The Atlantic Seaduck Project is being conducted to learn more about the breeding and molting areas of seaducks in northern Canada and more about the feeding ecology of seaducks on wintering areas, especially Chesapeake Bay. Satellite telemetry is being used to track surf scoters wintering in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, and black scoters on migrational staging areas in New Brunswick, Canada, to breeding and molting areas in northern Canada
On 24 March 1989, the T/V Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, spilling approximately 41 million liters of crude oil (Piatt and Lensink 1989, Piatt et al. 1990). Subsequent wind and ocean currents spread the oil southwest through Prince William Sound (PWS), along the Kenai and Alaska Peninsulas, and along the Kodiak Archipelago. Much of the oil was deposited in nearshore intertidal and subtidal habitats (ADEC 1992, Neff et al. 1995), which are of importance to a large number of vertebrates including molting and wintering waterfowl.
Over 2500 Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) have been marked with individually identifiable tarsal leg bands in the Pacific Northwest of North America. Two of these populations have been intensively studied near Vancouver, British Columbia over three winters (1994-1996). Intensive marking and surveys were done at these two sites (White Rock and Point Roberts, WA) to assess movement patterns and emigration of Harlequin Ducks.
Intraspecific and interspecific brood parasitism occur frequently in waterfowl. We examine the consequences of these behaviors to the population dynamics of Barrow's and Common Goldeneyes during a 10 year study period in central British Columbia. The frequency of parasitism was significantly related to population density and to the availability of nest sites. High levels of parasitism, in turn, resulted in reduced reproductive success of females.
In response to the dramatic decline of the species (early 1970's to 1990's) on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, I conducted a nesting ecology study on spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) at Kigigak Island from 1992-1996. The Kigigak Island population has had relatively high nest success between 1992-1996 (92%, 63%, 70%, 64%, and 82%, respectively). More than 50% of the nesting females have been marked (n=161). Preliminary results show that 70% of the marked females have returned to nest at least once following their banding year and that 52% returned at least two consecutive years.
Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri) populations in western Alaska have declined precipitously since the late 1970's. Subsequently, the species was listed as threatened in 1993. To investigate the potential causes of the decline, we developed a deterministic model of Spectacled Eider population dynamics based on demographic data we collected on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, from 1991-1996. The model incorporated estimates of nest success, clutch size at hatch, duckling survival, age of first reproduction, and adult female survival collected at a two locations.