Seabird Survival

August-September 2004

This is an article from WaveLength Magazine, available in print in North America and globally on the web.
To download a pdf copy of the magazine click here: > DOWNLOAD

by Bruce Whittington

Sandpipers, like these resting Sanderlings, migrate thousands of kilometers, and need safe places where they can stop to rest and refuel.

Kayaks are generally regarded as environmentally friendly craft, and for the most part they are. But it’s easy to be lulled into a sense of ecological comfort. We would be naive to think that kayaks and the people who paddle them have no impact on coastal wildlife.

Seabirds are protected, like marine mammals, but under a confusing suite of federal and provincial legislation that’s not well known and not often enforced. Since one of the greatest tools in wildlife protection is public awareness, the Federation of BC Naturalists (FBCN)has launched a Seabird Survival Program, part of its work as the BC partner in the international Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program.

The Important Bird Areas Program identifies specific locations critical to the survival of one or more species of birds. It’s coordinated in Canada by Bird Studies Canada and the Canadian Nature Federation. There are over fifty IBAs in coastal British Columbia.

The Seabird Survival Program is focused on five IBAs in the heavily-travelled southern Strait of Georgia. These are Active Pass and Porlier Pass, Sidney Channel (including part of Sidney Island), the breeding colonies at Chain Islets off Oak Bay, and on Snake Island near Nanaimo.

FBCN recognizes that most kayakers respect the need to minimize their impact when they travel—that’s one of the reasons they paddle. By providing information on seabird disturbance, FBCN hopes to further encourage kayakers to be more alert to seabird disturbance, and to avoid it when it is safe to do so.

What can kayakers do to minimize seabird disturbance? The first thing is to learn why disturbance can be harmful to seabirds. Rhinoceros Auklets spend most of the day diving to catch fish, returning only after dark to their nest burrows. If they are interrupted while feeding, they may not bring enough food back to sustain their young for the next 24 hours.

Large flocks of birds that congregate to feed or rest during their migrations cannot replenish their energy reserves if repeatedly disturbed.

Common Murres go through a period of flightlessness after a late-summer moult, and can be stressed when forced to dive repeatedly when boats approach.

Seabirds at breeding colonies may flush when approached by boaters or their dogs. This leaves eggs and young exposed to rain or hot sun, and to opportunistic predators like gulls, mink, and Bald Eagles. Black Oystercatcher nests are especially vulnerable, because they are usually found just above the high tide line on gravel or shell beaches—the perfect spot to pull the boats ashore for a picnic.

Kayakers can learn a lot about seabirds just by watching them. They will exhibit signs of disturbance in a variety of ways. Cormorants stretch their necks when stressed. Rhinoceros Auklets lean forward first, then swim away, then dive. And disturbance is obvious when birds flush to escape.

The Seabird Survival Program has developed a series of voluntary guidelines to help boaters and kayakers enjoy their encounters with seabirds responsibly:

• Stay a minimum of 100 meters away from seabird colonies. While it may appear birds do not flush at closer approaches, disturbance is cumulative, and can be exacerbated if more boats are involved.

• Allow a distance of 50 meters between you and seabirds on the water. Larger flocks will panic more quickly, so give them more room if it’s safe to do so.

• Avoid flushing birds when you go ashore. Keep dogs leashed when seabirds or shorebirds are present. If a pair of Oystercatchers is on the beach and the birds do not leave, they may have a nest nearby, so find another beach.

• Use binoculars to view wildlife. Seabirds 100 meters away will appear less than 15 meters away through 7 power binoculars.

It’s not reasonable to expect that kayakers can avoid all encounters with seabirds, nor should they. Being close to seabirds and other wildlife is one of the joys of being on the water. The goal of the Seabird Survival Program is to encourage recreational boaters to learn more about seabird disturbance so as to reduce their impacts on the birds which share our waters. It’s a small consideration benefitting seabirds and humans alike.

TO LEARN MORE

Copies of the Seabird Survival Brochure are available to individuals or groups from the FBCN office, 301-1367 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 4A9. For more information about FBCN and its 49 member naturalist clubs, visit www.naturalists.bc.ca.For more info about the Important Bird Areas Program, see www.ibacanada.ca.

The Seabird Survival Program would not have been possible without the financial support of The Vancouver Foundation, TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, and the Community Action Fund of the Canadian Nature Federation. FBCN is also grateful for the cooperation of WaveLength Magazine.

© Bruce Whittington is a freelance writer and naturalist who has been birding for over thirty years. He lives in Ladysmith, B.C.