Seabirds

Penguins

Albatrosses, shearwaters, petrels

Pelicans, cormorants, boobies

Gulls, terns, skuas, puffins

Diving ducks

Loons, grebes

“Waterbirds”

Herons, egrets

Ducks, geese, swans

Shorebirds

Global seabird declines

% of species in each IUCN Red List category

Red List Indices for (a) seabird and non-seabird species; (b) coastal species, pelagic speciesand listed in Agreement on the Conservation of Albatrosses and Petrels (ACAP)

Threats/factors for decline

Seabirds

Pelagic seabirds

Coastal seabirds

Puget Sound declines

• Common marine birds declining– 19 of 30 most common species in no. Puget

Sound decreased by ~20% from 1978-2004• Since 1979, marine bird numbers in the

Puget Sound region has dropped 47% • Western grebe populations declined by

95% over last 20 years

Likely factors (Puget Sound)

• Forage fish population declines• Changing migration patterns• Predation/hunting• Habitat loss• Fisheries interactions

– Bycatch from active fisheries– Derelict fishing gear

• Harm to Arctic breeding grounds

Puget Sound studies• PSAMP Winter Seabird Surveys (plane)

• WDFW

• Puget Sound and Washington Coast Seabird Population Trends (boat)– WDFW, USFWS

• Puget Sound Seabird Survey (shore*)– Seattle Audubon

• Rhinoceros Auklet Ecology (colony)– WDFW, UPS, NOAA

Foraging ecology/behavior

• Indirect evidence– Inferred from diet and movements

• Bill load contents, stomach contents– Auklets, terns, cormorants

• Regurgitated pellet analysis– Gulls, terns

• Tagging studies (satellite, TDRs), radio– Auklets, terns, cormorants

• Radar– Marbled murrelets. passerines

Foraging ecology/behavior

• Direct evidence– Observing individual behavior/movements

• Line/strip transects (at-sea)• Scan and focal animal sampling (shore)

Puget Sound Seabird Survey

• Monthly (Oct.-Apr.)• High tide (4-hour window)• Shore-based (but of water)• Random, pre-selected sites

• Binoculars/spotting scope• Geese, ducks, swans, loons, grebes,

cormorants, gulls, terns, alcids• Spp., #, distance, bearing, sex ratio,

flocks, weather

Scan/focal sampling• Scan sampling

– Counts of individuals in proscribed area(s)• Generates species densities, community

composition, habitat association• Noting behavior (standing/sleeping, walking,

foraging), generates # or % per behavior

• Focal animal sampling– Individual behavior over proscribed time

• Time-stamped behaviors• Note predators/competitors, habitat• Generates time budgets, consumption data, etc.

• Capture rates• Handling times• Prey selection• Kleptoparasitism

• Migration timing• Habitat associations• Prey associations• Restoration activity