Abundance and breeding distribution of seabirds in the northern part of the Danco Coast, Antarctic Peninsula

Figures & data

Fig. 1  Map of the study area showing the different localities sampled and the Primavera Base (marked with an open circle) and the Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) No. 134 (light grey), including the marine areas between the islands and the mainland.

Table 1 Positions and dates of population surveys conducted at each site from December 2010 to February 2011.

Locality	Latitude	Longitude	Date
Cierva Point	64°09′28.0′′S	60°57′14.5′′W	30 Dec.
Moss Islands	64°09′56.3′′S	61°02′05.7′′W	8 Jan.
Sucia Point	64°10′50.3′′S	60°57′13.0′′W	10 Jan.
Py Point	64°13′25.4′′S	61°00′13.0′′W	11 Jan.
Sterneck Island	64°12′03.7′′S	60°59′12.7′′W	12 Jan.
Mar Rock	64°08′35.3′′S	60°59′06.6′′W	15 Jan.
Kay Rock	64°07′33.8′′S	60°55′51.6′′W	17 Jan.
Charles Point	64°14′04.3′′S	60°59′40.1′′W	20 Jan.
Midas Island	64°10′18.3′′S	61°05′05.9′′W	6 Feb.
Alcock Island	64°14′13.9′′S	61°07′21.3′′W	9 Feb.
Sprightly Island	64°16′58.5′′S	61°04′34.3′′W	9 Feb.
Spring Point	64°17′38.5′′S	61°03′00.5′′W	9 Feb.
Cape Herschel	64°04′40.7′′S	61°01′53.9′′W	12 Feb.

Table 2 Number of breeding pairs per location for gentoo penguin in the northern sector of Danco Coast. Parentheses indicate the year the count was conducted. Lambda (λ) represents the annual breeding population growth rate, N represent the breeding population size and s the season (s1: 1997/98 and s2: 2010/11).

Locality	Novatti ( 1978)	Poncet & Poncet ( 1987)	Quintana et al. ( 1998)	Favero et al. ( 2000) (Ns1)	This study (Ns2)	λ
Cierva Point	559–614 (1954–58)	600 (1984)	800–1041 (1991–96)	593 (1998)	2680	1.12
Sterneck Island		450 (1987)		905(1998)	2795	1.09
Py Point		130 (1987)^a		390 (1998)^a	655	1.06
Charles Point					140
Total	–	1180	–	1888	6270	1.10

^aLocalities grouped.

Table 3 Number of breeding pairs by location for chinstrap penguin in the northern sector of Danco Coast. Parentheses indicate the year the count was conducted. Lambda (λ) represents the annual breeding population growth rate, N represent the breeding population size and s the season (s1: 1997/98 and s2: 2010/11).

Locality	Muller-Schwarze ( 1975)	Poncet & Poncet ( 1987)	Woehler ( 1993)	Favero et al. ( 2000) (Ns1)	This study (Ns2)	λ
Cape Herschel				316 (1998)	650	1.06
Kay Rock				21 (1998)	0	0.00
Mar Rock		500 (1984)		1553 (1998)	2763	1.05
Midas Island	2060 (1971)	200 (1987)		546 (1998)	180^b	0.92
Sterneck Island		1100 (1987)		152^b (1998)	33	0.89
Py Point		10 (1987)^a		13 (1998)^a	10	0.98
Charles Point					0
Alcock Island	7710 (1971)	10000 (1971)	3000 (1990)	605 (1998)	1100	1.05
Spring Point		85 (1984)	60 (1990)	180 (1998)^a	0	0.96
Sprightly Island					110
TOTAL	9770	11895	3060	3386	4846	1.03

^aLocalities grouped.

^bPossible underestimation.

Table 4 Number of breeding pairs per location for the species Antarctic shag (AS; Phalacrocorax bransfieldensis), southern giant petrel (SGP; Macronectes giganteus), Cape petrel (CP; Daption capense), snowy sheathbill (SS; Chionis alba), South Polar skua (SPS; Stercorarius maccormicki), kelp gull (KG; Larus dominicanus) and Antarctic tern (AT; Sterna vittata), in the northern sector of the Danco Coast. Lambda (λ) represents the annual breeding population growth rate, N represent the breeding population size and s the season (s1: 1997/98 and s2: 2010/11).

	AS			SGP			CP			SS			SPS			KG			AT
Locality	Ns1	Ns2	λ	Ns1	Ns2	λ	Ns1	Ns2	λ	Ns1	Ns2	λ	Ns1	Ns2	λ	Ns1	Ns2	λ	Ns1	Ns2	λ
Cape Herschel	28	24	0.99	0	0	–	2	0	0	1	1	1	2	0	0	2	4	1.05	0	10	–
Cierva Point	0	0	–	0	0	–	7	3	0.94	2	1	0.95	145	166	1.01	158	73	0.94	45	57	1.02
Kay Rock	0	0	–	0	0	–	0	0	–	0	0	–	1	4	1.11	0	0	–	0	0	–
Mar Rock	9	0	0	0	0	–	1	0	0	3	1	0.92	3	3	1	8	10	1.02	0	3	–
Moss Islands	0	0	–	35	42	1.01	28	17	0.96	3	4	1.02	10	26	1.08	120	70	0.96	15	19	1.02
Midas Island	21	21	1	0	7^b	–	0	0	–	1	1	1	3	17	1.14	15	9	0.96	35	11^b	0.91
Sucia Point	0	0	–	47	68	1.03	0	0	–	0	0	–	25^b	32	1.02	35	31	0.99	15	22	1.03
Sterneck Island	0	0	–	5^b	41	1.17	23	11	0.94	1^b	2	1.05	2^b	12	1.15	68	12	0.87	15	12	0.98
Py Point	22	34	1.03	0	0	–	0	0	–	1	4	1.11	0	5	–	35	7	0.88	20	11	0.95
Charles Point	0	0	–	0	0	–	0	0	–	0	1	–	40^b	31	0.98	105	98	0.99	15^b	32	1.06
Alcock Island	2	0	0	5^b	3^b	0.96	7^b	11	1.03	4	12	1.09	7^b	19	1.08	37	70	1.05	20^b	65	1.09
Spring Point	10^a	0	0	0^a	0	0	0^a	0	–	0^a	0	–	4^a	12	1.13	25^a,b	35	1.06	15^a	0	0.93
Sprightly Island		0			0	–		0			0			8			18			6
Total	92	79	0.99	92	161	1.04	68	42	0.96	16	27	1.04	242	335	1.02	608	437	0.97	195	248	1.02

^aSpring Point and Sprightly Island were grouped in Ns1.

^bPossible underestimation.

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