abstracts of oral and poster presentations - Pacific Seabird Group

fledglings/pair) was higher than in 2003 (0.35 fledglings/pair). Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) and Pacific sand
lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) dominated 2003 diets, whereas rockfish (Sebastes spp.), sand lance, and salmon
(Oncorhynchus spp.) dominated in 2004. Preliminary results for 2003 show no significant within-species
change in energy densities over the breeding season. The mean energy content of saury (59.1 kJ/fish +7.4
SEM.), a pelagic species, and sand lance (69.8 kJ/fish +7.4 SEM.), an inshore species, were not statistically
different, although this may have been due to low power (P = 0.3845). While many other factors influence
foraging efficiency, these results do suggest that saury require birds to travel farther to obtain lower-quality
prey. The importance of prey energy content to Rhinoceros Auklet productivity will be further clarified with the
analysis of 2004 data.
FORAGING ECOLOGY OF BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERONS IN THE NEW YORK CITY AREA
Andrew J. Bernick* (bernick@mail.csi.cuny.edu); City University of New York, Graduate Center/College of
Staten Island, Biology Department, Staten Island, NY USA
Over 1,700 pairs of colonial wading birds (e.g., herons, egrets, ibises) breed and forage in the
industrialized ecosystem of metropolitan New York City. Wading-bird colonies are located on seven islands
that lie between western Staten Island and Long Island Sound. The Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax
nycticorax), a mainly nocturnal forager, is the numerically dominant breeding wader in these colonies and has
been undergoing population declines, both locally and region-wide. My objective was to determine how Blackcrowned
Night-Herons use marine, freshwater, and terrestrial environments in this highly urbanized setting.
From March to September 2004, I conducted weekly surveys on Staten Island, NY, to describe (1) N. nycticorax
night-time abundance and foraging success in four habitat types (shoreline, salt marsh, freshwater, terrestrial);
and (2) N. nycticorax foraging flight patterns from an active breeding colony. In 2004, I observed a mean of 54
Black-crowned Night-Herons/week foraging at 35 sites on Staten Island. I found that: (1) a tradeoff existed
between habitat type and foraging success; (2) individuals used different foraging techniques in different
habitats; (3) activity level remained constant over the entire night cycle; and (4) the most abundant prey items
available at foraging sites also made up the largest proportion of food provisioned to nestlings. By describing
habitat use and foraging success for N. nycticorax and developing techniques to establish a direct link between
individuals and their shifting use of foraging habitats, comprehensive conservation and management plans for
local wader populations can be developed.
MANAGEMENT OF MARBLED MURRELET POPULATIONS UNDER CANADIAN LAW AND POLICY
Douglas F. Bertram (bertramd@pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca) and David Cunnington; Canadian Wildlife Service,
Institute of Ocean Sciences, Sidney, BC CANADA
The Marbled Murrelet is listed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
(COSEWIC) as "Threatened" due to nesting habitat loss and threats of mortality from oil and gill net fishing. In
2003, Canada passed the Species at Risk Act (SARA). The act identifies listed species as Extirpated,
Endangered, Threatened or Special Concern, outlines prohibitions, and requires recovery strategies and action
plans to be produced. The SARA focuses on the identification and conservation of "critical habitat" as the basis
for recovery of listed species. The SARA places emphasis on land stewardship and delegates responsibility for
conservation of species on non-federal lands to the provinces and territories of Canada. The SARA has a "safety
net" which can be invoked if it can be demonstrated that a province or territory has failed to protect a listed
species adequately. In British Columbia, the provincial Wildlife Act and the Forest Practices and Range Act
address wildlife conservation. However, the BC Forest Practices Review Board has criticized the policies to
conserve Marbled Murrelet habitat in BC on two recent occasions. The Canadian Marbled Murrelet Recovery
Team provides scientific advice to the federal and provincial Ministers and is responsible for producing a
Recovery Strategy and Action Plans. We contrast the conservation of Marbled Murrelets under the Canadian
Species at Risk Act with the Endangered Species Act in the USA.