UNB ACWERN Newsletter

Vol. 5 (Winter 2002)

It's been a fairly busy time with folks getting resettled after summer field seasons. This newsletter includes the following categories:

I. New Post-Doctoral Researcher: Joël Bêty
II. Lab News & Current Students
III. Past Students
IV. Conference Abstracts
V. A Naturalist's View: Running a M.A.P.S. banding station: at least a five-year commitment.

I. New Post-Doctoral Researcher:

Joël Bêty recently joined the East Bay team managed by Grant Gilchrist (CWS) on Southampton Island, Nunavut. He is based at UNB with Tony Diamond. This will allow him to interact with (and look after…) Karel and Sarah! Joël is a FCAR Post Doc examining mainly the role of eider energetics in relation to optimal reproductive decisions. His first field season will start next summer in late May. Joël has substantial Arctic experience and completed his PhD at Université Laval on Snow Geese nesting in the High Arctic. His research interests go from individual reproductive strategies to trophic interactions. Before joining the ACWERN group, Joël was the winner of the SCO best student presentation awards at the recent AOU/SCO meeting in Seattle for his talk entitled: "Shared predators and indirect trophic interactions: lemming cycles and arctic-nesting geese." He received 5 ornithological books and a meeting T-shirt!

See the latest issue of the Journal of Field Ornithology for a recent publication:

Bêty, J. and G. Gauthier. 2001. Effects of nest visits on predator activity and predation rate in a Greater Snow Goose colony. J. Field Ornithology. 72(4)573-586.

II. Lab News & Current Students:

Tony Diamond is currently on sabbatical and plans to spend his time catching up on reading and writing!

The annual ACWERN meeting was held 1-4 November in Sackville and Cape Jourimain to see abstracts of all papers presented go to:
http://landscape.acadiau.ca/acwern/AbsIntro.html

Andre Breton, Nikki Benjamin, Brenda Blinn, Sarah Jamieson and Kate Devlin headed on a road trip to Niagara Falls in November for the annual Waterbirds Conference. See below for conference abstracts. Several fellow ACWERNers were also attending the conference including Brian Veitch and Greg Robertson from Newfoundland and John Chardine from CWS Sackville.

Sarah Jamieson was coauthor on a recent paper in Waterbirds: Mallory, M.L., H.G. Gilchrist, S.E. Jamieson, G.J. Robertson, and D.G. Campbell. 2001. Unusual migration mortality of King Eiders in central Baffin Island. Waterbirds 24: 453-456. Sarah was awarded the Vaughan Memorial Fellowship for a second year in a row and is heading to London, ONTARIO [;)] to work with Davison Ankney until February. Davison Ankney is a waterfowl energetics guru and she will be learning how to carry out carcass composition analyses.

Joe Nocera attended the annual meeting of the Atlantic Society of Fish and Wildlife Biologists at Mt. Alison University in Sackville, NB (7-8 November). See below for an abstract of his paper. Joe has also received the David J. Neave Scholarship (Doctoral) of Wildlife Habitat Canada. Award gives $12,000 every year until 2005.

III. Past Students:

Laurel Bernard has been promoted at the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC) to Stewardship Coordinator. She will now be monitoring all the properties that NCC currently own and any they secure in the future in Atlantic Canada. She is in charge of putting together local volunteer stewardship committees to look after our ecologically sensitive land to ensure no unauthorized activities occur. She'll also be able to get out of the office to visit a lot of these sites and collect biological information on them (species present, both flora and fauna - says she'll have to brush up on her botany skills!). Brier
Island is one of their big sites, with NCC owning over 1200 acres on the west side of the island, so she guesses she'll have to time her stewardship visits there with bird migration, "gosh darnit!"

Falk Huettmann writes that Sophia, Julia and he have moved to the University of Calgary, Geography Dept., working on GIS modelling and future scenario building for Grizzly Bear habitat/landscapes in the Foothill Forest region of Alberta. He also offers a free invitation for any ACWERNie in the area to drop by.

Their new address is:
Falk Huettmann & Julia Linke
Geography Dept. - Earth Science -
University of Calgary
Calgary AB
T2N 1N4
falk@ucalgary.ca

Cam Stevens writes that his PEI frog paper finally got in accepted in 'Wetlands', and
will be out this March to all those interested in small slimy things. His first U of A paper is (hopefully) on its way to publication in Forest Ecology and Management. It's a review on small furry things (i.e. beaver) and riparian zones. In the meantime, his candidacy exam is in March, so he'll be preparing for that over the coming months.

Julie Paquet is currently in India on a Rotary Exchange. It sounds & looks like she is having a great time -- anyone interested in reading about their trip and what she's up to check out this website:

http://65.57.224.180/gse_diary/gse_diary.html

IV. Conference Abstracts:
A) ACWERN, Sackville and Cape Jourimain , NB, 1-4 November 2001
B) Waterbirds, Niagara Falls, ON, 7-11 November 2001
C) Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Society of Fish and Wildlife Biologists. Mt. Alison University, Sackville, NB, Canada. 7-9 November 2001

A) The annual ACWERN meeting was held 1-4 November in Sackville and Cape Jourimain to see abstracts of all papers presented go to:
http://landscape.acadiau.ca/acwern/AbsIntro.html

B) Waterbirds 7-11 November 2001 - Niagara Falls, ON

Posters Presented:

COMPARATIVE FEEDING ECOLOGY OF HERRING AND GREAT BLACK-BACKED GULLS IN THE BAY OF FUNDY. Nicola Benjamin and Dr. Antony Diamond Atlantic Cooperative Wildlife Ecology Research Network, Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 45111, Fredericton, NB.

Numbers of the two species of large gull that breed commonly along the
Bay of Fundy coast of New Brunswick - Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) and Great Black- backed Gull (L. marinus) - have both increased greatly since World War II, due mainly to greatly increased amounts and availability of garbage which these species have exploited. Various forms of human garbage are used by gulls to supplement natural food sources in their diet. Recently in New Brunswick, methods of waste management have been changing and the volume of waste exposed and available to gulls has been reduced. However there is still no local quantitative information on the extent to which gulls rely on the human-generated food sources. I am currently investigating which food sources gulls in the Bay of Fundy are using, how much of their diet consists of human-generated food, and how far they will fly from their breeding colony to obtain it. My focus is on coastal islands with breeding colonies in the Bay of Fundy, from Saint John, New Brunswick to the Deer Island, Campobello, and Wolves Archipelagoes. The extent to which gulls feed on human created food sources is of interest because it may affect not
only their population trends, but also those of other species of conservation interest. If non-natural food sources are removed through improved waste management methods and gull reliance on those food sources proves to be significant, gulls may shift to depredating other bird species such as eiders or terns.

SELECTION AND USE OF COMMON EIDER BROOD-REARING HABITAT ON GRAND MANAN ISLAND, NEW BRUNSWICK. Brenda Blinn and Tony Diamond.

The survival rate of eider ducklings in the Bay of Fundy has decreased from >14% of the adult breeding population prior to 1991 to 4-8% between 1995 and 1998. Broods may travel several kilometers from nesting islands to coastal duckling rearing areas within 24 hrs post-hatch. Eider ducklings and attending females feed on invertebrates commonly associated with rockweed. Commercial boating (rockweed harvesting, fishing activity), recreational boating, industrial development (aquaculture cages) and public use of coasts could increase risk of duckling predation by great black-backed gulls and bald eagles. We quantified the relative influence of various factors on habitat selection and use of eider broods. We examined food availability, extent of predation and human disturbance, proximity to nesting islands and degree of exposure to wind and waves. We looked at spatial and temporal patterns of distribution and abundance of eider broods. Four replicates each of rockweed harvested and unharvested sites were visited from the period of 29 May to 3 August, 2001. The following data was recorded at 20 minute intervals from the period of 600-2100: number and behaviour of ducklings and females, age-class of ducklings, number, species and age of predators. Predation attempts or successes, presence of human activity and a brood's reaction following a disturbance event were continuously recorded.

ESTIMATING AGE-SPECIFIC SURVIVAL AND DISTRIBUTION OF EMIGRANTS BETWEEN COLONIES OF ATLANTIC PUFFIN (Fratercula arctica) IN THE GULF OF MAINE André R. Breton, Antony Diamond ACWERN University of New Brunswick P.O. Box 45111 Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B6E1, Stephen Kress skress@audubon.org, and Richard Elliot richard.elliot@ec.gc.ca

The regional breeding population of Atlantic puffin in the Gulf of Maine is spatially distributed between 7 colonies. We focus on the 5 western most colonies, which include 98% of the regional population in 2001. Data for our analyses come from a long-term banding and resighting project started in 1973. However, initiation of data collection varies temporally between colonies. Due to this temporal variation, 1982-2001 is the longest running data set we consider. From 1982-2001, all colonies provide 3,690 local birds banded and ~17,000 subsequent resightings. As part of our banding protocol, birds receive individually engraved colour-bands, which are easily read from a distance. Our main objective is to document and quantify the distribution of emigrants between colonies and age-specific survival for a seabird metapopulation. We use Maximum Likelihood Estimates (MLE) as estimates of survival and movement. MLEs will be acquired using the open population model Cormack-Jolly-Seber (CJS), multistate models and reduced parameter designs. Model parsimony ("best fit") is determined using a Goodness-of-fit test through program RELEASE and evaluation of AIC (Akaikes Information Criterion) values. AIC values and hypothesis testing using Likelihood Ratio Tests provide a means to compare models and investigate several a priori hypotheses. Hypotheses consider geographic and temporal variation in survival and movement probabilities.

VARIATION IN BODY MASS OF COMMON EIDERS WINTERING IN THE EASTERN ARCTIC. Sarah Jamieson, Grant Gilchrist, and Tony Diamond. ACWERN University of New Brunswick P.O. Box 45111 Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B6E1

We compared body mass of two arctic races of Common Eiders during the non-breeding season. Northern Eiders were collected in Greenland and Cape Dorset, Nunavut and Hudson Bay Eiders were collected in the Belcher Islands, Nunavut. Collections occurred in mid-winter (14 Jan - 26 Feb 01) and in spring (06 Apr - 29 May 01). Body mass was compared using a general linear model. There was no significant difference between body mass of Northern Eiders staging in Cape Dorset and pre-migratory con-specifics in Greenland, indicating that, unlike many other Arctic Breeding waterfowl, they re-fuel close to the breeding grounds. Eiders collected at the Belcher Islands in the spring were significantly heavier than those collected there in winter. Hudson Bay Eiders begin to lay mid- to late June, therefore it is possible that eiders collected in spring had begun to store reserves to be used during breeding. In winter there was no significant difference between Northern Eiders wintering in Greenland and Hudson Bay Eiders wintering in the Belcher Islands. However, in spring Hudson Bay Eiders were significantly heavier than Northern Eiders, Hudson Bay Eiders lay larger clutches and eggs than Northern Eiders, therefore they may need extra reserves during reproduction. This is a preliminary study; later studies will determine how lipid and protein levels change throughout the non-breeding season.

Paper Presented:

EFFECTS OF TRAPPING ARCTIC TERNS AT THE NEST
Kate Devlin and Tony W. Diamond. ACWERN and Department of Biology, University of New Brunswick, P.O. Box 45111, Fredericton, NB. E3B 6E1. Canada.

Disturbance of nesting birds can come in many forms. When trapping and handling birds we try to minimize the impacts that we may have on the birds, however, the potential impacts are often not measured. In the past the effects of trapping Common and Roseate terns have been examined, but one cannot assume that all terns respond in similar ways. For the past 3 years we have been trapping Arctic Terns on Machias Seal Island as part of a study of population dynamics. We have tried to measure the impact of trapping by estimating the productivity of birds that have been trapped and those that have not. Additionally we have measured how long it takes to trap a predetermined number of birds each year. We also have kept track of where each bird was trapped each year and where it has been seen in subsequent years. Arctic Terns appear to be more wary of traps than other species of terns and often take longer to catch. However, there appears to be no difference between the productivity of terns that have been trapped compared to those that have not been trapped.

C) Annual Meeting of the Atlantic Society of Fish and Wildlife Biologists. Mt. Alison University, Sackville, NB, Canada. 7-9 November 2001.

Habitat selection by Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) after hay harvest in a managed agro-ecosystem in Nova Scotia
NOCERA, JOSEPH*, N.B. Coop. Fish Wildl. Res. Unit, Univ. New Brunswick, Canada; MILTON, RANDY & PARSONS, GLEN, N.S. Dept. Nat. Resources, Wildl. Div., Nova Scotia, Canada; and FORBES, GRAHAM, N.B. Coop. Fish Wildl. Res. Unit, Univ. New Brunswick, Canada.

Primary nesting habitats for Bobolinks, in eastern Canada, are active hayfields and grasslands that have remained idle for several years. For birds nesting in active hayfields, nest destruction from hay harvest is a major limiting factor for successful reproduction. Adults that have lost nests to hay harvest, and do not renest, are forced to occupy alternate habitats prior to migration. To determine whether displaced grassland birds, such as Bobolinks, select adjacent unharvested habitats that most resemble original nesting habitat, we assessed Bobolink breeding and subsequent post hay-harvest habitat selection in a managed Nova Scotia agro-ecosystem. We employed line-transect census methods through active hayfields and adjacent ericaceous uplands (consisting of woody vegetation and immature trees). In the first year, all active hayfields were harvested, after which Bobolink adults and fledglings emigrated to the ericaceous uplands and remained in large flocks until mid-August. In the subsequent year, only ~60% of active hayfields were harvested. Hence, Bobolinks that were displaced from hay harvest could select between ericaceous uplands and hayfields with no resident breeding birds. Using multiple univariate ANOVA to determine habitat selection after harvest, displaced birds did not utilize the available hayfields, but a significant proportion of them emigrated to the ericaceous upland (F = 48.81, p = <0.0001). These results suggest that management for this species in the region needs to supply diverse habitats to fulfill the requirements of displaced and fledged Bobolinks and yet maintain an adequate contiguous nesting habitat. This study will serve as a pilot project to a larger long-term investigation of the demographic and behavioral responses of grassland birds to agro-ecosystem management in Atlantic Canada.

V. A Naturalist's View:

Dorothy McFarlane is our naturalist contributor for this issue of the newsletter. The following is an article that she wrote for the NB Naturalist magazine.

Running a M.A.P.S. banding station: at least a five-year commitment.

Monitoring Avian Productivity and Survivorship is the mandate of The Institute for Bird Populations based in Point Reyes, California. This group has been encouraging and initiating bird banding stations all across North America since 1993, in an effort to gain information on birds where they breed. These stations do not track migratory birds, as does our station on Bon Portage Island in Nova Scotia. MAPS stations are less busy, are run one morning every 10 days, and gather information on the birds breeding near the station in terms of species, numbers of individuals, nesting pairs, successful nesting, return rates and longevity.

I began my involvement with MAPS in 1997, when my employer, Dr. Tony Diamond of UNB, and ecologists at Fundy National Park made a commitment to run a station in the Park for at least five years. The Park is a relatively change-free area of the province, protected from forestry practices and changing ownership. This was to be the second MAPS station in the Atlantic Provinces; the first is one at the St. Andrews Marine Science Centre run by Tracey Dean.

Thus, I was involved from the beginning: purchasing equipment, clearing the net lanes, setting up the paperwork involved, and teaching assistants. The cost of equipment was probably about $1500, which was covered by FNP and grants to Dr. Diamond. This is a one-time cost, if one looks after the equipment well.

I had to become proficient enough at banding to qualify as a bander under my supervisor's permit, and this involved several days of banding at other banding stations in the region, mainly with Brian Dalzell of Grand Manan. Now, the rules require 200 birds banded, I believe, and soon will encourage banders to pass specific banding courses.

I had to familiarize myself with all the birds we might catch during the summer, including juveniles, and with their songs. This learning never ends, as I find each spring I must review the songs, and the finer points of juvenile characteristics. Lately, I have been studying the details of plumage of first-year versus older breeding birds, to try to improve my ability to tell the difference in age. Another skill I have perfected (this I am good at!) is the putting up of a 12-m net by myself, without touching the ground or getting it snagged. Initially, I had to learn this art with Dr. Diamond, and of course, with two people it is fairly simple, although there can be some tricky knots involved in tying the ropes for each end pole. However, putting up 15, 12-m nets each morning is something I have been doing alone now for a few years as I have been often working alone at the station. Extricating birds from the nets is another art, which one learns with practice and a steady hand.

The standard protocol for the banding station is that the (usually 10) nets are opened at dawn, stay open for 6 hours, are closed and folded into a heavy plastic bag, to remain until the next opening day. There is only one banding day per 10 days, and a total of 7 banding days at our latitude in NB. This schedule covers the breeding season, from about May 25 to August 10. As some birders will notice, these dates will not cover breeding of many species we have here all year round, but mainly covers southern and neo-tropical migrant species. Nets are not opened in rainy weather, wind, or when it is frosty. Over the years, I have had very few days that I have had to close nets due to inclement weather, but one has to choose the day carefully, and listen to the latest weather report of the evening before the day one hopes to band. Damp nets and slight wind are deadly to tiny birds, so one has to be very strict about when to open nets.

Unlike birds caught at migratory banding stations, birds caught during the breeding season at the MAPS station have much detailed information taken on them. After the necessary band is applied, species, age, breeding condition, sex, fat accumulation, wing size, weight, and a number of feather wear and feather moult characteristics are recorded. This is where more time is taken to be sure that as much of this valuable information is noted correctly and recorded on the very detailed data sheet. On the plus side for the bird, is the fact that it is often extracted from the net more rapidly, and does not wait to be processed as long as those at migratory banding stations. Usually the bird is released within 15 minutes at most.

Often only 5-10 birds are caught in a morning, so there is time for the banders to list all the birds seen and heard around the banding station, and in the vicinity of each net. There is often time to chat with each other, and show banding to visitors. Over the past 5 years, I have banded about 60 to 90 birds at the station per summer.

The goal of MAPS is to provide long-term demographic data on landbirds to aid in identifying the causes behind population trends. It is a cooperative effort among public agencies, private organizations and land owners, and volunteer banders all across North America. The US has over 400 banding stations; Canada about 20; some are being started in Mexico. The organization now has a bander-training program in place but provides workshops in the US. Canada is just beginning to hold workshops and to graduate banders. The commitment to banding is a life-long one however, as you never know enough and you must keep your skills sharp, especially as new research is discovering new species and new ways to key out species through measurements.

What keeps me interested? Well, first of all, seeing the birds close-up is wonderful. Warblers, kinglets, even sparrows, are like delicate feathered jewels. Having banded birds return year after year is a marvel, because you cannot imagine how a tiny bird like a black-throated blue warbler could return to the same territory 4 years in a row. Getting surprises, like the occasional sharp-shinned hawk, a hummingbird, or a woodpecker in the net, makes you feel that every net run can be exciting.

Although not to be entered into lightly, running a MAPS banding station is not arduous, and could be undertaken by a Naturalist group if the right combination of volunteers were available. After initial training, giving 6-7 hours of time every 10 days during the main breeding season is not a big commitment. The main point is that the data must be collected consistently, with attention to detail by someone who is very familiar with bird identification and songs. MAPS people also need information gathered about singing birds, and about the characteristics of vegetation at each station. It makes a wonderful hobby for the right person, no matter what age. Many of today's biologists and foresters began banding as children at a banding station, and it can continue as a passion right into old age. I feel endebted to Dr. Diamond for getting me started, and to the support of the interested employees of Fundy National Park, who have spent many a morning with me and the birds.