09 Tufted Puffin Productivity Protocol v1.2
Contents
1. Tufted puffin productivity and phenology at St Lazaria Island 9 31 Table D1 Summary of work conducted during three visits to tufted puffin plots for population and reproductive success indices at St Lazaria Island Visit 1 2 3 Dates Late June to early July Mid July to early August Mid August to early September Tasks Flag measure size of and count all burrows use for density Check all large burrows for evidence of apparent occupancy use for reproductive success Check all large burrows for evidence of apparent occupancy use for reproductive success and sometimes apparent occupancy Check all large burrows for evidence of apparent occupancy use for reproductive success and apparent occupancy Protocol Revision History Log 9 32 Protocol Revision History Log Revision Date Changes made New version April 2015 Added stress and disease details per IACUC minor clarifications 1 2 April 2014 Changed font to Arial added revision history log replaced revision date with version on first page added protocol to first page changed number format of tables and figures in island attachments changed page number format to include protocol made minor grammatical edits added clarification to main protocol about recording evidence types clarified that final calculations for indirect nest monitoring should use subset of nests occupied at earlier visits specified that calculations2. 259 G N Raven s Gulch 27 60 20 1 253 G N Raven s Gulch 27 61 23 7 238 G N Raven s Gulch 27 62 25 3 233 G N Raven s Gulch 27 63 28 6 221 G N Raven s Gulch 27 64 20 2 244 G N Raven s Gulch 27 65 20 1 274 G N Raven s Gulch 27 66 23 7 242 G N Raven s Gulch 27 67 18 2 267 Tufted puffin productivity and phenology at Buldir Island 9 26 Attachment B Buldir Island specifics PROCEDURE DETAILS SPECIFIC TO BULDIR Tufted puffin productivity and phenology at Buldir is monitored primarily in crevices amongst auklets and horned puffins refer to Buldir Island Attachment in Crevice nester Productivity Protocol for details Tufted puffin productivity and phenology at St Chowiet Island 9 27 Attachment C Chowiet Island specifics includes Figure C1 PROCEDURE DETAILS SPECIFIC TO CHOWIET Tufted puffin productivity and phenology at Chowiet Island is monitored both in burrows at South Bay and in crevices amongst auklets and horned puffins For those tufted puffins in crevices refer to Chowiet Island Attachment in Crevice nester Productivity Protocol for more details On Chowiet peak egg laying occurs in early June hatch in mid to late July and fledging in late August through early September Adult colony attendance is highly variable it is not uncommon to see hundreds of birds one day and nearly none the next Since numbers of puffins at the colonies fluctuate widely due to phases of the bre
3. B SW Cape SW Bight 501 10 14 2 147 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 11 12 3 150 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 12 3 6 330 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 13 9 5 8 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 14 4 5 80 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 15 22 9 274 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 36 3 4 256 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 37 6 6 254 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 38 8 9 144 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 39 17 7 168 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 40 15 7 162 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 41 6 7 179 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 42 4 8 140 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 16 44 0 332 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 17 45 0 331 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 18 20 3 314 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 19 10 4 164 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 20 7 7 135 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 21 26 0 165 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 22 25 5 173 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 23 32 6 166 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 24 45 9 172 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 25 47 2 175 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 51 54 1 172 C Petrel Valley Cove above 502 52 48 3 172 D SW Slope 80 26 14 4 132 D SW Slope 80 27 13 5 118 D SW Slope 80 28 11 5 153 D SW Slope 80 29 13 4 199 D SW Slope 80 30 17 3 220 D SW Slope 80 31 15 8 223 D SW Slope 80 32 16 0 230 Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick gr
4. D Reproductive success F B Tufted puffin chicks often do not fledge before field crews leave islands at the end of the summer so we also calculate a maximum potential reproductive success that includes all chicks still present at last check even those too young to be called fledged and thus excluded from conventional analysis For this the database will also calculate Nest sites w young chicks still present H number of nest sites containing chicks too young to determine if fledged or failed From that the following summary parameters are generated Max potential nesting success D H B H Max potential fledgingsuccess F H D H Max potential reproductive success F H B H Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 7 Standardized Productivity Codes List of Productivity Codes TUFTED PUFFINS Always use CAPITAL LETTERS for productivity codes See list of Important Rules to Follow for more details on correct use B Bird Adult bird occupying a nest site with no egg or chick present Used when the observer is sure the bird has no egg or chick this code means a site is confirmed empty other than the adult bird there is no need to combine B and N codes into BN For kittiwakes used between the time a nest is constructed and the first egg is laid or after egg s or chick s is lost BU Bird w Unknown Adult bird occupying a site with no egg or chick visible Used when
5. avoid confusing nests In high density areas tunnels and nest chambers may be everywhere so check to make sure that the flag shaft does not pierce through into the tunnel or chamber of another nest Be aware that vegetation will grow throughout the season sometimes a meter or more so it may be helpful to use additional markers such as flagging tape tied around vegetation to find nest locations in areas of thick vegetation Drawing a map of nest locations see Figure 1 will also help locate nests on subsequent visits After initial nest searches check nests every 7 days throughout the breeding season except around expected hatching and fledging periods when intervals should be decreased to every 4 days to obtain more precise hatch and fledge dates It is important to continue visiting a burrow even after the chick has reached minimum fledging age in order to ensure the chick fledged and Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 3 did not die in the nest and to calculate fledge dates and length of nestling period Once a chick is gone check the nest at least one more time to ensure the nest is indeed empty and the chick wasn t hiding somewhere e g you end up with two N codes in a row To minimize disturbance to other birds across the colony try to stick to a regular route when checking burrows To maintain optimal data integrity and to minimize the amount of time spent searching for nests and thus lessen disturbance to
6. birds it is best for one person to check the same nests throughout the entire season On each visit attempt to determine the status of all nest sites and record it in a field notebook using the appropriate standardized code see pages 7 9 and Figure 2 Record only what you saw and be sure to use the standardized codes exactly as instructed Weird and unpredictable things can happen during observations e g a chick moving between connected nests or one bird usurping anothers nest and you may want to describe every detail and feel limited by the standardized list of codes and modifiers available However lengthy text explanations and comments tend to cause confusion later and cannot be interpreted by the database used to summarize the data Choose a code then and there and stick with it as the field biologist you are the only person who can make a decision about what you saw that day If you absolutely must record additional information about a nest you can enter text in the comments section of the productivity data entry database but keep in mind that this text is not used in any data summary so it should not contain any information pertinent to how the reproductive success data should be interpreted Never purposefully disturb a bird in your efforts to determine whether or not an egg has hatched Try not to illuminate a crevice with your flashlight for more than a second or two Afterwards depart swiftly and quietly much as a stealthy data ni
7. check throughout the entire season avoid swapping nests partway through as it often leads to data confusion At the beginning of the season it s probably simplest to assign each person areas to search for nests of both puffins and auklets Specific Requirements for Chowiet Dates Late June gt 20 June Search for TUPU burrows Late June to early Sept Check nests every 4 7 days until chicks fledge 4 day intervals around peak hatch and fledge dates 7 day intervals otherwise Optimal sample size As many as you can ideally 70 100 but this is not realistic at Chowiet try for at least 30 of each species Time of day Any time Weather Any weather although try not to check during rain at South Bay due to disturbance to nesting gulls and ideally when puffins are not socializing on surface of colonies Take extra care when rocks and vegetated slopes are wet because they can be dangerously slippery On bright sunny days your eyes take a long time to adjust to dark crevices and it can be difficult to see dark chicks against dark rocks Equipment needed Fanny pack knee pads two bright flashlights ALWAYS have a spare preferably with lanyards to prevent them from getting lost down crevices spare batteries Rite in the Rain notebook two pencils maps of burrow locations flags and permanent marker for labeling burrows during initial nest searches Tufted puffin productivity and phenology at St Chowiet Island 9 28 Fi
8. in to the entrance it is assigned to the small category if the small end will slide in it is assigned to the medium category if the largest section slides in it is assigned to the large category By definition a burrow must be at least 30 cm deep to be counted Evidence of apparent occupancy is defined as the presence of one of the following feathers guano often a pocket at the end of a tunnel fish deep inside the burrow egg shell fragments or membrane s egg s chick s fresh vegetation ST LAZARIA ONLY clipped vegetation or roots ST LAZARIA ONLY Also record which evidence was observed at each burrow this will help us understand and improve the tufted puffin protocol Fresh digging and fish at the entrance are not indicators of occupancy fish are tricky because they may have been dropped by a bird flying over so be sure fish are deep enough in a burrow that they couldn t have simply fallen from above before using them as evidence of occupancy If a puffin is encountered in a burrow feel under the bird to determine if there is an egg or chick work around it carefully to minimize disturbance There is sometimes a rudimentary nest composed of Angelica or fern leaves Because puffins are so susceptible to disturbance and because the soil is often soft and prone to collapse do not dig excavations in puffin plots All nests should be marked with individually numbered flags
9. near the entrance and mapped to follow throughout the season It is helpful to choose a standard flag location relative to the entrance for all your nests e g always putting flag at bottom left of entrance to avoid confusing nests In high density areas tunnels and nest chambers may be everywhere so check to make sure that the flag shaft does not pierce through into the tunnel or chamber of another nest Data analysis From data tally the following for each plot Large burrows with apparent occupancy Early b number of large gt 14 5 cm burrows with evidence of apparent occupancy at early check during incubation surrogate of number of eggs Large burrows with apparent occupancy Mid d number of large gt 14 5 cm burrows with evidence of apparent occupancy at mid check during early chick rearing surrogate of number of chicks Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 11 Large burrows with apparent occupancy Late f number of large gt 14 5 cm burrows with evidence of apparent occupancy at late check during late chick rearing surrogate of number of large chicks fledglings From the above values calculate the following summary parameters for each plot Residency Index Early Mid d b surrogate of nesting success Residency Index Mid Late f d surrogate of fledging success Overall Residency Index f b surrogate of overall reproductive success These indices
10. nest very rare Additional clues to nest fate sh eggshells Presence of fresh eggshell fragments in the nest Used ONLY with Bird Unknown or Unknown status codes BUsh or Ush to give more information about potential hatch there is no need to use with known status codes such as C or N poop poop Presence of fresh poop in or at the entrance of the nest Used ONLY with Unknown status code Upoop to give more information about potential presence of a chick there is no need to use with known status codes such as C or N call chick calling Chick heard calling but not actually observed Used ONLY with Bird Unknown or Unknown status codes BUcall or Ucall to give more information about potential presence of a chick not appropriate to use with known status codes such as C or N Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 9 Standardized Productivity Codes Important Rules to Follow Use capital letters for basic productivity codes and lowercase letters for modifiers Do not use superscripts or subscripts for any modifiers Do not put spaces between any characters Use numbers to indicate quantities of birds eggs or chicks greater than one do NOT use 1 to indicate single numbers Numbers should always go AFTER the code that the number describes e g B2E means two adult birds with a single egg BE2 means a single adult bird with two eggs Use a plus sign when you can see at least some but not all nest contents in multipl
11. nest sites are included in phenology calculations we require a confirmed egg and then a confirmed chick less than 7 days apart for that site to be used Because of this try to project when each nest is expected to hatch and focus extra attention on getting known statuses with short visit intervals around those times Occasionally we record data that give us more exact information on hatching and fledging dates If you observe an event occurring e g the actual hatching and fledging during your visit we use the day of the observation as the date the event occurred and not the midpoint between observations Similarly if a pipped egg is observed we assume it will hatch the following day if a wet chick is seen we assume it hatched that day Productivity Reproductive success is calculated as the number of known fate nest sites that fledged a chick If a nest fails we keep track of what stage this happens egg or chick period Determination of the fate of eggs and chicks is not always straightforward because we visit nests only every 4 7 days As a result it is necessary to adopt some conventions for consistency in interpretation Unless you actually saw the chick departing the nest fledging is determined arbitrarily based on the age of the chick on the last date you saw it This is determined by calculating the egg period chick period and uncertainty periods for every nest The egg period is the number of days fr
12. prior to the introduction of foxes earlier this century Tufted puffin burrows ring the perimeter of the entire island and are also present on the slopes of Southwest Slope and Gull Mountain On Aiktak peak egg laying occurs in mid June hatch in late July or early August and fledging in late August through September Adult colony attendance is highly variable it is not uncommon to see thousands of birds one day and nearly none the next Since numbers of puffins at the colonies fluctuate widely due to phases of the breeding season times of day and weather reliable estimates of the actual number of nesting birds are almost impossible to obtain Tufted puffin productivity and phenology is monitored in both natural and artificial burrows at Aiktak Procedures for checking natural and artificial burrows are identical except that artificial burrows require some housekeeping work at the beginning of the season Artificial burrows usually provide better views of the nest chamber and lids can be removed to access nests at the end of the season to ensure known statuses There are 82 artificial puffin burrows installed on Aiktak distributed across six plots on the western half of the island Figure A1 and Table A1 however in most years only about one quarter to one third of artificial nests are occupied so you will likely have to use both artificial and natural burrows to meet sample size goals Aim for a sample size of 100 known fate nests at the end of the
13. simply mark it as exclude from analysis in both places and indicate your reasons in the comments section for that nest in the database see Database User s Manual At the end of the day or at the very least before you take your data notebook into the field again enter the day s plot data in the productivity data entry database see Database User s Manual Data analysis Calculations for productivity and phenology parameters for tufted puffins are automated in an Access database Data should be entered and proofed as soon as possible each day after returning from the field see data entry protocol Proofed data will be uploaded into the database for analysis at the end of the season The below analysis summary is included to help you to understand how your codes will be interpreted by the database This should give you an idea of what constitutes good data vs data that have to be discarded which should help you schedule and prioritize your data collection efforts in the field The intent is not to reproduce the detailed documentation for the database and analysis process Phenology Dates for chick hatching and fledging are calculated using the midpoint dates The hatch date is the midpoint between the last time an egg was confirmed to be present and the first time a chick was confirmed to be present if there was no midpoint i e an even number of days between visits we use the even Julian date closest to the midpoint Not all
14. the observer cannot see the entire nest contents to be sure whether there is an egg a chick or nothing BE Bird w Egg Adult bird with an egg E Egg Egg present with no adult Use numbers and or to indicate more than one e g E2 at least two eggs Use standardized modifiers to describe special egg status e g Ed dead egg BC Bird w Chick Adult bird with chick C Chick Chick present with no adult Use numbers and or to indicate more than one e g C2 at least two chicks Use standardized modifiers to describe special egg status e g Cd dead chick U Unknown Nest site with nothing clearly visible Seldom used only when the observer is not sure of the nest contents e g cliff nest site obscured by fog or other birds crevice nest site offering a poor incomplete view etc If an observer records U many times especially at crucial times hatch and fledge the nest site may not be included in analysis N Nest Empty nest site Used when an egg or chick that was in the nest has been lost and no adult is present For kittiwakes this code indicates that a nest structure from the current year is physically present either before eggs are laid or after the nest fails NC Not Checked Used between the previous and current check when a site was not checked e g it was skipped on purpose or could not be found on that date This code does not have to be used at the very beginning or end of the seaso
15. used by the database in analysis to help determine the overall fate of the nest in some cases It is particularly important to minimize unknown nest status codes around expected hatching or fledging dates In other words it is important to see the nest contents the check before and after a chick hatches and fledges and to reduce the visit interval as much as possible at those times Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 4 If your colony has multiple burrow nesting species you may not be able to identify the species on the first check e g an unattended egg or a brief view of the bird s butt without seeing enough identifying characteristics Continue to monitor the nest leave the species column in your data book blank for now and fill in the appropriate species when it is determined if species is never determined use the species code to denote unknown species see data entry protocol for more details Before leaving a plot each day check to see that your recorded status makes sense based on what you saw last time e g if you had a chick last visit you shouldn t have an egg this visit Data strings that don t make sense will have to be discarded If you decide a particular nest site is problematic and should be tossed e g grass grew during the season and obscured your view or you aren t certain of the species don t erase the data from your field notebook and electronic productivity data entry database but
16. 9 10 PROCEDURE INDIRECT NEST MONITORING ST LAZARIA Data collection When burrows are too deep to view nest contents indirect evidence of burrow apparent occupancy at different times in the breeding season is used as an index of tufted puffin reproductive performance We assume that apparent occupancy during early mid and late season checks represent the presence of eggs chicks and large chicks potential fledglings respectively From these data three residency indices are calculated representing surrogates of nesting fledging and overall reproductive success These data are usually collected simultaneously with population surveys for burrow density and apparent occupancy see Burrow nester Population Protocol and island specific details Burrows are checked two to three preferred times a year timed to coincide with incubation early chick rearing and late chick rearing periods Indirect monitoring of tufted puffin productivity is generally done in conjuction with population monitoring refer to Burrow Nester Population Protocol On each check observers locate all large gt 14 5 cm burrows within specified plots and assess each for any evidence of apparent occupancy Burrow size is categorized as small medium or large small lt 9 5 cm medium 9 5 14 5 cm large gt 14 5 cm and measured using a burrow board Figure 3 Measure each entrance horizontally at the widest spot if the smallest end of the board does not slide
17. Poole Ed Ithaca Cornell Lab of Ornithology Piatt J F and A S Kitaysky 2002b Tufted puffin Fratercula cirrhata No 708 in The Birds of North America A Poole Ed Ithaca Cornell Lab of Ornithology Suryan R M D B Irons M Kaufman J Benson P G R Jodice D D Roby and E D Brown 2002 Short term fluctuations in forage fish availability and the effect on prey selection and brood rearing in the black legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla Marine Ecology Progress Series 236 273 287 Thompson N J H Renner J H Reynolds and P D Sampson 2010 Long term monitoring of seabirds on the Alaska Maritime NWR a statistical review and analysis of productivity and hatch timing for black legged kittiwake murre and least auklet colonies on Buldir Island Unpublished report University of Washington Wehle D H S 1980 The breeding biology of the puffins Tufted puffin Lunda cirrhata horned puffin Fratercula corniculata common puffin F arctica and rhinoceros auklet Cerorhinca monocerata Ph D dissertation University of Alaska Fairbanks a b c Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 14 Figure 1 Example plot map showing tufted puffin burrow locations Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 15 Figure 2 Example of data notebook page for recording tufted puffin productivity data Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 16 Figure 3 Diagra
18. Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 1 Wildlife Inventory Plan Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Protocol 9 Version 1 2 Parameter Productivity phenology and chick growth Species Tufted puffin PURPOSE To estimate annual productivity and phenology of burrow nesting tufted puffins and to detect between year differences of 0 2 fledglings pair power 90 at 0 1 level of significance Seabird reproductive parameters can serve as indicators of change in the marine ecosystem Cairns 1987 Montevecchi 1993 Puffins are important nearshore piscivores in the region making them potentially valuable indicator species of marine resources in the Bering Sea In addition at some sites to examine patterns in growth rates of horned and tufted puffin chicks as a potential indicator of foraging conditions for adults Chick growth rate in many seabird species has been associated with spatial and temporal variability in food availability e g Suryan et al 2002 BREEDING BIOLOGY Tufted puffins Fractercula cirrhata are colonial piscivorous seabirds that breed on remote islands from California to the Chukchi Sea Alaska supports the majority of the tufted puffin breeding population with highest concentrations along the eastern Aleutian Islands and the Alaska Peninsula Piatt and Kitaysky 2002 Tufted puffins primarily nest in soil burrows but will also use crevices in talus slopes among beach boulders and in sea cliffs Burrow
19. abeling new natural burrows during initial nest searches PROCEDURE DETAILS SPECIFIC TO AIKTAK CHICK GROWTH It is unlikely you will have 30 accessible chicks for either horned or tufted puffins at Aiktak so just measure as many as you can from your sample for productivity and phenology For tufted puffins artificial burrows are excellent nests for measuring chick growth because chicks will not be able to escape if you cannot reach a chick through the entrance carefully remove the chamber plug and chamber lid to reach the chick through the top be sure to secure the lid and plug again afterwards For either species do not do chick growth if you are unable to get measurements on at least five chicks it is not worth the disturbance Specific Requirements for Aiktak Dates Late July through end of August Optimal sample size 30 chicks Time of day Any time Weather Avoid handling chicks in wet weather Equipment needed Chick grabber device bird bag and or pantyhose toes Pesola scales 100g 300g and 500g wing rulers 150mm Rite in the Rain notebook two pencils Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth at Aiktak Island 9 21 Figure A1 Location of tufted puffin artificial burrow plots at Aiktak Island N Plot A Pole 503 Plot B Pole 501 Plot E Pole 504 Plot C Pole 502 Plot D Pole 80 Plot G Pole 27 Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth a
20. cks Never under any circumstances purposefully disturb a bird physically or by making noise to see the nest contents If hatch is expected you can take an extra moment to look particularly hard in that nest for clues using the tips listed above but in the end if the bird doesn t move then you have to move on to the next nest and hope for a better nest status on the next check Monitoring more than the target sample size of 70 to 100 nests will help make up for the inevitable loss of a number of your nests to unknown fate uncertainty After determining a fate of each nest the database will calculate summary statistics using all nests with a known fate not including any nests excluded manually by the data collector or discarded by the database due to poor quality unknown fate etc For puffins the database will calculate Nest sites with eggs B number of nest sites containing any eggs Nest sites with chick D number of nest sites containing any chicks Nest sites with chicks fledged F number of nest sites that fledged chicks Chick Period Uncertainty Period Around Hatch Uncertainty Period Around Fledge Egg Period Egg Period Chick Period Uncertainty Period Around Hatch Uncertainty Period Around Fledge Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 6 From the above values the following summary parameters are generated Nesting success D B Fledging success F
21. cks hatch assess burrows or crevices used for productivity monitoring for those that are shallow enough to potentially reach chicks Aim for 30 chicks to measure at most sites this will not be possible because there are not enough accessible nests Once chicks hatch attempt to measure each every 4 7 days during the linear growth period from age 5 10 days to 25 30 days or up to a mass of about 450 g Kitaysky 1996 Gjerdrum 2001 Remove chicks from nests by hand or using a chick grabber a piece of bent wire or copper tubing with a small hook at the end like a shepard s crook that can slide around a chick s tarsus and used to gently drag a chick to the nest entrance Be careful that the wings and or the other foot do not become caught on rocks or bent at an uncomfortable angle during extraction Never remove chicks from nests for measurements when adults are present or when it is raining During each measurement session measure the following see Figures 4 and 5 Mass Weigh chicks g in bird bags or the toe of a pantyhose using Pesola spring scales Be sure to weigh the empty bag after each chick weighing because its weight can change due to moisture or chick feces Wing chord Measure the right wing from the bend in the wing to longest tip fleshy stub pinfeather or longest primary depending on chick age ignore any downy tufts stuck to the end of wings or feathers to the nearest 0 5 mm using a wing rule With the right
22. e egg clutches As with numbers the plus sign should always go AFTER the letter code and when more than one also after the number that is being described e g BE means an adult bird and at least one egg were observed but entire nest contents could not be seen to determine if there was anything more BE2 means an adult bird and at least two eggs were observed but entire nest contents could not be seen to determine if there was anything more Some codes and modifiers can be combined when appropriate as long as order see below is maintained For instance with multiple egg species if one egg hatches before another so that there is an adult bird present with both an egg and a check enter BEC The specific order in which these codes and modifiers are used is VERY IMPORTANT The codes BEC and BCE or BE2 and BE 2 may mean the same thing to us but they are NOT the same to the computer database Follow these rules for the correct order of codes and modifiers 1 Always write codes in the order of adult egg chick e g BE and not EB 2 When adding modifiers numbers letters or symbols that give more information always follow the order of main productivity code letter modifier number plus sign e g BEp2 for adult bird with at least two pipped eggs BE2Cd for adult bird with two eggs and one dead chick B2E Cd for two adult birds with at least one egg and one dead chick Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth
23. ear growth period calculate the growth rate for each chick by running a simple linear regression for each parameter mass and wing chord The slope of each regression line represents the growth rate Present the average annual growth rate for each species as the mean slope and standard deviation of all chicks Include only chicks that have been measured at least three times during the linear growth phase If a chick dies after three measurements it can be included in the dataset Literature Cited Cairns D K 1987 Seabirds as indicators of marine food supplies Biological Oceanography 5 261 271 Gjerdrum C 2001 Nestling growth and parental provisioning of tufted puffins Fratercula cirrhata on Triangle Island British Columbia MSc thesis Burnaby Simon Fraser University Kitaysky A S 1996 Behavioral physiological and reproductive responses of alcids Alcidae to variation in food availability PhD dissertation Irvine University of California Kitaysky A S and E G Golubova 2000 Climate change causes contrasting trends in reproductive performance of planktivorous and piscivorous alcids Journal of Animal Ecology 69 248 262 Montevecchi W A 1993 Birds as indicators of change in marine prey stocks Pp 217 266 in Birds as Monitors of Environmental Change R W Furness and D J Greenwood Eds London Chapman and Hall Piatt J F and A S Kitaysky 2002a Horned puffin Fratercula corniculata No 603 in The Birds of North America A
24. eding season times of day and weather reliable estimates of the actual number of nesting birds are almost impossible to obtain The majority of tufted puffin burrows on Chowiet are found at South Bay within the glaucous winged gull colony Figure C1 Plan the schedule so gull and puffin and or auklet checks are done on the same day to minimize disturbance It is quite convenient because you have to be there anyway for gull work Although you can check puffins in inclement weather when working within gull colonies it is best not to disturb the gulls when it is raining especially when gull chicks are small as the adults will leave nests and the eggs or chicks will be exposed to the elements Make sure you make a detailed map of tufted puffins burrow locations and try to keep to a set path to minimize disturbance one gull work is completed Refer to South Bay plot maps in plot photos notebook for location of historical tufted puffin nest locations These areas should be checked as well as the surrounding areas to find new nests Begin searching for nests in late June gt 20 June and aim for a sample size of at least 30 known fate nests at the end of the season this includes crevice nests found in other areas Begin by following more than 30 if possible to allow for nests that will have to be discarded from the dataset for one reason or another In good years gt 40 nests have been monitored Each person should have their own set of nests that they
25. gure C1 Map of tufted puffin productivity monitoring locations on Chowiet Island Tufted puffin productivity and phenology at St Lazaria Island 9 29 Attachment D St Lazaria Island specifics includes Figure D1 and Table D1 PROCEDURE DETAILS SPECIFIC TO ST LAZARIA Tufted puffin productivity at St Lazaria is monitored using indirect nest monitoring on 8 plots Figure D1 Burrows are surveyed for evidence of activity ideally three times during incubation late June to early July early chick rearing mid July to early August and late chick rearing mid August to early September Plots used for productivity are the same as those used for population indices and are surveyed simultaneously Table D1 See Burrow nester Population Protocol for details on plots and data collection procedures specific to St Lazaria Calculate residency indices using data from the first second and third visits see data analysis on pages 11 12 In years when only two surveys are conducted you will only be able to calculate one residency index i e if no third visit you can only calculate an Early Mid Residency Index Specific Requirements for St Lazaria All data collected at the same time as tufted puffin population monitoring see Burrow nester Population Protocol Tufted puffin productivity and phenology at St Lazaria Island 9 30 Figure D1 Locations of tufted puffin transects used for productivity and population indices at St Lazaria Island
26. m of burrow measuring device and examples of burrows with entrances of different sizes 14 5 cm 9 cm 7 cm 9 5 cm Won t fit Smaller section fits Whole thing fits lt 9 5cm Small 9 5 14 5 cm Medium gt 14 5cm Large Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 17 Figure 4 Diagram of puffin chick measurements taken on the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Mass Weigh chicks using a Pesola scale Weigh the bag and bird and then the bag separately at end Check bag occasionally for dryness Always hold by the ring when weighing Hold scale at eye level in the lee of the DON T hold it here Wing chord holding the wing next to the body and using a metal ruler with a stop measure to the furthest feather tip possible Always measure the right wing Measure from here to here primary wing coverts primaries Wing Chord Flattened Wing NOT Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 18 Figure 5 Photos showing puffin chick measurements taken on the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge Mass Wing chord Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth at Aiktak Island 9 19 Attachment A Aiktak Island specifics includes Figures A1 3 and Table A1 PROCEDURE DETAILS SPECIFIC TO AIKTAK PRODUCTIVITY Aiktak Island has one of the largest populations of tufted puffins in Alaska and greater numbers were probably present
27. n before checks begin or after checks end for a particular nest Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 8 Standardized Productivity Codes List of Modifiers Always use lowercase letters for modifiers See list of Important Rules to Follow for more details on correct use Modifiers to egg status codes Eo Egg lay observed Observer sees egg being laid used only when event was actually observed not simply suspected lay Ep Egg pipped Hole in egg sometimes chick bill poking through hatch date determined to be following day Ed Egg dead Egg is obviously damaged or broken Ej Egg ejected Egg once in a nest ejected outside the nest cup Ely Egg last year Egg assumed to be from last year from appearance or other evidence Modifiers to chick status codes Co Chick hatch Observer sees chick hatch used only when event was actually observed not for pipping observed eggs observations of newly hatched wet chicks or other reasons leading to suspected probable hatch Do not combine Co modifier with Cw see below if you observe a hatching event that results in a wet chick simply use Co to indicate hatch and not Cow Cwo Cw Chick wet Newly hatched wet chick observed indicates chick hatched that day but hatching event was not actually observed Cd Chick dead Chick actually observed dead not simply disappeared from nest Cf Chick fledged Chick actually observed in the act of flying or jumping for murres from the
28. nja would do Puffins do not exhibit reliable incubating or brooding postures so if you see an adult bird but cannot see an egg or chick you must record the nest status as BU Bird Unknown Birds sometimes run into a crevice at your approach and then hunker down as if incubating so if no egg is ever seen you must at least see the bird on two consecutive visits to assume the presence of an egg and include it as an active nest in your sample If you find an unattended egg and it doesn t look like a leftover from last year continue to monitor it However if you never see a bird attending it exclude the nest from your sample by manually excluding the nest as an inactive nest in the productivity data entry database choose inactive nest from the drop down box in the exclude for productivity field If it never hatches you won t know if it failed or if it was an abandoned egg from the year before If it does hatch it is likely the chick will hide in the same place the adult was hiding every time you checked the egg resulting in a crevice with unknown fate If you see an egg or a chick there are a few cases when you will need to record additional modifiers that provide more detailed information about the nest status list of standardized code modifiers For eggs record if you see an old egg clearly from last year Ely a broken crushed or otherwise dead egg Ed an egg ejected from the nest Ej or an egg pipping just before hatch E
29. oden stake and use a paint pen or marker to rewrite the number of each nest on the orange entrance stake and the yellow chamber stake Replace any missing or broken stakes the wooden stakes often break off over the winter and need to be replaced but the orange and yellow plastic stakes are usually in good condition Also replace the flag marking each chamber with a fresh numbered flag Specific Requirements for Aiktak Dates Late May Refurbish artificial burrows Early July Begin checking artificial nests and searching for new natural nests July late Aug early Sept Check nests every 4 7 days until chicks fledge 4 day intervals around peak hatch and fledge dates 7 day intervals otherwise Optimal sample size 100 minimum 70 Time of day Any time Weather Any weather Equipment needed For artificial burrow refurbishment about 20 tall wooden stakes flagging tape spray paint about 5 large plastic orange stakes about 5 small plastic yellow stakes 82 flags paint pens permanent markers copy of plot maps long knife shovel or trowel flashlight large sections of semi permeable material weed block about 5 chamber lids and string numbers of stakes and chamber lids based on average that need to be replaced each year may need more or less For nest monitoring Fanny pack two flashlights ALWAYS have a spare with extra batteries bulbs Rite in the Rain notebook plot maps two pencils flags and permanent marker for l
30. of H and associated summary values in direct monitoring now done in database 1 1 May 2013 Protocol developed in standardized format from historic protocols includes Aiktak Buldir Chowiet and St Lazaria attachments 1 0
31. om the first definite observation of an egg to the last definite observation of an egg The chick period is from the first definite observation of a chick to the last definite observation of a chick There are some rules about what is and isn t allowed to be within the egg and chick periods but in short the data should make logical sense for example an egg in the middle of a chick period would indicate a problem with the data and the nest site would be discarded The uncertainty period accounts for both the visit interval and any visits with unknown statuses e g BU s around hatch and fledge events Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 5 Example 1 11 Jun 18 Jun 24 Jun 30 Jun 3 Jul 7 Jul 13 Jul 20 Jul 24 Jul 28 Jul 4 Aug 8 Aug BE BE BE BU BC BC BC BC BU BU N N Example 2 11 Jun 18 Jun 24 Jun 30 Jun 3 Jul 7 Jul 13 Jul 20 Jul 24 Jul 28 Jul 4 Aug 8 Aug BE BE BE BE BC BC BC BC BC BC N N From the length of the chick period and the uncertainty periods we determine the minimum and maximum possible age for the chick when it was last seen a chick was at least as old as the length of the chick period itself and could possibly have been as old as the chick period both uncertainty periods This information is then compared against fledging age conventions 38 days for tufted puffins to determine if the chick failed fledged or if the nest should be discarded due to too m
32. owth at Aiktak Island 9 25 Table A1 continued Locations of artificial tufted puffin burrows at Aiktak Island Distance and bearing from pole are in reference to rebar pole that marks plot bearing is given in degrees from magnetic north from pole to burrow entrance Plot Plot Location Pole Burrow Distance from pole m Bearing from pole deg D SW Slope 80 33 16 4 230 D SW Slope 80 34 9 4 178 D SW Slope 80 35 12 2 124 D SW Slope 80 43 13 6 102 D SW Slope 80 44 22 5 100 D SW Slope 80 45 12 7 132 D SW Slope 80 46 12 1 199 D SW Slope 80 47 5 3 255 D SW Slope 80 48 20 2 221 D SW Slope 80 49 8 1 177 D SW Slope 80 50 18 7 229 E Little West Island 504 68 19 8 306 E Little West Island 504 69 22 0 311 E Little West Island 504 70 19 1 316 E Little West Island 504 71 18 7 301 E Little West Island 504 72 22 2 299 E Little West Island 504 73 25 6 289 E Little West Island 504 74 8 2 176 E Little West Island 504 75 21 1 326 E Little West Island 504 76 23 0 332 E Little West Island 504 77 18 9 120 E Little West Island 504 78 20 3 137 E Little West Island 504 79 20 4 116 E Little West Island 504 80 20 4 132 E Little West Island 504 81 22 1 79 E Little West Island 504 82 20 4 116 G N Raven s Gulch 27 58 21 9 272 G N Raven s Gulch 27 59 17 7
33. p Similarly for chicks record if you see a chick in the actual act of hatching Co a chick still wet from having recently hatched Cw or dead chick Cd You must literally see the chick to record the presence of a chick hearing it alone or seeing eggshells membranes is not enough If it is close to predicted hatch or if you see fresh eggshells or hear chick sounds scrutinize the nest extra carefully for a potential chick Look for down poking up under the adult s wing or for tiny feet or bills sticking out If you suspect a chick but the adult simply won t show you what it s hiding here are some tips to aid you in seeing the chick Focus your flashlight on the back of the adult a chick will sometimes react to the light and move its head up for you to see or sometimes it will wriggle enough that you can see the movement or the adult will move enough for you to see the chick itself Look at the adult s wings sometimes they will shake or vibrate when the adult is brooding a chick and you can eventually see the chick underneath In particular look for a small bill sticking out from the top or sides of the adult s wing If you still cannot see an egg or chick and have to record BU Bird Unknown record any supplementary evidence of freshly hatched eggshells BUsh or sounds of chick calling BUcall see list of standardized code modifiers These do not provide enough evidence of a chick to determine hatch dates but may be
34. r chick and makes repairs as best as you can Avoid monitoring nests for productivity in areas that appear particularly fragile Finally tufted puffins often nest on steep slopes above sea cliffs often amidst vegetation that is easy to trip in when thick or slip on when wet Always keep personal safety a top priority Move carefully and slowly when working on slopes and avoid any areas that seem potentially dangerous Remember no data is more important than your own safety Begin searching burrows for eggs and or incubating birds in early to mid June depends on site see island specific details for more information Check any marked nests you can find from previous years and look for additional new nests Our sample size goal is 70 minimum to 100 ideal nests with known fate at the end of the season based on power analysis of crevice nesting auklets Thompson et al 2010 Because it is not possible to obtain known fates for all burrows you should begin by monitoring an extra 20 to 30 nests Note due to differences in population size nest accessibility and work load 70 may not be possible for all species at each site Refer to island specific attachments for sample size goals for each site Reuse of nests from one year to the next may vary across sites and years so the number of new nests you need to find will depend on how many old nests are active in a given year Try to select only those burrows for which you can see the entire chamber If
35. represent ratios of nests occupied later in the season compared to earlier Therefore for this calculation it is important to use only those nests that were occupied during the earlier visit whichever visit is the denominator in the calculation the first visit for Residency Index Early Mid and Overall Residency Index and the second visit for Residency Index Mid Late If a nest was not apparently occupied during the earlier visit the nest should be excluded For example Early visit Mid visit Late visit Use in Residency Index Early Mid calculations Use in Residency Index Mid Late calculations Use in Overall Residency Index calculations Occupied Occupied Occupied Yes Yes Yes Occupied Occupied Not occupied Yes Yes Yes Not occupied Occupied Occupied No Yes No Not occupied Occupied Not occupied No Yes No Occupied Not occupied Occupied Yes No Yes Occupied Not occupied Not occupied Yes No Yes Not occupied Not occupied Occupied No No No If any of you residency indices are greater than 1 you are doing something wrong Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 12 PROCEDURES CHICK GROWTH AIKTAK Data collection Puffin chick growth is usually done in conjunction with monitoring for productivity and phenology Measuring chicks does not appear to influence chick survival so these chicks do not have to be separate from your productivity sample Before chi
36. s are typically located on moderate to steep slopes anywhere from above storm tide to hundreds of meters above sea level highest burrow densities are usually along cliff edges and on steep slopes Wehle 1980 Piatt and Kitaysky 2002 Puffins lay a single egg and both parents share incubation and feeding with one off feeding while the other incubates or broods the chick Chicks fledge at about 45 days of age after which adults leave the colony for the season In the absence of mammalian predators annual reproductive rates seem to be governed principally by the quantity and quality of prey available during the nesting season Kitaysky and Golubova 2000 Piatt and Kitaysky 2002 Timing of breeding varies across sites with later phenology at higher latitudes At colonies in the Aleutian Islands Alaska Peninsula Gulf of Alaska and Southeast Alaska puffins generally lay eggs in May and June hatch chicks beginning in July and fledge chicks beginning in August or September see island specific attachments for details at each monitoring site Puffins forage offshore in continental shelf and slope waters usually less than 100km from the breeding colony Adults eat a mix of fish and invertebrates but feed their chicks almost exclusively on fish which adults carry back to the colony in their bills Each chick usually receives several meals a day Piatt and Kitaysky 2002a b Variation in parental provisioning impacts chick growth rates and may represent fl
37. season begin by following at least 125 to allow for nests that will have to be discarded from the dataset for one reason or another Adjust your search efforts for natural burrows based on how many artificial nests are occupied in the current year e g if 25 artificial nests are occupied you should search for about 100 good quality natural burrows to monitor aswell At Aiktak there is no shortage of tufted puffin burrows although you will likely have to search many burrows for every one that you can get a good view of the nesting chamber remember the key to finding good puffin burrows to monitor is to shove your head into holes as far as you can holding nothing back Begin monitoring nests in early July Start by checking all artificial burrows first then search for the number of addition natural burrows you need Natural burrows monitored for productivity and phenology can be located anywhere on the island and do not have to be the same from year to year Avoid following nests within density occupancy plots but otherwise feel free to search for nests anywhere over the island It saves time for burrows to be somewhat consolidated so most people prefer to stick to several high density areas and or try to locate all of their natural burrows in and around artificial burrow plots In some years good quality nests found by previous crews will still be marked with flags and you can reuse burrows if they are reoccupied in the current year Each person
38. should have their own set of nests that they check throughout the entire season avoid swapping nests or plots partway through as it often leads to data confusion At the beginning of the season simply assign each person half the artificial nest plots three plots each and half the required sample of natural burrows Special instructions for artificial burrows Artificial burrows are made of large plastic flower pots for the nesting chamber and a corrugated plastic tube for the burrow entrance The entrance of each artificial burrow is marked on the right with a large plastic orange stake with the burrow number on it and a tall wooden stake marked with paint or flagging tape useful to locate nests later in the season when vegetation grows tall The chamber of each burrow is marked with a small yellow plastic stake and a numbered flag Figures A2 3 At the beginning of the season In late May check the condition of all artificial burrows and refurbish any that need repairs Before examining each nest look into the entrance tunnel with a flashlight to ensure there is not a bird present If the nest is empty proceed with refurbishment described below if the nest is occupied come back another day Burrow refurbishment First locate the chamber plug a large tussock or chunk of sod that sits on top of chamber lid Make sure the chamber plug is in good condition and can easily be removed If you cannot remove the plug in a single unit replace i
39. t Aiktak Island 9 22 Figure A2 Schematic of artificial burrow used at Aiktak Island 2 Chamber plug Entrance Burrow plug optional Stake orange marking entrance Wooden stake Stake yellow marking chamber plug Flag Chamber Chamber lid Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth at Aiktak Island 9 23 Figure A3 Photos of an artificial tufted puffin burrow a from the outside b with chamber plug removed looking down on chamber lid and c with chamber plug and lid removed looking down into chamber a b c Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth at Aiktak Island 9 24 Table A1 Locations of artificial tufted puffin burrows at Aiktak Island Distance and bearing from pole are in reference to rebar pole that marks plot bearing is given in degrees from magnetic north from pole to burrow entrance Plot Plot Location Pole Burrow Distance from pole m Bearing from pole deg A Cabin 503 1 3 9 37 A Cabin 503 2 3 2 284 A Cabin 503 3 7 0 260 A Cabin 503 4 7 9 257 A Cabin 503 5 5 8 37 A Cabin 503 53 2 0 292 A Cabin 503 54 7 0 248 A Cabin 503 55 7 8 230 A Cabin 503 56 8 8 243 A Cabin 503 57 9 0 269 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 6 12 4 318 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 7 18 3 278 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 8 25 5 271 B SW Cape SW Bight 501 9 27 9 268
40. t with a new one Use a shovel or long knife to dig up cut a new tussock from nearby that will fit completely over the plastic chamber lid it is important the new plug fully covers the lid so that the chamber remains dry You can use a square piece of weedblock soft Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth at Aiktak Island 9 20 permeable cloth like material to line the bottom of the tussock to make it easier to remove as a whole entity in the future Second check that the nest itself is in good shape Remove the chamber plug and examine the plastic lid beneath checking that it is not broken and fits securely on the top of the chamber Remove the lid and check the inside of the chamber If there is bare plastic at the bottom of the chamber add some soil Discard any old eggs from the previous year Then with the lid still off look into the chamber from the burrow entrance to ensure you have a clear view of the contents Sometimes soil builds up around the entrance making it difficult to put your head at the right angle to see into the nest You may have to dig out the burrow entrance a bit or cut an addition plug that allows a better view into the tunnel Next check the burrow tube Ensure that it isn t cracked and add soil if there are any bare plastic areas along the bottom of the tunnel Finally replace the chamber lid and the chamber plug and remark each nest Use orange spray paint or flagging tape to mark each wo
41. there is anywhere for the chick to hide you may be unable to determine the fate of that chick and the burrow will have to be excluded from analysis hint if the adult bird can escape out of view when you check a nest a chick will probably be able do so too To get a good view of the nest contents you can t afford to be timid you will need to shove your face as deep as possible into the guano lined entrances and twist your head at weird angles to see around corners or down long dark tunnels If you are hesitant you may not be able to see the whole nest chamber and you won t be able to determine for certain what happens to the nest To facilitate getting down on the ground and shoving your face into holes carry your supplies in a small fanny pack as a backpack will severely limit your mobility if you must carry more gear such as extra clothes stash your backpack in one place while checking a group of nests and then move it as you move to another part of the colony rather than wearing it on your back And don t get discouraged if finding good puffin burrows is slow going natural puffin burrows are often deep and twisty and you will probably have to look into LOTS of nests for every one that you can see well enough to monitor Mark all nests with individually numbered flags near the entrance It is helpful to choose a standard flag location relative to the entrance for all your nests e g always putting flag at bottom left of entrance to
42. uch uncertainty If a chick would have been too young to fledge even at its maximum potential age chick period uncertainty it is called failed If a chick would have been old enough to fledge even at its minimum age chick period it is called fledged If the chick would have fledged or failed based on the length of the uncertainty period it is considered unknown fate and discarded from the sample In general the larger the uncertainty period the more likely a nest will be discarded because the chick s fate cannot be determined Therefore large check intervals and or many BU U statuses around hatch and fledge dates can cause a nest to be discarded from analysis Keep this in mind when collecting data e g keep check intervals short and take the extra seconds to look extra hard for chicks around expected hatch or fledge dates A practical note for puffins however you WILL get BU codes and there is often nothing you can do about it Some birds will sit tight on their eggs newly hatched chicks no matter what you do and unlike kittiwake or murre productivity where you can sit for an hour waiting for a bird to move we keep nest checks as brief as possible to limit disturbance to the breeding birds In fact it is ironic that the best a stealthy data ninja who sneaks up on birds without disturbing them may actually end up with more BU codes than someone who bumbles all over the rocks creating lots of noise making birds move off their eggs or chi
43. uctuations in prey supply Kitaysky 1996 Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 2 PROCEDURE DIRECT NEST MONITORING AIKTAK BULDIR CHOWIET Data collection Tufted puffin reproductive performance is monitored by viewing individually numbered burrows at 4 7 day intervals depending on the time of the breeding season using flashlights throughout the breeding season Special considerations for working in tufted puffin colonies When searching for and subsequently re checking nests throughout the season approach burrow entrances quietly and illuminate nests with your flashlight as quickly and unobtrusively as possible Puffins are sensitive to investigator disturbance and prone to abandon eggs as a result especially early in incubation Never attempt to purposefully startle or physically move a bird in order to get a better view of nest contents In addition burrows are very fragile and collapse if tread upon In areas of high burrow density substrate can be especially delicate Use caution when traversing any area with burrows Step or put your knee only on the mound of compressed dirt at the base of the burrow entrance and avoid stepping above any entrances When monitoring a plot it may be helpful to crawl on hands and knees If a plot is on a slope it is usually easiest to work uphill from the bottom to the top If you do collapse a burrow carefully dig out the entrance ensure you have not crushed a bird egg o
44. veling off towards the end of measurements Truncate any data points that appear to be beyond linear growth Note if you have only three measurements it may be difficult to determine from the plot if the last measurement is outside the linear growth window in these instances mass is a particularly useful indicator It may be helpful to use the r2 value of the linear regression line as a guide to how close to linear your data points are There is no concrete rule about how good a fit must be to be considered linear growth and thus included in analysis but as a rule of thumb take an extra look at any chicks in which the r2 value is lt 0 80 If the poorness of fit is due to an early or late data point and the fit can be improved markedly by removing it see a below consider that point outside of the linear growth period and remove it If the poorness of fit is seems to be due simply to variability in measurements see b below consider keeping all data points If the poorness of fit is because the chick just didn t seem to exhibit any linear growth at all this can happen with dying chicks for instance see c below consider removing the entire chick from the sample as we are only interested in chicks for Tufted puffin productivity phenology and chick growth 9 13 which we can calculate a rate of linear growth Once all data have been inspected and truncated to include only those measurements occurring during the lin
45. wing resting naturally against the chick s body slide the wing ruler under the wing and press the vertical stop gently against the wrist joint Measure this distance to the nearest mm Wing should be relaxed not flattened Aim for at least three measurements per chick during the linear growth period until chick age 25 30 days or mass exceeds about 450 g If you are uncertain play it safe and measure the chick a couple extra times as measurements outside the linear growth phase can always be truncated later Additional safety considerations for handling birds Monitor the condition of birds you are handling at all times and look for signs of injury or stress e g panting droopy eyelids appearing dazed shivering If a bird starts having problems release it immediately If you encounter a bird that appears diseased e g avian pox take care to prevent spreading to other birds at the colony Destroy the bird bag used with that bird do not reuse with other birds and clean all measuring and banding instruments with 70 ethanol Data analysis Chick growth is summarized during the linear growth period only In tufted puffins this corresponds roughly to chick age 5 10 days to 25 30 days or up to 450 g in size Kitaysky 1996 Gjerdrum 2001 after this age chick size approaches an asymptote Because you may not know exact hatch dates and thus accurate chick ages it is helpful to graph data for each chick and visually inspect graphs for any le
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