**Abstract:**

Quantifying spatial and temporal variations in the distribution of seabirds is a fundamental component of their conservation. A common approach uses vessels or aircraft to record animals along transect lines, and species distribution models or geostatistical interpolation to produce density surfaces. However, individual surveys cannot record distributions at annual, seasonal and continental scales. The tendency to use spatiotemporally explicit information when constructing density surfaces also produces outputs representing instantaneous distributions at the time of surveys or the intensity of survey effort, rather than overall distributions. This study uses a combination of methods to produce density surfaces of 12 species at a monthly and 10km resolution over 30 years in the north-eastern Atlantic. First, 1.6 million kilometers of surveys were collated from 15 sources. Second, ecologically informed species distribution models based on relevant environmental variables were developed. This approach produced sensible estimations of seasonal distributions. These widely applicable approaches provide inputs into a range of complementary analyses into ecosystem-level processes, as well as management strategies aiming to identify and mitigate impacts on populations.

**Authors:**

James Waggitt¹, Peter Evans¹

¹Bangor University

Ecologically informed distribution maps for seabird communities in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean

**Abstract:**

Temporal variations in the numbers of foraging seabirds usually coincide with concurrent variations in physical processes influencing prey availability. Responses to periodic tidal currents are commonly reported, with certain tidal states being favoured. By contrast, responses to intermittent meteorological events have rarely been reported, even though wind-driven exchanges of water masses or intrusion of estuarine plumes could have similar consequences. This study compares responses of foraging seabirds to physical processes in the Ria de Vigo, north-western Spain. The numbers of foraging European shags Phalacrocorax aristotellis and yellow-legged gulls Larus michahellis showed no response to variations in current direction/speed. By contrast, the numbers of both species increased during the intrusion of the Western Iberian Buoyant Plume following high freshwater discharge and southerly winds. The differences in responses to periodic tidal currents and intermittent meteorological events presumably relate to their relative control of conditions in the ria; whilst currents cannot be considered particularly weak, intermittent weather events have a stronger control on conditions. These findings show that responses to periodic tidal currents could be absent or subdued when intermittent meteorological events have a greater control on conditions, even though periodic tidal currents are conspicuous physical processes in coastal environments.

**Authors:**

James Waggitt¹, Shaun Fraser², Ricardo Torres³

¹Bangor University, ²University of Highlands and Islands, ³Plymouth Marine Laboratory

Foraging seabirds respond to an intermittent meteorological event in the Ria de Vigo, Spain.

**Session Replay:** [Click here](https://zoom.us/rec/share/EQX3upX5YZutc2P2Yqa7JWmcPuDpiPIqQExSjgKsn2oBwTyzvIpoAUP2UpU4VkHs.j7HQYsHmcMGn5UEG?startTime=1633616002000) 

**Session Chair: **Celine Albert 
**Technical Session Chair: ** Andrea Raya Rey

Demography & Surveys II & Diet I

technical paper

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 
Patrick Jodice, 2nd Chair of the WSU 

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3rd World Seabird Conference

Join us for four days of science, networking and virtual engagement with delegates from around the world!

**Session Replay:** [Click here](https://zoom.us/rec/share/ZJTkRyk4ozGJ4pEeBiRIu6QlFUDl8CAYvslYYR7JUZKuwUvn9JYly44gvX212I7f.p6MlSsktLL8iR90_?startTime=1633694978000) 

**Session Chairs: **Jeannette Zamon, Elizabeth Phillips 
**Session Description:** The topic of river plumes being of potentially global importance as habitats that feed, attract, and support seabird abundance or diversity was presented at the 2nd World Seabird Conference. We propose a symposium to bring together seabird biologists and plume experts to explore this topic further at WSC3. Fifty of the world’s largest river plumes are spread out among 25 countries and occur in every major coastal habitat; therefore we expect broad interest in the influence of these physical ocean features. A better understanding of seabird-river plume associations has conservation implications given these habitats are potentially important yet sensitive foci for seabird foraging and migratory stops. To our knowledge, this would be the first time that a session focused on river plume-seabird interactions has been convened, and we envision presentations that address WSC3 theme ideas including importance of physical ocean structures, climate change responses and adaptations, seabird-fishery interactions, marine spatial ecology and planning, and marine protected areas.

James Waggitt

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Ecologically informed distribution maps for seabird communities in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean

Foraging seabirds respond to an intermittent meteorological event in the Ria de Vigo, Spain.

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