Digital Commons Network^™

Use Of An Honest Signal By Red-Footed Boobies Sula Sula In Response To Kleptoparasitism By Great Frigatebirds Fregata Minor, Lin Chao

Marine Ornithology

On Genovesa Island (00.3°N, 089.9°W) in the Galápagos Islands, Ecuador, Great Frigatebirds Fregata minor kleptoparasitize (i.e., steal food from) Red-footed Boobies Sula sula. In five of eight cases that I observed, the frigatebirds harassed the boobies until the latter regurgitated their forage, which the frigatebirds consumed. In three cases, the booby responded with a honk-like call and the frigatebirds stopped harassing. I propose that the honk is an “honest signal” by a booby having little food to divulge. Boobies loaded with forage do not honk because the call could trigger regurgitation. Thus, frigatebirds harass with escalation only non-honking boobies. The …

White-Chinned Petrel Procellaria Aequinoctialis Feeding On A Dead Dolphin, Fabio Schunck, Rita Souza, Daniel N. Donadio, Leandro Correa, Rodrigo Bicudo, Miguel Oliveira De Souza, Pedro Giovani Cunha E Silva, Elenice Dias, Evair Legal, Fabio Barata

Marine Ornithology

The White-chinned Petrel Procellaria aequinoctialis is an opportunistic forager that often follows fishing boats to feed upon scraps or escaped/discarded fish. Although its diet in non-breeding areas is not well understood, studies of stomach contents indicate that its diet consists of fish, crustaceans, and squid. In June 2024, during a pelagic birding trip off the coast of Santa Catarina State, Brazil, a White-chinned Petrel was spotted feeding on the floating carcass of a Franciscana Dolphin Pontoporia blainvillei. This behavior has not been previously documented in the literature, online citizen science platforms, or by personal observation. We believe this to be …

First Aberrant Coloured Calonectris Shearwater Recorded In Madeira, Portugal, Pedro Nascimento, Emanuel Santos, João Gonçalves, Mayung Teixeira

Marine Ornithology

Herein, we report a Calonectris sp. shearwater with aberrant plumage, observed southwest off Madeira Island. The bird had an unusual amount of white feathering, more than has been reported so far for the genus. Both upperparts and underparts were predominantly white. Initially, we thought the bird was a leucistic Cory’s Shearwater C. borealis, but some characteristics could not be ascertained. Records of such aberrations should be published to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the subject.

Absence Of Coronavirus In Terns In The Western Indian Ocean?, Camille Lebarbenchon, Chris Feare, Christine Larose, Marie-Alice Simbi, Solenn Boucher, Audrey Jaeger, Matthieu Le Corre

Marine Ornithology

We investigated coronavirus circulation in three tern species on four islands of the Western Indian Ocean (Bird, Reunion, Europa, Juan de Nova). None of the 2019 samples tested positive by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. We discuss the implications of these findings in terms of host-species range, ecological drivers of virus transmission, and diagnostic tools.

Nape Coloration Varies With Sex, Not Age, Among Great Shearwaters Ardenna Gravis, Ewan D. Wakefield, Anna R. Robuck, Kevin D. Powers, Robert A. Ronconi, Peter G. Ryan, David N. Wiley

Marine Ornithology

Most petrels (family Procellariidae) exhibit little or no obvious variation in plumage with age or sex, either because plumage performs no sexual function or does so in a way poorly perceptible to humans. This limits the inferences that can be made from visual observations of petrels at sea. However, it has been suggested that nape coloration of Great Shearwaters Ardenna gravis whitens with age. Here we test this supposition using observations of known-age-class individuals. We necropsied birds bycaught around Gough Island, a major breeding colony in the South Atlantic Ocean, and in Massachusetts Bay, a wintering area off the northeastern …

A Petrel Breeding Diversity Hotspot: Raivavae Island (Austral Islands, French Polynesia), With A Need For Conservation Action, Vincent Bretagnolle, Yves David, Thomas Ghestemme, Jean-François Butaud, Tehani Withers, Hadoram Shirihai, Jean-Claude Thibault

Marine Ornithology

Raivavae is a small island in the Austral Islands of French Polynesia that is surrounded by a lagoon with 28 islets. Its marine avifauna is one of the least known and least studied in French Polynesia. Overall, seabird surveys in the various Austral Islands have been extremely sparse. This study addresses this need, using both historical and recent findings. The results show high species richness, with 10 breeding procellarid species, though none are numerous. We also update the knowledge on breeding petrels from other Austral Islands (except Rapa) and discuss the consequences of these findings in terms of their conservation …

Cruising For Data: Defining The Seabird Community From Vessels Of Opportunity In Canada’S Eastern Arctic, Carina Gjerdrum, Sarah N. P. Wong, Mark L. Mallory

Marine Ornithology

Information on marine bird abundance and distribution at sea is required to identify important habitat for protection, mitigate pressures from human activities, and understand the role of seabirds in marine food webs. Arctic waters support millions of marine birds, including globally significant numbers of some species, but the remote location coupled with the financial costs of research and monitoring in this region limit our ability to quantify marine habitat use. We used standardized survey data collected from vessels of opportunity during 2007-2023 to describe the distribution and abundance of marine birds in eastern Canadian Arctic waters and to examine the …

Thick-Billed Murres Uria Lomvia At Cape Parry, Northwest Territories: Core-Use Areas, Morphometrics And Chick Diets, Rosana Paredes, Stephen, J. Insley, Sebastian Luque, Piia Kortsalo

Marine Ornithology

Cape Parry is home to the only colony of Thick-billed Murres Uria lomvia in the western Canadian Arctic, but ecological information for this small, isolated population is lacking. To address this information gap, we investigated the spatial distribution, diving behaviour, diet, and morphometrics of male and female Cape Parry Thick-billed Murres during the breeding season. We tracked 23 chick-rearing adults (seven females and 16 males) using Global Positioning System (GPS) tags with depth sensors (2021) and collected chick diet data (2021, 2022) using observations and photos. Cape Parry murres foraged relatively close to the colony (4.5 ± 3.3 km) and …

Seagrass And Mangroves As Water-Associated Bird Habitat In The Southern Red Sea Coasts Of Saudi Arabia, Jeff Bogart R. Abrogueña, Iwao Tanita, Anthony M. Doyle, Romana Roje-Busatto, Jean Rose H. Maquirang, Seerangan Manokaran, Khalid Imam, Thamer Al-Johani, Sau Pinn Woo

Marine Ornithology

Studies on water-associated bird communities within seagrass and mangrove habitats, especially in arid environments, are limited. Here, we studied a pristine mangrove forest with associated seagrass meadows in the Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries (JCPDI) on the southern Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. Our objectives were to (1) determine the differences in the diversity and distribution of water-associated bird communities between three sampling stations—S1 (a mixture of mangroves and seagrass beds), S2 (an open coast adjacent to mangroves), and S3 (an open coast without vegetation)—and across three seasons (March for spring, July for summer, and November for …

Wire Ingestion By A Red-Billed Tropicbird Phaethon Aethereus Chick On San Pedro Mártir Island, Mexico, Alberto Piña-Ortiz, Vladislav Marcuk, Salvador Gómez-Hernández, José Alfredo Castillo-Guerrero, Petra Quillfeldt

Marine Ornithology

We report the ingestion of wire by a Red-billed Tropicbird Phaethon aethereus chick at San Pedro Mártir Island, Gulf of California, Mexico. A scat sample collected from a four- to five-week-old chick contained a copper wire ~5.0 mm in length. Biologging revealed the previous foraging trips by one of the parents, and we ascertained the diet of birds in this colony through a molecular approach. From these data, we suggest why this individual was fed wire.

Comparison Of Offspring Growth Models In Atlantic Puffins Fratercula Arctica , Katja H. Kochvar, Raul Zabala Belenguer, Pierre-Paul Bitton

Marine Ornithology

Growth of morphological traits in the offspring of many seabirds, including Atlantic Puffins Fratercula arctica, has typically been characterized by linear models despite displaying nonlinear patterns. We assessed the fit of six typical avian growth models to measurements of puffling mass, wing length, and tenth primary length. Across all three biometrics, the first- and second-best performing models were nonlinear (i.e., quadratic, logistic, extreme value function); these models were then used to generate separate growth curves for individual pufflings and extract easily interpretable and comparable parameter estimates. We recommend the reported models in future studies incorporating metrics of puffling growth and …

Artificial Brood Parasite Technique For Rearing Abandoned Eggs Of The Endangered Little Tern Sternula Albifrons, Masaharu Hayakawa

Marine Ornithology

The Little Tern Sternula albifrons is a ground-nesting species classified as Endangered on the Japan Ministry of the Environment's Red Data List. It may abandon its eggs owing to disturbances, a factor having a negative impact on its population trends. Successful artificial nurturing of these eggs could aid in the recovery of the species. To address this issue, I developed a ‘brood parasite' technique. The process involves taking abandoned eggs from a nest, incubating them in a facility until one day before hatching, and then covertly placing the protected eggs into other nests within the colony. By these means, foster …

Breeding Season Movements Of Aleutian Terns Onychoprion Aleuticus: Implications For Population Assessment And Monitoring, Kelly Nesvacil, Grey W. Pendleton, John P. Skinner, Susan Oehlers, Jeff Mondragon, Donald E. Lyons

Marine Ornithology

In 2017 and 2018, satellite transmitters were deployed (n2017 = 13, n2018 = 14) on Aleutian Terns Onychoprion aleuticus in two areas of Alaska, USA, to investigate breeding season movements and temporal patterns of colony activity. The effort was intended to aid in the development of a large-scale population-assessment framework. Across the two years, we observed dispersal to seven confirmed or potential (putative) colonies, none of which were previously documented, ranging in distance from 0.4 to 64.2 km from tag deployment sites. Although most terns did not associate with any known colonies during the breeding season, several individuals from the …

Technological Evolution Generates New Answers And New Ways Forward: A Progress Report From The First Decade At The Karlsö Auk Lab, Jonas Hentati-Sundberg, Per-Arvid Berglund, Agnes B. Olin, Aron Hejdström, Henrik Österblom, Astrid A. Carlsen, Quentin Queiros, Olof Olsson

Marine Ornithology

In 2008, we built an artificial nesting construction for Common Murres Uria aalge, the Karlsö Auk Lab, on an island in the Baltic Sea (Hentati-Sundberg et al., 2012). The aim was to create an environment in which the birds could be readily monitored and accessed, and technological equipment easily installed. In this current paper, we report on murre recruitment to the Auk Lab over the first decade, assess the performance of the birds living on the lab compared to natural cliff ledges, and revisit the original research questions. We conclude that the tremendous developments in sensor technology (video surveillance, automated …

Decrypting The Breeding Biology Of The Elusive And Declining Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria Rostrata, Angelique Pagenaud, Karen Bourgeois, Léna Payandi, Wilfried Weiss, Éric Vidal, Andreas Ravache

Marine Ornithology

Among procellariids, the Tahiti Petrel Pseudobulweria rostrata is one of the most endangered and least known species. Its global populations are declining, yet demographic and ecological studies remain scarce. Understanding the breeding cycle and behavior of Tahiti Petrel adults and chicks is essential to develop effective protection measures. To address this knowledge gap, Tahiti Petrel colonies of various sizes were studied at three sites in New Caledonia, with extensive sampling at two main sites and limited sampling at a third. A total of 157 burrows were monitored for up to two years using endoscopic cameras and camera traps. This allowed …

Contents, Pacific Seabird Group

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

Author Instructions, Pacific Seabird Group

Marine Ornithology

No abstract provided.

No Evidence For High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza In Waved Albatross Phoebastria Irrorata, Gustavo Jiménez-Uzcátegui, Alberto Vélez, Patricio Vega, Verónica Buendia, Verónica Montenegro-Benalcázar, Christian Sevilla, Marilyn Cruz

Marine Ornithology

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) is caused by the Alphainfluenzavirus influenzae species (type A, subtype H5N1), which has been detected in mammals (including humans) and marine birds in the Americas, including the Galápagos Islands. The Waved Albatross Phoebastria irrorata is a marine endemic species of Ecuador. Most of its breeding population nests on Española Island in the Galápagos Archipelago, and it forages at sea in the eastern South Pacific. This marine bird shares its feeding areas with the Peruvian Pelican Pelecanus thagus, Peruvian Booby Sula variegata, Guanay Cormorant Leucocarbo bougainvillii, Humboldt Penguin Spheniscus humboldti, Sanderling Calidris alba, Belcher’s Gull Larus …

Life-History Traits And Divergence In Population Trends Of Two North Pacific Auks: Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca Monocerata And Tufted Puffin Fratercula Cirrhata, J. Mark Hipfner

Marine Ornithology

Population trends in two closely related and ecologically similar North Pacific auks, the Rhinoceros Auklet Cerorhinca monocerata and Tufted Puffin Fratercula cirrhata, have diverged over recent decades: stable in the former, declining in the latter. I propose that differences between the two species in a broad suite of interrelated morphological, demographic, behavioral, and physiological life-history traits could explain their differing responses to recent environmental conditions.

Letter To The Editor: Embedding Indigenous Knowledges In Occupational Therapy: ‘Nothing About Us Without Us.’, Chontel Gibson, Isla Emery-Whittington, Lavonne Fox, Tirritpa Ritchie, Kaarina Valavaara, Angela Phenix, Tara Pride

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

As a collective of Indigenous occupational therapists, we write this letter not only in response to McColl et al.'s (2024) Letter to the Editor, but as a call to action for the profession, to enhance its ability to apply decoloniality and Indigenous human rights via strengths-based approaches.

Occupation-Based Practice Needs Occupation-Based Assessments: The Loss Of The Amps Family Assessments And How We Move Forward From Here, Leon Kirschner

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The Occupational Therapy Domain and Process identifies participation in life activities as a key aspect of occupational therapy’s domain. It also identifies assessment as a key process in our practice. Still, few commonly used assessments use real, meaningful activities in real context to identify what factors are affecting performance. The AMPS family of assessments were among the only assessments used for these purposes. Because of a series of factors, these assessments recently became unavailable for new users and are no longer supported by a central organization. This paper explores the strengths and needs for these types of assessments, the factors …

Environmental Advocacy As An Occupation: Perceived Self-Efficacy And Occupational Justice In Community Programming, Emma Sims, Laura H. Vanpuymbrouck

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Current occupational therapy literature demonstrates a gap in knowledge of environmental advocacy as an occupation, which directly impacts occupational justice in those experiencing environmental racism or discrimination. This study’s purpose was to provide foundational information on the importance of advocacy work in the sphere of environmental and occupational justice through the lived experiences of those directly involved in community environmental advocacy.

Method: Qualitative data was collected via three focus groups using semi-structured interviews focused on perceptions of participant experiences in environmental advocacy occupations. Thematic analysis was used to identify themes relating to research questions.

Results: When …

Benefits Of Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (Smart) In Occupational Therapy Graduate Students, Asha K. Vas, Lori G. Cook, Wanyi Wang, Alisha Schaefer

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists engage in critical thinking to integrate knowledge into clinical application. Academic curricula offer critical thinking strategies to facilitate flexible thinking and innovation to optimize clinical outcomes. Prior research has demonstrated that a gist-based reasoning program called Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Training (SMART) is beneficial in improving critical thinking skills in both healthy and clinical populations. The current study examined the benefits of the SMART program in masters-level occupational therapy (OT) students. Fourteen students between the ages of 22 and 45 (M = 25.71, SD = 6.34) completed the research study. The SMART program teaches strategies of strategic attention, …

Enhancing Occupational Therapy Practice Through A Mentorship Program: A Qualitative Study, Natalie S. King, Bryan M. Gee, Sarah A. Schoen, Mim Ochsenbein

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Occupational therapy entry-level education is filled with opportunities for experiential learning. Post-professionally, few opportunities exist for participation in structured mentored experiences. Mentoring in health care professions is not new; it has resurged over the past 15 years, documenting the nature of mentorship for practicing clinicians, the design of programs to promote advancement, and the effectiveness of these programs. Level I Mentorship by the STAR Institute uses a small group format and entails a blend of live and online instruction, fostering discussion and reflection rooted in on-site learning experiences. This qualitative study aims to understand participants' perceptions of STAR …

A Qualitative Study Of Disabled Performance Art In Occupational Identity Formation And Empowerment, Lisa Mahaffey, Kristin Chrissos, Kate Wettergren

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Disabled performance artists use their occupation of performance art to challenge the attitudes of their audience toward disability, leading to a greater sense of empowerment and a strong identity as disabled people.

Method: This project used a narrative approach to qualitative inquiry to explore how engagement in performance art influences occupational identity and empowers disabled artists. Personal connections and snowball sampling resulted in six self-identified disabled performance artists participating in 60- to 90-min interviews. A thematic analysis resulted in three overarching themes.

Results: (a) Belonging to a community of disability activists promotes feelings of empowerment for disabled performance …

Evicted From The Outside, Colleen Cosgriff

Maine Law Review

In recent years, Maine has seen an increase in the number of people experiencing homelessness who are living outdoors. People living in these circumstances often shelter together in groups of tents or other temporary structures commonly referred to as “encampments.”As municipalities across Maine struggled with how best to respond to the increase in encampments across the state, the United States Supreme Court decided City of Grants Pass v. Johnson, a case originating in Grants Pass, Oregon. Grants Pass wanted to issue civil and criminal fines to people for sleeping outdoors, even when no alternative shelter was available. The city ultimately …

Thermal Analysis And Experimental Design Of A Cryogenic System For Low-Noise Amplifiers, Tapuwa Makombore, Tunde Bello-Ochende

Seatific Journal

This study details the design and characterisation of a cryogenic test facility for low-noise amplifiers (LNAs) used in radio astronomy. Following a review of available cooling and vacuum pumping methods, a dedicated test system was designed and manufactured to meet specific performance requirements. Mathematical models were developed to predict the thermal and pressure behaviors within the cryostat, enabling accurate assessments of the system’s cooling efficiency. Experimental results showed that the first and second stages reached minimum temperatures of 11 K and 38 K, closely aligning with the calculated values of 13 K and 42 K, respectively. Vacuum testing across the …