Ecology and Conservation of North American Sea Ducks

Ecology and Conservation of North American Sea Ducks
Author: Jean-Pierre L. Savard
Publisher: CRC Press
Total Pages: 604
Release: 2015-04-13
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1482248980

The past decade has seen a huge increase in the interest and attention directed toward sea ducks, the Mergini tribe. This has been inspired, in large part, by the conservation concerns associated with numerical declines in several sea duck species and populations, as well as a growing appreciation for their interesting ecological attributes. Reflec

The North American Sea Ducks

The North American Sea Ducks
Author: Paul Johnsgard
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 258
Release: 2016-11-09
Genre: Nature
ISBN: 1609621069

The 21 species of sea ducks are one of the larger subgroups (Tribe Mergini) of the waterfowl family Anatidae, and the 16 species (one historically extinct) that are native to North America represent the largest number to be found on any continent, and also the largest number of endemic sea duck species native to any continent. Although generally not important as game birds, the sea ducks include some economically important birds such as the eiders, the basis for the Arctic eiderdown industry and a historically important food source for some Native American cultures. They also include what is probably the most northerly breeding species of all waterfowl and an icon of Arctic bird life, the long-tailed duck. The sea ducks also include species having some of the most complex and diverse pair-forming postural and acoustic displays of all waterfowl (goldeneyes and bufflehead), and some of the deepest diving species of all waterfowl (scoters and long-tailed duck). Sea ducks are highly prone to population disasters caused by oil spills and other water contaminants and, like other seabirds, are among the first bird groups that are being affected by current global warming trends in polar regions. This book is an effort to summarize succinctly our current knowledge of sea duck biology and to provide a convenient survey of the vast technical literature on the group, with over 900 literature references. It also includes 90,000 words of text (more than 40 percent of which is new), 15 updated range maps, 11 black & white and 20 color photographs, over 30 ink drawings, and nearly 150 sketches. Lastly, the North American sea ducks include the now extinct Labrador duck, the only northern hemisphere waterfowl species to have gone extinct in modern times. I have gratefully reprinted a Labrador duck watercolor by Sir Peter Scott. Considering recent population crashes in other sea ducks, such as the Steller's eider and spectacled eider, it should also offer a sobering reminder of the fragility of our natural world and its inhabitants, including us.

The Wildlife Techniques Manual

The Wildlife Techniques Manual
Author: Nova J. Silvy
Publisher: JHU Press
Total Pages: 1401
Release: 2020-07-28
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1421436701

The #1 selling wildlife management book for 40 years, now updated for the next generation of professionals and students. Since its original publication in 1960, The Wildlife Techniques Manual has remained the cornerstone text for the professional wildlife biologist. Now fully revised and updated, this eighth edition promises to be the most comprehensive resource on wildlife biology, conservation, and management for years to come. Superbly edited by Nova J. Silvy and published in association with The Wildlife Society, the 50 authoritative chapters included in this work provide a full synthesis of methods used in the field and laboratory. Chapter authors, all leading wildlife professionals, explain and critique traditional and new methodologies and offer thorough discussions of a wide range of relevant topics. To effectively incorporate the explosion of new information in the wildlife profession, this latest edition is logically organized into a 2-volume set: Volume 1 is devoted to research techniques and Volume 2 focuses on pragmatic management methodologies. Volume 1 describes research design and proper analytic methods prior to conducting research, as well as methods and considerations for capturing and handling wild animals and information on identification and marking of captured animals. It also includes new chapters on nutritional research and field sign identification, and on emerging topics, including structured decision-making. Finally, Volume 1 addresses measurements of wildlife abundance and habitat and research on individual animals. Volume 2 begins with a section on the relationship between research and management including public outreach, described in a context that encourages engagement prior to initiation of management. An adaptive management approach is described as a cornerstone of natural resource management, followed by a section on managing landscapes and wildlife populations. The volume also includes new chapters on ethics in wildlife science and conservation, conflict resolution and management, and land reclamation. A standard text in a variety of courses, the Techniques Manual, as it is commonly called, covers every aspect of modern wildlife management and provides practical information for applying the hundreds of methods described in its pages. This deft and thorough update ensures that The Wildlife Techniques Manual will remain an indispensable resource, one that professionals and students in wildlife biology, conservation, and management simply cannot do without.

Population Status and Trends of Sea Ducks in Alaska

Population Status and Trends of Sea Ducks in Alaska
Author: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Office of Migratory Bird Management. Waterfowl Management Branch
Publisher:
Total Pages: 137
Release: 1999
Genre: Bird populations
ISBN:

Prompted by declines in sea duck populations in the Pacific Flyway, this report presents existing information about sea duck biology, population trends, and harvest for species in Alaska to assess their status and to help in program planning and management.

Seeking Refuge

Seeking Refuge
Author: Robert M Wilson
Publisher: University of Washington Press
Total Pages: 281
Release: 2011-07-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0295800070

Each fall and spring, millions of birds travel the Pacific Flyway, the westernmost of the four major North American bird migration routes. The landscapes they cross vary from wetlands to farmland to concrete, inhabited not only by wildlife but also by farmers, suburban families, and major cities. In the twentieth century, farmers used the wetlands to irrigate their crops, transforming the landscape and putting migratory birds at risk. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service responded by establishing a series of refuges that stretched from northern Washington to southern California. What emerged from these efforts was a hybrid environment, where the distinctions between irrigated farms and wildlife refuges blurred. Management of the refuges was fraught with conflicting priorities and practices. Farmers and refuge managers harassed birds with shotguns and flares to keep them off private lands, and government pilots took to the air, dropping hand grenades among flocks of geese and herding the startled birds into nearby refuges. Such actions masked the growing connections between refuges and the land around them. Seeking Refuge examines the development and management of refuges in the wintering range of migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway. Although this is a history of efforts to conserve migratory birds, the story Robert Wilson tells has considerable salience today. Many of the key places migratory birds use — the Klamath Basin, California’s Central Valley, the Salton Sea — are sites of recent contentious debates over water use. Migratory birds connect and depend on these landscapes, and farmers face pressure as water is reallocated from irrigation to other purposes. In a time when global warming promises to compound the stresses on water and migratory species, Seeking Refuge demonstrates the need to foster landscapes where both wildlife and people can thrive.

Behaviour and Ecology of Sea Ducks

Behaviour and Ecology of Sea Ducks
Author: R. Ian Goudie
Publisher: Published for the Pacific Seabird Group by Canadian Wildlife Service
Total Pages: 92
Release: 1999
Genre: Bird populations
ISBN:

Contains papers presented at a conference on sea ducks, a group of waterfowl exhibiting dramatic ornate plumages and life history strategies that are more akin to sea birds than to other species of ducks. Topics of the papers include: behaviour of harlequin ducks and scoters; productivity of breeding harlequin ducks; time budgets of surf scoter broods; habitat associations of nesting spectacled eiders; periodic non-breeding of Steller's eiders; philopatry of moulting harlequin ducks; foraging strategies and habitat use; distribution of scoters and eiders in the St. Lawrence estuary; and the eastern population of Barrow's goldeneye. Appendices include abstracts of nine other papers.