Weekly Update for 5/7 – 5/13/2012
5/13/12 ›
53 adult Caspian terns captured at the Goose Island-Potholes Reservoir colony and banded with field-readable alphanumeric leg bands; thanks to David Trachtenbarg (USACE) for his assistance with banding
5/13/12 ›
100 PIT tags sown for a study of smolt PIT tag detection efficiency on the Caspian tern colony at Goose Island-Potholes Reservoir
5/12/12 ›
61 adult Caspian terns captured at the Crescent Island colony and banded with field-readable alphanumeric leg bands; thanks to David Trachtenbarg (USACE) for his assistance with banding;
5/12/12 ›
50 PIT tags sown for a study of smolt PIT tag detection efficiency on the Caspian tern colony at Crescent Island
5/11/12 ›
David Trachtenbarg and Cindy Boen with USACE-Walla Walla District and Lamont Glass with the USFWS-Mid-Columbia NWR visited the bird colonies at Crescent Island, Badger Island, and Foundation Island
5/11/12 ›
First Caspian tern chick observed on Crescent Island tern colony; thanks to Lamont Glass for spotting the first chick of the year
5/11/12 ›
63 Caspian terns counted in an upland area at the upstream end of Badger Island, 30 of which were sitting in nest scrapes; Badger Island will be closely monitored in the coming weeks to determine if Caspian terns lay eggs at the site
5/9/12 ›
Survey of North Potholes double-crested cormorant colony; 1,093 cormorants and 924 attended cormorant nests (some with chicks) counted on colony
5/9/12 ›
Fish deposition study completed on the California gull colony at Crescent Island; 100 PIT-tagged fish fed to gulls at the colony to determine the rate at which consumed PIT-tagged fish are deposited on-colony
5/9 – 5/10/12 ›
High count of double-crested cormorants on the Foundation Island colony was 525 on Thursday (5/10), down from 983 last week; high count of attended nests was also lower this week (347) as compared to last week (390); telemetry surveys looking for radio-tagged cormorants from East Sand Island were conducted at Foundation Island and none were detected; 6 nesting great blue herons, 4 loafing American white pelicans, and one loafing black-crowned night-heron also counted on island
5/8/12 ›
Fish deposition study completed on the Miller Rocks California gull colony; 100 PIT-tagged fish fed to gulls at the colony to determine the rate at which consumed PIT-tagged fish are deposited on-colony
5/8/12 ›
Survey of Miller Rocks gull colony on mid-Columbia River; ca. 1,596 gulls (mostly California gulls) counted on island, most attending nests; one loafing American white pelican also counted on island
5/8/12 ›
Survey of piscivorous waterbird colonies in the Blalock Islands, mid-Columbia River; minimum counts of 2,062 nesting California gulls, 56 loafing Caspian terns, 15 loafing ring-billed gulls, and 11 loafing American white pelicans on Anvil Island; 23 nesting great blue herons (18 active nests), 10 nesting great egrets (10 active nests), 29 loafing Caspian terns, 29 loafing ring-billed gulls, and 12 loafing American white pelicans counted on Sand Island; minimum count of 331 nesting ring-billed gulls and 16 loafing Caspian terns on Straight Six Island; 5 loafing American white pelicans counted on Big Blalock Island; one loafing California gull counted on Rock Island (site of former Caspian tern colony); no birds observed Little Blalock Island
5/7/12 ›
Sixth boat-based survey of off-colony distribution of foraging Caspian terns, double-crested cormorants, and American white pelicans conducted on Columbia and Snake rivers; a total of 255 terns, 58 cormorants, and 15 pelicans counted on Columbia River; 122 cormorants and 81 pelicans counted on Snake River during survey; a larger number of loafing Caspian terns observed on the Columbia River at the mouth of the Walla Walla River this week compared to previous weeks
5/7/12 ›
Survey of Badger Island American white pelican colony; 187 pelicans counted on or near island, up from the count the previous week (163); pelicans nesting on both the upstream and mid-island sub-colonies
5/7 – 5/13/12 ›
High count of Caspian terns on the Goose Island-Potholes Reservoir colony was 593 on Tuesday (5/8), up from 578 last week; high count of attended nests was also higher this week (323) as compared to last week (263); a minimum of 5,000 gulls (mostly nesting California and ring-billed gulls, some with chicks), 8 loafing Canada geese, and 2 mallards also counted on the island
5/7 – 5/13/12 ›
No new gull carcasses found and no evidence of avian predation on Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir this past week; evidence of mink predation was found on Goose Island in previous weeks; there are no plans to attempt to remove the mink from the island at this time
5/7 – 5/13/12 ›
High count of Caspian terns on the Crescent Island colony was 707 on Friday (5/11), up from 640 last week; high count of attended nests was also higher this week (376) as compared to last week (350); 4,850 nesting California gulls, 4 nesting great blue herons, 3 nesting great egrets, 3 loafing ring-billed gulls, and one loafing black-crowned night-heron also counted on island
5/7 – 5/13/12 ›
1,583 steelhead PIT-tagged at Rock Island Dam on mid-Columbia River to investigate avian predation on juvenile steelhead from the threatened Upper Columbia population
Weekly Update for 4/30 – 5/6/2012
5/4/12 ›
First visit to colonial waterbird nesting islands in Banks Lake; 1,500 nesting gulls (mostly California gulls), 27 nesting Caspian terns (3-4 active nests), and 10 Canada geese on Twining Island; 1,200 nesting gulls, 14 nesting great blue herons (12 active nests), and 6 Canada geese on Goose Island
5/3/12 ›
Survey of former gull colonies on the mid-Columbia River near Richland, WA; on Island 20: ca. 8,550 gulls (both California and ring-billed gulls, most attending nests), 6 black-crowned night-herons (4 attending nests), 2 great blue herons (both attending nests), and 4 loafing double-crested cormorants; on Island 18: 18 loafing California gulls (the large gull colony on Island 18 was abandoned in 2008 due to a combination of coyote and human disturbance); on Island 19: 33 loafing California gulls, 3 loafing double-crested cormorants, 3 foraging great egrets, and one loafing black-crowned night-heron; on Nelson Island: 30 California gulls (island will be closely monitored in the coming weeks to determine if gulls attempt to nest at the site)
5/3/12 ›
Fifth boat-based survey of off-colony distribution of foraging Caspian terns, double-crested cormorants, and American white pelicans conducted on Columbia and Snake rivers; a total of 38 terns, 62 cormorants, and 21 pelicans counted on Columbia River; 78 cormorants and 108 pelicans counted on Snake River during survey; a greater concentration of foraging cormorants, and pelicans observed on the Snake River near Ice Harbor Dam this week compared to previous weeks
5/3/12 ›
Survey of Badger Island American white pelican colony; 163 pelicans counted on or near island, down from the count the previous week (346); pelicans nesting on both the upstream and mid-island sub-colonies; also observed were 50 Caspian terns in upland area at the upstream end of badger island; Badger Island will be closely monitored in the coming weeks to determine if Caspian terns attempt to nest at the site
5/2/12 ›
Survey of Miller Rocks gull colony on mid-Columbia River; ca. 2,350 gulls (mostly California gulls) counted on island, most attending nests; 8 loafing double-crested cormorants also counted on island
5/2/12 ›
Survey of piscivorous waterbird colonies in the Blalock Islands, mid-Columbia River; minimum counts of 1,450 nesting gulls (mostly California gulls) and 74 loafing Caspian terns on Anvil Island; 16 great blue herons (14 active nests), 9 great egrets (8 active nests), one black-crowned night-heron attending a nest, 9 loafing California gulls, 6 loafing Caspian terns, and 5 loafing American white pelicans counted on Sand Island; minimum count of 300 nesting ring-billed gulls on Straight Six Island; 5 loafing double-crested cormorants counted on Big Blalock Island; no birds observed on Rock Island (site of former Caspian tern colony) or Little Blalock Island
5/2/12 ›
Survey of North Potholes double-crested cormorant colony; 1,175 cormorants and 992 attended cormorant nests (some with chicks) counted on colony; also nesting nearby were 189 great egrets (142 active nests), 84 great blue herons (83 active nests), and 33 black-crowned night-herons (27 active nests)
4/30 – 5/6/12 ›
High count of Caspian terns on the Goose Island-Potholes Reservoir colony was 578 on Thursday (5/3), up from 365 last week; high count of attended nests was also higher this week (263) as compared to last week (84);
4/30 – 5/6/12 ›
No new gull carcasses found and no evidence of avian predation on Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir this past week; evidence of mink predation was found on Goose Island the previous week; there are no plans to remove the mink from the island at this time
4/30 – 5/6/12 ›
High count of Caspian terns on the Crescent Island colony was 640 on Wednesday (5/2), up from 555 last week; high count of attended nests was also higher this week (350) as compared to last week (247)
4/30 – 5/6/12 ›
High count of double-crested cormorants on the Foundation Island colony was 683 on Tuesday (5/1), up from 564 last week; high count of attended nests was also higher this week (390) as compared to last week (354); telemetry surveys were conducted looking for radio-tagged cormorants from East Sand Island, none were detected
4/30 – 5/6/12 ›
1,473 steelhead PIT-tagged at Rock Island Dam on mid-Columbia River to investigate avian predation on juvenile steelhead from the threatened Upper Columbia population
Weekly Update for 4/23 – 4/29/2012
4/28/12 ›
First double-crested cormorant chicks (ca. 6 days post-hatch) observed on Foundation Island cormorant colony; the count of active cormorant nests on Foundation Island was 354, the highest so far this season
4/28/12 ›
Complete waterbird survey of Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir; more than 5,000 gulls nesting on island, east side of island dominated by nesting California gulls and west side of island dominated by nesting ring-billed gulls; more than 300 nesting Caspian terns counted, almost entirely on west side of island; also observed on island were 20 Canada geese (3 active nests) and 12 mallards
4/28/12 ›
5 fresh gull carcasses found on Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir; 3 of the fresh kills were pulled into a beaver lodge on the north end of island and had bite marks that were consistent with a mink; there are no plans to remove the mink from the island at this time; no evidence of avian predation at the Goose Island colony this past week
4/27/12 ›
Complete waterbird survey of Crescent Island, mid-Columbia River; 555 Caspian terns counted, 240 attending nests; ca. 4,350 California gulls counted with most attending nests; also observed on island were 3 black-crowned night-herons (2 active nests) and 5 loafing double-crested cormorants
4/27/12 ›
Complete waterbird survey of Foundation Island, mid-Columbia River; 506 double-crested cormorants counted, 340 attending nests; also observed on island were 8 great blue herons (6 active nests) and one loafing black-crowned night-heron
4/27/12 ›
First visit to Harper Island in Sprague Lake; 115 double-crested cormorants (at least 70 active nests) and ca. 2,500 gulls counted on island, some nesting; no Caspian terns observed on island (site of former Caspian tern colony)
4/25/12 ›
Survey of Miller Rocks gull colony on mid-Columbia River; ca. 3,000 gulls (mostly California gulls) counted on island, most attending nests; 3 loafing American white pelican also observed on island
4/25/12 ›
Survey of Three Mile Canyon Island gull colony on mid-Columbia River; no nesting by gulls or any other ground-nesting birds (e.g., Canada geese) observed on island; fresh raccoon tracks and scat observed on island the previous week; all nesting attempts by California gulls on Three Mile Canyon Island failed in 2011 due to unknown causes
4/25/12 ›
Survey of piscivorous waterbird colonies in the Blalock Islands, mid-Columbia River; water levels unusually high and none of the sand spits or shoreline beach areas were visible; minimum counts of 937 nesting gulls (mostly California gulls), 5 loafing American white pelicans, and 3 black-crowned night-herons (one active nest) on Anvil Island; 11 great blue herons (9 active nests), 7 great egrets (6 active nests), 5 loafing California gulls, 4 loafing American white pelicans, and two loafing double-crested cormorants counted on Sand Island; minimum count of 327 nesting ring-billed gulls on Straight Six Island; 10 loafing American white pelicans counted on Big Blalock Island; no birds observed on Rock Island (site of former Caspian tern colony) or Little Blalock Island
4/25/12 ›
Survey of North Potholes double-crested cormorant colony; 1,062 cormorants and 771 attended cormorant nests (some with chicks) counted on colony; also nesting nearby were 73 great egrets (46 active nests)
4/24/12 ›
Fourth boat-based survey of off-colony distribution of foraging Caspian terns, double-crested cormorants, and American white pelicans conducted on Columbia and Snake rivers; a total of 14 terns, 60 cormorants, and 7 pelicans counted on Columbia River and 102 cormorants and 91 pelicans counted on Snake River during survey
4/23/12 ›
Survey of Badger Island American white pelican colony; 346 pelicans counted on or near island; pelicans nesting on both the upstream and mid-island sub-colonies; 101 loafing California gulls also counted on island
4/23 – 4/29/12 ›
423 steelhead PIT-tagged at Rock Island Dam on Columbia River to investigate avian predation on juvenile steelhead from the threatened Upper Columbia population
Weekly Update for 4/16 – 4/22/2012
4/20/12 ›
Survey of Okanogan double-crested cormorant colony; 63 adult double-crested cormorants and 40 attended cormorant nests counted, cormorant chicks not observed; nesting nearby were 20 great blue herons (19 active nests)
4/19/12 ›
Survey of Miller Rocks gull colony on mid-Columbia River; ca. 2,000 gulls (mostly California gulls) counted on island; no nesting Caspian terns or double-crested cormorants observed; 13 loafing double-crested cormorants and one loafing American white pelican also observed on island
4/19/12 ›
Survey of piscivorous waterbird colonies in Blalock Islands, mid-Columbia River; ca. 1,750 nesting gulls (mostly California gulls), 83 Caspian terns, 4 loafing double-crested cormorants, and two loafing American white pelicans counted on Anvil Island; 5 nesting great blue herons, 4 nesting great egrets, 42 loafing Caspian terns, 4 loafing double-crested cormorants, and 3 loafing American white pelicans counted on Sand Island; 850 nesting gulls (mostly ring-billed gulls) counted on Straight Six Island; 5 loafing American white pelicans and 3 loafing double-crested cormorants counted on Big Blalock Island; 7 loafing American white pelicans and one loafing double-crested cormorant counted on Little Blalock Island; no birds observed on Rock Island (site of former Caspian tern colony)
4/19/12 ›
Survey of Three Mile Canyon Island gull colony on mid-Columbia River; no nesting by gulls or any other ground-nesting birds (e.g., Canada geese) observed on island; fresh raccoon tracks and scat observed on island; all nesting attempts by California gulls on the Three Mile Canyon Island gull colony failed in 2011 due to unknown causes
4/19/12 ›
Complete waterbird survey of Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir; more than 4,000 gulls nesting on island, east side of island dominated by nesting California gulls and west side of island dominated by nesting ring-billed gulls; more than 200 nesting Caspian terns counted, almost entirely on west side of island; also observed on island were Canada geese (12 active nests), mallards (5 active nests), 12 loafing dunlin, and 3 loafing double-crested cormorants
4/18/12 ›
Survey of North Potholes double-crested cormorant colony; 1,025 cormorants and 750 attended cormorant nests with chicks counted on colony; nesting nearby were 78 black-crowned night-herons (50 active nests), 43 great blue herons (36 active nests), and 29 great egrets (15 active nests)
4/17/12 ›
Third boat-based survey of off-colony distribution of foraging Caspian terns, double-crested cormorants, and American white pelicans conducted on Columbia River from mouth of Walla Walla River to Port of Benton and on Snake River from confluence with Columbia River to Ice Harbor Dam; terns, cormorants, and pelicans seen on their respective colonies and commuting up and down river (counts will be provided in a subsequent report)
4/17/12 ›
Survey of Badger Island American white pelican colony; 220 pelicans counted on or near island; 17 loafing Caspian terns and 27 loafing double-crested cormorants also counted on island
4/16 – 4/22/12 ›
43 steelhead PIT-tagged at Rock Island Dam on Columbia River to investigate avian predation on juvenile steelhead from the threatened Upper Columbia population
4/16 – 4/22/12 ›
Signs of multiple predators observed on or near Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir; 4 fresh gull carcasses found on island, believed to have been preyed upon by river otters; 2 fresh bird carcasses (waterfowl) found on small rock island immediately adjacent to Goose Island, most likely depredated by bald eagles or great horned owls
Weekly Update for 4/9 – 4/15/2012
4/14/12 ›
Commencement of steelhead smolt PIT-tagging at Rock Island Dam on mid-Columbia River to investigate avian predation on juvenile steelhead from the threatened Upper Columbia population
4/14/12 ›
First Caspian tern egg observed on Goose Island tern colony, Potholes Reservoir
4/12/12 ›
First Caspian tern egg observed on Crescent Island tern colony, mid-Columbia River
4/11/12 ›
Survey of Miller Rocks gull colony on mid-Columbia River; more than a thousand gulls (mostly California gulls) counted on island; no nesting Caspian terns or double-crested cormorants observed; one loafing double-crested cormorant observed on island
4/11/12 ›
Survey of piscivorous waterbird colonies in Blalock Islands, mid-Columbia River; ca. 2,300 gulls (mostly California gulls), 6 loafing American white pelicans, and 3 loafing Caspian terns counted on Anvil Island; 3 great blue herons (1 active nests), 26 loafing Caspian terns, and 6 loafing American white pelicans counted on Sand Island; 89 gulls (mostly ring-billed gulls) counted on Straight Six Island; 11 loafing double-crested cormorants and two loafing American white pelicans counted on Big Blalock Island; 5 loafing double-crested cormorants counted on Little Blalock Island; one loafing American white pelican counted on Rock Island (site of former Caspian tern colony); an immature eagle observed perched in tree on Sand Island may have caused decline in number of attended heron nests this week compared to last week; Caspian terns have not yet initiated nesting on any of the Blalock Islands this season
4/10/12 ›
Survey of North Potholes double-crested cormorant colony; 851 cormorants and 619 attended nests counted on colony; great egrets (10) seen loafing at the colony site for first time this season
4/9/12 ›
Survey of Badger Island American white pelican colony; 157 pelicans counted on or near island; 9 loafing Caspian terns and 6 loafing double-crested cormorants also counted on island
4/9/12 ›
Second boat-based survey of off-colony distribution of foraging Caspian terns, double-crested cormorants, and American white pelicans conducted on Columbia River from mouth of Walla Walla River to Port of Benton and on Snake River from confluence with Columbia River to Ice Harbor Dam; terns, cormorants, and pelicans seen on their respective colonies and commuting up and down river (counts will be provided in a subsequent report)
4/9 – 4/15/12 ›
Signs of multiple predators observed on or near Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir; one fresh gull carcass found on island; after further investigation we believe that the gull carcasses collected on the island thus far this season were either killed or scavenged by river otters; 9 bird carcasses (mostly waterfowl) and castings found on small rock island immediately adjacent to Goose Island, most likely from bald eagles and great horned owls
Weekly Update for 4/2 – 4/8/2012
4/6/12 ›
Survey of Miller Rocks gull colony on mid-Columbia River; more than a thousand gulls (mostly California gulls) counted on island; no nesting Caspian terns or double-crested cormorants observed; 12 loafing double-crested cormorants observed on islands
4/6/12 ›
Survey of piscivorous waterbird colonies in Blalock Islands, mid-Columbia River; 580 gulls (mostly California gulls) counted on Anvil Island; 14 great blue herons (4 active nests), 6 loafing American white pelicans, and 53 gulls counted on Sand Island; 146 ring-billed gulls counted on Straight Six Island; Rock Island (site of former Caspian tern colony), Little Blalock Island, and Big Blalock Island not occupied by nesting or roosting birds; an immature eagle and a Caspian tern seen flying near the Blalock Islands
4/6/12 ›
Survey of Three Mile Canyon Island gull colony on mid-Columbia River; no nesting gulls observed on island; all nesting attempts by California gulls on Three Mile Canyon Island failed in 2011 from unknown causes; fresh raccoon tracks and evidence of human presence were observed on the island prior to colony abandonment last year
4/5/12 ›
Survey of Badger Island American white pelican colony; 125 pelicans counted on or near island
4/4/12 ›
First boat-based survey of off-colony distribution of foraging Caspian terns, double-crested cormorants, and American white pelicans conducted on Columbia River from mouth of Walla Walla River to Port of Benton and on Snake River from confluence with Columbia River to Ice Harbor Dam; terns, cormorants, and pelicans seen on their respective colonies and commuting up and down river (counts will be provided in a subsequent report)
4/3/12 ›
Survey of North Potholes double-crested cormorant colony; 731 cormorants and 476 attended nests counted on colony; nesting nearby were 36 great blue herons (32 active nests), 45 black-crowned night herons (23 active nests), and one bald eagle (possibly with chicks); no nesting great egrets were present in the heron rookery
4/2 – 4/8/12 ›
Signs of multiple predators observed on or near Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir; seven fresh gull carcasses found on island, which appeared to have been killed or scavenged by mink or river otter; two great horned owls heard calling at nearby Mar Don Resort; five raptor castings containing bones and feathers found on a small rock island immediately adjacent to Goose Island; castings most likely from bald eagles and great horned owls
Update FOR 3/8 – 4/1/2012
3/31/12 ›
Completed preparations for monitoring gull colony on Miller Rocks in mid-Columbia River; PIT tags sown for smolt PIT tag detection efficiency study; hundreds of gulls observed on-colony and 19 double-crested cormorants observed roosting on island; one fresh gull carcass found on island, appeared to be killed or scavenged by an avian predator
3/31/12 ›
Completed preparations for monitoring Caspian tern colony on Blalock Islands in mid-Columbia River; PIT tags sown for smolt PIT tag detection efficiency study; Caspian terns not seen in area of former colony; one bald eagle observed loafing on Anvil Island; two fresh gull carcasses found on island, one appeared to be killed or scavenged by an avian predator
3/31/12 ›
First Caspian terns (11) observed on Goose Island tern colony, Potholes Reservoir
3/31/12 ›
PIT tags sown for smolt PIT tag detection efficiency study on the Goose Island tern colony, Potholes Reservoir
3/29/12 ›
PIT tags sown for smolt PIT tag detection efficiency studies on the Crescent Island tern and gull colonies and the Foundation Island cormorant colony
3/28/12 ›
First Caspian terns (3) observed on Crescent Island tern colony in mid-Columbia River
3/28/12 ›
Completed preparations for monitoring Caspian tern colony on Crescent Island in mid-Columbia River
3/28/12 ›
Completed construction of observation blind near Foundation Island double-crested cormorant colony; completed preparations for monitoring double-crested cormorant colony on Foundation Island in mid-Columbia River
3/27/12 ›
First double-crested cormorants recorded at Foundation Island colony in the mid-Columbia River by project staff in 2012; ~ 200 cormorants observed in trees
3/27/12 ›
First Caspian terns sighted on mid-Columbia River by project staff in 2012; several seen flying near Foundation Island
3/25/12 ›
Completed preparations for monitoring double-crested cormorant colony at North Potholes; PIT tags sown for smolt PIT tag detection efficiency study; hundreds of cormorants observed on colony, some incubating eggs
3/24/12 ›
PIT tags sown for smolt PIT tag detection efficiency study on Goose Island gull colonies, Potholes Reservoir
3/24/12 ›
Completed preparations for monitoring Caspian tern colony on Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir; large numbers of California and ring-billed gulls observed on island; no Caspian terns seen on-colony
3/22 – 3/31/12 ›
Signs of multiple predators observed on or near Goose Island, Potholes Reservoir; great horned owl heard calling at nearby Mar Don Resort; two fresh gull carcasses found on island, appeared to be killed or scavenged by mink or river otter
3/22/12 ›
First Caspian terns sighted at Potholes Reservoir by project staff in 2012; several seen flying near Goose Island
3/20/12 ›
Seasonal field crew began working in Columbia Plateau region
3/8/12 ›
First American white pelicans observed on Badger Island in mid-Columbia River by project staff in 2012; because of presence of pelicans on island, no PIT tags were spread on-colony for smolt PIT tag detection efficiency study