Seasonal shorebird use of intertidal habitats in Cook Inlet, Alaska. Final Report

Gill, R; Tibbitts, T

(adapted from author's abstract) Seasonal shorebird use of intertidal habitats in Cook Inlet, Alaska, was studied from February 1997 to 1999 using aerial surveys as principal assessment method. On-ground surveys were conducted to validate aerial results and assess shorebird use of vegetated habitats. Twenty-eight species of shorebirds were recorded using the area, ranging from all being present during spring to a single species present during winter. The annual pattern of use was characterized by the sudden occurrence and rapid increase in numbers of birds during early May and their abrupt departure in mid-to-late May. Comparatively little use occurred during summer and autumn, but use was significant from late -autumn to early spring when Rock sandpipers resided in the Inlet. The Western sandpiper was the most numerically dominant shorebird, accounting for three-fourths of all birds recorded. Several areas along the west side of Cook Inlet proved to be extremely important to shorebirds, including: southern Redoubt Bay and Susitna Flats. The large human population and the extent of oil and natural gas production facilites occurring in the Cook Inlet region potentially pose serious risks to shorebirds and intertidal habitats.