the seabird ecological assessment network (seanet) a project of tufts university’s cummings school...

The Seabird Ecological Assessment Network (SEANET)

A project of Tufts University’s Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine

North Grafton, Massachusetts

Oceans cover 70% of Earth’s surface and profoundly affect biological and physical processes

60% of world’s population lives on or near a coastNumber will increase to ~75% in next decade

Oceans are under increasing pressure!

The State of the World’s Oceans

One of most numerous and visible groups of wildlife in coastal marine environments worldwide

Spend most of their lives on the ocean

Specialized diets Populations and reproduction are closely linked to status of marine prey

Top predators Bioaccumulate toxins and contaminants acquired from prey

Seabirds are Sentinels of Ocean Health

Emerging infectious diseases Interactions with fisheries – bycatch, entanglement Harmful algal blooms Contaminants (e.g. heavy metals, pesticides) Plastics Sewage contamination Overfishing

Global Threats Facing Seabirds

Plastic debris

BycatchOil contamination

How do we detect changes in seabird populations?

Count live birdsCensus breeding colonies (breeding adults and offspring)Count birds at sea

Count dead birdsMortality data are critical for understanding the magnitude and causes

of population changeEasier to count carcasses than live birds; and, data are verifiable with

photographs (live bird data often difficult to verify)

SEANET: monitoring beached birds

SEANET is the only coordinated seabird mortality surveillance project on the Atlantic coast

SEANET is carried out by both scientists and conservation minded citizens. Through this program, you can participate in university science and marine conservation.

SEANET is citizen science

Over 100 volunteersBeaches covered: Maine to New

Jersey; Georgia and FloridaBeaches walked 1 or 2 times a

monthVolunteers do not need specialized

birding skills to participate:

Jerry Golub, volunteer in New Jersey

Data generated by SEANET Beached Bird Encounter Rate

# of carcasses found per km of beach per month

Beach “conditions” during surveye.g. Wind, Temperature, Precipitation

Live seabirds and shorebirdsThese data are optional

PART ONE: GETTING STARTEDI. Volunteer Supplies:SEANET provides: You provide:volunteer protocol digital cameradatasheets binocularsfoot key gloves measurements diagram rain gearwing ruler sun protectioncalipers pencil and clipboardcable ties (for marking carcasses)

SEANET Protocols

Beached Bird Field Guide

Not required, but very useful for beached bird identification in the fieldCan be purchased from Tufts for $31.50 (+ $4.50 shipping & handling)

Foot Key for ease of ID

Foot key is used to identify a bird to “foot family”

PART ONE: GETTING STARTEDII. Choosing a beach

Work with SEANET staff and Google Earth (a free download) to determine which beach to survey

Pick a beach that you can reliably access year-round

Beaches should be at least 1km in length

This form tells us about the types of factors specific to your beach that might influence the number of carcasses you find It should be completed during your first survey and then mailed to Tufts.

Description of Start and End points should be written in enough detail for anyone to understand; photos of your stop and end points are also requested

This form is an opportunity for you to tell us about your unique beach!

Beach Characteristics Form

Beach Characteristics Form

You may not have all the answers to the questions, but fill them out as thoroughly as you can

Surveys must be conducted either once or twice monthly YEAR-ROUND.If you cannot walk year-round, please team up with another person who can walk while you are away. Weekly surveys are ideal, but only if done consistently year-round

Make sure that surveys are evenly spaced over time (e.g. if once a month, make sure they are around the same time each month)

Do not report beached birds observed on “random” walks outside of your surveys (we cannot use these data)

Conduct surveys at low tide, or just after high tide as the tide is going out Consult your local newspaper for tide charts, or go to http://tidesonline.nos.noaa.gov

(this is in the SEANET protocol)

PART TWO: WALKING YOUR BEACHI. When to survey

PART TWO: WALKING YOUR BEACHII. Where to survey

• Conduct surveys on the same segment of beach each time

Data are reported as the # of carcasses per km of beach – therefore, the length of your beach must remain the same on each survey

*Do not submit a survey sheet if you were only able to walk part of your beach

• If your beach changes due to erosion or other physical processes, please contact your local SEANET Coordinator as soon as possible to update the Start and End points

PART TWO: WALKING YOUR BEACHII. Where to survey

Be sure to search both wrack line from the most recent high tide as well as the wrack from extreme high tides (farther inland)

Survey low and high on your beach - the wrack line on your beach is particularly important to search thoroughly –carcasses often found in wrack

Wrack line – the line of stranded debris, both natural (seaweed) and human-made (plastic bottles and bags) that forms at the water’s edge during high tides

Natural wrack

Unnatural wrack

What to look for when searching for dead birdsFresh carcasses will often look like lumps on the beach:

Older carcasses may be partially buried in sand or wrack

Be sure to look for wing tips and feathers in sand and wrack

Thick wrack can be searched using a walking stick

PLEASE REFER TO THE DATASHEET FOR THE FOLLOWING SLIDES

Remember to fill out your name, date of survey and beach number on each sheet (especially if you are going to submit the paper forms)

Provide the name(s) of all individuals participating in the survey Additional surveyors increase the likelihood of finding carcasses and must

be accounted for in data analyses

Record start time and duration of the survey (do not include time spent recreating)

PART THREE: RECORDING THE DATAI. Filling out the datasheets

Temperature (look up in local newspaper) Fog (yes or no) Sky (clear, partly cloudy, or overcast) Wind direction and speed (can also look up in local newspaper) Precipitation during the survey Storm during past 48 hours Ice/snow on beach (may obscure carcasses and lower likelihood of

encounters)Tide incoming our outgoing/high, low, or intermediate at time of survey

(helps us determine how likely you were to find recently deposited carcasses)

BEACH CONDITIONS DATA

Conditions during your survey that may influence the likelihood of finding carcasses:

Wrack LineNone, patchy, continuous

If continuous, narrow (<1m) or wide (>1m)

BEACH CONDITIONS DATA

I. None

II. Patchy

III. Continuous

Two lines of wrack here - one from most recent high tide,other (higher up) from extreme high tide

Beach raked? (usually done during summer, tourist season)

Recent beach stabilization e.g., beach nourishment (addition of sand or dredged materials)

BEACH CONDITIONS DATA

Oil on beach?May be balls, sludge, or an oily sheen

Should be able to detect smell of petroleumIF OIL, CONTACT National Response Center Hotline and SEANET* NRC contact info in protocol

BEACH CONDITIONS DATA

This is the ONLY optional section in the datasheetWe encourage, but do not require, live bird sightings Live bird numbers can tell us something about dead bird numbers

Record the total number of each species Conduct counts mainly on outbound leg of survey and keep a running tally - do

not recount birds on return leg unless you are confident they are different birds

Report confidence in your ID (Very, Somewhat, Not Very)

Data can be entered via SEANET or eBird (citizen science project of Cornell Lab of Ornithology); see Volunteer Protocol for instructions

LIVE BIRD COUNTS

What is a beached bird? Any carcass or partial carcass with measurable bill, wing, or leg (Parts of bones or piles of feathers do not count)

Live birds that are injured, ill, or in distress are included as “beached” birds

Live birds should NOT be touched – report bird on SEANET datasheet and contact local rehabilitator

Also, if sick marine mammal found,DO NOT TOUCH – report to local strandingnetwork

REPORTING BEACHED BIRDS

Sick swan found by SEANET volunteer in 2008

Record Common Name of bird; if you do not know species, record as much as you can (e.g. “unknown gull”)

Use foot key to help with ID – also see “severed wing guide” on SEANET blog

Describe Status of bird: Live (in the case of sick or debilitated birds), fresh dead, moderate decomposition, advanced decomp, mummified skeletal

REPORTING BEACHED BIRDS

Body Parts Found

Entangled? Yes/No

REPORTING BEACHED BIRDS

Evidence of scavengingScavengers: gulls, foxes, raccoonsGulls particularly common scavengers

Gull scavenging - often a hole withbreast meat eaten away

Oil

Oil is also detectable by its aroma

REPORTING BEACHED BIRDS

Sex Usually cannot be determined except in the case of sea ducks

(e.g. eiders) where males and females have different plumage

REPORTING BEACHED BIRDS

Subadult gull (note plumage)Plover chick – note down insteadof feathers

• Age Class • Adult, Subadult, Chick, Unknown

Banded? (Leg or wing)

REPORTING BEACHED BIRDS

Measurements:

Wing chord – (use ruler, cm)distance between wristbend and tip of longest primaryfeather; keep wing in bent position during measurement

Tarsus – (use calipers, mm)measure diagonally across bone from middle groove of ankle jointto top edge of the foot

Culmen – (use calipers, mm)Distance between tip of billAnd the point where bill meetsskin or feathers of forehead;always measured from top sideof bill

PHOTOGRAPH EVERY DEAD BIRD REQUIRED for independent verification of species ID

REPORTING BEACHED BIRDS

Photo Protocol:Brush off sand and position carcass so that the head is in profile and wings are in a “M” positionTake 2 photos: one ventral and one dorsal – be sure to be directly above carcass when taking photograph (avoid angled shots)Include ruler in photo for scaleInclude label in photo – beach ID, Date, Bird Species

Good example

Do not place label on top of carcass

Position head so that profile can be seen – not possible to see bill profilein this photo

Bird Disposition – Left at Site, Transferred for necropsy, Transferred for rehabilitation, Discarded

If Left at Site, MARK THE CARCASS so as not to recount it – EXTREMELY IMPORTANT – use cable ties provided

REPORTING BEACHED BIRDSWHAT TO DO WITH CARCASS AFTER RECORDED?

If carcass is not marked, it MUST be disposed ofDiscard inland of beach (far enough that it will not be brought back to the beach by an extreme high tide!) (or throw in trash can)

On wings, secure cable tie as close to bone as possible

On bill, slide tie through bothnostrilsOn tarsus, secure cable tie as

tightly as possible above foot

Safety considerations

• Do surveys in pairs when possible - that way, one person can hold field guide or record notes – and, be present in case of emergency

• Wear protective clothing – ALWAYS wear gloves to handle carcasses

• Do not rub your eyes, chew your pencil, etc while surveying

• If you have touched a carcass (even with gloves), wash your hands with soap and water, or use Purell

SUBMITTING DATAIMPORTANT: Datasheets must be filled out for every survey

regardless of presence/absence of beached bird

This allows us to calculate an average beached bird encounter rate for your beach, which is used to compare to other beaches in order to understand why some beaches accumulate lots of carcasses and others do not

Data and photos can be submitted: Via “snail” mail to Tufts staff (see protocol for address) Via email (seanet@tufts.edu) Via web-based data entry system at:

http://wildlifedisease.nbii.gov/seanet Contact SEANET for username and password

SUBMITTING DATA ONLINE• Contact Tufts for Username and password for online data entry

USING THE BEACHED BIRD FOOT KEY

Identify the Foot Type Family using the Foot KeyThe key divides birds by simple characters such as:

number of toesdegree of webbingtarsus shape and lengthheel shape and size

Make sure to look at the entire foot- some hind toes are small!

hind toefront toe

All will have3 - 4 toes(very few with 5)

?

APPLICATIONS OF SEANET DATA

Live Bird ObservationsShorebird and seabird abundance data

Migration patterns population trends, range shifts Piping Plovers – banded siblings observed together by SEANET

New collaboration with eBird Data verification – regional experts

Changes in bird ranges and distributions

Long Island SoundBrown Pelican

Live observation on Long IslandFound dead in CT

Baseline data for Oil and Wind Energy

Development projects

Oil spills

Example: Illegal bilge dumping in Canada

• Minimum of 300,000 birds oiled each year off NL (75% of beached birds were oiled in late 90s)

• Illegal dumping of oily bilge wastes

• Bill C-15 in Canada, in force June 28, 2005

SEANET data used in support (~2% oiling rate in New England)

58 Red-throated loons drowned in gill nets at Napeague State Park, Long Island, NY November and December 2008

Detected by SEANET and reported; currently under investigation by USFWS

Fisheries Interactions: Bycatch on Long Island, NY

Detection of Emerging Infectious Diseases

Mass mortality events can indicate disease outbreaks

Selective sampling of dead birds (when funding available):

Avian InfluenzaNewcastles

SalmonellaGiardia CryptosporidiumBrucella

Necropsy Case Reports

Greater shearwater mortalities on Martha’s Vineyard

(Necropsies conducted at Tufts Veterinary School)

Necropsies conducted by collaborating veterinarians in some states

Necropsy findings

All juvenilesAll emaciatedMany with plastic

pieces in lower stomach (gizzard)

The true role of the plastic?

Comparison with birds drowned in fishing nets (bycaught):

(1) Bycaught birds were juveniles in excellent condition

(2) Bycaught birds had all ingested plastic

Future directions: chronic effects of plastic ingestion?

Compare plastic loads and contaminants in bycaught adult birds —accumulation over lifetime?

Endocrine disruption or other toxic effects?

SEANET Blog: check for updateshttp://seanetters.wordpress.com

Acknowledgments

MANY non-profits (e.g. Audubon) State and federal agencies (e.g. USFWS) University researchers Tufts veterinary students

SEANET Funding

The SEANET main office is housed on the campus of Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine (Mass)

Two full-time staff (including Director & Volunteer Coordinator) rely on funding from donors, federal agencies, and foundations to run the program

If you, or someone you know, cannot volunteer for SEANET, but want to help out - please consider giving a donation Funding is needed for:

Salaries for staff at TuftsVolunteer suppliesResearch projectsStudent interns