Second North American Sea Duck Conference - Patuxent Wildlife ...

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SECOND NORTH AMERICAN SEA DUCK CONFERENCE BANDING OF COMMON EIDERS IN THE ST-LAWRENCE ESTUARY - A PROGRESS REPORT Jean-François Giroux ¹,4 , Jean-Pierre L. Savard², André Dallaire 3 , Jean Bédard 4 , André Nadeau 2,4 , and Gilles Gauthier 5 ¹ Dépt. des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal; giroux.jean-francois@uqam.ca ² Canadian <strong>Wildlife</strong> Service, Quebec region 3 Faculté de médecine vétérinaire, Université de Montréal 4 Société Duvetnor Ltée 5 Dépt. de biologie, Université Laval Despite intensive management of nesting habitat in several colonies of the St. Lawrence River estuary (SLE), the population of common eiders (Somateria mollissima) has not increased. Recurrent epizootics of avian cholera and suspected high harvest levels are the most obvious limiting factors but their importance on the population dynamics is currently unknown. In 2003, we initiated a long-term banding program of the SLE common eiders to 1) assess survival rates of adult females and juveniles, and 2) determine the relative contribution of hunting and natural mortality including avian cholera. Ultimately, we want to test the hypothesis that hunting mortality is additive to natural mortality. In 2003 and 2004, we captured 1253 nesting females with dip nets on 13 islands that harbor the majority of the nesting population. In 2004, we recaptured 62 birds (15%) banded in the previous year (n=417). This will be useful to estimate adult female survival because the number of recoveries has been low with only 17 (1.4%) reported up to April 2005. These included 11 from Maine and Massachusetts and 5 from Quebec, a ratio that is reversed when compared with the recovery distribution from the seventies. In 2004, we double marked 222 females with stainless steel and standard aluminum bands to estimate wear and loss of aluminum bands. To our knowledge, this has not been done for any sea ducks that are probably more susceptible to band wear than other waterfowl species. This could bias any estimates of survival rate. Blood samples and swabs were collected from 103 nesting females caught in 6 colonies to assess the presence of avian cholera. Although no outbreak was detected in 2004, Pasteurella multocida was detected in 9 birds (8.7%) from 3 colonies. Serotyping of the bacteria is underway. We captured 46 pre-fledged juveniles and 6 females in August 2004 by driving them along the south shore of the river using nets and a catch pen. Updates with the 2005 field season will be presented. 88 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, USA NOV. 7-11, 2005
SECOND NORTH AMERICAN SEA DUCK CONFERENCE WEIGHTS AND MEASUREMENTS OF FOUR SEA DUCK SPECIES WINTERING ON THE CHESAPEAKE BAY Michael R. Haggie, Roland J. Limpert, Hubert A. Allen and John E.Gerber. Chesapeake <strong>Wildlife</strong> Heritage, Easton, MD; haggie@cheswildlife.org The conservation of sea ducks along the mid-Atlantic states has been hindered by a paucity of speciesspecific morphology and weight data. This paper presents basic weights and measurements of four species of sea ducks (white-winged scoter, Melanitta fusca, n=41; black scoter, Melanitta nigra, n=87; surf scoter, Melanitta perspicillata, n=139 and old squaw, Clangula hyemalis, n=112). A total of 379 specimens were collected from waterfowl hunters in Talbot, Queen Anne’s and Dorchester counties on the Eastern Shore of Maryland, USA, during the winters (October-January) of 1987-1990. Weight, sex and age were determined for each individual, while measurements on ten additional features of the bill, sternum, wing and tarsus were made on subsets of the total sample. Weights of all adults in all years were found to exceed those of juveniles, except in 1988, where juvenile females generally exceeded those of adult females. Accumulated weights by species, age, and month demonstrated a continued loss of weight in sub-adults (HY) following arrival on the wintering grounds until November. After that date, both adults (AHY) and sub-adults gained weight until the end of the hunting season, when data collection ceased (December/January). This paper includes tables of weights and measurements for each species and compares differences and similarities both among and within species. Comparative sex and age data are tabulated, graphed, and discussed. The utility of the comparative data, however, varies with sample size in any given specie, sex, and age data block (range n=1-38). Better analysis of hunting bags will allow a more solid scientific basis for the conservation of sea ducks. We encourage further collaborations between the recreation and research communities. NOV. 7-11, 2005 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, USA 89
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