding at one location in British Columbia is designated “En- dangered” under the BC Wildlife Act. Foraging occurs in shallow lakes, riv- ers, and streams as far as 165 km from the Stum Lake breeding colony, over an area 30,000 km . The average for- aging lake (n = 19) is 1000 m above sea level, 321 ha in surface area, and 4 m in depth. Three years of aerial sur- veys (1999-2001) quantified large- scale patterns of foraging habitat use approximately every three weeks at 38 different lakes and stream reaches. The highest total daily count was 623 on May 4, 2001, and the highest count for an individual lake was 350 at Pantage Lake on July 10, 2001. Low elevation ice-free lakes in the vicinity of Wil- liams Lake were used for foraging early in the breeding season (late April- early May) but not later in summer. By mid-September the total number of foraging pelicans dropped dramatically as birds migrated south for winter. A number of adult pelicans (>77) also occurred approximately 200 km north of the breeding colony at Nulki, Ta- chick and Stuart Lakes, but the breed- ing status of these birds was not deter- mined. Two years of ground surveys and observations (2000-2001) at 13 foraging lakes quantified small-scale Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 42 abstracts habitat use patterns. Foraging occurred in shallow water along shorelines, at creek mouths, in streams, and in shal- low open water in the middle of some lakes. Nocturnal foraging was com- mon; it began shortly after dark and continued throughout the night and into the dawn. Stream foraging at night was only observed in the spring, and was thought to be associated with the spawning activities of coarse fish such as longnose suckers ( Catostomus ca~ tostomus ). In the morning, pelicans returned to traditional loafing sites, to rest and preen for a few hours before leaving the foraging lake. Loafing sites were mainly located on isolated sand- bars, mud flat islands, and floating vegetation along marshy edges of lakes. Vanishing bearings of departing birds were usually consistent with the direction of the breeding colony. Pan- tage Lake consistently supported the highest number of open-water-feeding pelicans and had prey-capture rates that were three times higher (0.6 fish/pelican/min) than lakes with fewer shoreline- feeding pelicans (e.g., Owen and Tachick Lakes; 0. 1-0.2 fish/pelican/min). Experimental ap- proaches by researchers and observed approaches by other lake users elicited various reactions by pelicans, with some birds flying away when ap- proached within 300 m, while others only swam away when approached to 50 m. Low-flying aircraft elicited flight responses at the greatest distance (200-300 m). Preliminary results from 5 pelicans equipped with backpack radio-transmitters and relocated 26 times in 2001 suggest individuals vary their use among different foraging lakes. Big birds and tweetys: size- dependent persistence of beached birds Todd Hass and Julia K. Parrish , School of Aquatic and Fishery Sci- ences, Box 355020, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-5020, USA, thass@u. washington.edu Over the past two years, COASST (Coastal Observation and Seabird Sur- vey Team) volunteers have tagged over 800 beachcast seabirds and averaged a survey rate of once every three weeks. Because each carcass is uniquely num- ber-tagged and is not removed from the beach, we can calculate the duration of time that birds persist on the beach. Comparable, comprehensive observa- tions have not been reported elsewhere. Our results are not too surpris- ing-bigger birds tend to last longer. From July 2000 through June 2001, 15% of COASST carcasses found for the first time (untagged) were classi- fied as "small to medium" (wing chord <25 cm); yet of 51 total re-finds during the same period, only 6% were simi- larly sized. If small birds are rediscov- ered as readily as large birds, the per- centages should be similar. Further- more, between July and December 2001, 45% of first-time finds were classified as “small to medium,” while only 30% of re-finds were of similar size. Some of this “big bird” finding- bias must be due to the greater con- spicuousness of larger birds (i.e., big- ger targets for the eye). However, COASST scavenging data suggest that some of this discrepancy is also ex- plained by the more rapid disintegra- tion of smaller (and more fragile) birds. Why does this matter? First, it suggests that smaller birds are more likely to be missed when beached bird surveys are scheduled at longer intervals. Second, it means that historical beached bird surveys may have underestimated the relative proportions of small- to me- dium-sized species in relation to larger taxa. Satellite telemetry of Alaskan sea- birds Scott A. Hatch and Verena A. Gill , U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Bio- logical Science Center, 1011 E Tudor Rd, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA, scott_hatch@usgs.gov The availability of transmitters in the 20-60 g range brings large- to me- dium-sized seabirds within the scope of wildlife telemetry via satellites. Appli- cation of this technology has been ac- tively pursued in Alaska since 1994, where 72 individuals of 6 species have been instrumented to date. The largest deployment involved Common Murres (Uria aalge). Thick-billed Murres (U. omvia ), and Tufted Puffins ( Fra ter - C J* a cirr h Qta ) from three colonies in the Gulf of Alaska and Chukchi Sea. Wintering grounds of murres from Cape Thompson and Cape Lisbume were successfully identified in the southeastern Bering Sea, but the results of this study were limited by short battery life and high mortality among murres and puffins associated with surgical implants. Subsequent study of captive murres has informed but not completely sol ved the problem of post- release mortality, while improved bat- tery life is available in newer transmit- ters. Pelagic Cormorants (. Phalacroco - rax pelagicus) and Glaucous-winged Gulls ( Larus glaucescens) implanted on Middleton Island in 2000 were suc- cessfully tracked to their wintering areas and back over 7-13 months. Cur- rently, we are tracking both adult and first-year gulls and cormorants im- planted in August 2001. In June, we initiated a study of at-sea movements of Northern Fulmars ( Fulmarus gla~ cialis) using harness-mounted trans- mitters. Fulmars from St. George Is- land (Bering Sea) appear to forage over deep water near the continental shelf break. Fulmars also visit shelf waters east of the Pribilof Islands, behavior which is possibly associated with commercial fishing operations in the area. At-sea movements of radio-tagged Marbled Murrelets off the coast of northern California Percy N. Hebert l , Richard T. Go- lightly 1 , Dennis L. Orthmeyer 2 , and Harry R. Carter 1,2 , 1 Department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Areata, CA 95521, USA, pnh7001@humboldt.edu; 2 U.S. Geo- logical Survey, Biological Resources Division, Dixon, CA 95620, USA In April and May 2001, 23 Mar- bled Murrelets ( Brachyramphus mar - moratus) were captured and radio- tagged off the mouth of Redwood Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number I • Spring 2002 • Page 43 ABSTRACTS Creek in northern Humboldt County, California, adjacent to the Redwood National and State Parks complex. Murrelets were subsequently tracked using fixed-wing aircraft flying over coastal at-sea foraging areas and old- growth forest nesting habitats on 94 days until mid-August. On average, 92.4% of murrelets with active radios were detected per flight. Murrelets foraged in near-shore waters between the mouth of Humboldt Bay, Califor- nia, and Brookings, Oregon. Home range (95%) and core area (50%) fixed kernel polygons are compared between murrelets that attended and did not attend nest sites after capture, and be- tween males and females (sexed with blood samples). Comparison of bird detections dur- ing simultaneous radar and ground- based surveys for Marbled Mur- relets in known occupied redwood habitat, Humboldt County, Califor- nia Robert W. Hewitt 1 and Dave Big - ger 2 y *LBJ Enterprises, Eureka, CA, USA, and 2 SEl Institute and Scotia Pacific Holding Co., Scotia, CA, USA During the breeding season of 2001, morning surveys were conducted for Marbled Murrelets (Brachyram- phus marmoratus). There were one or more ground-based surveyors on each day, for a total of 87 person-surveys. Observations were made in an array of known murrelet stations, which also were covered by 1.3-mile radius Mo- bile Radar Unit. To assist in determin- ing exactly what was being detected by the radar, all bird species were re- corded. By using experienced survey- ors, a typical Pacific Seabird Group protocol survey was modified to record the initial time and detection of both audible and visible bird detections. Additional attention was paid to birds flying over that might also be detected by the radar. The time and flight path were noted on a topographic map, as were any Marbled Murrelet detections. As well as allowing a comparison be- tween ground-based murrelet survey detections and those by radar, the re- sulting species list of birds present in this habitat type and the timing of their activity provided insight into which of the confusing species and predators were present at the time of murrelet survey activity. The most typical pos- sible predators and confusing species were Common Raven ( Corvus corax) and Steller’s Jay {Cyanocitta stelleri), distant thrushes, Northern Flicker (Colaptes auritus), and aerial foragers. Murrelet activity levels and detectabil- ity are highly variable based on time of season and environmental conditions. Simultaneous murrelet radar and ground-based surveys are best con- ducted using an “all-species” approach with highly skilled observers. Covariation of egg size and laying date in Thick-billed Murres breed- ing in the Low and High Arctic Mark Hipfher\ Tony Gaston 2 , and Grant Gilchrist 3 , ! Canadian Wildlife Service, Pacific Wildlife Research Centre, RR# 1,5421 Robertson Road, Delta, BC, V4K 3N2, Canada, mark.hipfner@ec.gc.ca; 2 Canadian Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Research Centre, Hull, PQ, K1A 0H3, Canada; 3 Canadian Wildlife Service, Prairie and Northern Region, Yellow- knife, NT, X1A 1E2, Canada Few topics in ecology have re- ceived more attention than covariation of egg size and clutch size with laying date in birds. We compiled information on egg size and laying date from Thick-billed Murre ( Uria lomvia ) studies undertaken in the eastern Cana- dian Arctic in 1975 to 2001. Theory suggests that populations inhabiting harsh, variable environments should display greater plasticity in life-history traits than populations inhabiting more benign, constant environments. Con- sistent with this hypothesis. Thick- billed Murre populations breeding at High Arctic colonies (Prince Leopold and Coburg islands) showed greater inter-year variation in egg size and laying date than populations breeding at Low Arctic colonies (Coats, Digges, and the Gannet islands). Experiments showed that relaying capacity was more variable in the High Arctic. In addition, egg size and laying date showed a strong negative correlation among years in the High Arctic, but there was no correlation in the Low Arctic. We conclude that the signifi- cance of constraints and strategies dif- fers for Thick-billed Murre populations breeding across an environmental gra- dient. Trophic levels and heavy metal con- centrations of terns at two California nesting colonies Michael H. Horn \ Andrew Z Ma- son 1 , Darryl R. Smith 1 , Elaine A. Lo~ gothetis 3 , and Charles T. Collins 2 , department of Biological Science, California State University, Fullerton, CA 92834, USA, mhorn@- fuIlerton.edu; department of Biologi- cal Science, California State Univer- sity, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA; J 3 1 8 10 Perry Avenue, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA We determined the stable carbon and nitrogen isotope values and heavy metal concentrations for Caspian Tern {Sterna caspia ), Elegant Tern {S. ele- gans ), and Forster’s Tern (S. forsteri ) and their fish prey at the Bolsa Chica Ecological Reserve in southern Cali- fornia and, except for Elegant Tern, in south San Francisco Bay during the 1997-1999 breeding seasons. Values for 5 I3 C and 5* N and concentrations of a wide variety of metals were ob- tained for abandoned eggs and livers of dead chicks of these tern species and for several prey species. In this pres- entation, we focus on a comparison of copper, zinc, mercury, and cadmium concentrations in eggs vs. livers and on the relationship between Hg level and 6 I5 N value within and among tern spe- cies. A significant increase (r-test) in the concentrations of Cu and Zn from eggs to livers was observed in the tem species at both sites. Conversely, Hg levels, with one exception, were sig- nificantly higher (Mest) in the eggs than in the livers. The small range of 5 N values indicates that the birds feed on virtually the same trophic level Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 44 abstracts and, thus, Hg biomagnification was not apparent. Cd concentrations were es- sentially at detection limits for all sam Pies analyzed indicating limited bioavailability. Our results show marked differences in the concentra- tions of the four metals in eggs and livers, which appear to reflect not only differences in their bioavailability at the two sites but also in their require- ments for physiological processes. Growth patterns of Pigeon Guillemot chicks in captive feeding trials 6 Andrew K. Hovey and Daniel D. Roby, Oregon Cooperative Wildlife RBsearct 1 Unit, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Nash 104, Corvallis, OR 9733 usa hoveya@ucs.orst.edu in the energy range of diets analyzed is total energy intake, and not the quality of diet. J Progress in ship rat eradication from Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park, California Gregg Howald', Bernie Tershy' Bradford Keitt', Steve Ortega 2 , Don Croll, and Kate Faulkner 2 , ‘island Conservation and Ecology Group, 100 Shaffer Road Center for Ocean Health, University of California, Santa Cruz’ CA 95060, USA; 2 Channel Islands National Park, Ventura, CA 93001, F. S ^’ ghowald@- islandconservation.org within 6 weeks and were breeding there by 6 months post- broadcast. Planned mitigation for deer mice in- cludes captive holding with timed re- lease and follow-up monitoring. Investigations of Marbled Murrelet nesting habitats using a geographic information system (GIS) and radio- telemetry in Desolation Sound and Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, Canada Captive rearing studies were per- formed using 153 Pigeon Guillemots (Cepphus columba ) at the Alaska SeaLife Center during the period from 1998 to 2000. Chicks were raised on tish diets of varying proximate and whole-body energy compositions, and growth parameters were monitored prior to the start of the fledging period (post-hatch day 30). Chick daily energy intakes varied from an average of 607 kJ/day to 933 kJ/day for nine different experimental groups. A high degree of correlation was found for mass growth increments (post-hatch day 15-30) with total dafly energy intakes (y = 0.26jc - 3 8 42, r = 0.835). However, increased diet quality (lipid content) did not cor- relate with these incremental mass ac- cumulations (r = 0.239). The wing chord increment during this same pe- riod of time was not correlated with daily energy intake (y = -0.0003* + 63.897, r 2 = 0.0013). Assimilation effi- ciencies were calculated for three of the diet groups (ad libitum , 933 kJ/day* btgh lipid, 874 kJ/day; low lipid, 608 J/day), and the ad libitum group showed significantly lower efficiency (82.0 ± 0.83%) than either the high IffJ 83 ' 5 ± 0M% y or the low lipid (84.0 ± 0.54%) groups. These results suggest that the main determinant of pre-fledgling chick mass accumulation Rattus spp. have been introduced to 80% of island groups worldwide and are responsible for an estimated 40- 60% of recent bird and reptile extinc- tions On Anacapa Island, Channel Islands National Park, black rat (R. rattus) predation is believed to be a major factor in limiting Xantus’ Mur- relet (Synthliboramphus hypoleucus) and perhaps Ashy Storm-Petrel ( Oceanodroma homochroa) numbers. Rat eradication programs are valuable tools to protect seabird species. Rats have been eradicated from 13 islands in North America using a grid of bait sta- tions refilled regularly with rodenticide bait for 1-2 years. However, on many islands, such as Anacapa (296 ha), bait stations cannot be used due to steep topopaphy and sensitive species. Eradications using aerial broadcast of rodenticide bait have been successful on at least 5 islands. Anacapa will be the first island in North America where rats will be eradicated using an aerial broadcast. Consequently, extensive regulatory paperwork was required including environmental compliance and EPA registration. In fall 2000, we conducted a trial aerial broadcast of 25- ppm brodifacoum pellets spread at 15 kg/ha on a 2.5 ha test plot. All 10 ra- dio-collared rats died, and none of the 10 ear-tagged rats were recaptured post broadcast. None of the 74 ear-tagged endemic deer mice (Peromyscus mani - culatus anacapae ) were recaptured, but deer mice recolonized the test plot Falk Huettmann, Emanuelle Cam Russell Bradley , Laura McFarlane Tranquilla , Dov Lank , Lynn Lougheed , Cm Lougheed , Nadine Parker, and Fred Cooke , Centre for Wildlife Ecol- ogy, Department of Biological Sci- ences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada, huettman@sfu.ca Marbled Murrelets (Brachyram- phus marmoratus) are Pacific seabirds of conservation concern. Here we re- port on 84 nest sites found in 1998-2000 in Desolation Sound, and 21 nest sites located in 2000-2001 in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, Canada. We captured and radio-tagged murrelets on the water and subse- quently located nests during systematic aerial searches during the birds’ incu- bation periods. We determined nesting success from aerial survey data and climbed all trees that could be accessed from the ground, confirming the pres- ence of nests in all such cases. For Desolation Sound, fifty nests occurred in Old Forest polygons, as classified on GIS forest cover maps. The remaining 5 1 were found in non-contiguous “Old Forest scrub” and smaller (<200 ha) Old Forest patches. Most nests fell within 100 m of Old Forest polygon edges. We investigated the influence of topographic features on nest site habi- tat selectivity and nesting success. These topographic characteristics of nest sites were compared to randomly selected locations in a 50-km radius circle centered at the aquatic capture site, using 1000 samples generated usmg a GIS and a GLM (Generalized Linear Model) for each analysis. For Desolation Sound, nests typically oc- Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 45 ABSTRACTS ed on steeply sloped sites at mean 'ations of 74S m. Marbled Mur- ts strongly selected nest sites on ;per slopes, even when the topog- hic distribution of Old Forest habi- was taken into account. Nesting cess was higher on steeper slopes 1 at higher elevations. Due to aller sample sizes, our results from lyoquot Sound are not significant, t are consistent with findings from isolation Sound. oty Shearwaters { Puffinus griseus) f eastern Canada: spatial and tem- >ral patterns of pelagic abundance, > 66 - 1992 , for a long-distance mi- ant from unknown origin Falk Huettmann 1 and A. W. Dia~ one?, ‘Geography Department, Uni- srsity of Calgary, 2500 University rive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4 'anada; Atlantic Cooperative Wildlife Ecology Research Network, Biology )ept, PO Box 45111, University of lew Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, E3B »C2, Canada Sooty Shearwaters {Puffinus gri- teus ) have received little attention in ;he Northwestern Atlantic. The status and the origin of Sooty Shearwaters in northeast American waters are poorly known. Using the PIROP (Programme Integre des Recherches sur les Oiseaux Pelagiques) database, owned by the Canadian Wildlife Service and cover- ing at-sea observations from 1966 to 1992, we investigated and describe the spatial and temporal patterns of pelagic abundance for Sooty Shearwaters off Eastern Canada. Yearly and monthly mean abundance are shown; selected habitat links and behavior data are pre- sented. In addition, monthly distribu- tion patterns, flock sizes of all Sooty Shearwater sightings, and birds re- ported in molt are mapped and evalu- ated. We describe how Sooty Shearwaters are distributed in compari- son to Greater Shearwaters (P. gravis ), another long-distance migrant from the southern hemisphere occurring in Ca- nadian waters during the summer and fall season. Our findings present the first pelagic estimates for populations and food consumption. The effect of El Nino and other events, relevant to the Southern Hemisphere where these birds breed, are shown for Northwest- ern Atlantic sightings of Sooty Shearwaters. Seabird surveys at sea: hotspots of ocean productivity and implications for the design of pelagic marine re- serves K . David Hyrenbach ’, Ken H . Morgan 2 , and William J. Sydeman 1 , ’Marine Science Division, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA, khyrenba@earthlink.net; 2 Canadian Wildlife Service, Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC,V8L 4B2, Canada Marine protected areas (MPAs) have gained enormous popularity in recent years as a tool to protect endan- gered species and to enhance marine biodiversity. Because many pelagic species use relatively predictable habi- tats, MPAs could be designed to pro- tect foraging aggregations, migration corridors, and breeding grounds. Addi- tionally, MPAs could help achieve ecosystem-level conservation objec- tives by protecting areas of high pro- ductivity and biodiversity. However, because different management objec- tives will require distinct MPA design concepts, we consider three distinct conservation targets: food-webs, biodi- versity, and endangered species. In this presentation, we illustrate potential MPA designs off southern California (CalCOFI region) and British Colum- bia (Line P survey) on the basis of ce- tacean and seabird distributions with respect to bathymetrically defined habitats. Analyses of vessel-based sur- veys revealed that continental shelf- slope regions support abundant and diverse seabird and cetacean assem- blages. In particular, many seabird spe- cies including far-ranging Sooty and Buller’s Shearwaters {Puffinus griseus and P. bulleri ), post-breeding alcids (Cassin’s [Ptychoramphus aleuticus] and Rhinoceros [Cerorhincha mono- cerata ] auklets), and southern visitors with an affinity for warm water (Xan- tus’s Murrelet [Synthliboramphus hy- poleucus ] and Pink-footed Shearwater [. Puffinus creatopus ]) occur along the shelf-break and the slope. These results suggest that MPA designs could focus on protecting relatively small (100s- 1000s km 2 ) oceanic habitats defined by “static” bathymetric fea- tures. In particular, geographically re- stricted regions, where narrow conti- nental shelves concentrate the organ- isms that migrate along the shelf and slope, might be ideal sites for MPA zoning. For instance, the Point Con- ception region off southern California could deserve special conservation attention due to the dense and predict- able concentrations of cetaceans and seabirds across a relatively narrow continental shelf. Sex differences in Razorbill parent- offspring vocal recognition Stephen J. Insley 1 , Rosana Pare- des Vela 2 , and lan L, Jones 2 , ’Hubbs- Sea World Research Institute, 2595 Ingraham Street, San Diego, CA 92109, USA, sinsley@hswri.org; department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NF, A1B 3X9, Canada We investigated parent-offspring recognition by vocalizations in the Ra- zorbill {Alca torda), in which both par- ents tend to the chick at the nest site, after which the male pair member is almost always the sole caregiver for a subsequent period at sea. In Razorbills and at least two other auk species, the switch from bi- to uniparental male care occurs during the expected critical period of development for parent- offspring vocal recognition. We have thus hypothesized that parent-offspring recognition would be paternally biased. We tested this hypothesis with vocal playback experiments conducted on Razorbills at the Gannet Islands, Lab- rador. The results of our experiments provided clear evidence of mutual vo- cal recognition between the male par- ent and chick, but not for the female parent and chick. Additional playback experiments provided suggestive, but Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 46 ABSTRACTS not conclusive, evidence that adult females recognize their mates’ vocali- zations. Taken together, the results support the original hypothesis that parent-offspring may be male biased. Such a bias is likely to have important social, and ultimately evolutionary, implications. Distribution of foraging shearwaters with respect to the Inner Front of the southeastern Bering Sea Jaime Jahncke 1 , K. David Hyren- bach 2 , Cheryl L. Baduini\ Kenneth O. Coyle 3 and George L. Hunt, Jr. 1 . ‘Department of Ecology and Evolu- tionary Biology, University of Califor- nia, Irvine, CA 92697, USA, jjah- ncke@uci.edu; 2 Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of Califor- nia SD, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA; institute of Marine Sciences, Univer- sity of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA The inner front is a structural front, which separates the well-mixed coastal domain from the two-layered middle domain of the southeastern Bering Sea, and has been hypothesized to be an important foraging area for Short- tailed Shearwaters {Puffinus tenuirostris ). To test this hypothesis, we surveyed the spring and fall distri- bution of Short-tailed Shearwaters in the vicinity of the inner front at several locations in 1997, 1998, and 1999. We predicted that shearwater distribution in the southeastern Being Sea was the result of shearwaters being attracted to the front where euphausiids aggregated to forage on phytoplankton stocks throughout the summer. We found that euphausiids were not more abundant at the front than elsewhere in our study areas. Nevertheless, in 1997 and 1999 foraging shearwaters were more abun- dant than expected by chance in frontal areas than elsewhere along the tran- sects. In 1998, foraging shearwaters were more abundant than expected by chance inshore of the frontal zone. Shearwater diets varied among years. We hypothesize that interannual differ- ences in hydrographic structure and the abundance of different prey species influenced foraging locations in shearwaters. Long-term trends in carbon flux to guano-producing seabirds in the Pe- ruvian upwelling system Jaime Jahncke David Checkley 2 , and George L. Hunt Jr . ‘Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92697, USA, jjahncke@uci.edu; Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California SD, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA The long-term time-series on abundance of guano-producing sea- birds off Peru shows two opposite trends during the last century. First, there was a major population increase from 1925 to 1955 that has been attrib- uted to seabird recovery from uncon- trolled exploitation of guano. Later, seabirds underwent a severe decline from 1955 to 1965, from which the birds never recovered. This decline has been attributed to the industrial fishery for anchovies, the main prey of these seabirds, which became the largest fishery in the world in the 1960s. We hypothesized that fluctuations in the guano-producing seabird population of Peru were indirect responses to changes in the primary and secondary production of the upwelling system. To test this idea, we modeled nitrate input to the upper layers through upwelling by using data on wind stress and sea surface temperature. We used this model to predict the amount of carbon fixed by primary production between 6° S and 14° S, which was then appor- tioned to anchovy biomass and ulti- mately to the seabird population. The model explains 72% of the variation in seabird abundance from 1925 to 2000. Model results suggest that seabird population growth from 1925 to 1955 was likely a response to increased pro- ductivity of the Peruvian upwelling system and not an effect of seabird management. The decrease in numbers of guano-producing seabirds during the 1960s, and low population levels later on, may have been due to competition for food with the fishery, which re- moves 85% of the prey otherwise available to seabirds. The use of ultrasound scanning to determine the sex of Marbled Mur- relets {Brachyramphus marmoratus) captured at sea Thomas Jensen ! , Percy N. Hebert 2 , Dennis L Orthemeyer 3 , and Richard T. Golightly 2 , ‘Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species, Zoological Soci- ety of San Diego, San Diego, CA, USA, Tjensen@sandiegozoo.org; department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Areata, CA, USA; U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Dixon, CA 95620, USA Visualization of avian gonads by ultrasound yields little information when the gonad is quiescent. However, during the breeding season, this tech- nique may allow a fast non-invasive method for determining the sex of in- dividuals of monomorphic species. We used ultrasound scanning to determine the sex of Marbled Murrelets {Brachy- ramphus marmoratus ) captured at sea off the coast of Northern California. Birds were positioned in dorsal recum- bancy and scanned ventro-medially through the brood patch. Ultrasound scans were video-recorded, and later reviewed to verify gonadal assessment made during the actual scan. Of 23 individuals captured, blood samples for 20 individuals were processed to con- firm ultrasound assessments. Five mur- relets could not be examined due to the absence of a brood patch. Of the re- maining 15, six were initially deemed inconclusive, as a definitive gonad was not identified. The remaining 9 birds were identified as female. Later DNA analysis revealed that 6 of 9 birds were assigned the correct sex. The 3 mis- assigned birds were all males. The ul- trasound tapes were later reviewed after capture. After review, only 3 scans remained inconclusive in sex assignment. Of the remaining 12 one individual was assigned as a male, and the remaining 1 1 were assigned as fe- males. In this instance, 10 of 12 sex assignments based on review of ultra- Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 47 ABSTRACTS tapes were correct. The 2 incor- ssignments resulted from large being misidentified as ovarian es. These results indicate that a >ie high quality ultrasound scan- an be used to determine sex of led Murrelets. Reviewing the (-recorded scans improved the acy of ultrasound differentiation : sexes. cts of foraging behavior and -activity budgets on field meta- c rates of Black-legged Kitti- es Patrick Jodie e 1 ^, Daniel D. Roby , ert M Suryan 2 ^, David B. Irons , r Visser\ Max Kaufmann , and hy R. TurcoK ‘Office of Technical >port, USFWS, 911 NE ll lh Ave. tland, OR, USA, jodicep@ucs.- t.edu; 2 U.S.Geological Survey, Ore- i Cooperative Fish and Wildlife search Unit, Oregon State Univer- y, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA; tigratory Bird Management, U.S.Fish d Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK >503, USA; 4 Centre for Isotope Re- arch, University of Groningen, and aological Laboratory, 9750 AA aren, The Netherlands; Institute of larine Science, University of Alaska, airbanks, AK 99775, USA We sought to determine the effect ,f variation in time-activity budgets ind foraging behavior on energy ex- >enditure rates of Black-legged Kitti- vakes (Rissa tridactyla ) raising young it a colony in Prince William Sound, Alaska. We quantified time-activity budgets using direct observations of radio-tagged adults, and simultane- ously measured field metabolic rates (FMR) of these same individuals using the doubly labeled water technique. We used this combined data set to quantify activity-specific metabolic costs across a range of activities. Estimated meta- bolic rates of kittiwakes attending their brood at the nest or loafing near the colony were similar (ca. 1.3x BMR), although loafing during foraging trips was more costly (2.9X BMR). Meta- bolic rates during commuting flight (7.3X BMR) and searching flight (6.2X BMR) were similar, while metabolic rates during plunge-diving were much higher (ca. 47x BMR). The proportion of the measurement interval spent for- aging had a strong, positive effect on kittiwake FMR (r = 0.68), while the combined proportion of time engaged in nest attendance and loafing near the colony had an equally strong but nega- tive effect on FMR (r 2 = 0.72). Thus more than two-thirds of the variation in FMR among individual kittiwakes could be explained by the allocation of time amongst various activities, re- gardless of individual differences in activity-specific metabolic costs. The high energetic cost of plunge-diving relative to straight flight and searching flight suggests that kittiwakes can op- timize their foraging strategy under conditions of low food availability by commuting long distances to feed in areas where gross foraging efficiency is high. Pre-breeding attendance by Com- mon Murres on central California nearshore colonies Nathan M. Jones u , Michael W. Parker 1 , Stephen W. Kress\ Harry R. Carter 4, and Richard T. Golightly , ! U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 524, Newark, CA 94560; 2 Humboldt State University, Depart- ment of Wildlife, Areata, CA 95521, USA; National Audubon Society, Ithaca, NY 14850; 4 U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon, CA 95620, USA Winter colony attendance is well known for Common Murre {Uria aalge ) populations at southerly lati- tudes in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans and is thought to involve site defense and prospecting behaviors. At central California colonies, it is known to occur widely but has been little studied. As part of an ongoing restora- tion effort focusing on Common Murre populations in Central California, near- shore colony attendance was followed at three locations in the years 1999_2001. The study sites included: a complex of sites at Point Reyes Head- lands, the restoration site on Devil’s Slide Rock, and a complex of sites comprising Castle/Hurricane Rocks. Standardized counts (i.e., average of three consecutive counts taken between 1000 and 1400 hours from a designated overlook) were conducted opportunis- tically from mid-winter to the pre- laying period (1 January-15 April) and were compared to counts conducted during the following breeding season. On winter days when murres attended colonies, 47-128% of summer num- bers occurred on colonies. Winter col- ony attendance was more frequent and numbers were more consistent between days at Devil’s Slide Rock that at other colonies. This pattern is of interest be- cause the murre population on Devil’s Slide Rock exists in close proximity to social attraction equipment being used in the restoration process, while the colonies at Point Reyes and Cas- tle/Hurricane remain in a more natural state. The foraging behavior of Little Auks in a heterogeneous environment Nina J. Karnovsky\ Jan Marcin Wes law ski 2 , Slawik Kwaniewski 2 , and Wojtek Walkusz 2 , ‘Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 321 Steinhaus Hall, University of Cali- fornia, Irvine, CA 92697-2525, USA; institute of Oceanology, Polish Acad- emy of Sciences, 81-712 Sopot, Poland The Atlantic sector of the Arctic is currently undergoing large-scale changes in the distribution of water masses. In recent years, the area sur- rounding Little Auk (A. alle) colonies on Svalbard has experienced an in- crease in the inflow of Atlantic derived water. In this study, the influence of water mass distribution on the foraging behavior of Little Auks was examined through measurements made both at a colony in Homsund fjord (77° 03 N, 15 ° 10' E) and at sea. In the colony, we measured chick diets and foraging trip lengths. While at sea, we assessed the distribution of foraging Little Auks and the zooplankton available to them within different water masses. Our results indicate that Little Auks feed mainly on the copepod Calartus gla- cialis. They may restrict their foraging Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 48 ABSTRACTS activity to Arctic water masses that contain this large copepod and avoid Atlantic-derived water that contains a smaller copepod (C. finmarchicus). This study will help determine the po- tential impacts of climate change on Little Auks breeding on Svalbard, During years when the flow of Atlantic water increases and Arctic water de- creases, Little Auks may be forced to forage in areas with sub-optimal con- ditions. In addition, we evaluate the potential of the Little Auk as an indi- cator of climate change and the pa- rameters of their breeding biology and foraging ecology that would be sensi- tive to shifts in oceanographic condi- tions. A brief on American White Pelicans James O. Keith , Western Envi- ronment and Ecology, 8027 E. Phillips Circle, Englewood, CO 80112, USA, jkeith@qadas.com Pelicans are the embodiment of an older age. Their ancestors date to the Pliocene, and their chalky white egg- shells reflect their reptilian heritage. Pelicans became pelicans long before man became man, but almost from their first interaction, pelicans have inspired (and suffered from) mankind. The Psalmist, David, may have been the first to write about pelicans. Biol- ogy languished until Peter Ogden re- ported on American White Pelicans ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) during his 1825 expedition to Utah. Brief ac- counts of pelicans by ornithologists continued through the 1950s. In subse- quent decades, graduate theses and scientific publications finally detailed some pelican ecology. Documenting numbers of American White Pelicans has been difficult, and estimates of adults began at 30,000 in 1933, in- creased to over 100,000 by 1985, and by 1995 the total number, including non-breeders, was concluded to be 400,000. Currently, the life of a pelican is not an easy one. Beginning in the 1880s their feeding and nesting areas were degraded by human diversion of water and drainage of wetlands for agriculture. Simultaneously, pelicans were shot and clubbed, and their eggs and young were destroyed— all be- cause the birds simply ate fish. By the 1960s, pelicans began dying from in- secticide poisoning, and in the follow- ing decades, hundreds of pelicans died each year from toxaphene, endrin, and dieldrin in the fish they ate. Recently, things have not seemed to improve: in the winter of 1998-99, 800 pelicans died in Florida from poisoning by in- secticides as they leached from re- cently flooded agricultural fields. This mortality occurred just after a disease pandemic in 1996 at Salton Sea killed over 8,500 White Pelicans in just sev- eral months. Lower numbers continue to die at Salton Sea each fall. Oil spill settlements and seabird restoration in California Paul R. Kelly 1 , Steve Hampton l , Julie Yamamoto 1 , Daniel Welsh , and Jennifer Boyce 3 , California Depart- ment of Fish and Game, OSPR, 1700 K Street, Sacramento, CA 94244, USA, pkelly@ospr.dfg.ca.gov; 2 U.S.Fish and Wildlife Service, Sacramento, CA 95825, USA; National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, Restoration Center, Long Beach, CA 90802, USA Government-led seabird conserva- tion and management actions in Cali- fornia prior to about 1995 consisted largely of modest, locally focused, un- coordinated protection efforts. The presence of multiple trustee agencies, lack of funding, and disparate jurisdic- tional boundaries have impeded seabird management in California. Beginning in the mid 1990s, three trustee agencies initiated coordinated seabird restora- tion programs funded through damage claims secured primarily under the Oil Pollution Act of 1990. As a result, sea- bird conservation in California entered a new era in which multiple trustee agencies coordinated through trustee councils and guided by court approved settlement agreements administered seabird restoration trust funds greater than any previous funding levels. Cur- rently, about $14 million in five trust funds are, or soon will be, applied to seabird restoration programs. High- lights of the five programs are de- scribed. The opportunity exists now, through these councils, to implement coordinated restoration plans that will advance a statewide seabird conserva- tion strategy. Reproductive variability among and within kittiwake colonies on Kodiak Island, Alaska Dean Kildaw 1 , Katie Murra 1 , C. Loren Buck \ and David Irons 2 , School of Fisheries and Ocean Sci- ences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA, ffdsk@uaf.edu; 2 Migratory Bird Management, U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage AK 99503, USA Over the past three decades, researchers have documented marked inter-annual and regional variability in the reproductive output of Black- legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea and have attributed these patterns to variations in food supply. Although breeding success can vary among different sub-sections of kittiwake colonies within a given breeding season (“patchy” productivity), the phenomenon has received relatively little attention from researchers and is usually attributed to localized effects of weather, predation, parasites, bird quality, or social facilitation. In 2001, we studied the foraging and breeding ecology of kittiwakes in Chiniak Bay, Kodiak Island, Gulf of Alaska as an integrated component of the Gulf Apex Predator-Prey project (GAP). We evaluated reproductive variability of kittiwakes breeding in 26 discrete colonies within Chiniak Bay by pooling our data with comparable observations for past years. We found variability in productivity both between years and among breeding colonies, despite the close proximity of colonies within Chiniak Bay and presumed overlap of foraging areas. Additional analyses found that kittiwake productivity differed between sub-sections of colonies within years, was consistent across years for a given Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 49 ABSTRACTS lony, and, inexplicably, was greater r “new” colonies that became tablished in the mid 80s than in “old” Monies established prior to the first onitoring efforts in the mid-1970s, ollectively, our results discount prey mndance and localized weather /potheses as explanations for with- er patterns of reproductive success )r kittiwakes in Chiniak Bay: idividuals in neighboring colonies can xperience similar micro-climatic onditions and, in principle, have equal ccess to common food resources, yet till differ markedly in reproductive lUtpUt. nteractions between American White Pelicans and commercial tquaculture in the southeastern US D. Tommy King , U.S. Department i>f Agriculture, Wildlife Services, Na- tional Wildlife Research Center, P.O. Drawer 6099, Mississippi State Uni- versity, MS 39762, USA, dtking@- netdoor.com USDA Wildlife Services offices in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi began receiving complaints concerning American White Pelicans ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) foraging in commer- cial channel catfish (Ictalurus punc- tatus ) ponds in 1990. Because of the relatively shallow pond depth and high fish stocking rates used by most pro- ducers, commercial catfish ponds pro- vide a near perfect foraging environ- ment for American White Pelicans and other piscivorous bird species. Damage abatement recommendations for White Pelicans have consisted of harassment measures similar to those used for other piscivorous birds, issuance of depredation permits, and draining wa- ter from fields used as loafing sites. Since 1993, biologists at Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center have conducted research to learn more about pelican numbers and movements. Here, I provide an over- view of past, current, and future re- search on American White Pelican interactions with southeastern aquac- ulture. Current population status of the American White Pelican D. Tommy King 1 , Daniel W. An- derson 2 , and many others 3 . ! U.S. De- partment of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, P.O. Drawer 6099, Mississippi State University, MS 39762, USA, dtking@netdoor.com; 2 Dept. Wildlife, Fish, & Conservation Biology; Univ. California; Davis, CA 95616, USA. dwanderson@ucdavis.edu. 3 The names and affiliation of many other co- authors will be cited in the final report. Breeding surveys were regularly conducted at most American White Pelican {Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) colonies until the early 1980s. Using survey data collected from 1979 to 1981, the North American population had been estimated at >100,000 breeding birds in 55 colonies. Al- though many pelican colonies have not been surveyed since the early 1980s, we present the most current (1999-2001) survey numbers available for all of North America. The pelican population west of the Rocky Moun- tains has declined considerably from historical numbers, while the eastern population apparently has increased. A few eastern and western colonies have been surveyed regularly for many years. Individual colony numbers, trends and status will be discussed where data are available. We recom- mend a coordinated, continent-wide survey be conducted in the near future. Effect of underwater 3D seismic ac- tivity on molting Long-tailed Ducks Deborah Lacroix - 1 * 2 , John A. Reed 1 , and Richard B. Lanctot l , ! U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Science Center, 101 i E. Tudor Road, Anchor- age, AK 99503, USA, rich- ardJanctot@usgs.gov; department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada Oil exploration in offshore waters typically involves conducting three- dimensional underwater seismic tests. We investigated the effects of such tests on molting Long-tailed Ducks (Clangula hyemalis) in the barrier is- land lagoon system of the Beaufort Sea, Alaska, in August 2001. Using a Before/After/Control design, we com- pared the number, movement, and feeding behavior of Long-tailed Ducks within the seismic study area and two control sites. Over 100 Long-tailed Ducks were equipped with radio transmitters, and their movements and feeding activity were documented by means of remote automated data col- lection computers, human-operated triangulation stations, and aerial track- ing. Aerial surveys indicated the num- ber of Long-tailed Ducks declined during the study on both the seismic and control areas. About half of the radio-equipped ducks left the seismic study area by the middle of August, after 1-2 weeks of seismic activity, traveling east into one of the control areas. Similar eastward movements were observed in both control areas, although to a lesser degree. This movement may be related to a sus- tained period of southwesterly winds, which drove ducks into more protected areas within the lagoon system. There was no discemable difference in feed- ing behavior in ducks from the seismic and control areas. Overall, we did not find any sizeable effect of seismic ac- tivity on Long-tailed Ducks, although our ability to document effects were rather coarse and may have missed more subtle effects of seismic activity on Long-tailed Ducks. An integrated approach to evaluate the impact of fisheries bycatch mor- tality on Black-footed Albatross Rebecca Lewison and Larry Crowder, Nicholas School of the Envi- ronment, Duke University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, NC 285 16, USA, rebecca.lewison@duke.edu Pelagic longline fisheries world- wide incidentally take long-lived sea- bird species. This mortality has already led to fisheries restrictions to protect seabirds, including Wandering Alba- tross {Diomedea exulans ) in the South- ern Ocean. Fisheries impact assess- Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 50 abstracts ments for other seabirds could identify other species that would benefit from management intervention before they become threatened. But quantifying seabird bycatch is difficult; the data are generated by fisheries observers and by multinational fleets operating in vast oceanic regions. Here we present a case study to quantify mortality of Black-footed Albatross (. Phoebastria nigripes) from pelagic longlines in the North Pacific, and assess the popula- tion-level impact of this mortality. Our results suggest that even with best-case estimates of mortality, population de- clines are likely for this species. Al- though this analysis requires extensive estimation and extrapolation from ex- isting data, it is critical to provide fish- eries managers with bounded estimates of likely Pigeon Guillemot diving behavior during midwater and demersal for- aging Mike Litzow 1 , Greg Golet 2 , and J °hn Piatt \ ‘Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503, USA, mike_litzow@usgs.gov; 2 Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA Many seabirds feed on both mid- water and demersal prey, but little is known about the relative costs of for- aging in these two habitats. We used radiotelemetry to measure dive pa- rameters for 26 Pigeon Guillemots ( Cepphus columba ). Some individuals specialized on demersal fishes, and others fed mostly on midwater fishes (Pacific herring [Clupea harengus ] or Pacific sand lance [Ammodytes hexap- terus]). We measured the duration of dives and subsequent surface intervals and the number of dives in each bout. Dive duration increased with water depth for birds feeding on demersal fishes, confirming that this group for- aged on the sea floor. Dive duration was negatively correlated with depth for birds feeding on midwater fish, suggesting that they foraged mostly in the water column. Peak diveisurface ratios for the demersal group occurred during dives of intermediate duration (60-70 s), and longer; deeper dives required proportionately more surface recovery time. Increased surface times after these deep dives probably reflect the time required to replenish oxygen stores in myoglobin and hemoglobin. The resulting decrease in time spent at the foraging patch reflects the cost of feeding in deep habitats by the demer- sal group. Guillemots feeding on mid- water prey averaged 60% fewer dives per bout than those feeding on demer- sal fishes, but they also had longer in- dividual dives and peak diveisurface ratios were 150% greater than those of the demersal group. We suggest that longer dives and higher diveisurface ratios reflect the costs of preying on unpredictably located schooling mid- water fish. Assessing impacts of Caspian Tern predation on juvenile salmonids in the Columbia River estuary Donald E. Lyons 1 , Daniel D. Roby , and Ken Collis 2 , *U.S. Geologi- cal Survey, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Depart- ment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA, lyonsd@-ucs.orst.edu; 2 Real Time Research, 201 Yellowtail Hawk Avenue, Bend, OR 9770 1 , USA Estimates of Caspian Tern (Sterna caspia) consumption of juvenile sal- monids ( Oncorhynchus spp.) in the Columbia River estuary have ranged from 11.7 million smolts in 1999, when most terns nested on Rice Island,* to 5.9 million smolts in 2001, when all terns nested on East Sand Island. We used an age-structured matrix popula- tion model framework (CRI; developed by the National Marine Fisheries Service [NMFS]) to assess the impact of this juvenile mortality on returns to the Columbia River of adult salmonids that are listed under the Endangered Species Act. For Evolutionarily Sig- nificant Unit stocks (ESUs) of steel- head (O. mykiss ), we estimated that the average annual population growth rate (k) would increase 0-1.7% as a result of relocation of the tem colony; this estimate would depend on addi- tive/compensatory mortality assump- tions. The hypothetical scenario of completely eliminating tem predation could potentially increase X by 3.3%, if this mortality is assumed to be com- pletely additive. These estimates of changes in X can be compared to esti- mates for reducing predation by north- ern pike minnow (. Ptychocheilus ore - gonensis ) (AX = 0.4~0.7%, depending on ESU and assuming entirely additive mortality), or NMFS’s estimates for other potential salmon recovery activi- ties, such as complete elimination of harvest (4-12%), altered management of the hydropower system (3-15%), or breaching of four dams on the Snake River (6-27%, depending on assump- tions regarding delayed mortality). Most listed ESUs appear to require 5—15% increases in X to change the population trajectory from negative to positive (i.e., X > 1). Management of Caspian Tem predation alone appar- ently will not reverse salmonid de- clines; however, it could contribute to a broader, comprehensive strategy to achieve sustaining populations of sal- monids in the Columbia River Basin. Marbled Murrelet group size on the water: can it be used as an index to productivity? Diane Evans Mack 1 , Martin G. Raphael 1 Fred Cooke 2 , and Nadine Parker , Pacific Northwest Research Station, 3625 93rd Ave. SW, Olympia, WA 98512, USA, devans02@fs.fed.us; Centre of Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada Marbled Murrelet ( Brachyram - phus marmoratus) population demo- graphics are difficult to measure. Population size can be estimated from at-sea densities, and productivity indi- ces can be derived from ratios of hatch year to after-hatch year birds as ob- served from surveys on the water. However, there is no way to determine from marine surveys alone what pro- Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 5 1 abstracts portion of the Marbled Murrelet popu- lation sampled at sea is nesting in any given year, allowing a more meaning- ful interpretation of productivity ratios. We hypothesized that group size (the number of murrelets occurring together on the water) could provide such an index if it could be demonstrated that single murrelets detected on the water during the incubation phase of the nesting season represent nesting birds. We monitored radio- tagged murrelets in Desolation Sound, BC, during 29 May— 19 June 2001, using an incubat- ing pair’s distinct 24-hour on-off oc- currence on the water to determine nesting status. Of 160 murrelet groups comprised of at least one individual of known nesting status, 67% of singles, 39% of pairs, and 53% of larger groups were incubating. Among non-nesting groups, 13% were singles, 50% were pairs, and 36% were in groups of >2 birds. Group size was an ambiguous indicator of nesting status. However, our results suggest that group size, es- pecially the proportion of single-bird groups, may help assess the proportion of murrelets that are nesting. Multiple- year comparisons of group size with nesting rates are needed to validate and interpret these results. Impacts of the Norway rat on the Least Auklet breeding colony at Sirius Point, Kiska Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska Heather Major , Memorial Univer- sity of Newfoundland, Department of Biology, St. John’s, NF, A1B 3X9, Canada, xl9hlm@mun.ca Norway rats ( Rattus norvegicus) were accidentally introduced to many Pacific Islands during World War II, including Kiska Island, Rat Islands group, Aleutian Islands, Alaska. Dur- ing the breeding season, Kiska has an extremely large (>1 million birds) Least Auklet ( Aethia pusilla) colony, which serves as a food source for in- troduced rats. Least Auklet adults (85 g) are an ideal sized prey for Norway rats (>200 g). Since they are crevice- nesters. Least Auklet adults and their chicks and eggs are vulnerable to rat predation. In 2001, Least Auklet fledging success at Sirius Point, Kiska was much lower than at Buldir and Kasatochi Islands, where there are no rats. One reason for this low fledging success may have been rat predation. I propose to quantify Least Auklet sur- vival and productivity in 2002 and 2003 at Kiska for comparison with islands without rats. I will use stable- isotope analysis of rat tissue to evaluate their trophic level. I propose to collect rats at pre-set locations on Kiska and other islands for a comparison of rat ecology across the Rat Islands land- scape. Rats will be collected through the summer using snap traps set around the Sirius Point colony, the Kiska lakes 10 km away, at Kiska Harbor, and from other islands, including Rat Is- land. Tissue from the entire food chain will be collected (plant material, inter- tidal invertebrates, auklet chick meals, rats, auklets, eagles) from these areas. This will give an insight to the signifi- cance of Least Auklets in the diet of the rats during the breeding season. The influence of food quality on re- productive performance in an Arctic Tern population Christina J, Maranto, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 321 Steinhaus Hall, Irvine, CA 92697-2525, cma- ranto@uci.edu I studied the influence of food quality on reproductive performance in Arctic Terns ( Sterna paradisaea ) at Matinicus Rock, ME during 1999 and 2000. At the population level, the Arc- tic Tern appears to be a generalist predator. The species has a mixed diet consisting of 60% fish and 40% inver- tebrates by occurrence. On the pair level, Arctic Terns have strikingly dif- ferent provisioning strategies. Most pairs of terns provision chicks with high quality fish, while a few provision chicks with mostly low-quality inver- tebrates. Based on past studies pur- porting to show that food quality influ- ences reproductive performance, I hy- pothesized that reproductive perform- ance would be lower for Arctic Tern pairs provisioning chicks with low- quality invertebrates. Results show that pairs provisioning with low-quality invertebrates have the same reproduc- tive performance as pairs that provision with fish. I proposed two hypotheses to account for the lack of relationship between food quality and reproductive performance: (1) the contribution of invertebrates to the total energy deliv- ered to the nest is small, and (2) terns feeding invertebrates may increase provisioning rates so that young re- ceive the same rate of energy input as those fed fish. Analyses of foraging trip lengths and energy density of prey show that terns compensate for low- quality food by increasing the rate of provisioning. The ability to shift to invertebrate prey may allow terns to reproduce successfully in years when fish are scarce. Comparison of habitat availability measures to examine seabird at-sea habitat use Gerard J . McChesney l , William M. Perry 2 , Julie L Yee\ John W, Ma- son 1 , and William R. Mclver 1 , ‘Humboldt State University and U.S. Geological Survey, 6924 Tremont Road, Dixon, CA 95620, USA, gerry_mcchesney@usgs.gov; 2 U.S. Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, Dixon, CA 95620, USA; 3 U.S. Geological Survey, West- ern Ecological Research Center, Sac- ramento, CA 95826, USA We compared habitat availability measures for examining at-sea habitat use of seabirds on aerial strip transects off southern California. Analyses were conducted with ArcInfo/ArcView geo- graphic information system and SAS statistical software. Habitat use was assessed using bird densities calculated within 1 -minute latitude/longitude blocks. We compared two methods for measuring habitat availability within each block. Example habitat variables examined were depth, slope, and dis- tance to land. In Method 1 (based on previous studies), water depth and slope were averaged over a bathymet- ric grid within each 1 -minute block. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 52 abstracts Distance to land was measured from the midpoint of each block to the near- est point of land. In Method 2, these variables were averaged within each 1- minute block from a series of GPS points recorded about every 250 m during surveys using the computer program dLOG. Depth and slope were calculated for each GPS point using the same bathymetric grid as for Method 1. Also, each habitat variable was calcu- lated at each bird observation. The lo- cations of bird observations were inter- polated from nearby GPS points. The main benefit of Method 1 is that analy- ses of multiple surveys are performed using a common database of habitat variables. However, preliminary analy- ses show that Method 2 measures, which are derived from actual survey trackline data, generally correlate bet- ter with habitat at actual bird observa- tions. Oil and gas operations offshore of California: status, risks, and safety Michael D. McCrary and David E. Panzer , U.S. Minerals Management Service, 770 Paseo Camarillo, Camarillo, CA 93010, USA, mi- chael.mccrary@mms.gov Offshore oil operations in Califor- nia are conducted from 23 platforms in Federal waters (>3 miles from shore) and from 10 platforms and related fa- cilities in State waters (<3 miles). These structures are distributed over an area of about 20,000 km 2 along the southern coast of the state. In 2000, about 36 million barrels (bbi) of oil were produced from Federal waters, all of which was transmitted to shore by pipeline. In comparison, over 250 mil- lion bbi of crude oil and distillates (e.g., gasoline) are transported by tanker along the California coast each year. The largest oil spill from offshore oil operations in California was the 1969 80,000-bbl Santa Barbara spill, which resulted in the loss of thousands of birds. This spill was a pivotal event for both the environmental movement in the US and for offshore oil safety. After 1969, the rules and regulations governing offshore oil were rewritten and new rules were developed. Since 1969, only one spill from offshore oil in California has involved birds, the 1997 163-bbl Torch spill off Point Pedemales, which resulted in the loss of 600-800 birds. Although only a few small spills have occurred since 1969, there is a possibility of other spills oc- curring in the future. Based on the amount of offshore oil expected to be produced in California over the next 5 years and the number of spills that have occurred in the past, the risk of a major spill (>1000 bbi) occurring dur- ing that period is about 16%, Temporal changes in the seabird colonies of Isla San Jorge, northeast- ern Gulf of California, Mexico Eric Mel link, Departamento de Ecologia, Centro de Investigacion Cientifica y de Education Superior de Ensenada, Apdo. Postal 2732, En- senada, Baja California, Mexico, emellink@cicese,mx Isla San Jorge is a series of small, unvegetated, rocky islands, on which several seabirds have nested: Red- billed Tropicbird (Phaethon ethers ), Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacro- corax auritus), Brandt’s Cormorant (P. penicillatus). Brown Booby (Sula leu - co gas ter). Royal Tern {Sterna maxima ), Elegant Tern ( S . elegans ), Yellow-footed Gull ( Larus livens), and Heermann’s Gull (X. heermannf). Al- though data are scant, 20 ih century changes are evident. Terns and gulls ceased to nest between the 1930s and 1991, while Double-crested Cormo- rants and Brown Boobies appear to have increased. More recently. Double- crested Cormorants have increased twelve-fold since 1991, but Brown Boobies have remained at 2500-3000 pairs. In 1999, Heermann’s Gulls re- sumed nesting on San Jorge, and Brandt’s Cormorants were found nest- ing here for the first time. Human- caused factors have been proposed to explain variations (reductions) in sea- bird colonies in the Gulf of California, but oceanographic causes seem more likely, although no adequate data exist to test either hypothesis. ENSO events have induced large numbers of Blue- footed Boobies (S. nebouxii) to use the area, but caused the Brown Boobies to interrupt their breeding and leave for the Colorado River delta. San Jorge seems ecologically different from other islands in the Gulf of California, and Brown Boobies have a much longer breeding season here, presumably be- cause of food availability. Whereas Brown Boobies (and other marine am- niotes) elsewhere in the Gulf depend on small pelagic fish and leave the is- lands in their absence, on San Jorge Brown Boobies turn to bottom and reef fishes that are accessible because the surrounding area is shallow. Solutions to seabirds in Alaska’s demersal longline fisheries Edward F. Melvin 1 , Julia K. Par- rish, Kimberley S. Dietrich 1 f and Owen S. Hamel 2 , 1 Washington Sea Grant Program, School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Wash- ington, Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195, USA, emeivin@u,washington.- edu; School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA Seabird mortalities occur in longline fisheries as seabirds feed on sinking baits when the gear is de- ployed. All Alaska longline fisheries face closure or limitation due to the potential hooking mortality of Short- tailed Albatross ( Phoebastria alba- trus), an internationally endangered species, and these fisheries now oper- ate under new regulations borrowed from other nations. In order to develop Alaska-specific solutions to seabird bycatch, we compared seabird and fish catch rates among several seabird de- terrent strategies and a control in 1999 and 2000. Our research was done in the Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) fishery for sableflsh {Anoplopoma fimbria) in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Is- lands, and in the Pacific cod ( Gadus macrocephalus) fishery in the Bering Sea. Based on results from 1999 and collaboration with fishers, deterrents in 2000 included paired streamer lines, Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 53 ABSTRACTS paired streamer lines with weight added to the groundline, and a single streamer line. Paired streamer lines with and without weight on the groundline reduced seabird bycatch rates most effectively in the sablefish fishery (100%) and in the cod fishery (94%), without any decrease in target fish catch rate or increase in the catch rate of non-target species. Single streamers were less effective, reducing seabird bycatch by 96% and 71% in the sablefish and cod fisheries, respec- tively. Although seabird bycatch rates in control sets varied dramatically on temporal scales in both fisheries and on spatial scales in the sablefish fishery, paired steamer lines were consistently effective. Based on these results, we recommended that paired streamer lines be required in all Alaska longline fisheries to minimize seabird bycatch. Traveling in uncharted waters: use of seabird data complements tradi- tional information for managing Pa- cific herring {Clupea pallasi) in cen- tral California Kyra L. Mills 1 , William J. Syde- man\ and Diana Waiters 2 , 1 Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Marine Sci- ence Division, 4990 Shoreline High- way, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA, 2 kyramills@prbo.org; California De- partment of Fish and Game, CA 94002, USA Pacific Herring ( Clupea pallasi ), a species of commercial importance in California, is adaptively managed by the California Department of Fish and Game. Information currently used to assess the status of the herring popula- tion and establish quotas includes spawning biomass and age composi- tion of the prior season’s biomass es- timate, as well as information on ocean conditions and young-of-the-year abundance. However, spawning bio- mass in year “x” may not accurately predict stock size in year “x + 1” if variable oceanographic conditions af- fect at-sea herring foraging and sur- vival. Seabirds, as indicators of bio- logical production at lower trophic levels, may provide a means of quanti- fying how oceanographic conditions and variation in prey availability influ- ence the spawning biomass, size-at- age, and body condition of adult (i.e., reproductive) herring. Planktivorous seabirds, such as Cassin’s Auklets (Ptychoramphus aleutius ), have similar food habits as adult herring while for- aging at sea and are highly correlated to herring parameters. In this study, we report how seabird productivity data from Southeast Farallon Island (42 km west of San Francisco Bay) can serve as a basis for understanding spawning biomass and body condition for the San Francisco Bay herring stock in the following winter. Use of this non- traditionai information for assessing the feeding conditions for herring at sea can help manage the fishery from an ecological perspective, in accor- dance with objectives of California’s Marine Life Management Act. An unprecedented breeding failure of Parakeet Auklets at Buldir Island in 2001 Heather Moore and G. Vernon Byrd , Alaska Maritime National Wild- life Refuge, 2355 Kachemak Bay Drive, Suite 101, Homer, AK 99603, USA, heather__moore@fws.gov In 2001, Parakeet Auklets ( Aethia psittacula) experienced an unprece- dented complete reproductive failure at Buldir Island, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, and at Talan Island in the northern Sea of Okhotsk, Russia. The Alaska Mari- time National Wildlife Refuge has a long-term program to monitor selected species of seabirds that nest on the ref- uge. Productivity, hatching chronology and food habits of auklets {Aethia spp.) have been monitored at Buldir Island annually since 1988. Until 2001, an- nual productivity (chicks fledged/nest) of planktivorous auklets ranged from 0.38-0.78, with Parakeet Auklet pro- ductivity ranging only from 0.50 to 0.65. Interestingly, in 2001 the pro- ductivity of all 3 other auklet species (least Auklet [Aethia pusilla], crested Auklet [Aethia cristatella ], and Whisk- ered Auklet [Aethia pygmaea ]) re- mained within previous ranges. We expected productivity of diving plank- tivores to be relatively similar and have never observed a complete failure in any planktivore on the refuge. In 2001, 60% of Parakeet Auklet chick loss oc- curred during a one-week period of sustained gales. We will present two hypotheses to explain chick mortality: (1) physical wave action and wind pre- vented Parakeet Auklets (but not other diving planktivorous auklets) from feeding young, or (2) auklet species were equally able to feed young, but because Parakeet Auklets hatched later than other species, the young were too small to survive reduced food deliver- ies. We compared data among sites and among species to elucidate these rela- tionships. Modeling and managing water-level variation and its effects on the avail- ability of nesting habitat for White Pelicans at Clear Lake National Wildlife Refuge, California Leopoldo A. Moreno 1,2 and Daniel W. Anderson *, ‘Department of Wild- life, Fish, and Conservation Biology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; California Department of Pesticide Regulation, Sacramento, CA 95812; pmoreno@cdpr.ca.gov and dwanderson@ucdavis.edu In California, the largest breeding colony of the American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) is pres- ently located at Clear Lake Reservoir, within the Klamath Basin watershed. In the early 1900s, the Klamath Basin itself was “reclaimed” for irrigation projects. Clear Lake Reservoir was historically a natural lake subject to high seasonal and annual variation in water level, but today it is a major stor- age reservoir for water, especially im- portant to agriculture during drought periods. Thus, the lake is still subject to high variation in water level. At Clear Lake, the location of specific White Pelican nesting colonies varies with the availability of nesting islands, which in turn are variously affected by water level variations. The timing of island formation and availability is crucial for Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 54 abstracts the annual success of breeding peli- cans, especially during the stages of nest establishment, egg-laying, and incubation through about 3-4 weeks of chick growth. At this time the colonies are most vulnerable to trampling by cattle and to predation from various mammalian and avian predator species. Water levels at Clear Lake have been monitored by the U.S. Bureau of Rec- lamation since 1910, and in any given season, monthly water-level projec- tions are available. By combining sea- sonal water-level predictions and plans with G1S digital maps it is possible to predict precisely when and where suit- able nesting islands will form, when they will be connected to the mainland, and when management actions (e.g., protective electrical fences and other barriers) might be appropriate. At-sea surveys of predators: letting the birds draw the boundaries of marine reserves Ken Morgan , David Hyrenbach 2 , Jason Komaromi 3 , Krista Amey 3 , and Bill Sydeman 2 , Canadian Wildlife Service, Institute of Ocean Sciences, 9860 West Saanich Road, Sidney, BC, V8L 4B2, Canada, morgank@pac.dfo- mpo.gc.ca; 2 Marine Science Division, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA; Canadian Wildlife Service, Pacific Wildlife Re- search Centre, Delta, BC, V4K 3N2, Canada The use of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as a partial solution to marine conservation issues, such as the over- exploitation of fisheries resources or areas of unacceptable rates of seabird bycatch, has recently gained wide- spread acceptance. MPAs not only have the potential to replenish depleted fish stocks, they also may protect pe- lagic food webs upon which upper tro- phic level predators depend, as well as the predators themselves. However, there are few time series available to identify the location of these pelagic food web production “hotspots.” In this presentation, we investigate whether seabird at-sea distribution can help delineate potential boundaries of future MPAs. Specifically, we use informa- tion on the at-sea distribution of Cas- sin’s Auklets {Ptychoramphus aleuti - cus), Common Murres ( Uria aalge ), Rhinoceros Auklets ( Cerorhinca monocerata ), and Tufted Puffins C Fratercula cirrhata) to draw the boundaries of hypothetical MPAs around breeding colonies off the west coast of North America. The objectives of these fictional MPAs are to protect breeding birds from anthropogenic impacts while foraging at sea, and to serve as refugia for the prey stocks from exploitation. Data collected dur- ing the breeding season from 1981 through 2001 via ship-of-opportunity surveys are examined in relation to the location of major colonies from Trian- gle Island (northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia), to Tatoosh Island (Washington), as well as with respect to the location of the continental shelf- break (depth 200 m). Patterns of clus- tering demonstrate that at-sea seabird surveys may help identify tempo- rally/spatially persistent food web con- stituents, and may also be useful in drawing broad-scale MPA boundaries to protect breeding seabird populations. Century-long impacts of increasing human water use on numbers and productivity of American White Pelicans at Pyramid Lake, Nevada Edward C. Murphy 1 and John C. Tracy 2 , institute of Arctic Biology, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA, ffecm@uaf.edu; 2 Desert Research Institute, 2215 Raggio Park- way, Reno, NV 89512, USA Anaho Island at Pyramid Lake, Nevada, supports one of the largest breeding colonies of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ). Counts of adults, nests, and chicks from 1903 to present have been strongly correlated with springtime water in the Truckee River near Nixon, 15 km from the lake (e.g., numbers of pre-fledging chicks (“productivity”) vs. mean daily flow, February-May, r = +0.627, n = 43 years, P < 0.001). Up- river diversion of water has markedly reduced flows of the lower Truckee River and has also likely depressed pelican productivity; e.g., the Derby Dam, completed in 1906, diverts water from the Truckee River into the Truckee Canal. Pelican productivity has been negatively correlated with flows in the Truckee Canal (e.g., pro- ductivity vs. March flow, r = -0.472, n = 28, P = 0.01). If water remained in the river instead of being diverted in the canal, estimated productivity would be 7% higher in mean flow conditions and 5% higher in minimum flow con- ditions. Using a model of estimated natural vs. observed flow rates of the Walker River as a proxy for the Truckee River, we estimated that on average 958 more fledglings would have been produced annually if natural flow regimes still persisted in the Truckee River. Although inferring long-term impacts of such losses on population dynamics is problematic, such productivity could be an impor- tant buffer against density-independent, localized high mortality events, such as the die-offs of an estimated 8,500 peli- cans at the Salton Sea in 1996 and 1,200 in a hail storm in Colorado last fail (2001). Common Murre egg recovery on Devil’s Slide Rock in central Cali- fornia Martin A . Murphy 1,2 , Michael Parker l , Stephen W. Kress 3 , Harry R. Carter 4 , and Richard T. Golightly 2 , ! U.S, Fish and Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 524, Newark, CA 94560, USA; department of Wildlife, Humboldt State University, Areata, CA 95521, USA; ^National Audubon Society, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA; 4 U.S. Geo- logical Survey, Dixon, CA 95620, USA Common Murre ( Uria aalge) breeding success has been monitored in 1996-2001 at Devil’s Slide Rock as part of a restoration project related to the Apex Houston oil spill. In 2001, we recorded a total of 113 breeding pairs, 22 first-egg losses (19.5%), 5 replace- ment eggs laid after loss of the first egg (22.7%), and 1 replacement-egg loss (20%). Incidentally, two cases of par- ents recovering eggs that had rolled Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 55 ABSTRACTS away from sites were observed. One egg was retrieved at a distance of 85 cm, where as the other egg was secured and incubated at 54 cm from the origi- nal nesting site. We describe the cir- cumstances surrounding these egg re- coveries, including: microhabitats re- lated to eggs rolling away from sites; behavior of parents recovering lost eggs; fate of recovered eggs; and other factors affecting the egg recovery abil- ity of adult murres (i.e., slope, interac- tion with cormorants). Kittiwakes on Kodiak Island re- spond to regime shifts in the Gulf of Alaska Katie A . Murra 1 , Loren Buck\ Dean Kildaw \ Denny Zwiefelhofer , and David Irons 3 , 'School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA, ftkam@uaf.edu; 2 Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, Kodiak, AK 99615, USA; 3 Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, An- chorage, AK 99503, USA Climatic and biotic “regime shifts” occur on a decadal time scale in the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea and have been implicated in recent declines in population of seabirds and marine mammals in this region. Black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla ) are a good bio-indicator of regime shifts because their diet and breeding success reflects prey abundance. We evaluated the con- sequences of regime shifts on 26 kitti- wake colonies in Chiniak Bay (Kodiak island. Gulf of Alaska) using data on populations (nest counts) and produc- tivity (chicks fledged/nest attempt) that has been collected since 1975. We ex- tended this time series in 2001 through research on the foraging and reproduc- tive ecology of kittiwakes that was undertaken as one component of the multi-disciplinary Gulf Apex Predator- Prey project (GAP) on Kodiak Island. Overall, kittiwake populations in- creased in Chiniak Bay during the warm regime of the 1980s and coloni- zation of 15 new breeding sites oc- curred. Kittiwake abundance decreased during the “mixed” regime of the 1990s, but increased once again after a shift towards cooler conditions in 1998. In contrast to these general pat- terns, “new” colonies have been more productive than “old” colonies and have grown steadily since their incep- tion in the mid-1980s, through the 1990s, and up to the present. Although we cannot explain why new colonies have outperformed old colonies, in- flection points in population trends of old colonies coincide well with pro- posed regime shifts and indicate good breeding conditions during the 1980s and within the current regime, but sug- gest that breeding conditions were comparatively poor during the 1990s. Diet composition of Double-crested Cormorants nesting at East Sand Island in the Columbia River Estu- ary Anne Mary Myers 1 , Daniel £>. Roby 1 , Ken Collis 2 , Donald E. Lyons , and Jessica Y. Adkins 3 , l U.S. Geologi- cal Service, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Depart- ment of Fisheries and Wildlife, 104 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA, myer- san@onid.orst.edu; 2 Real Time Re- search, 201 Yellowtail Hawk Avenue, Bend, OR 97701, USA; department of Entomology, Oregon State Univer- sity, Corvallis, OR 97330, USA East Sand Island, located at river mile 5 in the Columbia River Estuary, supports the largest known breeding colony of Double-crested Cormorants ( Phalacrocorax auritus ) on the Pacific Coast of North America (Carter et al. 1995). Diet composition of cormorants nesting on East Sand Island in 2000 and 2001 was determined by analysis of stomach contents from collected adults and of regurgitations from nes- tlings. The composition of cormorant diets varied both within and between breeding seasons, reflecting changes in the abundance and availability of prey. Diets consisted almost entirely of fish, including a variety of riverine, estua- rine, and marine fish species. In 2001, cormorants were less dependent on out-migrating juvenile salmonids than in 2000. However, the prevalence of marine forage fishes — anchovy (En- graulis mordax). Pacific tomcod (ML crogadus proximus ), and clupeids (sar- dines [Sardinops sagax ], American shad [Alosa sapidissima], and Pacific herring [Clupea pallasii\) — in the diet was higher as compared to 2000. In both 2000 and 2001 the percentage of juvenile salmonids in the diet declined dramatically as the breeding season progressed. In 2000, the seasonal de- cline in salmonids was compensated for by increasing prevalence of clu- peids and pleuronectids (flatfish) in the diet. In 2001, anchovy was overall the most prevalent prey type in cormorant diets, and prevalence increased later m the breeding season when juvenile salmonids were a very small proportion of the diet. The high prevalence of an- chovy in the diets of Double-crested Cormorants nesting at East Sand Island is in stark contrast to the late 1990s when herring and juvenile salmonids comprised the bulk of the diet. Age and sex composition of Common Murres recovered in the 1997-1998 Point Reyes tarball incidents in cen- tral California Hannah Nevins 1 and Harry R. Carter 1 , l Moss Landing Marine Labo- ratories, 8272 Moss Landing Road, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA, hrnevins@hotmail.com; Humboldt State University and U.S. Geological Survey, Dixon, CA 95620, USA Age and sex composition of Common Murres (Uria aalge) affected by oil spills are poorly known because of the difficulty in collecting widely distributed carcasses and in storing and examining large numbers of speci- mens. We examined 1,082 murre car- casses recovered by state and federal agencies during the 1997-1998 Point Reyes tarball incidents in central Cali- fornia. Four variables were used for rapid classification of murre ages as hatching year (HY) or after hatching year (AHY): head plumage, supra- orbital ridge, bursa of Fabricius, and gonad size. Murres were sexed by go- nad inspection. Plumage class was de- Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 56 ABSTRACTS termined in 95.5% of birds examined (n - 1033), the extent of ossification of the supra-orbital ridge in 91.7% ( n ~ 992), presence or absence of the bursa in 73.9% ( n = 800), sex in 78.6% (n - 850), and gonad size in 74.0% {n = 801). Using a combination of two or more variables, we determined that 8.9% of the sample {n =1082) were HY birds and 91.1% were AHY birds. The sex ratio in HY murres was 1.35:1 (male:female; n = 80), versus 1.54:1 in AHY murres ( n ~ 770). We also char- acterized geographic and seasonal trends in age and sex composition and examined methods for separating younger from older AHY birds. A historical perspective on oiled wildlife care in California Scott Newman \ Mike Ziccardi 1 , Alice Berkner 2 , Jay Holcomb 2 , Curt Clumpner 2 , and Jonna Mazet\ ‘Oiled Wildlife Care Network, School of Vet- erinary Medicine, Wildlife Health Center, l Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA, sonewman@ucdavis.edu; inter- national Bird Rescue Research Center, Suisun City, CA 94585, USA California’s Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) is currently one of the world’s leading authorities at treating oil-injured wildlife. However, the reputation California has earned over the past 30 years has evolved due to tremendous efforts of professional rehabilitation organizations such as International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC), changes in legisla- tion, and ultimately, development of an infrastructure within the state that sup- ports rapid spill response and effective wildlife care. It is through integration of oil spill response experience and research advances that California has been able to move ahead as the world leaders in the young science of oil spill medicine. Many advances have been integrated into current spill response techniques; however, there is room for further improvement. This presentation will summarize current response tech- niques, highlight research and hus- bandry advances that have improved oiled wildlife care, and present the fu- ture challenges of oil spill medicine in California and worldwide. Beach COMBERS: detecting oiled seabirds in Monterey Bay Kelly Newton , Scott Benson 2 , Hannah Nevins 2 , Andrew DeVo- gelaere 1 , and Jim Harvey 2 , Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, 299 Foam Street, Monterey, CA 93940, USA, kelly.newton@noaa.gov; 2 Moss Landing Marine Laboratories, Moss Landing, CA 95039, USA A beach monitoring study, utiliz- ing volunteers to sample selected sec- tions of beach for dead marine birds and mammals, was established within the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary in February 1997. Nine beaches within Monterey Bay and one beach in Carmel Bay have been moni- tored monthly since May 1997. A stretch of sandy beach along the outer coast north of Santa Cruz has been monitored since September 1998. In May 2001, six new beach segments at the southern end of the Sanctuary were added. The primary goal of the pro- gram, designated Beach COMBERS (Coastal Ocean Mammal/Bird Educa- tion and Research Surveys), is to ob- tain information on rates of stranding for all species of marine birds and mammals in Monterey Bay. The long- term objectives of the program are to provide a baseline of information on the average presence of beachcast ma- rine organisms and to assist the Sanc- tuary in the early detection of mortality events triggered by natural and anthro- pogenic environmental perturbations such as red tides and oil spills. Pairs of trained volunteers survey their beach segment during the first week of each month at low tide. Beachcast seabirds are the most abundant organisms en- countered during any beach survey. Average seabird deposition is greatest and most variable during the spring and summer months, and least during the winter months. Over the past 4 years, there have been very few inci- dents of oiled birds found on surveyed beaches. Increase of body core temperature but decrease of body peripheral temperature in diving Thick-billed Murres Yasuaki Niizuma 1 , Geir W. Gabri- elsen 2 , Yutaka Watanuki 3 , Katsufumi Sato*, and Yasuhiko Naito* , ! Japan Science and Technology Corporation, Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Katsurakoi 1 16, Kushiro 085- 0802, Japan, niizuma@affrc.go.jp; Norwegian Polar Institute, Polarmil- josenteret, N-9296 Tromso, Norway; laboratory of Animal Ecology, Fac- ulty of Agriculture, Hokkaido Univer- sity, Sapporo 060-8589, Japan; "‘National Institute of Polar Research, 1-9-10 Kaga, Itabasi, Tokyo 173, Japan Many diving seabirds and marine mammals frequently dive longer than calculated aerobic diving limits. From the view of their diving behavior and efficiency, however, it is a convincing concept that they do not accumulate anaerobic by-products in most dives. Recent studies suggest that reduction in body temperature in deep-diving pen- guins and cormorants could enable them to decrease metabolic rate and hence make long aerobic dives. Alcids make longer dives than penguins after adjustment for body size. Therefore, alcids may have such a mechanism for sparing oxygen. In this study, body core and peripheral temperatures and diving depth of Thick-billed Murres (Uria lomvia) were measured by using implanted data loggers while they were freely diving in cold water (ca. 0°C) in Svalbard, Norway. Body temperature of the core region (under the liver) in- creased, but that of peripheral region (between the skin and muscle at abdo- men) decreased when birds engaged deep and long dives. When they came back to the surface, the core tempera- ture decreased and the peripheral tem- perature increased. As a result, they lost body temperature while they re- peated dives for more than a half-hour. These results indicate that Thick-billed Murres can control their blood flow in order to supply oxygen to energy- demanding organs for diving behavior. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 57 ABSTRACTS The eplzootiology of type C botulism it pelicans at the Salton Sea Pauline Nol, Douglas Berndt , Jodie Bayerl, and Tonie Rocke , U.S. Geological Survey, National Wildlife Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, W1 5371 1, USA, pauline__nol@usgs.gov In recent years, the Salton Sea has been the site of massive mortality events involving both fish and fish- eating birds. During 1996, type C avian botulism was the cause of death of nearly 15,000 birds. Over half of the dead birds were western White Peli- cans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ), and close to 1200 were endangered Cali- fornia Brown Pelicans (Pelecanus oc- cidentals californicus ). Smaller botu- lism die-offs have occurred every year thereafter. Fish in the Salton Sea are the suspected source of type C toxin. In 2000 and 2001, tilapia (Oreochromis mossambiqua ) were collected at vari- ous sites around the Salton Sea in order to determine the presence of type C botulinum toxin in their blood and in- testines, and to determine the presence of the Clostridium botulinum type C organism in their intestines. This in- formation, in conjunction with spatial data obtained from collecting sick and dead pelicans, will provide insight into the dynamics of this unique disease system. Plasma testosterone levels in breed- ing Leach’s Storm-Petrels Kathleen O’Reilly and Alexander CoverdilU Department of Biology, University of Portland, 5000 N. Wil- lamette Blvd., Portland, OR 97203, USA, oreilly@up.edu Leach’s Storm-Petrels (Oceano- droma leucorhoa ) are socially and ge- netically monogamous seabirds in which the male shares incubation of the single egg equally with the female. We predicted that testosterone levels in males would be elevated during court- ship, then decline rapidly during incu- bation. Testosterone is negatively cor- related with incubation behavior in many birds, typically remaining ele- vated in males that do not incubate eggs. In polygynous species, males exhibit elevated testosterone levels until opportunities to fertilize eggs are exhausted. We obtained blood samples for direct radioimmunoassay of pooled androgens, testosterone, and dihydro- testosterone during the summers of 1998 and 1999 at Kent Island, New Brunswick. Although testosterone and dihydrotestosterone levels in male Leach’s Storm-Petrels declined as the breeding season progressed, the differ- ence between samples taken during courtship stage and the first two weeks of incubation was not significantly different (courtship*. 3.86 ng/ml; early incubation: 1.95 ng/ml; P = 0.136; 1999). When regressed against the spe- cific date of incubation relative to egg hatch, the decline in males’ androgen levels was marginally significant (P - 0 . 05 !, r 2 — 0.14; 1998). Our results did not follow our prediction entirely. Al- though androgen levels dropped pre- cipitously during early incubation in some males, they remained elevated through late incubation in other males. Arrival, egg-laying, and subsequent hatching dates are asynchronous in this population of Leach’s Storm-Petrels. Egg hatching dates range between 29 June and 11 September. Males may continue secreting testosterone at mod- est levels (1-2 ng/ml) to enable them to fertilize a replacement egg should the first one fail. Parasites of the American White Pelican Robin M, Overstreet and Stephen Curran , Department of Coastal Sci- ences, University of Southern Missis- sippi, Ocean Springs, MS 39566, USA About 15 species of parasites have been reported from, the American White Pelican ( Pelecanus erythrorhyn- chos ). However, based on at least eight unreported records from Mississippi and Louisiana and the much higher number of species already found in the Brown Pelican (Pelecanus occiden- tals) from the same general region, many more species probably also infect the White Pelican. Parasites typically do not harm their hosts, and those from the White Pelican typically fit that category. However, a few, including the pouch louse and a hippoboscid fly, can weaken or kill the pelican host. Such a situation often develops in nes- tlings and in stressed birds or captives, especially young individuals. Other parasites such as two trematodes (flukes) that mature in the White Peli- can have a juvenile stage in catfish that can harm or kill the fish host when confined in commercial ponds. There- fore, based on the loss of catfish from pelican predation and infections from the pelican worms. White Pelican para- sites might create an economic aver- sion in fish farmers toward the pelican. Further, some flukes that infect the pelican can also mature in humans and result in disease: a juvenile nematode that matures in the pelican can proba- bly cause a strong response in a human host. Perhaps microbial agents har- bored by some parasites of the pelican can also pose a public health risk to those who handle the parasite host. Most parasites of the White Pelican (e.g., the helminth species consisting of flukes, roundworms, tapeworms, and spiny-headed worms) are beneficial in that they can provide information about the host, and some may possibly benefit the pelican in some physiological functions. The helminths, many of which are not highly specific to the White Pelican but have intermediate hosts in their life histories, can provide information on where the bird has been and on what prey it has been eating. Perhaps a complex of ascaridoid nematode species helps digest food. The lice are specific to the White Pelican, providing evolutionary information about the relationships with other pelicans and with other bird groups. The presence of all White Pelican parasites usually depends on where the individual nests, rests, feeds, and migrates. Status of the Humboldt Penguin population (Sphen'scus humboldti) in Peru during 1999-2000 Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 58 ABSTRACTS Rosana Paredes *’ 3 , Carlos B. Zavalaga 2 , Gabriella Battistini 3 , Patricia Majluf , and Patricia McGill * , ‘Memorial University of Newfound- land, Department of Biology, St John’s, NF, A1B 3X9, Canada^ u92rp@mun.ca; 2 University of North Carolina, Department of Biological Sciences, Wilmington, NC 28403, USA; 3 Wildlife Conservation Soci- ety-Peru, Roca de Vergallo 198, Lima 17, Peru; 4 Brookfield Zoo, Brookfield, IL 605 13, USA The status of the endangered Humboldt penguin (Spheniscus hum- boldti) was investigated in Peru during 1999-2000 after the strongest El Nino event of the last century. The penguin population in the south-central coast of Peru was estimated at 3980 and 4890 individuals in 1999 and 2000 respec- tively. In 1999, the proportion of juve- niles was lower (0.2%) than in 2000 (7%), probably as a result of the 1997- 1998 El Nifio. Even though penguins were found from Isla La Foca (5* 12' S) to Punta Coles (170* 42' S), the majority (78%, 79%) were located in five localities: Punta San Juan (41%, 36%), San Juanito Islet (13%, 11%), Hornillos Island (13%, 10%), Pachacamac Island (6%, 12%), and Tres Puertas (6%, 9%). The size and distribution of penguin colonies have changed over the last 15 years. Pen- guins have abandoned places (Punta Corio, Sombrerillo, Morro Sama), or have decreased significantly in num- bers in areas (Punta San Fernando and Punta La Chira), where human distur- bance has increased, mainly due to fishery activities. Penguins have in- creased in numbers (Punta San Juan, San Juanito Islet) in areas with some kind of protection. Half of the penguin population was located in guano-bird reserves, mainly at Punta San Juan. Guano-bird reserves provide penguins with indirect protection against preda- tors and human disturbance; however, periodic guano harvests affect their reproductive success. It will be man- datory to promote collaborative con- servation efforts between local authorities and biologists to minimize negative effects of guano harvests, to initiate educational programs in fishing villages, and to reduce penguin mortal- ity in gill nets. An assessment of botulism-stricken American White Pelicans on the Salton Sea, California Charles A. Pelizza , Steve Johnson , and Tahni Johnson , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge Com- plex, 906 W. Sinclair Road, Calipatria, CA 92233, charles_pelizza@- rl.fws.gov The Salton Sea is California’s largest inland body of water, with a surface area of more than 800 km 2 . It is located in the Colorado Desert of southeastern California. The level of the Salton Sea is sustained primarily by agricultural runoff. It has no outlet for water other than evaporation; the closed nature of the Salton Sea, source of water, and climate combine to create a eutrophic, hypersaline system. Since 1996, American White Pelicans (Pele- canus erythrorhynchos) and endan- gered California Brown Pelicans (Pele- canus occidentalis californicus ) have been sickened by avian botulism {Clostridium botulinum ) at the Salton Sea. Botulism outbreaks occur from May to November each year with varying degrees of severity. As part of a multi-agency disease response pro- gram, botulism-stricken pelicans from the Salton Sea are retrieved and reha- bilitated. Locations of sick and dead American White Pelicans were re- corded using GIS from May to No- vember 2001. These distributions were plotted and compared to the relative distribution of healthy pelicans at the Salton Sea. Physiological characteris- tics and rehabilitation success ratios for pelicans retrieved from 1999 to 2001 are presented. Spatial and temporal distribution of American White Pelicans of the Salton Sea, California Charles A. Pelizza, Steve Johnson , and Tahni Johnson , U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 906 West Sinclair Road, Calipatria, CA 92233, USA, charles_pelizza@fws.gov The Salton Sea is California’s largest inland body of water, approxi- mately 56 km long and 24 km wide. Located in the Colorado Desert of southern California, the sea was formed during 1905—1907 when Colo- rado River floodwaters breached an irrigation structure and redirected the river’s flow into the Salton Trough until the breach was closed. The sea’s surface elevation is maintained primar- ily by three rivers, the New, Alamo, and Whitewater, and by agricultural drain water from the Mexicali, Impe- rial, and Coachella Valleys. Millions of birds use the Sea and surrounding area during annual migrations. More than 400 species of birds have been ob- served within this ecosystem, making it one of the focal areas for avian biodi- versity. Peak populations of 15,000-28,000 American White Peli- cans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) are found at the Salton Sea. From January 2000 through November 2001, Ameri- can White Pelicans were counted at points around the Salton Sea. Pelican sightings were noted at 26-30 specific shoreline sites. Each site was visited at least twice per month. Data collected included the date, site location, and the estimated number of pelicans. From January 2000 through November 2001, American White Pelicans had a contin- ual presence on the Salton Sea. The number of pelicans peaked twice each year, with the largest peak in February and a second, smaller peak in Septem- ber. The largest concentrations of peli- cans were observed on the Alamo, New, and Whitewater River deltas. Differential response of murres and kittiwakes to fluctuations in prey density John F. Piatt , Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503, USA, john_piatt@usgs.gov While one group of biologists measured the composition, abundance, Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 59 ABSTRACTS and distribution of forage fish around 3 seabird colonies in Cook Inlet during 5 years (1995-1999), another group measured parameters of biology, be- havior, and physiology in Common Murres ( Uria aalge ) and Black-legged Kittiwakes ( Rissa tridactyla ) at the 3 colonies. I will describe some of the main findings of these investigations, and highlight the differential responses of the 2 seabird species to changes in prey density. Murres and kittiwakes are adapted quite differently for dealing with fluctuations in prey abundance; important differences include body size, foraging mode, clutch size and chick development. Kittiwakes always appear to be working maximally and have little discretionary time to com- pensate for declining prey density. Variability in prey abundance trans- lated directly (r 2 = 0.89) into variation in fledging success. Murre breeding success can be buffered by reallocation of discretionary time and was a very poor indicator of food supply, whereas ‘loafing time’ better reflected (r 2 = 0.65) prey density. As predicted by life history theory, both murres and kitti- wakes minimized variability in their own body condition (CV < 10%), and in growth of chicks (CV < 25%) in the face of high variability in prey abun- dance (CV = 80% among 15 colony- years). Both species exhibited moder- ate variability (CV = 25-40%) in lay- ing and hatching success, and in for- aging effort. Variability in kittiwake breeding success (CV = 87%) tracked prey variability, while murre breeding success did not (CV - 29%). This may explain why murre breeding success in the Pacific is consistently high (CV = 41%), whereas kittiwakes are much more variable (CV = 1 10%). Implica- tions of these differing strategies will be discussed. Population status, foods, and forag- ing of Laysan Albatrosses nesting on Guadalupe Island, Mexico Robert L. Pitman 1 , William A. Walker 2 , William T. Everett* , and Juan Pablo Gallo-Reynoso 4 , ‘Southwest Fisheries Science Center, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA, Kobert.Pitman@noaa.gov; National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Na- tional Marine Fisheries Service, Seat- tle, WA 98115, USA; Endangered Species Recovery Council, P.O. Box 1085, La Jolla, CA 92038; 4 Centro de Investigacion en Alimentacion y De- sarrollo A.C., Unidad Guaymas, Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico During the 1983-84 winter breed- ing season, Laysan Albatrosses ( Phoe - bastria immutabilis ) bred in the eastern Pacific for the first time, on Guadalupe Island, Mexico. That population was last censused in 1991-92, when 45 pairs were present, and there are no previous reports on the diet of any of the eastern Pacific populations. We conducted censuses during the 1999- 2000 and 2000-01 seasons and col- lected chick regurgitation pellets for analysis of diet. In addition to the pre- viously known colony on the main island, we found albatrosses breeding at three new locations: on two offshore islets and at another site on the main island. We estimated that the entire population consisted of a minimum of 1 19 and 193 pairs, respectively, for the two seasons. Although colonies on the main island may not persist in the face of ongoing predation pressure by feral cats, dogs and humans, the offshore islets are predator-free and those populations should continue to grow. The prey we identified included beaks from a minimum of 964 individual cephalopods representing a minimum of 14 families and 23 species. The most commonly identified species were the squids Histioteuthis hoylei (20,4% of identified beaks), Taonius borealis (13.8%), Gonatus calif or niensis (11.2%), and Galiteuthis sp. (most likely G. pacifica) (11.0%), respec- tively. The preponderance of neutrally buoyant, mid-water species of squids in the diet, along with recently pub- lished results indicating that Laysan Albatrosses feed mainly during the daytime, is cited as evidence that this species probably feeds mainly as a diurnal scavenger. Urban lighting and the decline of Kauai seabirds: identifying sufficient offsets to human-induced mortality Richard Podolsky 1 and David G. Ainley 2 , ‘Avian Systems, 279 Melvin Heights Road, Camden, ME 04843, USA, podolsky@att.net; 2 H.T. Harvey & Associates, 3150 Almaden Express- way, Suite 145, San Jose, CA 95118, USA The combination of artificial lighting and increased automobile traf- fic on oceanic islands invariably leads to a decline in seabird populations. The mechanism for this is simple: birds are attracted to and disoriented by urban lights and fall onto roadways where they are struck by passing cars. One of the more dramatic examples of this is on the island of Kauai, where Newell’s Shearwater (Puffinus auricularis new - ellii) and Hawaiian Petrel ( Pterodroma phaeopygia sandwichensis ) are esti- mated conservatively to have declined to a small fraction of their pre- development levels. A community- wide salvage program called Save Our Shearwaters (SOS) has done much over the last 30 years to ameliorate this human-induced mortality, as has a pro- gram to install shielded lighting around the island. However, these efforts do not provide a sufficient offset to the mortality to insure the survival of these two populations. Rather, it will require a commitment to a far more ambitious and proactive conservation program. Bridge to the 21 st century and cor- morants will be on it Mark J. Rauzon, Marine Endeav- ors, 4701 Edgewood Ave. Oakland, CA 94602, USA, mjrauz@aol.com Early in 2002, construction will begin on a new bridge to replace the seismically vulnerable east span of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. When the old span is taken down, so will be the homes of close to a thou- sand Double-crested Cormorants {Phalacrocorax auritis ) that nest on beams underneath it. In an effort to preserve the habitat of the Double- Paciftc Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 60 ABSTRACTS crested Cormorant population, Marine Endeavors was consulted by the Cali- fornia Department of Transportation (CalTrans) and the joint-venture design team of T.Y. Lin International of San Francisco and Moffatt & Nichol Engi- neers of Long Beach to design a possi- ble solution. After investigating how best to mimic existing habitat, ap- proximately 670 m 2 of stainless steel nesting platforms and a roost rail were designed on the new 3.8-km long re- placement span. Placement of the structures will be in the same approxi- mate location as they are now, in order to take advantage of a post-fledging roost site off the bridge. If the birds do not relocate independently, biologists plan to entice the birds to nest on the new platforms by painting cormorant silhouettes, playing recordings of cor- morants at a colony, and/or placing mirrors on the platforms. Placed un- derneath the new span on the inside edges of the roadway, the platforms will be invisible to motorists on the bridge. The Skyway construction is expected to commence in early 2002, and the cormorant platforms will be the last object placed on the bridge in late 2006. White belly and black back — what are the causes of seabird color pat- terns? Martin Renner and Ian L. Jones , Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, NF, A1B 3X9, Canada, auklet@bigfoot.com Textbooks tell us that the function of a black back and a white belly in many seabirds is to camouflage the bird against potential prey and preda- tors. Although intuitively obvious, this hypothesis has numerous exceptions in almost all major clades of seabirds, which raises doubt about its validity. To test this and alternative hypotheses, we apply a phylogenetic approach us- ing published data. Penguins and alcids are more extremely adapted to an un- derwater lifestyle than any other birds and are therefore preferred model or- ganisms. While there is some variation in the exact black-and-white distribu- tion, essentially all penguins are white underneath and dark above. Many alcid species on the other hand display black bellies, at least during the breeding season. Mapping belly coloration on a phylogenetic tree shows that this char- acter must have changed at least four times independently during the evolu- tion of alcids. Using 339 seabird spe- cies, we explore alternatives to the camouflage hypothesis, including melanin as a protector against UV ra- diation, sexual selection for a handicap, and the null hypothesis that plumage coloration is a physiological byproduct rather than a selected trait. Changing regulations in Alaska’s longline fisheries — an example of regional implementation of the United States’ National Plan of Ac- tion for seabirds Kim S. Rivera 1 and Michael A. Perez 2 ; Protected Resources Division, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), P.O. Box 21668, Juneau, AK 99802, USA, Kim.Rivera@noaa.gov; 2 National Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, WA 98115, USA The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is revising the existing federal seabird avoidance regulations in Alaska, based on results from a two-year scientific research program conducted by the Washington Sea Grant Program (WSGP) on the effectiveness of seabird avoidance measures currently used in the longline fisheries off Alaska. There are concerns relating to the incidental catch of the endangered Short-tailed Albatross {Phoebastria albatrus) and other seabird species. A Biological Opinion issued by the U.S. Fish Sc Wildlife Service (USFWS) in 1999 required that NMFS investigate the effectiveness of seabird avoidance measures currently used in Alaska’s longline groundfish fishery and revise those measures if necessary. WSGP recommended regulatory changes that would include: use of paired streamer lines, specified performance and materials standards for the lines, and prohibition of directed discharge of offal or residual bait from the stem of the vessel while fishing gear is being deployed. Revisions to regulations will also include some modifications for small fishing vessels and their use of seabird avoidance measures. Besides regulations, other critical aspects of a comprehensive seabird bycatch reduction program are necessary to effectively reduce seabird bycatch. Examples include outreach materials, education, and working one-on-one with high-bycatch vessels. There has been collaboration between NMFS, USFWS, WSGP, the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, the North Pacific Fishery Management Council, numerous longline industry groups and individuals, environmental groups, and others. This action represents an example of regional implementation of the US’s “National Plan of Action for Reducing the Incidental Catch of Seabirds in Longline Fisheries,” which was finalized in February 2001. Morphological differences in the flight and feeding apparatuses of four sympatric species of terns breeding in southern California Dan Robinette and Patricia Her- ron Baird, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA 90840, USA robinetl@GTE.net In an effort to further understand the feeding ecology of four sympatric species of terns breeding in southern California, we looked for morphologi- cal differences in their flight and feed- ing apparatuses. Using a multivariate approach, we measured several vari- ables on the disarticulated skeletons of each species. We found that differences in morphology were mostly due to three variables describing wing shape. Elegant Terns ( Sterna elegans ) have the longest wing components relative to body length compared to the other three species. The ratios of component length to body length were intermedi- Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 61 abstracts ate for all wing components in Caspian and Forster’s Terns (S. caspia and S. forsteri ), with Forster’s Terns having a larger ratio for length of phalanges to body length than Caspian Terns. The ratio for length of phalanges to body length in Forster’s Terns was similar to that in Elegant Terns. Least Terns ( S . antillarum ) had the lowest values for all wing components relative to body length. Although there were significant differences in the ratios of bill length to body length and width of gape to body length, these variables did not play an important role in distinguishing the morphologies of the four species. There was no significant difference in the ratio of bill depth to body length. The strong influence of wing shape on morphological differences among the four tern species suggests that foraging behavior plays an important role in distinguishing their feeding ecology. Differences in foraging behavior in- clude distance traveled from the colony and possibly mode of prey capture. Effects of colony relocation on diet and productivity of Caspian Terns in the Columbia River estuary Daniel D. Roby 1 , Ken Collis 2 , Donald E. Lyons 1 , David P. Craig 3 , Jessica Y. Adkins 4 , Anne Mary Myers 1 , and Robert M. Suryan *, ! U.S. Geologi- cal Survey, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 104 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA, robyd@ucs.orst.edu; 2 RTR Consult- ants, 201 Yellowtail Hawk Ave., Bend, OR 97701, USA; department of Biol- ogy* Willamette University, Salem, OR 97301, USA; department of Entomol- ogy, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA In 2001, all Caspian Terns ( Sterna caspia ) nesting in the Columbia River estuary, or anywhere else along the coast of the Pacific Northwest, used 3.9 acres of restored habitat on East Sand Island. The estimated size of the East Sand Island colony (9100 pairs), the largest of its kind in the world, was not significantly different from 2000, sug- gesting that the population is no longer increasing. Tem nesting success at the East Sand Island colony in 2001 (1.3 young raised per nesting pair) was the highest ever recorded for Caspian Terns nesting in the Columbia River estuary, apparently a reflection of high forage fish availability. The proportion of juvenile salmonids ( Oncorhynchus spp.) in the diet (33%) was the lowest ever recorded for terns nesting in the estuary. This resulted in another de- cline in consumption of juvenile sal- monids by terns in the Columbia River estuary; consumption in 2001 was es- timated at 5.9 million smolts (95% Cl = 4.8 to 7.0 million smolts). This rep- resents a reduction in smolt consump- tion by terns of about 5.9 million (50%) compared to the 1999 consump- tion estimate. To achieve further re- ductions in annual consumption by Caspian Terns in the Columbia River estuary of juvenile salmonids that are listed under the Endangered Species Act, regional resource managers are considering the restoration of tern colonies outside the estuary and the relocation of a portion of the East Sand Island colony to these alternative sites. The best prospects for restoration or augmentation of Caspian Tem colonies seem to be on the coast of the Pacific Northwest. The impact of disease in White Peli- cans Tonie Rocke and Bob McLean , U.S. Geologic Survey, National Wild- life Health Center, 6006 Schroeder Rd., Madison, WI, USA, tonie_rocke@- usgs.gov Diagnostic records at the National Wildlife Health Center since 1980 in- dicate that type C botulism ( Clostrid- ium botulinum) is a major cause of mortality in American White Pelicans ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), with the largest number of events reported and the greatest estimated losses. In 1996, over 15,000 western White Pelicans were estimated to have died from type C botulism at the Salton Sea in Cali- fornia. This was the largest docu- mented die-off of any pelican species and was estimated to represent 15-20% of the western American White Pelican population. This event was also notable in that it was the first time that fish, specifically tilapia ( Oreochromis mos- sambicus), were implicated as the source of toxin for birds. Botulism has recurred in White Pelicans at the Salton Sea every year since, although the magnitude of mortality is much lower. Other significant causes of mortality in White Pelicans include Newcastle dis- ease, trauma, and emaciation of un- known etiology. The importance of beached bird sur- veys to detect chronic oil pollution Jan Roletto 1 , Joseph Mortenson 2 , and Leslie Grella 2 , ! GuIf of the Faral- lones National Marine Sanctuary, Fort Mason, Bldg. 201, San Francisco, CA 94123, USA, Jan.Roletto@noaa.gov; 2 Farallones Marine Sanctuary Asso- ciation, P.O. Box 29386, San Fran- cisco, CA 94129, USA The Gulf of the Farallones Na- tional Marine Sanctuary and the Far- allones Marine Sanctuary Association conduct bi-monthly shoreline surveys along the northern California coast, generating a baseline database that permits temporal analysis of mortality events. Data collected quantifies birds, tarballs, and oiled birds by determining encounter rates (number/km). Data include rates for oiled and unoiled Common Murres ( Uria aalge ), North- ern Fulmars (. Fulmarus glacialis), Aechmophorus grebes, all bird species inclusive, and tarball deposition. En- counter rates vary annually and sea- sonally. Murres are consistently the most frequently encountered beached bird and oiled beached bird. Northern Fulmars and Aechmophorus grebes are also commonly encountered oiled birds. Beached murres are found most frequently post-breeding, during August-October. Oiled murres, other oiled birds, and tarballs are found most frequently November-February. Data are also collected from carcasses re- garding state of decomposition, signs of scavenging, and the level of oiling. This information helps damage as- sessment modelers to estimate loss rate Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 62 ABSTRACTS of birds killed in an oil spill by com- paring baseline values with spill val- ues. Baseline scavenging rates help establish removal rates of carcasses by humans and predators, providing a correction factor for underestimates of the actual numbers of birds from raw counts in the baseline or oil spill data- bases. It is also important to estimate length of time a carcass has been on the beach in order to determine if it has been oiled post-mortem and therefore should not be counted as a spill victim. Unusual mortality events, such as oil spills, can thus be seen against seasonal baseline trends. Vulnerability of juvenile salmonids to piscivorous waterbirds nesting in the Columbia River estuary, 1998 to 2000 Brad A. Ryan 1 , John W. Ferguson 2 , Jolanta H. Glabek\ and Edmond P. Nunnalle 2 , ‘National Ma- rine Fisheries Service, 520 Heceta Place, Hammond, OR 97121, USA, brad.ryan@noaa.gov; 2 National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA 98112, USA Caspian Terns ( Sterna caspia) and Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacro- corax auritus) nesting on dredge spoil islands in the Columbia River estuary prey upon millions of emigrating juve- nile salmonids ( Oncorhynchus spp.) annually. To evaluate the relative vul- nerability of various salmonid stocks, we analyzed detections on these colo- nies of passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags previously implanted in ju- venile salmonids; 96,382 tags were detected from the 1998 to 2000 migra- tion years. These tags accounted for 11.5, 4.6, and 2.6% of detections at Bonneville Dam (the last downstream impoundment) for steelhead (0. my kiss), coho ( O . kisutch ), and yearling chinook ( O . tshawytscha ) salmon, re- spectively. When we separated the analysis by bird species, we found that this pattern persisted for terns but not for cormorants. Steelhead and coho salmon were equally vulnerable to cormorants, though both were more vulnerable than yearling Chinook salmon. When we analyzed detection rates based on rearing history (hatchery vs. wild), we found that steelhead were detected at similar rates, regardless of rearing history, on both tern and cor- morant colonies. In contrast, the vul- nerability of hatchery yearling Chinook salmon was greater than that of their wild cohorts: for both bird species, tags from 3.2% of hatchery and only 1.5% of wild yearling chinook previously detected at Bonneville Dam were de- tected on nesting colonies. However, this greater vulnerability was more pronounced on the tern colonies. Fi- nally, when we compared detection rates based on migration history (barged vs. in-river), we found similar rates, with a slightly greater vulner- ability of in-river migrants to cormo- rants. Putting together pieces: towards a foraging model for Brandt’s Cormo- rants in San Francisco Bay Benjamin Saenz, Julie Thayer , Maya Hayden , and William Sy deman. Marine Science Division, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Hwy,, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA, blsaenz@prbo.org Brandt’s Cormorants {Phalacroco- rax penicillatus) colonized Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay in 1991. This estuarine colony grew to over 380 pairs in 2001 and maintains a higher average productivity than the neigh- boring offshore population on the Far- allon Islands. In 2000, we began an investigation of cormorant foraging ecology in an effort to understand habitat use and prey consumption of this unique population. Observations of cormorant feeding flocks in 2000 and 2001 showed differences in habitat associations and numbers of birds feeding in San Francisco Bay. In both years, cormorants preferred foraging north of Alcatraz where bathymetry indicates greater slope. In both years, there was decrease in flocking activity after peak chick hatch. In order to bet- ter understand this change in foraging behavior during chick rearing, we at- tached radio transmitters to eight indi- viduals feeding chicks on Alcatraz in 2001. Radio telemetry results indicate that Brandt’s Cormorant parents on Alcatraz forage almost exclusively within the estuary and Golden Gate Channel, rather than flying to coastal or pelagic feeding locations. This for- aging behavior shift may reflect changing energy requirements as chicks are reared, a seasonal change in prey availability or choice, or some combination of these factors. Seabird conservation opportunities on the Baja California Pacific islands Jose Angel Sanchez Pacheco Bradford S, Keitt z , Shaye Wolf, Don- ald A. CrolP, and Bernie R. Tershy 2 , 1 Grupo de Ecologia y Conservacion de Islas, Avenida del Puerto #375, Fracc. Playa de Ensenada, CP 22800 En- senada, Baja California, Mexico, jasanpa@telnor.net; 2 Island Conserva- tion and Ecology Group, Center for Ocean Health, LML, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA; 3 Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA The Baja California Pacific Islands (BCPI) support a diverse and abundant marine avifauna including at least twenty distinct taxa (17 species) and 7 endemic species or subspecies. In comparison, 13 species of seabirds breed in the California Channel Islands and total breeding populations of all species combined are at least two or- ders of magnitude smaller than those on the BCPI. Agencies and non- governmental organizations that want to protect these seabirds can be most effective by investing their limited re- sources where they will yield the larg- est conservation return, regardless of national jurisdiction. Because all but two of the 13 seabirds that breed in the Channel Islands also breed on the BCPI, conservation dollars spent in Mexico will protect many of the same species. In addition, dollars spent in Mexico often lead to proportionately greater conservation benefit. Unfortu- nately, one of the BCPI seabirds, the Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 63 ABSTRACTS Guadalupe Storm-Petrel ( Oceano - droma macrodactyla ), is already ex- tinct, and others are at risk. Develop- ment projects such as rock, seaweed, and guano collection, communication and navigation infrastructure, and pro- posed projects such as the Escalera Nautica are all potential threats to the BCPI. Proactive efforts to manage and protect the BCPI are needed before further development activities threaten seabird colonies. The endangered cui-ui: an over- looked prey of American White Peli- cans at Pyramid Lake, Nevada G, Gary Scoppettone and Peter H. Rissler , Western Fisheries Research Center, Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, 1340 Finan- cial Blvd., Reno, NV 89502, USA As a means of measuring pelican predation on cui-ui ( Chasmistes cujus) spawners, we tracked survival on the cui-ui ’s attempted spawning migrations up the lower Truckee River and through a gauntlet of waiting American White Pelicans ( Pelecanus erythro- rhynchos). Size range and age structure of cui-ui taken was determined through the recovery of anchor tags and opercle bones from the pelicans’ Anaho Island nesting location. We found that, given sufficient stream flow to attract cui-ui to the lower Truckee River, they were a major springtime contribution to White Pelican diet, and that these birds preyed upon a wide range of adult cui-ui sizes and ages. Cui-ui has been an overlooked White Pelican forage resource because of its seasonality, and its lack of availability in some years due to insufficient springtime flow to attract it into the lower Truckee River system. This study gives insight into the historic importance of cui-ui to the Pyramid Lake population of White Pelican diet prior to low springtime flows associated with water diversion from the Truckee River, and also pro- vides information to resource managers who can influence Truckee River flows for the benefit of fish and wildlife. Foraging effort in relation to the constraints of reproduction in free- ranging albatrosses Scott A . Shaffer \ Daniel P. Costa , and Henri Weimerskirch 2 , department of Ecology and Evolu- tionary Biology, University of Califor- nia, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-5730, USA, shaffer@biology.- ucsc.edu; 2 Centre d’Etudes Bi- ologiques de Chize-CNRS, 79360 Villiers en Bois, France Theoretical models predict that breeding animals will vary their effort to maximize different currencies such as time and energy when the con- straints of reproduction change over the course of a breeding cycle. How- ever, this is poorly studied in free- ranging animals. Therefore we com- pared mass changes, foraging costs and efficiency, and activity-specific be- haviors of Wandering Albatrosses ( Diomedea exulans ) during the incuba- tion and chick-brooding stages of 1998 on the Crozet Archipelago. Thirty- eight albatrosses (20 during incubation and 18 during brooding) were injected with doubly-labeled water and equipped with satellite transmitters and activity data loggers. Although alba- trosses traveled 3.7 times farther and were at sea 3.2 times longer during the incubation stage, foraging costs were significantly higher during the brood- ing stage (brooding cost 4.98 ± 0.55 W kg" 1 vs. incubation cost 4.52 ± 0.50 W kg* 1 ; mean ± SD, W = watts). The rate of daily mass gain significantly de- creased with time at sea during the incubation stage, whereas the rate of daily mass gain significantly increased with time at sea during the brooding stage. Overall, foraging effort (energy per unit time) was higher during brooding, suggesting that birds were minimizing time at sea to maximize the rate of food delivery to chicks. In con- trast, foraging effort was lower during incubation, which had a positive effect on foraging efficiency (energy gain per energy expended). In light of our abil- ity to measure foraging effort during incubation and brooding, we estimate that total breeding cost for a Wander- ing Albatross pair is equivalent to 2750 MJ, a 61% increase over previous es- timates. Timing of breeding in Common Murres and Black-legged Khtiwakes in relation to variation in oceano- graphic conditions and food supply Michael Shultz , Alaska Science Center, U.S. Geological Survey, 1011 E. Tudor Rd, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA, Michael_Shultz@usgs.gov We examined the relationship between seasonal and annual variation in oceanographic conditions and food supply on the timing of breeding and reproductive success in Common Mur- res (Uria aalge) and Black-legged Kit- tiwakes (Rissa tridactyl a), at breeding colonies in Lower Cook Inlet, Alaska, from 1995 to 2000. Intra-colony lay date differed significantly among years for each species. Lay date and laying dispersion (variance, skewness, and kurtosis) differed between species within seasons. Lay date and laying dispersion were negatively correlated with reproductive success. Food supply (forage fish abundance) and sea- surface temperature increased as the season progressed. For both species, lay date and laying dispersion were significantly related to sea-surface temperature and food supply during the pre-lay period (the first half of June for kittiwakes and the first of half of July for murres) but there was no significant relationship with food supply or sea- surface temperature at any other time in the season. The negative correlation between food supply and lay date sug- gest that annual variability in laying is due to physiological constraints associ- ated with food limitation. Transient and relatively small-scale fluctuations in ocean temperature that alter local food availability may ultimately have large impacts on reproductive success. These results demonstrate that very small shifts in climate can have poten- tially dramatic effects on seabird populations. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 64 abstracts Things we like: penguin preferences of humans and implications for con- servation David Stokes , Department of Envi- ronmental Studies and Planning, So- noma State University, Rohnert Park, CA 94928, USA, stokes@sonoma.edu The fate of many of the world’s species will be decided by humans. Therefore, human values will be im- portant determinants of many species’ prospects for survival. This study in- vestigates human preferences among the penguins. Human preference was inferred from the representation of dif- ferent types of penguins in comprehen- sive, large-format photograph books on penguins designed for the general pub- lic. From all such books published and widely distributed in the last five years, all photographs were evaluated for size and subject. The 17 species of pen- guins were classified into eight “mor- phospecies” that can easily be visually distinguished by lay readers. Rankings of morphospecies, both by number of photographs and total page area, was highly concordant among the books, suggesting commonly held preferences among humans. In all books, King/Emperor penguins ( Aptenodytes spp.) ranked highest, and Yellow-eyed (Megadyptes antipodes) and/or Little {Eudyptula minor ) ranked lowest. Gentoo ( Pygoscelis papua) and Crested ( Eudyptes spp.) penguins ranked high in all books, and Spheniscus penguins ranked low. Few of the photographs depicted penguins in the water. Color was an important determinant of pref- erence; size and neotenic form, traits proposed by other authors as determi- nants of human preferences for ani- mals, were not important. Of particular concern for conservation, some of the most imperiled penguins were least represented. Human preferences are difficult to assess and these results must be interpreted cautiously. None- theless, given their likely importance in decisions about species protection, we must attempt to understand human preferences and incorporate that under- standing into our efforts to conserve biodiversity. Decline of the Marbled Murrelet population on the central Oregon coast during the 1990 s Craig S. Strong, Crescent Coastal Research, 1 12 West Exchange, Astoria, OR 97103, cstrong@pacifier.com Standardized surveys for Marbled Murrelet ( Brachyramphus marmora- tus ) abundance and distribution at sea from 1992 to 1999 were analyzed using 100-m strip transects for a 106-km portion of the central Oregon coast, Siletz River to Siuslaw River. Densi- ties showed a significant drop begin- ning in 1996, with no increase thereaf- ter. Densities decreased in both near shore and offshore strata within 3 km of shore. Population estimates de- creased from roughly 10,500 to 4100 birds in the area from the early to the late 1990s. There may have been a decrease in abundance in southern Oregon, but there was no evidence of a decline in northern Oregon. Removal of nesting habitat during the 1980s and low overwinter survival associated with decreased marine productivity are possible factors contributing to the decline. Prey abundance and breeding suc- cess of the Black-legged Klttiwake {Rissa tridactyla ), it was not that simple: a five-year ecosystem study Rob Suryan \ David Irons 2 , Pat Jodice *’ 3 , Dan Roby 1 ’*, and Evelyn Brown \ department of Fisheries and Wildlife, 104 Nash Hall, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97331, USA, rob.suryan@orst.edu; 2 Migratory Bird Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Anchorage, AK 99503, USA; 3 U.S. Geological Survey, Oregon Co- operative Wildlife Research Unit, OR 97331, USA; 4 School of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, Institute of Marine Science, University of Alaska, Fair- banks, AK 99775, USA As part of the Alaska Predator Ecosystem Experiment (APEX), we studied the mechanisms of food limita- tion for kittiwakes breeding at three colonies in Prince William Sound, Alaska, during 1995 to 1999. Overall, breeding conditions exhibited exten- sive regional, inter- and intra-annual variation and were not consistently better or worse at any one colony in all years. Variation in median hatch date, clutch size, and laying success was not linked to environmental variables (ranging from sea surface temperature to zooplankton and forage fish abun- dance; r 2 < 0.182, P > 0.21, n = 10). This indicated that factors affecting early season nesting conditions were complex and not sufficiently described by our suite of selected variables. Hatching success, on the other hand, was strongly linked to colony size, incubation foraging trip duration, and adult body condition (r 2 = 0.78, P < 0.03, n = 9). Likewise, indicators of chick-rearing conditions, such as beta chick survival, and growth rates were most strongly affected (r 2 > 0.70, P < 0.05, n = 9) by chick-rearing foraging trip duration, percent mass of 1 -yr-old herring consumed (beta survival only) and total prey abundance (growth rates only). Decreasing foraging trip dura- tion, thereby increasing nestling provi- sioning rate, was a key factor in nes- tling development and varied with prey type in addition to prey abundance. Overall, breeding success (nes- tlings/pair) showed little relationship to total prey abundance, likely due to con- founding factors of colony size, loca- tion, and differential effects of preda- tion of eggs and chicks. However, the largest colony, which was relatively least affected by predation, did show a strong, asymptotic relationship to 1- year-old herring abundance. Time-series analysis of seabird data: application to assessing ecosystem change William J. Sydeman 1 and Chester E. Grosch 2 , ! Marine Science Division, PRBO, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stin- son Beach, CA, USA, wjsyde- man@prbo.org; 2 Center for Coastal Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 65 ABSTRACTS hvsical Oceanography, Old Dominion fniversity, Norfolk, VA 23529, USA Ecosystem management is de- indent upon establishing the fre- quency and amplitude of environ- mental fluctuations. Arguably, time- series analyses are likely to produce some of the most robust information concerning when and why environ- mental fluctuations occur. As an exam- ple, we applied spectral and wavelet analysis to a 30-year time-senes, 1971 - 2000 , on the reproductive per- formance of seabirds in the southern California Current marine ecosystem to investigate patterns of environmental change at multiple time scales. We tested the hypothesis that distinct pat- terns of response (in reproductive per- formance) could be modeled in relation to known environmental fluctuations, such as El Nino and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, initially, we tested for a trend in the data, and after re- moval of a trend (if one existed), ex- amined the frequency spectra for known patterns of ecosystem variabil- ity. For Pigeon Guillemot ( Cepphus columba), a species with relatively high foraging costs during reproduc- tion we found a significant negative trend in the data, which appeared to reverse in recent years. Maximum en- tropy spectral analysis revealed 2-year and 4-year periodicities in the data; the quasi-4-year periodicity appears to be associated with (and explained by) die frequency of El Nino events. We also applied spectral analysis to environ- mental indices (Southern and Northern Oscillation Indices, Multivariate El Niito Index, Pacific Decadal Oscilla- tion) to test for cross-correlation and lagged responses with the guillemot data. Winter measurements of these indices were most strongly correlated with guillemot reproductive perform- ance; this is reflective of environmental conditions that determine prey avail- ability during the breeding season. A 13-year periodicity was evident in the winter NOI dataset. Wavelet analysis indicated that periodicity in the guillemot productivity dataset change in the mid-1970s (from a biannual pe- riod) and mid-1980 (to a 4 -year pe- riod). However, these periodicities ended in the mid 1990s, suggesting either limitations in the dataset to de- tect periods, or a new environmental fluctuation at that time. Seabird data may be useful for pinpointing when major environmental/ecosystem changes occur, and how patterns of change fluctuate through time, bucn information can be valuable for under- standing change in other biologica populations. A constituency for the American White Pelican: the role of the nature writer in science and conservation Ceiridwen Terrill, Literature and Environment program. College of Arts and Science, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0031, USA, cmt@unr.edu Through nature writing* photogra- phy* and the experience of hands-on fieldwork, I present the nature writer as a key link in the conservation of the American White Pelican (Pelecarms erythrorhynchos). As a nature writer in Nevada, my audiences include the gen- eral reader, the federal government, the Pyramid Lake Paiute Tribal Council, and the scientific community. Through my involvement in a critical aspect ot Nevada’s natural history — the seasonal nesting of the American White Peli- can —l integrate scientific knowledge with stories about the research process and the difficult work of doing science while not neglecting responsibilities to conservation. People rarely act on be- half of species they know little or nothing about. The job of the nature writer is to integrate accurate scientific information with lyrical prose to pro- vide a liaison between scientist and layperson. The nature writer servesas translator, educator and storyteller. The critical role played by the nature writer is to engage diverse audiences m con- versations about the importance of bio- diversity in their own communities. While observing pelican nesting be- havior on Anaho Island, located m Pyramid Lake approximately thirty- miles northeast of Reno, Nevada, 1 witnessed social and political unrest surrounding federal allocation of water resources to Pyramid Lake. Coupled with historical tensions over federal management of Anaho Island as a wildlife refuge separate from, yet m the heart of Pyramid Lake Paiute tribal lands, this question of water rights will ultimately affect the nesting success ot one of the largest breeding colonies ot the White Pelican in North America. Protecting seabirds by conserving islands: an integrated regional ap- proach Bernie Tershy' Brad Keitt', Don- ald Croll'’ 2 , Jose Angel Sanchez , C. Josh Donlan', Bill Woo,}. Miguel An- gel Hermosillo 3 , and Gregg Howald , 'Island Conservation and Ecology Group, Center for Ocean Health, 100 Shaffer Road, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA, ter- shv@islandconservation.org; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Umv ®J?^ y of California, Santa Cruz, CA, USA; 'Grupo de Ecologia y Conservation de Islas A.C., Av. del Puerto 375-30, Playa Ensenada, Ensenada, Baja Cali- fornia 22880, Mexico Introduced mammals are the pri- mary cause of recent seabird extinc- tions and current seabird endanger- ment. This is because mammalian predators have been introduced to most of the world’s islands, where breeding seabirds evolved in the absence of ter- restrial predators, and therefore lack appropriate life history, morphological, and behavioral defenses. Removing introduced mammals from islands can protect seabirds, and we believe this can be done effectively by regiona island conservation organizations that integrate: (1) applied research and pri- ority setting; (2) public education and policy work; (3) capacity building; and (4) conservation action. In Northwest Mexico, we developed such an organi- zation, and together with our partners at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Centro de Investigaciones Biologicas del Noroeste, and the Mexi- can National Protected Areas Depart- Viuup removed 29 populations mf»nt Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 •Spring 2002* Page 66 xoo i i o of introduced mammals from 23 is- lands. These removals protected 69% of the region’s seabird species and sub- species and 67% of the region’s en- demic seabirds. Survival of Rhinoceros Auklets in central California Julie A. Thayer , William J. Syde- man, and Michelle M. Hester , Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shore- line Hwy, Stinson Beach, CA 94924, USA, jathayer@prbo.org Understanding survival patterns is key to population dynamics of long- lived seabirds. Contrary to trends in most other central California seabird populations. Rhinoceros Auklet {Cerorhinca monocerata ) populations seem to have increased, and some data show that Rhinoceros Auklets may not be as severely affected by El Nifio events as other seabirds in the Califor- nia Current. However, California Rhi- noceros Auklet populations are still relatively small, and they are especially vulnerable to oiling events and other pollution, human disturbance, and cli- mate change resulting in changes to their prey base. Rhinoceros Auklets lay only one egg per year, resulting in slow population growth even under favor- able ecological conditions. Survival has been documented in some other long-lived seabird species as differing between populations, sometimes dra- matically. Only one previous estimate of adult survival exists for Rhinoceros Auklets, and not many survival esti- mates of California alcid populations are available. We estimated survival of adult Rhinoceros Auklets breeding on two of the three main breeding colonies in California, Ano Nuevo Island and Southeast Farallon Island, over the past 9 years and 14 years, respectively. We simultaneously analyzed mark/re- capture data, band-recovery data from dead animals and live-resighting data between capture intervals, examining influences of colony, year, environ- mental variables, breeding and re- sighting probabilities, reproductive success, experience, and sex. We com- pared our estimates to that of a British Columbia population (Triangle Island), as well as to several estimates available on puffins, which are close relatives of Rhinoceros Auklets, and other alcids. A plumage character for distin- guishing second-year from older Marbled Murrelets during the breeding season Christopher W. Thompson 1 , Laura McFarlane Tranquilla 2 , Nadine Parker 2 , Falk Huettmann 2 , Russell Bradley 2 , and Fred Cooke 2 , Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, 16018 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek, WA 98012, USA, thompcwt@- dfw.wa.gov; department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada Knowledge of age of first breeding is critical to understanding demography of any species. Unfortunately, external plumage and soft part characters of most alcids do not differ between sexes or among age cohorts by spring of their second calendar year, i.e., after com- pletion of first prebasic or first preal- temate molt. As a result, determining age at first breeding requires capturing and marking young birds, and subse- quently recapturing them when they return to breed. Because Marbled Mur- relets {Brachyramphus marmoratus) are difficult to capture, few such data for this species exist; this has ham- pered our ability to determine age at first breeding in murrelets. In the course of a separate study, we seren- dipitously discovered that underwing covert color can be used reliably to distinguish second-year from older murrelets. Museum skins of murrelets collected in January through June that had fleshy or thin-walled bursae were assumed to be second-year birds and, therefore, in first alternate plumage. These birds had whitish underwing coverts in most cases (81.5%). In con- trast, murrelets in breeding condition and/or that lacked fleshy or thin-walled bursae were assumed to be older adults. Most of these birds (85.5%) had grayish-brown underwing coverts. In addition, we speculate that the 14.5% of birds that lacked bursae and/or that were in breeding condition, but that also had whitish underwing coverts probably were second-year birds at- tempting to breed for the first time. Thus, in spring and summer (prior to onset of definitive prebasic molt, typi- cally in July-August), whitish under- wing coverts indicate that a murrelet is a second-year bird with >80% accu- racy, and probably with >95% accu- racy. Evidence for renesting in Marbled Murrelets — take II Laura McFarlane Tranquilla , Russell Bradley, and Fred Cooke, Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada, lat@sfu.ca Renesting in Marbled Murrelets {Brachyramphus marmoratus) has been suggested at previous PSG meet- ings, and this year the evidence for renesting has grown. We report evi- dence for renesting in Desolation Sound, BC, for 1999-2001, coming from four independent sources: (1) physiological analyses of egg- precursor protein (vitellogenin); (2) brood patch scores; (3) radiotelemetry; and (4) confirmed renesting of one Marbled Murrelet. Breeding status is assessed in individuals that are tracked using radiotelemetry throughout their breeding cycle, and compared to breeding status inferred at the time of capture. Evidence is as follows: (1) The presence of egg-producers for so long in the study area suggests there is sufficient time in the season to renest, if birds start early enough. (2) Egg- producing and fully-developed brood patches occurred, in some cases, much earlier in respect to the date that incu- bation actually began; this suggested that delay or re-nesting had occurred in the interim. (3) Radiotelemetry data tracked nest attendance patterns that were not consistent with one full incu- bation term, but suggestive of a failed incubation term followed by a success- ful one. (4) One individual was found incubating at a nest 30 days after lay- ing an egg in the hand of a researcher. It may be that Marbled Murrelets can Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 67 ABSTRACTS recover from disruption of a breeding attempt (especially egg loss), if they initiate breeding early enough in the season. These results have strong im- plications for Marbled Murrelet de- mography and annual fecundity esti- mates. Use of aerial surveys in oil spill re- sponse W. Breck Tyler 1 , R. Glenn Ford \ Jeff Davis \ Laird Henkel 1 , Brad Keitt l , and Paul Kelly 1 , Tnstitute of Marine Sciences, University of Cali- fornia, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA, ospr@cats.ucsc.edu; 2 Ecological Con- sulting, Inc., 2735 NE Weidler St., Portland, OR 97232, USA; California Department of Fish and Game, Office of Spill Prevention and Response, Sac- ramento, CA 94244, USA During the past decade, aerial sur- veys of marine birds and mammals have become a significant component of oil spill response strategy, providing near real-time data on the abundance and distribution of vulnerable species at sea. Aerial observers can quickly locate areas of high potential impact and provide information necessary to direct response efforts. In California, rapid response at sea surveys are con- ducted by the University of California Santa Cruz (UCSC) aerial survey team under contract with the California De- partment of Fish and Game, Office of Spill Prevention and Response. Since its inception in 1994, the UCSC survey team has responded to six oil spills, and participated in five oil spill re- sponse drills. The UCSC survey team also conducts bimonthly training sur- veys in state waters. Survey coverage has been heaviest in the Monterey Bay area and, in the past year, off the Big Sur coast. We have flown more than SO surveys, covering thousands of nautical miles, and recorded tens of thousands of sightings. These distribution and abundance records comprise a signifi- cant data set that provides historical perspective and can be used for man- agement and spill response decisions. In some instances, the appropriate use of distributional data has the potential to significantly reduce spill-related seabird mortality. Population monitoring of breeding American White Pelicans {Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) at Stum Lake, British Columbia Katherine VanSpall 1 , Janice An- derson \ and Jim Young \ *1109 Denny Road, Williams Lake, BC,V2G 3J7 Canada, kvanspal@stardate.bc.ca; 2 Wildlife Branch, Cariboo Region, Ministry of Water, Land & Air Protec- tion, Williams Lake, BC, V2G 4T1, Canada Stum Lake, found within White Pelican Provincial Park, contains the only nesting colony of American White Pelicans ( Pelecanus erythrorhynchos ) in British Columbia. The lake is lo- cated approximately 70 kilometers west of Williams Lake, BC, and in- cludes four islands on which breeding pelicans nest. American White Pelicans are legally designated as Endangered under the BC Wildlife Act and are in- cluded on the provincial Red List. The population of nesting pelicans at Stum Lake has been monitored periodically from 1953 to 1976 and annually from 1977 to 2001 to provide trend data on the number of nesting pairs in the population. The minimum numbers of adult pelicans and young of the year were counted by observers using bin- oculars and telescopes. Counts of nest depressions were obtained by walking on the breeding islands late in the breeding season after chicks had fledged. From 1968 to 1987, the num- ber of nests fluctuated but stayed within the range of 85 to 125 nests. After 1987, however, the number of nests increased from 110 in 1987 to a maximum of 423 nests in 1993. Since 1993, the number of nests has declined slightly and varied from a high of 365 to a low of 213 nests. The number of young of the year exhibits a wider de- gree of fluctuation than the number of nests, to the extent that three breeding failures (15 surviving young) have been observed since 1972. Despite these periodic breeding failures, there has been an overall trend of increasing number of young from an average of 66 in the 1970s to an average of 175 in the 1990s. Seabird ecology, El Nino anomalies, and prediction of sardine fisheries in the Gulf of California Enriqueta Velarde 1 , Exequiel Ez- curra 2 , Miguel A. C isner os-Mat a* , and Miguel F. Lavinf 1 Centro de Ecologia y Pesquerias, Direccion General de Investigaciones, Universidad Ve~ racruzana, Carretera Xalapa-Veracruz km 3.5, Av. 2 vistas s/n, Xalapa, Ve- racruz, 91190, Mexico, vgme@- minervaux2 . fc i encias .unam . mx; Insti- tuto Nacional de Ecologia, Av. Revolucion 1425, Mexico, D.F. 01040, Mexico; 3 Instituto Nacional de la Pe- sca, Calle 20 No. 605-Sur, Guaymas, Son. 85400, Mexico; 4 Departamento de Oceanografia Fisica, CICESE, km 107 Carr. Tijuana-Ensenada, Ensenada, B.C. 22800, Mexico Small pelagic fish constitute 25 to 40% of the fisheries landings in Mex- ico. Over 70% of these landings, pre- dominantly Pacific sardine {Sardinops caeruleus ), are captured in the Gulf of California. Small pelagic fishes are a key component of the Gulfs ecosys- tem; they are eaten by seabirds, sea mammals and other fishes. Accurate prediction of total landings and catch per unit effort (CPUE) is essential for the sustainable management of the sar- dine fishery in the Gulf, where it has been showing signs of overfishing since the early 1990s. We developed two statistical models that use oceano- graphic conditions and seabird breed- ing and feeding data to predict total catch and CPUE of Pacific sardine in the central Gulf. Total catch was pre- dicted with an accuracy of 74% by a linear model incorporating the South- ern Oscillation Index (SOI), the clutch size of Heermann’s Gulls ( Larus heer - manni ), and the proportion of sardines in the diet of Elegant Terns ( Sterna elegans), CPUE was predicted with an accuracy of 80% by a model based on the proportion of sardines in the diet of Elegant Terns, the reproductive success of Heermann’s Gulls, and the spring- Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29 , Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 68 ABSTRACTS time sea surface temperature anomaly in the Gulf region. Our results show that the reproductive ecology of sea- birds is coupled to the global and local oceanographic conditions, and that this information can be used to anticipate the outcome of fishing efforts. Molting and breeding frequency in the Black-footed Albatross: do cur- rent investments limit future repro- duction? Anthony Viggiano and John M Marzlufil College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2100, USA, anthonyv@u.- washington.edu Life history theory suggests a trade-off between current reproductive effort and future reproductive output. In birds, current reproductive invest- ment can limit the number of feathers molted, which can negatively affect survival and future reproductive suc- cess. Large birds do not have enough time to breed and replace all flight feathers within an annual cycle. Black- footed Albatross (Phoebastria nigripes) exhibit a pattern of incom- plete primary molt and occasionally skip a breeding season. I scored pri- mary molt and reproductive success of P. nigripes on Tern Island, French Frigate Shoals, to investigate the trade-off between time allocated to- wards breeding and molting. The num- ber of primaries replaced varied with age and time invested in reproduction. Even aged birds replaced x = 4.93 pri- mary feathers while birds of odd ages replaced x = 8.62. Birds with a high reproductive investment replaced x = 0.84 fewer feathers than those whose nests failed early. The number of worn feathers was not correlated with the probability of returning to breed the following season, but the time invested in current reproduction and feather condition were. Albatrosses with worn feathers or high reproductive invest- ment were less likely to return to breed than were birds with fresh feathers or low reproductive investment. Addi- tionally, birds that returned to breed with very worn feathers had lower re- productive success than birds with less feather wear. This research suggests, within a pair, the condition of the fe- male’s primary feathers is more im- portant than the male’s in explaining the probability of returning to breed. Population biology and trends of the Black-footed Albatross at Tern Is- land, French Frigate Shoals Anthony Viggiano and John M Marzluff y College of Forest Resources, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-2100, USA, anthonyv@u.- washington.edu Declines in the number of breed- ing Black-footed Albatross pairs have been recorded at three permanently manned U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service field stations in the Hawaiian Islands. Studies describing the demography and population biology of this species are needed to accurately assess these trends. Analyzing a six-year mark-recapture data set from Tern Is- land, French Frigate Shoals, I deter- mined age-specific survival, juvenile survival (survival to recruitment), age at first reproduction, and rate of re- cruitment. I also monitored reproduc- tive success for two years to determine age-specific reproductive success. Us- ing these parameters, I determined the annual growth rate for the population. Survival for birds 5 years and older was 0.89 (Cl = 0.87 to 0.91), and an- nual survival from fledging to 5 years old was 0.79 (Cl = 0.76 to 0.82). Hatching success did not vary between years, but fledging success did. Birds ages 6-9 had lower hatching and fledging success than birds that were 10 years and older. The minimum re- corded age at first breeding was 5 years old. Ninety-nine percent of the breed- ing population was recruited into the breeding population by 9 years of age with the mean age at first reproduction at 7 years old. The annual growth rate of the population was calculated as 0.9612. Elasticity analysis indicated that population trends are more sensi- tive to changes in survival than in fe- cundity. Additionally, adult survival contributed more to the annual growth rate than juvenile survival. Oceanic habitat of tropical seabirds: exploring habitat relationships with generalized additive models L Ignacio Vilchis 1,2 and Lisa T. Ballance 2 , *Grupo de Ecologia y Manejo, Universidad Catolica del Norte de Chile, Larrondo 1281, Casilla 117, Coquimbo, Chile, nacho@coast.- ucsd.edu; 2 Ecology Program, National Marine Fisheries Service, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA We applied generalized additive models in order investigate habitat re- lationships of pelagic seabirds in the eastern tropical Pacific. Six seabird distribution and abundance were re- corded from two National Oceano- graphic and Atmospheric Administra- tion (NOAA) research vessels using 300-m strip transect methods during 386 days at sea, in the boreal summer and fall of 1989 and 1990. Habitat was quantified using the following oceano- graphic variables, recorded from the same vessels; sea surface temperature, salinity, water density, and chlorophyll, thermocline depth and strength. We chose six seabird species representing a diverse group, with respect to phylogeny and ecology (i.e., diet and foraging methods). Seabirds chosen were Juan Fernandez Petrel ( Ptero - droma externa ), Wedge-tailed Shearwater ( Puffinus pacificus), Leach’s Storm Petrel ( Oceanodroma leucorhoa ), Wedge-rumped Storm Pet- rel (O. tethys). Red-footed Booby (Sula sula) f and Red-tailed Tropicbird (Phaethon rubricauda). Habitat models were fitted using a forwards and back- wards stepwise selection process, based on the Akaike Information Crite- rion. We used data from 1989 to pro- duce models for each species, then applied each model to real oceano- graphic data from 1990, in order to predict abundance and distribution patterns for the corresponding species for 1990. Predicted patterns were com- pared to those observed in order to Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 69 ABSTRACTS assess the validity of each model, by calculating residuals representing the difference between predicted and ob- served densities. Effect of seabird rela- tive abundance and sample size on the model outcome was evaluated with a non-parametric bootstrap. Developed models were able to depict real patterns of distribution and abundance of the studied seabirds, but were limited by sample size of rare and less abundant birds. Factors discerning habitat for each seabird varied from phylogeny to ecology to both, with seabird foraging ecology being the most influential. Generalized additive models proved to be a valuable tool in identifying habitat relationships for pelagic seabirds. The importance of local prey abun- dance in determining the strength of spatial associations between non- breeding seabirds and prey in near- shore Monterey Bay Lucy S. Vlietstra , Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 9265 1 , USA, lvlietst@uci.edu Food availability is often consid- ered a primary factor shaping the at-sea distribution of marine predators. One approach to understanding the nature of this effect has been to examine spa- tial relationships between predators and their prey. Spatial correlations between breeding seabirds and their prey are often strongest at large (>3km) spatial scales. Fine-scale associations are con- sidered limited by perceptual con- straints or time constraints, such as those imposed by central-place forag- ing. In this study, I hypothesized that, because nonbreeding seabirds are no longer central-place foragers, spatial correlations between seabirds and prey would be stronger in nonbreeding birds than those reported for breeding birds. I also expected that seabirds would be more closely linked with acoustic bio- mass when prey availability is low. During winters 1998-2000, 1 measured acoustic biomass and the distribution of four piscivorous seabirds (Brandt’s Cormorants [Phalacrocorax penicilla- tus ], Common Murres [Uria aalge ], Pacific Loons [Gavia pacifica ], and Rhinoceros Auklets [ Cerorhinca monocerata ]) in nearshore Monterey Bay. I found that, overall, there was no significant correlation between three seabird species and acoustic biomass on spatial scales up to 13 km. How- ever, on days when acoustic biomass was below the median for the study period, cormorants, murres, and loons were strongly associated with biomass at scales ranging from 0.2 to 3.2 km. Birds were correlated with acoustic biomass at larger spatial scales when acoustic biomass was very low. This study suggests that seabirds track prey at smaller spatial scales during the nonbreeding season than during the breeding season, but only when local food supplies are in high demand. Long-term changes In the type, but not amount, of ingested plastic parti- cles in Short-tailed Shearwaters in the southeastern Bering Sea Lucy S. Vlietstra 1 and Joyce A. Parga 2 , 'Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Irvine, CA 92651, USA, ivlietst@uci.edu; department of An- thropology, University of Texas, Aus- tin, TX 78712, USA Plastics are major pollutants in the marine environment, and their inges- tion by seabirds has become a global conservation concern. However, few studies have been published that de- scribe temporal trends in plastic inges- tion by seabirds since 1988, when An- nex V was adopted for the International Convention for the Prevention of Pol- lution from Ships (MARPOL), prohib- iting the disposal of plastic material at sea. In this study, we report the current (1997-99, 2001) incidence, amount, and predominant type of ingested plas- tic found in Short-tailed Shearwaters (Puffinus tenuirostris) in the southeast- ern Bering Sea. We compare our re- sults with plastic reported in shearwa- ters from the same region during 1970-78. Because the basis for concern about plastic is that it is harmful to seabird health, we also examine the relationship between ingested plastic and shearwater body mass. We found that 84% of shearwaters sampled con- tained plastic (« = 330). The incidence and amount of ingested plastic have not shown significant change since the 1970s; however, the predominant type of ingested plastic in shearwaters has changed from industrial plastic to user plastic. We suggest that the availability of neuston plastic to seabirds in the Bering Sea has undergone a shift in composition since the 1970s. We found no significant correlation between the amount, number, and total volume of plastic particles and shearwater body mass. Shearwater body condition ap- pears little if at all impaired by plastic, at least at present levels of consump- tion. Regulation of wing-beat behavior against buoyancy change in deep- diving Thick-billed Murres Yutaka Watanuki 1 , Yasuaki Nii- zuma 2 , Geir Gabrielsen 3 , and Yasuhiko Naito 4 , 'Laboratory of Animal Ecol- ogy, Hokkaido University, Hokkaido, J apan, y wata@res . agr .hokudai .ac . j p; 2 Japan Science and Technology Corpo- ration, Hokkaido National Fisheries Research Institute, Katsurakoi 116, Kushiro 085-0802, Japan; Norwegian Polar Institute, Polarmiljosenteret, N- 9296 Tromso, Norway; 4 National In- stitute of Polar Research, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Breath-holding divers are expected to conserve oxygen consumption while they are making dives longer than the theoretical time during which they con- sume their whole oxygen store. Con- trary to marine mammals, seabirds hold much air in their respiratory system and feathers, and hence they have high buoyancy in shallow water. A recently developed mechanical model for Thick- billed Murres ( Uria lomvia) predicts that the birds maintain a swimming speed which minimizes their drag coefficient (Lovvorn, J Exp Biol 202:1741, 1999). To do so, they have to regulate their thrust power against rapidly changing buoyancy, presumably through regulation of wing-beat Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number l * Spring 2002 • Page 70 ABSTRACTS frequency or power. We measured wing-beat behavior in diving Thick- billed Murres in the wild based on the 1/32 Hz sampling of accelerations along head-tail axis and ventral-dorsal axis by small bird-borne data loggers. The murres slightly decreased their beat frequency against the rapid de- crease of buoyancy, but they slightly increased their swim speed while they were descending to 100 m depth. While they were ascending, they de- creased wing beat frequency to the depth of neutral buoyancy (ca, 60 m), and then they stopped beating their wings after that. As a result they could maintain a speed minimizing drag co- efficient until ca. 20 m depth, then they accelerated while they were freely as- cending with increasing buoyancy in shallower water. At-sea density monitoring of Xan- tus’s Murrelets at Anacapa and Santa Barbara Islands, California, in 2001 Darrell L. Whitworth 1 , Harry R. Carter ! , Richard Young 1 , Sarah Fang- man 2 , and Franklin Gress 3 , Humboldt State University and U.S. Geological Survey, 6924 Tremont Road, Dixon, CA 95620, USA; 2 Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary, Santa Bar- bara, CA 93109, USA; ^California In- stitute of Environmental Studies, Davis, CA 95616, USA In 2001, we used nocturnal spot- light surveys to assess changes in numbers of Xantus’s Murrelets ( Synthliboramphus hypoleucus ) in nocturnal at-sea congregations beside breeding colonies, as part of a moni- toring program to measure expected murrelet population increase at Anacapa Island (ANA) after the eradi- cation of rats ( Rattus rattus ). Similar surveys also were conducted at Santa Barbara Island (SBI) for comparison. Nocturnal spotlight surveys involved scanning waters within 75 m of an in- flatable boat traveling at slow speeds along GPS transects and recording the number of murrelets per observation, distance from the observer, angle from the transect line, and GPS location. We sampled one main area at each island using standardized transects about 1.9 km long at distances from shore of 200 m (inshore) and 500 m (offshore). Murrelet densities were estimated us- ing three methods: (1) 150-m strip transects; (2) a line transect detection function fitted to pooled distance data; and (3) the most frequently identified detection function fitted to individual surveys. Density differed among the three methods, with line transect de- tection function and strip transects yielding consistently higher and lower densities, respectively. Density esti- mates varied widely for all three meth- ods at both islands (e.g., the range of strip transect densities was 19-472 murrelets/km 2 at ANA and 41-522 murrelets/km 2 at SBI). Densities were higher on the inshore than offshore transects at both islands. Densities were not statistically significant be- tween different times of night (2200, 0100, and 0400), and we detected no consistent trends in attendance patterns through the night. Densities decreased through the season (mid-April to late May) at ANA. Chronic oil pollution in Newfound- land and its impacts on Thick-billed Murre ( Uria lomvia ) populations in the Canadian Arctic Francis K. Wiese, Atlantic Coop- erative Wildlife Ecology Research Network, Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfound- land, St. John’s, Newfoundland, Can- ada, Francis. Wiese@ec.gc.ca Seabirds have been used as moni- tors of marine oil pollution for decades. Seabirds are mostly affected by large catastrophic oil spills and by the con- tinuous illegal discharges of oily bilges from large trans- Atlantic vessels. This type of chronic oil pollution has been an ongoing global problem since the early part of the 20th century wherever large seabird concentrations and ship- ping lanes overlap. Chronic oil pollu- tion is thought to be more detrimental to seabirds than catastrophic spills, but its impacts on populations have been difficult to assess. In Newfoundland, Canada, chronic oil pollution has been documented using systematic beached bird surveys since 1984. Over the last three years, a detailed large-scale study determined the total number of sea- birds that die due to oil in Atlantic Canada and assessed whether some species show population impacts due to this anthropogenic disturbance. Meth- ods included weekly beached bird sur- veys, persistence and deposition stud- ies of oiled and unoiled beached corpses, buoyancy studies, large-scale drift block experiments, and population modeling. An average of 300,000 sea- birds is estimated to die annually due to illegal discharges of oil in Atlantic Canada. Thick-billed Murres {Uria lomvia) are the species most affected. A demographic and environmentally stochastic population model for Thick- billed Murres revealed that the cumu- lative effects of the traditional New- foundland winter murre harvest and chronic oil pollution decrease popula- tion growth by 40% per annum. Cur- rent levels of marine oil pollution and murre population impacts are important conservation issues and are of immedi- ate concern beyond our region. California Brown Pelicans nesting in the Pacific Northwest?: potential for a major northward expansion in breeding range Sadie K . Wright, Daniel D. Roby, and Robert G. Anthony , U.S. Geologi- cal Survey, Oregon Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Depart- ment of Fisheries and Wildlife, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR 97333, USA, sadiwright@mailbox.ucs.orstedu Several observations suggest that California Brown Pelicans {Pelecanus occidentals californicus ) may be on the verge of nesting in the Columbia River estuary, over 1200 km north of their current northernmost colony. These observations include (1) pro- gressively earlier spring arrival on East Sand Island, (2) large numbers present on the island from early June to late November, (3) association with a large breeding colony of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus ), Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 71 ABSTRACTS (4) local abundance of anchovy {En~ graulis mordax ) and sardine (Sardi- nops sagax) prey, and (5) frequent courtship displays and other breeding behavior. Brown Pelicans first arrived in the estuary in 2001 on April 9 and were abundant throughout the summer and fall. The presence of the large Double-crested Cormorant colony on East Sand Island apparently acts as a social attractant for Brown Pelicans, may aid pelicans in predator detection and food finding, and may stimulate breeding behavior in pelicans. An- chovy and sardine were particularly abundant in the diet of other piscivo- rous seabirds in mixed foraging flocks with Brown Pelicans near East Sand Island. We observed adult pelicans bowing, head swaying, exchanging nesting materials, building nests, mounting, and copulating. Establish- ment of a breeding colony of Brown Pelicans on East Sand Island may be precluded, however, by several types of disturbance that we documented, including seabird researchers, boaters, fishers, and Bald Eagles {Haliaeetus leucocephalus ). Local at-sea distribution of breeding and non-breeding radio-marked Marbled Murrelets during the sum- mer Peggy Yen, Russell Bradley, and Falk Hueitmann , Centre for Wildlife Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby BC, V5A 1S6 Canada, ppyen@sfu.ca Current efforts to conserve Mar- bled Murrelets ( Brachyramphus mar- moratus) focus on terrestrial habitat; here, we present evidence that there may be equally sensitive marine for- aging areas that are of high value to breeding individuals. We combine daily individual radiotelemetry track- ing from helicopters throughout the breeding season with breeding status in kernel home-range analysis to dissemi- nate the potential differences between core areas of marine habitat use by breeding and non-breeding individuals at sea. Breeding birds are detected us- ing behavioral “on/ofT patterns of in- cubation at the nest from radio teleme- try data, whereas non-breeders do not show this pattern and are found only on the water. Based on our multi-year study in Desolation Sound, British Columbia, we suggest that breeding murrelets may be concentrated annu- ally in specific marine regions within our study area, where prey may be more abundant than in surrounding area, rather than using all marine areas equally. If this is a general phenome- non, the proximity of particular terres- trial and marine attributes should be considered when making conservation plans for this species. Having your eggs and eating them, too: a simulation model for exploring the effects of predation and egg har- vest at a gull colony Stephani Zador , School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195, USA, szador@u.washington.- edu I developed an individual-based simulation model to explore the effects of harvesting eggs from a seabird col- ony that also experiences egg loss from avian predators. The model has direct application to Glacier Bay National Park, where resource managers are concerned about potential effects of traditional Native Alaskan egg har- vesting practices at colonies within the park. Model parameters were derived from monitored Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens) nests. The model simulates the sequence of egg laying, relaying, and incubation to hatching for individual nests and returns hatching success, incubation length, total egg harvest, total eggs laid, and harvester and predator search efficiency for all nests in the simulation. Stochasticity is incorporated in the distribution of nest lay dates and predation and harvest events. The model assumes that (1) all nests are equally vulnerable to preda- tion, (2) predation rates are constant throughout the season, (3) the relaying response is the same whether eggs are lost to harvesters or predators, and (4) gulls will not re-lay if they have al- ready laid a total of 8 eggs or have laid and lost 2 full clutches. Model outputs suggest that (1) even very low preda- tion rates have a greater impact than egg harvesting because the former oc- curs throughout the season, (2) varying the number of days a set harvest level is conducted has little impact, and (3) restricting harvest to one day early in the nesting season provides the greatest total harvest with the least effect on' gull hatching success over varying background predation rates. Status of the Red-legged Cormorant in Peru: what factors affect distribu- tion and population size? Carlos Zavalaga 1 , Esteban Frere 2 , and Patricia Gandini 2 , ‘Department of Biological Sciences, University of North Carolina, 601 South College Road, Wilmington, NC 28403-5915, USA, cbz3724@uncwil.edu; 2 Centro de Investigaciones de Puerto Deseado de la Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia Austral, cc: 238(9050), Puerto Deseado, Santa Cruz, Argentina The distribution and abundance of Red-legged Cormorants ( Phalacroco - rax gaimardi ) were assessed by visit- ing 42 localities on the mainland and surveying most of the islands along Peru’s 2500 coastline [s/cj between October 1999 and December 2000. Cormorants were distributed in small discrete groups (mode = 5 birds, range = 1-69) from Isla Foca (5* 12' S) to Morro Sama (18* 0' S). The southern coast (56% of the total population) and central coast (34%) held a larger pro- portion of cormorants than did the northern region (10%). The population was mainly located in non-legally pro- tected areas, either on islands (6%) or on the mainland (51%). We counted 658 birds (95% adults, 5% juveniles), but based on bird density, availability of suitable habitats, and cliff lengths, we predicted a total population size in Peru of 1,802 ± 282 birds. Red-legged Cormorants have undergone a spec- tacular decline over the last 30 years. Between 1968 and 1999-2000, the population at ten localities in the north- Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 72 ABSTRACTS em and central coast decreased from 3229 to 69 birds. It is likely that low numbers reflect the devastating effects of the strong ENSO of 1997-98 as numbers prior to and after this event at eight southern localities decreased by 73%. Because of the inaccessibility of their nesting and roosting sites and the lack of natural predators. Red-legged Cormorants are apparently not in dan- ger on land. However, entanglement in fishing nets, competition for food in inshore waters, pollution, human dis- turbance, and harvesting of kelp banks are potential threats at sea and could affect the population’s recovery. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 * Page 73 BOOK REVIEW A Field Guide to the Birds of Korea. By Woo-Shin Lee, Tae-Hoe Koo and Jin-Young Park. Illustrated by Takashi Taniguchi. Translated by Desmond Allen. 2000, LG Evergreen Foundation, Seoul, Korea. 328 pp. 120 color plates. Paperback. ISBN: 89- 951415-0-6. $35.00. Reviewed by Malcolm Coulter This is the latest in a number of bird field guides for Asia and spon- sored in part by the Wild Bird Society of Japan. The others are field guides to the birds of Japan (Japanese and Eng- lish), water birds of Asia (English), and birds of Taiwan (Chinese). All are ex- cellent and follow similar formats. Il- lustrations are on right-hand pages, and facing them are brief species descrip- tions and range maps. The Korean guide was written and is available in Korean; the English translation is de- scribed here. This is the only guide for the Korean peninsula in English. It is small enough to be used easily in the field. This is a very good guide. The illustrations by Takashi Tani- guchi are excellent and are the strong point of the guide. He also illustrated the Taiwan field guide and the guide to the waterbirds of Asia. Some illustra- tions are new, some are the same as those in the other guides, and some are the same but modified slightly. They should be adequate by themselves for identification in most cases. The descriptions are brief and in- sufficient for identification. They should be consulted in conjunction with the illustrations. The text includes the name (English, Latin, and Korean in Latin letters); status in Korea; de- scription; similar species when appro- priate; habitat in Korea; and (for some species) “status." The last is usually a list of places where the species is regularly recorded. The range maps are small. They cover northeast Asia in all cases, and also Southeast Asia in some cases. Summering and wintering ranges are presented, but migration routes are not included. Hence, the maps present only a general idea of the distribution in eastern Asia and are not helpful in in- dicating where the birds are found in Korea. In some cases, the maps contain incorrect information for Korea. For instance, the Saunders Gull, ( Larus saundersi ), which I believe breeds at least in northern South Korea, is shown only as a winter resident. If one were looking for a specific bird in Korea, the maps will be of little help. This is disappointing. In part, this may be understandable in the differ- ence in availability of information in North and South Korea. While there are probably good records of the distri- bution of birds in South Korea, their distribution in North Korea is probably less available. Similar range maps are presented in the guides to the birds of Japan and Taiwan. But the maps for any species differ slightly among the guides. The maps should be taken as a general indi- cation of the range of the species but the details should not be taken defini- tively. The Field Guide to the Birds of Korea is small, sturdy and well pro- duced. Unlike some modem guides that are large and inconvenient into take to the field, this is small enough to be easily used in the field. This guide, as well as the others mentioned above, will help in the de- velopment of ornithology in these countries, in part because they are available in the local languages. This is important. Furthermore, they will pro- mote conservation and bird watching. For those of us who speak only Eng- lish, we will benefit from the English translations when we visit these coun- tries. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 74 CORRECTIONS Below are corrections of errors that appeared in a previous issue. The editor apologizes to the affected authors. Please let me know if you find a mistake in a Pacific Seabirds. In the Regional Report for Washing- ton for 2001, Pacific Seabirds 28(2):86, some sections were inadver- tently transposed. Affected paragraphs are printed correctly below, from the start of the section through the first paragraph of Julia Parrish’s contribu- tion. Washington — seabirds other than Marbled Murrelets Lora Leschner is working on a re- port for the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) on “Seabird Research in Washington, 1980 to 2001,” to be in- cluded in the Pacific Region Seabird Conservation Plan. She will be contact- ing seabird researchers about their cur- rent work and their publications. Lora is also working on a pilot project to use volunteer ornithologists to monitor shorebirds in the estuaries of northern Puget Sound. This project is part of the National Shorebird Monitoring Plan. In addition to monitoring, she will work with volunteers to get elementary school kids involved in the Shorebird Sister Schools program. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW),. which owns most of the Skagit estuary shoreline and land in Padilla Bay, is working with Ducks Unlimited on habitat management projects that benefit both waterfowl and shorebirds. David Nysewander, Joe Evenson, Bryan Murphie, and Tom Cyra are continuing several monitoring studies associated with the marine bird compo- nent of the Puget Sound Ambient Moni- toring Program (PSAMP). PSAMP is a state and federal interagency effort in Washington State, which monitors vari- ous components of the inner marine wa- ters that extend east from the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca, north into the San Juan Islands and Georgia Basin, and southwards into Puget Sound proper. Winter aerial surveys of marine birds and waterfowl were conducted again in December 2000 and January 2001. Data and map products are avail- able in ARC GIS format for the 1992- 2001 winter and 1992-1999 summer sur- veys. These are avialable from the Wild- life Resources Data Section of WDFW in Olympia through Shelly Snyder at 360- 902-2483. Restricted funding prevents continuation of the summer aerial sur- veys, but the 2001-2002 winter aerial surveys will be continued, in part due to continuing concern about the decline of many marine bird species in this region (13 of 18 examined) over the last 20 years. The largest declines are associated either with fish-eating species like West- ern Grebes that prey upon forage fish, or with species like scaup and scoters that feed on eggs of forage fish. Forage-fish eggs may be required for acquisition of sufficient fat reserves for migration and initiation of reproduction, and availabil- ity of this food is declining. The PSAMP program, USFWS, and volunteer groups have also just com- pleted the third year of boat-based cen- suses of Pigeon Guillemots at breeding sites. The surveys are made during May of each year. The effort this year ex- tended the standardized protocol and timing of surveys to all sites that were checked last year, plus a few that were missed in 1999. The surveys provides a more standardized methodology for monitoring selected breeding species found throughout all of the greater Puget Sound and will entail at least a five-year collaboration. Contact Joe Evenson at 360-902-2524 for further information on this effort. The PSAMP team also conducted aerial surveys during June 2001 focusing on Great Blue Herons. This was part of a pilot project coordinated by Don Nor- man, in collaboration with ground-based volunteer observers, to evaluate the fea- sibility of monitoring great blue heron numbers from aerial surveys on their marine feeding areas in northern Puget Sound. Contact Don at 206-542-1275 for further information and results associated with this effort. Julia Parrish (University of Wash- ington [UW]), assisted by her graduate students and research technicians, moni- tored three Common Murre colonies on the coast of Washington and Oregon in 2001: Tatoosh Island, Yaquina Head, and a new site. Point Grenville in Copalis National Wildlife Refuge. An eleventh year of data was added to the long-term monitoring study of breeding, predator- prey interaction and provisioning at the Tatoosh Island colony. Thanks to a scar- city of Bald Eagles and an abundance of forage fish, murre attendance and repro- ductive success reached all-time highs. All surface nesters on the island did well, including Glaucous-winged Gulls, Pe- lagic Cormorants, and Double-crested Cormorants. Tom Good, although busy with his new appointment on the salmon recovery team at NMFS, managed to find time to pursue his study of factors af- fected gull breeding success at Tatoosh Island. Nathalie Hamel completed her last year of data collection for her mas- ter’s degree at UW. She headed the ra- dio-tracking project and collected infor- mation on the foraging distribution and post-breeding migration of Tatoosh Is- land murres. Once again, the murres are heading into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Puget Sound. Thanks to everyone in the Tatoosh field crew, including Colin French, John Huckabee, Kip Parker, Erin Hagen, Emily Meredith, Jen Convy, and Kate Litle for their invalu- able assistance.... [Continued in PS 28(2)] Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 * Page 75 PUBLISHED PROCEEDINGS OF SYMPOSIA OF THE PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP The Pacific Seabird Group holds occasional symposia at its annual meetings. Published symposia are listed below. They are available for purchase (unless out of print). To order, see the membership application/publication order form. SHOREBIRDS IN MARINE ENVIRONMENTS. Frank A. Pitelka (Editor). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group. Asilomar, California, January 1 977. Published June 1 979 in Studies in Avian Bio fogy. Number 2. Out of print TROPICAL SEABIRD BIOLOGY. Ralph W. Schreiber (Editor). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Sea- bird Group, Honolulu, Hawaii, December 1982. Published February 1984 in Studies in Avian Biology, Number 8. Out of print. MARINE BIRDS: THEIR FEEDING ECOLOGY AND COMMERCIAL FISHERIES RELATIONSHIPS. David N. Nettle- ship, Gerald A. Sanger, and Paul F. Springer (Editors). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Seattle, Washington, January 1982. Published 1984 as Canadian Wildlife Service, Special Publication. Out of print. THE USE OF NATURAL VS. MAN-MODIFIED WETLANDS BY SHOREBIRDS AND WATERBIRDS. R. Michael Erwin, Malcolm C. Coulter, and Howard L. Cogswell (Editors). Proceedings of an International Symposium at the first joint meeting of the Colonial Waterbird Society and the Pacific Seabird Group, San Francisco, California, December 1985. Colonial Waterbirds 9(2), 1986. $12.00 from Ornithological Societies of North America, PO Box 1897, Lawrence, Kansas 66044; phone (800) 627-0629. ECOLOGY AND BEHAVIOR OF GULLS. Judith L. Hand, William E. Southern, and Kees Vermeer (Editors). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Colonial Waterbird Society and the Pacific Seabird Group, San Francisco, California, December 1985. Published June 1987 in Studies in Avian Biology, Number 10. $18.50. AUKS AT SEA. Spencer G. Sealy (Editor). Proceedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Pacific Grove, California, December 1987, Published December 1990 in Studies in Avian Biology, Number 14. $16.00. STATUS AND CONSERVATION OF THE MARBLED MURRELET IN NORTH AMERICA. Harry C. Carter, and Michael L. Morrison (Editors). Proceedings of a Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Pacific Grove, California, December 1987. Pub- lished October 1992 in Proceedings of the Western Foundation of Vertebrate Zoology, Volume 5, Number 1. $20.00. THE STATUS, ECOLOGY, AND CONSERVATION OF MARINE BIRDS OF THE NORTH PACIFIC. Kees Vermeer, Kenneth T. Briggs, Ken H. Morgan, and Douglas Siegel-Causey (editors). Proceedings of a Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Canadian Wildlife Service, and the British Columbia Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, Victoria, British Columbia, February 1990. Published 1993 as a Canadian Wildlife Service Special Publication, Catalog Number CW66-124-1993E. Free of charge from: Publications Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A OH3, Canada. BIOLOGY OF MARBLED MURRELETS— INLAND AND AT SEA. S. Kim Nelson and Spencer G. Sealy (Editors). Pro- ceedings of a Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Seattle, Washington, February 1993. Published 1995 in Northwestern Natu- ralist, Volume 76, Number 1. $12.00, BEHAVIOUR AND ECOLOGY OF THE SEA DUCKS. Ian Goudie, Margaret R. Peterseen and Gregory J. Robertson (editors). Proceedings of the Pacific Seabird Group Symposium, Victoria, British Columbia, 8-12 November 1995. A special publication compiled by the Canadian Wildlife Service for the Pacific Seabird Group. Published 1999 as Canadian Wildlife Service Occasional Paper number 100, catalog number CW69-1/100E Free of charge front. Publications Division, Canadian Wildlife Service, Ottawa, Ontario, K1 A OH3, Canada SEABIRD BYCATCH: TRENDS, ROADBLOCKS AND SOLUTIONS. Edward F. Melvin and Julia K. Parrish (editors). Pro- ceedings of an International Symposium of the Pacific Seabird Group, Blaine, Washington, 26-27 February 1999. Published 2001 by University of Alaska Sea Grant, Fairbanks, Alaska. Publication no. AK-SG-01-01. $20.00 from the publisher. BIOLOGY, STATUS, AND CONSERVATION OF JAPANESE SEABIRDS. Nariko Oka (editor). Proceedings of an Interna- tional Symposium of the Japanese Seabird Group and Pacific Seabird Group, Lihue, Hawaii, February 2001. Published 2002 in the Journal of the Yamashina Institute of Ornithology, volume 33, number 2. Symposium (5 papers), pages 57-147; other papers pages 148-213. In English with Japanese abstracts. $75.00. Information on presenting symposia: Pacific Seabird Group Symposia are initiated by any PSG member with interest in a par- ticular topic. The goal is to present a collection of papers that explore and review this topic, usually at an annual meeting of the Pa- cific Seabird Group. In some cases the papers are then edited and published as a PSG Symposium. Anyone interested in organizing a symposium must first contact both the Coordinator of the Publications Committee and the Scientific Program Chair for an annual meeting. Guidelines will be provided on obtaining approval and on organizing, presenting, and publishing a PSG Symposium, in- cluding the responsibilities involved. Pacific Seabirds * Volume 29, Number 1 * Spring 2002 • Page 76 PACIFIC SEABIRD GROUP COMMITTEE COORDINATORS Contact committee coordinators for information on activities of committees and how you can participate. CONSERVATION COMMITTEE Craig S. Harrison, 4001 North 9th Street, Number 1801, Arlington, VA 22203 USA. Telephone (202) 778-2240, Fax: (202) 778-2201, e-mail: charrison@erols.com ELECTION COMMITTEE Pat Baird, Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, Long Beach, CA 90840 USA. Telephone: (562) 985-1780, Fax: (562) 985-8878, e-mail: patbaird@csulb.edu JAPAN SEABIRD CONSERVATION COMMITTEE Koji Ono, Office: Hokkaido Seabird Center, Kita 6-1, Haboro, Tomamae 078-4116 Japan. Telephone: 01 1-81-1646-9-2080, Fax: 011-81-1646-9-2090. Home: 2-506, Sakaemachi 93-12 Haboro, Tomamae 078-4123 Japan. Telephone & Fax: 011-81- 1646-2-1324, e-mail: kojiono@gol.com and John Fries, Laboratory for Wildlife Biology, University of Tokyo, 1-1-1 Yayoi Bunkyo-ku, 1 13 Tokyo, Japan. Telephone/Fax: 011-81-356-89-7254, e-mail: fries@uf.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp MARBLED MURRELET TECHNICAL COMMITTEE Anne Harfenist, P.O. Box 2498, Smithers, B.C. V0J 2N0 Canada. Telephone: (250) 847-1730, e-mail: harfenis@bulkley.net PUBLICATIONS COMMITTEE Vacant SEABIRD MONITORING COMMITTEE Scott Hatch, Biological Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, Alaska Biological Science Center, 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503 USA. Telephone: (907) 786-3529, Fax: (907) 786-3636, e-mail: scott_hatch@usgs.gov XANTUS’S MURRELET TECHNICAL COMMITTEE William Everett, Endangered Species Recovery Council, P. O. Box 1085, La Jolla, CA 92038 USA. Telephone: (858) 456- 7077, Fax: (858) 456-7121, E-mail: everett@esrc.org, and Kenneth Briggs, Danville Veterinary Hospital, 812 Camino Ramon Road, Danville, CA 94526 USA. Telephone: (925) 837-4264, Fax: (925) 837-0467, e-mail: ktbriggs@hotmail.com PSG DELEGATES TO THE AMERICAN BIRD CONSERVANCY Craig S. Harrison, 4001 North 9th Street, Arlington, VA 22203 USA. Telephone (202) 778-2240, Fax: (202) 778-2201, E- mail: charrson@erols.com, and Malcolm C. Coulter, P.O. Box 48, Chocorua, NH 03817 USA. Telephone: (603) 323-9342, e-mail: coultermc@aol.com AWARDS COMMITTEE The Awards Committee consists of the Past Chair, Chair, and Chair-elect. The CommitteeCoordinator for 2002 is Bill Syde- man. Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA. Telephone: (415) 868-1221, ext. 19; Fax: (415) 868-1946; e-mail: wjsydeman@prbo.org. Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 77 PSG LIFE MEMBERS 2002 David G. Ainley Sarah G. Allen Daniel W. Anderson Pat H. Baird Lisa Ballance Kenneth T. Briggs Joanna Burger Ellen W. Chu Roger B. Clapp Sheila Conant Cheryl Conel Malcolm C. Coulter Theodore L. Cross Robert H. Day Tony DeGange Jan Dierks George J. Divoky Stewart Fefer Lloyd C. Fitzpatrick Elizabeth Flint Douglas J. Forsell Michael Fry Lisa Haggblom Judith Latta Hand Craig S. Harrison Scott A. Hatch Monica Herzig Ziircher Nancy Hillstrand Joel D. Hubbard David B. Irons Karl W. Kenyon James G. King Kathy Kuletz James Kushlan Lora Leschner David B. Lewis Peter Major Eugene Y. Makishima Vivian Mendenhall Gayle Merlen Godfrey Merlen Pat Mock Edward C. Murphy Maura Naughton S. Kim Nelson David R. Nysewander Harou Ogi Koji Ono Julia K. Parrish C. John Ralph William P. Ritchie Chad Roberts Palmer C. Sekora Nanette Seto Kouzi Shiomi Douglas Siegel-Causey William E. Southern Arthur L. Sowls Jeffrey A. Spendelow Takaki Terasawa W. Breck Tyler Enriquetta Velarde Gonzalez John S. Warriner Yutaka Watanuki Jeff Williams RECIPIENTS OF PSG’s LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Philip and Myrtle Ashmole James C. Bartonek W.R.P. Bourne Richard G.B. Brown Charles Guiguet* Thomas R. Howell Karl W. Kenyon James G. King Miklos D.F. Udvardy John Warham RECIPIENTS OF PSG’s SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD George J. Divoky Craig S. Harrison Arthur L. Sowls ^ Steven M. Speiclr Malcolm Coulter Hiroshi Hasegawa toeccased Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 78 Pacific Seabird Group Membership Application/Publication Order Form (Please copy) Membership (includes subscription to Pacific Seabirds) Individual and Family $25.00 $ Student (undergraduate and graduate) $ 1 5 .00 $ Life Membership 1 (optional payment plan, five $ 1 20 installments) $750.00 $ Sponsored Membership $25.00 $ Contributions 2 To the Endowment Fund 2 $ Other (please specify) $’ Back issues of Pacific Seabirds Vols. 1-8 (1974-1981) @ $2.50/issue (two issues/year) Specify Volume(s) and Numbers) x $2.50 $ Vols. 9-present @ $5.00/issue (two issues/year) Specify Vo!ume(s) and Numbers) x $5.00 $ PSG Symposia Use of Natural vs. Man-modified Wetlands by Shorebirds and Waterbirds: Order from publisher 3 Ecology and Behavior of Gulls x $ 1 8.50 $ Auks at Sea x $ 1 6.00 $" Status, Ecology, and Conservation of Marine Birds of the North Pacific: Free of charge 3 Status and Conservation of the Marbled Murrelet in North America x $20.00 $ Biology of Marbled Murrelets: Inland and at Sea x $ 1 2.00 $ Behaviour and Ecology of Sea Ducks: Free of charge 3 Seabird Byctatach: Trends, Roadblocks, and Solutions: Order from publisher 3 Biology, Status, and Conservation of Japanese Seabirds x $75.00 $ PSG Technical Publications Number 1, Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Seabird Restoration Workshop x $18.00 $ Books The Ancient Murrelet x30.00 $ TOTAL ENCLOSED (U.S. Dollars) Prices include postage (surface rate) and handling. SEND CHECK OR MONEY ORDER (in U.S. Dollars, made payable to the Pacific Seabird Group) TO: Breck Tyler, Treasurer, Pacific Seabird Group Long Marine Laboratory, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060 USA. Telephone: (83 1) 426-5740, E-mail: ospr@cats.ucsc.edu 1 Contributions may be tax-deductible; see inside front cover for more information. 2 Proceeds from life Memberships and contributions go to the Endowment Fund, which supports the publications of the Pacific Seabird Group. 3 To order, see information in “Published Proceedings of Symposia of the Pacific Seabird Group,” above. Member/Sponsor or Order Deliver/Ship to (if different) Name Name Address Address Telephone Fax E-mail Telephone Fax E-mail Pacific Seabirds • Volume 29, Number 1 • Spring 2002 • Page 79 PSG EXECUTIVE COUNCIL 2002 Chair Officers Lisa Ballance, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, 8604 La Jolla Shores Drive, La Jolla, CA 94037, USA. Telephone: (858) 546-7173; Fax: (858) 546-7003; e-mail: Lisa.Ballance@NOAA.gov. Chair Elect David Irons, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503, USA. Telephone: (907) 786-3376; Fax (907) 786-3610; e-mail: DavidJrons@fws.gov. Past Chair Bill Sydeman, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shoreline Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA. Telephone: (415) 868-1221, ext. 19; Fax: (415) 868-1946; e-mail: wjsydeman@prbo.org. Vice-Chair for Conservation Craig S. Harrison, 4953 Sonoma Mountain Road, Santa Rosa, CA 95404, USA. Tele- phone: (202) 778-2240; e-mail: charrison@erols.com Treasurer W. Breck Tyler, Long Marine Laboratory, 100 Shaffer Road, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA. Telephone: (831) 426-5740; e-mail: ospr@cats.ucsc.edu Secretary Lora Leschner, Washington Dept, of Fish and Wildlife, 16018 Mill Creek Blvd., Mill Creek, WA 98102, USA. Telephone: (425) 776-1311, ext. 421; Fax: (425) 338-1066; e- mail: leschlll@dfw.wa.gov Editor, Pacific Seabirds Vivian Mendenhall, 4600 Rabbit Creek Rd., Anchorage, AK 99516, USA. Telephone: (907) 345-7124; Fax (907) 345-0686; e-mail: fasgadair@att.net Alaska and Russia Regional Representatives Verena A. Gill, US Geological Survey, Biological Resources Division, Alaska Science Center, 1011 E. Tudor Rd., Anchorage, AK 99503, USA. Telephone: (907) 786-3684; Fax: (907) 786-3636; e-mail: Verena_Gill@usgs.gov. Canada Ken Morgan, Canadian Wildlife Service, c/o Institute of Ocean Sciences, P.O. Box 6000, Sidney, BC V8L 4B2, Canada. Telephone: (250) 363-6537; Fax: (250) 363-6390, e-mail: morgank@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca Washington and Oregon Jan Hodder, Oregon Institute of Marine Biology, University of Oregon, Charleston, OR 97420, USA. Telephone: (541) 888-2581, ext. 215; Fax: (541) 888-03250; e-mail: jhod- der@oimb.uoregon.edu. Northern California Meredith Elliott, Marine Science Division, Point Reyes Bird Observatory, 4990 Shore- line Highway, Stinson Beach, CA 94970, USA. Telephone: (415) 868-1221, ext. 316; Fax: (415) 868-1946; e-mail: melliott@prbo.org Southern California Pat Mock, URS Corporation, 1615 Murray Canyon Road, Suite 1000, San Diego, CA 92108, USA. Telephone: (619) 294-9400; Fax: (619) 293-7920; e-mail: patrick_mock@urscorp.com Non-Pacific United States Malcolm C. Coulter, P.O. Box 480, Chocorua, NH 03817, USA. Telephone: (603) 323- 9342; Fax: (603) 323-9342; e-mail: coultermc@aol.com. Pacific Rim Elizabeth Flint, USFWS, Pacific Remote Islands National Wildlife Refuge, P.O. Box 50167, Honolulu, HI 96850, USA. Telephone: (808) 541-1201; Fax: (808) 541-1216; e-mail: beth_flint@fws.gov Old World Mark Tasker, JNCC, Dunnet House, 7 Thistle Place, Aberdeen AB10 1UZ, Scotland, UK. Telephone: Oil (from US/Canada) + 44-1224-642863, Fax: 011-44-1224-6214-88; e-mail: tasker_m@jncc.gov.uk or mltasker@aol.com Student Representative Stephani Zador, School of Aquatic and Fisheries Sciences, University of Washington, Box 355020, Seattle, WA 98195, USA. Telephone: (206) 221-6904; Fax: (206) 206- 6939; Email: szador@u.washington,edu .