News
from the Seabird Islands
National
Audubon Society Seabird Restoration Program
News
From the Seabird Islands - July 1, 2008
OVERVIEW
Seabird chicks of all species are hatching on the islands just as Audubon biologists finish their island tern censuses. Rain and heavy fog made it difficult to work in the colonies earlier in the week, but sunny skies near the end of the week allowed island interns to catch up on early season work including tern chick banding, productivity, and feeding studies. Mink have appeared on two islands and gulls are beginning to take some eggs and chicks at most of the islands - giving cause for our island stewards to work harder to minimize losses.
ISLAND HIGHLIGHTS
Outer Green - The 2008 census found 828 Common Tern nests on Outer Green Island- down 153 pairs since last year. So far, no Roseate Terns are nesting here this year. Common Tern chick growth and provisioning studies have begun this week as tern chicks are now hatching. Audubon biologists continued vegetation manipulation and monitoring as late June showers increased plant growth. A vegetation collection is in progress to catalog all of the plants on the island. A study looking at the role of corn gluten meal as a way of managing tern habitat is in progress.
Stratton Island - Four species of terns were hatching this week on Stratton Island. The 2008 census found: 951 pairs of Common Terns, 70 pairs of Least Terns, 64 pairs of Roseate Tern, and 9 pairs of Arctic Terns. Common Terns increased by nearly 200 pairs, but Roseate Terns declined by 16 pairs. Common terns are now at peak hatch and are very aggressive toward island interns- diving and ‘pooping’ are deemed very positive signs as it means the adults are fully committed to raising their young.
Jenny Island - Audubon biologists have found evidence of a mink on Jenny Island. Mink traps have been set around the colony in an attempt to capture the mink and remove it from the island. The 2008 census found 556 Common Tern pairs - 124 fewer than last year. Likewise, Roseate Terns were down to two pairs from 17 last year. Both the Common and Roseate Tern eggs are now hatching.
Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge - Pond Island, like Jenny, also has a mink, but there are additional concerns with a Great Horned Owl visiting the island at night. Live traps for owls are in place with hopes of capturing the bird for relocation. Predators have caused some tern parents to abandon their nests at night. However, many terns have stayed on their nests and their chicks are starting to hatch, even the few Arctic Tern nests scattered around the island. The 2008 census found 434 pairs of Common Tern and 4 Arctic Tern pairs. This is an increase of 119 pairs of Common Terns over 2007.
Eastern Egg Rock - Eastern Egg Rock gained some additional predation protection this week with the arrival of the “Robo Ranger”. Robo Ranger is a life size robotic mannequin dressed similar to Audubon biologists that rises periodically from behind the rocks to aid in deterring predators from entering the tern colony. The robot was designed and built by students and faculty from Dewitt Middle School in Ithaca, NY with Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology engineers. The count of active puffin burrows continues to increase! To date, 53 puffin burrows have chicks, including many of the puffins in the Adopt-A-Puffin program. The 2008 tern census found 1,129 pairs of Common Terns- a number similar to last year. Arctic and Roseate Tern nest numbers have increased since last year: 111 Arctic and 129 Roseate Tern nests. Laughing Gulls continued their streak of record breaking nest numbers by increasing over 200 nests since last year to 1,972 pairs!
Matinicus Rock - The razorbill colony increased by to a record high- 10% over the 312 pairs recorded in 2007. Puffin chicks are just beginning to hatch as only a few burrows have become active. Audubon biologists are also hearing many Manx Shearwater vocalizations at night and two new possible burrow ‘starts’ were found. The 2008 census showed that 1,084 Arctic Tern and 1,283 Common Tern nests were found on Matinicus Rock. This is a large increase in Common Terns and a big decline in Arctic Terns.
Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge - Most of the terns that abandoned here last year due to May gull predation, were back, occupying an expanded colony this year. This year’s census found a total of 2,367 tern nests, 1,084 Arctic and 1,283 Common Tern nests. Puffin chicks are also just beginning to hatch as only a few feedings have been seen around the island. A greater amount of Common and Arctic Tern chicks have already hatched. The puffin cam is working great on Seal Island. For close-up views, visit http://www.projectpuffin.org
SEABIRD CELEBRATION DAY IS JULY 5TH
Seabird enthusiasts will find additional reasons to visit Project Puffin Visitor Center (PPVC) in Rockland on July 5th. This year’s third annual celebration features outdoor seabird theme games for children, a reading and book signing from Katharine Zecca, wildlife artist and author of DownEast Press’ new book- A Puffin’s Year. The celebration will feature the appearance of several live owls native to Maine. DownEast Energy’s Captain Puffin- a five foot tall fuzzy puffin and treats for all in attendance from Barbara’s Bakery. Those not able to attend will have the opportunity to see an Internet first- a live interview over the Puffin Cam with Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge supervisor, Matt Klosterman. People at PPVC will have the opportunity to ask Matt questions. Those not able to attend can phone questions in by calling the center at 207-596-5566. Tune into the Puffin Cam at http://www.projectpuffin.org at 1PM. The Center is a joint endeavor of the National and Maine Audubon Societies
KARL MÅRTENS EXHIBIT OPENS
Project Puffin Visitor Center opens a show of original watercolors of Maine Seabirds by Swedish artist Karl Mårtens on July 5th. The show features 20 paintings of puffins, terns, gulls and other seabirds that nest on Audubon sanctuaries in Maine. Mårtens paints in a distinctive style, using his Zen training to produce brushstroke images of the birds.
This show is Mårtens’ first exhibit in the United States. Mårtens, a Stockholm resident, will visit Rockland from July 22-24 to speak at both the Puffin Project Visitor Center (5PM on July 23) and the Farnsworth Museum.
The paintings in the show and low edition numbers from limited edition lithographs of a puffin and razorbill will be auctioned on July 25th. Bids for the originals can be placed prior to the auction at Project Puffin Visitor Center, 311 Maine Street, Rockland. Limited edition lithographs of Mårtens are also available at the Center. Project Puffin Visitor Center is open daily June 1-October 31 from 10AM-5PM and on Wednesdays until 7PM. Several of Mårtens paintings and lithographs are also on exhibit at the Firehouse Gallery in Damariscotta. For a preview of the art in the show, visit: http://www.formifunktion.com/Project_Puffin_2008/index_2.htm
News
From the Seabird Islands - June 5, 2008
IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO PARTICIPATE IN THE 2008 PROJECT PUFFIN BIRDATHON!
Project Puffin staff at our seven Maine field stations, as well as mainland teams, headed into the field on May 29th for our 20th annual birdathon to support Maine seabird conservation. The results of the birdathon are still being compiled, so we have extended the deadline to participate. If you have your birdathon participation/entry form, there's still time to join in the fun and possibly win a prize. Any entry postmarked June 9th or earlier will be accepted.
PUFFIN AND TERN CAMS ARE IN PLACE
At Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge, the puffins are back, and they’re busy coming and going from their burrows. The puffin cam is offering great views of puffins, guillemots, razorbills, and terns. Likewise, the tern cam is focused on close-up nests of Common and Arctic Terns. We’re especially pleased to report that the puffin burrow cam is also in place—this year earlier than ever. The camera sits deep within a nesting burrow and is currently showing the parent puffins incubating their single egg. The seabird cameras at Seal Island NWR rotate automatically between some of our favorite views. The cameras are also controlled by visitors at the Project Puffin Visitor Center in Rockland. Watching birds live over the cams is much like being on the island in that one never knows for sure what they will see. The puffin cam is sponsored by Barbara’s Bakery, maker of ‘puffins’ cereals. Check out the puffin and tern cams by visiting
PUFFINS IN THE NEWS
Eastern Egg Rock puffins were the subject of a recent article in the Boston Globe.
ISLAND HIGHLIGHTS
All of our seven Audubon-managed seabird islands now have field teams in place- ten days earlier than previous years. Our impressions are that tern and puffin numbers seem to be healthy during this early part of the nesting season; exact numbers will be available as the summer progresses. The first comprehensive census of gull and cormorant populations since 1996 is currently underway in Maine, thanks to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous cooperating groups, including Audubon. Air surveys will be combined with on-the-ground censuses. Great Black-backed and Herring Gulls have not been counted for the past 12 years because of the difficulty of counting more than 300 gull colonies, so the outcome of this year's census is of great interest. Preliminary counts suggest that eider duck populations have increased this year after a three year decline.
Matinicus Rock staff have observed noticeable growth in the Razorbill colony, as these handsome cousins of the Atlantic Puffin have not only increased in overall numbers, but have also colonized new parts of the island for nesting. The results of this year’s census will be available soon.
Laughing Gulls have arrived in unusually large numbers at Eastern Egg Rock. For unknown reasons, these small gulls have nearly abandoned Petit Manan Island National Wildlife Refuge in downeast Maine. Egg Rock is already crowded with the small gulls which have moved northward from southern states in recent years. In 2007, there were approximately 1,700 pairs of Laughing Gulls on the seven acre island. The arrival of more Laughing Gulls at Egg Rock could be a problem for terns as they compete for nesting habitat and eat tern chicks and eggs. A census in late June will reveal the size of the Laughing Gull population.
The tern colony at Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge, is threatened this year by a mink, a Great Horned Owl, and a Peregrine Falcon! This trio of arch predators are harassing terns by day and night. Live traps are now in place to capture the owl and the mink, and our only hope for the Peregrine is for it to fly on to other ‘pastures’.
At Outer Green Island, 461 songbirds have been captured to date in mist nests and set free after banding. This is the 2nd highest count in the four years we’ve been running this project. Island Supervisor Jen Knight reports 39 species so far, including two Orchard Orioles, a Nelson’s Sharptail Sparrow, and a Field Sparrow. The most common species caught have been Savannah Sparrows, Common Yellowthroats, and White-throated Sparrows.
News
From the Seabird Islands - May 15, 2008
The Puffin Cam goes Live!
The puffins are back, and so is the robotic puffin cam on Seal Island National Wildlife Refuge. Most of the puffins are still on the water swimming with eiders and other seabirds, but some are already coming and going from their burrows and many are sitting on eggs. This year’s earlier than ever launching of the puffin cam will provide friends of Project Puffin with a chance to see these early visits to the island. The puffin cam is perched on a rocky outcrop that will become increasingly favored by ‘loafing’ puffins as the season proceeds. Morning hours are the best time to watch for puffins, razorbills, and black guillemots that will be coming and going from their nearby underground burrows. In the coming weeks, plans are moving forward to install a tern cam in the Arctic Tern colony and later an underground puffin burrow cam. The puffin cam is set to rotate every few minutes to a new location. To find the puffin cam, go to the home page of www.projectpuffin.org. Visitors to Project Puffin Visitor Center, located at 311 Maine St in Rockland, Maine can help control the camera and see the live camera image projected on a large screen. The puffin cam is sponsored by Barbara’s Bakery.
We hope that you enjoy the Puffin Cam!
The Project Puffin Staff
News From the Seabird Islands - May 8, 2008
Our first research teams have just landed on two of our Maine islands-
Outer Green Island off of Portland and Stratton Island off of Prout's Neck.
The remaining five islands will soon open as well. To support the protection
of Maine seabirds and train this year's interns, I hope that you will join
the fun of this year's Bird-A-Thon.
Our annual Project Puffin Bird-A-Thon flyer will be arriving soon in your mailbox!
Our 20th Bird-A-Thon will be held on May 29 and our teams will spend the day peering through binoculars and spotting scopes. Of course, we do that every day on the seabird islands, but on May 29, we are looking for all the birds- including starlings and house sparrows! We will tally the number of different species we see and count the total number of puffins on land, sea or in the air.
We encourage you to join in the fun by guessing the number of different species we will encounter and making a pledge per species. Or, join the Bird-A-Thon by simply make a donation to support Project Puffin.
Everyone who mails in the Bird-A-Thon pledge card is entered into our raffle for puffin-related prizes. The person who correctly guesses the total number of different species that we see that day will win a $75 gift certificate to our new Project Puffin Visitor Center Online Store! More details about how our Bird-A-Thon works are included in the flyer.
Sponsoring our Bird-A-Thon team is a fun way to help the puffins & our seabird friends. Please donate or pledge a tax-deductible gift when you receive your flyer to help us continue our restoration & protection efforts.
Many thanks,
Stephen Kress
Director
.
Research Updates from Past Seasons:- 2007 Breeding Season
- 2006 Breeding Season
- 2005 Breeding Season
- 2004 Breeding Season
- 2003 Breeding Season
- 2002 Breeding Season
- 2001 Breeding Season
You
can support Project Puffin through our Adopt-a-Puffin program. By adopting
a Puffin, you contribute to insuring the future of Puffins on Maine's
Coast...and now
you can do it ONLINE!
| puffin@audubon.org |
Mailing Address: Project Puffin 159 Sapsucker Woods Road Ithaca, New York 14850 607-257-7308 |