Using the Utqiaġvik site as a stepping stone, the Shorebird Section of Migratory Bird Management co-created the Arctic Shorebird Demographics Network (ASDN) with Dr. Stephen Brown of Manomet, Inc. and Dr. Brett Sandercock of Kansas State University in 2010. The ASDN included collaborations by 33 principal investigators and >10 graduate students from 21 institutions across 16 field sites in Alaska, Canada, and Russia. Members of the ASDN have or are collaborating on >20 projects that use the geographically vast and taxonomically rich ASDN data. ASDN studies included investigations of the potential for an ecological mismatch between invertebrate emergence and shorebird hatching, variation in shorebird nest predation across the Arctic, factors affecting shorebird settlement patterns, and adult survival and population models for 6 species of Arctic-breeding shorebirds. Avian health issues investigated included avian influenza, avian malaria, gut microbiota, and mercury exposure. Other studies are or have focused on the effects of spring phenology on timing of breeding in shorebirds, invertebrate phenology in relation to habitat and weather, long-distance dispersal of moss by shorebirds, the distribution of Arctic invertebrates, trends in shorebird population trends, and genetic diversity of shorebirds in relation to population size and other factors. The connections made through the ASDN continue to help form new collaborations.

Contact Information

Rick Lanctot smiles and holds a tagged bird outdoors.
Alaska Region Shorebird Coordinator
Migratory Birds
Additional Role(s)
International collaborations via Arctic Council and flyways
Expertise
Shorebirds,
Ornithology,
Behavioral Ecology,
Breeding and Migration Ecology
Area
AK
Anchorage,AK
Woman in blue jacket and black hat with grey scarf holding two shorebirds chicks with brown and white plumage
Wildlife Biologist/Statistician - Shorebirds
Migratory Birds
Additional Role(s)
Chair of the Alaska USFWS Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Expertise
Shorebirds,
Statistics,
Breeding and Migration Ecology,
Habitat Selection,
GIS
Area
AK
Anchorage,AK

Programs

A large bird with brown feathers, white head, and yellow beak flies against a pale blue sky
The Migratory Bird Program works with partners to protect, restore and conserve bird populations and their habitats for the benefit of future generations by: ensuring long-term ecological sustainability of all migratory bird populations, increasing socioeconomic benefits derived from birds,...
Program
Washington,DC

Facilities

Black and white bird with long neck and yellow bill on the water
Alaska Migratory Birds Office
Alaska is home to more than 470 species of birds. Most are migratory birds for which the Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible under international treaties and the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. While some of the birds stay in Alaska year-round, most migrate to Canada, Central America, South America...
Conservation Office
Anchorage,AK