University of New Brunswick

Alcid phenology was once again early and productivity near our long-term average

Terns had zero reproductive success; arrived at the colony and laid eggs but were not aggressive and abandoned their eggs with little disturbance

Completed puffin and Razorbill census in early June

Retrieved and deployed GLS tags on adult Razorbills and Common Murres, and fledged Common Murres

Deployed acoustic transmitting tags on 10 puffin fledgers

Alcid phenology was early again this year and productivity was near our long-term average

Terns generally had a good year with productivity higher than in the past few years

Retrieved GLS tags deployed in 2023 and deployed new GLS tags on adult Razorbills and Common Murre chicks

Alcid productivity was back up around our long-term average but puffin fledglings were very small and grew slowly

Terns had low productivity mostly due to gull predation

Continued puffin and murre GPS deployments

Began new deployments of GLS tags on Razorbills

Alcid productivity was back up around our long-term average

Terns came back and successfully fledged chicks!

Began a new project deploying GPS tags on puffins, Razorbills, and murres to assess foraging behaviour.

Terns and alcids had a dismal year for productivity due most likely to poor prey availability (most failure occurred during the chick stage, chicks grew very slowly and most died before fledging)

COVID-19 restrictions delayed our start date to July 4, at which time at least 2 gull nests on MSI had successfully produced chicks.

Terns abandoned the island before our arrival in July, likely due to disturbance and predation by gulls

Unable to calculate alcid productivity, but fledge success was 81% for puffins and 87% for Razorbills

Continued collecting data for a study on puffin colouration in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Hanley (George Mason University).

No lethal control needed, heavy rain early in the season and during tern hatch resulted in the death of many tern chicks.

Tern reproductive success was low (25%)

Puffin productivity was 48%, Razorbill productivity was 50%

Alcid census found ...

Began collecting preliminary data for a study on puffin colouration in collaboration with Dr. Daniel Hanley (LIU).

Collected blood and feather samples from puffins, razorbills, and Arctic Terns for SIA diet study.

Lethal control by nuisance control specialist ... XX gulls euthanized.

Tern census completed June 15-16; estimated 450 ARTE and 26 COTE (highest since 2006)

5th consecutive year fledging tern chicks (40% productivity)

20 (69%) puffin and 19 (90%) razorbill GLS tags retrieved

No nesting attempts by NOGA

Three visits for lethal gull control (May 29-June 1, June 14-16, and July 9-10). 14 gulls euthanized.

Much more productive breeding season than 2016, especially for puffins (nest success 68% vs. 12%) supported by steady food supply of hake and larval sandlance.

GLS tagging of 29 puffins and 21 razorbills for MSc studies by MB and MD (respectively), and 10 murres.

Monitoring prey deliveries to murre chicks increased to 69 hr vs 49 in 2016.

Three NOGA nests built; one egg observed June 11 was found rolled out of nest June 15.

Ancient Murrelet photographed offshore again.

Single visit for lethal gull control (June 9-11). Six gulls euthanized.

Three NOGA nests, one egg laid, disappeared after 5 days

Ancient Murrelet photographed offshore

Weather dry in June, chick diet mainly hake; heavy rain and fog in July, diet became mostly euphausiids and very small fish (many insects for terns). Puffin chick growth and productivity suffered, many became infected by ticks, and nest success was lowest on record (10-12%).

Arctic Tern hatch success (68%) highest since 2004, but most B chicks lost in heavy rain; 7 Common Tern nests, 5 hatched, at least one fledged.

Puffin census found 10% more than in 2015; razorbill census 14% fewer, focused on area with heavy egg predation by gulls.

GLS tags deployed in 2015 retrieved as follows: 10 of 17 puffin, 7 of 10 razorbill. Much kleptoparasitism of puffins by razorbills, especially in July

AA collected web and blood samples of known-age puffin chicks and adults for MSc study (McGill) and LS collected feather samples from puffins for MSc study of dispersal.

Lethal gull control by nuisance control specialist May 29-30, June 6-7, and June 13-14.

Turbine broken, not deployed.

GPS tracking of breeding razorbills and puffins.

GLS tracking of breeding razorbills, puffins, and Leach's Storm-petrels (with BSC help)

Nano-tagging of razorbills at end of season; BSC MOTUS sensor gnome & aerial deployed on house.

ARTE breeding success equals 1995 value (0.65) for first time since then.

Five ARTE nests fledge 2 chicks!

Late season for puffins (4th latest ever)

Sandlance dominates all diets

Censuses of puffins and razorbills; razorbills up markedly, puffins down ~20%

Take-over of puffin productivity burrows by razorbills continues

Several adult-plumage NOGA loafing among auks all summer.

Lethal gull control by nuisance control specialist June 8-9 and June 20-22.

ARTE colony bred successfully!!!

Turbine broken, not deployed

GPS tracking of breeding razorbills and puffins

Highest July rainfall recorded

Tufted Puffin (new to MSI and eastern Canada) seen 4 times in June & July, ashore as well as at sea

Lethal gull control by nuisance control specialist June 21-23

UNB operated CWS Observer role on contract

Turbine not deployed in most of season

2nd highest rainfall recorded (397 mm)

Lowest puffin productivity ever (15%)

Latest puffin laying (May 27).

1st NOGA nest (failed)

UNB operated CWS Observer role on contract

Puffin condition project continued

Gull fecal samples collected for genetic screening for auk DNA

Turbine not deployed in most season (up in May)

Tern colony abandoned

Turbine not deployed in season

UNB operated CWS Observer role on contract

Auk condition project continued

Gannets on land

1st records (?) of Manx Shearwater on land at night; Prothonotary Warbler collaboration with Daniel Hanley

Tern colony abandoned 

Turbine not deployed in season

US cell phone used; wireless internet installed

UNB operated CWS Observer role on contract

Auk condition project continued

Lyme disease-like symptoms in Bryan Martin; treated in Grand Manan

Tern colony abandoned

Turbine non-functional (winter damage)

Auk condition project begun with Becky Holberton

Water system finally fully functional in house

Phone service removed by conversion to digital

Confirmation of Borrelia in island ticks

Tern colony abandoned

1st nest of Black Guillemot

2x/day gull counts begun

Weekly reports begun

Turbine operated throughout season

"Patriots' Day Storm" 19 April, washed over North end of island

Tern colony abandoned

Gull-hunting May 5-15

Radios deployed on razorbills

Collaboration began with Becky Holberton

New boardwalks to blinds

Turbine operated throughout season

Borrellia garinii (European Lyme disease) identified in 7% (2/28) of ticks Ixodes uriae on MSI

New jetty in place

Satellite transmitters implanted in razorbills

Tern colony abandoned

Turbine tower installed, no blades

Highest rainfall recorded (469 mm)

Tern colony failed

2 Black Tern nests - failed

2 Laughing Gull nests - failed

Roseate Tern restoration attempted

Red-billed Tropicbird seen

Solar panels in place

Began recording depredations

Report Appendix IV summarizes murre nesting to date

Very poor tern success

Roseate Tern restoration continued

2 Black Tern nests - failed

Roseate Tern restoration attempted

First mass laying of Murres

2 Black Tern nests - failed

2 Laughing Gull nests - probably fledged

Landed by helicopter

Alcid tower counts discontinued

1 Roseate Tern nest - failed

2 Black Tern nests - failed

2 Laughing Gull nests

1st year with no CWS Observer; succession of CWS technicians instead

1 pair Roseate Terns nested, chick hatched - probably fledged

1 pair Laughing Gulls probably nested

4 Herring Gull nests destroyed on MSI

Alcid tower counts reduced to morning only

Jetty/Tramway destroyed in fall

Helicopter flyby with Minister John Manley

Report contains Appendix on puffin relighting effort by Andre Breton

Lethal gull control discontinued by CWS

Puffin burrow survey completed

Razorbill nest survey completed

Intensive Honours study of impact of disturbance on tern breeding success, by Chantel Gagnon

Start of puffin burrow census

Leach's Storm-petrel burrow census concluded

Tourist Questionnaire

ARTE metapopulation study began

Metal field-readable bands first used on puffins

Leach's Storm-petrel burrow survey started

Dry summer (121 mm rain)

Started recording "hits" from terns

Dry summer (122 mm rain)

Plant survey by Hal Hinds 13-14 August

Colour aerial photography flown

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