.jpg)
Two weeks ago, we described the Important Bird Areas in Alaska that will be in harm's way if the federal government goes through with its plan to allow oil and gas drilling in the Chukchi Sea.
A few days later, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service postponed its decision about whether to protect the polar bear as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. The bear, of course, occurs across much of the sea, including most of the area that would be opened up for drilling.
Yesterday on Capitol Hill, the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming held a hearing with the directors of Fish and Wildlife and the Minerals Management Service, which is in charge of the petroleum leases. The Associated Press reports that the two officials said drilling "can proceed without threatening polar bears that depend on the sea ice."
Committee chairman Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) is unconvinced. He hopes to stop the drilling sale at least until a decision about the polar bear is made.
The polar bear is certainly worth all of the concern, but if Congress needs species to point to that are in the path of the oilmen and already on the Endangered Species List, we suggest looking at the area's birds.
Spectacled Eider (above) and Steller's Eider are both listed as threatened. Kittlitz's Murrelet is a candidate for listing. And Ivory Gull is listed as endangered in Canada. The official recovery plans for the two eiders note the threats that oil spills pose. And a comprehensive 2006 FWS report covering 43 seabird species in Alaska refers to the threat of oil over and over again. Consider what it says about the Common Murre:
“Murres are very vulnerable to oiling at sea because they have a low reproductive rate, large populations, dense concentrations in coastal habitats, and form 'rafts' (flocks) on the water. No North American coast where murres occur has been exempt from major kills due to oil spills during the past 50 years. The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 in Prince William Sound, Alaska, was the largest murre kill yet, with an estimated mortality of 185,000 murres. Long-term beached bird surveys also indicate chronic oiling, often without a known source. This susceptibility to oiling is what drives much of the research on the species.”
Based on the FWS report, Birder's Conservation Handbook by Jeff Wells, and the Birds of North America series, we've compiled detailed notes on 26 species that occur on the Chukchi Sea.
Brant
Small dark goose. Black Brant subspecies breeds from
eastern Russia to western Alaska to northwestern Canada. On Chukchi Sea
coast, breeds at Peard Bay. Up to 40,000 feed and stage on Kasegaluk
Lagoon north of Icy Cape in late summer. Birds also stage on Teshekpuk
Lake before beginning migration to coast of Mexico.
Steller’s Eider
Listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act
The smallest eider; it breeds in Russia and Alaska. Nests within 90 km
(56 miles) of Chukchi Sea coast from Point Lay to Barrow and east to
Prudhoe Bay. Aerial surveys suggest population in northern Alaska is no
more than a few thousand birds. Migrates in spring from wintering area
in Aleutians along Chukchi Sea coast.
Spectacled Eider
Listed as Threatened under the Endangered Species Act
Breeds in Russia and in three regions in Alaska, including coastal area
from Point Lay east to Prudhoe Bay. Large numbers molt from July
through October in Chukchi Sea’s Ledyard Bay. High count on the bay:
33,192 on September 21, 1995.
King Eider
Breeds from Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain to
Canada’s Banks and Victoria Islands. Spring migration (April to
mid-June) passes through Bering Strait and across Chukchi Sea and
eastward past Point Barrow. Most molt in Bering Sea, and some molt in
Chukchi Sea.
Common Eider
The largest eider. Pacific subspecies breeds
from northwestern Canada to Siberia. Alaska nesting areas include
coasts of Beufort, Chukchi, and Bering Seas. Spring and fall migration
routes occur near shore and well out to sea, and molting areas
presumably include Chukchi or Bering Seas.
Long-tailed Duck
Widespread arctic sea duck. Breeds in
Greenland, Canada, Russia, and much of Alaska, including entire Arctic
Coastal Plain. Migrates in spring through Arctic Ocean, gathering in
large flocks among ice leads before inland breeding areas open. Numbers
at Point Barrow peak in early June.
Red-throated Loon
Our smallest loon. Breeds across Alaska,
Canada, Russia, and northern Europe on remote ponds and coastal tundra.
Alaskan range includes northern and western coasts. Small numbers
migrate offshore.
Pacific Loon
Possibly our most abundant loon. Breeds
throughout Alaska and northern Canada. Migrates around Alaska (May to
early June) through Bering, Chukchi, and Beufort Seas.
Yellow-billed Loon
One of the least common breeding birds
in the United States. Alaska population estimate: 3,700-4,900
individuals. Along Chukchi Sea coast, breeds sporadically from Point
Lay to Point Barrow. Main breeding area southeast of Barrow.
Short-tailed Shearwater
A seabird rarely seen from land.
Breeds in Australia and migrates to the North Pacific during the
Southern Hemisphere’s winter. One of the most abundant species in
pelagic waters of Alaska in summer. Numbers in the Chukchi and Beaufort
Seas lower than in the southern Bering Sea and Gulf of Alaska.
Pelagic Cormorant
Dark-colored fish eater. One-third of
world population breeds at 420 colonies in coastal Alaska. Northernmost
colony is at Cape Lisburne in the Chukchi Sea. Suffered significant
losses in the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Prince William Sound in 1989.
Red Phalarope
A small shorebird that breeds on Arctic coasts. As many as 500,000 feed on plankton in the Chukchi Sea.
Sabine’s Gull
Black-hooded gull that breeds in small
colonies or as single pairs across the arctic and subarctic. In
northern Alaska, nesting occurs from Cape Sabine (northern portion of
Cape Lisburne Peninsula) east to the Alaska-Canadian border.
Black-legged Kittiwake
A small gull known to breed at 371 colony sites in Alaska. Northernmost colonies at Capes Lisburne and Thompson.
Ivory Gull
Listed as Endangered by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada
A
small, all-white gull of the High Arctic. Rare and declining. Migrates
south through Chukchi Sea and Bering Strait to wintering areas in the
Bering Sea.
Arctic Tern
Known for its unprecedented Arctic to
Antarctic migrations. Breeds across Arctic Ocean coasts south to Cape
Cod, Massachusetts. In Alaska, breeding occurs from southeast coast to
Aleutian Islands and north along coasts of Bering and Chukchi Seas,
including Krusenstern Lagoon.
Pomarine Jaeger
One of the arctic’s least studied birds.
Breeds along northern Alaska coast from Point Lay eastward and on the
Yukon Delta. Vulnerable to human disturbance due to reliance on
sporadic populations of lemmings for successful reproduction.
Parasitic Jaeger
Like other jaegers, spends majority of
life at sea; comes to land only to breed. In summer, breeds across
polar regions, including the entire arctic and western coasts of
Alaska.
Long-tailed Jaeger
The most abundant jaeger. Major
breeding populations in Alaska, Canada, and Russia. In Alaska, breeds
from the Brooks Range to the west coast to the Kodiak Archipelago.
Common Murre
An abundant and well-studied seabird.
Significant colonies (mixed with Thick-billed Murres) found along most
of coastal Alaska, including at Capes Lisburne and Thompson.
Thick-billed Murre
Circumpolar breeding range, similar to Common Murre, includes Cape Lisburne. Thick-billed is more common in the Chukcki Sea.
Black Guillemot
A striking, almost entirely black bird in
breeding plumage. Survival is tied to arctic pack ice. Nests across the
arctic, but in Alaska, it is uncommon and local. Breeds at Point Barrow
east to Igalik Island and in the Chukchi Sea at Cape Thompson.
Kittlitz’s Murrelet
A candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act
One
of North America’s smallest and least-known seabirds. Most of world’s
population breeds, molts, and winters in Alaska. Inhabits coastal
waters from Point Lay in Chukchi Sea south and east to Glacier Bay.
Prince William Sound population has declined 84% since 1989.
Parakeet Auklet
Fairly common, small seabird of the Bering
and Chukchi Seas. Feeds on plankton in areas of the Chukchi where Least
and Crested Auklets do not occur.
Horned Puffin
Widespread in the North Pacific. Breeds in
Alaska in the Aleutians, the Pribilofs, and other islands, as well as
at Cape Lisburne. Population in Prince William Sound declined 79% from
1972-98.
Tufted Puffin
Crow-sized with huge orange bill, white
face, golden tufts on each side of the head. In Alaska, occurs
primarily in the Aleutians. Northernmost colony is at Cape Lisburne.
To voice your concern for the sea's birds (and bears), consider signing this petition from Defenders of Wildlife. — M.M.
Comments