Title
Resource Use of Arctic Peregrine Falcons along the Colville River, Alaska (RWO 90 Annual Report, 2012)
Abstract
To improve knowledge about the ecology, life history, and behavior of arctic peregrine falcons
(Falco peregrinus tundrius) on the Colville River Special Area (CRSA), we propose to (1) summarize and
evaluate existing CRSA peregrine nesting data to assess trends in territory occupancy and abundance,
and assist in summary and evaluation of nesting habitat use and related productivity, (2) implement
additional data collection efforts focused on assessing factors related to the probability a territory is
occupied, and (3) identify disturbance thresholds for arctic peregrine falcons from different types of
human activity. In 2011, we assisted in 2 U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/Bureau of Land Management
surveys (1 during nesting and 1 during the fledgling period) of peregrine falcons on the Colville River that
documented 56 pairs and 3 singles occupying 59 sites. During 2012, the Ph.D. student originally hired to
lead this project left the University of Minnesota. Following that departure, we recruited a postdoctoral
research associate (JEB) to take over as the lead in addressing research objective 1, beginning in
September 2012. In addition, Ted Swem (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) spent the 2011‐2012 academic
year at the Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit at the University of Minnesota, and
updated and formatted the long‐term arctic peregrine falcon database. Based on that historical
database, we have acquired data sources related to characteristics of nest locations along the Colville
River. We are currently developing models relating habitat, topography, climate, prey availability,
competition, and site quality covariates to occupancy and abundance of breeding peregrines. We
anticipate using the results of those models to help identify what factors have the most influence on
peregrines nesting along the Colville River, and to help identify critical information needs.
Suggested Citation
Andersen, David E; Kennedy, Patricia L; Bruggeman, Jason E.
(2012).
Resource Use of Arctic Peregrine Falcons along the Colville River, Alaska (RWO 90 Annual Report, 2012).
Retrieved from the University of Minnesota Digital Conservancy,
https://hdl.handle.net/11299/183615.