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J. Christopher Haney

Publications and source records attributed to J. Christopher Haney.

16 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2026

Vessel surveys for marine birds in the Gulf of America (Gulf of Mexico): Protocol manual (2017–2025)

This manual provides contextual background and detailed instructions for survey procedures that were used to collect, enter, archive, and analyze digitally-entered field data collected for marine birds during three large-vessel survey projects in the northern Gulf of America (also Gulf of Mexico, hereafter “Gulf”). Projects using this protocol included the Gulf of Mexico Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (GoMMAPPS: 2017-2018), the Vessel Surveys for Abundance and Distribution of Marine Mammals and Seabirds (VSAD: 2023-2024), and certain repositioning legs of the Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS: 2021, 2023). Based substantially on Ballance and Force (2011), the protocol used in the Gulf is based on a standardized 300 m wide strip transect using software architecture available in program SeeBird (v.4.3.7), a data collection program developed by Robert Holland at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA. Survey protocols relied on the digital entering of standardized metadata linked to sightings of seabirds (e.g., species, number, location, distance bin, association[s], behavior, flight direction, flight height, angle from ship, age, sex, plumage, and optional comments) as well as other protected species. SeeBird has additional modules that may be used to input data on mixed-species seabird flocks and flying fish (only the latter was used in the Gulf). SeeBird includes “user-driven” commands issued through the keyboard, touch screen, and/or mouse, many of which are aided by drop-down menus that prompt the user options that are available for input. In addition, the program features “event–driven” inputs updated at intervals selected by the user, and that also record exact time and location of such edits. We describe how SeeBird was adapted in the Gulf both to run directly via serial connections from the ship’s navigation system and to operate independently from the ship through a satellite-derived GPS feed. This user manual also gives information about: procedures used to document flying fish abundance on Gulf surveys; how to use the Beaufort scale for standardizing wind force and sea state environmental conditions; how to make and use a hand-held rangefinder for delimiting strip transect bin distances; additional functionalities in SeeBird for which user guides are not available; file-naming, file-archiving, and file location conventions used on Gulf marine bird surveys; protocols used in the Gulf for describing relative abundance of the macro-alga Sargassum as an environmental covariate; the standardized four-letter taxa codes (summarized in a SpeciesCode.txt file) used in the Gulf for denoting species, other taxonomic, and event categories as inputs to SeeBird; an Excel example spreadsheet that has successfully imported SeeBird’s ASCII text file; procedural steps to import, edit, and archive into Excel ASCII text files from SeeBird; initialization instructions for starting up program SeeBird on a Panasonic ToughBook™ that relies on integrated, satellite-derived GPS, and for writing “S” (seabirds + other taxa) and “E” (flying fish) ASCII files to a folder or subfolder other than the default root location on the laptop that contains program SeeBird; how to trouble-shoot miscellaneous start-up problems with program SeeBird; how to add new four-letter codes (into a SpeciesCode.txt file) when additional taxa or objects of interest are encountered. The primary objective of this manual is to archive a permanent, replicable history of survey methodology to facilitate continuity with comparable future projects that may be conducted in the Gulf. A secondary objective is to describe why and how program SeeBird was applied and adapted specifically for operating in Gulf survey conditions. As of late 2025, user guides for software program SeeBird were no longer readily accessible, so this manual serves also to address that gap.

Northern Gulf of America↗
USGS2025

Relative abundance, seasonal occurrence, and distribution of marine birds in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Marine birds in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico have long been poorly studied. Given statutory obligations to protect migratory birds and endangered species, three broad-scale vessel and aerial programs initiated since 2010 have now surveyed the entire northern Gulf. Vessel coverage alone exceeds 700 d and 74,000 km of observer effort using 300-m strip transects. We supplemented these survey data with earlier, smaller-scale studies, eBird checklists, literature reviews, and other less accessible sources to create snapshot summaries of relative abundance, seasonal occurrence, and regional distribution for 117 taxa of marine and water birds reported from the northern Gulf (113 of which were substantiated with physical evidence). Using taxonomic and functional criteria, we identified 56 taxa characteristic of open shelf, slope, and pelagic waters (federal jurisdiction), 41 taxa with primarily coastal affinities (state and federal jurisdiction), and 20 taxa of sea and diving ducks. High species richness of marine birds in the northern Gulf is attributed to (1) a temperate-to-tropical gradient facilitating diverse marine environments year-round; (2) varied geographic origins of marine bird species using the Gulf; and (3) a mostly enclosed sea basin acting as a vagrant trap for wide-ranging species. Our taxonomic list and status updates seek to bridge information gaps for marine birds now subject to accelerated commercial uses of this region's continental shelf, including newly proposed offshore wind energy development. Other applications include guiding risk and vulnerability assessments of Gulf marine birds, providing core content for seabird observer training, and prioritizing environmental impact reviews and monitoring programs in offshore energy construction and operations plans.

Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research an↗
USGS2025

Flying fish habitat and co-occurrence with seabirds in the northern Gulf of Mexico

Flying fish (family Exocoetidae ) play an important role in marine food webs, linking sub-surface and aerial predators. The association of seabirds with sub-surface predators in subtropical and tropical regions through facilitated foraging events is a well-known phenomenon and is sometimes used to identify fishing grounds for flying fish, flying fish roe, and tunas. In the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM), few studies have assessed flying fish distribution, and none have directly evaluated flying fish–seabird co-occurrence. Using vessel-based observations of surfacing flying fish flights, we characterized the distribution of flying fish and their co-occurrence patterns with seabirds in the nGoM. We modeled the distribution and relative density of flying fish flights using Generalized Additive Models. We then assessed co-occurrence patterns of flying fish with all seabird species seen in the area, encompassing the footprint of flying fish detections. Flying fish were detected across the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone, with flight densities greater on the mid-continental shelf and into pelagic waters south of Louisiana, and greater flight densities were associated with regionally low chlorophyll- a and warm water. Flying fish flights were greatest in spring months through early fall months. Sooty terns ( Onychoprion fuscatus ), considered near-obligate commensals with tuna, contributed a much higher percent of the cumulative density of the seabirds co-occurring with versus without flying fish. Flying fish could be an ecological attractant for high abundances of visually conspicuous sooty terns, the presence of which may lead to the formation of ephemeral facilitated foraging events consisting of mixed-species seabird flocks.

Fisheries Oceanography↗
USGS2024

Black Terns (Chlidonias niger) beyond the breeding grounds: Occurrence, relative density, and habitat associations in the northern Gulf of Mexico

North American Black Terns ( Chlidonias niger ) breed primarily in the Prairie Pothole region of southern Canada and the northern United States, winter in Central and South American waters, and often migrate through the northern Gulf of Mexico (nGoM). This species has exhibited long-term population declines and is exposed to a myriad of anthropogenic threats in the nGoM, including oil spills, with an estimated 800–1,000 injured during the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, yet historical studies of Black Terns' use of the nGoM are sparse, with inconsistent spatial and temporal coverage. Using vessel-based observations collected from 2017 to 2019, we characterize Black Tern spatial and temporal occurrence in marine waters of the nGoM. We develop 2 separate habitat models: one describing spatial and temporal aspects of Black Terns occurrence and the other describing the relative density when present. In 10 months of survey effort, January–October, we observed Black Terns in 7 (Mar–May and Jul–Oct), predominantly on the continental shelf at <200 m depth. Relative densities were greatest in the fall, coinciding with Black Terns' southward migration. Spatial distribution and habitat models suggest an association with river mouths or ports, as well as cool, productive waters, frequently associated near the outflow of the Mississippi River and just off the coast from Corpus Christi, Texas. The enhanced understanding of Black Terns in the nGoM could inform the preparation for, and response to, future oiling events or provide insight into potential interactions with the installation of offshore wind farms and aquaculture.

northern Gulf of Mexico↗
USGS2017

Challenges to oil spill assessment for seabirds in the deep ocean

We synthesize impediments for evaluating effects to seabirds from open ocean hydrocarbon releases. Effects on seabirds from ship discharges, spills, and well blowouts often are poorly detected and monitored far from land. Regulatory regimes for ocean spills can result in monitoring efforts that are not entirely transparent. We illustrate how interdisciplinary technologies address deficits that hamper individual or population level assessments for seabirds, and we demonstrate where emerging technologies might be engaged to bridge gaps in oil spill monitoring. Although acute mortality from direct oil exposure poses the greatest risk to seabirds, other hazards from light-attraction, flaring, collisions, chronic pollution, and hydrocarbon inhalation around oil infrastructure also may induce bird mortality in the deep ocean.

Archives of Environmental Contamination and Toxico↗
USGS2013

Diablotin Pterodroma hasitata : a biography of the endangered Black-capped Petrel

The Black-capped Petrel Pterodroma hasitata was believed extinct throughout much of the 20th century. It is the only gadfly petrel currently known to breed in the Caribbean Basin. Now seriously endangered, the species is presumed extirpated from Martinique, Dominica, and Guadeloupe, and breeding populations currently occur only on Hispaniola and perhaps Cuba. A related form (now considered a full species) once bred, but is now apparently extinct, on Jamaica. The Black-capped Petrel breeding population may number as few as 500 breeding pairs. Remaining populations suffer from multiple threats to terrestrial and pelagic habitats, including harvest by humans and predation by introduced mammals. The exact sizes, locations, and detailed chronologies of all Black-capped Petrel breeding sites remain poorly studied, although major colonies are today apparently restricted to steep sea and inland cliffs along the La Selle Ridge in Hispaniola. The largest known breeding population occurs in Haiti, although there is continued discussion about a possible breeding site in Cuba in the Sierra Maestra mountain range. Accounts from Cuba are based on the unverified assumption that birds observed at sea just offshore of that island are breeding locally. All evidence at present indicates that waters in or adjacent to the Florida Current and the Gulf Stream between north Florida and southern Virginia provide the primary foraging range of Black-capped Petrels. A small foraging area just off of southeast Cuba has also been reported, but the extent and seasonal use of this area are unknown. Concentrations of birds can be found along the Gulf Stream in southeastern US waters throughout the year, but are particularly common in May, August, and late December through early January. Concentrations of adult birds during winter, when peak breeding activity is underway, suggest that breeding birds forage along the Gulf Stream while commuting to and from breeding colonies. Such long-distance foraging is certainly possible for Pterodroma species. Potential threats to Black-capped Petrels include introduced predators, human encroachment on breeding and foraging habitats, and offshore oil, gas, and wind energy development. Increased mercury levels associated with petroleum production also pose a potential threat, as the Black-capped Petrel seems to be highly susceptible to mercury bioaccumulation compared with other pelagic species. In addition, fires and other bright light sources are known to attract Black-capped Petrels, making collisions with wires and other structures on lighted ships and platforms a potential concern. Haitian social-economic instability and increasing habitat loss suggest the likelihood of further population declines and increasing vulnerability of the species to extinction. Our findings are in accord with the recent decision by the US Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to evaluate the need for additional protection of the species and the primary foraging habitat off the southeastern United States under the Endangered Species Act (USFWS 2012). Additional conservation measures and research strategies that warrant further consideration include (1) protection, monitoring, and management of known breeding populations and nesting habitat in the Dominican Republic and Haiti through controlling predators, installing artificial nest burrows in appropriate sites and hiring local wardens at breeding sites during the nesting season; (2) local and regional training, education and public awareness (e.g. Blanchard & Nettleship 1992); (3) restoration of the original common name Diablotin to common usage to promote the historical and cultural importance of this species; (4) studies to determine the distribution and genetic variability in the remaining populations; and (5) studies of satellite-tagged birds to assess their seasonal and geographic use of pelagic habitats.

Marine Ornithology: Journal of Seabird Research an↗
USGS2011

Top 40 priorities for science to inform conservation and management policy in the United States

To maximize the utility of research to decisionmaking, especially given limited financial resources, scientists must set priorities for their efforts. We present a list of the top 40 high-priority, multidisciplinary research questions directed toward informing some of the most important current and future decisions about management of species, communities, and ecological processes in the United States. The questions were generated by an open, inclusive process that included personal interviews with decisionmakers, broad solicitation of research needs from scientists and policymakers, and an intensive workshop that included scientifically oriented individuals responsible for managing and developing policy related to natural resources. The process differed from previous efforts to set priorities for conservation research in its focus on the engagement of decisionmakers in addition to researchers. The research priorities emphasized the importance of addressing societal context and exploration of trade-offs among alternative policies and actions, as well as more traditional questions related to ecological processes and functions.

BioScience↗
USGS1994

Environmental variability facilitates coexistence within an alcid community at sea

We examined coexistence at sea among 7 taxa of diving, wing-propelled seabirds (Alcidae) in the genera Aethia , Uria , Cepphus , and Fratercula . Species abundances were measured simultaneously with a suite of environmental factors in the northern Bering Sea, Alaska, USA; data from 260 adjacent and non-adjacent sites occupied by alcids foraging offshore near breeding colonies were then subjected to principal component analysis (PCA). We used PCA to group redundant environmental descriptors, to identify orthogonal axes for constructing a multi-dimensional niche, and to differentiate species associations within niche dimensions from species associations among niche dimensions. Decomposition of the correlation matrix for 22 environmental and 7 taxonomic variables with PCA gave 14 components (10 environmental and 4 species interactions) that retained 90% of the original available variance. Alcid abundances (all species) were most strongly correlated with axes representing tidal stage, a time-area interaction (due to sampling layout), water masses, and a temporal or intra-seasonal trend partially associated with weather changes. Axes representing tidal stage, 2 gradients in macro-habitat (Anadyr and Bering Shelf Water masses), the micro-habitat of the sea surface, and an air-sea interaction were most important for detecting differences among species within niche dimensions. Contrary to assumptions of competition, none of 4 compound variables describing primarily species-interactions gave strong evidence for negative associations between alcid taxa sharing similar body sizes and feeding requirements. This exploratory analysis supports the view that alcids may segregate along environmental gradients at sea. But in this community, segregation was unrelated to foraging distance from colonies, in part because foraging 'substrate' was highly variable in structure, location, and area1 extent. We contend that coexistence within this seabird group is facilitated via expanded niche dimensions created from a complex marine environment.

Alaska↗
USGS1991

Influence of pycnocline topography and water-column structure on marine distributions of alcids (Aves: Alcidae) in Anadyr Strait, Northern Bering Sea, Alaska

Systematic ship-board surveys were used to simultaneously record seabird abundances and resolve coarse-scale (3 to 10 km) horizontal and fine-scale (1 to 10 m) vertical variability in water-column structure and bathymetry for portions of the coastal zone in Anadyr Strait near western St. Lawrence Island, northern Bering Sea, Alaska, during August and September 1987. Three plankton-feeding alcids, parakeet ( Cyclorrhynchus psittacula ), crested ( Aethia cristatella ) and least ( A. pusilla ) auklets, each exhibited distinct associations for different pycnocline characteristics. Least auklets were more abundant in mixed water, but they also occurred within stratified water where the pycnocline and upper-mixed layer were shallow (≤8 m) and thin (≤10 m), respectively. Low body mass (85 g), high buoyancy, and relatively poor diving ability may have restricted this auklet to areas where water-column strata nearly intersected the surface, or to areas from which strata were absent altogether due to strong vertical mixing. Parakeet and crested auklets, which are larger-bodied (ca. 260 g) planktivores with presumably greater diving ability, were more abundant in stratified water, and both species exhibited less specific affinities for water-column characteristic at intermediate and shallow levels. All three auklets avoided locations with strong pycnocline gradients (≤0.22 σ t m −1 ), a crude index of the strong, subsurface shear in water velocities characteristic of this region. Auklet distributions in Anadyr Strait were consistent with: (1) strata accessibility, as estimated from relationships between body mass and relative diving ability, (2) possible avoidance of strong subsurface water motions, and (3) habits and distributions of plankton prey. In contrast, largebodied (>450 g) alcids [i.e., common ( Uria aalge ) and thick-billed ( U. lomvia ) murres, pigeon guillemots ( Cephus columba ), tufted ( Fratercula cirrhata ), and horned ( F. corniculata ) puffins feeding on fish or benthic invertebrates] showed no consistent relationships with either the pycnocline or upper-mixed layers. All large alcids were more common in stratified than in vertically-mixed waters, but differences in abundance between mixing regimes were small or equivocal. The only measured variable with which all large alcids were associated was total water-column depth: murres, guillemots, and puffins each used areas with shallow sea floors and avoided areas with deeper sea floors. Failure of large alcids to discriminate among foraging areas in Anadyr Strait as a function of pycnocline topography and strength may be attributable to: (1) greater reliance on large pelagic and benthic prey not associated with the pycnocline; (2) higher body mass, lower buoyancy, and greater diving ability; (3) foraging over a uniquely shallow continental shelf where all vertical strata, including the sea floor, are potentially accessible from the ocean surface.

Alaska↗
USGS1989

Remote characterization of marine bird habitats with satellite imagery

Remote sensing techniques such as radar altimetry, synthetic aperture radar, coastal zone color scanning, and infrared radiometry provide effective, instantaneous, and relatively inexpensive means for characterizing critical habitats of marine birds. In order to make optimal use of satellite-derived data, the rationale for marine habitat classification is presented, and advantages and limitations of different remote sensing techniques are discussed. An application of remote characterization is used to test for short-term habitat use and selection by the Black-Capped Petrel ( Pterodroma hasitata ). By comparing synoptic satellite mapping (e.g. infrared radiometry) with ship-board censusing, it was possible to demonstrate that petrels did not use all marine habitats equally, nor did petrels use habitats in proportion to their availability (areal extent).

Colonial Waterbirds↗
USGS1989

Iterative techniques for characterizing marine bird habitats with time-series of satellite images

Demonstrating long-term habitat use of marine habitats by seabirds is often complicated by short-term changes in habitat locations, persistence, and age. This paper describes iterative techniques for characterizing non-static habitats, such as meso-scale (10-100 km) ocean eddies and fronts, using time-series of satellite images that define sea surface conditions. Seabird use of satellite-detected habitats was compared using survey data and imagery from the Gulf of Alaska and southeastern United States. Time-series examination of satellite images combined with long-term seabird censuses allow 1) estimation of the successional state (age) of some marine habitats, 2) detection of recurring habitats, 3) geographically-referenced measurement of habitat location and areal extent, 4) identification of consistently-used habitats, and 5) demonstration of time-dependent use by seabirds associated with seasonal or annual variation in habitat availability.

Colonial Waterbirds↗
USGS1988

Littoral foraging by red phalaropes during spring in the northern Bering Sea

Phalaropes demonstrate considerable plasticity in their choice of foraging habitats. The Red Phalarope ( Phalaropus fulicaria ) alternates use of pelagic environments in winter and migration (Taning 1933, Stanford 1953, Briggs et al 1984) with wet tundra habitats during the breeding season (Kistchinski 1975, Mayfield 1979, Ridley 1980). Foods available and taken in littoral zones of the Arctic Ocean in fall have been identified (Conners and Risebrough 1978, Johnson and Richardson 1980), but otherwise little attention has been devoted to the transition between the marine and terrestrial periods of the Red Phalarope’s life history. We report phalarope use of littoral areas during spring in the northern Bering Sea and Kongkok Bay, St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. In addition, we describe phalarope foraging tactics and foods available in the sur zone, emphasizing this form of littoral foraging as an opportunistic and facultative feeding strategy.

Alaska↗
USGS1988

Foraging by northern fulmars ( Fulmarus glacialis ) at a nearshore, anticyclonic tidal eddy in the northern Bering Sea, Alaska

Northern Fulmars ( Fulmar glacialis ) fed on ice-associated macrofauna (probably gammarid amphipods) and pinniped offal concentrated by convergent flow at an eddy boundary near Northwest Cape on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. The eddy was anticyclonic, measured approximately 1.5 by 2.25 km, and was generated by nearshore streaming induced by the cape’s topography during lesser flood stage of the tidal cycle. These favorable feeding conditions persisted only for a few hours on a single day (22 May 1987). Like man-assisted scavenging, this observation suggests that natural feeding by fulmars can be highly opportunistic and time-dependent.

Alaska↗
USGS1988

Populations, productivity, and feeding habits of seabirds on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska: Final report

A field camp was established at Kongkok Bay near the southwest cape of St. Lawrence Island and occupied continuously from 24 May to 2 September 1987. Permanent study plots were selected for both cliff and crevice-nesting species, and regular observations were made throughout the breeding season to document attendance patterns, breeding phenology, and success. Periodic collections of adults offshore and of chick meals in the colonies were used to determine the food habits of study species. Additional plots for population monitoring of murres and kittiwakes were established in colonies near Savoonga on the north side of the island, and counts were made there between 23 July and 1 August. Shore based work was supplemented with offshore studies of seabird foraging distribution from the USFWS vessel TIGLAX between 18 August and 3 September 1987. Populations of all study species in the Kongkok Bay area increased since the last study of seabirds there (murres 20, kittiwakes 87, Least Auklets 8, Crested Auklets 442). Pelagic Cormorants, Common Murres, and Thick-billed Murres exhibited average, or above average, breeding success at Kongkok in 1987. Black-legged Kittiwakes exhibited near-total reproductive failure. Crested and Least Auklets had high levels of breeding success after the effects of observer disturbance were taken into account. Predation by microtine rodents and foxes was a significant source of chick mortality on auklets. Feeding concentrations were found primarily north of Gambell in the Anadyr Strait or western Chirikof Basin. Kittiwakes were dispersed widely over the study area. Diets of all species studied were normal and, with the exception of kittiwakes, there was no evidence of problems in obtaining food. Current methods for assessing population changes in cliff-nesting species are considered adequate, but better techniques are needed for crevice-nesting auklets. Time-lapse photography offers the greatest potential for monitoring auklet numbers. A protocol is suggested for monitoring populations of murres, kittiwakes, and auklets at colonies in the Bering and Chukchi Seas. It calls for annual visits to selected colonies during two stages of the nesting cycle to assess numbers and breeding productivity. The breeding failure of Black-legged Kittiwakes on St. Lawrence Island in 1987 was part of a pervasive syndrome of failure in this species observed throughout the Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska in recent years. The causes of recurrent, widespread breeding failure need to be identified if kittiwakes are to have a role in area-wide population monitoring during the period of Alaskan development by the oil and gas industry.

Alaska↗
USGS1988

Fall migration of Ross' Gull ( Rhodostethia rosea ) in Alaskan Chukchi and Beaufort seas: Final report

Ross’ Gulls ( Rhodostethia rosea ) are a major component of the pelagic avifauna of the Alaskan Chukchi and Beaufort seas in fall. Until recently, however, their distribution, abundance, and phenology of occurrence in Alaskan waters was poorly known. Since 1970, a combination of shipboard, aerial, and land-based surveys has revealed the major features of this species’ post-breeding movements in Alaska.

Alaska↗