ABO

Research and monitoring form the foundation of the Alaska Bird Observatory’s science program. Our efforts focus on short- and long-term studies of Alaska’s birds and their habitats, with an emphasis on conservation. Our longest-term research and monitoring program, the Creamer’s Field Migration Study (now in its 2^nd decade of operation), is helping us learn more about migration behavior and ecology of Alaska’s songbirds. Volunteers are essential to this study, and summer internships at the migration station provide students with hands-on experience in landbird-monitoring techniques.

The Alaska Bird Observatory conducts research and monitoring projects across Alaska. Some of our more recent projects include an ecological study of Arctic Warblers along the eastern Denali Highway, investigating the breeding ecology of Rusty Blackbirds in the Tanana Valley, and a project looking at migration and habitat affinities of birds on Eielson Air Force Base. Other projects have taken place at Fort Richardson (Anchorage), Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, Fort Greely (Delta), and along the Tok River.

Alaska is large and remote, and partnerships are an important part of the Alaska Bird Observatory’s research and monitoring program. For instance, we have assisted with the long-term monitoring of passerine birds in Denali National Park and Preserve since 1992, helped the Ruffed Grouse Society and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game document how forest treatments for grouse affect other landbirds, and examined the effects of intense jet noise on nesting birds for the U.S. Air Force.

Results for many of the Alaska Bird Observatory’s projects are available as reports or journal publications. For more information on our research and monitoring program, please contact Dr. Susan Sharbaugh.

Alaska Bird Observatory

Research and Monitoring at the Alaska Bird Observatory