Publications

Differences were found in habitat structure between nest sites of Emperor Geese (Chen canagicus) and Cackling Canada Geese (Branta canadensis minima) during a 5-year study (1982-1986) at Kokechik Bay, Alaska. Emperor Geese tended to select sites that afforded concealment from avian predators before incubation began. Cackling Canada Geese tended to select sites that enhanced avoidance of...

Since 1984, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has used the Argos Data Collection and Location System (DCLS) and Tiros-N series satellites to monitor movements and activities of 10 species of large mammals in Alaska and the Rocky Mountain region. Reliability of the entire system was generally high. Data were received from instrumented caribou (Rangifer tarandus) during 91% of 318...

On 24 March 1989, the oil tanker 'Exxon Valdez' spilled 260,000 barrels of crude oil in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Oil eventually drifted over $30,000\ {\rm km}^{2}$ of coastal and offshore waters occupied by approximately one million marine birds. More than 30,000 dead birds of 90 species were retrieved from polluted areas by 1 August 1989. Of those identified, murres (74%), other...

Averaged over the whole breeding cycle (pre-laying through mid-chick stage), breeding fulmars spent about 39% of their time at the breeding site and 61% of their time at sea. Annual means of site occupancy before egg-laying were positively correlated with breeding success, suggesting that time allocation was a sensitive indicator of food availability in different years. Nonbreeding site...

Diurnal and seasonal patterns of attendance of Least Auklets (Aethia pusilla) and Crested Auklets (A. cristatella) were studied in 1987 at breeding colonies on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska. Numbers of auklets attending eight 200-m2 plots on talus slopes were counted throughout the day by observers on 11 occasions through the breeding season. Numbers attending smaller plots were recorded...

Various techniques were used to decipher the sedimentation history of Site 765, including Markov chain analysis of facies transitions, XRD analysis of clay and other minerals, and multivariate analysis of smear-slide data, in addition to the standard descriptive procedures employed by the shipboard sedimentologist. This chapter presents brief summaries of methodology and major findings...

Habitat use of 14 Rio Grande wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) broods was studied in riparian habitats in northeast Colorado in 1986-87. Of 191 locations, 78% were within the riparian zone, 11 % in agricultural uplands, and 11 % on the edge between these habitats. Use of habitats was dependent on time of day. Within the riparian zone, older broods used grazed areas more often than young...

Polar bear behavior and biochemistry suggest they may have the ability to hibernate year-round, even though this species is not considered to be a true hibernator. This observation, plus the discovery of a hibernation-induced trigger (HIT) in the blood of black bears, prompted the examination of polar bear blood collected thoughout the year for evidence ofr HIT, and to determine if it...

Infectious haematopoietic necrosis (IHN) virus was isolated from freshwater leeches Piscicola salmositica and copepods Salmincola sp. removed from the gills of spawning sockeye salmon, Oncorhynchus nerka. This is the first report of the isolation of IHN virus from an animal other than salmonid fishes. High levels of IHN virus were also found in leeches taken from the bottom gravel of the...

Surveys of sea otters (Enhydra lutris) conducted before, immediately after, or at the time of the TA^ Exxon Valdez oil spill were used to guide otter capture efforts and assess the immediate effects of the spill. Shoreline counts (by boat) of sea otters in Prince William Sound in 1984 suggested that a minimum of 4,500 sea otters inhabited nearshore waters of Prince William Sound. Areas...

I studied the aggregative responses of Common Murres and Atlantic Puffins to schools of capelin during three summers (1982-1984) at Witless Bay, Newfoundland, by conducting hydroacoustic surveys for capelin in synchrony with seabird censuses. Murres and puffins foraged offshore prior to the arrival inshore of spawning schools of capelin. Both species were abundant during peak periods of...

Activity budgets of adult Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons frontalis) with and without neck bands during the non-breeding season revealed that geese with neck bands spent more time preening than geese without neck bands while at foraging sites, but not while at roosting sites. Neck-banded and control geese spent equal time in other important activities (alert, feeding...