Resources related to Foraging & Habitat

Food Habits of Sea Ducks Atlantic Maritimes

Numbers of scoters (black, surf, and white-winged) and long-tailed ducks wintering in the Maritime provinces of Canada and the Chesapeake Bay (MD and VA, USA) have noticeably declined in recent years. Common goldeneye populations have also declined. Changes in the location of these seaduck populations have also been observed and have given managers new concerns. Many factors related to human population increases have been implicated in causing changes in the distribution and abundance of seaducks.

Sea Duck Joint Venture Strategic Communications Plan 2015-2019

The mission of the Sea Duck Joint Venture(SDJV)is to promote the conservation of North American sea ducks through partnerships by providing greater knowledge
and understanding for effective management. SDJV focuses on the 15 species of North American sea ducks on their coastal water habitat for migration and wintering as well as boreal forest and tundra habitat for nesting. Since the JV’s founding in 1998, the four pillars of its work have included science, communications, funding, and conservation.

Disturbance effects of high-speed ferries on wintering sea ducks

Human offshore activities are increasingly threatening waterbird conservation interests. The impacts of disturbance by high-speed ferries on Common Eiders
Somateria mollissima and Common Scoters Melanitta nigra were studied at a wintering site in the Kattegat Sea, Denmark. Spatial patterns of winter site
use, close-range distribution patterns relative to ferry passages and escape distances were examined using aerial surveys and ferry-based observations.

A Management Plan for Barrows Goldeneye Bucephala islandica Eastern Population

The world distribution of Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica) consists of three
separate populations: 150 000 to 200 000 birds in western North America (Eadie et al 2000),
a resident population of 2000 in Iceland (Gardarsson 1978), and approximately 4500 birds in
eastern North America (Savard and Dupuis 1999; Robert et al 2000a). The breeding range is
discontinuous in North America and is largely restricted to northwestern North America, where
more than 90% of the world’s population breeds (del Hoyo et al 1992). Little is known of the

Distribution and Abundance of Steller's Eider's In The Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska Jan-Feb 2001

Concerns about apparent declines in Steller's eider (Kertell 1991) and other sea duck populations
prompted personnel of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge to initiate an annual winter aerial
survey to assess and monitor sea duck populations.The fourth Kodiak aerial Steller's eider winter survey was flown from 29 January to 2 February
2001, covering most of the eastern coastal portion of the Kodiak Archipelago. The survey design
consisted of a single flight parallel to the shoreline between 200 and 400 meters offshore, with s-

Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey Coastal Plain Alaska 2011

Waterfowl breeding population surveys have been completed annually on the Arctic Coastal Plain of
Alaska since 1986. Methods for the 2011 Arctic Coastal Plain Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey (ACP
survey) were similar to those employed since 2007, when a single survey was implemented to address objectives of
two pre-existing surveys: the geographically comprehensive 1986 ACP survey conducted in mid-June to early July,
and the geographically limited 1992-2006 North Slope Eider Survey, conducted in early to mid June to target the

Population Ecology of Pacific Common Eiders on the Yukon Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska

Knowledge of ecological factors that influence birth, death, immigration, and emigration provide
insight into natural selection and population dynamics. Populations of Pacific common eiders
(Somateria mollissima v-nigrum) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta (YKD) in western Alaska declined by
50-90% from 1957 to 1992 and then stabilized at reduced numbers from the early 1990’s to the
present. This study investigates the primary underlying processes affecting population dynamics of

Damage Assessment Closeout-Injury Assessment of Hydrocarbon Uptake by Sea Ducks

The goal of this project was to determine whether the Exxon Valdez oil spill had measurable sublethal effects on six species of migratory and resident seaducks in Prince William Sound and the Kodiak Archipelago. The six seaduck species were harlequin ducks, Barrow's and common goldeneyes, and surf, black, and white-winged scoters. The harlequin ducks are both resident in and winter migrants to the oil spill area. The other species do not breed in the oil spill area but are winter migrants.

Recovery Status of Barrow's Goldeneyes

Data available at the onset of this project (population trends and indices of contaminant exposure) raised concern that Barrow's goldeneye populations may have been injured by the oil spill, may not be fully recovered, and may continue to suffer deleterious effects of the spill. This project is designed to critically assess the recovery status of Barrow's goldeneye populations through assemblage and analysis of all existent, relevant data.

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