The numbers of Northern Fulmars (Fulmarus glacialis) have been increasing in the boreal regions of the Northeast Atlantic for more than two centuries, and though population growth appears to have slowed recently (Fisher 1952, 1966; Salomonsen 1965) the breeding range of the species continues to expand. In the past few years Northern Fulmars have been found breeding in two locations off Newfoundland:

Great Island (47° ll'N, 52°49'W) in Witless Bay

(Nettleship and Montgomerie 1974) and Funk Island

(49°46'N, 54°12'W), as documented in Nettleship's recent (1976) film, "The Funks.

Blundon, E.

Coombs, G.

Montevecchi, William A.

Porter, J. M.

Rice, P.

Memorial University Research Repository

80 The Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol. 92Northern Fulmar Breeding Range Extended to Baccalieu Island,NewfoundlandW. A. MoNTEVECCHi,' E. Blundon,^ G. Coombes, J. PoRTER,3 and p. RlCE^'Department of Psychology, memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Newfoundland AlC 5S7-Bay de Verde, Newfoundland-^Department of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia''Red Head Cove, NewfoundlandMontevecchi, W. A., E. Blundon, G. Coombes, J. Porter, and P. Rice. 1978. Northern Fulmar breeding range extended toBaccalieu Island, Newfoundland. Canadian Field-Naturalist 92(1): 80-82.Gulch on the northeast end of BaccaUeu Island(48°07'N, 54°I2'W) we sighted five single, light-phased fulmars sitting on ledges (Figure 1); two sitesthat we could see from the cliff top each had an egg.On 10 August a chick, judged to be 3^ weeksposthatch, was found; the other site where the egg hadbeen within our reach was empty. Some evidencesuggested that predation or predatory disturbancemay have been involved. A decapitated, evisceratedadult Northern Fulmar was found nearby on 1 1 June,and there were signs of Red Fox {Vulpes vulpes)activity (digging at Leach's Storm-Petrel {Oceano-droma leucorhoa) burrows; dead petrel chick) in thearea.The numbers of Northern Fulmars {Fulmarusglacialis) have been increasing in the boreal regions ofthe Northeast Atlantic for more than two centuries,and though population growth appears to haveslowed recently (Fisher 1952, 1966; Salomonsen 1965)the breeding range of the species continues to expand.In the past few years Northern Fulmars have beenfound breeding in two locations off Newfoundland:Great Island (47° ll'N, 52°49'W) in Witless Bay(Nettleship and Montgomerie 1974) and Funk Island(49°46'N, 54°12'W), as documented in Nettleship'srecent (1976) film, "The Funks."During visits by land and boat on 27 May, 1 and11 June 1977, to the cliffs just south of Jackson'sFigure 1. Incubating Northern Fulmar on a ledge near the top of a cliff on Baccalieu Island, 27 May 1977.1978 NotesFigure 2. Newly hatched Northern Fulmar on Funk Island, 10 July 1977.Four pairs of fulmars were seen occupying fourcliff-ledge sites on 1,3, and 8 June in Bull Gulch justnorth of Gannet Head on the east side of the islandabout 1.5 km south of Jackson Gulch. No fulmarswere seen in this area from 7 to 12 August. Thebehavior and temporary site tenacity of these birdssuggested they were "prospecting" (Fisher 1952;Nettleship and Lock 1973). Northern Fulmars havebeen observed on Baccalieu Island as long ago as 1959(Rice). Future checks on colonization in this area willbe made.On 9-10 July 1977 Montevecchi and Porter foundthree fulmars with eggs on Funk Island, two nestingon flat ground, the other on a ledge about 1 .5 m aboveground. In the two nests checked, one egg hatched on10 July (Figure 2), the other pipped on 11 July,indicating that egg-laying occurred toward the end ofMay. This is consistent with the timing of egg-layingon Baccalieu and in the boreal North Atlantic ingeneral (Fisher 1952).Baccalieu Island is the third island off New-foundland where Northern Fulmars have been foundbreeding in 4 years, and breeding attempts inLabrador (Nettleship and Lock 1973) and along theAvalon Peninsula of Newfoundland (L.M. Tuck,personal communication) seem likely. The NorthernFulmars' potential for massive and sustained popu-lation increase as evidenced at colonies in GreatBritain during the past and present centuries (Fisher1952) leaves open the possibility that we may bewitnessing the initial stages of what may soon be apopulation explosion of the species in the borealAtlantic regions of Canada. Close watch should bekept for further breeding range expansion of thesebirds, and breeding censuses at known nesting areasshould be made regularly. The light-phase plumage ofall Northern Fulmars found nesting or "prospecting"in Newfoundland-Labrador suggests that these birdsmay be immigrating from colonies in western Green-land, Iceland, or Great Britain (Fisher 1952; Salo-monsen 1965; Brown 1970; Tuck 1971) rather thanfrom the Canadian arctic region. Banding dataand/ or body (especially culmen) measurements(Salomonsen 1965) may help clarify this matter in thefuture.We are grateful to the Newfoundland WildlifeDivision and the Canadian Wildlife Service forpermission to work in these locations, to Bruce Burseyand Dr. Leslie M. Tuck for helpful suggestions, and toRaymond Hyde, Felix Noonan, and Linus Walsh fortheir hospitality on Baccalieu Island. Financialsupport was provided by National Research Councilof Canada Grant No. A0687 awarded to W. A.Montevecchi.82 The Canadian Field-Naturalist Vol. 92Literature CitedBrown, R. G. B. 1970. Fulmar distribution: a Canadianperspective. Ibis 111: 44-51.Fisher, J. 1952. The Fulmar. Collins, London.Fisher, J. 1966. The Fulmar population of Britain andIreland, 1959. Bird Study 13: 5-76.Nettleship, D.N. and A. R. Lock. 1973. Observations ofFulmars on ledges in Labrador. Canadian Field-Natura-list 87: 314.Nettleship, D. N. and R. D. Montgomerie. 1974. TheNorthern Fulmar, Fulmarus glacialis, breeding inNewfoundland. American Birds 28: 16.Salomonsen, F. 1965. The geographical variation of theFulmar {Fulmarus glacialis) and the zones of marineenvironment in the North Atlantic. Auk 82: 327-355.Tuck, L. M. 1971. The occurrence of Greenland andEuropean birds in Newfoundland. Bird-Banding 42:184-209.Received 15 September 1977Accepted 21 October 1977Life History Observations on the Nudibranch Mollusc Onchidorisbilamellata in the Intertidal Zone of Nova ScotiaJ. Sherman Bleakney and Constance L. SaundersDepartment of Biology, Acadia University, Wolfville, Nova Scotia BOP 1X0Bleakney, J. Sherman and Constance L. Saunders. 1978. Life history observations on the nudibranch mollusc Onchidorisbilamellata in the intertidal zone of Nova Scotia. Canadian Field-Naturalist 92(1); 82-85.Analysis of Nova Scotia collections of the nudibranch Onchidoris bilamellata (L., 1767) from 1967 to 1977demonstrates an annual die-off of the adult population between May and July. This is also observed in European populationsof this species. Spawning normally extends from January to May but juveniles could not be found before late July or August.Key Words: dorid nudibranch, Onchidoris bilamellata, life history, annual species. Nova Scotia, Minas Basin.Dorid nudibranchs are carnivorous gastropodmolluscs found in a great variety of marine habitats.Onchidoris bilamellata (L., 1767) is a seasonallycommon intertidal species of rocky shores, where itpreys upon Balanus balanoides and other species ofbarnacles. It is a widely distributed species of borealand sub-arctic seas of the Northern Hemisphere witha northern limit near 70° N. On the European coast itappears as far south as Sandgate, South Kent,England, and at Winereux, Pat de Calais, France.Along the northwest Atlantic shores Connecticut isevidently the southern limit.This dorid is evidently an annual and the adultsreportedly die in early summer after spawning.Therefore, it is rarely encountered in summer whenfield survey crews are most active. As the basic lifehistory of this major winter predator of barnacles hasbeen investigated only in England, our Nova Scotiadata represent the first comparative study of popula-tions from the western Atlantic.Recent literature includes distributional reportsfrom the northeast and northwest Atlantic coasts(Miller 1961; Swennen 1961; Franz 1970; Potts1970; Meyer 1971). The life cycle of O. bilamellata inEurope, however, has been studied only in Englandand that was based on data from fewer than 3 years,1964-1966 (Potts 1970). Clark (1975) described thelife cycles of 24 species of Atlantic nudibranchs,including O. bilamellata, based on 4 years ofobservation of the Connecticut fauna. Unfortunatelythis species is rare at that latitude and Clark's data areinadequate for critical comparison with those of Pottsand the present study. The seasonal occurrence of O.bilamellata on the Pacific coast of Washington Statewas mentioned incidentally by Connell (1970) andDayton (1971) in connection with their Balanusstudies.Study AreasOur collections are from Annapolis and KingsCounties, Nova Scotia, particularly along the westernshores of the Minas Basin area (Figure 1). The Bay ofFundy coast of southwestern Nova Scotia is com-posed of basalt, an ideal substrate for barnacles, androcks from this ridge are scattered over the sandstone,sands, and muds of the extensive eulittoral zone of theMinas Basin and Annapolis Basin. The most con-spicuous and consistently present barnacle predatoron these rocks is the dogwinkle Nucella lapillus.Purple and white varieties of the predaceous doridAcanthodoris pilosa are often associated with O.bilamellata, but they are feeding solely upon theencrusting ectoproct colonies of Alcyonidiumpolyoum. More extensive descriptions of the two

Northern Fulmar Breeding Range Extended to Baccalieu Island, Newfoundland

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