Line transect distance sampling in aerial surveys for double-crested cormorants in coastal regions of Lake Huron

Line transect distance sampling was employed in aerial surveys of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) along the coasts of Georgian Bay and the North Channel, Lake Huron. A double-observer method was used to estimate detection probability near the transect line (g(0) = 0.724). Detection of cormorants was not consistent but varied based on group size, location (water, land, flying), and season. Probability of detection in the area covered by the survey was often below 0.5. Incorporating both lack of detection on the flight line along with lack of detection over the covered area inherent in distance sampling provided defensible density estimates of free-ranging double-crested cormorants. Most cormorants were detected loafing on shore (land) among the many islands defining this area of the Lake Huron coast. Land detections exceeded the combined detections of birds on the water and flying. Density in 2004 ranged from a peak of 2.30 cormorants per km2 (95% CI = 1.72-3.03) in late July to 1.21 cormorants per km2 (95% CI = 0.78-1.70) in late August in the sampled areas extending from shore to approximately 20 km offshore. Aerial surveys employing distance sampling can be useful tools in monitoring the distribution and abundance of free-ranging double-crested cormorants and other waterbirds in the Laurentian Great Lakes.