Point Barrow, Alaska, Migration Counts for King and Common Eiders

Project Number: 146

Year Funded: 2015

Lead Institution(s): Widllife Conservation Society

Project Lead: Rebecca McGuire

Email:

Collaborator(s): Robert Suydam (North Slope Borough)

Location: Alaska

Focal Species: Common Eider (Somateria mollissima), King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)

Project Description: Most of the king (Somateria spectabilis) and common eiders (S. mollissima v-nigra) nesting in northern Alaska and western Canada migrate during spring and fall migration past Point Barrow, Alaska. This spectacular concentration of migrating birds passes very close to shore, allowing for counts of migrating eiders which have been conducted intermittently under varied protocols since the early 1950s. In order to determine the status of the population and further explore population trends, we conducted new counts during spring migration, 2015-2016 at the same general location and using the same methods as in 1996 and 2002-2004, allowing us to directly compare our results to earlier population indices.

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