Bird surveys at Klondike Gold Rush NHP: 2018 summary
Furbish CE and Larsen JR. 2019. Bird surveys at Klondike Gold Rush NHP: 2018 summary. Natural Resource Report. NPS/KLGO/NRR—2019/1866. National Park Service. Fort Collins, Colorado
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park (KLGO) conducted 4 bird monitoring programs in 2018. These programs are ongoing, multi-year efforts at continental, state, and park scales. In addition, selected notable incidental bird sightings were documented. The Coastal Waterbird Survey (CWS) is a park-specific program designed to monitor bird use of near-shore habitats, with emphasis on migratory waterbirds. Data were collected from 14 April to 12 September, covering spring migration, mid-season, and fall migration periods. Fifty-six species of waterbirds and 13 species of non-waterbirds (landbirds) were recorded. A total of 15,271 individual birds were documented using the near-shore habitats on 20 survey days. The North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and Alaska Landbird Monitoring Survey (ALMS) are designed to document the presence and abundance of landbird species breeding in the area as part of continent-wide and state-wide programs. Conducted in mid-June, the BBS surveyor detected 32 species of birds, and ALMS surveyors detected 34 species. Bald Eagle Nest Monitoring (BENM) is a park-specific program still under development. No systematic surveys were conducted, but opportunistic observations were received from park staff and community volunteers. Twenty-five reports were received on 5 eagle nests. Evidence of one chick was given, but there were no observations of successful fledging. Notable incidental bird sightings not associated with the 4 monitoring programs were reported from in and around KLGO. These included the first confirmed breeding documentation for Hooded Mergansers in Skagway. A female Hooded Merganser carrying chicks was seen in a beaver pond on the Chilkoot Trail near the lower Taiya River. Improvements were made to the CWS through updated GIS maps including georeferenced observation points, field-testing of new data sheet prototypes, and an auxiliary database to partially automate end-of-season data analysis and reporting. • Suggestions for operational improvements to the CWS and BENM programs for the 2019 season are presented. Recommendations for long-term improvements to the CWS are discussed and summarized.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Furbish, C.; Larsen, Jennifer
- Date of Issue
- 2019-02
- Publisher
- National Park Service
- Units
- KLGO , NRSS
- Keywords
- Alaska, Alder Flycatcher, American Redstart, American Robin, American Tree Sparrow, American Wigeon, Arctic Tern, Bald Eagle, Barn Swallow, Barrow's Goldeneye, Belted Kingfisher, birds, Black Scoter, Black Turnstone, Blue-winged Teal, Bonaparte's Gull, Bufflehead, Chestnut-backed Chickadee, Chipping Sparrow, Common Goldeneye, Common Loon, Common Merganser, Common Raven, Common Yellowthroat, Dark-eyed Junco (Oregon), Eurasian Wigeon, Fox Sparrow, Glaucous Gull, Glaucous-winged Gull, Golden-crowned Kinglet, Great Blue Heron, Greater Scaup, Greater Yellowlegs, Green-winged Teal, Hammond’s Flycatcher, Harlequin Duck, Hermit Thrush, Herring Gull, Hooded Merganser, Horned Grebe, KLGO, Klondike Gold Rush, Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Least Sandpiper, Lesser Scaup, Lesser Yellowlegs, Lincoln’s Sparrow, Lincoln's Sparrow, Long-tailed Duck, Lynn Canal, Mallard, Marbled Murrelet, Merlin, Mew Gull, Northern Harrier, Northern Pintail, Northern Shoveler, Northern Waterthrush, Northwestern Crow, Orange-crowned Warbler, Osprey, Pacific Loon, Pacific Wren, Pacific-slope Flycatcher, Pigeon Guillemot, Pine Siskin, Red Crossbill, Red-breasted Merganser, Red-breasted Sapsucker, Red-necked Grebe, Red-tailed Hawk, Red-throated Loon, Ring-necked Duck, Ruby-crowned Kinglet, Rufous Hummingbird, Savannah Sparrow, Semipalmated Plover, Semipalmated Sandpiper, Sharp-shinned Hawk, Skagway, Snow Goose, Sooty Grouse, Spotted Sandpiper, Steller’s Jay, Surf Scoter, Swainson's Thrush, Taiya River, Thayer’s Gull, Townsend's Warbler, Tree Swallow, Trumpeter Swan, Varied Thrush, Violet-green Swallow, Wandering Tattler, Warbling Vireo, Western Tanager, White-winged Scoter, Wilson's Warbler, Yellow-rumped Warbler
- Subjects
- Ecological Framework: Biological Integrity | Focal Species or Communities | Birds