Growth, reproduction, and diet of the Yellow Irish Lord (Hemilepidotus jordani) were examined and compared between 2 adjacent geographical regions of Alaska, the eastern Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, where its biology is not well understood. The Yellow Irish Lord is the most common member of the genus Hemilepidotus encountered during Alaska Fisheries Science Center bottom-trawl surveys of these regions. Based on our data, there was no significant difference in sizes of Yellow Irish Lords caught between regions. The von Bertalanffy growth models fitted to length-at-age data, however, indicate that male and female Yellow Irish Lords in the Aleutian Islands grew more slowly than those in the eastern Bering Sea. Histological assessment of ovary condition indicated that Yellow Irish Lords from both regions appear to spawn once annually during the summer. Relationships between size (length and weight) and fecundity between the 2 regions were significantly different, with Yellow Irish Lords from the Aleutian Islands being more fecund. Diet analysis showed that the Yellow Irish Lord is a benthic predator and their summer diets in both regions consist of a wide variety of prey, but appear to favor benthic crustaceans, particularly abundant crab species. However, the largest individuals appear to have more opportunities for piscivory in the Aleutian Islands. It appears that at least some variation in the life-history aspects of this species exists between these regions. This information may provide a scientific basis for developing management strategies of the Yellow Irish Lord in Alaskan waters.

In an ongoing 15-y study concerning population dynamics of Barred Owls (Strix varia) on Bainbridge Island, Kitsap County, Washington, I documented a steep decline in the Western Screech-Owl (Megascops kennicottii) population and a steady increase in the Barred Owl population. From 1995 through 2010, I conducted 358 auditory playback surveys that showed both changes in abundance and spatial distribution of both species on the island. Statewide Christmas Bird Count data from the same time period also reflect an overall decline in the Western Screech-Owl population and an increase in the Barred Owl population. Further, at least 2 other studies have shown Western Screech-Owl to be prey for Barred Owl, also contributing to the body of evidence that leads to a possible correlation between the increasing number of Barred Owls and the decline of Western Screech-Owls.

We examined 14 wetlands in the Boreal Transition Zone (BTZ) of western Canada to investigate the effects of agricultural encroachment on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities and the response of waterfowl communities to these changes. The amount of agriculture within a 1.6-km buffer around wetlands was quantified primarily by remote imagery, and a sample of relatively similar wetlands was selected along an encroachment gradient from 0 to 90% agriculture. Species dominance showed temporal shifts during spring and summer. In May, 3 primary macroinvertebrate-dominated community types were present: 1) Amphipoda, 2) Diptera, and 3) Sigara. In August, 3 community types were present: 1) Amphipoda, 2) Notonecta, and 3) Chaoborus–Sigara. Environmental conditions were not distinct in every community type; however Sigara-dominated communities occurred in significantly shallower wetlands with greater concentrations of total inorganic nitrogen, total dissolved solids, and salinity than did Diptera dominated communities. Agricultural intensity was positively associated with phosphorus concentration. Phosphorus was likely an important factor in determining macroinvertebrate community composition with Sigara and Chaoborus–Sigara communities occurring in wetlands with very high concentrations of phosphorus (average >800 µg/L), and Diptera and Notonecta communities occurring in wetlands with lower phosphorus (average <160 µg/L). Amphipoda-dominated communities tended to occur in larger and deeper basins than Sigara-dominated communities. Waterfowl abundance was significantly and positively associated with macroinvertebrate abundance; however, occurrence of most waterfowl species did not correspond well with specific macroinvertebrate community types.

Abstract The basic ecology of torrent salamanders, family Rhyacotritonidae, is poorly known. This information lack is acute for the Columbia Torrent Salamander, Rhyacotriton kezeri, a species that is of conservation concern throughout its range. There have been no studies of its diet, which may be a significant barrier to its conservation and management. We studied the diet of both larval and post-metamorphic Columbia Torrent Salamanders in the Willapa Hills, Washington. A wide range of aquatic and terrestrial prey was documented, supporting both aquatic and terrestrial prey bases for this highly aquatic salamander. Copepoda and Diptera were particularly common in the diet of larvae, whereas Arachnida, Diptera, Collembola, and Coleoptera were more common in the diet of post-metamorphs. Our results for post-metamorphs were generally consistent with the diet of a post-metamorphic congener, R. variegatus, but demonstrate several new prey items for the family and some differences in frequencies of prey consumed.

Little is known about the diversity, distribution, and relative abundance of bats in northeastern Alberta, Canada. Between 1999 and 2007, we conducted summer bat surveys in the Athabasca and Cold Lake oil sands regions of northeastern Alberta, in response to increased industrial development and a need for greater understanding of species occurrences. We used mist nets (242 sites over 157 nights) and acoustic monitoring (920 sites over 126 nights) to determine the diversity and distribution of bats in the region. We captured 577 bats, representing 5 species, including: 260 Northern Myotis (Myotis septentrionalis); 193 Little Brown Myotis (M. lucifugus); 101 Silver-haired Bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans); 12 Hoary Bats (Lasiurus cinereus); and 11 Eastern Red Bats (L. borealis). Data from Anabat™ echolocation detectors indicated the highest activity for unclassified Myotis, Little Brown Myotis, Big Brown Bats (Eptesicus fuscus)/Silver-haired Bats, and Northern Myotis. Results suggest that the Northern Myotis may be more common in northeastern Alberta than previously thought. Based on the combined capture and echolocation data, Eastern Red Bats and Hoary Bats may be more common, or have increased ranges, than previously considered. Although expected to be relatively common, our failure to capture Big Brown Bats suggests that this species may be absent from the study area. Captures of adult males for all 3 migratory bat species (Eastern Red Bats, Hoary Bats, and Silver-haired Bats) represent the most northerly records in western Canada of adult males. This paper demonstrates the value in combining short-term, localized survey data such that more regional trends in the diversity, distribution, and relative abundance of bats can be better understood.

Seabirds are known to be vulnerable to biotoxins produced by harmful algal blooms (HABs). The ingestion of prey contaminated with biotoxins such as domoic acid can cause disorientation, seizures, morbidity, and mortality (Work and others 1993). During November 2007 in Monterey Bay, California, an unprecedented stranding of live and dead seabirds highlighted plumage fouling as an emerging mortality factor during harmful algal bloom (HAB) events. The fouling agent was a proteinaceous foam derived from the cellular breakdown of the dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea. This foam coated seabird plumage in a manner similar to fouling by petroleum oil (Hartung 1967; McEwan and Koelink 1973; National Research Council 1985), causing waterlogging, hypothermia, morbidity, and mortality in the California birds (Jessup and others 2009). During late October 2009 along the southern Washington and northern Oregon State coasts, algal blooms caused another seabird plumage fouling event, where several bird species were coated in a foam surfactant. Water and feather samples confirmed that this dinoflagellate bloom was also A. sanguinea (Dr. Raphael Kudela, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, pers. comm.). Du and others (in press) describe the conditions that facilitated the A. sanguinea bloom off the Oregon coast and propose that the source of the bloom was southward transport of cells from a massive September bloom that first occurred off the Washington coast. Similar to the 2007 California event, the foam produced by the WashingtonOregon bloom reduced the waterproofing of birds’ plumage, causing hypothermia in individual birds and leading to the stranding of hundreds of debilitated live and dying seabirds on public beaches. During this event, volunteers and federal, state, and local resource management agencies collected as many birds as possible for rescue and rehabilitation from the Long Beach Peninsula, WA; Fort Stevens State Beach, OR; and Cannon Beach, OR. Most of the birds collected were initially delivered to the Wildlife Center of the North Coast (WCNC) rehabilitation facility in Astoria, OR, where volunteers observed that birds were cold, weak, stressed, and starving. Due to the magnitude of this event, the WCNC facility was quickly overwhelmed by hundreds of collected seabirds, which included Common Loons (Gavia immer), Common Murres (Uria aalge), Pacific Loons (G. pacifica), Red-throated Loons (G. stellata), Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata), and Western and Clark’s Grebes (Aechmophorus occidentalis and A. clarkii). Birds were subsequently transferred to facilities that were better equipped to handle large numbers of seabirds for rehabilitation, including the International Bird Rescue Research Center (IBRRC) in Cordelia, CA (n 5 479 birds), and Progressive Animal Welfare Society (PAWS) in Lynnwood, WA (n 5 125). Some birds responded well to supportive care and were eventually 1 We dedicate this manuscript to the men and women at US Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento, who donated their time and use of the C-130 Hercules aircraft to transport seabirds. This same Coast Guard aircraft crashed off the coast of San Diego, CA on 30 October 2009, within days of responding to the HAB event documented in this manuscript. All hands on board that aircraft were lost. We honor their memory and service. GENERAL NOTES

Among Yellow-rumped Warblers (Dendroica coronata)1 banded in Portland, Oregon, in the spring migration seasons of 2007 through 2010, prealternate molt was found in 40.0% of the Myrtle subspecies group (D. c. coronata group) but just 5.9% of the Audubon's subspecies group (D. c. auduboni group). The peak of molt frequency occurred prior to the peak of abundance for both subspecies groups, but that of the Myrtle Warbler substantially overlapped its peak in abundance and represented 82.4% of individuals captured. Twenty-two Yellow-rumped Warblers (1.4%) were recaptured. The mean stopover time for those recaptured within the same season was 8.27 d. Most of the same-season recaptures gained fat or became no leaner during their stay. Molting birds had lower fat scores than prior to and after completion of molt. Fat scores continued to increase following completion of molt. Multiple lines of inference point to the importance of Smith and Bybee Lakes Preserve and its vicinity as a migratory stopover site for the Yellow-rumped Warblers. Prealternate molt at a migratory stopover site to the extent shown by the Myrtle Warbler subspecies group has not previously been documented for any species.