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Lake Champlain Colonial Waterbird Database Project
Great Black-backed Gull
The Great Black-backed Gull is the largest
of Lake Champlain's gull species. Its conspicuous size and
distinct black-back makes this species easily identified.
It was first documented as a breeding species on Lake Champlain
on the Four Brothers Islands in 1982 and nested for the first
time in Vermont on Young Island in 1983. Since then its numbers
have grown slightly with a couple of dozen pairs nesting on
the lake. The majority of nesting occurs on New York' Four
Brothers Islands and on Vermont's Young Island although these
gulls have been known to nest as individual pairs on Hen,
Rock (St. Albans) and Popasquash islands.
Great Black-backed Gulls can be aggressive
birds and as a result are controlled under federal permit
on islands used by the Vermont state endangered Common Tern.
Estimated Number of Great Black-backed
Gull Breeding Pairs
on Lake Champlain, 1975-2004.
| Year |
Young Island |
Four Brothers Islands |
Rock Island (Georgia) |
Popasquash Island |
| 1975 |
|
1 |
|
|
| 1976-1981 |
|
|
|
|
| 1982 |
|
2 |
|
|
| 1983 |
1 |
4 |
|
|
| 1984 |
|
6 |
|
|
| 1985 |
|
3 |
|
|
| 1986 |
|
5 |
|
|
| 1987 |
1 |
4 |
|
|
| 1988 |
2 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
| 1989 |
1 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
| 1990 |
|
8 |
1 |
0 |
| 1991 |
|
7 |
1 |
0 |
| 1992 |
|
7 |
0 |
0 |
| 1993 |
|
11 |
0 |
0 |
| 1994 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
| 1995 |
3 |
10 |
0 |
0 |
| 1996 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
| 1997 |
|
10 |
0 |
0 |
| 1998 |
|
5 |
0 |
0 |
| 1999 |
|
6 |
0 |
0 |
| 2000 |
|
4 |
0 |
0 |
| 2001 |
2 |
6 |
1 |
0 |
| 2002 |
3 |
8 |
0 |
1 |
| 2003 |
3 |
5 |
0 |
0 |
2004 |
? |
? |
0 |
0 |
2005 |
? |
? |
0 |
0 |
2006 |
3 |
? |
0 |
0 |
2007 |
3 |
? |
0 |
0 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| ? = nesting birds present but numbers unknown |
|
| Blank spaces
represent no data |
|
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Source
High Peaks Audubon Society’s annual surveys of the
Four Brothers Islands, 1982- 2002.
Unpublished data. Elizabethtown, NY
Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife annual survey data.
Unpublished. Essex Jct., VT.
University of Vermont annual surveys of Young Island. Unpublished
data. Burlington, VT.
Dr. David Capen, personal communication.
John, M. C. Peterson personal communication.
Audubon Vermont annual survey data of Popasquash and Rock
islands. Unpublished data. Huntington, VT. Return to the Lake Champlain Colonial Waterbirds home page
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