Second North American Sea Duck Conference - Patuxent Wildlife ...

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SECOND NORTH AMERICAN SEA DUCK CONFERENCE USE OF THE BEAUFORT SEA BY KING EIDERS BREEDING ON THE NORTH SLOPE OF ALASKA Laura M. Phillips, Abby N. Powell, Eric J. Taylor, and Eric A. Rexstad USGS, AK Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit; fslmp@uaf.edu Baseline data on the distribution of king eiders (Somateria spectabilis) in the Beaufort Sea are critical to model potential consequences from oil spills and provide regulatory agencies with opportunities to minimize impacts. This study employed the use of satellite telemetry to determine areas used by king eiders in the sea, how distributions of used areas varied, and parameters that explained variation in the number of days spent in the sea. Sixty king eiders were implanted with satellite transmitters at two locations on the North Slope of Alaska in 2002-2004. More than 80% of our transmittered eiders spent more than two weeks staging offshore prior to beginning molt migration, suggesting that the sea is an important migration flyway and staging area for this species. Distribution of locations did not vary by sex during spring migration. Spring locations were scattered from Point Barrow to the Canadian border with over 40% of the locations found >20 km offshore. Shorter residence times of eiders and deeper water depths at locations during spring migration suggest the Alaskan Beaufort Sea may not be as critical a staging area for king eiders in spring as it is post-breeding. Spring and post-breeding distributions of king eider locations in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea overlapped very little. During post-breeding staging and migration, male king eiders had much broader distributions in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea than female eiders, which were concentrated in Harrison and Smith Bays. Significant variation in residence time in the Beaufort Sea was explained by sex; female king eiders moved into the sea almost two weeks later than males in the spring and 20 days later than males during post-breeding. We recommend managers minimize disturbance of core use areas in Harrison and Smith Bays during post-breeding and future studies examine the importance of potential spring staging areas outside the Alaskan Beaufort Sea. 106 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, USA NOV. 7-11, 2005
SECOND NORTH AMERICAN SEA DUCK CONFERENCE DISTRIBUTION AND ABUNDANCE OF KING EIDERS, LONG-TAILED DUCKS, AND CANADA GEESE ON WESTERN VICTORIA ISLAND Garnet Raven and D. Lynne Dickson Canadian Wildlife Service; garnet.raven@ec.gc.ca Current North American waterfowl breeding population surveys do not adequately cover breeding grounds for king eiders (Somateria spectabilis) and long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) within Canada. In recognition of this problem, combined with mounting evidence that both species were in decline, breeding waterfowl aerial surveys were conducted on western Victoria Island from 1992 to 1994 to establish a baseline for comparison in future years. These surveys were repeated in 2004 and 2005 and provide population trends for king eiders, long-tailed ducks, Canada geese (Branta canadensis), and other bird species nesting on western Victoria Island. King eider population indices of 23,351 (SE 3325) and 22,662 (SE 2263) on western Victoria Island (2004 and 2005 respectively) showed nearly a 50% decrease since 1993. Long-tailed duck similarly showed a decline, but to a lesser degree. The Canada goose population index of 37,418 (SE 2448) in 2004 was very similar to that estimated in previous surveys but the index increased to 59,729 (4619) in 2005. Distribution maps generated using GIS software and survey data depict areas of highest densities and importance. Similar to previous surveys, the highest densities of king eiders were found in the Kagloryuak River valley and near Tahirhuak Lake. Dense pockets of king eiders were also found in the northern portions of Prince Albert Peninsula, while densities in the southern portions and on Diamond Jenness Peninsula were very low and appear to have decreased substantially since the surveys were last conducted. Longtailed ducks were distributed throughout western Victoria Island in relatively low densities. Canada goose densities were highest in southwestern Victoria Island and in the Kagloryuak River Valley though moderate densities were found on Diamond Jenness Peninsula and Prince Albert Peninsula. Densities of all three species were very low in the interior of northwestern Victoria Island. NOV. 7-11, 2005 ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND, USA 107
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