A comparison of seabird abundance in three inlets in Nootka Sound, British Columbia: Muchalat, Zeballos, & Tahsis

Abstract

[author abstract] It is becoming increasingly important to conduct seabird surveys to track how populations are changing, and how the environment is changing. There has been little research on the density and abundance of seabirds in coastal Canadian waters. Seabird abundance surveys were made aboard the R/V Welander that was launched from the R/V Thomas G. Thompson from 14-16 December 2015, in three inlets of Nootka Sound, British Columbia, Canada. Tahsis inlet provided the highest count of birds per hour (503 birds/hr), followed by Muchalat (224 birds/hr) and Zeballos (136 birds/hr). Ducks were the leading category of seabirds found in all three inlets followed by gulls. This study’s purpose is to give other researchers a baseline so that more studies like this can be done in this region.