Auklets in the Scott Islands

June 2019

Due to their large foraging forays and annual migrations, seabirds are thought to be good indicators of changes in oceanic productivity. It is therefore important to track their population trends over time, especially in the face of our changing climate.

I spent a month on Triangle Island, 45km off the Northern tip of Vancouver Island, as a part of Environment Canada’s long-term seabird monitoring projects in the Scott Islands. We conducted diet sampling and nest monitoring on the three main species of seabird that use this island as a breeding colony - Cassin’s Auklets, Rhinoceros Auklets, and Tufted Puffins.

While on the island we also netted and banded the songbirds on the island using mist nets, in order to study the use of the island by Passerine species.

This project was part of Environment and Climate Change Canada’s ongoing research on Triangle Island, where they have been monitoring seabird breeding for the past 40 years.