Research

Tracking Surf Scoters
by Matthew Perry, U.S. Geological Survey

The Sea Duck Joint Venture, Reversing the Trend states, "The 15 species of waterfowl known as sea ducks constitute 42 percent of the duck species breeding in North America, yet they are the most poorly understood group of waterfowl."

Even the most basic knowledge, such as the location of the breeding and molting areas of these birds, is uncertain. To help fill the knowledge gaps, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently provided funding to the U.S. Geological Survey Patuxent Research Center in Laurel, Maryland, to conduct research on all species of seaducks, with a major emphasis on black, surf, and white-winged scoters, that breed and molt in northeastern Canada and winter in the Chesapeake Bay, on the central East Coast of the United States.

Initial plans were to capture scoters in the bay using several methods including a capture-net gun, floating mist nets, and night-lighting procedures. Initial work with floating mist nets and night-lighting procedures was unsuccessful. A capture-net gun, first used on March 13, 2001, proved to be the tool of choice. Armed with the gun, and in a fast-moving boat, scientists maneuvered to within approximately 15 feet of a male surf scoter before releasing the net. The captured bird was placed in a crate and transported to the veterinary hospital at Patuxent.

The following day, a veterinarian surgically implanted a 39-gram Platform Transmitting Terminal transmitter into the duck's abdominal cavity, following general procedures used in previous studies but with modifications for this study. The transmitter's external antenna (percutaneous) was passed through the back of the duck using a surgical catheter. The scoter was held for post-surgery observation for 8 days and tube-fed to maintain its weight. Following post-operative care, the bird was released at the site of capture. Four other surf scoters were trapped during the following 4 weeks using the same protocol, with post-operative care lasting from 3 to 6 days.

Satellite tracking began immediately with the release of the ducks. Four of the scoters migrated to breeding areas in Canada; one was found dead in Delaware, the cause of death unknown. Extensive data were obtained on the location of the surviving ducks. All tracking data were immediately accessible to the public via the U.S. Geological Survey Web site at www.pwrc.usgs.gov/resshow/perry/scoters/. These satellite tracking data will help to fill the informational gaps of sea ducks and enable managers to better protect and manage critical breeding and molting areas for these birds.

For more information, contact Matthew Perry, U.S. Geological Survey, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 11410 American Holly Drive, Laurel, Maryland 20708, (301) 497-5622, matt_perry@usgs.gov.

Alberta Ducks Banking on Beef
by Joy Gregory, Ducks Unlimited Canada

Thompson's field office and the Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research are overseeing two graduate-level research projects in central Alberta's Aspen Parkland region. The first, conducted by Jeff Warren and Jay Rotella of Montana State University, investigates the impact of grazing intensity on upland-nesting waterfowl. The second, led by Robb Stavne and Lee Foote of the University of Alberta, studies the effects of cattle grazing on wetland bird communities.

Funded by DUC and the North American Waterfowl Management Plan partnership in Alberta, the studies are being conducted on more than 50 quarters in the Aspen Parkland. That region supports the highest density of breeding ducks in Alberta. It is also home to more than 50 percent of the Province's beef cattle. With pressure to increase beef production picking up steam, Thompson hopes the multi-year projects will eventually help model the consequences of this very strong and growing beef industry on waterfowl production and wetland bird communities.

Good news, bad news…
Early results show idled and lightly grazed pastures had considerably higher duck-nest densities than other pastures. Nest success, however, was approximately one-third better on moderately grazed parcels, suggesting productivity was similar under those two treatments.

This may be because idled pastures act as islands of habitat in a sea of agriculture, thus attracting lots of ducks-and predators. The same reasoning suggests moderately grazed parcels would be less attractive to both.

The results on heavily grazed parcels painted a clearer but uglier picture. While idled quarters in the region commonly supported more than 75 duck nests in areas where wetland density is good, that plummeted to two or three nests on heavily grazed quarters. Worse yet, all of these nests can be expected to fail regardless of whether the heavily grazed quarters supported native or tame pasture.

"Heavily grazed pastures offer little benefit to upland nesting waterfowl, but light to moderately grazed pastures may be helpful," says Thompson of the project's first-year results.

The second project's findings are incomplete. It is apparent, however, that wetland bird communities were most impacted in wetlands with heavily grazed margins.

The information from these studies represents a great opportunity for organizations like DUC to work with the beef industry. Retired rancher Jack Dawson agrees. Dawson, who welcomed the researchers to some of his land in the Red Deer Lake area, sees healthy pastures and grazing cattle as part of the same equation. But the need for balance is critical. "It's the same thing as a bank account," says Dawson. "You put something in, you take something out, but you always make sure there's enough for the future."

For more information, contact Jonathan Thompson, Ph.D., Ducks Unlimited Canada, 200, 10720 - 178 Street, Edmonton, Alberta T5J 1J3, (780) 489-2002, j_thompson@ducks.ca.

Pintails Still Plummeting in the Canadian Prairies
by Ron Montgomery

The whistle of a northern pintail drake was normally associated with the coming of spring to southern Alberta's prairie landscapes, but the sights and sounds of the graceful pintail has become a rarity. It is an alarming situation and statistics indicate that continental pintail populations are at an historical low.

In the mid 1970s, over 60 percent of the continental pintail breeding population settled in the southern Canadian prairies. The drought-ridden 1980s saw pintail populations drop dramatically. A logical conclusion pointed to the lack of water, but in the 1990s after water had returned, pintail populations still failed to recover. Other factors were to blame. Wetlands are still vitally important for pintail production. Unfortunately, over 70 percent of Canada's prairie wetlands have been drained or degraded.

Agriculture statistics indicate acres of annual cropland and intensive cropping practices have increased significantly in prairie Canada over the past 35 years. The largest land-use change has been the replacement of summer fallow with continuous cropping. Tilling and seeding of continuously cropped lands occur simultaneously with pintail nesting times, so nest destruction is inevitable. Pintail distribution graphing shows a direct percentage correlation to the relative change in summer fallow acres.

Ducks Unlimited Canada's Institute for Wetland and Waterfowl Research continues to conduct research projects on Canada's prime pintail breeding grounds. A 2-year study on late harvested hayland habitats indicated a nest hatching increase of nearly 10 times that observed in spring-seeded cropland. On average, pintails hatched one nest for every 72 acres of fall-seeded crops versus one nest for every 1,332 acres of spring-seeded crops. Nest density and nest success were obviously much higher in fall-seeded crops. These results both guide and confirm the habitat program direction.

Technological advances in the agriculture sector combined with declining profit margins for agriculture crops have resulted in practices that negatively impact water, soil, and wildlife resources on southern Alberta's agriculture landscapes. In response, DUC has been actively working towards the creation of government-led programs that would financially reward producers who plant and retain vegetative cover and conserve or restore native pastures, riparian areas, field margin buffers, and wetlands.

An Eco-Agriculture Chair at the University of Saskatchewan is funded by DUC to develop winter wheat varieties with improved cold tolerance, disease resistance, and superior quality profiles. Extension related activities with key winter wheat producers and agribusinesses are also underway.

Are pintails the only species being targeted in southern Alberta? Not at all, but pintails are a good "indicator" species, so their recovery bodes well for other wildlife. Although some traditional conservation programs are modified, the underlying goal is to maximize benefits to waterfowl and other wildlife.

The success of DUC's habitat program has always relied upon working closely and cooperatively with the agriculture community. Geographic information system-based tools help direct efforts to key focus areas where long-term pintail numbers have been the highest.

For more information, contact Ducks Unlimited Canada, Prairie District Office, P.O. Box 818, Brooks, Alberta, (403) 362-4827, www.ducks.ca.

Canada's Wildlife Habitat: What's at Risk?
by Ed Wiken, Wildlife Habitat Canada

The plight of endangered species is a hot topic across Canada. The gradual endangerment and loss of native species are important indicators of our relative lack of success at managing the Nation's natural resources.

Canada's landscapes, seascapes, and their inherent range of ecosystem types have provided resources such as timber and a diversity of wildlife habitat. Competition over resources and the lack of appropriate planning to integrate wildlife conservation objectives into resource use have resulted in species endangerment. However, the underlying loss of habitat, despite being a root cause of species loss, is often overlooked.

Wildlife Habitat Canada's recently released report, The Status of Wildlife Habitats in Canada 2001, profiles habitat conditions and trends and conservation activities in Canada. This habitat risk assessment uses ecoregions to depict wildlife habitat.

These regions are the underlying landscape units that form the foundation of the North American Bird Conservation Initiative's Bird Conservation Regions.

The 217 ecoregions covering Canada's landscapes were evaluated according to levels of risk to their characteristic habitats. Displaying this assessment as a map, the darker areas show the highest levels of risk. The map is a composite of current and future risk analyses that demonstrate a clear north/south split. Southern areas face current-day risks, with most endangered habitats and species being threatened by urbanization, pollution, intensive land-use practices, and open access. These regions also feature very few large protected areas, because most habitat conservation activities have focused on recovery, private land stewardship, restoration, rescue of remnants, and reintroduction.

Future risk factors, in contrast, are more likely to affect northern areas. Changes in precipitation and temperature for summer and winter seasons, for example, were modeled for the period 2040-2060 and compared to current-day climatic conditions. The greatest level of change was in the northern half of the country. In the Arctic and Taiga, warmer temperatures and increased precipitation would significantly alter current habitats and the species they sustain. These future threats involve different planning considerations, based on a philosophy of anticipation and prevention—a strategy as equally tasking as one based on restoration and salvage.

These combined assessments show that Canada's landscapes need to be strategically managed as a whole and over the long term. As Canada shares many species that migrate across North America's lands and waters, related risk assessments in the United States and Mexico should be examined. Furthermore, habitat management throughout North America increasingly involves the use of diverse information and skills that may be associated with natural sciences or socioeconomic fields. This implies that successful habitat conservation demands a complex mix of governance and skills.

We are not there yet. However, the establishment of a National Wildlife Habitat Council, one of the central recommendations of the wildlife habitat status report, could bring us closer to this reality. It would bring knowledge and skills together through a habitat information system and provide guidance on the development and use of habitat indicators.

For more information, contact Ed Wiken, Director, Habitat Status Project/Program, Wildlife Habitat Canada, 7 Hinton Avenue North, Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 4P1, (613) 722-2090, ewiken@whc.org.