Volume 52, No. 1
Volumes > 38 (2010-->)
- Volume 52, No. 2, 2024
- Volume 52, No. 1, 2024
- Volume 51, No. 2, 2023
- Volume 51, No. 1, 2023
- Volume 50, No. 2, 2022
- Volume 50, No. 1, 2022
- Volume 49, No. 2, 2021
- Volume 49, No. 1, 2021
- Volume 48, No. 2, 2020
- Volume 48, No. 1, 2020
- Volume 47, No. 2, 2019
- Volume 47, No. 1, 2019
- Volume 46, No. 2, 2018
- Volume 46, No. 1, 2018
- Volume 45, No. 2, 2017
- Volume 45, No. 1, 2017
- Volume 44, No. 2, 2016
- Volume 44, No. 1, 2016
- Volume 43, No. 2, 2015
- Volume 43, No. 1, 2015
- Volume 42, No. 2, 2014
- Volume 42, No. 1, 2014
- Volume 41, No. 2, 2013
- Volume 41, No. 1, 2013
- Volume 41, Special Issue, 2013
- Volume 40, No. 2, 2012
- Volume 40, No. 1, 2012
- Volume 39, No. 2, 2011
- Volume 39, No. 1, 2011
- Volume 38, No. 2, 2010
- Volume 38, No. 1, 2010
Volumes 28-37 (2000-09)
- Volume 37, No. 3, 2009
- Volume 37, No. 2, 2009
- Volume 37, No. 1, 2009
- Volume 36, No. 2, 2008
- Volume 36, No. 1, 2008
- Volume 35, No. 2, 2007
- Volume 35, No. 1, 2007
- Volume 34, No. 2, 2006
- Volume 34, No. 1, 2006
- Volume 33, No. 2, 2005
- Volume 33, No. 1, 2005
- Volume 32, No. 2, 2004
- Volume 32, No. 1, 2004
- Volume 31, No. 2, 2003
- Volume 31, No. 1, 2003
- Volume 30, No. 2, 2002
- Volume 30, No. 1, 2002
- Volume 29, No. 2, 2001
- Volume 29, No. 1, 2001
- Volume 28, No. 2, 2000
- Volume 28, No. 1, 2000
Volumes 18-27 (1990-99)
- Volume 27, No. 1 & 2, 1999
- Volume 26, No. 1 & 2, 1998
- Volume 24, No. 1 & 2, 1996
- Volume 25, No. 1 & 2, 1997
- Volume 23, No. 2, 1995
- Volume 23, No. 1, 1995
- Volume 22, No. 2, 1994
- Volume 22, No. 1, 1994
- Volume 21, No. 1 & 2, 1993
- Volume 20, No. 1 & 2, 1992
- Volume 19, No. 1, 1991
- Volume 18, No. 1 & 2, 1990
Volumes 5-17 (1978-89) a.k.a 'Cormorant'
- Volume 17, No. 1 & 2, 1989
- Volume 16, No. 1, 1988
- Volume 16, No. 2, 1988
- Volume 15, No. 1 & 2, 1987
- Volume 14, No. 1 & 2, 1987
- Volume 13, No. 2, 1986
- Volume 13, No. 1, 1986
- Volume 12, No. 2, 1985
- Volume 12, No. 1, 1985
- Volume 11, No. 1 & 2, 1984
- Volume 10, No. 2, 1983
- Volume 10, No. 1, 1983
- Volume 9, No. 2, 1982
- Volume 9, No. 1, 1982
- Volume 8, No. 2, 1981
- Volume 8, No. 1, 1981
- Volume 7, 1980
- Volume 5, 1978
Search by author or title:
Autumn marine bird populations in Queen Charlotte Strait and adjacent waters: a candidate for IBA/KBA status.
Citation
GASTON, A.J., MAFTEI, M. & PASTRAN, S.A. 2024. Autumn marine bird populations in Queen Charlotte Strait and adjacent waters: a candidate for IBA/KBA status..
Marine Ornithology 52: 1
- 15
http://doi.org/10.5038/2074-1235.52.1.1553
Received 07 April 2023, accepted 07 July 2023
Date Published: 2024/04/15
Date Online: 2024/02/10
Key words: conservation, distribution, migration, Important Bird and Biodiversity Area, Key Biodiversity Area, Uria aalge, Cepphus columba, Brachyramphus marmoratus, Larus californicus, Larus glaucescens, Larus glaucoides, Larus brachyrhynchos
Abstract
Systematic transect surveys of marine birds in eastern Queen Charlotte Strait and the western part of Johnstone Strait, British Columbia, Canada, were made between mid-August and mid-October 2020-2022. All birds within 100-m transect strips were counted and numbers corrected for detectability. Extrapolating within five regions of differing ecological characteristics and seabird densities, our results indicate that the study area supported 1% or more of the North American populations of Pigeon Guillemot Cepphus columba, Marbled Murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus, California Gull Larus californicus, Glaucous-winged Gull L. glaucescens, Iceland Gull L. glaucoides, and Short-billed Gull L. brachyrhynchos. Our estimation of gull species in our study area would have been even higher if gulls in flight had been included in our survey. Furthermore, maximum estimates of Common Murre Uria aalge exceed the total population breeding in British Columbia. Only Pigeon Guillemot, Marbled Murrelet, and Glaucous-winged Gull breed in Queen Charlotte Strait, and only Marbled Murrelet is considered to be “at risk.” However, based on current criteria, it seems that the area would be a prime candidate for nomination as an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Key Biodiversity Area.
References
BURGER A.E., HITCHCOCK, C.L., STEWART, E.A. & DAVOREN, G.K. 2008. Coexistence and spatial distributions of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus) and other alcids off SW Vancouver Island, BC. The Auk 125: 192-204.
BURGER A.E., LAWRENCE, A.D. & STEWART, E.A. 2002. Seasonal and spatial variations in densities and composition of seabird communities off southwest Vancouver Island, 1993-1995. In: BURGER, A.E. (Ed.) Distribution and Abundance of Seabirds off Southwest Vancouver Island: a Year-round Study in Relation to the Risks of Oil Spills. Report to Nestucca Trust Fund and BC Ministry of Water, Land, and Air Protection. Victoria, Canada: Nestucca Trust Fund.
CANADIAN HYDROGRAPHIC SERVICE. 2005. Nautical Chart, Broughton Strait, No 3546. Ottawa, Canada: Ministry of Fisheries and Oceans Canada.
DREW, G.S., SCHOEN, S.K. HOOD, M.D., ARIMITSU, M.L. & PIATT, J.F. 2005. North Pacific Pelagic Seabird Database (NPPSD), Version 4.1, May 2023. US Geological Survey data release. Reston, USA: US Geological Survey. doi:10.5066/F7WQ01T3. [Available online at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/alaska-science-center/science/north-pacific-pelagic-seabird-database/.]
eBird Canada. n.d. Port Rowan, Canada: Birds Canada. [Accessed at https://ebird.org/canada/ on 07 November 2020.]
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE CANADA. 2019. The Status of Birds in Canada, Data-version 2019. Gatineau, Canada: Environment and Climate Change Canada. [Accessed at (https://wildlife-species.canada.ca/bird-status on 22 November 2020.]
FORD J.K.B. 2014. Marine Mammals of British Columbia. Victoria, Canada: Royal BC Museum.
FORD, R.G., TERRILL, S., CASEY, J. ET AL. 2021. Distribution patterns and population size of the Ashy Storm Petrel Oceanodroma homochroa. Marine Ornithology 49: 193-204
FOX C.H., HUETTMANN, F.H. HARVEY, G.K.A. ET AL. 2017. Predictions from machine learning ensembles: marine bird distribution and density on Canada's Pacific coast. Marine Ecology Progress Series 566: 199-216.
GASTON A.J., COLLINS, B.L. & DIAMOND, A.W. 1987. The "snapshot" count for estimating densities of flying seabirds during boat transects: A cautionary comment. The Auk 104: 336-338.
GASTON, A.J., TOWERS, J.R., MAFTEI, M., PASTRAN, S., ATTIA, Y. & CURRY, G. 2022. An unusual influx of Short-tailed Shearwaters into nearshore waters of southern British Columbia in 2021. British Columbia Birds 33:7-13.
GUTOWSKI, S.E., HIPFNER, J.M., MAFTEI, M. ET AL. 2020. First insights into Thayer's Gull Larus glaucoides thayeri migratory and overwinter patterns along the Northeast Pacific coast. Marine Ornithology 48: 9-16.
GUZMAN J.R. & MYRES, M.T. 1983. The occurrence of shearwaters (Puffinus spp.) off the west coast of Canada. Canadian Journal of Zoology 60: 2064-2077.
HANDLEY, J.M., HARTE, E., STANWORTH, A. ET AL. 2023. Progressing delineations of key biodiversity areas for seabirds, and their application to management of coastal seas. Diversity and Distributions 29: 123-142.
HAY, R. 1992. The oceanic habitats of seabirds: their zonal distribution off Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada. Journal of Biogeography 19: 67-85. doi:10.2307/2845621
HIPFNER, J.M. 2005. Population status of the Common Murre Uria aalge in British Columbia, Canada. Marine Ornithology 33: 67-69.
HIPFNER, J.M. & GREENWOOD, J.L. 2008. Breeding biology of the Common Murre at Triangle Island, British Columbia, Canada, 2002-2007. Northwestern Naturalist 89: 76-84.
IUCN (INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE). 2016. A global standard for the identification of key biodiversity areas, version 1.0. Cambridge, UK: IUCN.
JOHNS, M.E. & WARZYBOK, P. 2022. Northward migration, molting locations, and winter residency of California breeding pigeon guillemots Cepphus columba. Marine Ecology Progress Series 701: 133-143.
KENYON, J.K., MORGAN, K.H., BENTLEY, M.D., MCFARLANE TRANQUILLA, L.A. & MOORE, K.E. 2009. Atlas of Pelagic Seabirds off the West Coast of Canada and Adjacent Areas. Technical Report Series No. 499. Canadian Wildlife Service, Pacific and Yukon Region, BC.
MORGAN K.H., VERMEER, K. & MCKELVEY, R.W. 1991. Atlas of Pelagic Birds of Western Canada. Occasional Paper Number 72. Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Wildlife Service.
PIATT, J.F., KULETZ, K.J. BURGER, A.E. ET AL. 2007. Status Review of the Marbled Murrelet (Brachyramphus marmoratus) in Alaska and British Columbia. US Geological Survey Open-File Report 2006-1387, 258 p. Reston, USA: US Geological Survey.
RODWAY, M.S., CAMPBELL, R.W. & LEMON, M.J.F. 2016. Seabird colonies of British Columbia: a century of changes. Wildlife Afield 13: 1-298.
RODWAY, M.S., CAMPBELL, R.W. & LEMON, M.J.F. 2020. Seabird colonies of British Columbia: Outer Coast. Wildlife Afield 17: 1-557.
RODWAY, M.S. & LEMON, M.J.F. 1991. British Columbia seabird colony inventory: Report #8: Queen Charlotte Strait and Johnstone Strait. Technical Report Series No. 123. Pacific and Yukon Region, Canada: Canadian Wildlife Service.
RONCONI, R.A. & BURGER, A.E. 2009. Estimating seabird densities from vessel transects: distance sampling and implications for strip transects. Aquatic Biology 4: 297-309.
SEABIRD INFORMATION NETWORK. n.d. Circumpolar Seabird Data Portal. [Accessed at http://axiom.seabirds.net/maps/js/seabirds.php on 05 November 2022.]
SPEAR, L.B., NUR, N. & AINLEY, D.G. 1992. Estimating absolute densities of flying seabirds using analyses of relative movement. The Auk 109: 385-389.
SULLIVAN, B.L., WOOD, C.L., ILIFF, M.J. BONNEY, R.E. FINK, D. & KELLING, S. 2009. eBird: a citizen-based bird observation network in the biological sciences. Biological Conservation 142: 2282-2292.
TASKER, M.L., JONES, P.H., DIXON, T. & BLAKE, B.F. 1984. Counting seabirds at sea from ships: a review of methods employed and a suggestion for a standardized approach. The Auk 101: 567−577.
THOMPSON, R.E. 1981. Oceanography of the British Columbia Coast. Hull, Canada: Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Government of Canada.