Shorebird Dependence on Arctic Littoral Habitats

This research, now in its sixth year, has focused on seasonal patterns of habitat use by arctic tundra breeding shorebirds, attempting to determine the dependence of different species on resources which may be affected by proposed oil development on the outer continental shelf of Alaska. The approach has utilized intensive site studies at several locations along the Beaufort and Chukchi coasts, supplemented with extensive survey work. Results to date have defined habitat use patterns for all common species inhabiting coastal tundra and shoreline areas and have determined the degree of variation between seasons, species and regions of the coast. The research is also considering different strategies of migrational routes, timing, and schedules of fat deposition: phalarope responses to changes in prey density and wind conditions: patterns of habitat use in disturbed coastal habitats at Prudhoe Bay: experimental investigation of phalarope responses to thin oil films on water: and foraging microhabitat preferences of arctic shorebirds. Current efforts focus on refinement of analyses of habitat associations of different species: interactions between western and semipalmated sandpipers on breeding grounds: and differences in distribution and habitat use between two races of Golden Plover in Alaska. Additional studies are proposed to investigate the occurrence and effects of oceanic plastic particle pollution on surface-foraging seabirds.