[BCNnet] RB Gull Management Project - correction

[Randi Doeker - Chicago]

Sadly there are not 110 Black-crowned Night Herons hidden away in Lake
Calumet; only 10-15.  That was a typo in the original Chicago DOE FAQ on the
gull management project.

 

Also, they really blew the colors; the correct matchings are:

Lake Calumet, - yellow and blue; Dime Pier - orange and green.

 

Randi Doeker

Chicago

  _____  

 

The following is posted on behalf of the Chicago Dept. of Environment.
Questions should go to birds at cityofchicago.org .   My executive summary:

 

If you see a gull with a colored tag on its wing, send an email to:

james.a.rader at aphis.usda.gov 

 

Date - Time

Color of tag

Location seen; be as specific as possible 

Number of gulls with that tag color

Your name and phone number

 

Randi Doeker

Chicago

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------

 

Tagged Gulls and the Chicago Ring-billed Gull Management Pilot Project

 

The Chicago Department of Environment (DOE) has undertaken a research
project with USDA's Wildlife Services biologists to help determine how to
stabilize the Ring-billed gull population and manage the conflict with
humans along the Chicago lakefront.

 

April 2007 counts of RB Gulls at the research locations determined that the
populations at the 2 sites have increased by 400-500% since 1999 (an
increase much greater than local experts had estimated).  It is unknown what
the increase in the regional population is, but in 1999, the last time that
a survey of the regional population was taken, there were over 67,000
nesting pairs (134,000 ring-billed gulls) in the region.   

 

Additionally, anecdotal reports indicate that less aggressive birds
(including Forster's Terns) are being harmed by the gull explosion.

 

More details on the project, including data when it is available, are
available by e-mailing birds at cityofchicago.org. 

 

Birders are asked to help the researchers by reporting any sitings of RB
Gulls with colored tags on their wings.

 

DOE thanks you for your efforts.

 

*   *   *   *  *   *   *   *  *   *   *   *  *   *   *   *  *   *   *   *  *
*   *   *  

This document follows on the City of Chicago's April 23, 2007 press release.

 

Chicago Ring-billed Gull Management Pilot Project

May 2007 - FAQs

 

The City of Chicago has requested Wildlife Services, a program of the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, conduct a research project to limit the number of
ring-billed gulls that hatch this year and determine if ring-billed gulls
without young cause fewer problems.

 

What is the Chicago Gull Damage Management Pilot Project?

 

. The City's Gull Damage Management Pilot Project is a non-lethal way to
manage increases in the ring-billed gull population and make Chicago a
cleaner and safer place. The project is designed to gauge the effect of
oiling gull eggs, with an ultimate goal of reducing the severity and
frequency of conflicts with Ring-billed gulls by stabilizing the population.

 

. Over several weeks, Wildlife Service biologists will oil eggs in
ring-billed gull nests with food-grade corn oil on Dime Pier just south of
Navy Pier and a dike northeast of Gull Island in Lake Calumet.

 

. Oiling the eggs will prevent young from hatching by preventing oxygen from
penetrating the shell.

 

. Control nests will be marked and not oiled.

 

. Approximately 400-600 breeding gulls will be tagged with leg bands and
patagial tags. Half of these gulls will be from the control population and
half from the treated population. A researcher will observe tagged gulls
throughout the summer to gauge differences in behavior between ring-billed
gulls with or without young.

 

. One nesting adult from each nest in the research population will be
marked, and there will be four distinctly marked populations: (1) Dime Pier,
oiled nests, orange patagial tag; (2) Dime Pier, control nests, green
patagial tags; (3) Lake Calumet, oiled nests, yellow patagial tags; (4) Lake
Calumet, control nests, blue patagial tags.

 

. Juvenile gulls from the control nests will also be tagged and monitored.

 

. The city urges birders to post their tagged ring-billed gull sitings by
sending an e-mail to james.a.rader at aphis.usda.gov with the following
information:

 

. Date and Time patagial tagged ring-billed gull was observed

. Color of patagial tag on ring-billed gull

. Location where patagial tagged ring-billed gull was observed (street
address and/or as specific as possible)

. Number of gulls observed with patagial tags at this location (and colors
of tags if multiple tagged birds were observed)

. Observer name and contact telephone number

 

Why is it important to stabilize Chicago's gull population?

 

. Scientists have shown a potential connection between the presence of
ring-billed gulls on a beach and positive tests for E. coli bacteria in the
water, which leads to swim bans. For example, a Lake County Health
Department study of five beaches found that more than half of the E. coli
bacteria in the water samples were from birds (Mike Adam, 2004). A
University of Chicago study estimated the City experiences $2.4 million in
costs from swim bans ("The Value of Chicago Beaches," Sabina Lee Shaikh,
2006). (To our knowledge, no studies have shown a correlation between human
health and avian E. coli. However, USEPA uses E.coli as their indicator to
determine swim bans because their studies indicate that E. coli is one of
the best bacterial indicators to assess the risk of acquiring a
gastrointestinal illness as a result of using recreational waters. The USEPA
E.coli indicator protocol is the only recreational water testing protocol
accepted by the Federal government.)

 

. Gull droppings accumulate at entertainment, recreational, and dining
establishments in Chicago, especially along the lakefront. Attracted to
food, gulls frequent eating establishments near the Lake. Navy Pier, the
Chicago Park District, and others invest resources in mitigating gull
damage.

 

. Anecdotal evidence suggests that other bird species may be impacted by the
increase in the ring-billed gull population.

 

Is the goal to eliminate the ENTIRE Gull colony or just control the numbers?

 

. The goal of this project is NOT to eliminate the entire regional
ring-billed gull colony. Oiling ring-billed gull eggs in Chicago will help
to stabilize the increase in the local ring-billed gull population, but it
will not decrease the existing population, especially given that ring-billed
gulls live for an average of 10-15 years.

 

How many ring-billed gulls are there in Chicago?

 

. The number and size of ring-billed gull colonies across Northeastern
Illinois has increased dramatically over the past 30 years. [1]

 

. In 1999, the last time that a survey of the regional population was taken,
there were over 67,000 nesting pairs (134,000 ring-billed gulls) in the
region. [2]

 

. Based on population surveys of individual sites, we believe that the
ring-billed gull population is significantly higher by now. Initial data
from 2007 suggest that gull populations increased more than 500% between
1999 and 2007 on Dime Pier and more than 400% in Lake Calumet during the
same time frame.

 

How many ring-billed gulls is this project targeting?

 

. 2,914 nests (7,396 eggs) were oiled at Dime Pier; 15,000 nests (41,753
eggs) were oiled on a dike in Lake Calumet. At least 200 nests in each of
the two colonies were left un-oiled and tagged as part of the research study
to monitor their movement. At the Calumet site, additional nests were left
unoiled because to have oiled them would have exceeded the City's Federal
and State permits for this project. (In preparing the permit application,
the city assumed a 200% increase in ring-billed gull nests in the Lake
Calumet region from the 1999 colonial water bird survey. Initial data
indicate that the regional population increase is likely closer to 400%).

 

. The start of this project was timed to ensure that only eggs 14 days and
younger are oiled, in keeping with the US Humane Society's protocol.

 

. Other nests in the city, for instance on inland lakes and rivers or on
roof tops, will not be included in the project.

 

. The only other permit for gull egg depredation within the City of Chicago
is held by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for under 1,000 nests on the
Chicago locks.

 

Are you just targeting one egg per nest, or all the eggs in the nest?

 

. The USDA is oiling every egg in the nests they are targeting, but they are
not targeting every nest in the colony.

 

Did the City get all applicable permits?

 

. The City acquired permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and
Illinois Department of Natural Resources, after receiving the necessary Form
37 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

 

. In accordance with the National Environmental Protection Act, (NEPA), USDA
prepared a categorical exclusion for these permits.

 

Are other birds harmed in this process?

 

No. There were a few other birds (Herring gulls, Canada geese, Black-crowned
night herons) nesting or loafing near the project sites, but none of them
were oiled or disturbed during the field work of this project. The 10-15
Black-crowned night heron nests on the Lake Calumet dike were unexpectedly
discovered during an initial field visit. Upon siting them, the USDA
wildlife biologists stopped work to confer with IDNR. Per IDNR's
recommendation, USDA wildlife biologists maintained a buffer from the nests
for the two days they were on the dike for oiling and tagging, ensuring that
they did not affect the herons' behavior.

 

How will the Chicago Gull Damage Management Pilot Project improve quality of
life in the city?

 

. Reducing the number of gulls hatched in Chicago should help limit the
number of gulls that frequent our entertainment, recreational, and dining
establishments.

 

. Gulls with no chicks will not need to find as much food, so they may visit
Chicago Beaches less frequently.

 

. The project is designed in part to gauge the effect that oiling
ring-billed gull eggs has on e-coli levels in near shore waters, and thus
the effect on swim bans.

 

How will you know if the program is successful?

 

The City is heavily invested in the research activity to determine the
impacts of this effort.

 

. As part of our research effort, ring-billed gulls will be marked with a
leg band and patagial tag. The tagging does not harm the bird, and is a
commonly used research practice.

 

. Ring-billed gulls will be observed throughout the summer to gauge
differences in behavior between ring-billed gulls with or without young. A
trained biologist will monitor at sites of historical ring-billed gull
concentrations. The Gulls sightings may be reported to USDA researchers by
local birders.

 

. The City will compare the Chicago Park District's near shore E. Coli data
from the 2007 beach season with data from past years.

 

. Land owners and managers (e.g. Navy Pier, the Chicago Park District) will
be surveyed to determine if the cost and effort of cleaning up gull
droppings decreases as a result of the project.

 

. Full evaluation of this project is expected in September, 2007. The City
is happy to share this project's data with those who request it.

 

. Over the long-term, bird counts and studies such as the Colonial Waterbird
Survey will be examined to estimate the impact the Chicago Gull Management
Pilot Project has had on other bird species.

 

What else is the City or others doing to reduce conflicts between humans and
gull populations?

 

. Last year the Chicago Park District introduced covered trash cans and
installed signs urging the public to not feed gulls.

 

. The Chicago Park District tested three systems to limit gull loafing last
year: border collies to chase gulls, a grid-wire system in the sand at a
beach, and modifications to field house roofs.

 

What can individuals do to reduce conflicts with gulls?

 

. Avoid feeding gulls and other nuisance birds.

 

. Dispose of food and litter in enclosed trash receptacles.

 

Why are there so many gulls in a city with no oceans?

 

. Gulls prefer open areas, making urban and suburban lots, beaches and parks
ideal habitat.

 

. Gulls are highly adaptable, and can eat almost anything including insects,
smaller animals, and food from garbage cans. They can eat their 24 hour
calorie needs in 15 minutes at a trash can.

 

. Adult gulls have no predators in Chicago.

 

What else do we know about ring-billed gulls?

 

. Ring-billed gulls are faithful to their nesting sites: 69% return to the
colony of their birth to breed themselves; 90% return at some point to the
location of previous nests.

 

. Ring-billed gulls are migratory. They did not begin breeding in Illinois
until the 1970's.

 

. Ring-billed gulls are generally 16 inches long, with a 49 inch wingspan.

 

. The longest known ring-billed gull lifespan in the wild is 23 years, but
the average ring-billed gull lifespan is 10-15 years.

 

For further inquiries, please contact birds at cityofchicago.org.

 

The project is part of the Chicago Bird Agenda, which sets forward the
Chicago's strategy to improve bird habitats, decrease bird collisions with
buildings, and manage nuisance species in collaboration with over a dozen
partner organizations. The Chicago Bird Agenda is available on the
Department of Environment's website, www.cityofchicago.org/environment.
Recent City of Chicago actions resulting from the Bird Agenda are available
by emailing

birds at cityofchicago.org

 

.........................................

Footnotes:

[1] Data from the USGS Breeding Bird Survey for the period of 1980-2005
indicate that ring-billed gull population has increased 31% per year (P <
0.04) in Illinois and remained stable in Wisconsin (5.2% per year, P =
0.16), Indiana (-3.6% per year, P = 0.83) and United States Department of
the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service

(USFWS) Region 3 (0.9% per year, P = 0.59). (Sauer et al. 2005 - need full
citation)

 

[2] The 1999 Colonial Waterbird Survey covered the shoreline and Islands of
the Great Lakes, as well as some inland colonies near the shore of the Great
Lakes. Survey data indicated there were 7,381 nesting pairs of Ringbilled
Gulls on the Illinois portion of the Lake Michigan Coast, an additional
31,161 pairs of Ring-billed Gulls along the Indiana portion of the Lake
Michigan Coast, and 29,166 pairs of Ring-billed gulls at 21 sites along the
southern half of the Wisconsin portion of the Lake Michigan Coast.  

 

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