Population delineation, winter/spring habitat use and migration ecology of White-winged Scoters (M. fusca) and Surf Scoters (M. perspicillata)

Project Number: 26

Year Funded: 2004

Lead Institution(s): Canadian Wildlife Service

Project Lead: Sean Boyd

Email:

Collaborator(s): Dan Esler (SFU), USGS, USFWS, NSERC

Location: British Columbia

Focal Species: Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata), White-winged Scoter (Melanitta delgandi)

Project Description: Understanding population structure, i.e., identifying population segments that are demographically distinct, is critical for addressing declines in scoter populations. Without documenting the geographic scale at which dynamics of population segments are independent, surveys cannot be interpreted at the scale of distinct subpopulations, which results in poor resolution for discerning causes of overall declines. Similarly, the inference from local research projects (e.g., documenting survival, production, contaminants, etc.) is unknown without some indication of the population segment to which the results apply. Thus, identification of “management units” is a logical, important first step for effective conservation efforts for scoters.