Attendance patterns of murres at breeding sites: Implications for monitoring

Journal of Wildlife Management
By:  and 

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Abstract

We studied attendance patterns (presence and absence at breeding sites) of common murres (Uria aalge) and thick-billed murres (U. lomvia) at a colony in the Semidi Islands, western Gulf of Alaska. The period from mid-laying through hatching was appropriate for censusing because counts were subject to the least amount of daily variation. Time of day and weather did not have large effects on the counts and serial dependence was weak or absent. A trend in murre numbers during the census period occurred in 2 of 4 years but the direction of change was inconsistent. Counts made on 40 consecutive days were needed to detect a 6-8% change in numbers between years, whereas 5 counts were adequate to detect a 20-26% change in numbers. Annual changes in murre numbers varied among study plots but mean combined counts differed by 6-16% between years. Behavioral differences alone were inadequate to explain the annual variation in plot counts because site occupancy rates of individual murres were relatively constant.

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Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Attendance patterns of murres at breeding sites: Implications for monitoring
Series title Journal of Wildlife Management
DOI 10.2307/3801154
Volume 53
Issue 2
Year Published 1989
Language English
Publisher Wiley
Contributing office(s) Alaska Science Center, Alaska Science Center Biology MFEB
Description 11 p.
First page 483
Last page 493
Country United States
State Alaska
Other Geospatial Gulf of Alaska, Semidi Islands
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