Photo equipment used for fall staging migratory geese

Photo equipment used to take pictures of fall staging migratory geese at Izembek Lagoon, Alaska. Scientists from the USGS Alaska Science Center and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Migratory Bird Management tested this 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. Disclaimer statement: Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Dennis Marks USFWS photographer.