USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 1
Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta National
Wildlife Refuge, Alaska, 2018
BRYAN L. DANIELS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Yukon Delta National Wildlife
Refuge, P.O. Box 346, Bethel, AK 99559
SUMMARY: Banding data is used to inform the annual regulation-setting process for the duck harvest season in the Pacific Flyway, and in the Adaptive Harvest Management modeling
process. Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge is a site that contributes to a statewide goal for
the Pacific Flyway. Six waterfowl swim-in traps were active during the 2018 pre-season duck
banding efforts at Kgun Lake, Yukon Delta NWR. A total of 256 northern pintail (Anas acuta),
57 mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), and 254 American green-winged teal (Anas crecca) were
banded between 4-23 August 2018, with no banding goals being reached due to high water.
Because banding goals haven’t been reached for many years, we believed Kgun Lake was no
longer a productive enough location to continue banding efforts, so a new, more productive
location was sought out where goals could be routinely met. Unfortunately, no location was
found meeting criteria needed to move banding efforts in 2019. Pre-season waterfowl banding
continues to provide vital data to inform management decisions for mallards based on harvest
rates. (Data Submitted to BBL 11 September 2018; Report Completed October 2018)
KEYWORDS American Green-winged Teal, Bait Trapping, Banding, Kgun Lake
Mallard, Northern Pintail, Swim-in Traps, Yukon Delta NWR, Waterfowl,
INTRODUCTION
In March 1990, the Pacific Flyway Council
endorsed the Pacific Flyway Study
Committee’s banding project described in a
document titled “A Proposed 5-year
Cooperative Program for Preseason Banding
of Mallards and Pintails in the Pacific
Flyway” (Bartonek and Bales 1995). The
objective of the proposal was to “conduct
sufficient and representative summer
banding to obtain adequate band-recovery
data as a necessary element for assessing the
distribution and derivation of mallard and
pintail harvests in the Pacific Flyway.” The
project sought adequate band-recovery data
on ducks, especially mallards, pintails, and
other dabblers, as part of an assortment of
information required to estimate distribution
of duck harvests in the flyway.
Banding goals and responsibility for
providing field crews were assigned to
regions likely to contribute toward the
Pacific Flyway harvest. With the Yukon
Delta National Wildlife Refuge (YDNWR)
being identified as a major sub-arctic
breeding area for Northern pintail (Flint and
Grand 1996), the YDNWR was selected by
the Council as an important banding location
to provide a field crew. The banding quota
given to YDNWR was 900 northern pintail
(Anas acuta; 225 per age/sex class; NOPI or
pintail) and 600 mallards (Anas
platyrhynchos; 150 per age/sex class;
MALL). A memo from the Regional
Directorate in Anchorage, AK (USFWS
1990) formally charged YDNWR with
fulfilling this responsibility.
Recent trends in American green-winged
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 2
teal (Anas crecca; AGWT) population size
and distribution prompted an increased
banding effort to understand regional
contributions and demographic
characterization of harvest and survival
parameters (pers. comm. Bob Trost, former
Pacific Flyway Representative). A tertiary
goal of 300 AGWT (75 per age/sex class)
was added to YDNWR banding
responsibilities in 2012.
Banding goals and purpose for continuing
preseason duck banding on YDNWR were
reassessed in November 2015 (Appendix A).
Banding data is used to inform the annual
regulation-setting process for the duck
[harvest] season in the Pacific Flyway, and
in the Adaptive Harvest Management
modeling process; YDNWR is a site that
contributes to a statewide goal for the
Pacific Flyway. The Chief of the Population
and Habitat Assessment branch revised state
goals for mallards in 2010. Based on the
revised state goals, the Anchorage Migratory
Bird Management (MBM) office suggested
the Refuge aim for 1,000 total mallards
starting in 2015, focusing on adult male
mallards.
While the Pacific Flyway does not currently
utilize pintail banding data to directly inform
management decisions, the Harvest
Management Working Group has identified
revising the national pintail harvest strategy
to use harvest rates from band data as a
national priority. To make progress on
implementing this pintail harvest strategy,
there is a need for continued banding of
Northern pintail with a goal, similar to
mallards, of 1,000 individuals banded at
YDNWR.
In 2018, YDNWR conducted an additional
activity with the preseason banding
operation: sampling for avian influenza. As
part of a national plan for early detection of
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI),
YDNWR worked in coordination with
United States Department of Agriculture
APHIS (Palmer, AK) to sample a small
portion of waterfowl on the Refuge.
Because avian influenza largely circulates in
waterfowl and shorebirds, this allows the
viruses to move efficiently along migratory
flyways in these birds. Occasionally, such
viruses will infect domestic land-based
poultry that generally do not result in
significant disease issues. However, some
H5 and H7 avian influenza subtypes are
highly pathogenic (HPAI) and can cause
significant disease and mortality in domestic
poultry and sometimes in wild birds
(Deliberto et al. 2015). Therefore, ongoing
sampling occurs nationwide.
The YDNWR was also asked to collect a
single primary feather from both mallard
and Northern pintail. Mark Herzog of
United States Geological Survey (USGS)-
Dixon, California requested the feathers so
that they can compare isotopes of birds
between Alaska and California.
Kgun Lake was an important molting and
stop-over location for Mallards and
Northern pintail in the early 1990’s. Since
then, fewer mallards have been caught every
year, and pintail captures have also
decreased. In addition to banding operations,
feather collection, and avian influenza
sampling at Kgun Lake in 2018, a new
location was sought out via aerial
reconnaissance to set up pre-season duck
banding operations for 2019 as a result of
the Pacific Flyways request that YDNWR
continue preseason duck banding operations.
SITE DESCRIPTION
Kgun is a large lake located approximately
85 miles NW of Bethel and 40 miles WSW
of Pilot Station, AK within the interior
portion of Yukon Delta National Wildlife
Refuge (Figure 1). Secondary water bodies
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 3
surrounding the lake consist of smaller
lakes, ponds, and sloughs that are strongly
affected by wind action and rainfall.
Primary vegetation types include dwarf
scrub habitat punctuated by graminoid
meadows, and forb and graminoid marshes
(USFWS 1988). The western edge of Kgun
Lake has been used as a duck banding
station since the 1980’s when aerial surveys
indicated high concentrations of pintail in
the area.
Reconnaissance- A new location for pre-
season banding was sought out. The new
location must have met a few key criteria to
be considered:
1) 3000 mallards/3000 pintail seen in area during reconnaissance missions
2) Must be a location where a float plane or plane on tundra tires can
land/take off easily
3) Must have an easily accessible area to establish a new camp.
4) Must be able to be maneuvered by boat during banding operations
5) Must be in an area with little to no subsistence harvest because baiting
will be occurring.
With these criteria, a few locations were
recommended by Aaron Moses and WCC
members to focus reconnaissance (Figure 1).
1) Dall Lake
2) East of Newtok along Baird Inlet
3) West of Kotlik
METHODS
See Kgun Lake SOP for detailed methods
and trap locations (T:\Biology Program
2018\Kgun_duck banding) and Kgun Corn
Purchasing SOP (T:\Waterfowl
Program\KGUN\KGUN 2016).
Trap Set Up - In 2018, five cloverleaf swim-
in waterfowl traps and one small swim-in
waterfowl trap were deployed in the
northwest region of Kgun Lake. Trap
locations were selected based on water
depth, number of birds present, historic and
current waterfowl use of an area,
accessibility, and signs of predators. Once a
location was deemed suitable, the site was
pre-baited with whole kernel corn for 1-5
days and checked daily for presence of
birds.
At each location the larger cloverleaf traps
would be “soft set” by erecting a 3-piece
metal fence enclosure (with three openings
for birds to swim into the trap), and a door
leading to a ramp and catch box with the top
of the enclosure left open so the birds could
acclimate to the new structure. The smaller
single cloverleaf trap only had a single
opening with no ramp or catch box. During
the “soft set” period the top netting was left
off both the large and small traps. If little or
no bird activity was observed, the site would
be abandoned and another location chosen.
If birds were observed near the trap area, the
trap would be “hard-set” by fixing a 2” mesh
net over the top of the enclosure, the ramp
door(s) set, and the opening(s) of the
enclosure adjusted to an optimal width for
birds to swim in while decreasing the
likelihood of escape. All traps were checked
twice per day, once in the morning and early
evening. In an attempt to understand and
mitigate predation events, a trail camera was
deployed at each trap site, programmed to
take a picture every 60 seconds and record
date, time, and trap ID of photo.
Capture – When corralling birds in the large
traps for processing, two people would
approach the trap and circle around on
opposite sides to concentrate birds in the
center and discourage escapement through
enclosure openings. Once on the far side of
the trap from the catch box, the crew would
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 4
begin to walk back to the catch box, herding
the birds, encouraging them to enter the
ramp and into the catch box. Once the birds
were past the ramp door, the hinged trap
door would be released thereby preventing
birds from backtracking into the main trap
enclosure. The birds then move up the ramp
and into the catch box where a vertical
wooden paddle would be secured to further
concentrate the birds and prevent them from
exiting back down the ramp.
For the small trap, one person would use a
dip net to retrieve the ducks, removing them
through the trap opening. The birds were
then placed in a transport crate and
transported to the boat for processing and
release.
Banding- Each unbanded bird, upon capture,
was fitted on the right leg with an aluminum
band issued by the Bird Banding
Laboratory. If a bird was a recapture (i.e.
already had a band upon capture), the band
number was recorded along with its age and
sex if originally banded prior to 2018.
Data collected included band number,
bander, bird status, band disposition,
species, age, how aged, sex, how sexed,
banding location, how captured, date, trap
ID, morning or evening capture, avian
influenza sample number, if a first primary
feather was collected, and additional
comments. Each bird was released once it
was banded and all data recorded.
Avian Influenza Sampling- Oral and cloacal
swab samples were obtained from 199 birds
to test for highly pathogenic avian influenza.
A gentle insertion and slight manipulation of
separate sterile cotton-tipped applicator
sticks in the mouth and cloaca were required
to obtain the samples. Both samples were
combined into one sample tube per bird,
deposited in a cryoshipper back at camp and
transported to APHIS in Palmer, AK upon
return to Bethel. Full protocol for avian
influenza sampling can be found in Wild
Bird Avian Influenza Surveillance
Procedures Manual Version 1.0 July 1,
2016.
First Primary Feather Sampling- A single
first primary feather was collected from the
right wing of 25 mallards and 25 Northern
pintail. These samples were collected by the
request of Mark Herzog at USGS- Dixon,
CA for a stable isotope study.
Reconnaissance- Reconnaissance was flown
at low levels (
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 5
inactivity. We did not observe any other
predator activity at the other locations
during the trapping period.
Banding – A total of 567 ducks were
banded, with three species of ducks
captured: NOPI, MALL, and AGWT.
A total of 256 NOPI were banded, falling
below the 29 year trapping average (Figure
3). All age and sex classes banded were
below the 250 capture goal with 56 After
Hatch Year (AHY) males, 54 AHY females,
68 Hatch Year (HY) males, and 78 HY
females (Table 1).
MALL captures were below the 29 year
average (61) at 57 birds captured and
banded (Figure 4). Mallards do not have
age/sex capture goals, as AHY male
mallards are the primary target. Of the 57
birds captured, we banded 40 AHY males, 8
AHY females, 6 HY males, 3 HY females
(Table 2).
A total of 254 AGWT were captured and
banded, falling below the 29-year banding
average of 364 (Figure 5). Only the 109
AHY males captured reached the goal of 75
or more birds per age class. Where the 18
AHY females, 65 HY males, and 62 HY
females were banded fell short of the goal
(Table 3).
Squiggly 2 trap was the most productive trap
with 147 birds banded, followed by N3
(105), then NOPI 1, NOPI 2, N2 and N1
(100, 90, 86, 39 respectively; Table 4).
Recaptures – There were 8 recaptures (2
AGWT, 5 NOPI, and 1 MALL) of birds
banded prior to 2018.
Injury, Mortality, and Depredation – One
AGWT was injured in the transport box.
The foot had slipped through the holes in the
bottom of the box at the same time is was set
down on a hard surface, severing its left
foot. The bird appeared to be in good health
otherwise and was banded and released.
All mortality was associated with one
depredation event that occurred on 17
August, 2018 (Table 5). A total of 20 birds
were killed by a mink (Neovison vison)
(Figure 6).
Avian Influenza – The 199 samples were
collected from 4 – 12 August 2018. Total
number of samples for each species
collected was 52 AGWT, 116 NOPI, and 31
MALL.
Reconnaissance- A total of 3 hours were
flown in a refuge Cessna 185 on 9 August
searching Dall and Kagalurpuk Lakes
(figure 7) at low levels to locate a new
banding location.
During the reconnaissance flight, 4000
NOPI and 1000 Greater scaup were found
on Kagalurpak Lake, and 2000 NOPI found
on the northeast section of Dall Lake.
DISCUSSION
In 2018, the number of trap days remained
similar to previous years, but traps were less
productive. We observed that it took longer
for ducks to find the bait and come regularly
to corn in 2018, which increased the amount
of days pre-baiting before setting traps. In
combination with high water at the end of
the trapping period, many of the traps were
mostly underwater and were unproductive.
We had fewer depredation events in 2018
than 2017 (1 vs 5, respectively), and
although traps were open more regularly, we
caught fewer birds after the depredation
event than in the past. Squiggly 2 trap was
closed for a full day on 17 August after the
one predation event, opened during daylight
hours on the 18th
, then reopened full time
beginning on the 19th
. However, it appeared
that the ducks had moved away from the
trap location and no more birds were
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 6
captured at this location. In 2016 and 2017,
we were able to catch birds during daylight
hours after predation events occurred.
The water levels at Kgun Lake and
surrounding sloughs are highly influenced
by wind and rain. Overall, the water levels
were considerably higher than in recent
years (2014-2017) and continued to rise
during the month of August. Over the 25
days, we observed the water rise to the point
of almost submerging 3 of the traps (NOPI
1, NOPI 2, and N2). Photos from the game
camera set at NOPI 1 showed that the water
level rose approximately 254 mm (10
inches; five 2 inch sections of wire) from the
time the trap was set to time of removal.
Due to the high water levels, NOPI 1 was
closed the night of 16 August out of concern
that the birds could drown if water levels
rose any higher. On14 August the crew only
visited NOPI 1 and NOPI 2 during the
evening check due to heavy rains that began
while the crew was working the north traps.
The heavy rain and wind conditions made it
unsafe for boat operations to continue
checking the remainder of the traps that
morning.
Higher water allowed easier boat access to
traps, but made the traps less efficient.
Moving traps at this date (17 August) was
not possible, given constraints of amount of
corn needed to bait new areas, and not
enough time to get birds acclimated to traps
in new areas.
The Yukon Delta NWR fell well below
capture and banding goals for the two target
species: NOPI and MALL. Reasons that
capture goals were not met in 2018 could be
due to the following hypotheses:
1) In 2018, birds experienced a late hatch and molt, so many birds had
not yet made it to Kgun Lake by the
end of the trapping period. Upon
arrival to Kgun Lake, females with
young local broods were still being
seen which indicated a late hatch.
Fewer birds also concentrated in the
larger water bodies for loafing and
feeding (where traps are set), and
utilized smaller ponds and sloughs in
areas inaccessible to researchers. We
also observed a lower abundance of
NOPI at Kgun lake in 2018. Previous
years experienced an influx of adult
male NOPI towards the end of the
season after molt, which did not
occur during the trapping period in
2018.
2) Due to higher water, there was plenty of food available in flooded
vegetation that had been unflooded
the previous 3 years, and therefore
ducks were not searching for
alternate food sources (our bait).
Birds were also seen feeding and
loafing in deep water where traps
could not be set and in inaccessible
areas to researchers.
3) When the typhoon came through mid August, the water rose 254 cm, and
our traps were then set in too deep of
locations. The bait was harder to
locate by birds and entering the traps
was more difficult due to high water,
essentially making 3 of our traps
useless.
The new smaller trap (N3) proved to be a
success and was the most productive for
total birds captured (181) and second most
productive for new birds banded (105). This
was due to the ability to set the trap in high
use area and greater variability in depth and
orientation to the bank.
Over the previous 28 years, the NOPI
banding success has fluctuated, but efforts
have not met any NOPI capture goals since
2008. Banding goals for mallards has never
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 7
been met, with a decrease in banded birds
since 1992. Although it is known the Yukon
Delta is not a major mallard production area,
we have been asked to continue banding as
many as we can.
In 2018 the number of MALL banded
improved (57) but is still below the long
term average of 61 mallards banded/year.
The Refuge has never come close to its
previous goal of 600 and now 1,000
mallards. Realistic goals need to be
discussed with the Pacific Flyway to ensure
the effort YDNWR exerts is useful and
necessary to achieve banding objectives.
The tertiary goal of banding 300 AGWT
was not met, falling just short at 254 birds.
However, the goal (75) for AHY males
(109) was met for 2018. This decline from
last year’s total of 995 birds, was due to
higher water levels, trap location, and a
greater effort towards tapping more MALL
and NOPI. HY birds in particular were much
lower, which is likely due to later hatch
dates. Upon arrival at Kgun, there were
several class I (downy) and class II
(incompletely feathered; Southwick 1953)
broods of AGWT in the area.
Although the crew made a diligent effort to
ensure the safety and wellbeing of every
bird, injury can occur during trapping. One
injury occurred on 9 August at N3 trap site.
The left foot of an AGWT got caught on
transport box which caused the loss of the
foot. Given that the bird was active,
responsive and in good condition otherwise,
the band was placed on the right leg to allow
biologists to continue following the history
of this bird. The bird flew off immediately
upon release. There were no other trapping
related injuries bacause the crew learned
how to avoid the same injury from occurring
again.
There was a single depredation event at
Squiggly 2 resulting in the death of 20 birds
(19 AGWT and 1 NOPI). The birds were
found piled in the catch box on the morning
of 17 August. The physical evidence pointed
towards mink predation and review of the
camera footage confirmed mink as the
predator. Previous review of camera photos
done on 15 August did not indicate any
presence of predators up to that point. Sites
were scrutinized and selected to minimize
depredation as much as possible, while
providing proper conditions for capture
success. Cameras, regular trap checks, and
trap location selection is crucial to mitigate
against depredation.
Avian influenza samples were sent to the lab
and complete analysis has not been
conducted by APHIS. Preliminary results
showed one bird had low-pathogenic H5
strain of avian influenza. Previous years
have not detected any HPAI in our samples,
but non-highly pathogenic strains have been
detected.
During 3 hours of reconnaissance flying, no
location was found that met the criteria to
consider moving duck banding operations
from Kgun Lake immediately. The best
location found was Kagalurpak lake, with >
4,000 NOPI seen, >1000 Greater Scaup, and
a few mallards. The next suitable location
was on the northeast section of Dall Lake,
with 2000 NOPI seen, and a few mallards.
We propose to fly the same location in 2019
to determine if there are still birds utilizing
the area, or if they were in this location due
to higher water due to heavy rains in 2018.
There are two possible reasons mallards
were not detected during reconnaissance
flights. The first could be that we did not fly
over the lake or portion of the lake that held
mallards. As we found on Kgun Lake during
reconnaissance in 2017, birds congregate on
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 8
a certain area of the lake, and unless a flight
is conducted directly over the area, it is easy
to miss birds.
Second, reconnaissance may have been
flown too soon. As stated previously, we
believe hatch and molt occurred late. If this
were the case, many birds may have been in
cover (hiding in tall grass) during daylight
periods, which limit observer’s ability to
detect birds. If this were the case, these
cryptic birds may have simply gone
undetected if they were in the locations we
flew. From observations made at Kgun
Lake, mallards also tend to stay in the grass
and vegetation throughout the month, and so
mallards may never be seen in large
numbers in the middle of the lakes.
During the 2017 Fall Waterfowl
Conservation Committee meeting, a
representative from Kotlik recommended we
look west of Kotlik and in the Yukon
Drainage for birds, stating many ducks use
that area, with very few people hunting
ducks in the fall. In 2018, we were unable to
survey this area due to weather and plane
unavailability. In 2019, it is recommended to
survey this area aerially as well, in addition
to continuing duck banding efforts at Kgun
Lake.
MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS
Although our sample sizes are small, pre-
season waterfowl banding throughout
Alaska provides vital data to inform
management decisions based on harvest
rates of MALL.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The success of this project would not have
been possible without the hard work,
patience and willingness to get dirty of the
waterfowl crew members, Heather Johnson,
Randall Friendly, Mikaela Aroff, Jordan
Thompson and Christian Bartell. Thank you
to YDNWR staff for providing exceptional
logistic support, especially pilot Robert
Sundown for his understanding and
exceptional aviation support. Finally, thanks
to David Sinnet with USDA APHIS in
Palmer, AK for coordinating avian influenza
sample logistics including data and sample
submission to the lab, and interpreting lab
results.
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 9
LITERATURE CITED
Bartonek, J.C., and B.D. Bales. 1995. Pacific Flyway Council’s Duck Banding Projeect in the Western United
States and Western Canada: Preliminary Information From 1990-93 Bandings. April 1995.
Deliberto, T., P. Bright, J. Sleeman, S Gibbs, R. Anglin, S. Trock, and D. Styles. 2015. Early Detection and
Monitoring for Avian Influenzas of Significance in Wild Birds: A U.S. Interagency Strategic Plan. June 2015.
Flint, P.L., and J. B. Grand. 1996. Nesting Success of Northern Pintails on the coastal Yukon-Kukokwim Delta,
Alaska. The Condor 98: 54-60.
Southwick, C. 1953. A system of age classification for field studies of waterfowl broods. The Journal of
Wildlife Management 17:1-8.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 1988. Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge Comprehensive Conservation Plan,
Environmental Impact Assessment, Wilderness Review, and Wild River Plan. Anchorage, AK. January 1988.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. 1990. Preseason pintail and mallard banding in Alaska - 1990.
Memo to field stations. Regional Directorate, Refuges and Wildlife, Anchorage, AK. 20 April 1990.
Wild Bird Avian Influenza Surveillance Protocol Procedures Manual. Version 1.0 July 1, 2016. Interagency
document. 44 pp.
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 10
Table 1. Total number of Northern pintail banded at Kgun Lake by age and sex from 1990-2018; data in bold green
indicate target goal of 225 banded was achieved.
Year AHY♂ AHY♀ HY♂ HY♀
Total
# % # % # % # %
1990 133 (39.3)a
99 (29.3)
61 (18.0)
45 (13.3)
338
1991 386 (25.1)
564 (36.6)
287 (18.6)
301 (19.6)
1,539b
1992 509 (33.2)
409 (26.7)
276 (18.1)
332 (21.7)
1,528c
1993 668 (48.9)
331 (24.2)
181 (13.2)
186 (13.6)
1,368d
1994 801 (56.3)
213 (15.0)
208 (14.6)
200 (14.1)
1,422
1995 311 (29.0)
290 (27.1)
200 (18.7)
270 (25.2)
1,071
1996 331 (46.2)
233 (32.5)
77 (10.8)
75 (10.5)
716
1997 217 (26.3)
183 (22.2)
195 (23.6)
231 (28.0)
826
1998 875 (57.2)
403 (26.3)
147 (9.6)
106 (6.9)
1,531
1999 641 (69.8)
150 (16.3)
60 (6.5)
67 (7.3)
918
2000 246 (20.3)
198 (16.4)
376 (31.1)
389 (32.2)
1,209
2001 751 (61.2)
370 (30.2)
53 (4.3)
53 (4.3)
1,227
2002 228 (24.4)
240 (25.7)
209 (22.3)
258 (27.6)
935
2003 35 (5.5)
77 (12.0)
251 (39.2)
278 (43.4)
641
2004 3 (0.4)
23 (3.4)
261 (38.6)
390 (57.6)
677
2005 326 (26.6)
218 (17.8)
334 (27.2)
349 (28.4)
1,227
2006 339 (35.2)
305 (31.7)
135 (14.0)
184 (19.1)
963
2007 359 (25.4)
317 (22.5)
345 (24.4)
391 (27.7)
1,412
2008 551 (41.5)
406 (30.6)
158 (11.9)
212 (16.0)
1,327
2009 176 (17.9)
192 (19.5)
317 (32.1)
301 (30.5)
988
2010 46 (34.8)
19 (14.5)
34 (26.0)
32 (24.4)
131
2011 168 (30.7)
97 (17.7)
126 (23.0)
157 (28.6)
548
2012 119 (54.1)
53 (24.1)
23 (10.5)
25 (11.4)
220
2013 88 (27.1)
74 (22.8)
84 (25.8)
79 (24.7)
325
2014 12 (3.8)
9 (2.9)
152 (48.7)
139 (44.6)
312
2015 96 (24.5)
86 (21.9)
122 (31.1)
88 (22.4)
392
2016 22 (8.7) # 70 (27.6)
47 (18.5)
114 (44.9)
254f
2017 3 (2.7)
9 (8.0)
36 (31.9)
65 (57.5)
113
2018 56 (21.9) 54 (21.1) 68 (26.6) 78 (30.5) 256
Total 8,440 (35.0) 5,638 (23.3) 4,755 (19.7) 5,317 (22.0) 24,414e
29-Year
Average 293 196 166 186 0 842
a Figures in parentheses are percentages of annual totals.
b Total includes 1 bird of unknown age and sex.
c Total includes 1 hatch year bird of unknown sex and 1 bird of unknown age and sex.
d Total includes 2 local birds of unknown sex.
e Total includes 1 hatch year bird of unknown sex, 2 local birds of unknown sex, and 2 birds of
unknown age and sex. f Total includes 1 adult of unknown sex.
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 11
Table 2. Total number of mallards banded at Kgun Lake by age and sex from 1990-2018; data in bold green indicate
target goal of 150 banded was achieved.
Year AHY♂ AHY♀ HY♂ HY♀ Local ♂ Local ♀
Total # % # % # % # % # % # %
1992 169 (83.7) 18 (8.9) 5 (2.5) 10 (5.0) 0 - 0 - 202
1993 123 (78.8) 7 (4.5) 7 (4.5) 19 (12.2) 0 - 0 - 156
1994 165 (71.1) 22 (9.5) 5 (2.2) 11 (4.7) 12 (5.2) 17 (7.3) 232
1995 86 (82.7) 9 (8.7) 5 (4.8) 4 (3.8) 0 - 0 - 104
1996 146 (88.0) 16 (9.6) 3 (1.8) 1 (0.6) 0 - 0 - 166
1997 21 (52.5) 10 (25.0) 0 - 9 (22.5) 0 - 0 - 40
1998 15 (93.8) 1 (6.30) 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 16
1999 36 (75.0) 6 (12.5) 1 (2.1) 0 - 4 (8.3) 1 (2.1) 48
2000 32 (68.1) 1 (2.1) 12 (25.5) 2 (4.3) 0 - 0 - 47
2001 42 (95.5) 2 (4.5) 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 44
2002 3 (60.0) 1 (20.0) 0 - 1 (20.0) 0 - 0 - 5
2003 1 (16.7) 2 (33.3) 1 (16.7) 2 (33.3) 0 - 0 - 6
2004 4 (12.9) 4 (12.9) 13 (41.9) 10 (32.2) 0 - 0 - 31
2005 27 (75.0) 2 (5.6) 5 (13.9) 2 (5.6) 0 - 0 - 36
2006 18 (69.2) 2 (7.7) 1 (3.8) 0 - 2 (7.7) 3 (11.5) 26
2007 86 (64.2) 17 (12.7) 16 (11.9) 10 (7.5) 3 (2.2) 2 (1.5) 134
2008 72 (79.1) 11 (12.1) 5 (5.5) 3 (3.3) 0 - 0 - 91
2009 30 (83.3) 4 (11.1) 1 (2.8) 1 (2.8) 0 - 0 - 36
2010 1 (100) 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 1
2011 41 (83.6) 4 (8.2) 0 - 0 - 2 (4.1) 2 (4.1) 49
2012 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0 - 0
2013 11 (84.6) 1 (7.7) 1 (7.7) 0 - 0 - 0 - 13
2014 0 - 0 - 0 - 1 (100) 0 - 0 - 1
2015 8 (33.3) 2 (8.3) 8 (33.3) 2 (8.3) 2 (8.3) 1 (4.2) 24
2016 21 (42.0) 9 (18.0) 9 (18.0) 5 (10.0) 2 (4.0) 4 (8.0) 50
2017 28 (70.0) 5 (12.5) 5 (12.5) 2 (5.0) 0 - 0 - 40
2018 40 (70.2) 8 (14.0) 5 (8.8) 1 (1.8) 1 (1.8) 2 (3.5) 57
Total 1,226 (75.4) 164 (9.4) 108 (5.9) 96 (5.8) 28 (1.7) 32 (1.7) 1,655
27-Year
Average 45 6 4 4 1 1 61 a Total includes one bird of unknown age and sex
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 12
Table 3. Total number of American green-winged teal banded at Kgun Lake by age and sex from 1990-2018; data in
bold green indicate target goal of 75 banded was achieved.
Year AHY♂ AHY♀ HY♂ HY♀
Total # % # % # % # %
1990 21 (16.5) 62 (48.8) 26 (20.5) 18 (14.2) 127
1991 3 (50.0) 3 (50.0) 0 - 0 - 9a
1992 17 (31.5) 35 (64.8) 2 (3.7) 0 - 54
1993 1 (14.3) 6 (85.7) 0 - 0 - 7
1994 45 (95.7) 1 (2.1) 0 - 1 (2.1) 48b
1995 5 (83.3) 0 - 0 - 1 (16.7) 6
1996 9 (81.8) 0 - 1 (9.1) 1 (9.1) 11
1997 103 (29.6) 20 (5.7) 145 (41.7) 80 (23.0) 348
1998 43 (33.9) 20 (15.7) 49 (38.6) 15 (11.8) 127
1999 65 (40.9) 10 (6.3) 46 (28.9) 38 (23.9) 159
2000 209 (21.0) 65 (6.5) 382 (38.4) 339 (34.1) 995
2001 68 (81.0) 10 (11.9) 4 (4.8) 2 (2.4) 84
2002 36 (34.6) 14 (13.5) 23 (22.1) 31 (29.8) 104
2003 75 (13.7) 22 (4.0) 249 (45.4) 203 (37.0) 549
2004 81 (9.1) 37 (4.2) 464 (52.1) 309 (34.7) 891
2005 283 (39.7) 72 (10.1) 189 (26.5) 169 (23.7) 713
2006 306 (56.7) 66 (12.2) 94 (17.4) 74 (13.7) 540
2007 271 (40.2) 74 (11.0) 185 (27.4) 144 (21.4) 674
2008 187 (55.5) 48 (14.2) 59 (17.5) 43 (12.8) 337
2009 106 (30.4) 36 (10.3) 129 (37.0) 78 (22.3) 349
2010 234 (38.0) 90 (14.6) 153 (24.8) 136 (22.1) 616
2011 538 (61.5) 96 (11.0) 148 (16.9) 93 (10.6) 875
2012 11 (10.7) 22 (21.4) 34 (33.0) 36 (35.0) 103
2013 48 (14.1) 59 (17.4) 113 (33.2) 119 (35.0) 340c
2014 0 0.0 0 - 30 (51.7) 28 (48.3) 58
2015 93 (23.1) 65 (16.1) 137 (34.0) 108 (26.8) 403
2016 56 (8.7) 58 (9.0) 265 (41.2) 264 (41.0) 643
2017 74 (6.6) 67 (6.0) 479 (42.5) 499 (44.4) 1,120e
2018 109 (42.9) 18 (7.1) 65 (25.6) 62 (24.4) 254
Total 3,097 (29.4) 1,076 (10.2) 3,471 (33.0) 2,891 (27.5) 10,530d
29-Year
Average 107 37 120 100 364
a Total includes 3 adults of unknown sex.
b Total includes 1 adult of unknown sex.
c Total includes 1 bird of unknown age and
sex.
d Total includes 4 adults of unknown sex, 1 bird of unknown age and sex, and 1 hatch year of unknown sex
e Total includes 1 hatch year of unknown sex
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 13
Table 4: Pre-season banding trap success by species and trap location of 6 swim-in traps at Kgun Lake on the Yukon
Delta National Wildlife Refuge from 31 September - 24 August, 2018.
Summary totals for newly banded and same-year recaptures by trap site and species, 2018
Trap AGWT NOPI MALL Recap (AGWT) Recap (NOPI) Recap (MALL)
Total Banded
by Trap
N1 11 28 0 0 0 0 39
N2 11 55 20 0 25 6 117
N3 84 17 4 68 8 0 181
NOPI1 5 85 10 1 20 3 124
NOPI2 1 66 23 0 16 1 107
SQUIGGLY2 142 5 0 21 1 0 169
Total 254 256 57 90 70 10 737
Table 5. Mortality event by species and trap location during 2018 pre-season duck banding at Kgun Lake, Yukon Delta
National Wildlife Refuge.
Mortality, 2017
Date Trap ID # AGWT # NOPI Cause
17-Aug SQUIGGLY2 19 1 Mink
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 14
Figure 1: Location of Kgun Lake in relation to Bethel and Pilot Station, Alaska.
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 15
Figure 2. Location of the six trap sites in relation to field camp during pre-season duck banding at Kgun Lake, August
2018.
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 16
Figure 3. Kgun Lake 2018 banding results of Northern pintail. Dashed lines display 29-year capture averages.
Figure 4. Kgun Lake 2018 banding results of Mallards. Dashed lines display 27-year capture averages.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
1800
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Tota
l No
rth
ern
Pin
tail
Ban
de
d
Year
0
50
100
150
200
250
1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Tota
l Mal
lard
s B
and
ed
Year
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 17
Figure 5. Kgun Lake 2018 banding results of American green-wing teal. Dashed lines display 29-year capture
averages.
Figure 6. Image of an American mink (Neovison vison) in the Squiggly 2 trap from the camera on 17 August 2018.
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018
Nu
mb
er
AG
WT
Ban
de
d
Year
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 18
Figure 7: General track locations of duck reconnaissance flights flown on 7 August, 2018. Flags and waypoint numbers
denote concentrations of ducks.
USFWS, Yukon Delta NWR – Pre-Season Duck Banding on Yukon Delta NWR, 2018 19
Appendix A. Email from Julian Fischer (Migratory Bird Management Office) updating the banding quotas for northern pintail, mallard, and cackling goose in November 2015.
Re: duck banding 1 message
Fischer, Julian
To: "Sowl, Kristine"
Hi Kristine.
Mon, Nov 2, 2015 at 4:33 PM
Banding data is used to inform the annual regulation-setting process for the duck
season in the Pacific Flyway. The Yukon Delta is one site that contributes to a statewide
goal for the Pacific Flyway. The banding data is used in the Adaptive Harvest
Management modeling process which uses both banding data and aerial survey data to
establish duck hunting frameworks each year. In 2014 the Pacific Flyway did not meet its
banding goals (largely due to the fact that Minto Flats was so flooded that banding was
not possible) which created problems, and some guesswork for selection of harvest regs
resulted that year.
Until the Continental Banding Needs Assessment is complete the national migratory bird
program continues to operate under the minimum banding goals for mallards described in
the memo from the Chief of the Population and Habitat Assessment branch in 2010 which
updated the goals of the 1989 Continental Banding Needs Assessment document using
contemporary data and the methods described in the 1989 document. The goal in the
1989 document was 2000 mallards statewide split evenly among four groups: 500 adult
males, 500 adult females, 500 juvenile males, 500 juvenile females. The 2010 document
revised statewide goals to 1000 adult males, 1000 adult females, 2000 juvenile males and
2000, juvenile females. These are ambitious goals that can only be achieved if efforts are
being conducted and many sites, Kgun Lake on the Yukon Delta being one of those sites.
Specific goals for that site are not specified in the continental banding needs assessment. I
don't have any reports from the refuge that describe annual goals for Kgun, or actual
success, but I'm sure they are in your files somewhere.
Pintail band data is not currently used to directly inform a management decision, but there
is considerable interest in revising the national pintail harvest strategy to use harvest rates
from band data instead of total harvest from HIP. This has been identified as a national
priority by the Harvest Management Working Group. To make progress on implementing
this, there is a need for continued banding of pintails opportunistically along with mallard
banding, with a goal similar to mallards. Chris Nicolai summarized pintail banding data from
Kgun in a JWM article and reported that on average over 1,11O pintails were banded each
year between 1990 and 2001, so it is clear that the YDNWR can make a huge contribution
towards these goals.
With regards to cackling Canada geese, we need sufficient banding data to be able to
evaluate harvest rates and distribution of harvest should cackler numbers become an issue.
We otherwise don't have any harvest data for this subspecies (population). Also, the Pacific
Flyway Council's management plan for this population is in the process of being revised, and
there is an ongoing SOM process to sort out management objectives and ltematives. I am
not sure if this will involve banding or not, but seems that the discussion coylEtoe had at that
time. I believe the refuge has had a goal of 500 total cacklers each year. Actual numbers
between 2002 and 2009 ranged from 100- 700, averaging around 350.
So summary, I think the refuge should aim
for 1000 pintails, 1000 Mallards
Julian
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