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Conserving

arctic shorebirds and their migratory habitats

By Arctic Beringia

February 2^nd, 2017

great migrations

As perhaps the greatest wildlife spectacle in all of North America - Arctic Alaska features large swaths of pristine habitat and dramatic wild lands that seasonally hosts millions of birds – primarily shorebirds and waterfowl. These birds migrate to breed in the immense wetlands of the coastal plain during the spring and summer. Our goals are to better understand the migratory movements to and from the Arctic, and population trends of bird species, particularly those of conservation concern, so that we can recommend the most effective actions for sustaining healthy populations and the annual recurrence of this magnificent spectacle.

Female red phalarope. Photo credit Zak Pohlen.

Monitoring a pair of the critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper chicks in Chukotka (Photo - Alexei Dondua for WCS)

Semipalmated Sandpiper chick. Photo credit Zak Pohlen.

Stilt Sandpiper. Photo credit Zak Pohlen.

Nest of a red-necked phalarope. Photo credit Zak Pohlen.

American Golden Plover. Photo credit Zak Pohlen.

Semipalmated Plover chick. Photo credit Zak Pohlen.

Kayla Scheimreif ages an egg at Prudhoe Bay. Photo credit Peter Detwiler.

Shorebird demography

We have conducted a number of shorebird studies on the North Slope. Past projects include assessing adult survivorship of key shorebird species including the Semipalmated Sandpiper and Dunlin, as part of a North American Arctic-wide project to better understand population trends of shorebirds species of conservation concern.

The North Slope supports millions of birds that return each summer from around the world to breed in its productive wetlands. Over 30 species, including shorebirds, waterfowl, and others, are known to breed in this region, and many are common in the Prudhoe Bay oil fields. Since 2003, the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), with support from BP, has monitored nesting success and surveyed potential nest predators in 12 long-term study plots. Long-term datasets (>10 years) are extremely rare in the Arctic, and are vitally important to evaluating potential impacts from industry, the relationship between climate change and nest success, and the degree to which predator abundance influences nest success. This progress report details our successful fourteenth season evaluating tundra-nesting birds in the Prudhoe Bay oilfields. Results are providing critical contributions to the science of shorebirds in a period of rapid environmental change.

Peter Detwiler measures an egg on long-term monitoring plots at Prudhoe Bay. Photo credit Kayla Scheimreif.

Geolocators

We are using geolocators to determine the migratory pathways of the Dunlin, a Species of High Concern by the U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan and a Bird of Conservation Concern within USFWS. Knowing migratory routes and hence habitat requirements will allow us to assess potential threats faced by birds away from Alaska. The field work phase of this study was initiated in 2010. WCS researchers on the Ikpikpuk River Delta on Alaska‘s North Slope recovered geolocators from three Semipalmated Sandpipers and one American Golden Plover during the 2014 field season. The geolocators were placed on 29 Semipalmated Sandpipers and 5 American Golden Plovers in 2013. Location data from the geolocators will be downloaded and used to identify migratory routes and staging areas for these species as part of the Arctic Shorebird Demographic Network. Additionally, we recovered 12 geolocators on dunlin at the Chaun, Chuktoka camp, from 30 that were deployed in 2013. Nothing is known about the non-breeding movements of dunlin breeding in this area and we are very excited to have recovered these geolocators.