abstracts of oral and poster presentations - Pacific Seabird Group

at banding (proxies for hatching date and peak mass, respectively). The probability of being found alive after
the age of two years decreased with increasing hatching date and increased with peak mass; both relationships
were curvilinear. After controlling for date and mass, the probability of being found alive varied widely from
year to year. Data on birds found dead yielded similar and complementary information. Using independentlyderived
demographic parameters, we estimate the probability of survival from fledging to first breeding as a
function of hatching date, peak mass, and year. This probability varied from near 0 for late or light fledglings in
poor years to near 1.0 for early or heavy fledglings in good years. Post-fledging survival is an important
component of the breeding performance of Little Penguins.
NEW INSIGHTS INTO THE BREEDING AREAS, MIGRATION ROUTES, STAGING, MOLTING, AND
LOCAL MOVEMENTS ASSOCIATED WITH SURF AND WHITE-WINGED SCOTERS WINTERING IN
THE INNER MARINE WATERS OF WASHINGTON STATE
David R. Nysewander (nysewdrn@dfw.wa.gov), Joseph Evenson, Bryan Murphie, and Thomas Cyra;
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Olympia, WA USA
Scoters have experienced significant declines in numbers over the last 25 years in the marine waters of
Washington State; however little was known until recently of movements and population dynamics of the
different wintering scoter populations on the west coast and how they might relate to each other. Studies started
in 2003 in Washington using satellite and radio transmitters for the purpose of documenting the patterns of
distribution and fidelity to winter and spring foraging areas, night concentrations, migration routes, range of
breeding sites, and molting areas of White-winged and Surf scoters wintering in Washington. Two years of a
four-year project have now been completed, suggesting: (1) distinct differences in distribution and movement
exist between the two main scoter species, between male and female scoters, and between different flyway
subpopulations of scoters, such as San Francisco Bay and Puget Sound; (2) male scoters spend 9–10 months and
females spend 8–9 months in marine waters each year; (3) western Washington contains important wintering
and staging areas used by scoters; (4) scoters return daily and yearly often to the same locations, expressing
considerable site fidelity; and (5) several different patterns of scoter association with herring spawning were
observed.
BEACHED-BIRD SURVEYS AND SHIP-SOURCE OIL POLLUTION: HOW THE ABSENCE OF
KNOWLEDGE DOES NOT MEAN THE KNOWLEDGE OF ABSENCE
Patrick D. O'Hara (paddio@uvic.ca) and Ken H. Morgan; Canadian Wildlife Service, Institute of Ocean
Sciences, Sidney, BC CANADA
Seabird conservation programmes worldwide incorporate volunteer-networked beached-bird surveys
("BBSs") to monitor variation in mortality rates attributable to marine oil pollution. In Canada, data from BBSs
conducted in the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland have led to annual oil-associated mortality estimates as
high as 300,000 seabirds. Most of this estimated mortality is attributable to the illegal dumping of oily sludge,
which inevitably collects in the bilge of ships during normal operations. Comparisons of BBS data between the
east and west coasts of Canada, however, have also led to some misguided conclusions. We review factors that
can affect the proportion of oiled seabird carcasses documented in BBSs generally and discuss how these factors
vary between the Atlantic and Pacific Canadian seaboards. In particular, we determine areas of higher risk of
oiling for seabirds and model oiled-carcass trajectories to predict areas along the BC coast where oiled seabirds
are most likely to appear. Delineation of oiling-risk areas incorporates data from seabird surveys, shipping
information, and marine oil-spill surveys, and the carcass trajectories include both oceanographic and
meteorological information. With this model, we improve our interpretation of BBS data and hope to encourage
coverage in areas not currently surveyed.
PELAGIC HABITAT HOTSPOTS AS REVEALED BY REMOTE SENSING IN THE NORTH-EASTERN
PACIFIC [Poster]
Patrick D. O'Hara 1 (paddio@uvic.ca), Peggy P. Yen 2 , Chris Rintoul 2 , Ken H. Morgan 3 , K. David Hyrenbach 4 ,
and William J. Sydeman 2 ; 1 Department of Biology, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC CANADA; 2 Marine
Ecology Division, PRBO Conservation Sciences, Stinson Beach, CA USA; 3 Canadian Wildlife Service,