Subject: Re: FW: N. Fulmar deaths - more questions
Date: Jan 10 08:24:21 1996
From: Eugene Hunn - hunn at u.washington.edu


Another point from the Burke study: apparently light phase N. Fulmars
predominate among the carcases though dark phase, healthy birds
predominate in the live sightings.

Gene Hunn.

On Wed, 10 Jan 1996, Tracee Geernaert wrote:

>
> snip;
> "Is their main prey surfacing nocturnal animals such
> as squid? If so, do they have to have relatively flat seas in order to
> feed successfully? The forwarded note from Gary Kaiser saying that the
> wrecked specimens he had seen were emaciated lends credence to the
> starvation/weather theory being the major cause of the fulmar deaths i.e.
> storm force winds produced seas "lumpy" enough to prevent feeding ->
> starving birds then either fell to the sea nearshore and were swept
> onshore by wave action or were "wrecked" onshore and succumbed to either
> wind/weather damage or "exposure" on land."
>
> jcbowling at mindlink.bc.ca
> Jack Bowling
> Prince George, BC
> Canada
>
> In my experience Northern Fulmars are most active in rougher weather. Maybe
> this is because they can fly with less effort (but not feed as successfully
> ?). Maybe these winter storms were just too rough for them to be able to
> feed successfully. In the Gulf of Alaska and off B.C. they seem to be the
> most common pelagic bird seen from my vessel anyway. I've seen them eat off
> the surface usually anything that falls in the water. They seem to be
> especially partial to halibut livers (high in fat).
>
> A little side note;
> Sooty Shearwaters often appeared in much lesser numbers and only after the
> N. Fulmars have located the boat. Shearwaters were much better at locating
> food often swimming in the middle of the Fulmar flock with their head
> underwater and presumably their eyes open. Once located they'd swim down 6
> feet or so to suck up a sinking piece of bait (its no wonder the fishermen
> called them "Whalebirds" and the Fulmars "Sea Pigeons". The N. Fulmars were
> not so successful and I rarely saw them chasing bait underwater.
>
> Tracee Geernaert
> tracee at iphc.washington.edu
> International Pacific Halibut Commission
> PO Box 95009
> Seattle, WA
> 206: 634-1838
>