Appendix C
Foraging Guilds
Bird Forage Guilds
Shorebirds
Diving Ducks
Dabbling Ducks
Forage
Guild
Common Name
American Wigeon
Eurasian Wigeon
Gadwall
Green-winged Teal
Blue-winged Teal
Mallard
Northern Pintail
American Coot
Hooded Merganser
Northern Shoveler
Bufflehead
Surf Scoter
Barrow's Goldeneye
Black Scoter
Common Goldeneye
Common Merganser
Greater Scaup
Harlequin Duck
Long-tailed Duck
White Winged Scouter
Killdeer
Pacific Golden-Plover
Black-bellied Plover
Black Oystercatcher
Semipalmated Plover
Dunlin
Red Knot
Marbled Godwit
Red Phalarope
Greater Yellowlegs
Long-billed Dowitcher
Spotted Sandpiper
Western Sandpiper
Least Sandpiper
Wilson's Phalarope
Rock Sandpiper
Black Turnstone
Common Snipe
Food Habits
General Comments
Vegetation, snails, beetles, crickets. Dominantly vegetarian (eg. eelgrass and algae)
Vegetation, eelgrass
Leaves, stems and tubers of aquatic plants. Eats some small fishes and aquatic invertebrates
Feeds on seeds and aquatic invertebrates (eg. Mollusks, aquatic insects, seeds)
Primarily eat vegetation Vegetative parts of aquatic plants as well as seeds. Also consumes aquatic invertebrates.
Sometimes eat small fishes
Eats seeds, rootlets and tubers of aquatic plants, insects, mollusks, amphibians, small fishes (mostly vegetation).
and aquatic invertebrates
Mostly vegetation. Feed on seeds and nutlets of aquatic plants, amphipods and other invertebrates.
Submergent vegetation in open water. Leaves, seeds and roots of aquatic plants. Some animal food.
Small fishes, crayfishes and other crustaceans obtained by diving underwater.
Seeds of sedges, bulrushes, sawgrass, etc. Also eats mollusks, aquatic insects and crustaceans.
Eats aquatic insects, crustaceans, mollusks, crustaceans, snails, amphipods, small fishes and some aquatic plants.
Mainly invertebrates, mollusks, crustaceans and aquatic insects with some aquatic plants in summer.
Mollusks (especially blue mussels), some seastars, and marine worms. Dives for mussels and invertebrates .
Eat mostly aquatic insects,
Mollusks comprise a majority of the diet; the blue mussel. Also eats crustaceans, some fishes and plant foods.
crustaceans, animal food.
Aquatic insects, crustaceans and aquatic plants.
Sometimes eat aquatic
Eats mainly fishes, also amphibians, crustaceans, mollusks and other invertebrates.
vegetation but minimal
Mollusks and in some areas eats seeds leaves, stems of plants.
Mostly benthic aquatic invertebrates, mostly crustaceans and mollusks, also insects and a few small fishes.
Crustaceans, fishes and their eggs, mollusks, and aquatic insects. Aquatic plants (roots, leaves, buds, seeds). Mysis spp., Onisimus spp., and biva
Mostly animal food, eats mollusks, crustaceans, aquatic insects and fishes.
Small invertebrates.
Primarily feeds on insects. Also eats some small mollusks and crustaceans.
Marine worms, insects, mollusks, crustaceans.
Mollusks, probes sand for marine worms.
Marine worms, small mollusks and crustaceans, insects eggs and larvae.
Larvae of flies and mosquitoes, crustaceans, marine worms, mollusks, and insects.
Mainly mollusks, eggs of crabs and horseshoe crab, insects, some seeds and small fishes.
Mollusks, crustaceans, worms, insects.
Feed mostly on invertebrates,
Insects, crustaceans, larval fishes and small jelly fishes.
mollusks, crustaceans, fishes,
Small fishes, insects and their larvae, snails, crabs, worms and tadpoles.
worms
Insects and their larvae, mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms, spiders and seeds of aquatic plants.
Small invertebrates.
Aquatic insects, also eats mollusks, worms, crustaceans and algae.
Small insects, crustaceans, mollusks, and worms.
Insects, mosquitoes and crane flies. On salt flats may feed on alkali flies, brine shrimp, seeds of aquatic plants.
Crustaceans, small mollusks, insects and worms.
Slugs, mollusks, and crustaceans. Seaweeds for small marine animals, may also eat berries but primarily aquatic invertebrates.
Earthworms, insect larvae, small crustaceans, and molluscs. Plant fibers and grit are also consumed.
Bird Forage Guilds
Geese/
Swans
Piscivorous Diving Birds
Gulls
Forage
Guild
Common Name
Bonaparte's Gull
California Gull
Glaucous-winged Gull
Herring Gull
Mew Gull
Ring-billed Gull
Western Gull
Thayer's Gull
Ross's Gull
Common Loon
Horned Grebe
Red-breasted Merganser
Common Murre
Pelagic Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Pigeon Guillemot
Red-necked Grebe
Red-throated Loon
Pied-billed Grebe
Brant Goose
Canada Goose
Snow Goose
Trumpeter Swan
Food Habits
Primarily insects and fishes, also crustaceans and marine worms and scavenges.
Insects, mice.
Fishes, mollusks, crustaceans, garbage and carrion.
Various animals and garbage.
Fishes, Crustaceans and mollusks, scavenges in harbours.
Animals and plant material and garbage.
Fish crustaceans, mollusks, worms, garbage.
Fishes, mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms, carrion and garbage.
Beetles, gnats and other insects.
Piscivorous - any prey they can see, yellow perch, flounder, rock cod, minnows, crustaceans…
Invertivore, Piscivore - mainly small fishes, crustaceans and aquatic insects; also amphibians and leeches.
Invertivore, Piscivore -mostly fishes plus some crustaceans. Insects important to young.
Mostly fish diet.
Feeds on fishes; also consumes crabs, shrimps, marine worms, and amphipods.
Feeds on small fishes and squid; also feeds on crabs and shrimps.
Mainly on small fishes; also includes mollusks, crustaceans, and marine worms.
Mainly on small fishes; also eats aquatic and land insects, crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic worms, tadpoles.
Mainly fishes; also eats shrimps, snails, aquatic insects and some aquatic plants.
Eats mainly fishes, crustaceans, insects; also amphibians, other invertebrates.
Mainly eelgrass, saltmarsh grass, sea lettuce; also forage on grains in fields.
Marsh grasses, sprouts of winter wheat, clover, cattails, bulrushes, algae; also eats mollusks and small crustaceans.
Eats grains; uproots sedges, marsh grasses, and aquatic plants (eats stem, rhizomes, roots, bulbs).
Aquatic vegetation. Young eat aquatic insects and crustaceans and in 5 weeks feed on aquatic plants. Some grazing.
General Comments
Fishes, mollusks, crustaceans
and garbage
Eat mainly fishes; some also
eat crustaceans, aquatic
insects, mollusks
Primarily eat marsh
vegetation; eat grains during
food shortage
DABBLING DUCKS
American Wigeon (Anas americana)
•
Feeds on leaves, stems, buds, and some seeds of pondweeds, wigeon grass, grasses, and
sedges. Forges in shallow water and grazes in fields. May also some snails, beetles, and
crickets (Terres, 1980).
•
Study in Boundary Bay - Zostera japonica comprises a large single percentage of the
diet. Leaves most important to widgeon (Baldwin & Lovvorn, 1994).
•
Wigeon are almost exclusively vegetarian. On estuaries, wigeon consume aquatic plans
such as eelgrass (Zostera spp.) and algae (Entraomorpha sp.). Over the years, changes in
availability of items may have lead to changes in wigeon feeding habits. Inland pasture is
now more important that either mudflats or salt marshes for European Wigeon in Britian.
In the Fraser delta it appears that the agricultural areas provide a greater feeding
opportunity for wigeon between October and January, than do the marshes (Duynstee,
1992).
Eurasian Wigeon (Anas penelope)
•
Feed on intertidal Zostera beds in Northern Europe (Fox, 1996).
•
Prefer open feeding sites, such as agricultural areas and hayfields. Graze on P. trivialis
leaf tips. (Jacobsen, 1992).
•
Wigeon are almost exclusively vegetarian. On estuaries, wigeon consume aquatic plants
such as eelgrass (Zostera spp.) and algae (Enteromorpha sp.). Over the years, changes in
availability of these marsh plants may have lead to changes in wigeon feeding habits.
Inland pasture in now more important that either mudflats or saltmarshes for European
Wigeon in Britian. In the Fraser delta it appears that the agricultural areas provide a
greater feeding opportunity for wigeon between October and January, than do the
marshes (Duynstee, 1992).
Gadwall (Anas strepera)
•
Feeds on leaves, stems, and tubers of aquatic plants. Also eats algae and seeds of sedges
and grasses. Occasionally grazes in pastures and grain fields; may feed on acorns. Eats
some small fishes and aquatic invertebrates (e.g., insects, crustaceans). Aquatic
invertebrates comprise about half the diet in spring and summer; eats green portions of
aquatic plants in non-nesting season; feeds generally in water 15-66 cm deep (Ringelman
1990). Juveniles initially eat equal amount of animal and plant food; plant food begins to
dominate after 2 weeks (Ringelman, 1990).
•
They are considered herbivorous, except during spring when some aquatic invertebrates
are consumed. Gadwall was documented to consume the following invertebrates: insects
(caddis flies, beetles, true flies, midges), crustaceans (fairy shrimps, water fleas).
•
Spring and Summer – filamentous algae, widgeongrass, musckgrass, sago pondweed,
elodea, fairy shrimp, seed shrimp, water fleas, midges, beetle larvae. Fall and Winter –
Filamentous algae, dwarf spikerush, widgeongrass, spiked watermilfoil, baby pondweed,
seed shrimp, fragrant flatsedge, redroot sedge.
Green-winged Teal (Anas crecca)
•
Eats aquatic plants; seeds of sedges, smartweeds, pondweeds, and grasses; aquatic
insects, mollusks, crustaceans and tadpoles. In fall waste grain. Also eats berries, grapes,
acorns. Dabbles in shallow water, also forages on land.
•
Study in Boundary Bay – Amphipods, primarily Corophium insidiosum were the greatest
fraction of the green-winged teal diet. (Baldwin and Lovvorn, 1994).
•
Green-winged teal prefer feeding on mudflats where they forage primarily for seeds and
invertebrates. Teal were feeding on meiofauna concentrated in the water just above the
sediment surface. Some esophai contents of green-winged teal include: Cyprideis
salebrosa, C. gelica, Candona verretensis, Ostracoda, Harpacticoid copepoda, Nematoda,
Pinnixa sp, Chironomidae, Odonata. (Gaston, 1992).
•
Green-winged Teal forage both on land and in freshwater. In summer, these ducks forage
on aquatic invertebrates, tadpoles and seed of emergent and aquatic vegetation. The fall
diet is composed of grains, grasses, seeds and plant shoots. Young birds consume
primarily insects. When on land, these teal forage by gleaning seeds, grains and insects
from the ground and vegetation as they walk. By "dabbling," (floating on the water's
surface and abruptly pivoting headfirst and downward into the water while raising their
hindquarters above water) these ducks are able to reach submerged aquatic plants and
animals on the muddy bottom.
•
Out of this study the types of invertebrates eaten by mallards include the following,
Chironomid midges, water beetles (Coleoptera) (such as Dytiscid beetles, Hyrdrophilid
beetles), water bugs (Hemiptera) (such as corixid water boatmen) and Amphipods
(Amphipods) (such as gammarid scuds and seed shrimp) (Batzer, 1993).
Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors)
•
Omnivorous; feeds mainly in shallowly flooded wetlands. Feeds on vegetative parts of
aquatic plants (algae, duckweeds, pondweeds, etc.) as well as seeds (sedges, pondweeds,
grasses, etc.). Also consumes large amounts of aquatic invertebrates, which are
especially important in the breeding season and in the diet of the young (Gammonley and
Fredrickson, 1995).
•
They are omnivorous and usually feed in portions of wetlands that are flooded less than 8
inches deep. During breeding, aquatic invertebrates provide most of the protein and
minerals required for egg production. Snails, midge, and mosquito larvae and adults,
fairy shimp, beetles, amphipods and isopods are important for spring migration and
breeding. As seasonal wetlands dry over the summer, teal move to semipermanent
wetlands to feed. During postbreeding period, snails, midge and mosquito larva, water
fleas, and amphipods are consumed. Seeds and aquatic vegetation comprised 43% of the
diet (Gammonley, 1995).
•
Blue-winged teal was documented to consume the following invertebrates: snails, insects
(caddis flies, beetles, true flies, midges), crustaceans (fairy shrimps, clam shrimps,
scuds), and annelids.
Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
•
Eats seeds, rootlets, and tubers of aquatic plants, seeds of swamp and river bottom trees,
acorns, cultivated grains, insects, mollusks, amphibians, small fishes, fish eggs; adults eat
mostly vegetable material, young initially eat mainly invertebrates.
Foraging
opportunities optimal where water depth less than 40 cm (Allen, 1986).
•
Study in Boundary Bay corresponded to the upper limit of Zostera japonica. Some
feeding occurred at all tide height ranges but was too infrequent to be included. Zostera
japonica comprised the larges single percentage of the diet from wigeon, pintails,
mallards and brant. The rhizomes were most important to the mallards. Mallards also
relied heavily on amphipods and other invertebrates, of which the most important by
mass were the gastropod Nassarius mendicus, the bivalves Macoma balthica and Mya
arenaria, the amphipods Eogammarus confervicolus and Ampithoe spp., the isopod
Idotea resecata, and the decapod Crangon alaskensis. (Baldwin and Lovvorn, 1994).
•
Chironomid midge larvae predominated in mallard diets. The amphipod Eogammarus
confervicolus as the only other invertebrate that was consumed commonly by mallards.
Ostracods, water beetles, and water boatmen were each consumed by mallards. Out of
this study the types of invertebrates eaten by mallards include the following, Chironomid
midges, water beetles (Coleoptera) (such as Dytiscid beetles, Hyrdrophilid beetles), water
bugs (Hemiptera) (such as corixid water boatmen) and Amphipods (Amphipods) (such as
gammarid scuds and seed shrimp) (Batzer, 1993).
•
The food of the mallard is largely vegetable material procured in the water or on the land.
In the water, the bird feeds on emergent weeds and the tuberose roots of plants that grow
in shallows. On land it turns to grain, other seeds, and green stuff. Animal matter is also
taken. This is made up of molluscs, small crustaceans and insects and their larvae.
•
Mallards preferred similar foods to pintails but were notably different in their lower
intake of invertebrate material from the agricultural lands and a higher intake of
vegetable material. Also ate clams, snails, and small unidentified crustaceans. Potato
and starchy material were also found in the samples. (Hirst, 1981).
•
Mallard was documented to consume the following invertebrates: snails, insects (caddis
flies, beetles, true flies, midges), crustaceans (fairy shrimps, clam shrimps, water fleas,
scuds), and annelids (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1988).
Northern Pintail (Anas acuta)
•
Eats various plants and animals, depending on availability. Feeds on seeds and nutlets of
aquatic plants (sedges, grasses, pondweeds, smartweeds); also eats mollusks, crabs,
minnows, worms, fairy shrimp, and aquatic insects. Animal foods important to females
during prelaying and laying periods. Diet of juveniles includes mostly insects (Suchy and
Anderson, 1987). Dabbles for food; may also feed on waste grain in fields and marine
animals on tidal flats.
•
Study in Boundary Bay corresponded to the upper limit of Zostera japonica. Some
feeding occurred at all tide height ranges but was too infrequent to be included. Zostera
japonica comprised the larges single percentage of the diet from wigeon, pintails,
mallards and brant. The seeds were most important to the pintails. Pintails also rely
heavily on amphipods and other invertebrates, of which the most important by mass were
the gastropod Nassarius mendicus, the bivalves Macoma balthica and Mya arenaria, the
amphipods Eogammarus confervicolus and Ampithoe spp., the isopod Idotea resecata,
and the decapod Crangon alaskensis. (Baldwin and Lovvorn, 1994).
•
Seeds found in pintail samples were predominantly smartweed (Polygonum spp.) with
occasional seeds from blackberry (Rubus sp.), pondweed (Potamogeton sp.) sedges
(Carex sp.) and grasses. Also ate clams, snails, and small unidentified crustaceans.
Potato and starchy material were also found in the samples (Hirst, 1981).
•
Northern Pintails forage in both freshwater and on land. Ninety percent of their diet is
composed of vegetation, including seeds, aquatic plants, sedges and grains. In
freshwater, they primarily feed upon the leafy parts of aquatic plants, aquatic insects,
tadpoles, snails and other aquatic invertebrates by picking food from the surface of
freshwater shallows (ponds and marshes). By dabbling these ducks are able to reach
submerged aquatic plants and animals on the muddy bottom. On land, these ducks graze
like geese on grasses, grains and seeds of open fields.
•
Northern pintail was documented to consume the following invertebrates: snails, insects
(caddis flies, beetles, true flies, midges), crustaceans (fairy shrimps, clam shrimps, water
fleas, scuds), and annelids.
American Coot (Fulica Americana)
•
Eats seeds, roots, and other plant material, insects, snails, small fishes, tadpoles, and other
small organism; feeds on land and in water (at surface, by tipping up, and by diving)
(Terres, 1980).
•
Feeds on submergent vegetation in open water. Feed primarily in marshes, including
temporary ponds. They feed largely in open water but require emergent vegetation in
order to nest. Forages primarily on leaves, seeds and roots of aquatic vegetation eg.
Pondweed (Potamogeton sp.), water milfoil (Myriophyllum sp.) the seeds of bur reed
(Sparganium sp.) and algae. Coots also eat wild celery, grain and some animal food:
fish, tadpoles, snails, worms, water bugs and other aquatic insects, and crustaceans.
Animal food, especially emerging insects, is important food for young coots. (Lang,
1991).
•
Dabbles like a duck, with head below water surface, or dives expertly in water 10 - 25
feet deep for leaves, fronds, seeds, and roots of aquatic plants; sometimes eats wild celery
uprooted by canvasbacks and other ducks; eats small fishes, tadpoles, snails, worms,
water bugs and other aquatic insects; sometimes eats eggs of other marsh birds.
(http://www.saltgrassflats.com/birds/american_coot.html).
Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus)
•
Eats mostly small fishes, crayfishes and other crustaceans, and aquatic insects obtained
by diving underwater (Palmer, 1976).
Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata)
•
Opportunistic forager. Eats seeds of sedges, bulrushes, saw grass, pondweeds,
smartweeds, algae, duckweeds, etc; also mollusks, aquatic insects, and crustaceans. In
Manitoba, males and females ate primarily aquatic invertebrates during prelaying and
laying periods (Ankney and Afteon 1988). Aquatic invertebrates (e.g., water boatmen)
may dominate winter diet in some areas. Usually dabbles at water surface.
•
Northern shoveler was documented to consume the following invertebrates: snails,
insects (caddis flies, beetles, true flies, midges), crustaceans (fairy shrimps, clam shrimps,
water fleas).
SHOREBIRDS
Killdeer (Charadrius vociferous)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Feeds on small
invertebrates on ground surface, sometimes in shallow water (Terres 1980).
Pacific Golden-Plover (Pluvialis fulva)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Feeds primarily on
insects (grasshoppers, crickets, grubs of beetles, caterpillars, cutworms, wireworms, etc.).
Also eats some small mollusks and crustaceans.
Terrestrial Habitat- Alpine,
Cropland/hedgerow, Grassland/herbaceous, Tundra; Tidal flat/shore (Estuarine Habitat);
Riparian, Temporary pool (Palustrine habitat) (www.natureserve.org).
Black-bellied Plover (Pluvialis squatarola)
•
In tidal sand and mud flats and in salt marshes feeds on: marine worms, insects, mollusks,
crustaceans. In plowed fields, wet meadows and pastures searches for adult insects and
larvae, earthworms, some seeds and berries (Terres, 1980).
Black Oystercatcher (Haematopus bachmani)
•
Estuarine Habitat(s): Tidal flat/shore. Terrestrial Habitat(s): Bare rock/talus/scree.
Invertivore-Feeds on mollusks (e.g., pries open mussels and limpets), probes sand for
marine worms (www.natureserve.org).
Semipalmated Plover (Charadrius semipalmatus)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. In coastal areas
forages often in intertidal sand or mud for marine worms, small mollusks and
crustaceans, insect eggs and larvae. In inland areas consumes large numbers of
grasshoppers and earthworms (Terres, 1980).
Dunlin (Calidris alpine)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. During the
breeding season feeds primarily on larvae of flies and mosquitoes. During the rest of the
year feeds on crustaceans, marine worms, mollusks, and insects. Migrants in spring in
south-central Alaska relied heavly on clams, Macoma balthica (Senner et al., 1989).
Consumes large numbers of horseshoe crab eggs in spring at Delaware Bay (Castro and
Myers 1993). Runs around feeding areas probing mud and sand with bill.
Red Knot (Calidris canutus)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Eats mainly
mollusks, eggs of crab and horseshoe crab, insects, some seeds and small fishes; pecks
and snatches at sand or mud, or probes. Horseshoe crab eggs are an important source of
food for north-bound migrants at Delaware Bay (Botton et al., 1994).
Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Probes in mud and
tidal flats for mollusks, crustaceans, and worms; eats grasshoppers and other insects on
prairies and meadows; also eats tubers and seeds of pondweeds, sedges, and muskgrass
(Terres, 1980).
Red Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Feeds on insects
and crustaceans; also eats larval fishes and small jellyfishes. Obtains food from ocean
surface, wet tundra, and marine littoral zone. In northern Bering Sea in spring, forages
opportunistically in littoral zone (Haney and Stone, 1988); littoral foraging also by
juveniles in fall in Beaufort and Chukchi seas.
Greater Yellowlegs (Tringa melanoleuca)
•
Estuarine Habitat(s): Herbaceous wetland, Lagoon, Tidal flat/shore. Riverine Habitat(s):
Low gradient. Lacustrine Habitat(s): Shallow water. Palustrine Habitat(s): Bog/fen,
herbaceous wetland, Riparian Terrestrial Habitat(s): Grassland/herbaceous, Woodland Conifer, Woodland - Mixed Adult Food Habits: Carnivore, Invertivore, Piscivore
Immature Food Habits: Carnivore, Invertivore, Piscivore
•
Feeds on small fishes, insects and their larvae, snails, crabs, worms, and tadpoles. Wades
through water and pecks at food with bill or skims surface with lower mandible.
(www.natureserve.org).
Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)
•
Nonbreeding: marshes, shores of ponds and lakes, mudflats and flooded fields, primarily
in freshwater situations (AOU, 1983). Nests on the ground in tundra and wet meadows,
usually in marshes or grassy areas with scattered shrubs and trees near open fresh water.
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore Immature Food Habits: Invertivore
•
Forages shallow fresh water and mud bars, probing into mud with bill. Feeds on insects
and their larvae, mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms, spiders, and seeds of aquatic
plants (bulrushes, pondweeds, sedges, etc.) (www.natureserve.org).
Spotted Sandpiper (Actitis macularia)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Eats mainly small
invertebrates obtained from surface or by probing along shores or some distance inland if
insects are abundant there (Cogswell, 1977).
Western Sandpiper (Calidris mauri)
•
Nonbreeding: mudflats, beaches, shores of lakes and ponds, shallow lagoons, artificial
salt ponds, and flooded fields; various coastal habitats with flat or gently sloping muddy,
sandy, or gravelly shores; less often inland at pond edges, rain pools, wet fields (Stiles
and Skutch, 1989). Breeds coastally on sedge-dwarf tundra, on hummocks surrounded
by marsh. Nests on the ground in a shallow depression, lined with leaves, lichen, and
other plant material. Strong tendency to nest in same area in successive years.
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Feeds primarily on
aquatic insects; also eats mollusks, worms, and crustaceans. Runs along edge of water
snatching up prey from wet mud (Senner et al., 1989)
Least Sandpiper (Calidris minutilla)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Eats small insects,
crustaceans, mollusks, and worms obtained from surface of shallow water, mud, or
ground, or by probing into mud (Terres 1980).
Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor)
•
Breeds on lake shores, mudflats, salt marshes, freshwater marshes, alkaline ponds; rarely
along seacoasts; stages on salt lakes (Colwell and Jehl, 1994). Also at sewage ponds;
rarely reported at sea.
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Eats insects (larvae
and adults), especially mosquitoes and crane flies. On salt flats may feed on alkali flies,
brine shrimps, seeds of aquatic plants. Feeds as it walks along muddy shores, wades in
shallow water, or swims in whirls (www.natureserve.org).
Rock Sandpiper (Calidris ptilocnemis)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Forages along
rocky shores feeding on crustaceans, small mollusks, insects, and worms. Also eats
algae, seeds, and berries (www.natureserve.org).
Black Turnstone (Arenaria melanocephala)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Feeds along rocky
coasts on slugs, mollusks, and crustaceans. Inspects seaweeds for small marine animals.
May also eat berries (Bent, 1929). Diet: Primarily: Aquatic Invertebrates (Gregory
Gough.
USGS
Patuxent
Wildlife
Research
Center.
http://www.mbrpwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i2300id.html).
Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago)
•
Foraging - Snipe forage by probing in wet organic soils on uplands, wetlands, and in
shallow water (Mueller, 1999; Johnsgard, 1981). Accordingly, vegetation that is sparse,
short or patchy is favored. They take earthworms, insect larvae, small crustaceans, and
molluscs (Tuck, 1969; Fritzell, 1979). Plant fibers and grit are also consumed, but the
plant material seems incidental to the way they feed. Small invertebrates pulled from
deep within the substrates are consumed (Baron and Acorn, 1997).
DIVING DUCKS
Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola)
•
In fresh water feeds on aquatic insects, snails, amphipods, small fishes, and some aquatic
plants. In salt water eats crustaceans, molluscs, fishes, and some aquatic plants. Often
feeds in small groups, diving or watching for danger (www.natureserve.org).
•
Bufflehead feed by diving in open shallow water, usually less than 3 m deep. Their diet
consists mainly of aquatic invertebrates, including insects (larvae of damselfly,
dragonfly, mayflies and midge, and water boatmen), crustaceans (shrimps, crabs,
amphipods, isopods), molluscs (snails and clams), and sometimes small fish or fish eggs.
During winter, they often feed during both day and night (SDJV, 2004).
•
Eats mainly invertebrates; mollusks (especially blue mussel and other bivalves),
crustaceans and aquatic insects. In summer also some plant food (pondweeds, wild
celery, muskgrass and seeds of sedges and bulrushes). May dive to depths of 2-9 m and
stay under water 19-32 seconds (Terres, 1980).
Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Eats mainly
invertebrates; mollusks (especially blue mussel and other bivalves), crustaceans and
aquatic insects. In summer also some plant food (pondweeds, wild celery, muskgrass and
seeds of sedges and bulrushes). May dive to depths of 2-9 m and stay under water 19-32
seconds (Terres, 1980). Eats almost exclusively aquatic invertebrates, fish and lesser
quantities
of
green
plant
matter
(Terres,
1980)
(http://www.mbrpwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i1660id.html).
Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica)
• Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. In fresh
water it forages for aquatic insects, crustaceans, some plant food, small fishes, and
fish eggs. In salt water feeds on mollusks (especially blue mussels), some
seastars, and marine worms, etc. (www.natureserve.org). Dives for mussels and
find other tasty invertebrate morsels by rolling over pebbles underwater (Baron
and Acorn, 1997).
Black Scoter (Melanitta nigra)
• Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Except for inland
habitats, mollusks comprise a majority of the diet; the blue mussel (Mytilus edulis) often
is a major food (Bellrose, 1976). It also eats crustaceans, some fishes and plant foods, the
latter being most important in inland habitats. Usually feeds in protected areas where
water is no more than 25 ft deep.
Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula)
•
In inland areas during the summer and fall, feeds on aquatic insects, crustaceans and
aquatic plants. Along coastal wintering grounds feeds largely on crustaceans, mollusks,
small fishes, and some plant material (Bellrose, 1976).
Common Merganser (Mergus merganser)
•
Eats mainly fishes obtained by diving underwater; also amphibians, crustaceans,
mollusks, and other invertebrates. Young initially feed on insects, caught mostly
underwater (Palmer 1976).
Greater Scaup (Aythya marila)
•
Feeds on aquatic plants and animals. Coastally mollusks (clams, scallops, mussels, etc.)
comprise a significant portion of the diet. In other areas eats seeds, leaves, stems of
plants (sedges, pondweeds, muskgrass, wild celery, etc.) (www.natureserve.org).
Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus)
•
Diet is almost exclusively benthic aquatic invertebrates; feeds primarily on crustaceans
and mollusks, also insects, and a few small fishes (Bellrose, 1976); marine diet also
includes roe. Dives for food in strong currents.
Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. Feeds
mainly on animal food; eats crustaceans, fishes and their eggs, mollusks, and
aquatic insects. Also eats a variety of aquatic plants (roots, leaves, buds, seeds).
May dive very deep to obtain food (Bellrose, 1976). Euphyllopods appear to be
an especially important food source for ducklings. Individuals in summer molting
flocks feed in nearshore waters on Mysis spp., Onisimus spp., and bivalve
mollusks (Johnson and Herter, 1989).
White Winged Scouter (Melanitta fusca)
•
About 90% of adult diet is animal food; eats mollusks (especially blue mussel),
crustaceans, some aquatic insects and fishes (Terres, 1980). During summer also eats
some plant food; pondweeds, bur reeds, etc. May forage to 12 m deep.
GULLS
Bonaparte's Gull (Larus philadelphia)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore.
Feeds primarily on insects and fishes in lakes and bays; also eats crustaceans and marine
worms and scavenges (Bent, 1921). July-December diet off New Brunswick: fishes,
euphausiids, insects, polychaetes, amphipods; opportunistic feeder (Braune, 1989).
Young are fed insects gleaned from water surface or from water plants (Johnson and
Herter, 1989). Feeds on insects and marine invertebrates frequently in areas where prey
concentrated by currents, waterfalls, glaciers, and other natural features (Johnson and
Herter 1989).
California Gull (Larus californicus)
•
Adult Food Habits: Carnivore, Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Carnivore,
Invertivore, Piscivore. In inland areas, feeds on insects (crickets, grasshoppers,
cutworms) and mice. At Mono Lake, California, recently fledged gulls fed mainly on,
and apparently preferred, alkali flies (Elphick and Rubega 1995).
Glaucous-winged Gull (Larus glaucescens)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore.
Surface feeder, scavenger.
Fishes, mollusks, crustaceans, garbage and carrion
(www.natureserve.org).
Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)
•
Adult Food Habits: Carnivore, Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Carnivore,
Invertivore, Piscivore. Feeds opportunistically mostly on various animals and garbage.
Often a scavenger around bays and harbors. In Ohio, Belant et al. (1993) found that
nearby landfills were unimportant as a food source to a nesting population; diet of adults
and young was dominated by fishes.
Mew Gull (Larus canus)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore.
Along the coast feeds on fishes, crustaceans, and mollusks. Also scavenges in harbors.
Inland follows farmers plowing fields and feeds on worms and insect larvae
(www.natureserve.org).
Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis)
•
Adult Food Habits: Carnivore, Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Carnivore,
Invertivore, Piscivore. Feeds opportunistically on various animals and plant material
(and garbage), usually obtained from land or water surface; sometimes catches flying
insects and pulls fruits from shrubs and trees (www.natureserve.org).
Western Gull (Larus occidentalis)
•
Adult Food Habits: Carnivore, Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Carnivore,
Invertivore, Piscivore. Eats fish, crustaceans, mollusks, worms, garbage. Catches food,
scavenges after ships, or pirates fish from pelicans, cormorants, and other birds. May
feed at garbage dumps or along beaches. Sometimes eats eggs and young of other birds
(e.g., murres; Spear, 1993).
Thayer's Gull (Larus thayeri)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore.
Feeds on fishes, mollusks, crustaceans, marine worms, carrion, and garbage. Feeds on
the surface of the water, along beaches, around harbors and boats (www.natureserve.org).
Ross's Gull (Rhodostethia rosea)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore. On Arctic breeding
grounds eats beetles, gnats, and other insects; at sea, possibly marine crustaceans (e.g.,
euphausiids) and other animals of plankton (Bent, 1921; Terres, 1980).
PISCIVOROUS DIVING BIRDS
Common Loon (Gavia immer)
•
Adult Food Habits: Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Piscivore. Dives from surface,
feeds mainly on fishes; also amphibians and various invertebrates (Terres, 1980). If
nesting on small lake, may use adjacent lake for supplementary foraging (Johnsgard,
1987). In Ontario, loons attempting to raise chick on fishless acidic lake fed chick
benthic algae and possibly benthic invertebrates but flew to other lakes to feed
themselves (Alvo et al., 1988). Feeds usually in waters less than 5 m deep. Primarily
piscivorous, but are opportunistic and will eat any suitable prey they can readily see and
capture (McIntyre, 1988). Their primary food on breeding lakes is yellow perch (Perca
flavescens), followed by other shallow, warm water fish and minnows (Cyprinidae)
(Olson and Marshall, 1952; Palmer, 1962; Barr, 1973; McIntyre, 1986). Salmonids are
taken on lakes that have low populations of other fish species (McIntyre 1988). On the
Great Lakes, alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) appear to be the most common prey item
(McIntyre, 1988). Crustaceans, especially crayfish (Decapoda), are commonly taken, and
plant material is occasionally eaten (Palmer, 1962; McIntyre, 1988). On lakes without
fish, loons have been reported feeding on molluscs, insects, amphipods and amphibians
(Munro, 1945; Parker 1985). Young have a diversified diet consisting primarily of small
fish and minnows, aquatic insects and crayfish (McIntyre 1988). Winter foods are
reported to include flounder (Pleuronectoidei), rock cod (Gadus morhua), herring
(Clupea spp.), menhaden (Brevoortia patronus), sea trout (Salmo spp.), sculpin
(Leptocottus armatus), and crabs (Palmer, 1962; McIntyre, 1988).
Horned Grebe (Podiceps auritus)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore,
Piscivore. Diet mainly small fishes, crustaceans and aquatic insects; also
amphibians and leeches; aquatic insects predominate in summer, crustaceans and
fishes in winter. Forages by diving in shallow water, often near emergent
vegetation; also picks food from surface or from vegetation (Terres, 1980;
Johnsgard, 1987).
Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore,
Piscivore. Eats mostly fishes plus some crustaceans; insects are important to
young (Palmer, 1976). Dives underwater to forage.
Common Murre (Uria aalge)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore,
Piscivore. Mysids and shrimp dominate winter diet in Alaska, mostly fish and
some squid off California, mostly capelin off Newfoundland (Sanger, 1987).
Young fed herring, capelin, sprat, sandlance (Bradstreet and Brown, 1985). Dives
from surface to at least 180 m (Piatt and Nettleship, 1985).
Pelagic Cormorant (Phalacrocorax pelagicus)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore,
Piscivore. Feeds on fishes, especially nonschooling, cryptic, demersal or
epibenthic forms of rocky reefs (Johnsgard, 1993; Robertson, 1974; Ainley et al.,
1981); also consumes crabs, shrimps, marine worms, and amphipods (Terres,
1980). Diver; forages individually, primarily along rocky shorelines, sometimes
over flat sand or mud bottoms.
Brandt's Cormorant (Phalacrocorax penicillatus)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore,
Piscivore. Feeds on small saltwater fishes, especially those at or near the bottom
but also those throughout the water column (schooling and nonschooling species),
and squid; primarily on fishes of no commercial value. Also feeds on crabs and
shrimps. In the north, feeds more often over sand or mud bottoms than does the
pelagic cormorant (Johnsgard, 1993).
Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba)
•
Adult Food Habits: Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Piscivore. Diet mainly
small fishes (e.g., blennies, sculpins, sand launce, smelt, etc.); generally inshore
benthic species; also includes mollusks, crustaceans, and marine worms. Forages
underwater. Off southern British Columbia, foraging birds occurred mainly in
areas where water depth was 10-20 m (Clowater and Burger, 1994).
Red-necked Grebe (Podiceps grisegena)
•
Adult Food Habits: Invertivore, Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Invertivore,
Piscivore. Feeds on small fish, where available, but also eats aquatic and land
insects, crustaceans, mollusks, aquatic worms, tadpoles, salamander eggs and
some vegetable matter. Eats feathers. Dives under water and forages on or near
bottom (www.natureserve.org)
Red-throated Loon (Gavia stellata)
•
Adult Food Habits: Piscivore. Immature Food Habits: Piscivore. Diet mainly
fishes; also eats shrimps, snails, aquatic insects and some aquatic plants. When
feeding young, often leaves nesting area to obtain fishes from larger lake or
marine waters (Reimchen and Douglas, 1984). Forages in shallow water.
Pied-billed Grebe (Podilymbus podiceps)
•
Dives from surface; eats mainly fishes, crustaceans, insects; also amphibians,
other invertebrates, and some plant material (Terres, 1980). Forages mainly by
short dives in shallow water. Wetmore (1924) analyzed stomach contents of 174
pied- billed grebes collected during different seasons from localities throughout
North America. The diet was dominated by fish (24% by volume, including
catfish, eels, perch, sunfish, suckers, carp, and minnows), crustaceans (31%), and
insects (46%). Most crustaceans taken were crayfish, and insect food was
predominantly Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), Heteroptera (bugs), and
Coleoptera (beetles).
•
A strong seasonal shift in diet was observed; fish were important foods during the
nonbreeding season, but were relatively unimportant during nesting. Odonates,
only 8% of the overall annual diet, constituted 34% of the diet during July and
August. Palmer (1962) reported that grebes fed principally on leeches during the
breeding season in South Carolina. Stomachs from Pennsylvania contained fish,
frogs, aquatic insects, especially beetles, and aquatic plants (Warren, 1890).
Feather-eating is an unusual aspect of the diet. Wetmore (1924) observed feathers
in 52% of the 174 stomachs he examined, and adults sometimes feed feathers to
their chicks (Ehrlich et al., 1988).
GEESE AND SWANS
Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
•
Adult Food Habits: Granivore, Herbivore. Immature Food Habits: Granivore, Herbivore.
Grazes on marsh grasses, sprouts of winter wheat (spring), grain (fall); eats clover,
cattails, bulrushes, algae, pond- weed, and other plants. Feeds in shallows, marshes,
fields. Also eats mollusks and small crustaceans (Terres, 1980). Subspecies B. c.
occidentalis of west coastal North America: exogenous sources of lipid and protein are
important to energy and nutrient requirements of nesting geese (Bromley and Jarvis,
1993).
Snow Goose (Chen caerulescens)
•
Adult Food Habits: Granivore, Herbivore. Immature Food Habits: Granivore, Herbivore.
•
Browses on grasses; eats grains; uproots sedges, marsh grasses, and aquatic plants (eats
stem, rhizomes, roots, bulbs). During initial part of breeding period uses nutritional
reserves accumulated in winter and in staging areas (www.natureserve.org).
Trumpeter Swan (Cygnus buccinator)
•
Adult Food Habits: Herbivore, Invertivore.
Invertivore.
•
Adults feed mostly on aquatic vegetation; young first eat aquatic insects and crustaceans
but in 5 weeks begin feeding on aquatic plants. Also may graze in fields (McKelvey and
Verbeek, 1988). Prefers shallow, slow-moving water for feeding.
Immature Food Habits: Herbivore,
Brant Goose (Branta barnicla)
•
Feeds on eelgrass. During winter and spring migration, brant feed primarily on native
marine and salt marsh vegetation, including sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca), saltmarsh grass
(Spartina spp.), and eelgrass (Zostera marina) (Penkala, 1975; Buchsbaum et al., 1986).
Brant also forage on agricultural lands (Charman, 1979; St. Joseph, 1979) and even on
roadsides and suburban lawns during periods of food shortage (Nelson, 1978).
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Waterfowl Management Handbook, 13.3.1
Warren, B. H. 1890. Report on the birds of Pennsylvania. 2nd Edition. Pennsylvania State
Board Agric., Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 434 pp.
Wetmore, A. 1924. Food and economic relations of North American grebes. U.S. Department
of Agriculture, Bureau of Biol. Surv, Rep. Bull. No. 1196.
WEB PAGES
•
www.natureserve.org
•
http://www.ducks.org/waterfowling/gallery/index.asp?duck=73
•
http://www.nps.gov/yuch/Expanded/key_resources/birds/species_descriptions/gwte_desc
ription.htm
•
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/1999/ecomanag/foraging/food.htm#a
•
http://www.saltgrassflats.com/birds/american_coot.html
•
http://www.mbr-pwrc.usgs.gov/Infocenter/i2300id.html
Appendix D
List of Potential Rare Species
List of Rare Waterbirds Potentially Occurring Species within the Study Area
Latin Name
Recurvirostra americana
Bartramia longicauda
Limosa haemastica
Sterna forsteri
Uria aalge
Uria lomvia
Brachyramphus marmoratus
Fratercula corniculata
Aechmophorus occidentalis
Phoebastria albatrus
Puffinus creatopus
Pelecanus erythrorhynchos
Phalacrocorax auritus
Phalacrocorax penicillatus
Phalacrocorax pelagicus pelagicus
Botaurus lentiginosus
Ardea herodias fannini
Butorides virescens
Branta canadensis leucopareia
Branta canadensis occidentalis
Clangula hyemalis
Melanitta perspicillata
Grus canadensis
Pluvialis dominica
Heteroscelus incanus
Numenius americanus
Limnodromus griseus
Phalaropus lobatus
Larus californicus
Rhodostethia rosea
Sterna caspia
Synthliboramphus antiquus
Ptychoramphus aleuticus
Fratercula cirrhata
Common Name
*American Avocet
*Upland Sandpiper
Hudsonian Godwit
*Forster's Tern
Common Murre
*Thick-billed Murre
Marbled Murrelet
*Horned Puffin
Western Grebe
Short-tailed Albatross
Pink-footed Shearwater
American White Pelican
Double-crested Cormorant
Brandt's Cormorant
Pelagic Cormorant, pelagicus subspecies
American Bittern
Great Blue Heron, fannini subspecies
Green Heron
Canada Goose, leucopareia subspecies
Canada Goose, occidentalis subspecies
Long-tailed Duck
Surf Scoter
Sandhill Crane
American Golden-Plover
Wandering Tattler
Long-billed Curlew
Short-billed Dowitcher
Red-necked Phalarope
California Gull
Ross's Gull
Caspian Tern
Ancient Murrelet
*Cassin's Auklet
*Tufted Puffin
COSEWIC Status (October 2004)
Provincial Status
Data Deficient (1996)
Threatened (NOV 2000)
Threatened (NOV 2003)
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
RED
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
BLUE
Not At Risk (1987)
Not At Risk (1987)
Special Concern (1997)
Not At Risk (1979) G. canadensis
Special Concern (NOV 2002)
Threatened
Not At Risk (1999)
Special Concern (1993)
-
Likely Occurrence in Study
Area
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Overwinter, Migrant
Accidental
Accidental
Migrant
All Year
All Year
All Year
Breeder
All Year
Migrant
Migrant, Winter
Migrant, Winter
Overwinter, Migrant
Overwinter, Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Migrant
Overwinter, Migrant
Accidental
Summer non breeder, Migrant
Accidental
Accidental
Accidental
Threatened - A species likely to become endangered if limiting factors are not reversed.
Special Concern - A species with characteristics that make it particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events.
Not at Risk - A species that has been evaluated and found to be not at risk.
Data Deficient - A species for which there is insufficient scientific information to support status designation.
Red - Species, populations or communities at high risk of extinction or extirpation.
Blue - Species vulnerable to human activity or natural events.
*': Considered a rare sighting by the Vancouver Natural History Society's Rare Bird Alert and requires a sighting confirmation. They request that a'Rare Bird Report Form' be filled out if this bird is observed in the lower mainland.
(http://www.naturalhistory.bc.ca/VNHS/Birding/ReportDates/BirdingRareBirdReportDateFrame.htm).
Status
Addressed in
Report
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
YES
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES
NO
NO
NO
Appendix E
Graphs
Graph 1
Annual Distribution of Caspian Tern in the Study Area
800
N = 1,584
707
700
Number of Individuals
600
500
400
335
266
300
200
147
115
100
8
6
0
April
May
June
July
August
September
Month
Note: Caspian tern is only present in the lower mainland during the months of approximately May through September and migrates south for the winter.
October
Graph 2
Annual Distribution of Great Blue Heron in the Study Area
3000
2,753
N = 12,093
2000
1,841
1,695
1,488
1500
1,138
933
1000
660
641
408
167
168
February
500
January
201
Month
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
0
March
Number of Individuals
2500
Graph 3
Annual Distribution of Pelagic Cormorant Heron in the Study Area
250
234
N = 575
Number of Individuals
200
150
100
74
60
50
31
34
32
23
34
19
17
17
0
Note: The "0", recorded in July is attributed to no survey performed from the tip of the Roberts Bank causeway due to security access issues (Table 3.3-1).
December
November
October
August
September
Month
July
June
May
April
March
February
January
0
Graph 4
Annual Distribution of Double-crested Cormorant in the Study Area
900
N = 3,878
820
779
800
700
500
445
400
352
300
229
192
175
96
72
60
April
100
March
200
56
Month
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
February
0
January
Number of Individuals
602
600
Graph 5
Annual Distribution of Western Grebe in the Study Area
450
N = 1,003
400
381
300
250
200
150
150
125
120
100
86
75
50
28
0
0
August
0
July
21
17
Month
December
November
October
September
June
May
April
March
February
0
January
Number of Individuals
350
Graph 6
Annual Distribution of Dabbling Ducks in the Study Area
140000
N = 497,145
117,646
120000
100000
82,850
80000
60000
49,217
42,329
42,014
35,128
40000
21,351
12,449
1,799
527
June
July
20000
4,275
Month
December
November
October
September
August
May
April
March
February
0
January
No. of Individuals
87,560
Graph 7
Annual Distribution of Shorebirds in the Study Area
200000
N = 518,057
181,478
180000
160000
120000
101,934
100000
84,430
80000
62,127
60000
40000
20000
20,270
12,206
18,866
20,059
8,861
1,527
1,051
5,246
Month
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
Feb
0
Jan
Number of Individuals
140000
Graph 8
Annual Distribution of Diving Ducks in the Study Area
7000
6,497
N = 44,327
5,940
6000
5,408
5,336
5,295
4,414
4000
4,631
3,608
3000
2,479
2000
1000
409
272
38
Month
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
0
January
Number of Individuals
5000
Graph 9
Annual Distribution of Gulls in the Study Area
16000
N = 92,961
13,388
14000
12000
10,730
10,060
9,717
10000
9,887
8000
5,525
6000
5,269
5,042
4,983
4,046
3,670
4000
2000
Month
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
0
January
Number of Individuals
10,644
Graph 10
Annual Distribution of Piscivorous Birds in the Study Area
9000
N = 47,508
7,651
8000
7000
5,616
6000
5,467
5000
4000
3,246
3,080
3,228
3,202
2,726
3000
2,875
2,225
1,898
2000
1000
Month
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
0
January
Number of Individuals
6,294
Graph 11
Annual Distribution of Geese and Swans in the Study Area
12000
11,360
N = 33,229
8000
6,376
6,139
6000
4000
3,073
2,581
2000
1,155
1,019
607
419
100
378
22
Month
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
0
January
Number of Individuals
10000