Comparing Big Sit Results From Two Missouri River Refuges

The annual "Big Sit" was held nationwide on October 10th, and two participating sites were along the lower Missouri River.

The "Eagle Eyes Big Sit" was done at Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge by Mound City, Missouri, and the "DeSoto's Gooseless Wonders" team was at Desoto NWR, west of Missouri Valley, Iowa.

There were four participants in "Desoto's Gooseless Wonders" team, with about 40 casual visitors watching for about ten minutes, with 120 additional visitors inquiring about the count, according to the report submitted by Jim Hartman, team captain and a biologist at the refuge. The Fish and Wildlife Service was the sponsor for the count which lasted from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. for this circle placed at the north end of the visitor's center, on an oxbow of the river.

At Squaw Creek, five miles eastward of the Missouri River channel, the eight members of the "Eagle Eyes," comprised of eight members of the local Audubon Society Chapter kept the vigil, according to the submitted report. There were 17 visitors to the sit spot - the refuge look-out tower. The survey period was from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. James Voltz was the team captain.

The observation spot is "near the entrance to the refuge and is the first and primary stopping point for visitors," said Ron Bell, refuge manager. "It also overlooks Eagle Pool yet there are woodlands fairly close. Therefore, that is probably why we are able to see different birds than the DeSoto group. I like our location because it provides the primary location to get visitors to stop. However, during this time of the year, there usually isn't too much moving through as far as marsh, water birds and waterfowl and we don't get that many visitors that early in the fall. They usually come in large numbers when more ducks show up and the snow geese and bald eagles arrive."

There were calm conditions at both localities.

Missouri Valley Avifauna

There were 66 species noted at the two sites.

Common Name	Desoto NWR	Squaw Creek NWR
Canada Goose	**	**
Wood Duck	**	**
Mallard	**	**
Northern Shoveler	**	-
Northern Pintail	**	-
Green-winged Teal	**	-
Canvasback	**	-
Common Goldeneye	**	-
Common Merganser	**	-
Ring-necked Pheasant	**	-
Wild Turkey	**	-
Pied-billed Grebe	**	**
Horned Grebe	**	-
American White Pelican	**	-
Double-crested Cormorant	**	-
Great Blue Heron	**	**
Snowy Egret	**	-
Green Heron	**	-
Turkey Vulture	**	**
Osprey	-	**
Bald Eagle	**	**
Northern Harrier	**	**
Sharp-shinned Hawk	**	-
Broad-winged Hawk	**	-
Swainson's Hawk	**	-
Red-tailed Hawk	**	-
Merlin	-	**
Peregrine Falcon	-	**
Sora	-	**
American Coot	**	**
Sandhill Crane	-	**
Killdeer	**	**
Greater Yellowlegs	**	-
Ring-billed Gull	**	-
Rock Pigeon	**	-
Mourning Dove	**	**
Great Horned Owl	**	-
Belted Kingfisher	**	-
Red-bellied Woodpecker	**	**
Downy Woodpecker	-	**
Northern Flicker	**	**
Blue Jay	**	**
American Crow	**	**
Tree Swallow	**	-
Cliff Swallow	**	-
Barn Swallow	**	-
Black-capped Chickadee	**	-
White-breasted Nuthatch	-	**
House Wren	**	-
American Robin	-	**
Gray Catbird	-	**
Northern Mockingbird	**	-
European Starling	**	**
Yellow-rumped Warbler	**	**
American Redstart	**	-
Common Yellowthroat	-	**
American Tree Sparrow	-	**
Song Sparrow	-	**
Swamp Sparrow	-	**
White-throated Sparrow	-	**
Northern Cardinal	**	**
Red-winged Blackbird	-	**
Common Grackle	**	**
Brown-headed Cowbird	-	**
American Goldfinch	**	**
House Sparrow	**	-

There were 20 common species of the Missouri River Valley which were noted at both localities.

There were 50 species noted in the tally for the Desoto sit. This tally was notable for the number of water birds denoted. Surprising was the lack of any blackbirds being present.

The Eagle Eyes noted 36 species. Two highlights of the day were a Sora and Sandhill Crane, according to a report on the vent posted on the Missouri Birds forum by Larry Lade. Raptors were also appreciated. A summary statement was: "The lack of open water and no adjacent wooded area contributes to low counts at this time of year." There was a comment made that perhaps a different spot will be considered next time.

"A new spot could be on the west side at Snow Goose Pool B or near the Davis Creek moist soil unit #1," said Bell. The quality of the site would depend on "whether we are able to provide mudflats, shallow water or able to accomplish any habitat work. Some years it is either too wet or too dry to get any good habitat close to the auto tour route."

A greater variety of sparrows was noted at Squaw Creek, probably because their observation point was outdoors. There were some surprising omissions, including the Ring-necked Pheasant, Red-tailed Hawk, Great Horned Owl, Belted Kingfisher, no swallows, and not even the House Sparrow.

Counts are not kept during this survey, with information derived solely from the presence of an observed species.

During the days surrounding the Big Sit, there were 25,000 ducks on this refuge and numerous Bald Eagles, according to Bell. There were few geese, because it is still early in the season.

Squaw Creek NWR is recognized as a globally important bird habitat, as designated by the Western Shorebird Reserve Network, as established in 2007.

The Fish and Wildlife Services manages the refuge for the benefit of waterfowl and shorebirds, including active water management, prescribed burning to retain habitats and discing, Bell said.

Squaw Creek NWR "is a perfect location for birding enthusiasts to watch the migration," Bell said.

This event provides another opportunity to survey birds present in a unique manner. With its national scope, results can be compared for many regions to provide a snap-shot of bird life present in different place in mid-October. With its organized focus, it is also a valuable educational opportunity, as indicated for the number of inquisitive people at Desoto NWR.

A "Big Sit" count is a count of the total number of species observed from within a 17-foot circle on a particular day. The event is sponsored by Bird Watcher's Digest. Additional details on all the results are available online.

Conservation Management Ongoing on Refuges in the Northern Sandhills

It is refuge week for these area, managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service for the conservation of fauna and flora, and at the refuge complex in the northern sand hills, conservation efforts continue unabated.

Though there were not any particular events scheduled for refuge week, the theme nonetheless fits with the ongoing efforts to achieve the recognized goals for the refuge complex, which includes Fort Niobrara NWR, Valentine NWR and Seier NWR. The staff continued their regular endeavors to accomplish resource conservation and management.

During this week is the annual bison sale at the Fort Niobrara NWR. With the annual mid-October bison sale underway, this event was foremost in the comments about recent management activities. The buffalo have been gathered and some are ready for sale, as they have been for decades. This refuge has been managed since 1913 for birds and bison, with the big buffalo an essential aspect in maintaining the prairie landscape and its associated biota.

"It has been a great season for the bison herd and their management," said Steve Hicks, manager of the three-refuge complex. The herd was recently gathered and surplus animals are being auctioned to the highest bidder. The management is focused on maintaining a quality herd.

Elk at Fort Niobrara NWR; June 25, 2007.

"Fort Niobrara NWR has a couple of established purposes," Hicks said. "Those are as a preserve and breeding grounds for native birds, and a game preserve especially for bison and elk. Refuge biologists and managers have set target big game populations of 350 bison and 70 elk. Bison and elk are then used to graze the refuge grasslands in a way that will provide optimum habitat conditions for native birds. Grass typically needs some sort of stimulation to grow well. When applied properly, grazing, fire and mowing are types of stimulation that help grass grow and provide quality habitat for many species of animals."

Notable for this year, the Fort Niobrara bison herd was combined with a herd, originally from Sullys Hill National Game Preserve, to preserve the genetic diversity of the animals, Hicks said. "A larger, combined herd will improve management opportunities."

Elsewhere on the refuge complex, efforts continue to improve habitat for the protected flora and fauna of the Niobrara River and regions within the sandhills.

Hicks indicated several prominent activities.

At Valentine NWR with its many lakes and upland prairie, there has been ongoing removal of unwanted and invasive cedar trees. This has also occurred on the Fort Niobrara NWR and is planned for on the Seier NWR. Cedars are not a preferred type of vegetation for these refuges in an area where prairie grassland is the predominant and preferred type of habitat.

"On Valentine NWR cedars once dotted the sandhills north of the Hackberry Lake and South of the Pony Lake," Hicks said. "On Fort Niobrara NWR, cedars have been removed from much of the area along the Niobrara River from Cornell Bridge south to the refuge boundary."

Several fire burns have been done to facilitate the growth of native prairie vegetation: 1605 acres of Valentine NWR were treated this last year; and 547 acres at Fort Niobrara NWR. A carefully managed grazing program is also used to promote the grasslands' vigor at Valentine NWR.

Among the many wetlands on the Valentine refuge, Calf Camp Marsh has been managed with a focus on lower water levels, which provides shallow water habitat preferable for a diversity of bird species, Hicks noted.

Notable for Seier NWR has been an end to the legal considerations for the family trust associated with the donation of the former ranch property which occurred in 2000.

The legal situation regarding the Seier family trust "has been cleared," Hicks said. This will allow the F.W.S. to undertake more management activities on this Rock County tract of 2400 acres. Particular focus will be given to fixing water wells, promoting livestock grazing beneficial for grasslands, removing invasive growths of cedar trees (especially on the eastern extent of the refuge lands) and subtly, yet distinctly, erecting a marker to recognize the contribution of Louise and Jon Seier to create the national refuge.

The trust fund will provide about $20,000 annually, which can be used for refuge management activities, Hicks said, noting that this is the only trust of this sort he is familiar within the F.W.S.

A shortage of funds is notably limiting some activities on the refuge areas, Hicks said. There were no special activities scheduled for refuge week because of the lack of funding and a shortage of staff to develop and promote events which would connect people with nature, and ensure the future of conservation, which are this year's theme.

The Seier NWR comprehensive conservation plan was expected to be developed in 2011, but is now expected to be prepared in 2014, along with similar plans for the Fort Niobrara and Valentine refuges.

One notable bit of information which would be helpful for refuge management would be a better understanding of resident and migratory birds.

"We would like to have bird surveys of the unique habitats in the biological crossroads along the Niobrara River and at the wetlands of the southern refuges," Hicks said. And any other information on bird occurrence would be appreciated and helpful in developing future refuge management plans.

Trust Proposal Would Fund Purchase of Snake River Falls

A grant application recently announced would, if approved, allow the purchase of the Snake River Falls and adjoining sections of the river in the northern sand hills.

Snake River Falls; picture taken July 17, 2009.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission has applied for a grant of $2,417,000 from the Nebraska Environmental Trust for the purchase of a portion of the Snake Falls Ranch, down the river from Merritt Reservoir, according to a list given on the trust website, as posted in late September.

Few details are available at this time, but apparently the purchase would include the river from the falls, and upriver. This would comprise about 1300 acres, and about two miles of the unique river, according to staff of the commission.

Buying a portion of the ranch, through the proposal developed by the Fisheries Division of the NGPC, and partners, would provide public access to the river canyon and its blue-ribbon trout fishery. The agency wants to preserve the quality of the area, and would limit fishing to ensure a continuation of the quality fishing, according to comments.

Apparently a sportmens club, which is a partner in the proposal, would grant an access easement to the state agency, and also give a "right of first refusal" for purchase if their portion of the purchased property would be sold in the future.

The environmental trust will soon be posting a summary of the grant proposal, and then request public input into the proposed endeavor.

Pricey Property

Land along the Snake River below Merritt Reservoir is very costly, based on recent land sales.

Two parcels - 160 acres in section 28, T32N R30W and 40 acres in section 20, T32N R30W - adjacent to the Prairie Club Golf Course were purchased in April 2007. The buyer - apparently the golf course developers wanting to protect the view-scape - bought the 200 acres for $1.1 million, or $5500 per acre on the southwest extent of their course.

Another BELF tract of 24.42 acres in the northern portion of sec. 34, T32N R30W were sold for $122,100, or $5000 per acre on July 8, 2008.

The Snake Falls Ranch is being sold at a cost of about $3000 per acre, which is the appraised value, with an overall asking price of about $9 million for the entire ranch. There is no realty listing for the property which could be found on the internet.

Exciting Proposal

The significance of this purchase is obvious upon consideration of a map of land ownership along the lower Snake River, where public ownership of property prevails. This extent is predominant on a map, but the land is actually very remote and relatively inaccessible due to a lack of roads, and the occurrence of the two rivers and canyons which inhibit access.

Land ownership along the Snake River below Merritt Reservoir, and along the Niobrara River west of the Snake River confluence. Derived from land ownership maps for Cherry County, and with the greatly appreciated assistance of staff of the Bureau of Educational Lands and Funds.

On the western edge, is the McKelvie Forest, managed by the U.S. Forest Service. Lands around Merritt Reservoir are owned by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and leased by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Below the dam, the state of Nebraska, through the Bureau of Educational Lands and Funds, owns several distinct parcels near and adjacent to the Snake River. This property is leased, and used for cattle grazing and hunting.

The Snake Falls Ranch along the river, connects the public parcels into a contiguous tract.

The area west of the confluence of Steer Creek and the Niobrara would apparently be included in the "sportsman's club" purchase of the ranch.

Westward of this confluence of the Snake and the Niobrara, the BELF property includes two miles of Niobrara River in its largest tract of educational lands in Nebraska (comprising more than 7500 acres), then includes property never claimed and which is still U.S.A. government property, of which some marshland along the Niobrara is contiguous with McKelvie Forest. Another state tract then occurs, and just to the west is a very special state area, the Anderson Bridge WMA.

Purchase of a portion of the Snake Falls Ranch provides an opportunity to combine land ownership in a manner which will create a distinct and unique combination of public property with distinctive resources such as the riverfalls, lower Steer Creek and Niobrara River lands. Each with their distinctive resources.

Public ownership of the ranch property would provide an unique and perhaps "once-in-lifetime" opportunity to aggregate the Snake River environs into an area which extends from the dam at Merritt Reservoir, nearly to the Niobrara River. This is a unique opportunity to establish a protective corridor of the Snake River and associated environs, and to create a "world-class" setting with public ownership of portions of two distinctive rivers in the northern sandhills of Cherry County.

With a successful completion of the current proposal, it would be possible to trek - traversing property publicly owned or under easement - from Merritt Reservoir to the Niobrara River, and then eastward to the unique Anderson Bridge WMA.

Polar Voyages Denote Birdlife of the Northern Alaska Seas

When the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Healy departed from on the 2010 International Continental Shelf Survey, bird watcher Bill Schmoker was onboard and keeping a close eye on any birds, ready to note which species were observed during the voyage across the Arctic sea.

A teacher from Centennial Middle School in Boulder, Colorado, Schmoker has an extensive background in watching birds, which was helpful in knowing how to recognize and identify birds during the PolarTREC survey. He has monitored breeding bird transects for the Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory, been an instructor for the American Birding Association's Youth Birding Program, and photographed more than 600 species in North America.

Courtesy image.

Bird-watching at sea for weeks, was, however, a completely new experience. The voyage traveled over 5000 nautical miles.

"I was thrilled and excited with the prospect of seeing birds in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas and pleasantly surprised at finding bird life well into the pack ice in the Canada Basin," Schmoker said.

The first bird list - of the 26 eventually submitted to ebird, the online record repository - was for July 31st from Dutch Harbor, on Unalaska Island, a prominent place on the Aleutian Islands. The final list from the voyage was for September 6, at Barrow, Alaska, based upon observations at the end of Ogrook Street.

During the survey, Schmoker reported his observations in an online weblog, presented daily as uploaded from the ship. Topics in the more than 50 reports covered a wide variety of topics related to the scientific efforts of the ship crew, and the events and life at sea.

Schmoker's details of the birds observed, and times aboard the ship, convey a unique perspective of avifauna which had not been previously reported for the PolarTREC voyage.

Birds of the Northern Seas

During the nearly forty day voyage, 58 different species were noted according to the ebird survey reports submitted. There were various waterfowl, seabirds, shorebirds, and a lesser number of land birds. The following is a list of the species noted, with the value given a sum of the species noted for the designated localities.

Bird Common Name	Dutch Harbor - Unalaska Island	Bering Sea	Bering Strait	Chukchi Sea	Beaufort Sea	North of Barrow	Northwind Ridge	Canada Basin	Barrow - End of Ogrook Street
Greater White-fronted Goose	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	60
Mallard	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spectacled Eider	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	7
King Eider	-	-	-	15	-	-	-	-	-
Common Eider	-	-	-	6	2	4	-	-	-
Red-breasted Merganser	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rock Ptarmigan	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pacific Loon	-	-	-	-	-	5	-	-	2
Northern Fulmar	-	9	8	6	-	-	-	-	-
Mottled Petrel	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Short-tailed Shearwater	-	1900	35	-	-	1	-	-	-
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel	-	60	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Red-faced Cormorant	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pelagic Cormorant	-	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	-
Bald Eagle	75	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Gyrfalcon	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
Black Oystercatcher	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Wandering Tattler	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ruddy Turnstone	30	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sanderling	-	-	-	-	-	20	-	-	-
Least Sandpiper	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rock Sandpiper	45	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Red-necked Phalarope	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-
Red Phalarope	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Black-legged Kittiwake	-	12	80	2	2	11	1	27	-
Ivory Gull	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-
Sabine's Gull	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-
Mew Gull	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Herring Gull	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
Glaucous-winged Gull	50	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Glaucous Gull	-	-	12	-	5	7	-	2	30
Aleutian Tern	-	-	-	5	-	-	-	-	-
Arctic Tern	-	-	-	-	6	7	-	-	-
Pomarine Jaeger	-	-	6	2	-	-	-	-	-
Parasitic Jaeger	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
Common Murre	-	x	x	1	-	-	-	-	-
Thick-billed Murre	-	45	x	12	-	-	-	-	-
Pigeon Guillemot	25	-	4	-	-	-	-	-	-
Marbled Murrelet	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Kittlitz's Murrelet	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Parakeet Auklet	-	2	2	3	-	-	-	-	-
Least Auklet	-	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Crested Auklet	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Horned Puffin	50	10	20	3	-	-	-	-	-
Tufted Puffin	-	21	25	5	-	-	-	-	-
Snowy Owl	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Belted Kingfisher	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Common Raven	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bank Swallow	25	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
American Pipit	12	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-
Savannah Sparrow	30	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Song Sparrow	15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lapland Longspur	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Smith's Longspur	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Snow Bunting	1	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	30
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch	75	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Common Redpoll	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10
Pine Siskin	35	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

The Black-legged Kittiwake and Glaucous Gull were two of the species noted more often. A highlight in latter August was seeing an Ivory Gull in the Canada Basin, which was the first time this species had been observed by Schmoker. "It was over 500 miles from the nearest land."

"In addition to the amazing birds I'd consider the 8 Polar Bears I saw to be an incredible bonus. Minke and Humpback Whales along with Ringed and Hooded Seals added to the mammal list, as did Sea Otters in Dutch Harbor."

Although bird surveys were not done each and every day - as there were other items of interest during the voyage, a summary of birds noted on the particular days when surveys were done, is available from the 26 ebird reports submitted.

Bird Common Name	July 31	8/ 2	8/ 3	8/ 4	8/ 5	8/ 6	8/ 8	8/ 9	8/ 10	8/ 16	8/ 19	8/ 20	8/ 21	8/ 22	8/ 23	8/ 24	8/ 25	9/ 1	9/ 5	9/ 6
Greater White-fronted Goose	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	60
Mallard	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Unidentified waterfowl	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Spectacled Eider	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	7
King Eider	-	-	-	-	15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Common Eider	-	-	-	-	6	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	4
Red-breasted Merganser	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rock Ptarmigan	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pacific Loon	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2
Loon	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
Northern Fulmar	-	3	6	8	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mottled Petrel	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Short-tailed Shearwater	-	150	1750	35	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel	-	60	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Red-faced Cormorant	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pelagic Cormorant	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
Bald Eagle	75	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Gyrfalcon	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Black Oystercatcher	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Wandering Tattler	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Ruddy Turnstone	30	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sanderling	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	20	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Least Sandpiper	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Rock Sandpiper	45	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Red-necked Phalarope	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	-	-
Red Phalarope	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Black-legged Kittiwake	-	-	12	80	2	-	-	-	2	1	1	3	-	13	1	1	1	7	1	10
Ivory Gull	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-
Sabine's Gull	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Mew Gull	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Herring Gull	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Glaucous-winged Gull	50	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Glaucous Gull	-	-	-	12	-	-	1	4	-	1	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	1	-	36
Aleutian Tern	-	-	-	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Arctic Tern	-	-	-	-	-	6	-	-	-	7	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pomarine Jaeger	-	-	-	6	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Jaeger	-	-	-	-	1	1	-	-	-	-	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	1	-	-
Parasitic Jaeger	-	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Common Murre	-	-	x	x	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Murre	-	-	-	-	40	-	-	-	-	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	8
Thick-billed Murre	-	-	45	x	12	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Pigeon Guillemot	25	-	-	4	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Marbled Murrelet	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Kittlitz's Murrelet	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Parakeet Auklet	-	-	2	2	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Least Auklet	-	-	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Crested Auklet	-	-	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Horned Puffin	50	-	10	20	3	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tufted Puffin	-	1	20	25	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Snowy Owl	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Belted Kingfisher	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Common Raven	6	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Bank Swallow	25	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
American Pipit	12	-	-	5	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Savannah Sparrow	30	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Song Sparrow	15	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Lapland Longspur	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Smith's Longspur	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	1
Snow Bunting	1	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	34
Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch	75	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Common Redpoll	2	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	10
Pine Siskin	35	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-

More species, and a greater number of birds were reported from the surveys done at land-based sites. While sailing along, Schmoker often reported survey results with only a few species, but which noted birds of particular interest or significance.

During the voyage, Schmoker observed 14 species he had not seen before, according to the final edition of his weblog. The final addition was a small flock of Spectacled Eiders seen at Barrow, while waiting to catch a plane for his return to Colorado.

Pacific Loon at Barrow. Image courtesy of Bill Schmoker

"The International Continental Shelf Survey is a multi-year project undertaken by the U.S. and Canada to retrieve seafloor and sub-seafloor data in anticipation of future extended continental shelf exclusive economic zone claims under the United Nations Law of the Sea," Schmoker said. "Bird surveys rarely are undertaken in the remote Arctic Ocean region north of both countries and so data provided to eBird from this cruise will add significant coverage to their global database of bird distribution and status."

PolarTREC 2009 Species

During the Healy 2009 cruise, foggy weather meant a lesser number of birds were observed.

Due to persistent foggy conditions, the species noted by Chris Hedge - sponsored by the NOAA Teacher at Sea program - and another observer on board, were Spectacled Eider, Pacific Loon, Northern Fulmar, Pelagic Cormorant, Red Phalarope, Black-legged Kittiwake, Ross's Gull, Glaucous Gull, Arctic Tern, Parasitic Jaeger, and Long-tailed Jaeger.

Two unusual sighting occurred on the ship. On September 5, 2009 while at the Beaufort Sea, a dead Yellow-rumped Warbler was found dead on deck. There was also a Yellow Wagtail aboard ship.

Carcass of the Yellow-rumped Warbler found on board the ship. Both images courtesy of Chris Hedge.

The visiting Yellow Wagtail.

Hedge is a 7th grade science instructor at Carmel Middle School at Carmel, Indiana.

PolarTREC

PolarTREC has been underway since 2007.

"PolarTREC (Teachers and Researchers Exploring and Collaborating) is a program in which K-12 teachers spend 2-6 weeks participating in hands-on field research experiences in the polar regions. The goal of PolarTREC is to invigorate polar science education and understanding by bringing K-12 educators and polar researchers together."

Financing for the program is provided by the National Science Foundation, and is managed by the Arctic Research Consortium of the United States, with its headquarters in Fairbanks, Alaska.