Bald Eagle Surveys on the Coast of Kenai Fjords National Park 1997 and 1998

Tetreau, Michael

Surveys in both years were conducted from small boats, with observations made from either the boat or on shore, by coastal rangers and biological technicians. No aircraft were used. Definitions of nesting activity and success followed those used by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. For detailed comments by the field teams regarding the surveys, please refer to the appropriate monthly field reports. 1997 Nesting activity and productivity surveys were conducted in 1997. The first survey was hampered by bad weather, and thus the overall quality of the data suffered. I would rate the overall quality of the dataset for this year as moderate to high. The activity survey began on May 5, and 41 nests were surveyed between May 5 and May 7 by a team working from the park vessel Serac. An additional 25 nests were surveyed between June 2 and June 26, which was beyond the optimal window for the activity survey. Bad weather caused the delay in completing the activity survey. The productivity survey took place from May 31 to August 24, with a majority of the survey conducted between July 20 and August 6. A total of 80 nests were examined during the productivity survey, obviously including some that were not included in the activity survey. This factor was accounted for in the productivity analysis. 1998 The goal of the 1998 survey was to focus on maintaining annual nest histories, which date back to 1986. The collection of productivity data was not feasible due to time and budget constraints. Between May 28 and July 10 the coastal ranger teams surveyed 103 nests. Due to the late timing of the survey, it is assumed that many nesting failures were not accounted for in the survey.

Bald Eagle Surveys on the Coast of Kenai Fjords National Park 1997 and 1998

Collections