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.
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
The North American Bird Banding Program is jointly administered by the United States Department of the Interior and the Canadian Wildlife Service . Their respective banding offices have similar functions and policies and use the same bands, reporting forms and data formats. Joint coordination of the program dates back to 1923.
Movement or emigration can significantly effect estimates of survival obtained from capture-mark-recapture (CMR) studies. We estimate both movement and survival of a molting and wintering population of Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) in coastal southwestern British Columbia. Over 150 individuals from two populations 15 km apart were marked with individually identifiable colored tarsal bands. Surveys were conducted at both sites throughout the entire non-breeding period.
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.
Winter pair formation is one of the more unique aspects of waterfowl biology. Besides the dabbling ducks, relatively little is known about the chronology of pair formation and factors, such as molt chronology, which cause the between individual variation in the timing of pair formation. A small (60 - 100 birds) molting and wintering population of Harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) was studied from June to November 1995 to assess the molting and pairing chronology of this population.
A small population of moulting and wintering Harlequin ducks were monitored between July 1994 and May 1995 near White Rock, B.C. In all 72 birds were captured during the wing moult and were banded with individually identifiable coloured tarsal bands. Males arrived in mid-June, moulted in August, and were in their alternate plumage by early October. Females arrived in mid-August and moulted in September. There were three patterns of habitat use over the winter season; some individuals spent the entire period (Aug.
This study was conducted to investigate nutritional aspects of reproduction in female Buffleheads (Bucephala albeola) and Barrow's Goldeneyes (Bucephala islandica) breeding in central British Columbia in 1993 - 95. Mean egg laying interval (Ò SE) for Buffleheads was 48.36 Ò 2.35 hr, which was similar to that of Barrow's Goldeneyes that laid, on average, every 45.32 Ò 1.40 hr.