Aerial survey for Black Brant at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska
Detailed Description
Example of a photo from the USFWS fall aerial survey for geese at Izembek Lagoon. Inset shows a closer view of four Black Brant (bottom) with a Cackling Goose (top) foraging on eelgrass. Scientists from the USGS Alaska Science Center and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Management tested an aerial photographic survey design to improve repeatability, transparency, and estimation of variance for annual population estimates of Pacific brant and cackling geese staging at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska, in 2017-2019. The photo survey provided considerably higher estimates of total population size than the traditional ocular survey, and represented a robust, defensible survey framework.
Sources/Usage
Public Domain.
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Ecosystems Analytics is a group of quantitative biologists and research statisticians with a diverse range of expertise and experience (summarized below). We collaborate with internal and external partners to answer challenging ecological questions that are a high priority of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, sister agencies within the Department of the Interior (DOI), and various...
Q&A: Improving Aerial Surveys of Geese in Alaska with Aerial Imagery
Thousands of geese gather at Izembek Lagoon in southwestern Alaska every fall where they “stage”, meaning that they rest and eat in preparation for migration to lower latitudes. Izembek Lagoon is especially important for Pacific brant geese, as the entire Pacific Flyway population is thought to use the lagoon in fall. This provides an opportunity to efficiently survey the population to track...
Related Content
Ecosystems Analytics
Ecosystems Analytics is a group of quantitative biologists and research statisticians with a diverse range of expertise and experience (summarized below). We collaborate with internal and external partners to answer challenging ecological questions that are a high priority of the U.S. Geological Survey Alaska Science Center, sister agencies within the Department of the Interior (DOI), and various...
Q&A: Improving Aerial Surveys of Geese in Alaska with Aerial Imagery
Thousands of geese gather at Izembek Lagoon in southwestern Alaska every fall where they “stage”, meaning that they rest and eat in preparation for migration to lower latitudes. Izembek Lagoon is especially important for Pacific brant geese, as the entire Pacific Flyway population is thought to use the lagoon in fall. This provides an opportunity to efficiently survey the population to track...