Colonial water birds

Monitoring of colonial waterbirds (e.g. gulls, cormorants, pelicans) is included in the draft monitoring plan for Lake Superior NMCA. These birds are dependent on the aquatic environment, and can be a suitable indicator of its status and trends. Within the Northern Ontario Field Unit, Pukaskwa National Park also monitors colonial waterbirds, and there are opportunities to coordinate with lakewide surveys of Lake Superior and egg toxicology work undertaken by the Canadian Wildlife Service.

A pair of Caspian terns with a single chick, an unusual observation for the Druid Rock area in Nipigon Bay, provided confirmed breeding evidence for the species within the NMCA.