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SITE NAME
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NE Planning Area of National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska, USA
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| 907-455-6777/907-455-6781(fax) // rjohnson@abrinc.com // ABR, PO Box 80410, Fairbanks, AK 99709, USA
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Project name:
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Wildlife studies in NPRA
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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5.06
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25.08
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20
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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| Season phenology: |
average
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Weather conditions: |
| Cool early June followed by above normal temperatures in 2nd half of June, and warm July. August was unusually warm with temperatures reaching 20-25øC in the 3rd week of August. June was warmer in 2004 than in 2003 and river break-up was earlier (26 May) in 2004 than in 2003 (6 June). Snowcover ranged from 2 to 54% and averaged 21% on 6-10 June 2004. In 2003, snowcover during the same period ranged from 1 to 32% and averaged 6%.
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| Date of 50%
snow-cover: |
1.06
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
26.05
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
16.06
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
average
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Breeding conditions:
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The first observed date of hatch for Lapland Buntings was 14.06 in 2004 compared with 20.06 in 2003. Mosquitoes began to emerge on 19.06 in 2004, relatively early compared to the more normal date of 27.06 in 2003. Lemmings and voles have not been observed to be very abundant in this study area since 1996, and numbers of predators (arctic and red foxes, parasitic and long-tailed jaegers, and glaucous gulls) have been relatively stable.
The most noticeable difference in numbers of nesting birds in 2004 was an increase in ducks (spectacled eiders, long-tailed ducks, and northern pintails) on Colville Delta. Species composition on 10-ha plots was similar among years: 49% shorebirds (pectoral sandpiper, semipalmated sandpiper, long-billed dowitcher, red-necked phalarope, and red phalarope, in order of most to least abundant for the 5 most common species [order of abundance differed slightly among years]), 42% passerines (primarily Lapland longspur), 6% waterfowl (primarily greater white-fronted geese). Nest success in 2004 was high for geese, shorebirds, and passerines and similar to values in 2003. Nest success was higher than in 2003 for ducks and swans (swans were below average in 2003). Yellow-billed Loons nested in high numbers and had good productivity based on the number of broods observed in late August.
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Rodent dynamics:
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
We conducted aerial surveys for spectacled eiders, king eiders, tundra swans, yellow-billed loons, and brood-rearing geese. We conducted intensive nest searches for waterfowl, loons, gulls, ptarmigan, and jaegers in one 18-km2 area on the Colville River Delta and several areas totalling 24 km2 in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. We revisited all nests after hatch to determine success. We conducted nest searches for all birds (primarily shorebirds and passerines) on 24 10-ha plots using multiple rope-dragging and single-observer searches. We measured daily nest survival on these plots and conducted counts of nest predators. Results are summarized in a report:
Johnson, C. B., R. M. Burgess, A. M. Wildman, A. A. Stickney, P. E. Seiser, B. E. Lawhead, T. J. Mabee, A. K. Prichard, and J. R. Rose. 2005. Wildlife studies for the Alpine Satellite Development Project, 2004. Final Report prepared for ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc. and Anadarko Petroleum Corporation by ABR, Inc. Fairbanks, AK. 129 pp.
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