Publications

We studied breeding success, chick growth, and diets of Least (Aethia pusilla) and Crested (A. cristatella) auklets on St. Lawrence Island, Alaska, in summer 1987. Least Auklets had higher breeding success on control plots (50-66%) than on disturbed plots (36%). Crested Auklets had a breeding success of 42% on disturbed plots. Predation by microtine rodents and weather accounted for most...

No abstract available.

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...

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...

Four methods were used for marking sea otters (Enhydra lutris) captured and treated during the response to the T/V Exxon Valdez oil spill. Colored and numbered flipper tags were placed on each sea otter that was brought to the otter treatment centers. These tags allowed individual recognition and permitted the tracking of individuals through the treatment and holding processes. Recovery...

After the T/V Exxon Valdez oil spill into Prince William Sound, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Exxon Company, U.S.A., began rescuing sea otters (Enhydra lutris). The primary objective of this operation was to capture live, oiled sea otters for cleaning and rehabilitation. Between 30 March and 29 May 1989, 139 live sea otters were captured in the sound and transported to...

I monitored the incubation schedules of Fulmars Fulmarus glacialis in an Alaskan colony by observing nests where the male and female were of different colour phases. Complete shifts of up to 16 days were recorded; the average shift in mid-incubation was 4–6 days. Mean shift length was inversely correlated with hatching success in 5 years, suggesting that Fulmars adjusted their foraging...

We studied the breeding seasons of marine birds on the Semidi Islands, western Gulf of Alaska, from 1976 to 1983. Distributions of laying or hatching observed in 11 species during 1–7 years are presented; less detailed information is available on the breeding schedules of three species. The combined laying period of 14 species lasted 3 months from mid-April to mid-July; the first eggs of...

Ten adult female polar bears (Ursus maritimus) were fitted with satellite telemetry collars during March 1986 in the Kotzebue Sound area of the Chukchi Sea. During March-April 1987, 2 of these bears were refitted with satellite telemetry collars and an additional 10 adult females were collared in the northern Bering and eastern Chukchi seas. Data for 1,560 point locations recorded...

Nearly 900 sea otter (Enhydra lutris) carcasses were recovered in or adjacent to coastal areas affected by the T/V Exxon Valdez oil spill. The time of carcass recovery and the condition of carcasses indicate that most oil spill-induced mortality occurred early in the response period. In fact, by 19 May about 70% of the carcasses had been found. The majority of the carcasses (56%) were...

Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) that were captured in western Prince William Sound (PWS) or the Gulf of Alaska, treated, and held in captivity at the temporary rehabilitation centers established in response to the T/V Exxon Valdez oil spill were instrumented with radio transmitters, released into eastern PWS, and monitored by radiotelemetry. We undertook the present study to gain information...

A 6-year study of shorebird use of intertidal habitats of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta revealed this area to be one of the premiere sites for shorebirds throughout the Holarctic and worthy of designation as a Hemispheric Shorebird Reserve in the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. The study area, which covered 10% (300 km2) of the delta's intertidal flats, regularly hosted 17...