Subject: [Tweeters] Alcids in Washington
Date: Fri Jul 17 06:49:40 PDT 2020
From: Dennis Paulson - dennispaulson at comcast.net

Just as an add-on, when we visited the island in July 2015, we saw an eagle catch a large Black Oystercatcher chick, and it was then chased by three other eagles. Will they eliminate oystercatchers as well? Bald Eagles are way too common for the good of many other bird species in the region now.

Dennis Paulson
Seattle


> On Jul 16, 2020, at 9:49 PM, B Boekelheide <bboek at olympus.net> wrote:

>

> Hello, Mike, Wayne, and Tweeters,

>

> Tufted Puffins are barely hanging in there at Protection Island. Our high count in the Protection Island Aquatic Reserve so far this year was seven puffins on 14 May. There are likely less than five pairs still nesting on the island. I remember counting 25 puffins surrounding our boat while on a July cruise to PI back in 2004, but those numbers are long gone. Like Wayne says, puffins have seriously declined throughout their southern range, and they are now listed as endangered by WDFW. Mike - the south coast of Lopez has traditionally been a good place to see puffins, where we have seen them on several cruises. Whether they are nesting there or just traveling over from Smith Island, I don't know. Smith Island is their last decent holdout in the Salish Sea.

>

> Puffins show up at Protection Island in April and May, then they're gone in September. I've seen basic-plumaged adult Tufted Puffins hanging out by Smith Island as late as October 1st.

>

> I suspect at least some of the demise of puffins at Protection Island is due to increased eagle harassment during the nesting season. We do a count of eagles visible on the island each month as part of our boat survey. On our last survey on July 10, we had a high count of 77 eagles visible on the island. Peak eagle numbers occur between June and August, when eagles raid the gull colonies for chicks and hang out in the Rhino Auklet colonies to apparently grab auklets and steal food when the auklets fly ashore in the evening. Many of the eagles were perched around the gull colonies and others were perched in the Rhino Auklet colonies, making a gauntlet for Rhinos returning from sea in the night. Every so often the gulls fly up in a panic flight when an eagle starts an attack. Eagles also perch right along the cliffs where we see puffins carrying fish to burrows, but I've never specifically seen an eagle attack a puffin (or vice versa!). Eagles were also responsible for the demise of the island's Double-crested Cormorant colony, which used to stick up along the south edge of the island and is now a main thoroughfare for eagles flying back and forth. No cormorants nest on Protection Island any more, neither Pelagics nor Double-cresteds. Eagles have really changed the place.

>

> Bob Boekelheide

> Dungeness

>

>

>> On Jul 13, 2020, at 10:15 PM, Wayne Weber <contopus at telus.net <mailto:contopus at telus.net>> wrote:

>> Mike and Tweeters,

>>

>> Tufted Puffins used to (40-50 years ago) nest in small numbers at several locations in inland waters (Salish Sea and Strait of Juan de Fuca). There were small colonies (mostly fewer than 25 pairs) at Mandarte Island off Sidney, BC; on the Williamson Rocks near Anacortes; on Colville Island off the south end of Lopez; and possibly at other places. The only "inland" places where they still nest are Smith Island, and perhaps Protection Island. (Bob, do you have recent info on Protection Island?) The vast majority of Puffins in BC, WA, and OR nest on islets off the outer coast (e.g. Triangle Island in BC, Tatoosh Island in WA, and Haystack Rock at Cannon Beach, OR).

>>

>> Wayne C. Weber

>> From: Tweeters [mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu <mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman11.u.washington.edu>] On Behalf Of Mike Wagenbach

>> Sent: Monday, July 13, 2020 3:00 PM

>> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Alcids in Washington

>>

>> Thanks for the details survey results, Bob! I did not realize Common Murres were so seasonal in the inland waters. I'll have to remember to get out there in late September or October to enjoy seeing them in larger numbers.

>>

>> Is there any similar influx of Puffins at any time, or are they always uncommon? I've seen them along the south side of Lopez, but I think probably only twice in all the times I've been down there.

>>

>> On Mon, Jul 13, 2020 at 12:00 PM B Boekelheide <bboek at olympus.net <mailto:bboek at olympus.net>> wrote:

>>> I can add a few alcid tidbits from the southeastern Strait of Juan de Fuca. Since 2016, we have done a monthly boat survey in the Protection Island Aquatic Reserve, covering a 25 mi transect route each time. On our May, June, and July surveys this year, we have had the highest densities of Rhino Auklets for the last 4 years within the PI Aquatic Reserve. We are also seeing lots of local feeding flocks of Rhinos and gulls in the Strait for this time year, both within the aquatic reserve and to the north and west of Dungeness Spit. My guess is the auklets are finding food closer to their Protection Island nesting colony this year, so they're not flying as far to feed and you are seeing fewer of them to the north. In past years, particularly in 2019, we observed much lower auklet densities within the Aquatic Reserve in June and July, and Rhinos appeared to be flying further north in the Strait in the direction of Smith Island and Rosario Strait, and more into Admiralty Inlet and Puget Sound to get food.

>>>

>>> On our July survey last Friday, the highest concentration of Rhinos was around the edges of Dallas Bank north of Protection Island, where their densities were over 200 birds per sq km. Many of the birds were just loafing at the surface, looking fat and sassy. Others actively participated in the feeding flocks. What are they eating? Forage fish of some sort. I've heard rumors that there are good numbers of immature herring this year, but I really have no idea.

>>>

>>> This is the low time of year for murres in the Strait. This year we counted very few murres during our June and July surveys. In early summer murres are at nesting colonies off the west coast and those left in the eastern Strait are likely young pre-breeders. Typically the highest densities of murres in the eastern Strait occur between August and November, when they migrate into the Strait from their nesting colonies and become the most abundant bird in the PI Aquatic Reserve. On our past surveys in September and October, sometimes over half the birds in the aquatic reserve were murres, including fathers with chicks. So I suspect the murres will be here soon, unless they, too, find more food somewhere else.

>>>

>>> Like Gary says, Marbled Murrelets are local. Their highest densities in the PI Aquatic Reserve are from Jan thru Mar. This time of year they are more abundant on saltwater further west, like between Port Angeles and Clallam Bay, likely birds that nest in old-growth forests in Olympic National Park.

>>>

>>> Bob Boekelheide

>

> _______________________________________________

> Tweeters mailing list

> Tweeters at u.washington.edu

> http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman11.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20200717/c7de0981/attachment.html>