Discovery of a Hydrobates leucorhous (Leach’s Storm-Petrel) Colony at an Abandoned Lighthouse Site on Guyon Island, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia

Kyle J.N. d’Entremont*

*WSP Canada, 300-50 Troop Avenue, Dartmouth, NS B3B 1Z1, Canada.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Issue 3 (2024): 332–338

First published early online: 1 September 2024

Abstract
I report the discovery of a small, previously unknown colony of Hydrobates leucorhous (Leach’s Storm-Petrel) at an abandoned lighthouse site on Guyon Island, Cape Breton, NS, Canada. I found a total of 35 Leach’s Storm-Petrel burrows, including 15 active nesting burrows, on the island during a 3-day period from 22 to 24 August 2023. The highest burrow densities on the island were observed within a mound of anthropogenic origin consisting of soil deposited on top of concrete infrastructure and metal pipe. This discovery of active burrows within habitat of anthropogenic origin may have implications for habitat creation for conservation efforts at small and recently established colonies, or colonies which are experiencing loss of suitable nesting habitat, and warrants further investigation.

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