Kristine M. Bovy

Prehistoric Human Impacts on Waterbirds at Watmough Bay, Washington, USA

ABSTRACT The well-preserved faunal remains from shell middens in the Pacific Northwest of North America provide a unique opportunity for investigation of the long-term history of human and animal interactions in coastal settings. Recent analysis of a large sample of birds from the Watmough Bay site (45-SJ-280) in the Gulf of Georgia reveals dramatic changes in hunting practices between ca. AD 300–700. Initially the site occupants hunted Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) chicks from nearby nesting colonies. Subsequently, diving ducks were hunted more intensively. The most likely hypothesis is that the cormorants moved their nesting colonies farther away from Watmough Bay in response to repeated human hunting, and people living at the site switched instead to hunting sea ducks, possibly using submerged netting technology. In addition to adding to our knowledge about the impacts of pre-industrial human hunting, the evidence from Watmough Bay provides data about past breeding distributions and relative abundances of bird species that may be of value in addressing biological conservation issues.

Archaeological Evidence for a Double-Crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) Colony in the Pacific Northwest, USA

Abstract. Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) were not observed breeding in the inner coast of Washington and British Columbia until the 1920s and 1930s, whether the breeding was either a re-colonizing event or a new expansion was unknown. Archaeological evidence from Watmough Bay, a shell midden site on Lopez Island, San Juan Islands (Washington State), was analyzed to place the recent changes in breeding distribution in deeper historical context. The Watmough Bay faunal assemblage contains large numbers (n = 2,397) of cormorant bones. Of those specimens that could be identified to species (n = 358), 99.7% were identified as Double-crested Cormorants. The majority (97%, n = 2,336) of the cormorant remains are from juveniles or chicks, which were collected while still at the colony. Radiocarbon dating indicates the majority of the site accumulated between AD 300– 600. Evidence for a ca. 1,500-year-old Double-crested Cormorant colony near Lopez Island confirms that the species did breed in the region prior to the early 20th century. The study further documents the value of archaeological data for current wildlife management.

Evaluating Native American Bird Use and Bird Assemblage Variability along the Oregon Coast

ABSTRACT Native American use of birds on the Oregon coast is not well known and has never been synthesized to present a regional understanding. We rectify this by analyzing data from 26 zooarchaeological assemblages, including three previously unpublished bird assemblages: Umpqua/Eden (35DO83), Whale Cove (35LNC60), and the Dunes Site (35CLT27). We employ a series of non-parametric randomization tests to directly evaluate patterns of taxonomic diversity, correlations with nearby breeding colonies, and broader procurement strategies discussed in ethnohistorical accounts. We compare the assemblages to contemporary surveys of naturally beached birds as observed by COASST (Coastal Observation Seabird Survey Team) and evaluate whether archaeological specimens were scavenged from the beach. While 71% of the identified bird remains belong to just three families (Anatidae, Alcidae, and Procellariidae), closer analysis reveals the incredible diversity of birds used by Oregon coast Native Americans. The assemblages vary considerably in terms of taxonomic diversity and composition, leading us to conclude that people used birds opportunistically, likely incorporating multiple strategies, including hunting, collecting beached carcasses and targeting cormorant colonies. We hope that the methods and approaches employed here will inspire other archaeologists to devote more attention to bird assemblages, and how their study can inform conservation efforts.

Extinction & Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds

David Steadman’s Extinction & Biogeography of Tropical Pacific Birds is a comprehensive volume synthesizing studies on past and modern distributions of birds in Oceania (excluding New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands). The amount of biological, paleontological, and archaeological research conducted by Steadman himself is particularly impressive. Given his interdisciplinary training, Steadman attempts to use archaeological and geological data to provide a much longer biogeographic history of Pacific birds than typically considered by biologists. Although Steadman apologizes at one point for his “ornithocentric view of prehistory,” those of us who study birds will find this to be a welcome addition to the typical focus