United States

**Abstract:**

Digital aerial stills surveys for seabirds have developed rapidly over recent years in line with advances in technology, and greater knowledge of how the data will be supplied and used.  Many of these developments have been instigated to meet the needs of the marine renewable energy industry to allow assessment of potential impacts, driven by the requirement for advancement in the knowledge base for both developers and conservation bodies.   Our paper will discuss best practices from projects in UK, Europe, USA, Vietnam and Australia, and will cover both acquisition, data presentation and interpretation. Moreover, the paper will look at the differences in survey design and how these are employed in different situations, including wide area surveys, baseline studies to inform permitting, post-consent (pre-, during and post-construction) studies, as well as custom designs to answer specific questions on issues such as protected site connectivity, collision risk, avoidance and displacement, and colony counts.

**Authors:**

Stephanie McGovern¹, Stuart Clough¹, Laura Jervis¹

¹APEM Ltd

3rd World Seabird Conference

Global best practices for collecting biological data from digital aerial stills surveys to aid assessment of potential impacts of Marine renewables on seabirds.

Welcome Seabirders!  

Welcome to Virtual World Seabird Conference 3 - vWSC3! Whether you are in your office or lab, at home, in a coffee shop or bar poaching some wifi, or at a remote field site or research vessel – we are very excited to welcome you to the third ever World Seabird Conference. 

We would like to thank ALL of you for being so patient as WSC3 was scheduled, postponed, rescheduled, revised to virtual, and scheduled again. Throughout all those iterations there was one message that remained perfectly clear – seabirders were eager to meet and share their science. If we could not meet in person then virtual it would have to be, but a 3rd WSC was something everyone wanted. That support and commitment helped the WSU Board of Directors and Member Societies sort through all of the challenges they faced to plan and hold this conference. 

The list of those that need to be thanked is long and, while we plan on recognizing many during the live closing plenary, it is important to do so here in writing as well. 

The Australasian Seabird Group was our Local Host for our plan to meet in Hobart, Tasmania. They invested substantial time and effort to find venues and plan events that we unfortunately were not able to visit. Nonetheless we appreciate their work on behalf of WSC3 and encourage all of you to thank them when you see their members in Gathertown or elsewhere during our virtual meeting. Their willingness to host created the initial excitement for WSC3 and without that our vWSC would not have been possible.

We also wish to thank the Science Program Committee, the Virtual Committee, and the Early Career Scientist Committee for their hard work planning the logistics, events, and schedule for vWSC3. These committees also had to deal with changing parameters and short timelines that made what is always a challenging task even more challenging. The Travel Awards Committee also invested time and effort in developing procedures for awarding travel funds that ultimately would not be implemented. 

Our ability to shift from an in-person to a virtual meeting, and to do so in a way that would be financially feasible, was due to the effective efforts of The International Fundraising Committee and to our financial sponsors. The IFC raised funds to support WSC3 and then, through the good relationships they built with sponsors, ensured we could re-envision how those funds could be used to support a virtual conference that would be affordable and high-quality.

We all owe the WSU Board of Directors and the Representatives of the Member Societies a great deal of thanks. They are the ones who manage the WSU and, for the past 18 months, have had to have a series of challenging meetings and conversations, have had to make a series of difficult choices, have had to do all of that while considering the short- and long-term health of WSU and the World Seabird Conferences, and did this while also managing their own challenges at their day jobs. We are grateful for their diligence, patience, foresight, and throughout all of the meetings, their collegiality. Also – a 6-year term is quite a commitment!

There would not be a WSC3 without a successful WSC1 and WSC2. Thanks go to the Pacific Seabird Group for their support of WSC1 in Victoria, Canada, and to the African Seabird Group for their support of WSC2 in Cape Town, South Africa. In each of these endeavors and for our current conference we were fortunate to work with a dependable and trustworthy partner in Podium Conferences. Michelle Smith and Marischal de Armond have become valued members of our team and have not only helped us plan conferences but have assisted and advised the WSU Chairs and Board on issues above and beyond conference planning. 

As we embark on our vWSC3 week we extend to all of you our thanks for showing up, for being patient, and most importantly for the work you do with seabirds. We are all part of a unique, global community that shares an interest, a fascination, and a passion for birds that make a living in our world’s oceans. We have advanced the science, conservation, and management of seabirds as well the ecosystems they inhabit. We are consistently impressed and motivated by the work you do. 

The WSU formed in 2010 because we saw the need for a global organization to address challenges at a global level. Over the past 11 years WSU has grown, adapted, and evolved to become the community that this week is making vWSC3 a reality. Enjoy the week, appreciate and support the friends and colleagues you have made in the community, and if you see us in a virtual hallway please stop and say hello! 

Thank you for the opportunity to serve all of you and the WSU over the past few years,

Nicholas Carlile, Interim Chair, WSU<br>
Patrick Jodice, 2nd Chair of the WSU<br><br>

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Join us for four days of science, networking and virtual engagement with delegates from around the world!

poster

**Abstract:**

Mandt's Black Guillemot (Cepphus grylle mandtii) is one of the few Arctic seabirds dependent on sea ice and associated waters throughout the year. This species has undergone a long-term decline since the early 1990s, coinciding with a shift in the Arctic Oscillation causing increased atmospheric temperatures and sea ice melt throughout the Arctic. The largest breeding colony of the species in the Beaufort Sea, at Cooper Island, has been monitored annually since 1975. At its most prolific time, in 1987, the colony supported 209 breeding pairs, while in 2019 only 80 pairs bred. Past studies showed that climatic and oceanographic changes are linked to the observed decline: breeding productivity of this colony has decreased as decreasing summer sea ice reduced prey availability to parents provisioning nestlings. However, a full understanding of the demographic response of the colony to the recent environmental changes in the region requires to study its whole population dynamic. To fulfill this aim, we are analyzing a 45-year database with detailed information on the breeding and survival of 5456 individuals with known histories. Results indicate a high sensitivity of the population growth to immigration and experienced breeder survival. We found a decrease in immigration to be the most important factor in the colony's decline, with a positive correlation between summer sea ice concentration at source colonies and subsequent immigration rate on Cooper Island. We are currently expanding the model to include environmental covariates and quantify their respective influence on the demographic parameters, and preliminary results already suggest that survival of black guillemots is positively correlated with sea ice extent in winter foraging area. Our long-term monitoring data and model provide one of the few biological evidence of the consequences of recent sea ice loss to Arctic bird populations and Artic biota in general.

**Authors:**

Pierre-Loup Jan¹, Christophe Barbraud¹, Stéphanie Jenouvrier², George Divoky³

¹French National Centre for Scientific Research, ²Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, ³Friends of Cooper Island

How sea ice processes and climate fluctuations affect the demography an Arctic diving seabird?

**Abstract:**

Emperor penguins are iconic examples of a species threatened by future climate change. Projections indicate that most breeding colonies will be endangered by 2100 under "business as usual" emissions scenarios, resulting in dramatic declines in the global population size even under optimistic dispersal scenarios. These declines occur through projected loss of Antarctic sea ice, to which the Emperor penguin life cycle is closely tied. Emperor penguins directly rely on seasonally stable sea ice as a breeding platform during the Antarctic winter and throughout the spring chick-rearing period. During the non-breeding season, sea ice serves as a platform from which they feed, molt, and seek refuge from predators. The Paris Agreement is a multinational initiative to combat climate change by keeping a global temperature increase in this century to 2C above pre-industrial levels while pursuing efforts to limit the increase to 1.5C. Here, we project the dynamics of all known Emperor penguin colonies under new climate change scenarios meeting the Paris agreement objectives using a climate--dependent--metapopulation model. Under business--as--usual greenhouse gas emissions, large sea ice loss are projected by 2100. As a result, 80% of the colonies are projected to be quasi-extinct by 2100, thus the total abundance of Emperor penguins is projected to decline by at least 81% relative to its initial size, regardless of dispersal abilities. In contrast, if the Paris Agreement objectives are met, viable Emperor penguin refuges will exist in Antarctica because sea ice loss are projected to be much less severe. Only 19% and 31% colonies are projected to be quasi-extinct by 2100 under the Paris 1.5 and 2 climate scenarios respectively. As a result, the global population is projected to decline by at least by 31% under Paris 1.5 and 44% under Paris 2. However, population growth rates stabilize in 2060 such that the global population will be only declining at 0.07% under Paris 1.5 and 0.34% under Paris 2, thereby halting the global population decline. Hence, global climate policy has a larger capacity to safeguard the future of Emperor penguins than their intrinsic dispersal abilities.

**Authors:**

Hoilland Marika¹, David Iles², Sara Labrousse², Laura Landrum¹, Jimmy Garnier³, Hal Caswell², Henri Weimerskirch⁴, Michelle La Rue⁵, Rubao Ji², Christophe Barbraud⁴

¹NCAR, ²WHOI, ³University Savoie Mont-Blanc, ⁴CEBC/CNRS, ⁵University of Canterbury

Climate mitigation halts penguin extinction due to projected sea ice loss.

**Abstract:**

In a wide range of taxa, individuals use odor cues during mate choice to assess their genetic similarity to potential partners. However, in contrast to fish, lizards or mammals, the ability of birds to assess genetic similarity using olfactory cues has long been unexplored. We studied two seabird species: black-legged kittiwakes nesting on a radar tower on Middleton island, Alaska and blue petrels breeding at the Sub-Antarctic Kerguelen islands. We focused on similarity at genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC), which allelic diversity is crucial for resistance to pathogens. Using chemical analyses and behavioral tests, we provided the first evidence that birds can assess MHC-similarity using odor cues, which suggests that odor-based MHC recognition might be vertebrate-wide. Then, we investigated a potential mechanism by which MHC genes influence odor, i.e. by enabling the elimination of bacteria, MHC-molecules might influence odor indirectly by shaping the community of odor‐producing bacteria. We combined genetic analyses and bacterial analyses, and found that genetically-similar individuals had more similar feather microbiota. Our results were consistent with the hypothesis that individual MHC-genotype shape bacteria in scent integuments in birds. Further studies are ongoing to determine whether these bacteria produce the MHC-related odorants.

**Authors:**

Sarah Leclaire¹, Maxime Pineaux², Francesco Bonadonna¹

¹CNRS, ²University of Toulouse

Genetic similarity, odor cues and microbiota in blue petrels and kittiwakes

**Abstract:**

Wilson's storm-petrels (Oceanites oceanicus) are the smallest seabirds breeding in Antarctica, where events like snowstorms often prevent parents from providing food daily for their offspring. To survive such times of limited food supply Wilson's storm-petrel chicks can minimize their energy expenses by heterothermy: reducing their metabolism and body temperature. As heterothermy is reported to impact development, time spent hypotherm could have negative impacts for their future lives. A proposed consequence is that chicks are forced to fledge in poorer body conditions because of decreased time for development. Here we show the first results of our study of heterothermy and its consequences in a breeding colony of Wilson's storm-petrels at King George Island, Antarctic Peninsula. We investigated the impact of hypothermia on different parameters concerning chick development like blood fat values, immunology, telomere shortening, and growth. Triglyceride plasma values fell with increasing time spent at colder body temperatures within the last days before sampling. However, immune response to a phytohaemagglutinin test were not different in chicks that experienced more frequent hypothermic events than those that always maintained a constant body temperature. As snowfall is predicted to increase on the Antarctic Peninsula due to climate change, the use of heterothermy may ensure chick survival during continuous events of food limitation. The impact of heterothermy on their development and survival may hence become of high importance on the long term for the well-being of colonies breeding in this area.

**Authors:**

Nadja Kuepper¹, Christina Bauch², Gábor Czirják³, Marcela Libertelli⁴, Petra Quillfeldt¹

¹Justus Liebig University of Giessen, ²University of Groningen, ³Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, ⁴Instituto Antártico Argentino

Physiological and developmental impacts of heterothermy on Wilson's storm-petrel chicks

**Abstract:**

Mercury (Hg) is a widely available pollutant in the world's oceans. Its distribution is far from homogenous showing vertical stratification in the water column as well as spatial heterogeneity within and among ocean basins. In the Southern Ocean, penguins are considered effective indicators of Hg in the marine food web because of their relatively high trophic level, vagility combined with discrete and rather accessible reproductive grounds and their unusual feather molting pattern allowing for specific time-integrated sampling. Previous studies have shown elevated Hg concentrations in the South Western Atlantic Ocean. To provide further insights on regional variation in Hg prevalence within this basin we measured Hg concentration and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope composition in feathers of southern rockhopper penguins (Eudyptes chrysocome). Rockhopper penguins present population genetic structure in this area and different foraging areas for each genetic cluster. The northern genetic cluster forages at a higher trophic position, but yielded a two- to three-fold lower Hg concentration than the southern one. Interestingly, all adults from the southern cluster exceed the feather toxicity threshold of 5 μg/g. Previous studies also show that the Northern Patagonian Shelf presents lower concentrations compared to southernmost South America, which implies a recurring pattern rather than a particularity. This implies a different vulnerability due to the exposure to Hg for each cluster, but especially for predators feeding on rockhoppers, i.e. marine top predators, gulls and caracaras. Southern colonies could therefore serve as a model to investigate adverse effects of Hg contamination on penguins and downstream in their food webs.

**Authors:**

Nicolas Lois¹, Ulises Balza², Samanta Dodino², Michael Polito³, Klemens Pütz⁴, Rebecka Brasso⁵, Andrea Raya Rey²

¹Universidad de Buenos Aires, ²CONICET - Centro Austral de Investigaciones Cientificas, ³Louisiana State University, ⁴Antarctic Research Trust, ⁵Weber State University

Foraging area rather than trophic level explains mercury concentration in Patagonian rockhopper penguin colonies

**Abstract:**

Mercury (Hg) is a pervasive environmental pollutant that affects seabirds´ physiology with short- and long-term fitness consequences. Brown Skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus) are opportunistic top predators and scavengers, and therefore are effective bioindicators of contamination. We measured total mercury (THg) concentration and the stable isotopes of carbon (δ13C, a proxy of feeding habitat) and nitrogen (δ15N, a proxy of trophic position/diet) in blood from breeding adult Brown Skuas at Esperanza/Hope Bay (Antarctic Peninsula) (N=49). The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of individual traits (body condition and sex) and foraging ecology (δ13C and δ15N values) on Hg exposure, and to determine the relationship between THg concentration with body condition and breeding success. We fitted general linear models, and the most parsimonious model included sex, sampling date, breeding season, body condition and δ15N as variables. Mean ± SD THg concentration in blood was 0.82±0.36 µg g-1dw, and was higher in males (N=25, 0.89±0.38 µg g-1dw) than in females (N=24, 0.75±0.33 µg g-1dw). Adults with higher THg showed lower body condition, and in females, also lower breeding success. In addition, a positive association was observed between THg concentration and δ15N reflecting bioaccumulation from prey. Males showed higher THg loads than females, probably because females can deposit Hg in eggs, which may explain why females with higher THg were less likely to fledge chicks. Together, these results indicate that Hg has deleterious effects on reproduction in adult skuas, with potential long-term repercussions at the population level.

**Authors:**

Andrés Ibañez¹, William Mills², Paco Bustamante³, Lara Morales⁴, Diego Torres⁴, Facundo Palacio⁴, Nadia Haidr¹, Rocío Mariano-Jelicich⁵, Richard Phillips⁶, Diego Montalti⁴

¹La Plata Museum, ²University of Exeter/British Antarctic Survey, ³CNRS-La Rochelle Université, ⁴La Plata Museum (FCNyM-UNLP), ⁵UNMdP-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, ⁶Cambridge University

Blood mercury concentration is related to body condition, breeding success and trophic ecology in Brown Skuas (Stercorarius antarcticus)

**Abstract:**

Seabirds are extensively used as environmental biomonitors and feathers are among the most analyzed matrices because they are one of the main excretory pathways to detoxify the bird's body of environmental contaminants. Still, there is a variation in contamination level between the different feathers of seabird species, driven by diet and physiology, such as molt strategy and feather formation sequence. We measured total mercury (THg) concentration in different types of feathers (wing, tail, ventral and dorsal) of the same individual in adults and juveniles of brown boobies (Sula leucogaster) from the northern coast of Rio de Janeiro state, Brazil. Brown booby adults and juveniles had higher THg concentration (µg.g-1 d.w.) in wing and ventral feathers compared to dorsal and tail feathers. This difference may be explained by the fact that feathers grow in a specific sequence during molts leading to different THg concentrations in each type of feather. Additionally, juveniles had significantly lower concentrations of THg than adults in all feather types, which may be explained by the shorter life span, leading to less time to bioaccumulate Hg in their body. It is essential to choose carefully which feather type is more suitable to be used as a biomonitor of THg contamination in a particular species. For brown boobies, we suggest the use of ventral feathers, which represent the highest Hg concentration, are easy to sample and do not impair the seabird's flight ability.

**Authors:**

Gabriel Bighetti¹, Janeide Padilha¹, Larissa Cunha¹, Olaf Malm¹, Patrícia Mancini¹

¹Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

Ventral feathers contained the highest mercury level in brown bobby (Sula leucogaster), a pantropical seabird species

**Abstract:**

Microplastics (MP, <5mm) have emerged as significant, ubiquitous marine contaminants; due to their size and persistent nature, MP are ingested by a variety of marine species. Studies have revealed MP transfer between low trophic levels, but few have (1) modelled the bioaccumulation potential of MP across foodwebs, and (2) investigated model accuracy using in situ data. Likewise, few studies have focused on MP pollution in tropical regions; MP have reached the historically significant UNESCO-World Heritage site, Galápagos Islands, and the implications for the endemic species inhabiting these islands remain underexplored. The endangered Galápagos Penguin (Spheniscus mendiculus), the only penguin species north of the equator, has received little attention in terms of anthropogenic impacts and is the subject of interest given the role of seabirds as sentinel species for plastic pollution. This work reveals Phase 1 data: modelling bioaccumulation potential of MP (in grams of MP/kg of biomass) across the Galápagos Penguins' foodweb by developing an Ecopath and Ecosim (EwE) trophic dynamic-ecosystem model focused on the Galápagos Penguin. MP concentrations empirically reported for Galápagos' waters in previous studies were entered into the EwE model using the Ecotracer (contaminant tracing) routine. A simulation period of 100 years was assessed including varying levels of MP water concentrations and fecal elimination rates of MP. The trophic magnification factor (TMF) was calculated using the model. The resulting TMF was compared against other Ecotracer runs in existing EwE models available through Ecospace, including Galápagos' Darwin, Wolf, and Floreana Islands. Preliminary outcomes show that while low MP concentrations were predicted in seabirds, ranging 1.5x10-5 to 9.6x10-5 g/kg, statistically significant TMF values ranged from 4.7 to 23.8, indicating potential biomagnification. Phase 2 involves collecting and comparing modelled findings to empirically gathered data on ingested MP in Galápagos Penguin scats and prey.

**Authors:**

Karly McMullen¹, Juan Jose Alava¹

¹The University of British Columbia

Are microplastics accumulating in the foodweb of the endangered Galápagos Penguin, Spheniscus mendiculus? Modelling microplastics bioaccumulation and biomagnification potential in the Galápagos Archipelago

**Abstract:**

Over the last few decades, anthropogenic debris, and particularly plastics, have become a major threat for the environment and biodiversity. Over 200 seabird species have been recorded to interact directly with plastics, leading to reductions in survival and/or breeding rates, and consequently representing a major conservation concern. Breeding birds are known to adjust prey quality over the breeding season in order to provide higher quality food for chick provisioning. Nevertheless, it is unclear what this means with respect to the use of anthropogenic food sources used by seabirds. Over the 2020 breeding season, regurgitated pellets, or boluses (n=143), from yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) were collected from a series of nests at Carteau colony in the Gulf of Fos, Camargue, France. 85% (n=121) contained at least one plastic. The most abundant plastic type was sheet plastic, mainly composed of polyethylene and used in food packagings. There was a significant decrease in the number of boluses containing plastics between pre-hatching and post hatching (respectively 84% and 75%). The number of collected boluses also declined between these two periods (respectively n=82 and n=61). These results suggest that gulls may indeed adjust their foraging habits to provide more digestible food to chicks. However, we found high variability among the followed nests in the number of recovered boluses, and a large majority of regurgitates still contained anthropogenic items post-hatching. As yellow-legged gulls are known to specialize on particular food sources, landfill specialist birds may continue to use these food items during chick rearing despite their potential risk for chick growth and survival. More detailed surveys will now be required to test whether these birds are nonetheless able to select different types of anthropogenic items to maximize reproductive success.

**Authors:**

Florence Droguet¹, Carole Leray², Alexandra ter Halle³, Marion Vittecoq², Jennifer Provencher⁴, Karen McCoy¹

¹University of Montpellier CNRS IRD, Centre IRD, ²Tour du Valat, Research Institute for the Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands, ³UMR 5623 CNRS - University of Toulouse III Paul Sabatier, ⁴Environment and Climate Change Canada, National Wildlife Research Centre

Changes in plastic ingestion over the breeding season: do yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) adjust foraging habits for chick provisioning?

**Abstract:**

For the past half century anthropogenic and non-biodegradable materials known collectively as marine debris have been tainting the worlds pelagic and coastal waters in an ever increasing manner. Marine debris impacts at least 267 species, including 44% of seabird species with entanglement and ingestion representing the most frequent of consequences. The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) has operated a facility in Cape Town since 1968 which rehabilitates sick, injured and oiled seabirds. SANCCOB treats more than 1000 endangered African penguins (<I>Spheniscus demersus</I>) annually together with a diversity of mostly coastal seabirds including three other endangered Benguela endemics. Seabirds are regarded as bioindicators of the marine environment and have been used to understand patterns in particulate debris levels in the oceans. SANCCOB provides an ideal environment to assess the extent of entanglement and ingestion on seabirds along South Africa's coastline. The study focusses on seabirds admitted to SANCCOB in Cape Town that have been affected by entanglement and ingestion by anthropogenic debris over the past decade. This allows for a better understanding of spatial and temporal trends in entanglement and ingestion as well as bird species most affected. The study helps to identify hotspots and possible sources of coastal pollution which assists in improving effective management interventions and coastal policies to reduce marine debris along our coastline. The number of seabirds admitted to SANCCOB with debris related injuries has increased each year from 2013 to 2018. Kelp gulls (<I>Larus dominicanus</I>), Hartlaub's gulls (<I>Chroicocephalus hartlaubii</I>) and African penguins were most frequently affected. Ingestion of debris was seen in 51% of cases and entanglement 44%. Entanglement most commonly caused leg and wing injuries and ingestion, gastric complications.

**Authors:**

Kyle Maurer¹, Katta Ludynia¹, Albert Snyman¹

¹SANCCOB

Global best practices for collecting biological data from digital aerial stills surveys to aid assessment of potential impacts of Marine renewables on seabirds.

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