Egg Rock Update - Newsletter of Project Puffin

FRONT PAGE
	25 Nests in Our 25th Year
	Roseate Terns

SEAL ISLAND UPDATE
	Puffin Increase
	C-1 Nests
	Nesting of Razorbills

ISLAND HIGHLIGHTS
	Matinicus Rock
	Pond Island
	Perroquets Island
	Jenny Island
	Stratton Island
	Murres
	Albatross

EDUCATION AND OUTREACH
	News
	Children's Book Wins Award

TOURS
	Puffins in Maine

RETRO- SPECTIVE
	25th Year (with image gallery)

THANKS
	Acknow- ledgements
	Special Gifts
	Benefactors
	Patrons
	Corporate Matching Gifts
	Staff
	To Contribute

Matinicus Rock

The Matinicus Rock puffin colony continued to expand, reaching a record high count of 171 active burrows-an increase of 21 percent over the 1997 total of 141 burrows. The number of chicks banded also reached a new record high of 77-up from 54 in 1997. Chicks are banded to determine the percent of each age group that returns to Matinicus Rock. This is accomplished by reading the individual leg bands on puffins visiting the island "loafing ledges." Recent return rates have been exceptionally high. For example, return rates for the period 1993-1995 were 95, 64 and 64 percent respectively. This appeared to be an exceptional year for Matinicus Rock puffins, but it will take several years to know for sure as puffins don't usually return to their nesting islands until they are two to three-years-old.
The Razorbill colony on Matinicus Rock was discovered in 1965 and has expanded for at least the past 18 years, reaching a record high of 80 pairs in 1997. The growth of this colony has likely contributed to the increasing numbers of Razorbills prospecting on nearby Seal Island NWR and the first nesting this summer.
A Manx Shearwater was present throughout the 1998 field season, being observed on 16 days from May 24 to July 29. The bird usually arrived just at dusk, circled the shore a few times and then settled onto the ground where it excavated a burrow that eventually reached 19-inches deep by the end of August. It was often heard giving its distinctive, raspy call late into the night. It's likely that the same bird was present on seven days in 1997, as it frequented the same part of the island in a similar pattern, but did not dig a burrow. This nesting behavior is extraordinary, as Manx Shearwaters have nested only once in the United States (Massachusetts) and are known to nest in just a few locations in Newfoundland. Most Manx Shearwaters nest in the United Kingdom.

POND ISLAND

The project to restore a colony of Common and Roseate Terns to Pond Island National Wildlife Refuge in the mouth of the Kennebec River moved into its third season this year (see Egg Rock Update 1996 and 1997). Terns had not nested at Pond Island since 1937, but one pair nested in the first year of the Project (1996) and five pairs nested in 1997. The 1998 season was off to a promising start with many terns prospecting among decoys and the play-back speakers which broadcast the sounds of a thriving Common Tern colony. However, mechanical problems with the sound system appeared to cause most of the prospecting terns to lose interest by late June when they should have been nesting. The project suffered further when Great Horned Owls visited at night, spooking birds from their nests. These setbacks resulted in just one nesting pair of terns at Pond Island this summer.
Two owls were live-trapped and released far from the island to reduce the threat of predation and disturbance by Great Horned Owls. However, as a result of the owl's presence, the adult terns abandoned their eggs at night which prevented them from hatching. To encourage the terns to stay at the island (and hopefully return next year), two Common Tern chicks (both one-day-old) were moved from the thriving Jenny Island colony on July 7 and placed under their new foster parents. The chicks were immediately accepted by the Pond Island adults and were fed for the first time by their foster parents just eight minutes after arrival. The chicks were protected and tended carefully, and soon fattened on a diet of small herring and ake. They fledged on July 27th.

Perroquets Island-Gannet update

In response to restoration techniques, a single adult Northern Gannet spent most of this past summer among decoys on Perroquets Island, site of a once-thriving gannetry on the north shore of the Gulf of St. Lawrence. The project to restore Northern Gannets to Perroquets Island, Quebec continued into its second year, directed by Audubon's Seabird Restoration Program and its two Canadian partners: Quebec-Labrador Foundation and Mingan Islands Cetacean Study (see Egg Rock Update 1996).
Perroquets Island lost its "immense" gannet colony about 1859, due to hunting for cod-fishing bait followed by the construction of a lighthouse. Although gannet populations are expanding in the western North Atlantic, all North American gannets nest at just six colonies which makes them vulnerable to disasters such as oil and chemical pollution, over-fishing, and natural disasters such as storms and erosion.
At Perroquets Island, daily counts of up to 4,800 gannets were seen in mid July during the peak of the season. Most of these birds were likely associated with other Gulf of St. Lawrence colonies such as Bonaventure Island. Our single gannet spent most of the day and night among the decoys, leaving for several hours around mid-day, presumably to fish. On a number of occasions, it was seen picking up nesting material. The gannet was present when the season started in mid June and was present almost daily until late August. The presence of this bird is encouraging as it will help to attract others to the colony. The gannet project was supported by grants from The Baird Foundation and the Baillie Fund of Long Point Bird Observatory.

We Gratefully Acknowledge the 1998
Gannet Watch Team
Laura Del Giudice and Christophe Buidin

JENNY ISLAND

Tiny, three-acre Jenny Island continued to be the only nesting place for terns in Casco Bay. 1998 was the eighth consecutive year the Common Tern colony increased; this year growing to 1,167 nesting pairs. In addition, eight pairs of endangered Roseate Terns nested. Jenny Island was the most productive (1.54 chicks per pair) Common Tern colony on the Maine Coast this summer, producing a total of 1,797 chicks.

STRATTON ISLAND

Numbers of Snowy Egrets and Glossy Ibis remained constant this summer with 125 and 128 pairs respectively-the largest colonies of these species in Maine. Terns continued their third year of dramatic increase-Common Terns were up to 926 pairs and Arctic Terns to 12 pairs. Roseate Terns increased by 58 percent, from 56 pairs in 1997 to 86 pairs this summer. The recent increase at Stratton Island is likely due to the removal of a single specialist night-heron that prevented most terns from successfully breeding between 1991 and 1993. After many years of attempting to live trap and discourage the night-heron from feasting on newly hatched terns. It was shot in 1994. The rapid growth of the colony since 1994 demonstrates the response of the colony to the removal of this specialist predator. Although 29 pairs of Black-crowned Night-Herons nested on the island in 1998, there was no evidence of predation within the growing tern colony as evidenced by highly successful nesting. This summer, Stratton Island Common and Roseate Terns fledged 1,308 and 96 young respectively.

MORE MURRES- DESPITE EL NINO

The project to restore Common Murres to nesting islands on the Central California Coast completed its third year with 15 eggs laid atop Devil's Slide Rock. As recently as 1982, about 2300 Common Murres nested on this rugged sea stack located 15 miles south of San Francisco (see Egg Rock Update 1996). The colony disappeared, however, by 1986, following a period of extensive gill-netting, an oil spill, and effects of the warm El Niño current. The combined effects of these events killed several thousand murres on the Central California Coast. The effort to restore murres to Devil's Slide Rock began in January 1996 when biologists from the USFWS, National Audubon Society and National Biological Survey positioned 384 life-sized decoys, two automatic sound systems (broadcasting murre vocalizations) and 12 mirror boxes on top of the 36' x 78' stack. The project is funded and administered by the Apex Houston Trustee Council.

The social attraction techniques (use of decoys, mirrors and sound) employed at Devil's Slide Rock encouraged murres to recolonize this historic nesting place after a 10-year absence. Six eggs were laid in 1996 of which three fledged. In 1997, six chicks (from nine eggs) fledged; and this year's 15 eggs resulted in six fledglings. The number of birds visiting the Rock also promises further growth, as this summer's high count increased by 100 percent (from 39 in 1997 to 80 in 1998). These increases are surprising since 1998 was a severe "El Niño" year in which coastal waters were warmer than usual. This effect greatly depressed breeding at other Central California murre colonies.
The encouraging results of the Devil's Slide Rock Project prompted the "Project Murre" team to move forward in 1998 with a new restoration project on nearby San Pedro Rock. Murres last nested on San Pedro in 1908, but disappeared following extensive collecting for the San Francisco egg markets which were legal at that time. Although the habitat remains suitable, murres have not pioneered a new colony at this site in 90 years. In early April, project biologists took advantage of a lull in otherwise severe weather to climb the rock and place 380 murre decoys and two sound systems. The San Pedro Rock project is off to a promising start as up to 28 murres have already been observed prospecting among the decoys, exploring the former nesting ledges. If murres do recolonize San Pedro, the entire central California murre population will benefit as more colonies spreads the risk of disaster when catastrophes such as oil spills occur.

We Gratefully Acknowledge the 1998 California Project Murre team

Leader

Mike Parker

Crew

Jennifer Boyce
Hary Carter
Emilie Craig
Holly Gellerman
Dave Nothefer
Richard Young

ALBATROSS NEWS

The program to attract Laysan Albatross to Kaohikaipu Island off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii completed its fifth season (see Egg Rock Update 1994). In 1997-98, 28 volunteer observers were coordinated by Dr. Gail Grabowsky Kaaialii and research assistant Lynnea Overholt. The intent of the project is to encourage the big birds (with a wingspan of seven feet) to nest at this state wildlife sanctuary rather than on airport runways. To help accomplish this goal, observers dedicated 688 hours watching 40 life-size polyethylene models, six decoy chicks and decoy eggs. These and two CD-sound systems were placed in a cluster at a site favored by albatross in recent years. Between December and early May, albatross were seen on and near Kaohikaipu on 25 of 136 observation days, a frequency similar to previous years. Although the albatross have not yet nested, continued interest in the island provides encouragement that the big birds may eventually choose to establish a new nesting place in the safety of this island sanctuary.

Our Sincerest Appreciation Goes to the 1998 Albatross Watchers & Set-up Crew
Volunteer Coordinator Gail Grabowsky Kaaialii Volunteers Cy Barker Arlene Buchholz Lorraine Campbell Marion Campbell Genaflor Datalayta Pete Donaldson Mark Dooner Vicki Dworkin Gene Erskine	Romane Goldboro Hattie Higa Marti Kozolowski Stan Kozolowski Christine Kennedy Adriana Litton Marilyn Nash Cheryl Numata Lanelle Oshiro Lynnea Overholt Nick Palaia Cheryl Phillipson Leemyra Quebral	Annie Rohr Tom Spring Scotty Sugiyama Hedeko Taketa Denise Tambasco Emelia Thomas Phyllis Turnbull Mayra Vega Guy Venuti Corrine Waterhouse John P. Wendel Thia West Bob Westmorland

For General Information and Questions:
puffin@audubon.org

Mailing Address:
Project Puffin
159 Sapsucker Woods Road
Ithaca, New York 14850
(607)257-7308