Abstracts

Presented by Cindy J. Wood - Email: cindy.wood@canada.ca

The Boreal-Arctic transition zone falls outside of the continental waterfowl breeding survey area and information on waterfowl in this region is lacking. During 2017-2019, we conducted experimental helicopter aerial surveys for breeding waterfowl at five 20,000km2 study areas and one 4,700km2 study area across the Taiga Plains and Taiga Shield ecozones, from Northern Quebec to the Northwest Territories. The surveys were conducted during early to mid-June to target later nesting species. A total of 24 species were detected, 16 of those occurred regularly. Scoters, scaup and American Green-winged Teal were most abundant. Densities of Long-tailed Duck, Northern Pintail, Mallard, American Green winged Teal, American Wigeon, Hooded Merganser, Common Merganser, Red-breasted Merganser, Bufflehead and Canada Goose varied across sites. A breeding phenology index varied by year and site for all species, but generally indicated that the survey was well timed to monitor breeding Long-tailed Ducks, Red-breasted Mergansers, Common Mergansers, Mallard and Northern Pintail at some sites, whereas Hooded Mergansers, Bufflehead, Mallard, Northern Pintail, American Green-winged Teal and Canada Geese were predominantly post-breeding at most sites. Overall densities of waterfowl observed at all sites identify the boreal-arctic transition zone as a key waterfowl breeding and moulting area.