NABPlanning area

Bristol Bay/Alaska PeninsulaAvian Crossroads and Destination

Bill LarnedChris DauU S Fish and Wildlife Service

Why are there so many birds here?

Convergence of migratory pathways

Nutrient-rich estuaries

Eelgrass, anadromous and marine fish & invertebrate food resources Extensive shallow near-shore habitats

Northernmost ice-free coastal habitats in winter

Remote habitats with low level human disturbance

BRISTOL BAY

Why are there so many birds here?

Bob Gill

Special Habitat Designations

• 23 Bering Sea “Important Bird Areas”• 6 Hemispheric, 1 International “Western Hemispheric

Shorebird Reserve Network” sites• 5 State Critical Habitat Areas “essential for wildlife and

fisheries resources”• 3 Fed. Steller’s eider critical habitat units within PA, 2 in

adjacent areas, 1 Spectacled eider C Hab. adjacent• 2 National Wildlife Refuges• 2 State Game Refuges• 1st Ramsar Convention Site (Izembek Lagoon) in US

“Wetlands of International Importance”

WATERBIRDS MOST AT RISK

• Sea Ducks: Steller’s eider, King eider, Black Scoter Long-tailed duck,

• Geese: Brant, Emperor goose, Cackling Canada goose

• Other dabbling/diving/sea ducks, loons, grebes, gulls in estuaries and along shorelines esp. during spring/fall migration

Data Sources

• FWS Aerial Surveys – Spring Staging, Winter, Molting, Fall Staging, including: sea ducks, other diving ducks, dabbling ducks, geese, loons, grebes, gulls, eagles

• Many estuarine studies (marine ecology, abundance, biology, disturbance factors of waterbirds)

• Radiotelemetry – VHF and Satellite

P. Anderson

L. Dickson

Steller’s eider

• Status: AK breeding pop. “threatened” under ESA, world pop. of concern.

• Reference Population: Pacific Population (<200K)• Planning area Max Population: 137K• PA % of Ref. Population: ±70%• Months present: Aug-May• Concentration sites: All major AK Pen. Lagoons,

Chagvan, Nanvak, Goodnews, Kuskokwim Bays, Aug. – May. Molting, migration, winter

Suydam

Nunivak I.

Kuskokwim Bay

Kuskokwim River

Goodnews Bay

Chagvan Bay

Nanvak Bay

Togiak

Nushagak Bay

DillinghamÊÚÊÚ

Kvichak Bay

BRISTOL BAY

KingSalmon

Egegik Bay

Ugashik Bay

Cinder R.Lagoon

Naknek R.

ÊÚ

PortHeiden

Seal Islands Lagoon

Port Moller

NelsonLagoon

IzembekLagoon

ColdBay

FalsePass

N. A

leutian Plann

ing Unit

Kvichak R.

50 0 50 100 Kilometers N

March-May AndAug.-Nov.

STELLER’S EIDER

R. Suydam

W. Larned

Nunivak I.

Kuskokwim Bay

Kuskokwim River

Goodnews Bay

Chagvan Bay

Nanvak Bay

Togiak

Nushagak Bay

DillinghamÊÚÊÚ

Kvichak Bay

BRISTOL BAY

KingSalmon

Egegik Bay

Ugashik Bay

Cinder R.Lagoon

Naknek R.

ÊÚ

PortHeiden

Seal Islands Lagoon

Port Moller

NelsonLagoon

IzembekLagoon

ColdBay

FalsePass

N. A

leutian Plann

ing Unit

Kvichak R.

50 0 50 100 Kilometers N

Dec-Mar

STELLER’S EIDER

R. Suydam

King eider

• Status: Species of Concern, worldwide decline.• Reference Population: W. N. Am. (<300-400K)• Planning area Max Population: 240K (mid-Apr. 1997)• PA % of Ref. Population: ±70%• Months present: Aug - May• Concentration sites: Upper BB shoals, mouths of all AP

Lagoons, shorelines throughout Planning area

M. Danzenbaker

Nunivak I.

Kuskokwim Bay

Kuskokwim River

Goodnews Bay

Chagvan Bay

Nanvak Bay

Togiak

Nushagak Bay

DillinghamÊÚÊÚ

Kvichak Bay

BRISTOL BAY

KingSalmon

Egegik Bay

Ugashik Bay

Cinder R.Lagoon

Naknek R.

ÊÚ

PortHeiden

Seal Islands Lagoon

Port Moller

NelsonLagoon

IzembekLagoon

ColdBay

FalsePass

N. A

leutian Plann

ing Unit

Kvichak R.

50 0 50 100 Kilometers N

KING EIDER

R. Suydam

Mar-May

Nunivak I.

Kuskokwim Bay

Kuskokwim River

Goodnews Bay

Chagvan Bay

Nanvak Bay

Togiak

Nushagak Bay

DillinghamÊÚÊÚ

Kvichak Bay

BRISTOL BAY

KingSalmon

Egegik Bay

Ugashik Bay

Cinder R.Lagoon

Naknek R.

ÊÚ

PortHeiden

Seal Islands Lagoon

Port Moller

NelsonLagoon

IzembekLagoon

ColdBay

FalsePass

N. A

leutian Plann

ing Unit

Kvichak R.

50 0 50 100 Kilometers N

KING EIDER

Sept-Nov

??

??

??

??

??

Dec-Mar

Black Scoter

• Status: Species of Concern, declines worldwide Incl. AK• Reference Population: W. N. Am. breeding (200K)• Planning area Max Population: Spring Mig. (48K)• PA % of Ref. Population: 24%• Months present: Aug-May• Greatest Vulnerability: migration (Mar-May), Molt (Aug-

Oct). Upper BB shoals, Most AP Lagoons, esp. Pt. Moller, shorelines throughout Planning area

Nunivak I.

Kuskokwim Bay

Kuskokwim River

Goodnews Bay

Chagvan Bay

Nanvak Bay

Togiak

Nushagak Bay

DillinghamÊÚÊÚ

Kvichak Bay

BRISTOL BAY

KingSalmon

Egegik Bay

Ugashik Bay

Cinder R.Lagoon

Naknek R.

ÊÚ

PortHeiden

Seal Islands Lagoon

Port Moller

NelsonLagoon

IzembekLagoon

ColdBay

FalsePass

N. A

leutian Plann

ing Unit

Kvichak R.

50 0 50 100 Kilometers N

BLACK SCOTER

March-May

J. Wasley

Nunivak I.

Kuskokwim Bay

Kuskokwim River

Goodnews Bay

Chagvan Bay

Nanvak Bay

Togiak

Nushagak Bay

DillinghamÊÚÊÚ

Kvichak Bay

BRISTOL BAY

KingSalmon

Egegik Bay

Ugashik Bay

Cinder R.Lagoon

Naknek R.

ÊÚ

PortHeiden

Seal Islands Lagoon

Port Moller

NelsonLagoon

IzembekLagoon

ColdBay

FalsePass

N. A

leutian Plann

ing Unit

Kvichak R.

50 0 50 100 Kilometers N

BLACK SCOTER

July-Nov

Winter ??

J. Wasley

Sea Ducks - vulnerability

• Molting flocks – high nutritional requirements, limited mobility, stress from disturbance

• Migration bottlenecks: many birds transition through staging areas, max numbers exposed to oil/fuel spills, other contaminants, disturbance

• Wintering concentrations – spill response most challenging

DATA GAPS

• Baseline food resource quant/qual data from major coastal/estuarine habitats (prey density, distribution, competitors, contaminants)

• Year-round distribution of sea ducks -- especially winter distribution.

• Relationships of seasonal waterbird distribution & migration to environmental variables, esp. sea ice, weather, prey distribution/abundance, disturbance

Pacific Brant

• Status: International Species of concern due to ~40% reduction in population

• Reference Population: Pacific Coast and High Arctic, breeds in AK, Canada, Russia: ~120K

• NAB Planning area Max Population: >95%• Months present: Sept-May• Concentration sites: Izembek Lagoons,

Bechevin, Chagvan, Nanvak Bays, Sept-Nov, April-May

J. Wasley

Nunivak I.

Kuskokwim Bay

Kuskokwim River

Goodnews Bay

Chagvan Bay

Nanvak Bay

Togiak

Nushagak Bay

DillinghamÊÚÊÚ

Kvichak Bay

BRISTOL BAY

KingSalmon

Egegik Bay

Ugashik Bay

Cinder R.Lagoon

Naknek R.

ÊÚ

PortHeiden

Seal Islands Lagoon

Port Moller

NelsonLagoon

IzembekLagoon

ColdBay

FalsePass

N. A

leutian Plann

ing Unit

Kvichak R.

50 0 50 100 Kilometers N

PACIFIC BRANT

April-May Sept-Nov

J. Wasley

Emperor Goose

• Status: Int. Species of concern due to ~50% pop. reduction

• Reference Population: Entire world population (~80K) is in W. Alaska & Russia

• % of Ref. Population in NAB: ~95%• Months present: Sept-May• Concentration sites: All AP estuaries, Bechevin,

Chagvan, Nanvak Bays

Nunivak I.

Kuskokwim Bay

Kuskokwim River

Goodnews Bay

Chagvan Bay

Nanvak Bay

Togiak

Nushagak Bay

DillinghamÊÚÊÚ

Kvichak Bay

BRISTOL BAY

KingSalmon

Egegik Bay

Ugashik Bay

Cinder R.Lagoon

Naknek R.

ÊÚ

PortHeiden

Seal Islands Lagoon

Port Moller

NelsonLagoon

IzembekLagoon

ColdBay

FalsePass

N. A

leutian Plann

ing Unit

Kvichak R.

50 0 50 100 Kilometers N

EMPEROR GOOSE

April-May

T. Donnelly

Aug-Nov