Waterfowl Breeding Population Survey for Central and Western Arctic Canada

Project Number: 98

Year Funded: 2010

Lead Institution(s): US Fish and Wildlife Service

Project Lead: Tim Moser

Email:

Collaborator(s): Lynne Dickson (CWS), Debbie Groves (USFWS), Ed Mallek (USFWS), SDJV, AGJV, CFC, MFC

Location: Arctic Canada

Focal Species: Long-tailed Duck (Clangula hyemalis), King Eider (Somateria spectabilis)

Project Description: During summers of 2005-2011, the AGJV, SDJV, USFWS, CWS, CFC, MFC, and other partners conducted aerial surveys of migratory birds throughout a large expanse of important lowland habitats in Canada’s Arctic. These efforts and those of previous helicopter surveys were drawn upon to begin development of an operational survey of migratory birds in these regions. In this report we provide a summary of SDJV Project 98/Arctic Goose Joint Venture Project 77 activities in 2011.

In 2011, we strove for a comprehensive survey effort, covering the most important high waterbird density areas surveyed since 2005, obtaining replicates of areas surveyed only once previously (Banks and Southampton islands), and expanding survey coverage to very important waterbird nesting areas on Baffin Island’s Great Plain of the Koukdjuak. Completing these tasks, cooperators have completed baseline data collection and will move forward to evaluate recent trends in breeding populations of priority species and develop a survey design for continued monitoring of Arctic-nesting waterfowl and associated species.