Northern Fur Seals on the Commander Islands
The majority of Northern Fur Seals breed on the Pribilof Islands (Alaska, USA) and the Commander Islands in Russia. Marine biologist Olga Belonovich, PhD, shares this report [...]
Researcher spotlight: Dr. Alexis Will
Hello! My name is Alexis Will, I grew up in Sitka, Alaska and now live in Fairbanks, Alaska. I am a post-doctoral researcher at the University of [...]
The Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve
The Commander Islands Nature and Biosphere Reserve (CINBR) is the largest marine reserve in Russia. Many thanks to Anastasia Barsukova, Head of Development Department for CINBR for [...]
Seabird Spotlight: Least Auklet
Latin: Aethia pusilla Unangan: Chuuchkiî Russian: Конюга-крошка Least auklets are the smallest member of the Alcid family (the Auks), a family that includes the puffins, auklets, murres, [...]
Bird art from St. Paul Island
Middle and high-school students on St. Paul Island made these stunning art pieces for the annual US Fish and Wildlife migratory bird calendar. […]
New funding for Commander-Pribilof Island links
In 2015 we were funded by the National Park Service’s (NPS) Shared Beringian Heritage Program to work closely with biologists and the municipality of Nikolskoye on the [...]
St. Paul Island student sketches
During Seabird Camp 2019, St. Paul Island students worked on some sketches of their home to share with friends on the Commander Islands. […]
Summer 2019 on St. George Island
Erin Lefkowitz was part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge’s field team working on St. George Island this past summer. Many thanks for sharing this report, [...]
St. George, thank you!
The APICDA seabird intern work is coming to an end. Thank you to the community of St. George for your warm welcome, and to all the wonderful [...]
last couple of days on St. George
Friday’s weather was foggy, windy, and wet. A good morning for pancakes and data entry at the hotel for Thomas and Ann! […]
St. George: Kittiwakes, traps, and nest-boxes
A full day. Thomas, Ann and Karin joined the Refuge team for red-legged kittiwake resighting and capture. Wind had dropped, and all the birds were settled and [...]
St. George Island: Day 6
Back to high wind, but no rain. Thomas and Karin kept charging on the rat-trap checks, and they moved some of the far-away stations to more strategic [...]
St. George: Day Five
We woke up to dry weather! St. George is a rat-free island, and we’re working hard to keep it that way. Thomas and Karin spent a chunk [...]
St. George: Day Four
We had a full day on St. George. Thomas started the day learning more about excel and entering the least auklet count data from yesterday. We plotted [...]
Least Auklet Attendance Watch
Seabird biologists use the word “attendance” to describe the amount of time birds spend at the colony. Attendance data can provide insight into how the birds are [...]
Rain, cameras, and masks
Cordell joined us over at the harbor, and we spent a couple of hours figuring out a good plot to do an all-day Least Auklet attendance count [...]
APICDA Seabird internship: Year Two
It’s the end of May, and birds are already starting to nest on St. George Island. The kittiwakes are busy collecting nesting material, stomping on their nests, [...]
Connecting fulmar bycatch to colonies
Each spring and fall, the North Pacific groundfish and Pacific halibut boats ramp up for their peak seasons at sea. These fisheries catch a variety of fish [...]
Summer 2018 on St. George
Sarah Guitart was part of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge’s field team working on St. George Island this past summer. Many thanks for sharing this report, [...]
How do Seabirds respond to changes in the Bering Sea?
Scientists are working all over the world, exploring questions on every subject imaginable. A critical part of being a scientist is sharing your findings in a scientific [...]
November on St. George
I had plans to fly to St. George Island straight after Thanksgiving, to spend a week with the kids doing some fun seabird activities. Flying this time [...]
Seabird Report Card 2017
Background Although seabirds spend most of their life out at sea, all seabirds return to land to lay their eggs and raise their chicks. Breeding sites are [...]
Fall on St. Paul Island
St. Paul Island is always spectacular, even in cruddy weather, and the week of Bering Sea Days was no exception. […]
Time in Anchorage
Our friends from the Commander Islands had an action-packed couple of days in Anchorage before flying back home. They visited the Anchorage Museum, experienced the American shopping [...]
Measuring light to track seabirds
When we track birds (measure their movements) over long periods of time, it is important to use small data loggers so that individuals don’t have to carry [...]