Harlequin duck radio tracking and survival, USGS, US Fish and Wildlife, Prince William Sound, 1996-1998,2000-2002

(1995-1998)
To assess the status of population recovery from the oil spill and to evaluate factors potentially constraining full recovery, we used radiotelemetry to examine survival of adult female harlequin ducks during winters of 1995--96,1996--97, and 1997--98. We implanted 294 harlequin ducks (154 and 140 in oiled and unoiled areas, respectively) with transmitters and tracked their signals from aircraft during October through March.

(2000-2002)
We quantified survival probabilities of radio-marked females in oiled and unoiled areas of Prince
William Sound. To consider the process of immigration, we evaluated dispersal probabilities within and between years using banded and radio-marked females. We found very high site fidelity (low dispersal) at relatively small scales (l0's of kilometers), suggesting that full demographic recovery, despite abatement of direct effects of oil, may be a very long (decadal-scale) process.