Relative Shorebird Densities at Coastal Sites in the Arctic National Widlife Refuge

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Abstract. In the first comprehensive survey of post-breeding shorebirds conducted along the remote deltaic mudflat habitats on the coastline of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, six species of shorebirds were documented aggregating prior to southbound migration. Energy reserves gained while foraging in these areas may be critical for southbound migration of long-distance migrant shorebirds, but these habitats are vulnerable to potential effects of oil and gas development and climate change. The study objective was to assess the relative density and species composition of shorebirds . Surveys were conducted at 13 major river deltas on the coast between late July and mid-August each year from 2006 to 2010. Double-observer methods were used in 2010 to estimate the detection rate in surveys of randomly-selected transect sections. Shorebird density varied significantly between years and among river deltas. Peak relative density estimates at three deltas, the Jago (247.8 birds/km2), the Kongakut (100.6 birds...