Paul Flint, Ph.D. (Former Employee)

We documented gosling size in late summer, adult body size, and clutch size of known-age Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) females nesting on the Tutakoke River colony between 1986 and 1995. During this period, the colony increased from 1,100 to >5,000 nesting pairs. Gosling mass at 30 days of age declined from 764 ± SE of 13 g and 723 ± 15 g for males and females, respectively, in...

Several species of breeding waterfowl have been shown to be exposed to lead shot on the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta, Alaska. I 'seeded' experimental plots with number 4 lead shot to determine the settlement rate of shot in wetland types commonly used by foraging waterfowl. I resampled plots for 3 years, using a suction dredge to remove sediment in 4-cm layers. There was no consistent...

We studied survival of adult female and duckling Common Eiders during brood rearing at two sties o the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, in 1997. Duckling survival to 30 days of age was 19%±10% (95% CI). Seventy-three percent of radio-marked adult females had lost all their ducklings by 30 days after hatch. Duckling survival was not related to hatch date. We estimate an average of 0.84...

We used wooden blocks to estimate the proportion of oiled seabird carcasses that were likely to be recovered on beaches of St Paul Island, Alaska following a near-shore oil spill. We released a total of 302 blocks 6 km north of the island in 1997 at the site of a 17 II 1996 oil spill. We used a paired design and released half the blocks when the winds were onshore and released the second...

We studied the behavior of geese on exposed river ice during spring on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The predominant behavior while on the ice for both sexes was foraging; however, females foraged more than males. Visual inspection of the ice revealed no potential plant or animal food items. However, numerous small (

We studied the effects of timing of spring snowmelt on nesting phenology, nest site selection, and clutch size of Black Brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) breeding at the Tutakoke river colony, Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska. In late springs, brant nested later: however, time between peak arrival at Tutakoke and nest initiation (6 to 12 days) was similar in early and late springs. Nest...