Nest density of shorebirds inland from the Beaufort Sea Coast, Alaska

Abstract

Because scant information exists on the distribution, abundance, and habitat use of shombirds nesting in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, we determined nest densities of shorebirds in tundra habitats at Inigok, Alaska. We searched for shorebird nests on 29 plots (4 ha each) between 10 June and 18 July 1998 and surveyed for plover pairs on a 12.8-km2 plot. Thirteen shorebird species bred at Inigok, and nest density was highest in drained-lake basins (mean = 80.0 nests/km2). Semipalmated Sandpipers (Calidris pusilla) and Pectoral Sandpipers (C. melanotos) were the most abundant shorebirds breeding at Inigok and nested exclusively in drained-lake basins (mean = 30.0 nests/km2 each). Only American Golden-Plovers (Pluvialis dominica) nested in appreciable numbers (2.57 pairs/km2 on a single plot) in tussock/ridge tundra. Although constituting a relatively small proportion of the tundra at Inigok (10.5%), drained-lake basins supported a disproportionate number of breeding species and individuals and may support sizable portions of the populations of Semipalmated Sandpipers and Pectoral Sandpipers breeding on the North Slope. Development plans for inland sites on the North Slope should consider the importance of drained-lake basins to nesting shorebirds.