The largest postbreeding concentrations occur in the eastern portion of region 

 6 (Passamaquoddy Bay, south Lubec, and Machias Bay), as this area is adjacent 

 to large gull colonies in the vicinity of Grand Manan Island (i.e., 16,000 

 pairs on Kent Island, New Brunswick). 



Feeding Habits 



Among seabirds each group of species uses a characteristic feeding method 

 (table 14-8). Birds that feed at or near the surface do so by dipping (bird 

 in flight drops to the surface to snatch prey), pattering (bird in flight uses 

 its feet to disturb the surface, which attracts prey), surface seizing (bird 

 grabs prey while sitting on the surface), scavenging (bird feeds on offal, 

 cannery waste, or at sewage outflows), pursuit diving (bird dives from the 

 surface to chase prey in the upper depths), and shallow plunging (bird plunges 

 from the air into the water to a shallow depth to seize prey) . Birds that 

 feed in deeper waters practice pursuit plunging (bird plunges into the water 

 while flying and then swims or 'flies' underwater pursuing its prey), deep 

 plunging (bird dives deeper than shallow plunging), pursuit diving, and bottom 

 feeding (bird usually dives from surface to gather benthic invertebrates and 

 bottom dwellers). Jaegers, gulls, and terns often steal food from other 

 seabirds (Hatch 1970 and 1975). 



APRIL MAY JUNE JULY AUG. 



SEPT. 



OCT. 



NOV. 



Leach's storm petrel 



Double-crested cormorant 



Common eider 



Great black-backed gull 



Herring gull 



Laughing gull 



Large terns 



Least tern 



Common puffin 



Black guillemot 



Razorbi 



Figure 14-3. Timing of egg laying, incubation, and breeding of seabirds 

 in coastal Maine (crosshatch represents overlap). 



14-18 



