This data package presents raw and digitally transcribed legacy data collected at study sites near the Old Chevak Field Station on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range (now Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska during the summers of 1973 through 1975. These data were collected to provide a basis for evaluation of long-term changes in loon (Pacific and Red-throated Loon) biology on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in western Alaska.  Additional data corresponding to waterfowl breeding biology, habitat classification and fish sampling in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta region are also provided in this data release.

The data are provided as digital scans (PDF format) of original field data sheets, notebooks, maps, and figures. Additionally, digital tables (CSV format) are provided for data (i.e., loon chick measurements, loon egg measurements, loon nest monitoring, and general loon observations) that were transcribed by the project's principal investigator prior to her retirement from USGS Alaska Science Center.  All data are organized in folders by topic according to the "Data Inventory" below.

Because some of the data are in original form and were not digitized at the time of data collection, those data have not undergone formal Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC). These are scanned originals and replications and some text may be illegible. Additional documentation of project field methods are limited, however, a thesis and journal articles summarizing data collected at several locations are listed in the Cross Reference section.

About the Legacy Data Collection

Since the lands of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta were first set aside to preserve breeding birds, the refuge has taken on many names. In 1960, the Kuskokwim National Wildlife Range was established and in the following year, it was enlarged, and the name was changed to the Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range. In December 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, and the existing ranges and refuges were combined to form the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge.

Between 1973-1975, the project's principal investigator and supporting biologists collected biological information on loons and other waterbirds in the Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range. This research was part of a master's degree but formed the basis for future work on loons and waterfowl in the region. Additionally, it should be noted that Pacific Loon were classified as Arctic Loon during the 1970s, therefore, all Arctic Loon data included in this data release are the equivalent to Pacific Loon.

This U.S. Geological Survey Data Release is a collection of original and scanned field data, field notes, maps, and figures. All documents  have been digitally scanned (PDF format) or digital transcribed (CSV format) and are archived at the USGS Alaska Science Center.

Data Constraints

Transcribed data are available for direct download by clicking the "Data Download" link at the top of the page. Scans of field data, notes, maps, and figures are available for download upon request by contacting ascweb@usgs.gov.  All scans are in PDF document format and have not been checked for accuracy or completeness. Several documents are poor quality scans and may contain sections that are illegible. Further, all PDF documents are provided "as is" and do not follow 508 compliance standards.

Please note: All bird species checklists have been submitted to the eBird database hosted by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology (eBird.org). Checklists are also available as a data download from USGS Alaska Science Center under the "Western Alaska" region (Bird Species Checklists from USGS Alaska Science Center Field Camps).

Suggested Citation: Petersen, M.R., 2023. Breeding biology of loon and waterfowl species on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska during 1973-1975: U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9H7L86E

Data Inventory

• Behavior
• NOTES: Foraging behavior of Arctic [Pacific Loons] and Red-throated Loons [1973; 1 PDF; 551 KB]
• Body Composition
• RAW DATA: Body condition metrics of collected (dead) Arctic [Pacific Loons] and Red-throated Loons [1974, 1975; 2 PDFs; 1.90 MB]
• Brood Monitoring
• RAW DATA: Arctic [Pacific Loon] and Red-throated Loon brood size observation tables and maps [1973; 1 PDF; 938 KB]
• Chick Measurements
• RAW DATA: Morphological measurements of Arctic [Pacific Loons] and Red-throated Loons distributed across various ponds [1973, 1974, 1975; 1 PDF; 1.58 MB]
• TRANSCRIBED DATA: Morphological measurements of Arctic [Pacific Loons] and Red-throated Loons; see "Data Download" link at top of page for direct download [1974, 1975; 1 CSV; 14.5 KB]
• Egg Measurements
• TRANSCRIBED DATA: The length, width, and weight of Arctic [Pacific Loon] and Red-throated Loon eggs; see "Data Download" link at top of page for direct download [1973, 1974, 1975; 1 CSV; 19.4 KB]
• Nest Monitoring
• RAW DATA: Date of discovery, fate, and clutch size of Arctic [Pacific Loon] and Red-throated Loon nests [1974, 1975; 3 PDFs; 6.05 MB]
• TRANSCRIBED DATA: Habitat type of nest location and incubation dates of Arctic [Pacific Loon] and Red-throated Loon eggs; see "Data Download" link at top of page for direct download [1974, 1975; 1 CSV; 27.5 KB]
• Observations
• NOTES: Pre-and post-nesting observations of Arctic [Pacific Loons] and Red-throated Loons from the edge of ponds and an observation tower [1973, 1974, 1975; 5 PDFs; 152 MB]
• RAW DATA: Observations of Arctic [Pacific Loon] and Red-throated Loon groups on rivers, bays, and ponds [1973, 1974, 1975; 2 PDFs; 4.41 MB]
• TRANSCRIBED DATA: Weather conditions and Arctic [Pacific Loon] and Red-throated Loon observations; see "Data Download" link at top of page for direct download [1974, 1975; 1 CSV; 643 KB]
• Pond Habitat
• MAPS: Locations where pond habitat and vegetation type was recorded [1974, 1975; 1 PDF; 2.38 MB]
• NOTES: Vegetation types surrounding ponds used by nesting loons [1974, 1975; 1 PDF; 16.9 MB]
• RAW DATA: Pond cover by ice and pond size measurements [1974, 1975; 2 PDFs; 914 KB]
• Weather Conditions
• RAW DATA: Daily weather conditions during bird observations [1973, 1974, 1975; 1 PDF; 2.30 MB]

Waterfowl and Other Birds

• Banding Measurements
• RAW DATA: Live Cackling Goose weights and measurements [1973; 1 PDF; 233 KB]
• Brood Monitoring
• RAW DATA: Brood size observations for Black Brant, Cackling Goose, Emperor Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Mallard, Mew Gull [Short-billed Gull], Spectacled Eider, and Willow Ptarmigan [1973, 1974, 1975; 11 PDFs; 1.78 MB]
• Captive Measurements
• RAW DATA: Morphological measurements of Cackling and Emperor Goose goslings held in captivity [1973; 2 PDFs; 7.40 MB]
• Collected Measurements
• NOTES: Handwritten notes on the collection method and location of Cackling Geese used in the measurement dataset [1975; 1 PDF; 1.80 MB]
• RAW DATA: Morphological measurements of collected (dead) Cackling Geese from Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range (Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge) [1973, 1975; 2 PDFs; 349 KB]
• Nest Monitoring
• FIGURES: Bar charts of Cackling Geese clutch sizes [1974; 1 PDF; 59.6 KB]
• MAPS: Locations of Cackling Goose, Emperor Goose, Greater White-fronted Goose, Spectacled Eider, Sabine's Gull, Arctic Tern, Greater Scaup, and Glaucous Gull nests [1974, 1975; 3 PDFs; 372 KB]
• RAW DATA: Nest information and egg measurements for Arctic Tern, Black Brant, Black Turnstone, Cackling Goose, Dunlin, Emperor Goose, Glaucous Gull, Greater Scaup, Greater White-fronted Goose, Oldsquaw [Long-tailed Duck], Northern Pintail, Sabine's Gull, Mew Gull [Short-billed Gull], Whistling Swan [Tundra Swan], and Willow Ptarmigan [1973, 1974, 1975; 24 PDFs; 3.82 MB]
• Resightings
• NOTES: Notes about waterfowl resightings on the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge for birds banded on the Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range (Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge)  [1973; 1 PDF; 88.5 KB]
• Species Accounts
• NOTES: Observations of flock and individuals of American Golden-Plover, Arctic Tern, Bar-tailed Godwit, Black Brant, Black Turnstone, Cackling Goose, Dunlin, Emperor Goose, Glaucous Gull, Greater Scaup, Greater White-fronted Goose, Lapland Longspur, Lesser Canada Goose, Oldsquaw [Long-tailed Duck], Long-tailed Jaeger, Marsh Hawk [Northern Harrier], Northern Pintail, Parasitic Jaeger, Red-breasted Merganser, Sabine's Gull, Sandhill Crane, Short-eared Owl, Spectacled Eider, Whistling Swan [Tundra Swan], Western Sandpiper, and Willow Ptarmigan   [1973, 1974, 1975; 37 PDFs; 9.67 MB]
• RAW DATA: Observations of Greater White-fronted Goose, Sandhill Crane, and Willow Ptarmigan. All species checklists are available for viewing here: https://doi.org/10.5066/P950QX28 [1975; 3 PDFs; 572 KB]
• Specimen List
• RAW DATA: Inventory of all specimens collected on the Clarence Rhode National Wildlife Range (Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge)  and deposited at the Museum of Wildlife and Fisheries Biology at UC Davis [1973, 1974, 1975; 2 PDFs; 628 KB]

Fish

• Sampling
• MAPS: Hand-drawn locations of where fish were sampled in the Yukon Delta region [1974; 1 PDF; 363 KB]
• RAW DATA: Location of fish sample and method for collecting the sample [1974; 1 PDF; 118 KB]

Related Publications

DataID: 550 | doi:10.5066/P9H7L86E | Date Posted Online: 2023-02-15 | Last Updated: 2023-02-15 12:07:10