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SITE NAME
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Coastline, barrier islands - Arctic Coastal Plain, Alaska, USA
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| Contact details
(phone/fax//e-mail//address): |
| 907-786-3908/907-786-3641 // Christian_Dau@fws.gov // U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Migratory Bird Management Division, Mail Stop 201, 1011 E. Tudor Road, Anchorage, AK 99503-6199, USA
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PROJECT DETAILS |
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Start of survey:
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End
of survey: |
Team
size: |
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23.06
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27.06
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WEATHER
CONDITIONS
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Weather conditions: |
| During aerial surveys from 23-27 June, shore fast ice cover was more extensive than the same dates in 2004 in both the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. Shore fast ice cover was the most extensive observed since this survey began in 1999 east to Brownlow Point on the Beaufort Sea. Open water was present near all large river mouths. From Brownlow Point east to the Canadian border shore fast ice was extensive but comparable to 2004. Beaufort Sea barrier islands, favored as nesting sites by snow geese, brant, common eiders, glaucous gulls, Sabine's gulls and Arctic terns were accessible to terrestrial predators. No snow was present onshore; however, larger lakes were mostly ice covered. There was no observable indication of coastal green-up in coastal meadows (primarily Carex spp.) and ponds (primarily Arctophyla spp.). Experienced observers referred to green-up in 2005 as the "latest observed".
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| Date of ice-break on
rivers: |
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| Date of final loss of
snow: |
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BIOTIC
CONDITIONS
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| Rodents abundance evaluation: |
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Breeding conditions:
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Snow goose nests were hatching during the survey and several broods and numerous incubating birds were observed on Howe Island. There was no indication of hatching in other species.
Snowy owls were observed in low numbers throughout the area indicating increased microtine populations. No snowy owls were observed on this survey in 2004 or during extensive onshore surveys of the Arctic Coastal Plain of Alaska (E. Mallek pers comm.).
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Rodent dynamics:
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Rodent species recorded:
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Summary
of fauna studies: |
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