Development of Sea Duck Population Estimates from Geo-referenced Aerial Surveys Conducted in Washington State and British Columbia

Project Number: 81

Year Funded: 2006

Lead Institution(s): R.G. Ford Consulting Company

Project Lead: R. Glenn Ford

Email:

Collaborator(s): David Nysewander (WDFW) Joseph Evenson (WDFW), Andree Breault (CWS)

Location: Washington, British Columbia

Focal Species: All Sea Ducks, Bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), Barrow’s Goldeneye (Bucephala islandica), Common Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), Harlequin Duck (Histrionicus histrionicus), Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), King Eider (Somateria spectabilis), Spectacled Eider (Somateria fischeri), Steller’s Eider (Polysticta stelleri), Common Merganser (Mergus merganser), Hooded Merganser (Lophodytes cucullatus), Red-breasted Merganser (Mergus serrator), Black Scoter (Melanitta americana), Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata), White-winged Scoter (Melanitta delgandi)

Project Description: Waterbird surveys in Puget Sound and British Columbia have been used primarily to determine species-specific trends. While the integration of the Washington and British Columbia surveys has yet to be fully accomplished, survey personnel from both programs unanimously agree for the need to standardize and facilitate the processing of similar survey data and for the need to annually produce sea duck population estimates over surveyed areas.

A computer application will be developed to calculate sea duck population estimates from existing geo-referenced survey data from Washington state and British Columbia. The software system will provide a data analysis path extending from raw field data to stratified estimates of population density, variance, and size. The software will be developed and tested using PSAMP data and protocols, but every effort will be made to ensure that it can be easily adapted to the needs of other seabird and waterfowl survey programs.