Laura's Publications

Primary-authored publications

McFarlane Tranquilla, L.A, A. Hedd, C. Burke, W.A. Montevecchi, P.M. Regular, G.J. Robertson, L.A. Stapleton, S. Wilhelm, D.A. Fifield, and A.D. Buren.  High Arctic sea ice conditions influence marine birds wintering in Low Arctic regions.  Submitted (June 2009) to Global Change Biology

McFarlane Tranquilla, L.A, N.R. Parker, R.W. Bradley, D.B. Lank, E.A. Krebs, L. Lougheed, and C. Lougheed. 2005.  Breeding chronology of Marbled Murrelets varies between coastal and inshore sites in southern British Columbia.  Journal of Field Ornithology 76: 357-367.

McFarlane Tranquilla, L.A, A. Hedd, C. Burke, W.A. Montevecchi, P.M. Regular, G.J. Robertson, L.A. Stapleton, S. Wilhelm, D.A. Fifield, and A.D. Buren.  High Arctic sea ice conditions influence marine birds wintering in Low Arctic regions.  Submitted (June 2009) to Global Change Biology

McFarlane Tranquilla, L.A., P.-W. Yen, R.W. Bradley, B. Vanderkist, D.B. Lank, N. Parker, M. Drever, L.W. Lougheed, G. Kaiser, and T.D. Williams.  2003.  Do two murrelets make a pair? Breeding status and behaviour of Marbled Murrelet pairs captured at sea.  Wilson Bulletin 115(4): 374-381.

 McFarlane Tranquilla, L.A., R.W. Bradley, N.A. Parker, D.B. Lank & F. Cooke.   2003.  Replacement laying in Marbled Murrelets.  Marine Ornithology 31:  75-81.

McFarlane Tranquilla, L., T.D. Williams, and F. Cooke.  2003.  Using vitellogenin to identify inter-annual variation in breeding chronology of Marbled Murrelets.  Auk 120: 512-521.

McFarlane Tranquilla, L.A., R.W. Bradley, D.B. Lank, T.D. Williams, L.W. Lougheed and F. Cooke.  2003.  The reliability of brood patches in assessing reproduction status in the Marbled Murrelet: words of caution.  Waterbirds 26:108-118.

McFarlane Tranquilla, L., F. Huettmann, C. Lougheed, L.W. Lougheed, G. Kaiser and N. Parker.  2003.  Sightings of vagrant Pacific alcids in Desolation Sound, BC, Canada.  Canadian Field Naturalist 117: 53-56.

Co-authored publications

Gutowsky, S., M.H. Janssen, P. Arcese, T. K. Kyser, D. Ethier, L. McFarlane Tranquilla, D. F. Bertram, M. Wunder and D.R.Norris.  Concurrent declines in nestling diet quality and reproductive success of a threatened seabird over 150 years.  Endangered Species Research.  Accepted August 2009.

Hipfner, J.M., L. McFarlane Tranquilla, and B.Addison. 2009.  Evidence that both timing and parental quality affect breeding success in a zooplanktivorous seabird.  Auk (Aug 2009; doi:10.1525/auk.2009.09135).

Montevecchi, W.A., L. McFarlane-Tranquilla, A. Buren, C. Burke, D. Fifield, A. Hedd, P. Regular, P. Smith.  2009.  Effects of Geolocators in Studies of Avian Movement Ecology. Science E-letter.  http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/eletters/323/5916/896

Peery, Z., L.A. Hall, A. Sells, S.R. Beissinger, C. Mritz, M. Bérubé, M.G. Raphael, S.K. Nelson, R.T. Golightly, L. McFarlane-Tranquilla, S. Newman, P.J. Palsbøll.  In Prep. (submitted to Ecology Letters).

Hall, L.A, P.J. Palsbøll, S.R. Beissinger, J.T. Harvey, M. Bérubé, M.G. Raphael, S.K Nelson, R.T. Golightly, L.Mcfarlane Tranquilla, S. Newman, and M. Z. Peery.  Characterizing dispersal patterns in a threatened seabird population with limited genetic structure.  Molecular Ecology.  Accepted Sept 2009.

Janssen, M., P. Arcese, T.K. Kyser, D.F. Bertram, L. McFarlane-Tranquilla, T.D. Williams, and D.R. Norris.  Pre-breeding diet, condition, and timing of breeding in a threatened seabird, the Marbled Murrelet Brachyramphus marmoratus. Marine Ornithology, In Press.

Hipfner, J.M., L. McFarlane Tranquilla, and B. Addison. 2008.  Do marine birds use environmental cues to optimize egg production? An experimental test based on relaying propensity. Journal of Avian Biology 39: 611-618.

Boyd, W.S., L. McFarlane Tranquilla, J.L. Ryder, S.G. Shisko, and D.F. Bertram.  2008.  Variation in marine distributions of Cassin’s Auklets breeding at Triangle Island, British Columbia. Auk 125:158–166.

Zharikov, Y., D.B. Lank, F. Huettmann, R.W. Bradley, N. Parker, P. P.-W. Yen, L. McFarlane Tranquilla and F. Cooke.  2006.  Habitat selection and breeding success in a forest-nesting Alcid, the marbled murrelet, in two landscapes with different logging histories in south-western Canada. Landscape Ecol. 21:107–120.

Bradley, R.W., L.A. McFarlane Tranquilla, B.A. Vanderkist and F. Cooke.  2002.  Sex differences in provisioning rate in chick rearing Marbled Murrelets.  Condor 104:178–183.

Technical Reports:

Kenyon, J.K., McFarlane Tranquilla, L., Morgan, K.H., Moore, K., and Jollymore, S.  2009.  Atlas of Pelagic Seabirds off Canada’s West Coast.  Canadian Wildlife Service Technical Report 499. Environment Canada, Pacific and Yukon Region, Delta, BC.

L. McFarlane Tranquilla, K. Truman, D. Johannessen, and T. Hooper. 2006. Appendix K: Marine Birds. In Ecosystem Overview: Pacific North Coast Integrated Management Area (PNCIMA). Edited by B.G. Lucas, S. Verrin, and R. Brown. Can. Tech. Rep. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 2667: x + 101 p.

McFarlane Tranquilla, L., J.L. Ryder, W.S. Boyd, S.G. Shisko, K. Amey, D.F. Bertram, and J.M. Hipfner.  2005.  Diurnal Marine Distributions of Radio-tagged Cassin’s Auklets and Rhinoceros Auklets Breeding at Triangle Island, B.C.  Canadian Wildlife Service Technical Report Series Number 423.

Lank, D.B., N. Parker, E.A. Krebs and L. McFarlane Tranquilla.  2003.  Geographic distribution, habitat selection, and population dynamics with respect to nesting habitat characteristics of Marbled Murrelets Brachyramphus marmoratus.  Unpublished report available from dlank@sfu.ca

Handbooks and Reports:

McFarlane Tranquilla, L., D.W. Smith, G. Grigg and G. White. 2008. Canada Geese: Control and Management in Southwestern British Columbia. Revised edition [online]. Environment Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service, Pacific and Yukon Region. Delta, British Columbia.  http://www.cws-scf.ec.gc.ca/publications/pyr/index_e.cfm

McFarlane Tranquilla, L.  A Review Of Provincial Land And Resource Management In British Columbia:  Processes Impacting Wildlife, Habitat, And Incidental Take Of Migratory Birds.  April 2007.  Prepared for E.A. Krebs, Canadian Wildlife Service.

McFarlane Tranquilla, L.  2003.  Triangle Island:  ten years of research at British Columbia’s largest seabird colony.  Prepared for Canadian Wildlife Service for distribution at Public Hearing Meetings for the proposed Scott Islands Marine Wildlife Area.

MSc Thesis:

McFarlane Tranquilla, L.  2001.  Using multiple methods to describe breeding, stress response, and disturbance of Marbled Murrelets (Brachyramphus marmoratus).  MSc, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC.  150 pp.

Selected Presentations

2008                 Invited school workshop:  “Cool it!  How climate change is affecting ecosystems in British Columbia”.  75-minute presentations to schools in BC’s lower mainland. 

2004                 Do sea-surface temperatures influence breeding of Marbled Murrelets in British Columbia?  Pacific Seabird Group, La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico.

2003-2004         Invited workshops:   “Bird Beaks and Feet: exploring ecological niches”. Two day summer workshops in “The Science of Birds” series, children aged 7-11.  Richmond Nature Park, Richmond, British Columbia. 

2003                 Annual variation and site variation of breeding chronology of Marbled Murrelets. Pacific Seabird Group, Parksville, British Columbia, Canada.

2002                 Do two Marbled Murrelets make a pair? American Ornithologist’s Union/Society of Canadian Ornithologists conference, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

2002                 Evidence and frequency of renesting in Marbled Murrelets. The Wildlife Society (northwestern), Spokane, WA; and Pacific Seabird Group, Santa Barbara, California, USA.

2001                 Identifying breeding status of Marbled Murrelets in Desolation Sound, British Columbia; and Stress Response in Marbled Murrelets. Pacific Seabird Group, Lihue, Kaua’i.

2000 - 2001       School workshops, Let’s Talk Science Program, Simon Fraser University.  Hour-long exploration of feeding ecology of birds, to school children, ages 5-6 and 13-14. 

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