2011 Annual Report of NWT Wildlife Research Permits and Western ...

Wildlife Species Research:
Birds
River colony this year because a helicopter and crew were
already in the area banding geese. 2011 was relatively
productive as many family groups of snow geese were
seen, with a minimum estimate of 2,563 adults and 1,867
young counted in the area.
In July 2011, 1,343 white-fronted geese and one whitefronted
/ snow goose hybrid were banded at the
Mackenzie Delta, Tuktoyaktuk Peninsula and Anderson
River. In addition, we recaptured 35 white-fronted geese
that were banded in previous years.
Band recoveries from our banding efforts show there has
been an eastward shift in the winter distributions of
white-fronted geese from the western Arctic compared
to historical data. A higher proportion of geese were
recovered in Louisiana and the Mississippi Alluvial Valley
in Arkansas in recent years.
Annual summary reports are sent to regional contacts
with our wildlife research permit applications.
LONG-TERM PLANS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS) is currently
undergoing a review of all bird monitoring programs in
order to improve them. The results of the review will shape
future monitoring activities for waterfowl populations in
the western Arctic. Pending review results, future plans are
to continue banding white-fronted geese and Canada /
cackling geese on the ISR mainland in 2012. This data will
improve our understanding of survival rates and
movement of waterfowl from the ISR region to staging
and wintering areas in the south. Our data has been,
and continues to be an important reference as interest
in developing natural resources in the Mackenzie Delta
region grows.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT:
CWS has reviewed all concerns and comments provided
by the communities and discussed solutions directly with
them. The main concern received by the communities was
the opportunity for local hiring. The banding operations
rely on transportation by helicopter and weight is
restricted. This limits the number of passengers, banding
gear and fuel that can be carried at one time as well as
distance travelled before refueling. As such, opportunities
for local participation are limited. In 2011, we were once
again able to hire Kayla Nuyaviak, a local student from
Tuktoyaktuk to help with banding.
Ducks soon to be banded.
Photo: Canadian Wildlife Serivce
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