Marine Birds of Prince William Sound

Background

About 200 species of marine birds use Prince William Sound during at least part of the year, but the following are the most common:
• Cormorants Pelagic cormorant - year-round resident Double-crested Cormorant - Most common near passes to GOA

• Loons and Grebes Common, yellow-Billed, and Pacific loons - fall-winter-spring Red-necked grebe, horned grebe - fall-winter-spring

• Waterfowl PWS Canada goose - year-round resident - race unique to PWS White-winged scoter, surf scoter, oldsquaw - mainly fall-to-spring Barrow's Goldeneye, bufflehead - mainly fall-to-spring Harlequin duck, common merganser - year-round residents Mallard, pintail - mainly fall-to-spring

• Shorebirds Dunlin, western sandpiper - spring and fall migrants Rock sandpiper - year-round resident Black oystercatcher - year-round resident

• Alcids (Puffins, murres, murrelets, etc.) Common murre, pigeon guillemot, marbled and Kittlitz's murrelets, parakeet auklet, tufted and horned puffins - PWS breeders; mostly migrate offshore in fall

• Gulls and terns Arctic tern - PWS breeder; migrates to So. hemisphere in late summer Glaucous-winged gull - breeder and year-round resident Mew gull - mostly inland breeder; winter migrant in PWS Black-legged kittiwake - PWS breeder; migrates south & far offshore in fall

• "Land" birds that make their living mostly from the sea Northwestern Crow Bald eagle

• Nesting habitats Flat ground: waterfowl, Arctic tern, most glaucous-winged gulls Alpine tundra: Kittlitz's murrelets, some marbled murrelets Coniferous trees: bald eagle, northwestern crow, most marbled murrelets Rock cliffs and islets: black-legged kittiwake, common murre, glaucous-winged gulls Cliff crevices, earth burrows: puffins, pigeon guillemot, parakeet auklet

• Feeding habitats Intertidal: Crows, eagles, shorebirds, some waterfowl Water surface, upper 2-3': terns, gulls, eagles Shallow divers to bottom (to 30' - 40'): waterfowl, cormorants Medium divers, to bottom or in deeper water to 50' - 150': loons, murrelets, auklets, guillemots puffins, Deep divers, to bottom or in deeper water to 150' - 375': murres

• Seabirds and People

• Bird Watching Enjoy watching marine birds, but avoid approaching colonies too closely aboard your boat. Passage Canal kittiwake colony is a fairly rare exception of seabirds being tolerant of disturbance. Approach colonies very slowly; avoid noise - even your voice will carry over the water and startle birds. Approach from downwind. "Watchable Wildlife" programs of state and federal agencies, and a growing ecotourism industry draw increasing numbers of people into the Sound.

• Fisheries. Birds eat salmon smolts released from hatcheries, and also eat hatchery and fishery offal. Several species eat herring roe. Scavengers like glaucous-winged gulls thrive, and displace smaller species like Arctic terns on nesting grounds - e.g., glaucous-winged gulls have replaced Arctic terns that used to nest on Egg Rocks south of Esther Island.

• Finding Marine Birds in Prince William Sound What to use: € Bird ID books, Best all- round "bird book" is National Geographic Society's Field Guide to the birds of North America € binoculars; spotting scope on land.

• Good locations for marine birds in PWS: Porpoise Rocks, Port Etches: Best all-round seabird colony in inner Sound. Puffins, kittiwakes, gulls and thousands of murres. Waterfowl: Tide flats at heads of most Port Wells bays. Pigot and Hummer Bays, and ponds at Pakenham Pt. are especially good. On east side, Copper River delta and upper Port Fidalgo are great spots. Passage Canal, and Eaglek Bay Islets: Black-legged kittiwakes and glaucous- winged gulls. Look for gull nests on the cliff tops above the kittiwakes. Large talus-boulder slide about 1/2 mile east of kittiwake rookery has one of largest pigeon guillemot colonies in Sound. Small guillemot colony still at DeLong Dock! Fool Island: Pigeon guillemots and parakeet auklets; early morning in May and June best time. Very deep water off north and south sides, bad rocks off east and west ends. Dutch Group: Some tufted puffins, pigeon guillemots and glaucous- winged gulls nest on two westernmost islets; early morning best time. Watch out for nasty rocks! Naked Island Group: Tufted and horned puffins, pigeon guillemots, parakeet auklets. Bass Harbor/Bass Island area and eastern Liljegren Passage off Storey Island best spots. Smith Island: Tufted and horned puffins, pigeon guillemots, parakeet auklets nest along south side of east end. Little Smith Island: Tufted and horned puffins, pigeon guillemots, parakeet auklets nesting here, especially on north and east sides. Jackpot Island: Densest concentration of pigeon guillemots in PWS! Also a few horned puffins. Early morning on a high tide in May and June best times. Knowles Head to Red Head: Good spot to watch murres and several other species feeding in tide rips.

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  Copyright© 1999 by Sound Eco Adventures. All rights reserved. Last update April 2, 1999