| IBA |
Gillam Island
Quatsino Sound, British Columbia |
| Site Summary |
| BC093 |
Latitude
Longitude |
50.443° N
127.966° W |
Elevation
Size |
0 - 46 m
8.17 km² |
Habitats:
mixed woods (temperate), open sea, coastal cliffs/rocky shores (marine)
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Land Use:
Not Utilized (Natural Area)
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Potential or ongoing Threats:
Disturbance, Oil slicks
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| IBA Criteria: Globally Significant: Congregatory Species, Colonial Waterbirds/Seabird Concentrations, Nationally Significant: Congregatory Species |
| Conservation status: |
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Site Description
Gillam Islands lie about 2 km off the mainland shore of Vancouver Island's Quatsino Sound. The islands have rocky shores (steep in some areas), with numerous small crevices and gorges. The larger northernmost island is forested, with Sitka Spruce being the dominant species. Below this canopy, thick growths of salmonberry and currant form most of the understorey, along with patches of salal, elderberry, and crabapple. On the other islands, dwarfed spruce is present, along with shrubby thickets that are comprised of the same understorey vegetation as on the northernmost island. Lush grasses and forbs crown the middle island and surround the perimeters of the northern and southern islands. The other low rocky islets in the group are devoid of vegetation.
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Birds
Gillam Islands support the second largest storm-petrel colony in British Columbia, with both Fork-tailed and Leach's Storm-Petrels being present. Together with Solander Island to the south, and the Storm Islands to the northeast of Vancouver Island, these three island groups contain the majority of the storm-petrel nesting population on Canada's west coast. On Gillam Islands, surveys completed in 1988 documented the presence of a globally significant Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel colony with 42,000 nesting pairs being present (1.7% of the global and about 22% of the national population). A globally significant Leach's Storm-Petrel colony was also documented during the same survey with 72,000 pairs being recorded (2.6% of the global and 13% of the national eastern Pacific population). In addition to the storm-petrels, just over 1% of Canada's Black Oystercatcher population nest on these islands, along with about 2.6% of the Canada's Glaucous-winged Gull population. Other seabirds that nest on the islands include smaller numbers of Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots, and possibly Tufted Puffins.
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IBA Criteria |
| Species↓ T | A | I |
Links |
Date |
Season |
Number |
G |
C |
N |
| Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel |
|
1988 |
SU |
84,000 |
✔ |
✔ |
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| Leach's Storm-Petrel |
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1988 |
SU |
144,000 |
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Note: species shown in bold indicate that the maximum number exceeds at least one of the IBA thresholds (sub-regional, regional or global). The site may still not qualify for that level of IBA if the maximum number reflects an exceptional or historical occurrence.
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Conservation Issues
Primary threats to the Gillam Islands are potential oil spills and the possibility of disturbance from boaters. Since the islet chain is within the mouth of Quatsino Sound, it has calmer waters which make it an attractive destination for recreational boaters.
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