Declines in wild salmonid (Oncorhynchus spp.) populations in the Columbia River basin have resulted in managers identifying that avian predation on juvenile salmonids is an important limiting factor for salmonid recovery. Caspian Terns (Hydroprogne caspia), particularly those nesting in the Columbia River estuary, were identified as key avian predators that...
Recent declines in nesting success of some fish-eating seabirds in Alaska have been attributed to declines in availability of certain schooling forage fishes (e.g., capelin Mallotus villosus, Pacific sand lance Ammodytes hexapterus, and Pacific herring Clupea harengus pallasi). These fishes tend to have high lipid content compared with other species...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the primary factors affecting colony size, reproductive success, and foraging patterns of Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus albociliatus) nesting at East Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary, the largest colony of this species on the Pacific Coast of North America. This colony...
This study was designed to enhance understanding of factors influencing foraging distribution, diet composition, and overall
reproductive success of Caspian terns (Sterna caspia) nesting on East
Sand Island in the Columbia River estuary. This colony of nearly
10,000 breeding pairs is of concern to regional resource managers
because Caspian terns...
I investigated the relationship between harlequin duck (Histrionicus histrionicus) behavior and lack of recovery from the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound, Alaska. First, I evaluated the hypothesis that harlequin ducks in winter have little flexibility to increase foraging time in response to disturbance because they are constrained...
The 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill (EVOS) in Prince William Sound, Alaska provided impetus for a great deal of research into the ecosystems of the Northern Gulf of Alaska. Buried within the multitude of resulting impacts, which included hundreds of thousands of oiled seabirds and dramatic ecosystem shifts in the...
To assess the impact of low-altitude jet overflights on parental care, we examined nest attendance, time-activity budgets, and provisioning rates of 21 Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) pairs breeding along the Tanana River, Alaska in 1995 and 1996. Several intrinsic and extrinsic factors influenced attributes of nesting behavior. Female nest attendance...