2008 Time Series Map from telemetry of Spectacled Eiders and Sea Ice
Time series from 2008 deployments in northern Alaska
The animated map depicts weekly locations of satellite tagged Spectacled Eiders and sea ice distribution.
Time series from 2008 deployments in northern Alaska
The animated map depicts weekly locations of satellite tagged Spectacled Eiders and sea ice distribution.
ABSTRACT.-The at-sea distribution of the threatened Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) has
remained largely undocumented. We identified migration corridors, staging and molting areas, and
wintering areas of adult Spectacled Eiders using implanted satellite transmitters in birds from
each of the three extant breeding grounds (North Slope and Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in Alaska and
arctic Russia). Based on transmitter locations, we conducted aerial sur veys to provide visual
Population delineation and wintering ecology of Surf Scoters have been studied in detail through much of their range. A conspicuous gap exists for Southeast Alaska, which is near the northern end of their winter distribution.
Žydelis, R., D. Esler, M. Kirk, and W. S. Boyd. 2009. Effects of off-bottom shellfish aquaculture on winter habitat use by molluscivorous sea ducks. Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 19:34-42.
The interaction between off bottom suspended Oyster farming and wintering seaducks.
Interactions among harlequin ducks, Histrionicus histrionicus, fish, and their shared aquatic insect prey
LeBourdais, S. V., R. C. Ydenberg, and D. Esler. 2009. Fish and harlequin ducks compete on breeding streams. Canadian Journal of Zoology 87:31-40.
Connectivity among annual cycle stages, rates of site fidelity, and the geographic scale of dispersal are largely unknown for Pacific Barrow’s Goldeneye (BAGO). This precludes managers and researchers from identifying demographically discrete units for population management, and for understanding the scale of inference from field studies. Further, habitats and specific sites that may be particularly important for BAGO are difficult to identify, as this species is not well covered by surveys for most of its annual cycle and range.
The Centre for Wildlife Ecology has several studies underway that address conservation issues affecting sea ducks along the Pacific coast. The issues, species, and populations being studied are shared concerns of the Centre for Wildlife Ecology, the Canadian Wildlife Service, and agency and academic collaborators throughout North America.
Sea duck Bibliography as compiled by Dan Esler
Unlike most other birds, waterfowl pair on their wintering grounds, not the breeding grounds. Across waterfowl species, larger dabbling ducks pair the earliest (starting in November), smaller dabblers and diving ducks pair closer to the spring. Very little is known about the pairing chronology of sea ducks. A small (60 -100 birds) moulting and wintering population of Harlequin ducks was studied from June to November 1995 to assess the moulting and pairing chronology of this population. Males returned from the breeding grounds in June and July, and immediately began the pre-basic moult.
The bright plumage of male ducks in sexually dichromatic species is thought to have evolved through intense sexual selection. This study examined the relationship between the timing and speed of moult into this bright plumage and subsequent mating success of male Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus). Males which molted relatively slowly had a lower chance of establishing a pair bond than others. The timing of molt was unrelated to whether a male obtained a mate. Molt speed and timing were not correlated within individual males.