PROTECTING SEABIRDS
Volunteers help secure the future of common murres, cormorants, gulls and other seabirds
For the past four years, “community scientists” have been volunteering their time in the Trinidad area to help make a difference in the life of seabirds.
These local volunteers assist the North Coast Chapter of the Seabird Protection Network in this endeavor, collecting information to identify current or potential disturbances to nesting seabirds, including common murres, cormorants and gulls.
“The volunteer seabird monitors … play an important role in gathering data about the health of local seabird populations and, in the process, become powerful advocates for this often-overlooked resource along the California coast,” said Carol Vander Meer, director of community engagement for the Trinidad Coastal Land Trust, which provides training and support to the volunteers.
Trinidad seabirds, like most seabirds, typically spend much of their life on the ocean and only come to the coastal rocks to breed. Trinidad’s “sea stacks” are part of the California Coastal National Monument, which encompasses more than 20,000 rocks, islands, exposed reefs and pinnacles along the California coastline, as well as 7,924 acres of public land in six onshore units: Trinidad Head, Waluplh-Lighthouse Ranch, Lost Coast Headlands, Point Arena-Stornetta, Cotoni-Coast Dairies and Piedras Blancas.
“The sea stacks off the Trinidad area are the third most important seabird breeding area along the California coast with over 100,000 nesting common murres (Uria aalge). These offshore rocks provide safe haven for at least 10 seabird species to nest, roost, molt and rest during the breeding season,” said Leisyka Parrott, interpretive specialist at the Bureau of Land Management’s Arcata office, which oversees the North Coast Chapter of the Seabird Protection Network in collaboration with state, federal and private partners, including the California Coastal National Monument, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California State Parks, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Trinidad Coastal Land Trust, the city of Trinidad, Trinidad Museum, Trinidad Rancheria, Yurok Tribe, Humboldt State University and Redwood Region Audubon Society.
“I feel like the timing is ripe for the North Coast Chapter of the Seabird Protection Network, and I am happy to be a part of it,” Parrott said.
The North Coast Chapter was established in 2016 using U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service funding secured from the natural resources damage assessment process from two oil spills in Humboldt Bay in 1997 and 1999, which affected coastal beaches and wildlife along the Humboldt County coast. (Other Seabird Protection Network chapters include Gualala Point-Bodega Head, Bodega Head-Point Sur, Point Sur-Point Mugu and Channel Islands.)
“This money isn’t endless, so we want to establish this program and carry it into the future largely with the help of a volunteer community,” said Lynn Roberts, a recently retired biologist with the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Arcata field office.
Volunteer community scientists collect data in the field on data sheets, and then enter that information into a centralized data portal when they get home.
“This allows the information to be easily complied and any changes or trends (to) be easily identified and shared,” Vander Meer said.
This year’s breeding season — which runs April to August — marks the North Coast Chapter’s fourth year of monitoring human disturbances in areas around seabird nesting habitat.
“Trinidad is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike during the summer nesting season,” Parrott said. “Kayakers, fishing boats, beachgoers, drones and even helicopters can disturb nesting birds, causing them to flush and expose eggs/chicks to predators and detrimental environmental conditions if left too long. Too many disturbances could potentially cause adults to abandon eggs during critical times.”
Vander Meer said: “Our ulti- mate goal is to allow seabirds to thrive by reducing human disturbance through environmental education, which hopefully promotes responsible recreation.”
Bruce Hales is one of the area’s community scientists participating in the seabird monitoring project.
“I’ve always enjoyed observing all wildlife, in particular birds,” Hales said. “I would have liked to have a career studying them, but for various reasons, that never happened. When I discovered there was a local citizen scientist observation of seabirds program, I figured here was an opportunity where I could take the skills I’ve acquired from a lifetime of amateur observation and apply them to a meaningful scientific endeavor.
“The most interesting part of this program,” he added, “is going out to specific spots on a regular basis and recording what you see. You get to witness the incremental changes that happen over time. Seeing the same birds week after week building nests, sitting on eggs and hatching chicks, and watching them feed, grow and finally fledge, seems to give me a personal stake in this natural process — and I do what I can to make sure it continues.”
Training for volunteer seabird monitoring takes place every March. This year’s training, however, was canceled due to the COVID-19 health crisis, so several previous volunteers stepped up to help out in 2020, receiving a refresher training session via Zoom. (To learn more about 2021 seabird monitoring training opportunities, check in at www.trinidadcoastallandtrust.org.)
In 2019, 34 community scientists volunteered 579 hours toward seabird population monitoring, educational outreach and recording disturbance events, according to information from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For more information about the North Coast Chapter of the Seabird Protection Network, go to www.blm.gov/site-page/programsnational-conservation-lands-california-california-coastal-nationalmonument-1. For more information about the California Coastal National Monument, visit www. blm.gov/programs/national-conservation-lands/california/california-coastal.