Fall staging of waterfowl along the Naknek river, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska: August-November 1993
Scharf L. 1993. Fall staging of waterfowl along the Naknek river, Alaska Peninsula, Alaska: August-November 1993. US Fish and Wildlife Service. King Salmon, AK
A fall waterfowl migration survey was conducted for the first time in 1993 from 23 August to 20 November along the Naknek River on the Alaska Peninsula. Ground surveys were conducted in accordance with the spring waterfowl migration survey model developed in 1991. Naknek River overall waterfowl numbers were considerably lower in the fall than in the spring and individual species abundance tended to fluctuate over a number of weeks rather than showing the rapid increase, distinct peak, and subsequent decrease characteristic of spring migration. Ground surveys revealed shifting species composition and considerable variation in individual species' phenologies. Total waterfowl use of the river was 5, 066 birds of 24 species, as compared to the spring total of 9, 113. Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), green-winged teal (Anas crecca), greater scaup (Aythya marila), and buffleheads (Bucephala albeola) were encountered in much higher numbers in the fall than in spring, while tundra swans (Cygnus columbianus), geese, northern pintails (Anas acuta), and red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator) were far less abundant. A lesser snow goose (Chen caerulescens) was recorded on migration surveys of the Naknek River for the first time this fall.
- Type
- Published Report
- Authors
- Scharf, Lisa
- Date of Issue
- 1993-12
- Publisher
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Units
- KATM
- Keywords
- Alaska Peninsula, Buffleheads, canvasback, Disturbance, gadwalls, goldeneyes, Greater Scaup, green-winged teal, ground surveys, Harlequin ducks, hunter survey, Mallards, Mergansers, Migration, Naknek river, Northern pintails, oldsquaw, Scoters, snow geese, Tundra Swans, Waterfowl, wigeon