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Shorebirds are among the most rapidly declining species in North America (Rosenberg et al. 2019), with many long-distance migrants experiencing the greatest declines (Environment Canada 2020). Nonetheless, not all shorebirds are declining and there may be differences among species and populations using different migratory routes. For instance, previous meta-analyses have suggested that shorebirds using the Mid-Continental Flyway are experiencing more rapid declines than those using the Pacific or Atlantic flyways (Thomas et al. 2006). At the same time, within a species, more northerly breeding populations are experiencing greater phenological mismatches and lower reproductive success than southerly ones (Kwon et...
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Between September and November each year, nearly the entire world population of Pacific black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) stages at Izembek Lagoon and surrounding estuaries (hereafter: Izembek Complex). The Izembek Complex is a unique area of protected brackish waters, supporting one of the world’s largest eelgrass beds and a diverse array of wildlife. The Alaska Fall Brant Survey has been conducted annually since 1976 in late-September through October, to provide an index of abundance for the entire post-breeding Pacific black brant population (Branta bernicla nigricans), while secondarily, providing annual fall population indices for cackling geese (Branta hutchinsii), emperor geese (Anser canagicus), and...
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Broad scale banding of midcontinent greater white-fronted geese (MCWFG) is motivated by the Flyway Management Plan objective to maintain optimum harvest opportunity throughout the population range (Central, Mississippi, and Pacific Flyway Councils, 2023). This objective is accomplished by implementing a harvest strategy whereby changes to bag limits and season dates are dependent upon thresholds of abundance and harvest rate. Such estimates are calculated through Lincoln estimation (Lincoln 1930, Alisauskas et al. 2009, Dooley 2023) that requires annual banding. In addition, banding provides a means to identify changes in harvest distribution. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) Migratory Bird Management...
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This project aims to estimate spatial and temporal trends of waterfowl and waterbirds on the Arctic Coastal Plain (ACP) of Alaska from 2007 to present. The main approach is motivated by Amundson et al. (2019) using space-time generalized additive models (GAMs, Wood 2017) but with some improvements to handle observer effects and to associate sampling effort to specific spatial locations along a sampled transect similar to Miller et al. (2013). As part of this effort, a major data quality control process was begun in March 2022 that led to the correction of many data errors and re-formatting of the original 2007 to 2023 data to make it more accessible and usable to outside partners (original raw data available here)....
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Many North American shorebird species are experiencing significant population declines, but we have incomplete information about the population sizes and trends for most species. Conservation efforts are underway throughout the Hemisphere to reverse these declines, but we cannot measure the success of those efforts until we have an accurate assessment of population sizes and trends. The Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM) is a broad-scale, multi-national effort to monitor both the sizes and trends of shorebird populations (https://www.shorebirdplan.org/science/program-for-regional-and-international-shorebird-monitoring/). PRISM also strives to describe the distribution and habitat...
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Upland Sandpiper is one of many declining shorebird species (-4.6%/year in Alaska; Ziolkowski et al. 2023) which breed on military and adjacent lands in Alaska. Western and eastern populations are small and unstable, and the species is endangered at the state level in several eastern U.S. states (Houston et al. 2023). Though there has been considerable work with Upland Sandpipers in their core, central U.S. breeding areas, this is the first dedicated study of Upland Sandpipers in Alaska. The objectives are to resight, band, and track Upland Sandpiper at breeding sites in Delta Junction, AK and Donnelly Training Area (TA 501 & TA 511) to estimate vial rates, determine migratory connectivity, and determine important...
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Duck banding data is integral to the Adaptive Harvest Management (AHM) process that uses both band recovery data and aerial breeding population survey data to establish hunting regulatory packages each year. Mallard banding in Alaska is one component of the process to set hunting regulations for ducks in the Pacific Flyway by providing harvest rate estimates for the Western Mallard AHM model (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service 2021). Harvest rate is used in coordination with breeding population size estimates from the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey to determine the optimal regulatory strategy (liberal, moderate, restrictive, or closed) for dabbling ducks in the Pacific Flyway. Each regulatory alternative...
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Many of North America’s most rapidly declining avifauna breed in the boreal and alpine ecosystems of Alaska. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson (JBER) located in Anchorage, Alaska, provides critical nesting habitat for five avian Species of Special Concern (SOSC): Solitary Sandpiper Tringa solitaria, Lesser Yellowlegs Tringa flavipes, Olive-sided Flycatcher Contopus cooperi, Rusty Blackbird Euphagus carolinus and Blackpoll Warbler Setophaga striata. Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson derived the Species of Special Concern list from the Birds of Conservation Concern (USFWS 2008) and the Department of Defense Mission-Sensitive Priority Bird Species (DoD PIF 2015) lists. Department of Defense Partners in Flight recognizes...
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Many North American shorebird species are experiencing significant population declines, but we have incomplete information about the population sizes and trends for most species. Conservation efforts are underway throughout the Hemisphere to reverse these declines, but we cannot measure the success of those efforts until we have an accurate assessment of population sizes and trends. The Program for Regional and International Shorebird Monitoring (PRISM) is a broad-scale, multi-national effort to monitor both the sizes and trends of shorebird populations (https://www.shorebirdplan.org/science/program-for-regional-and-international-shorebird-monitoring/). PRISM also strives to describe the distribution and habitat...
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Reproductive success is a key demographic parameter that can have profound impacts on a species’ population trend; however, broad-scale nest survival data are unavailable for all Arctic-breeding shorebird species. Accordingly, we set out to 1) measure current nest survival rates across a large area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and 2) identify predators of nests, so as to help elucidate the potential role reproductive failure plays in current shorebird population declines. This information is also relevant for assessing the indirect effects of land management decisions such as oil and gas development on a species’ reproductive success. In 2019 and 2022, we monitored 129 shorebird nests of 9 species using...
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This project developed an artificial intelligence system based on a convoluted neural network capable of detecting and counting sea duck individuals in aerial photos and classifying individuals to species and sex when possible, to reduce time and cost commitments associated with processing imagery from aerial surveys. We used a dataset consisting of 810 aerial images containing sea ducks and other birds in offshore and coastal environments. Images were collected from fixed wing aircraft at varying flight heights and image resolution. A biologist reviewed each image identifying and annotating the position of objects of interest (birds) in the image by drawing a bounding box surrounding each object, and assigned species...
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Shorebirds are a group of predominantly migratory birds that are declining at an alarming rate; many of them have declined by more than 50% since 1970 and 13 are of federal conservation concern. With staggeringly long, trans-hemispheric migrations along each of North America’s migratory flyways — distinct corridors that divide North America longitudinally — shorebirds breeding in the Arctic and sub-Arctic and wintering in Central and South America encounter a multitude of threats during their annual cycles. This study aims to track the fall migration of a suite of species from their breeding sites across Alaska to the southern extent of their respective ranges and address how differences in migratory connectivity...
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Multiple lines of evidence suggest that the Gray-headed Chickadee (Poecile cinctus lathami), a population endemic to Alaska and northwestern Canada, has declined and/or been extirpated from locations where they were considered historically common. In contrast, the Boreal Chickadee, a native congener, has recently colonized locations where Gray-headed Chickadees once occurred. This project focuses on whether hybridization (and subsequent transfer of genetic material from one species into another with continued breeding events overtime) between these two closely related chickadee species may be responsible for Gray-headed Chickadee declines. Specifically, our objectives are to: 1) Conduct call-playback surveys to...
    map background search result map search result map Alaska Midcontinent Greater White-Fronted Goose Banding, Innoko National Wildlife Refuge Alaska Mallard Banding, Palmer Hay Flats State Game Refuge Alaska Izembek Fall Brant Aerial Survey 1976-Present Arctic Coastal Plain Waterfowl and Waterbird Spatial and Temporal Trends Automated Sea Duck Counts from Aerial Imagery Shorebird Nest survival on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Alaska Arctic National Wildlife Refuge PRISM surveys Alaska Yukon Delta PRISM surveys Alaska Department of Defense Shorebird Migration Project 2021-Present Alaska Department of Defense Migratory Movements Upland Sandpiper Study 2021-Present Alaska Department of Defense Shorebird Migratory Phenologies and Strategies Study 2022-Present Alaska Grey-headed Chickadee and Boreal Chickadee Hybridization Study Alaska Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Installation Avian Study 2007-Present Alaska Izembek Fall Brant Aerial Survey 1976-Present Shorebird Nest survival on the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Alaska Alaska Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson Installation Avian Study 2007-Present Arctic National Wildlife Refuge PRISM surveys Alaska Midcontinent Greater White-Fronted Goose Banding, Innoko National Wildlife Refuge Alaska Yukon Delta PRISM surveys Arctic Coastal Plain Waterfowl and Waterbird Spatial and Temporal Trends Alaska Grey-headed Chickadee and Boreal Chickadee Hybridization Study Alaska Department of Defense Shorebird Migration Project 2021-Present Alaska Department of Defense Migratory Movements Upland Sandpiper Study 2021-Present Alaska Department of Defense Shorebird Migratory Phenologies and Strategies Study 2022-Present Automated Sea Duck Counts from Aerial Imagery