PLEASE NOTE: Effective January 1, 2002, Research Reports and Projects will be posted to the ABO Website in PDF format. Most computers and browsers have Adobe Acrobat pre-installed. If yours doesn't you should download Adobe Acrobat here and install it before trying to view reports marked as being in PDF format.
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ABO RESEARCH/MONITORING PROJECTS AND UNPUBLISHED REPORTS
Migration Monitoring at Creamer's Field (1992 - present)
Monitoring Landbird Populations in Denali National Park (1992 - present)
H5N1 Avian Influenza Screening (2006)
Breeding Bird Surveys (1999 - present)
Nesting Ecology of a High-latitude Tree Swallow Population (1998 - present)
Moose Creek Migration Station (1998 - present)
Breeding Ecology and Habitat Associations of Arctic Warblers (2004-present )
Developing an All-Bird Conservation Plan for Bird Conservation Region 4 (in progress)
Breeding Ecology of Rusty Blackbirds around Fairbanks
Screening Migratory Songbirds for the Presence of Avian Influenza Viruses (in progress)
Recommendations for Conducting a Training Program in Passerine Identification and Distance Estimation (2005)
Landbird Surveys in the Chena Lakes Flood Control Project and Recreation Area (2005)
Status Review and Conservation Plan for the Rusty Blackbird in Alaska (2003 - 2004)
Habitat Use and Densities of Birds Breeding in White Spruce Forests of Interior Alaska (2004)
Bird Monitoring Program for Forts Richardson, Greely, and Wainwright, Alaska (2004)
Distribution and Abundance of Landbirds in the Tanana Valley State Forest (2002 - 2003)
Nest Success of Landbirds Exposed to Intense Jet Noise (2000 - 2003)
Anthropogenic Threats to Coastal Birds in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska (2001 - 2002)
Distribution of Landbirds in a Riverine Forest Prior to Harvest (2000 - 2001)
Owl Surveys (2000 - 2001)
Presence of Birds in the Noyes Slough (2000)
Distribution of Landbirds Among Habitats on the Yukon Maneuver Area & Tanana Flats (1999)
Aerial Waterfowl Surveys Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. May – June 2007.
Peer-reviewed Publications
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| Migration monitoring at Creamer’s Field
ABO has operated a migration-monitoring station at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge since 1992. This study will help document long-term trends in the abundance of landbirds at Creamer’s Field as well as provide information on the life histories of passerines migrating through interior Alaska. To date, we have banded over 65,000 birds of 72 species at this site.
© 1992-2005 Alaska Bird Observatory, Inc.
These data are copyrighted 1992-2006 Alaska Bird Observatory, Inc. All rights are reserved. Posting of these data on the World Wide Web is not a waiver of that copyright or any other intellectual property rights associated with the data. No part of these data may be used except for viewing as displayed here by any persons without the prior written consent of Alaska Bird Observatory, Inc. For information regarding the use of this data please contact Alaska Bird Observatory at birds@alaskabird.org
Alaska Bird Observatory Creamers Field Migration Station Operations Manual. 4th Edition 2007
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| Monitoring landbird populations in Denali National Park
ABO has conducted point-count surveys for the National Park Service in Denali National Park since 1992. Originally, we sampled several on- and off-road survey routes every June to examine relative abundance of birds. In 2000 we switched to a new point-count regime to help the Park Service assess the spatial and temporal variation in abundance and distribution of landbirds in Denali as part of their Central Alaska Network Inventory and Monitoring Program. (Since 2001, the National Park Service has produced the annual reports for these surveys)
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ABO Breeding Bird Surveys in Denali National Park & Preserve in the central Alaska Range - Introduction and 1997 Report
ABO Breeding Bird Surveys in Denali National Park & Preserve in the central Alaska Range - 1998 Report
ABO Breeding Bird Surveys in Denali National Park & Preserve in the central Alaska Range - 1999 Report
ABO Breeding Bird Surveys in Denali National Park & Preserve in Central Alaska Range - 2000 Report
Bird Monitoring in Denali National Park (2006) (Contact Carol McIntyre for more information)
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| H5N1 Avian Influenza Screening Effort 2006
In response to recent concern over the highly pathenogenic avian influenza virus, H5N1, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service has developed a screening effort to capture and collect samples from migrant birds. As a part of this effort the Alaska Bird Observatory was contracted to conduct five studies to capture target species for avian influenze screening.
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H5N1 Avian Influenza Screening Effort 2006 |
| Breeding Bird Surveys
Since 1999, ABO biologists have conducted annual Breeding Bird Surveys as part of a nationwide monitoring program. Our survey routes are located along the Denali Highway and Chena Hot Springs Road in interior Alaska. The Denali Highway route passes through stunning alpine habitat over Maclaren Summit and then drops into the Maclaren River valley. Up to 37 species have been detected on this 24.5 mile route, with Arctic Warblers, Wilson's Warblers, American Tree Sparrows, Gray-cheeked Thrushes, and Gambel's White-crowned Sparrows being the most common. The Chena Hot Springs route follows the upper Chena River valley through white spruce and mixed forest. Swainson's Thrushes, Townsend's Warblers, Myrtle Warblers, and Slate-colored Juncos are the most common of the 41 species that have been detected on this route.
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North American Breeding Bird Survey Home Page
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| Nesting ecology of a high-latitude Tree Swallow population
ABO began a multi-year study on the nesting ecology of Tree Swallows at Creamer’s Field Migratory Waterfowl Refuge in Fairbanks in 1999. Research is conducted by junior scientists as part of ABO's youth mentoring program. Data will be used as part of a long-term investigation on trade-offs between clutch size and lifetime reproductive success of a high-latitude population of Tree Swallows. This project is funded largely by The Skaggs Foundation.
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Factors Influencing Tree Swallow Chick Mortality in Fairbanks, Alaska (Luke DeCicco's 1st-place project in the Alaska High School Science Symposium) |
| Moose Creek Migration Station
ABO has cooperated with the Denali Institute, Alaska Natural History Association, and Denali National Park Wilderness Centers, in establishing and operating the Moose Creek Migration Station (formerly the Denali Institute Migration Station), a migration-monitoring station in the Moose Creek Drainage of Denali National Park since 1998. Our objectives include monitoring population abundance and migration of birds moving through this high-latitude site.
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Denali Institute Migration Station Annual Report for 1998
Denali Institute Migration Station Annual Report for 1999
Denali Institute Migration Station Annual Report for 2003
Moose Creek Migration Station Annual Report 2005
Moose Creek Migration Station Annual Report 2006
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| Breeding Ecology & Habitat Associations of Arctic Warblers Along the Denali Highway (2004-2006) |
2004 Progress Report (Executive Summary)
2005 Progress Report
2004-2006 Final Report
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| Developing an All-Bird Conservation Plan for Bird Conservation Region 4
ABO is currently developing an All-Bird Conservation Plan for Bird Conservation Region (BCR) 4, the Northwestern Interior Forest of North America. Mainly boreal forest habitat, BCR4 covers interior Alaska, the Yukon Territory, northern British Columbia, and western Northwest Territories. This conservation plan will assess the conservation status of all birds in BCR4, delineate priority species and their habitats, assess risks to these species, and identify specific needs for inventory, monitoring, research, and conservation for birds in the region.
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BCR4 Project Summary |
| Breeding Ecology of Rusty Blackbirds around Fairbanks
During 2005 and 2006, the Alaska Bird Observatory conducted a pilot study of the migration and ecology of Rusty Blackbirds in the Fairbanks area. We found and monitored nests, recorded observations of behavior, collected habitat data, sampled water from area wetlands, and collected citizen reports of migrating flocks.
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2006 Breeding ecology and habitat affinities of an imperiled species, the Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) in Fairbanks, Alaska: Preliminary results |
| Recommendations for Conducting a Training Program in Passerine Identification and Distance Estimation (2005) |
Recommendations for Conducting a Training Program in Passerine Identification and Distance Estimation (2005) |
| Landbird Surveys in the Chena Lakes Flood Control Project and Recreation Area (2005) |
2005 Report |
| Status Review and Conservation Plan for the Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) in Alaska (2004) |
Status Review and Conservation Plan for the Rusty Blackbird (Euphagus carolinus) in Alaska |
| Distribution and abundance of landbirds in the Tanana Valley State Forest, Alaska 2002-2003 |
Distribution and abundance of landbirds in the Tanana Valley State Forest, Alaska 2002-2003 |
| Nest success of landbirds exposed to intense jet noise (2000-2003)
We initiated a landbird nesting-productivity study near Eielson Air Force Base and at Bonanza Creek near Fairbanks in 2000 to determine whether birds have decreased reproductive success when exposed to intense jet noises. This three-year study was funded by the U.S. Air Force and National Park Service.
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Effect of Military Overflights in Nesting Neotropical Migrants, Draft Final Report, August 2003 |
| Anthropogenic Threats to Coastal Birds in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska: A Literature Review (2002) |
Anthropogenic Threats to Coastal Birds in Southcentral and Southeast Alaska: A Literature Review |
| Distribution of landbirds in a riverine forest prior to harvest (2000-2001)
ABO initiated a study in 2000 to document the distribution of landbirds among habitats in a forested riverine habitat in the Tok River Drainage. Our primary objective of this study is to document habitat selection by forest birds before and after the study area is harvested for forestry purposes. This study was conducted in cooperation with Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge.
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Habitat Selection of Birds Breeding in the Tok River Watershed Progress Report 2000-2001 |
| Owl Surveys
During March and April of 2000, ABO volunteers conducted owl censuses near Fairbanks. This preliminary effort was conducted to gain a better understanding of where and when owl surveys should be conducted. |
Owl Surveys Conducted in Alaska During 2000: A Summary Report
Owl Surveys Conduct in Alaska in 2001: A Summary Report (PDF)
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| Presence of birds in the Noyes Slough (2000)
During the spring of 2000, ABO cooperated with the Noyes Slough Action Committee (a nonprofit organization interested in the restoration of a slough that runs through Fairbanks) to examine the bird species diversity in Noyes Slough. Our primary goal was to document the slough's current avian diversity and to determine whether birds were using the slough during migration, as a breeding site, or as a foraging location. |
Avian species diversity in the Noyes Slough, Fairbanks, AK: 13-26 May, 2000 |
| Distribution of landbirds among habitats on the Yukon Maneuver Area and Tanana Flats, Ft. Wainwright, Alaska 1998
We conducted point-count surveys of landbirds Fort Wainwright, Alaska during 1998. These data were used to determine habitat selection of birds in this region.
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Final Report (PDF) (395K) |
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Aerial Waterfowl Surveys Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Alaska. May – June 2007.
As part of cooperative efforts among state and federal agencies in the preparation for response to an avian influenza virus H5N1 outbreak in North America, we conducted aerial surveys during May and June, 2007, to investigate the chronology, distribution and areas of aggregation, and species of waterfowl present in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve (the Park). Diving ducks were the most abundant group of waterfowl, and of 19 observed species, scaup were the most common. Complete data available from ABO.
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Final Report (PDF) |
Alaska Bird Observatory