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Session Name: Contributed Presentation Title: Piscivorous Bird Monitoring at US Army Corps’ Columbia and Snake River Dams. Presenter Name: Nathan A. Zorich Authors: Nathan A. Zorich, US Army Corps of Engineers Portland District’s Fish Field Unit, 541-374-8801, [email protected] Patricia L. Madson, US Army Corps of Engineers Portland District’s Fish Field Unit, 541-2989706, [email protected] ABSTRACT Background: The 2008/2010 Federal Columbia River Power System Biological Opinion requires the US Army Corps (USACE) to monitor and respond to avian predators at its dams to protect ESA listed salmonids. While there is a long history of monitoring bird abundance at USACE dams efforts have been site specific, changing slightly from dam-to-dam making them difficult to compare or to track yearly trends. In 2012 and 2013 we developed a standardized avian counting protocol and trained multiple observers at eight dams to collect and upload bird counts to a centralized database. Our objectives were to: 1) Provide site-specific training at each dam, 2) Provide data collection devices or data sheets and a centralized database to gather data, 3) Summarize the results of this effort in the form of a data report. Methods: We trained observers to collect counts using standard methods and tablet PC’s and paper data forms to monitoring the abundance, location (zone), and behavior (foraging, resting, scavenging, or fly-by) of nine piscivorous birds species at eight dams. Site-specific zone maps were developed, on-site training, and writing a standardized protocol applicable to all participants. Results: Predatory bird abundance at the dams was highly variable day to day but seasonal means were similar in both years. The Dalles and McNary Dams had the greatest bird abundance (foraging or all behaviors combined) followed by Ice Harbor Dam, while the remaining five dams had similar bird abundance. Avian piscivors in order of prevalence were: California gulls (Larus californicus.), double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos), and Western or Clark’s Grebes (Aechmophorus spp.). This standardized monitoring program allows managers to identify and respond to predation hot spots in-season and detect changes in bird abundance over time. Student Presenter? No Presentation Type: Oral presentation only
