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1
Bairlein, Franz, D. Ryan Norris, Rolf Nagel, Marc Bulte, Christian C. Voigt, James W. Fox, David J. T. Hussell, and Heiko Schmaljohann. "Cross-hemisphere migration of a 25 g songbird." Biology Letters 8, no. 4 (February 15, 2012): 505–7. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2011.1223.
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The northern wheatear ( Oenanthe oenanthe ) is a small (approx. 25 g), insectivorous migrant with one of the largest ranges of any songbird in the world, breeding from the eastern Canadian Arctic across Greenland, Eurasia and into Alaska (AK). However, there is no evidence that breeding populations in the New World have established overwintering sites in the Western Hemisphere. Using light-level geolocators, we demonstrate that individuals from these New World regions overwinter in northern sub-Sahara Africa, with Alaskan birds travelling approximately 14 500 km each way and an eastern Canadian Arctic bird crossing a wide stretch of the North Atlantic (approx. 3500 km). These remarkable journeys, particularly for a bird of this size, last between one to three months depending on breeding location and season (autumn/spring) and result in mean overall migration speeds of up to 290 km d −1 . Stable-hydrogen isotope analysis of winter-grown feathers sampled from breeding birds generally support the notion that Alaskan birds overwinter primarily in eastern Africa and eastern Canadian Arctic birds overwinter mainly in western Africa. Our results provide the first evidence of a migratory songbird capable of linking African ecosystems of the Old World with Arctic regions of the New World.
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Bentzen, Rebecca, Joe Liebezeit, Martin Robards, Bill Streever, Samantha Strindberg, and Steve Zack. "Bird Use of Northern Alaska Oilfield Rehabilitation Sites." ARCTIC 71, no. 4 (December 19, 2018): 422–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic4747.
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Breeding bird response to habitat rehabilitation after anthropogenic disturbance has received little attention in the Arctic. The North Slope of Alaska is an important breeding ground for many populations of migratory birds and has also supported major oilfields since the late 1960s. The most obvious impacts of industrial development to nesting birds are direct habitat loss and fragmentation resulting from the construction of infrastructure, along with increased mechanical noise, vehicle traffic, and other forms of anthropogenic disturbance. In response to state and federal requirements, efforts have been made to rehabilitate abandoned portions of the oilfields. We compared bird use at rehabilitation sites and at nearby paired reference sites. Densities of shorebirds and passerines varied between rehabilitation sites and reference sites, but waterfowl densities did not. Specifically, passerine and shorebird densities were higher at reference sites in the early or mid-season and lower at reference sites in the late season. Additionally, birds on rehabilitation sites were primarily observed foraging and resting, while behavior observed on paired reference sites was more diverse and included courtship displays, nesting, and aggression. Further, rehabilitation sites supported significantly fewer nests and fewer species than recorded at reference sites. Our findings suggest that sites 3 to 10 years post rehabilitation do not provide bird habitat comparable to nearby reference sites and, by extension, do not provide shorebird and passerine habitat comparable to that found prior to development. However, rehabilitation sites appear to provide adequate habitat for waterfowl and are important to shorebirds and passerines as foraging areas. Continued monitoring will be needed to establish the long-term suitability of rehabilitation sites, compared to reference sites, as breeding habitat for birds.
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Mason, Danielle D., Perry S. Barboza, and David H. Ward. "Nutritional Condition of Pacific Black Brant Wintering at the Extremes of Their Range." Condor 108, no. 3 (August 1, 2006): 678–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/108.3.678.
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AbstractEndogenous stores of energy allow birds to survive periods of severe weather and food shortage during winter. We documented changes in lipid, protein, moisture, and ash in body tissues of adult female Pacific Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) and modeled the energetic costs of wintering. Birds were collected at the extremes of their winter range, in Alaska and Baja California, Mexico. Body lipids decreased over winter for birds in Alaska but increased for those in Baja California. Conversely, body protein increased over winter for Brant in Alaska and remained stable for birds in Baja California. Lipid stores likely fuel migration for Brant wintering in Baja California and ensure winter survival for those in Alaska. Increases in body protein may support earlier reproduction for Brant in Alaska. Predicted energy demands were similar between sites during late winter but avenues of expenditure were different. Birds in Baja California spent more energy on lipid synthesis while those in Alaska incurred higher thermoregulatory costs. Estimated daily intake rates of eelgrass were similar between sites in early winter; however, feeding time was more constrained in Alaska because of high tides and short photoperiods. Despite differences in energetic costs and foraging time, Brant wintering at both sites appeared to be in good condition. We suggest that wintering in Alaska may be more advantageous than long-distance migration if winter survival is similar between sites and constraints on foraging time do not impair body condition.
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Day, Robert H., G. Vernon Byrd, and Edgar P. Bailey. "Birds of The Shumagin Islands, Alaska." Western Birds 53, no. 4 (November 1, 2022): 258–308. http://dx.doi.org/10.21199/wb53.4.1.
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We studied birds in the Shumagin Islands in 18 of the 37 years from 1970 to 2006 and synthesized all available information on birds of this area. A total of 126 forms of 125 species, including hypothetical species, has been recorded in the Shumagins, of which aquatic birds constitute 67% and terrestrial birds 33%. Overall, 52% of all forms breed, probably breed, or formerly bred; of these, aquatic birds represent 57% and terrestrial birds 43%. The avifauna is heavily weighted toward Nearctic (39% of all forms) and Beringian (32%) forms, followed by Holarctic (21%), Palearctic (6%), and Oceanian (2%) forms; breeding taxa are even more heavily weighted toward Beringian (46%) and Nearctic (40%) forms. The Shumagins have few breeding waterfowl, other freshwater birds, and shorebirds and are not on important flyways for any of these groups, despite lying near important spring and fall staging areas on the nearby Alaska Peninsula. The seabird and terrestrial avifaunas are diverse and similar to those in nearby areas, especially the eastern Aleutians. Populations of several seabird species in the Shumagins have declined substantially over the last 40 years. Two terrestrial species, the Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) and Pine Grosbeak (Pinicola enucleator), have expanded their breeding ranges into this area, and breeding distributions of some terrestrial birds in the outer Shumagins appear to be changing. Changes in range or breeding status have been caused, at least in part, by predation by introduced foxes, overgrazing by introduced cattle degrading already limited habitat, and the introduction of ground squirrels.
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Lehman, Paul. "Birds Of The Aleutian Islands, Alaska." Wilson Journal of Ornithology 120, no. 2 (June 2008): 425–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.1676/0043-5643(2008)120[425:botaia]2.0.co;2.
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Hupp, Jerry W., Joel A. Schmutz, and Craig R. Ely. "The Annual Migration Cycle of Emperor Geese in Western Alaska." ARCTIC 61, no. 1 (March 1, 2009): 23. http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic4.
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Most emperor geese (Chen canagica) nest in a narrow coastal region of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) in western Alaska, but their winter distribution extends more than 3000 km from Kodiak Island, Alaska, to the Commander Islands, Russia. We marked 53 adult female emperor geese with satellite transmitters on the YKD in 1999, 2002, and 2003 to examine whether chronology of migration or use of seasonal habitats differed among birds that wintered in different regions. Females that migrated relatively short distances (650–1010 km) between the YKD and winter sites on the south side of the Alaska Peninsula bypassed autumn staging areas on the Bering Sea coast of the Alaska Peninsula or used them for shorter periods (mean = 57 days) than birds that made longer migrations (1600–2640 km) to the western Aleutian Islands (mean = 97 days). Alaska Peninsula migrants spent more days at winter sites (mean = 172 days, 95% CI: 129–214 days) than western Aleutian Island migrants (mean = 91 days, 95% CI: 83–99 days). Birds that migrated 930–1610 km to the eastern Aleutian Islands spent intermediate intervals at fall staging (mean = 77 days) and wintering areas (mean = 108 days, 95% CI: 95–119 days). Return dates to the YKD did not differ among birds that wintered in different regions. Coastal staging areas on the Alaska Peninsula may be especially important in autumn to prepare Aleutian migrants physiologically for long-distance migration to winter sites, and in spring to enable emperor geese that migrate different distances to reach comparable levels of condition before nesting.
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Kwan, Patrick S. L., Catherine Xavier, Monica Santovenia, Janet Pruckler, Steven Stroika, Kevin Joyce, Tracie Gardner, et al. "Multilocus Sequence Typing Confirms Wild Birds as the Source of a Campylobacter Outbreak Associated with the Consumption of Raw Peas." Applied and Environmental Microbiology 80, no. 15 (May 16, 2014): 4540–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1128/aem.00537-14.
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ABSTRACTFrom August to September 2008, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) assisted the Alaska Division of Public Health with an outbreak investigation of campylobacteriosis occurring among the residents of Southcentral Alaska. During the investigation, pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) ofCampylobacter jejuniisolates from human, raw pea, and wild bird fecal samples confirmed the epidemiologic link between illness and the consumption of raw peas contaminated by sandhill cranes for 15 of 43 epidemiologically linked human isolates. However, an association between the remaining epidemiologically linked human infections and the pea and wild bird isolates was not established. To better understand the molecular epidemiology of the outbreak,C. jejuniisolates (n= 130; 59 from humans, 40 from peas, and 31 from wild birds) were further characterized by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Here we present the molecular evidence to demonstrate the association of many more humanC. jejuniinfections associated with the outbreak with raw peas and wild bird feces. Among all sequence types (STs) identified, 26 of 39 (67%) were novel and exclusive to the outbreak. Five clusters of overlapping STs (n= 32 isolates; 17 from humans, 2 from peas, and 13 from wild birds) were identified. In particular, cluster E (n= 7 isolates; ST-5049) consisted of isolates from humans, peas, and wild birds. Novel STs clustered closely with isolates typically associated with wild birds and the environment but distinct from lineages commonly seen in human infections. Novel STs and alleles recovered from human outbreak isolates allowed additional infections caused by these rare genotypes to be attributed to the contaminated raw peas.
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Mason, D. D., P. S. Barboza, and D. H. Ward. "Mass dynamics of wintering Pacific Black Brant: body, adipose tissue, organ, and muscle masses vary with location." Canadian Journal of Zoology 85, no. 6 (June 2007): 728–36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z07-050.
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We compared body size and mass of the whole body, organs, adipose tissue, and muscles of adult Pacific Black Brant ( Branta bernicla nigricans (Lawrence, 1846)) collected concurrently in Alaska and Baja California during the fall, winter, and spring of 2002–2003. Head and tarsal lengths of males were similar between sites and slightly larger for females in Alaska than in Baja California. Brant appear to operate under similar physiological bounds, but patterns of nutrient allocation differ between sites. Birds wintering in Alaska lost similar amounts of adipose tissue during early winter as birds in Baja California gained during late winter before migration. Masses of the body, adipose tissue, and flight muscles during mid-winter were similar between sites. Seasonal adipose tissue deposition may, therefore, equally favor winter residency or long-distance migration. Gonad and liver masses increased in late winter for birds in Alaska but not for those in Baja California, suggesting birds wintering in Baja may delay reproductive development in favor of allocating reserves needed for migration. Phenotypic flexibility allows Brant to use widely divergent wintering sites. The wintering location of Brant likely depends more upon changes in environmental conditions and food availability, than upon physiological differences between the two wintering populations.
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Sharpe, Leslie. "Beak Disorder: A Sound and Sculpture Installation." Leonardo 51, no. 3 (June 2018): 287–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1162/leon_a_01535.
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This paper discusses Leslie Sharpe’s sound and sculpture installation project “Beak Disorder,” exhibited at Manizales, Columbia for Balance-Unbalance 2016. The work addresses how anthropogenic climate change may be affecting birds in the Pacific Northwest regions of Canada and the United States. “Beak Disorder” is a project that references an unexplained condition documented in birds in the Northwest of Canada and Alaska called “avian keratin disorder” where the bird’s beak becomes distorted and elongated. The work includes a series of 3D printed distorted beaks as well as a sound piece and web component.
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Savage, Susan E., T. Lee Tibbitts, Kristin A. Sesser, and Robb A. S. Kaler. "Inventory of Lowland-Breeding Birds on the Alaska Peninsula." Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 9, no. 2 (August 14, 2018): 637–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/082017-jfwm-070.
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Abstract We conducted the first systematic inventory of birds in the lowlands (areas ≤100 m above sea level) of the Alaska Peninsula during summers of 2004–2007 to determine their breeding distributions and habitat associations in this remote region. Using a stratified random survey design, we allocated sample plots by elevation and land cover with a preference for wetland cover types used by shorebirds, a group of particular interest to land managers. We surveyed birds during 10-min counts at 792 points across 52, 5 km × 5 km sample plots distributed from south of the Naknek River (58.70°N,157.00°W) to north of Port Moller (56.00°N,160.52°W). We detected 95 bird species including 19 species of shorebirds and 34 species (36% of total) considered at the time to be of conservation concern for the land managers in the region. The most numerous shorebirds on point counts were dunlin Calidris alpina, short-billed dowitcher Limnodromus griseus, and Wilson's snipe Gallinago delicata. We found the breeding-season endemic marbled godwit Limosa fedoa beringiae at 20 plots within a 3,000-km2 area from north of Ugashik Bay to just north of Port Heiden and east to the headwaters of the Dog Salmon and Ugashik rivers. The most abundant passerines on point counts were American tree sparrow Spizelloides arborea, Lapland longspur Calcarius lapponicus, and savannah sparrow Passerculus sandwichensis. Sandhill crane Antigone canadensis, glaucous-winged gull Larus glaucescens, and greater scaup Aythya marila were also relatively abundant. We categorized habitat associations for 30 common species and found that lowland herbaceous vegetation supported wetland-focused species including sandhill crane, marbled godwit, short-billed dowitcher, and dunlin; whereas, dwarf shrub-ericaceous vegetation supported tundra-associated species such as willow ptarmigan Lagopus lagopus, rock sandpiper Calidris ptilocnemis, and American pipit Anthus rubescens. Tall shrub vegetation was important to several species of warblers and sparrows, as well as one species of shorebird (greater yellowlegs Tringa melanoleuca). We found that point counts augmented with incidental observations provided an almost complete inventory of lowland-breeding species on the study area. These data form a baseline to monitor any future changes in bird distribution and abundance on the Alaska Peninsula.
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Matsuoka, Steven M., Colleen M. Handel, and Daniel R. Ruthrauff. "Densities of breeding birds and changes in vegetation in an Alaskan boreal forest following a massive disturbance by spruce beetles." Canadian Journal of Zoology 79, no. 9 (September 1, 2001): 1678–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z01-130.
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We examined bird and plant communities among forest stands with different levels of spruce mortality following a large outbreak of spruce beetles (Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby)) in the Copper River Basin, Alaska. Spruce beetles avoided stands with black spruce (Picea mariana) and selectively killed larger diameter white spruce (Picea glauca), thereby altering forest structure and increasing the dominance of black spruce in the region. Alders (Alnus sp.) and crowberry (Empetrum nigrum) were more abundant in areas with heavy spruce mortality, possibly a response to the death of overstory spruce. Grasses and herbaceous plants did not proliferate as has been recorded following outbreaks in more coastal Alaskan forests. Two species closely tied to coniferous habitats, the tree-nesting Ruby-crowned Kinglet (Regulus calendula) and the red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus), a major nest predator, were less abundant in forest stands with high spruce mortality than in low-mortality stands. Understory-nesting birds as a group were more abundant in forest stands with high levels of spruce mortality, although the response of individual bird species to tree mortality was variable. Birds breeding in stands with high spruce mortality likely benefited reproductively from lower squirrel densities and a greater abundance of shrubs to conceal nests from predators.
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Zaifman, Jay, Daoyang Shan, Ahmet Ay, and Ana Gabriela Jimenez. "Shifts in Bird Migration Timing in North American Long-Distance and Short-Distance Migrants Are Associated with Climate Change." International Journal of Zoology 2017 (2017): 1–9. http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2017/6025646.
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Bird migration is a synchronized event that has evolved over thousands of years. Changing temperatures due to climate change threaten the intricacies of migration timing for birds; however, the extent of these changes has only recently begun to be addressed. Utilizing data from the citizen-science website eBird and historical temperature data, we analyzed bird migration timing in two states warming quickly (Alaska and Maine) and one warming gradually (South Carolina). Using linear regressions, we looked at relationships between different temperature indices and year with bird migration timing from 2010 to 2016. Bird migration through all three states, regardless of warming rate, showed similar rates of alterations. Additionally, in every state over half of the birds that had altered migration timing were long-distance migrants. Furthermore, we performed feature selection to determine important factors for changing migration timing of birds. Changes to summer resident and transient bird migration were most influenced by state. In winter resident migration, departure date and length of stay were most influenced by maximum temperature, while arrival date was most associated with minimum temperature. Relationships between changing temperatures and migration timing suggest that global climate change may have consequential effects on all bird migration patterns throughout the United States.
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Stonehouse, Bernard. "Birds Of Alaska - Birds of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska. Kessel, Brina. Fairbanks, University of Alaska Press. 330 p, illustrated, hard cover. ISBN 0-912006-29-3. US$36.95." Polar Record 26, no. 156 (January 1990): 62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0032247400022956.
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Andres, Brad A., Matt J. Stotts, and Julie M. Stotts. "BREEDING BIRDS OF RESEARCH NATURAL AREAS IN SOUTHEASTERN ALASKA." Northwestern Naturalist 85, no. 3 (December 2004): 95–103. http://dx.doi.org/10.1898/1051-1733(2005)085[0095:bborna]2.0.co;2.
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Petersen, Margaret R., Douglas N. Weir, and Matthew H. Dick. "Birds of the Kilbuck and Ahklun Mountain Region, Alaska." North American Fauna 76 (December 1991): 1–158. http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/nafa.76.0001.
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Stuyck, Claire M., Paul B. Leonard, Gerald V. Frost, Michelle L. S. Lake, and Jeffrey D. Walters. "Update on the Status and Breeding Phenology of the Timberline Sparrow (Spizella breweri taverneri) in Alaska." Western Birds 52, no. 3 (August 2, 2021): 252–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.21199/wb52.3.5.
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In July 2020 we located 10 singing Timberline Sparrows [Spizella (breweri) taverneri] in the region of Gold Hill, Nutzotin Mountains, east-central Alaska. All birds were on southeast-facing slopes in the ecotone between subalpine scrub and alpine tundra, to which habitat breeding Timberline Sparrows seem narrowly confined. The population’s estimated density of 0.77 birds/km2 was similar to that at the time of its discovery in 1994. We located the first active nest of the Timberline Sparrow reported for Alaska, ~0.3 m above the ground in a shrubby resin birch (Betula glandulosa). An observation of young fledged on 11 or 12 July 2020 implies egg laying in the third week of June, later than the beginning of the breeding season of Spizella (breweri) breweri.
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Warnock, Nils, John Y. Takekawa, and Mary Anne Bishop. "Migration and stopover strategies of individual Dunlin along the Pacific coast of North America." Canadian Journal of Zoology 82, no. 11 (November 1, 2004): 1687–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z04-154.
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We radio-marked 18 Dunlin, Calidris alpina (L., 1758), at San Francisco Bay, California, and 11 Dunlin at Grays Harbor, Washington, and relocated 90% of them along the 4200 km long coastline from north of San Francisco Bay to the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. The Copper River Delta, Alaska, was the single most important stopover site, with 79% of the marked birds detected there. Our second most important site was the Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor complex of wetlands in Washington. The mean length of stay past banding sites ranged from 1.0 to 3.8 days. Controlling for date of departure, birds banded at San Francisco Bay had higher rates of travel to the Copper River Delta than those banded at Grays Harbor. The later a bird left a capture site, the faster it traveled to the Copper River Delta. Length of stay at the Copper River Delta was inversely related to arrival date. We did not find any effect of sex on travel rate or length of stay. Combining the results of this study with our previous work on Western Sandpipers, Calidris mauri (Cabanis, 1875), reveals variation of migration strategies used within and among shorebird species along the eastern Pacific Flyway.
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Divoky, G. J., D. C. Douglas, and I. J. Stenhouse. "Arctic sea ice a major determinant in Mandt's black guillemot movement and distribution during non-breeding season." Biology Letters 12, no. 9 (September 2016): 20160275. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2016.0275.
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Mandt's black guillemot ( Cepphus grylle mandtii ) is one of the few seabirds associated in all seasons with Arctic sea ice, a habitat that is changing rapidly. Recent decreases in summer ice have reduced breeding success and colony size of this species in Arctic Alaska. Little is known about the species' movements and distribution during the nine month non-breeding period (September–May), when changes in sea ice extent and composition are also occurring and predicted to continue. To examine bird movements and the seasonal role of sea ice to non-breeding Mandt's black guillemots, we deployed and recovered ( n = 45) geolocators on individuals at a breeding colony in Arctic Alaska during 2011–2015. Black guillemots moved north to the marginal ice zone (MIZ) in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas immediately after breeding, moved south to the Bering Sea during freeze-up in December, and wintered in the Bering Sea January–April. Most birds occupied the MIZ in regions averaging 30–60% sea ice concentration, with little seasonal variation. Birds regularly roosted on ice in all seasons averaging 5 h d −1 , primarily at night. By using the MIZ, with its roosting opportunities and associated prey, black guillemots can remain in the Arctic during winter when littoral waters are completely covered by ice.
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Suydam, Robert S., D. Lynne Dickson, Janey B. Fadely, and Lori T. Quakenbush. "Population Declines of King and Common Eiders of the Beaufort Sea." Condor 102, no. 1 (February 1, 2000): 219–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/102.1.219.
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Abstract King (Somateria spectabilis) and Common Eiders (S. mollissima v-nigra) wintering off western North America migrate past Point Barrow, Alaska and across the Beaufort Sea to nest in northern Alaska and northwestern Canada. Migration counts were conducted by various researchers at Point Barrow during 1953, 1970, 1976, 1987, 1994, and 1996. We examined population trends by standardizing the analysis of the migration counts in all years. Based on this standardized procedure, the King Eider population appeared to remain stable between 1953 and 1976 but declined by 56% (or 3.9% year−1) from approximately 802,556 birds in 1976 to about 350,835 in 1996. The Common Eider population declined by 53% (or 3.6% year−1) from approximately 156,081 birds in 1976 to about 72,606 in 1996. Reasons for the declines are unknown.
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Benson, Anna-Marie, and Kevin Winker. "Timing of Breeding Range Occupancy Among High-latitude Passerine Migrants." Auk 118, no. 2 (April 1, 2001): 513–19. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/auk/118.2.513.
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Abstract The brief subarctic summer limits the time available for birds to complete their reproductive activities, yet the temporal requirements of high-latitude passerine migrants are not well understood. Our analyses examined the timing of spring and autumn migration among 18 passerine species to obtain indirect estimates of the time they occupy their breeding ranges in northwestern North America. From 1992 to 1998, the Alaska Bird Observatory (64°50′N, 147°50′W) banded 31,698 individuals during the most intensive standardized mist-netting study ever conducted in subarctic North America. Among the migrants examined, the estimated number of days that species were present in interior Alaska ranged from 48 days for adult Alder Flycatchers (Empidonax alnorum) to 129 days for American Robins (Turdus migratorius). Adults departed significantly later in autumn than immatures in 10 of 18 species we examined and significantly earlier than immatures in only one species, Alder Flycatcher. Breeding range occupancy of Nearctic–Neotropic migrants occurs in this region within the range of average frost-free temperatures in Fairbanks, Alaska, and is significantly shorter in duration than among Nearctic–Nearctic (“short-distance”) migrants at this latitude.
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Hutmacher, W. J., and R. Rodriguez. "Challenges Associated with Oil Spill Response in Remote Regions of Western Alaska." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2001, no. 1 (March 1, 2001): 209–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2001-1-209.
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ABSTRACT Western Alaska is, to say the least, remote. The area is vast, unforgiving at times, and notorious for offering rugged coastlines, severe weather conditions, and home to numerous species of birds, marine and terrestrial mammals, and fish. To get an understanding of the size of this state, Alaska spans about 20 degrees of latitude (1,200 miles) and more than 45 degrees of longitude (2,700 miles). The coastline area runs from Cape Puget in the Gulf of Alaska to the Alaska Peninsula, to the Aleutian Islands thence north to Barrow including, the Bering and Chukchi Seas, and thence east through the Beaufort Sea to the U.S.-Canada border. Traveling north to south, the region is classified as arctic, subarctic, or marine coastal. This paper will discuss the challenges faced by federal, state, and local agencies, and responders while responding to vessel casualties in the remote regions of Alaska. The geographic area of the state this paper will focus on is known as Western Alaska and is composed of the Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, the islands of Bristol Bay, and Pribilof Islands. The bodies of water surrounding Western Alaska are the Gulf of Alaska, North Pacific Ocean, Bristol Bay, and Bering Sea.
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Dau, Christian P. "Birds in Nearshore Waters of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska." Murrelet 68, no. 1 (1987): 12. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3535045.
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BART, JONATHAN, ROBERT M. PLATTE, BRAD ANDRES, STEPHEN BROWN, JAMES A. JOHNSON, and WILLIAM LARNED. "Importance of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska for Aquatic Birds." Conservation Biology 27, no. 6 (August 12, 2013): 1304–12. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.12133.
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Winker, Kevin, Kevin G. McCracken, Daniel D. Gibson, Christin L. Pruett, Rose Meier, Falk Huettmann, Michael Wege, et al. "Movements of Birds and Avian Influenza from Asia into Alaska." Emerging Infectious Diseases 13, no. 4 (April 2007): 547–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.3201/eid1304.061072.
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Ramey, Andrew M., Jorge Hernandez, Veronica Tyrlöv, Brian D. Uher-Koch, Joel A. Schmutz, Clara Atterby, Josef D. Järhult, and Jonas Bonnedahl. "Antibiotic-Resistant Escherichia coli in Migratory Birds Inhabiting Remote Alaska." EcoHealth 15, no. 1 (December 11, 2017): 72–81. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10393-017-1302-5.
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Taylor, Audrey, Mary Anne Bishop, Anne Schaefer, Ron Porter, and Kristine Sowl. "Using Geolocator Data to Address Changes in Migration Patterns for Black Turnstone." Animal Migration 9, no. 1 (January 1, 2022): 1–13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ami-2022-0118.
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Abstract Black Turnstone is an obligate Pacific coast shorebird that is included as a “Species of High Concern” in both the U.S. and Alaska Shorebird Conservation Plans. Specific migration routes for this species are not well understood, which makes its recent disappearance at a major spring stopover site, northern Montague Island in Prince William Sound, Alaska, difficult to interpret. We tracked 23 Black Turnstones between breeding and wintering areas and examined migration timing, duration, and routes used. We identified two high-use regions during migration: 1) Cook Inlet/Shelikof Strait, Alaska, and 2) the Haida Gwaii Archipelago in British Columbia/Alexander Archipelago in southeastern Alaska. This second region was also an important wintering area. We found that northbound migration was longer than southbound (the reverse of what is often observed in shorebirds) and that staging behavior was primarily seen during northbound migration. No birds were tracked to northern Montague Island, and only a few individuals stopped anywhere in Prince William Sound. Alterations in patterns of spring herring spawn in Prince William Sound may be affecting the routes and stopovers used by Black Turnstones, and birds may be wintering farther north in recent decades due to warmer winter conditions. Additionally, the increasing availability and popularity of citizen science efforts like eBird has created a mechanism for disseminating observations from less accessible parts of the Black Turnstone range, a fact which may confound our understanding of whether migration routes for this species have changed over the last 30 years.
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Schock, Wade G., Julian B. Fischer, Craig R. Ely, Robert A. Stehn, Jeffrey M. Welker, and Douglas Causey. "Variation in Age Ratio of Midcontinent Greater White-Fronted Geese During Fall Migration." Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 9, no. 1 (February 2, 2018): 340–47. http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/112015-jfwm-117.
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Abstract Annual productivity is an important parameter for the management of waterfowl populations. Fall age ratio (juveniles:total birds) is an index of productivity of the preceding breeding season. However, differences in the timing of migration between family groups and nonbreeding birds may bias age-ratio estimates. We examined temporal variation in age ratios of midcontinent greater white-fronted geese Anser albifrons frontalis from interior and northwestern Alaska at a northern autumn staging area near Delta Junction, Alaska. Photographic sampling conducted near Delta Junction resulted in an annual age ratio of 0.388 ± 0.004 (mean ± SE) in 2010 and 0.390 ± 0.001 in 2011. Our study demonstrated temporal variation in age ratios over the duration of the migration period during August and September. We recommend that sampling be conducted for 3-d periods at the beginning, middle, and end of the migration period to account for temporal variation in migration of family groups.
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Amundson, Courtney L., Colleen M. Handel, Daniel R. Ruthrauff, T. Lee Tibbitts, and Robert E. Gill. "Montane-breeding Bird Distribution and Abundance Across National Parks of Southwestern Alaska." Journal of Fish and Wildlife Management 9, no. 1 (March 22, 2018): 180–207. http://dx.doi.org/10.3996/062017-jfwm-050.
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Abstract Between 2004 and 2008, biologists conducted an inventory of breeding birds during May–June primarily in montane areas (>100 m above sea level) of Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve (Aniakchak NMP), Katmai National Park and Preserve (Katmai NPP), and Lake Clark National Park and Preserve (Lake Clark NPP) in southwestern Alaska. Observers conducted 1,021 point counts along 169 transects within 63 10-km × 10-km plots that were randomly selected and stratified by ecological subsection. We created hierarchical N-mixture models to estimate detection probability and abundance for 15 species, including 12 passerines, 2 galliforms, and 1 shorebird. We first modeled detection probability relative to observer, date within season, and proportion of dense vegetation cover around the point, then modeled abundance as a function of land cover composition (proportion of seven coarse-scale land cover types) within 300 m of the survey point. Land cover relationships varied widely among species but most showed selection for low to tall shrubs (0.2–5 m tall) and an avoidance of alpine and dwarf shrub–herbaceous cover types. After adjusting for species not observed, we estimated a minimum of 107 ± 9 species bred in the areas surveyed within the three parks combined. Species richness was negatively associated with elevation and associated land cover types. At comparable levels of survey effort (n = 721 birds detected), species richness was greatest in Lake Clark NPP (75 ± 12 species), lowest in Aniakchak NMP (45 ± 6 species), and intermediate at Katmai NPP (59 ± 10 species). Species richness was similar at equivalent survey effort (n = 973 birds detected) within the Lime Hills, Alaska Range, and Alaska Peninsula ecoregions (68 ± 8; 79 ± 11; 67 ± 11, respectively). Species composition was similar across all three parks and across the three major ecoregions (Alaska Range, Alaska Peninsula, Lime Hills) that encompass them. Our results provide baseline estimates of relative abundance and models of abundance and species richness relative to land cover that can be used to assess future changes in avian distribution. Additionally, these subarctic montane parks may serve as signals of landscape change and barometers for the assessment of population and distributional changes as a result of warming temperatures and changing precipitation patterns.
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Bergmann, Pamela, and Nick Russo. "JOINT CANADA/UNITED STATES WILDLIFE RESPONSE PLANNING: DIXON ENTRANCE." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 2001, no. 2 (March 1, 2001): 1327–32. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-2001-2-1327.
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ABSTRACT Neither wildlife nor oil spills acknowledge international boundaries. Both migratory birds and marine mammals move freely between Alaska in the United States and British Columbia in Canada, in the international boundary area known as Dixon Entrance in the North Pacific Ocean. An oil spill on one side of the border may be carried by winds and/or currents into the waters of the adjacent country. Recognition of these facts resulted in the development of the Canada/United States Joint Marine Pollution Contingency Plan, which was signed by the Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) and U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) in 1974. Annexes were subsequently prepared for five transboundary areas, including Dixon Entrance. Following the promulgation of these annexes, joint exercises have been held to enhance annex implementation. In September 1999, at the request of the USCG and CCG, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Alaska Office of Environmental Policy and Compliance (DOI-OEPC) took the lead in organizing and chairing a workshop to discuss issues associated with wildlife response activities for oil spills that cross the Canada/United States border in Dixon Entrance. The workshop was held in Prince Rupert, British Columbia as part of a 4-day joint meeting. Workshop participants included representatives from key U.S. federal and Alaska State wildlife resource agencies, Canadian federal wildlife resource agencies, oil spill cooperatives for Southeast Alaska and British Columbia, and the USCG. Wildlife resource agency representatives participating in the workshop reached consensus that the goal of wildlife protection is to make decisions based on what is best for the wildlife resources and then to determine how the goal can be accomplished within the constraints of each countries regulatory process. Agreement was reached to form a Canada/United States working group to develop a joint wildlife response plan. The plan, which will focus on migratory birds and sea otters, will address issues associated with the removal of dead oiled wildlife from the environment, hazing of unoiled wildlife, preemptive capture of sea otters, and capture and treatment of oiled migratory birds and sea otters. A draft plan will be developed prior to a September 2000, Canada/U.S. Dixon Entrance (CANUSDIX) joint meeting, which will be held in Ketchikan, Alaska.
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Gill, Robert E., Theunis Piersma, Gary Hufford, Rene Servranckx, and Adrian Riegen. "Crossing the Ultimate Ecological Barrier: Evidence for an 11 000-km-Long Nonstop Flight from Alaska to New Zealand and Eastern Australia by Bar-Tailed Godwits." Condor 107, no. 1 (February 1, 2005): 1–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/107.1.1.
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AbstractPopulations of the Bar-tailed Godwit (Limosa lapponica; Scolopacidae) embark on some of the longest migrations known among birds. The baueri race breeds in western Alaska and spends the nonbreeding season a hemisphere away in New Zealand and eastern Australia; the menzbieri race breeds in Siberia and migrates to western and northern Australia. Although the Siberian birds are known to follow the coast of Asia during both migrations, the southern pathway followed by the Alaska breeders has remained unknown. Two questions have particular ecological importance: (1) do Alaska godwits migrate directly across the Pacific, a distance of 11 000 km? and (2) are they capable of doing this in a single flight without stopping to rest or refuel? We explored six lines of evidence to answer these questions. The distribution of resightings of marked birds of the baueri and menzbieri races was significantly different between northward and southward flights with virtually no marked baueri resighted along the Asian mainland during southward migration. The timing of southward migration of the two races further indicates the absence of a coastal Asia route by baueri with peak passage of godwits in general occurring there a month prior to the departure of most birds from Alaska. The use of a direct route across the Pacific is also supported by significantly more records of godwits reported from within a direct migration corridor than elsewhere in Oceania, and during the September to November period than at other times of the year. The annual but rare occurrence of Hudsonian Godwits (L. haemastica) in New Zealand and the absence of their records along the Asian mainland also support a direct flight and are best explained by Hudsonian Godwits accompanying Bar-tailed Godwits from known communal staging areas in Alaska. Flight simulation models, extreme fat loads, and the apparent evolution of a wind-selected migration from Alaska further support a direct, nonstop flight.Atravesando la Barrera Ecológica Final: Evidencia de un Vuelo sin Escala de 11 000 km de Longitud desde Alaska a Nueva Zelanda y el Este de Australia por Limosa lapponicaResumen. Las poblaciones de Limosa lapponica (Scolopacidae) se embarcan en una de las migraciones más largas conocidas para aves. La raza baueri cría en el oeste de Alaska y pasa la estación no reproductiva a un hemisferio de distancia en Nueva Zelanda y el este de Australia; la raza menzbieri cría en Siberia y migra hacia el oeste y el norte de Australia. Aunque se sabe que las aves de Siberia siguen la costa de Asia durante ambas migraciones, la ruta meridional que siguen las aves reproductivas de Alaska ha permanecido desconocida. Dos preguntas tienen particular importancia ecológica: (1) ¿las aves de Alaska migran directamente a través de Pacífico, a lo largo de 11 000 km? y (2) ¿son capaces de hacerlo en un único vuelo sin parar a descansar y reabastecerse? Exploramos seis líneas de evidencia para responder a estas preguntas. La distribución de avistamientos de aves marcadas de las razas baueri y menzbieri fue significativamente diferente entre vuelos hacia el norte y el sur, sin que hubiera prácticamente un solo avistamiento de individuos marcados de baueri a lo largo del continente asiático durante la migración hacia el sur. El período de la migración hacia el sur de ambas razas indica la ausencia de una ruta costera asiática para baueri, con un pico en el paso de las aves ocurriendo allí un mes antes de la partida de la mayoría de las aves desde Alaska. El uso de una ruta directa a través del Pacífico también está avalado por un número significativamente mayor de aves reportadas para un corredor migratorio directo que para cualquier otro lugar de Oceanía, y para el período entre septiembre y noviembre que para otros momentos del año. La presencia anual, aunque rara, de L. haemastica en Nueva Zelanda y la ausencia de registros a lo largo del continente asiático también avalan la posibilidad de un vuelo directo y se explican mejor por el hecho de que L. haemastica acompaña a L. lapponica desde áreas de escala comunes en Alaska. Evidencia complementaria de un vuelo directo sin escalas está dada por modelos de simulación de vuelo, la gran acumulación de grasa en las aves y la aparente evolución de una migración seleccionada por el viento.
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Smith, Kimberly G., and Peter G. Connors. "Postbreeding habitat selection by shorebirds, water birds, and land birds at Barrow, Alaska: a multivariate analysis." Canadian Journal of Zoology 71, no. 8 (August 1, 1993): 1629–38. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z93-229.
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Habitat use by birds was studied at Barrow, Alaska, during the 1975–1978 postbreeding seasons, when birds moved from tundra breeding areas to coastal areas to feed prior to migration. Principal component analysis revealed three general habitat types used by birds: gravel beach, mudflat, and slough edge. Of four common shorebirds, red phalaropes (Phalaropus fulicaria) usually occurred along gravel beaches, semipalmated sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) and western sandpipers (Calidris mauri) occurred mostly on mudflats and slough edges, and dunlins (Calidris alpina) had an intermediate distribution. Considerable variation in habitat distribution existed among years, and similarity of distributions among species within years suggested that groups of species were influenced by common environmental factors. Gravel beaches were generally distinct from slough edges and mudflats, and two major groups of eight species each were found mainly on mudflats and slough edges or on gravel beach transects. However, habitat use by many species varied considerably among years, suggesting that birds assess local conditions within relatively small areas within habitats. Most species preferred either gravel beaches or mudflats and slough edges, but that may be modified by environmental factors including food availability.
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Gende, Scott M., and Mary F. Willson. "Passerine Densities in Riparian Forests of Southeast Alaska: Potential Effects of Anadromous Spawning Salmon." Condor 103, no. 3 (August 1, 2001): 624–29. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/103.3.624.
Full textAbstract:
AbstractSpawning salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) greatly influence many biotic processes in both the aquatic and terrestrial components of riparian systems, possibly including the community of breeding birds. In southeastern Alaska in 1996–1997, the riparian forests bordering salmon streams supported, on average, higher densities, but not diversity, of forest passerines compared to non-salmon streams. The presence of salmon in the fall increases the abundance of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates and possibly enhances food resources to riparian birds in the spring.Densidades de Aves Paserinas en Bosques Riparios del Sureste de Alaska: Efectos Potenciales del Desove de Salmones AnádromosResumen. El desove de salmones anádromos (Oncorhynchus spp.) ejerce una importante influencia sobre muchos procesos bióticos en los componentes acuáticos y terrestres de los sistemas ribereños, incluyendo posiblemente las comunidades de aves. Entre 1996 y 1997, los bosques riparios del sureste de Alaska ubicados alrededor de arroyos con salmones tuvieron en promedio mayores densidades (pero no mayor diversidad) de aves paserinas de bosque que bosques situados alrededor de arroyos sin salmones. La presencia de los salmones en el otoño incrementa la abundancia de invertebrados terrestres y acuáticos y posiblemente causa aumentos en la cantidad de recursos alimenticios disponibles para las aves ribereñas en la primavera.
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Hatch, Scott A., and Martha A. Hatch. "Components of breeding productivity in a marine bird community: key factors and concordance." Canadian Journal of Zoology 68, no. 8 (August 1, 1990): 1680–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z90-248.
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We estimated components of annual breeding productivity for eight species of marine birds on the Semidi Islands in the western Gulf of Alaska. Mortality of eggs and young, caused primarily by avian predators, accounted for most of the annual variation in productivity. Failure to produce eggs, clutch size variation, and the hatchability of eggs were generally less important. The stage of breeding at which annual productivity was most strongly regulated differed among species. In murres, chick-rearing success accounted for the largest share of annual variation in overall productivity, whereas incubation success was the key factor in fulmars, kittiwakes, and puffins. Although avian predators were the dominant proximate cause of egg and chick losses in some species, food supply seemed ultimately responsible for variation in all the major components of productivity. Concordance of productivity among species was low for the marine bird community as a whole, but selected pairs of species exhibited a greater tendency for high and low productivities to occur in the same years. Compared with the same or similar species outside Alaska, Semidi Islands birds were in one of three categories: (i) species whose productivity was about the same as reported from other areas (fulmars and gulls), (ii) species with comparatively low productivity (murres, puffins, kittiwakes), and (iii) species with similar mean productivity but greater annual variation (cormorants). These patterns suggest that specialized consumers of forage fish experienced food shortages at the Semidi Islands and that surface feeders were more severely affected than divers.
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Willson, Mary F., and Scott M. Gende. "Nesting Success of Forest Birds in Southeast Alaska and Adjacent Canada." Condor 102, no. 2 (May 1, 2000): 314–24. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/102.2.314.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract Predation caused 78% of nest failures in coastal forests of southeast Alaska and interior forests of adjacent Canada. Nest success tended to be better in coastal than interior forests. Mayfield daily nest survival from predation on open-cup nests was higher in egg than nestling phase for most species. Species building large (thrush-sized) nests had lower Mayfield daily survival from predation than species building smaller (warbler-sized) nests, but there was no difference in daily survival (total and from predation only) among species nesting in different vegetation strata. Nesting success differed little with nest cover or nest site diversity for most species. Total nest success within species was only sometimes higher in commonly used nest sites than in less frequently used sites. Nest survival from predation did not generally decrease with increasing nest density within guilds of species with similar nests or with nest-site similarity. We emphasize the likelihood of varied outcomes of natural selection on nest-site selection in differing circumstances.
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Irons, David B., Steven J. Kendall, Wallace P. Erickson, Lyman L. McDonald, and Brian K. Lance. "Nine Years After the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill: Effects on Marine Bird Populations in Prince William Sound, Alaska." Condor 102, no. 4 (November 1, 2000): 723–37. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/102.4.723.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract We compared post Exxon Valdez oil-spill densities of marine birds in Prince William Sound from 1989–1991, 1993, 1996, and 1998 to pre-spill densities from 1984–1985. Post-spill densities of several species of marine birds were lower than expected in the oiled area of Prince William Sound when compared to densities in the unoiled area. These negative effects continued through 1998 for five taxa: cormorants, goldeneyes, mergansers, Pigeon Guillemot (Cepphus columba), and murres. Black Oystercatchers (Haematopus bachmani) and Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) exhibited negative effects in 1990 and 1991. Loons showed a weak negative effect in 1993. Black-legged Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) showed relative decreases in 1989, 1996, and 1998 which may have been caused by shifts in foraging distribution rather than declines in populations. Glaucous-winged Gulls (Larus glaucescens) showed positive effects in most post-spill years. Murrelets and terns showed relative increases in 1993, 1996, and 1998. Generally, taxa that dive for their food were negatively affected, whereas taxa that feed at the surface were not. Effects for some taxa were dependent upon the spatial scale at which they were analyzed. Movements of birds and the mosaic pattern of oiling reduced our ability to detect oil-spill effects, therefore our results may be conservative. Several marine bird species were negatively affected at the population level and have not recovered to pre-spill levels nine years after the oil spill. The reason for lack of recovery may be related to persistent oil remaining in the environment and reduced forage fish abundance.
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Iverson, Samuel A., Daniel Esler, and Daniel J. Rizzolo. "Winter Philopatry of Harlequin Ducks in Prince William Sound, Alaska." Condor 106, no. 3 (August 1, 2004): 711–15. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/106.3.711.
Full textAbstract:
Abstract We used capture-mark-recapture data to assess winter philopatry by Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) in Prince William Sound, Alaska, during winters 1995–1997 and 2000–2001. Philopatry was quantified using homing rates, which were estimated as the proportion of birds recaptured at their original site out of all recaptured birds. Between-year homing rates of 0.95 (95% CI: 0.87–1.00) and 1.00 (0.92–1.00) were estimated for females and males, respectively, at three locations on Montague Island. Similar homing rates were measured in western Prince William Sound, where estimates were 0.92 (0.80–0.98) for females and 0.96 (0.79–1.00) for males, with a scale of detected movements for all recapture birds ranging from 3–52 km. Our results indicate that wintering aggregations may be demographically independent at a much finer spatial scale than genetic data indicate, and that conservation efforts should recognize this degree of demographic separation among population segments. Filopatría Invernal de Histrionicus histrionicus en Prince William Sound, Alaska Resumen. Utilizamos datos de marcaje y recaptura para determinar la filopatría de Histrionicus histrionicus en Prince William Sound, Alaska, durante los inviernos de 1995–1997 y 2000–2001. La filopatría fue cuantificada utilizando la tasa de retorno, estimada a partir de la proporción del total de aves capturadas que se recapturaron en su sitio original. Las tasas de retorno entre años, estimadas en tres localidades en la isla Montague, fueron de 0.95 (95% IC: 0.87–1.00) y 1.00 (0.92–1.00) para hembras y machos, respectivamente. En Prince William Sound se midieron tasas de retorno similares, donde las estimaciones fueron 0.92 (0.80– 0.98) para las hembras y 0.96 (0.79–1.00) para los machos, y para todas las aves recapturadas se detectó una escala de movimiento entre 3 y 52 km. Nuestros resultados indican que las agrupaciones de invierno pueden ser demográficamente independientes a una escala espacial mucho más fina de lo que los datos genéticos indican, y que los esfuerzos de conservación deberían reconocer este grado de separación demográ fica entre segmentos de poblaciones.
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Alerstam, Thomas, Johan Bäckman, Gudmundur A. Gudmundsson, Anders Hedenström, Sara S. Henningsson, Håkan Karlsson, Mikael Rosén, and Roine Strandberg. "A polar system of intercontinental bird migration." Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 274, no. 1625 (August 7, 2007): 2523–30. http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2007.0633.
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Studies of bird migration in the Beringia region of Alaska and eastern Siberia are of special interest for revealing the importance of bird migration between Eurasia and North America, for evaluating orientation principles used by the birds at polar latitudes and for understanding the evolutionary implications of intercontinental migratory connectivity among birds as well as their parasites. We used tracking radar placed onboard the ice-breaker Oden to register bird migratory flights from 30 July to 19 August 2005 and we encountered extensive bird migration in the whole Beringia range from latitude 64° N in Bering Strait up to latitude 75° N far north of Wrangel Island, with eastward flights making up 79% of all track directions. The results from Beringia were used in combination with radar studies from the Arctic Ocean north of Siberia and in the Beaufort Sea to make a reconstruction of a major Siberian–American bird migration system in a wide Arctic sector between longitudes 110° E and 130° W, spanning one-third of the entire circumpolar circle. This system was estimated to involve more than 2 million birds, mainly shorebirds, terns and skuas, flying across the Arctic Ocean at mean altitudes exceeding 1 km (maximum altitudes 3–5 km). Great circle orientation provided a significantly better fit with observed flight directions at 20 different sites and areas than constant geographical compass orientation. The long flights over the sea spanned 40–80 degrees of longitude, corresponding to distances and durations of 1400–2600 km and 26–48 hours, respectively. The birds continued from this eastward migration system over the Arctic Ocean into several different flyway systems at the American continents and the Pacific Ocean. Minimization of distances between tundra breeding sectors and northerly stopover sites, in combination with the Beringia glacial refugium and colonization history, seemed to be important for the evolution of this major polar bird migration system.
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Piatt, John F., David C. Douglas, Mayumi L. Arimitsu, Michelle L. Kissling, Erica N. Madison, Sarah K. Schoen, Kathy J. Kuletz, and Gary S. Drew. "Kittlitz’s Murrelet Seasonal Distribution and Post-breeding Migration from the Gulf of Alaska to the Arctic Ocean." ARCTIC 74, no. 4 (January 18, 2022): 482–95. http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic73992.
Full textAbstract:
Kittlitz’s Murrelets (Brachyramphus brevirostris) nest during summer in glaciated or recently deglaciated (post-Wisconsin) landscapes. They forage in adjacent marine waters, especially those influenced by glacial meltwater. Little is known of their movements and distribution outside the breeding season. To identify post-breeding migrations of murrelets, we attached satellite transmitters to birds (n = 47) captured at sea in the Gulf of Alaska and Aleutian Islands during May – July 2009 – 15 and tracked 27 birds that migrated from capture areas. Post-breeding murrelets migrated toward the Bering Sea, with short periods of movement (median 2 d) separated by short stopovers (median 1 d). Travel speeds averaged 79.4 km d-1 (83.5 SD, 449.1 maximum). Five Kittlitz’s Murrelets tagged in Prince William Sound in May migrated to the Bering Sea by August and four continued north to the Arctic Ocean, logging 2500 – 4000 km of travel. Many birds spent 2‒3 weeks with little movement along coasts of the Alaska Peninsula or eastern Bering Sea during late August through September, also the pre-basic molt period. Ship-based surveys, many of which were conducted concurrently with our telemetry studies, confirmed that substantial numbers of Kittlitz’s Murrelets migrate into the Arctic Ocean during autumn. They also revealed that some birds spend winter and spring in the Bering Sea in association with ice-edge, polynya, or marginal ice zone habitats before returning to summer breeding grounds. We conclude that this species is best characterized as a sub-Arctic and Arctic species, which has implications for future risk assessments and threat mitigation.
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Stone, Karen D., and Joseph A. Cook. "Phylogeography of black bears (Ursus americanus) of the Pacific Northwest." Canadian Journal of Zoology 78, no. 7 (July 1, 2000): 1218–23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z00-042.
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Phylogeographic study across codistributed taxa provides temporal and spatial perspectives on the assemblage of communities. A repeated pattern of intraspecific diversification within several taxa of the Pacific Northwest has been documented, and we contribute additional information to this growing data set. We analyzed variation in two mitochondrial genes (cytochrome b and control region) for the black bear (Ursus americanus) and expand previous analyses of phylogeographic variation. Two lineages (coastal and continental) exist; the coastal lineage extends along the Pacific coast from the Takhin River north of Glacier Bay National Park, southeast Alaska, to northern California, whereas the continental lineage is more widespread, occurring from central Alaska to the east coast. Both lineages occur along the coast of southeast Alaska, where interlineage divergence ranged from 3.1 to 3.6% (uncorrected p distances). Multiple lineages of other species have also been identified from southeast Alaska, indicating a complex history for the assembly of biotic communities along the North Pacific coast. The overlapping of the distributions of the black bear lineages with those of other birds and mammals suggests comparable routes of colonization.
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Bergmann, Pamela Ann. "Implementation and Revision of the Wildlife Protection Guidelines for Alaska's Federal On-Scene Coordinators." International Oil Spill Conference Proceedings 1991, no. 1 (March 1, 1991): 137–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.7901/2169-3358-1991-1-137.
Full textAbstract:
ABSTRACT The Alaska Regional Response Team (RRT) established the Wildlife Protection Working Group in September 1987 to develop and maintain guidelines to assist Alaska's federal on-scene coordinators (OSC) in dealing with potential wildlife impacts resulting from oil spills. The working group is composed of representatives of four federal and state agencies and three special-interest groups. The guidelines, which were adopted by the Alaska RRT on December 14, 1988, address three response strategies: controlling the release and spread of oil to protect wildlife, keeping wildlife away from spills through the use of deterrent techniques, and attempting to capture and rehabilitate oiled wildlife. Since adoption by the Alaska RRT, the guidelines have been used in conjunction with response activities associated with the following spills: the Swallow diesel fuel and fuel oil spill near Dutch Harbor on February 27, 1989, the Exxon Valdez crude oil spill in Prince William Sound on March 24, 1989, and the Milos Reefer fuel oil and diesel fuel spill on St. Matthew Island on November 15, 1989. In the Swallow incident, protective booming, bird hazing, and bird capture and rehabilitation programs were conducted in accordance with the guidelines. In the Exxon Valdez incident, information in the guidelines was used to establish the sea otter rescue program and to begin implementation of the bird capture and rehabilitation program. In the Milos Reefer spill, the guidelines were used as the basis for a decision not to initiate a rescue program for birds oiled as a result of the vessel's grounding. In October 1989, the working group met to conduct a review of the guidelines based on experience gained through the Swallow and Exxon Valdez incidents. As a result of this meeting, seven principal additions have been proposed for the guidelines.
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Liebezeit, J. R., G. C. White, and S. Zack. "Breeding Ecology of Birds at Teshekpuk Lake: A Key Habitat Site on the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska." ARCTIC 64, no. 1 (March 9, 2011): 32. http://dx.doi.org/10.14430/arctic4078.
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">The Teshekpuk Lake Special Area in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A) currently has no long-term protection from oil development. In this study, we provide novel information on nest density, productivity, and habitat use at Teshekpuk relative to a developed oilfield site at Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, to assess the importance of Teshekpuk for tundra-nesting birds and to provide recommendations regarding potential oil development. Mean annual nest density of all bird species combined was significantly higher at Teshekpuk than at Prudhoe Bay and was higher than any of five other sites with comparable data on the Alaskan Arctic Coastal Plain. Nest densities were significantly higher at Teshekpuk than at Prudhoe Bay for Lapland longspurs (<em>Calcarius lapponicus</em>) and long-billed dowitchers (<em>Limnodromus scolopaceus</em>), although those for semipalmated sandpipers (<em>Calidris pusilla</em>) were higher at Prudhoe Bay. Total shorebird nest densities at Teshekpuk were among the highest of any sites in the region. At Teshekpuk, shorebirds nested preferentially in wet and emergent habitats, including flooded low-center polygons, non-patterned tundra, and <em>Carex aquatilis</em>-dominated habitats. Therefore, we recommend that future oil infrastructure placement in this region avoid these habitats. Using data collected at Teshekpuk and Prudhoe Bay from 2005 to 2008, we modeled nest survivorship for 11 shorebird species and for Lapland longspurs. For longspurs, the best-supported models based on AIC</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">c </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">values indicated that nest survival was always higher at Teshekpuk, but it was also higher elsewhere in years of high lemming abundance and later in the nesting season. For shorebirds, the best-supported models indicated that nest survivorship was highly variable among years and sites. Uniparental-nesting shorebirds had lower nest survivorship shortly after nest initiation followed by a rapid increase, while biparental survivorship was consistently high throughout the nest lifetime. We recommend that disturbances to nesting habitat be minimized during early June, when vulnerability to nest failure is higher. Because of their high importance to Arctic breeding birds, we recommend that areas within the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area, including our study area and those that are currently under 10-year deferral, be considered for permanent protection.</span>
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Riedman, Marianne L., and James A. Estes. "Predation on seabirds by sea otters." Canadian Journal of Zoology 66, no. 6 (June 1, 1988): 1396–402. http://dx.doi.org/10.1139/z88-205.
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Although rarely reported in the past, predation by sea otters (Enhydra lutris) on seabirds has been observed more frequently in the last decade. A total of 23 incidents of definite or probable predation on seabirds have been observed in California (20) and in Alaska at Amchitka Island (3). In California, the most commonly eaten species were western grebes, although cormorants, gulls, common loons, and surf scoters were also consumed. All cases of seabird predation in California have occurred in the northern part of the sea otter's range in three locations: Point Lobos, Stillwater Cove, and the Monterey harbor area. When sex could be determined, most of the otters observed feeding on seabirds were adult males. At one site, it appeared that the same individual repeatedly captured birds. Predation on seabirds is indicative of the sea otter's ability to learn new and innovative foraging tactics, and is consistent with a high degree of individual variation in diet observed among sea otters in Monterey. Sea otters initially capture birds by diving and grabbing them from underwater while the bird rests on the surface, in a manner similar to that employed by coastal river otters to capture seabirds. When mink, freshwater-inhabiting otters, and sea otters are compared, a graded reduction in the tendency to eat birds appears to occur in the more aquatic mustelids, with the relative importance of birds in the diet being greatest in mink and least in sea otters.
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Gill, Robert E., and Brina Kessel. "Birds of the Seward Peninsula, Alaska: Their Biogeography, Seasonality, and Natural History." Northwestern Naturalist 73, no. 2 (1992): 63. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3536694.
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Ramey, Andrew M., and Andrew B. Reeves. "Ecology of Influenza A Viruses in Wild Birds and Wetlands of Alaska." Avian Diseases 64, no. 2 (March 5, 2020): 109. http://dx.doi.org/10.1637/0005-2086-64.2.109.
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Cormier, Renée L., Diana L. Humple, Thomas Gardali, and Nathaniel E. Seavy. "Migratory connectivity of Golden-crowned Sparrows from two wintering regions in California." Animal Migration 3, no. 1 (August 26, 2016): 48–56. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/ami-2016-0005.
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AbstractKnowledge of migratory connectivity is critical to understanding the consequences of habitat loss and climate change on migratory species. We used light-level geolocators to determine breeding locations and migratory routes of wintering Golden-crowned Sparrows (Zonotrichia atricapilla) in two regions of California, USA. Eight out of 9 birds tagged at coastal-wintering sites in Marin County went to breeding sites along the Gulf Coast of Alaska, while 7 out of 8 inland-wintering birds in Placer County migrated to interior sites in the Yukon, Northwest Territories, and British Columbia, Canada. Our estimate of the strength of migratory connectivity was relatively high (rm = 0.66). Coastal-wintering birds followed a coastal migration route while inland-wintering birds migrated inland. Coastalwintering birds migrated significantly farther than inland birds (3,624 km versus 2,442 km). Coastal birds traveled at a greater rate during spring migration (179 km/d) than did inland birds (118 km/d), but there was no statistical difference in the rate of fall migration (167 km/d and 111 km/d, respectively). Dates of arrival and departure, and duration of spring and fall migration, did not differ between groups, nor did return rates. Rates of return also did not differ between tagged and control birds. The distinct migration routes and breeding areas suggests that there may be more structuring in the migratory geography of the Golden-crowned Sparrow than in a simple panmictic population.
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Braun, Clait E., William P. Taylor, Steven M. Ebbert, and Lisa M. Spitler. "Monitoring Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) populations in the Western Aleutian Islands, Alaska." Canadian Field-Naturalist 133, no. 1 (September 20, 2019): 49–55. http://dx.doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v133i1.1948.
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Knowledge of population fluctuations of Aleutian Islands Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus muta) is limited because of isolation and access. We reviewed the available but limited data on ptarmigan counts on islands in North America and evaluated the use of point counts to estimate changes in apparent numbers of Rock Ptarmigan on three islands (Adak, Amchitka, and Attu) in the Western Aleutian Islands in Alaska. We developed a standardized protocol to count numbers of Rock Ptarmigan (males and females) seen and/or heard on 5-minute point counts at 0.8 km intervals along marked global positioning system routes on Adak (2015–2017), Amchitka (2015), and Attu (2015) islands. Apparent densities based on Rock Ptarmigan seen and/or heard at 98 stops on 10 routes varied and were highest (1.9 birds per stop in 2015, 1.4 in 2016, and 1.0 in 2017) on Adak, lower (0.4 birds per stop) on Amchitka, and lowest (0.0 birds per stop) on Attu in late May–early June 2015. These island populations represent three subspecies and unique conservation units. Continuation of point-count surveys of these three subspecies in future years will provide baseline data over time and lead to a better understanding of any fluctuations in and synchrony among Rock Ptarmigan populations on these islands. This information is necessary for both theoretical (how are ptarmigan breeding populations regulated on islands) and practical reasons (identifying the optimal period for possible translocation to islands where ptarmigan were extirpated by introduced Arctic Fox [Vulpes lagopus]).
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Petersen, Margaret R., and Paul L. Flint. "Population Structure of Pacific Common Eiders Breeding in Alaska." Condor 104, no. 4 (November 1, 2002): 780–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/condor/104.4.780.
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Abstract We used satellite telemetry to study the migration routes and wintering areas of two allopatric breeding populations of Pacific Common Eiders (Somateria mollissimav-nigrum) in Alaska: the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, and the western Beaufort Sea coast. Only 6% (2 of 36) of females wintered within the wintering area of the other breeding population. Both breeding populations wintered in the closest available ice-free habitat, perhaps to minimize migratory distance. Two Beaufort Sea females wintered in areas used by Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta females, implying potential gene flow among breeding areas. Yet, we conclude that these two populations are largely geographically isolated throughout the annual cycle and the environmental factors influencing survival and reproduction likely differ between these groups of birds. Thus, regardless of the potential gene flow among breeding populations, we suggest that birds from these two breeding areas should be managed as separate populations. Estructura Poblacional Reproductiva de Somateria mollissimav-nigrum en Alaska Resumen. Usamos telemetría satelital para estudiar las rutas de migración y áreas de invernada de dos poblaciones alopáticas reproductivas de Somateria mollissimav-nigrum en Alaska: la del Delta Yukon-Kuskokwim, y la de la costa oeste del Mar de Beaufort. Solo el 6% (2 de 36) de las hembras invernaron dentro del área de invernada de la otra población reproductiva. Las dos poblaciones invernaron en el hábitat libre de hielo más cercano, tal vez para minimizar la distancia de migración. Dos hembras del Mar de Beaufort invernaron en áreas usadas por hembras del Delta de Yukon-Kuskokwim, implicando un potencial flujo génico entre las áreas de reproducción. Sin embargo, concluimos que estas dos poblaciones están aisladas geográficamente a lo largo del ciclo anual y que los factores ambientales que afectan la supervivencia y reproducción son probablemente diferentes entre estos grupos de aves. Por lo tanto, a pesar del flujo génico potencial entre las poblaciones reproductivas, sugerimos que las aves de estas dos áreas de reproducción deben ser manejadas como poblaciones separadas.
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Swem, Theodor R., Clayton M. White, and Robert J. Ritchie. "Comments on the Status of Certain Birds on the North Slope of Alaska." Northwestern Naturalist 73, no. 3 (1992): 84. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3536713.
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Hunt, George L., Gary S. Drew, Jaime Jahncke, and John F. Piatt. "Prey consumption and energy transfer by marine birds in the Gulf of Alaska." Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography 52, no. 5-6 (March 2005): 781–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.dsr2.2004.12.024.
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Hill, Erica. "Humans, Birds and Burial Practices at Ipiutak, Alaska: Perspectivism in the Western Arctic." Environmental Archaeology 24, no. 4 (April 18, 2018): 434–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14614103.2018.1460031.
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