As perhaps the greatest wildlife spectacle in all of North America - Arctic Alaska features large swaths of pristine habitat and dramatic wildlands. Millions of birds – primarily shorebirds and waterfowl – migrate to breed in the immense wetlands of the coastal plain during the spring and summer months.

Goals

• Reduce the potential impact of Avian Influenza (H5N1) by monitoring for early detection and spread of this potentially catastrophic virus.
• Better understand the migratory movements and population trends of bird species, particularly those of conservation concern, so that we can recommend the most effective actions for sustaining healthy populations.

Activities

Serious concerns surround the probability that migratory waterbirds (primarily waterfowl and shorebirds) may carry and spread highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI) from Asia to North America via their flyways in Alaska. To determine if this occurring, since 2006 WCS has participated in a concerted effort to sample shorebird species that breed in Arctic Alaska including the Dunlin, Pectoral Sandpiper, Long-billed Dowitcher, Ruddy Turnstone, and Buff-breasted Sandpipers.  Some of these species have some or all of their winter populations in Asia where exposure to HPAI is likely. Currently no cases of H5N1 have been detected in the sampled birds. Recent findings are reported in the Prudhoe Bay and Ikpikpuk avian influenza reports. 

Secondary objectives for this project included color-banding Dunlin to help in determining migratory pathways through subsequent resighting, and connecting wintering, migration stopovers and breeding sites using stable isotopes and genetic markers.

At our Prudhoe Bay and Ikpikpuk sites we are engaged in a project to assess 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. Field work for this study was initiated in 2010.

We are using geolocators (a relatively new tool) 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; 2010 in which geolocators were secured to 35 dunlin on leg bands. In 2011 we will attempt to retrieve as many of the geolocators as possible by retrapping the same birds so we can download the information recorded. Dunlin typically renest within the same nesting territory each year.