Data Download Metadata | AK Science Portal | Project Site | Date Range: 1982 - 1988
The data are provided as digital scans (PDF format) of original field data sheets, notebooks and tables. Additionally, digital tables (CSV format) are provided for data (i.e., goose behavior, goose egg measurements, and goose nest monitoring) 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 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 1982-1988, the project’s principal investigator and supporting biologists collected biological information on Emperor Geese, Cackling Geese, Greater White-fronted Geese, and Black Brant. The data entry computer program (SUMPRG99.f77, Colleen M. Handel) was developed for this specific project and provided the basis for future biological data collection processes.
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).
Collection Metadata (Zip)
Suggested Citation: Petersen, M.R., 2023. Breeding biology, behavior, and morphology of emperor geese and other waterfowl near Kokechik Bay, Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska during 1982-1986 (ver 3.0. March 2024): U.S. Geological Survey data release, https://doi.org/10.5066/P9QAX2UQ
Data Inventory
Goose Banding
NOTES: Summaries of goose banding and collaring including dates, number of geese, and species identification [1983, 1984; 2 PDF; 91.2 KB]
RAW DATA: Banding schedules and morphological measurements of banded and collared geese [1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986; 19 PDFs;,1 docx; 32.4 MB]
TABLES: Summary of Cackling Canada Geese banded by Alaska Office of Fish and Wildlife Research June-Aug 1986 [1986; 1 PDF; 14.4 KB]
Goose Behavior
NOTES: Chronology of banded goose nesting activities and other behaviors [1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986; 3 PDFs; 9.65 MB]
RAW DATA: Tables with species counts, behavior, habitat use, and direction of travel as observed from an observation tower or camp near Kokechik Bay [1983, 1984, 1985, 1986; 23 PDFs; 568 MB]
TRANSCRIBED DATA: Digitized (.csv) tables of Emperor Goose behaviors and banded waterfowl resights [1983, 1984, 1985, 1986; 3 CSV; 3.48 MB]
VIDEOS: Digitized (MP4) videos of Emperor Goose behavior observed from towers near Kokechik Bay [1983, 1984; 91 videos; 30.7 GB]
Goose Nests
ANALYSES: Egg temperature and morphological measurement statistics for goose eggs [1986, 1987, 1988; 2 PDFs; 19.9 MB]
NOTES: Initial descriptions of habitat types found on the Yukon-Kuskokwim River Delta including, tidal sedge meadow, sedge-grass meadow, upland tundra, Elymus meadow, sedge sphagnum bog, and tall sedge marsh [1980; 1 PDF; 102 KB]
RAW DATA: Brood sizes and nest monitoring of geese nesting near Kokechik Bay [1986; 5 PDFs; 1.64 MB]
TRANSCRIBED DATA: Goose nest monitoring data including egg measurements, nest fate, and productivity [1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986; 4 CSV; 680 KB]
Bird & Mammal Checklists
NOTES: Bird and mammal checklists collected in a notes format [1982, 1984, 1985, 1986; 3 PDFs; 7.61 MB]
RAW DATA: Bird and mammal species presence data in the format of a table with species listed in the rows and the date of observation listed in the columns [1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986; 5 PDFs; 37.6 MB]
Predator Scans
NOTES: Predator observations in the Kokechik Bay region [1986; 2 PDFs; 838 KB]
RAW DATA: Predator observations in the Kokechik Bay region and quantification of jaeger predation [1986; 3 PDFs; 3.18 MB]
Snow Transects
RAW DATA: Walking transects to determine the percentage of snow and ice cover at study sites at different times and dates during spring and summer in the Kokechik region [1986; 1 PDF; 302 KB]
Aerial Images
IMAGES: LiDAR aerial images from the Kokechik region collected in 1986 [1986; 14 PDFs; 2.51 MB]
Related Publications
The following is a list of documents (graduate dissertations and peer reviewed scientific articles) that have presented or analyzed portions of the data provided in this data release. It is possible that other documents supported by these data exist but are not included in this list.
Petersen, M. R. 1990. Nest-site selection by emperor geese and cackling Canada geese. Wilson Bulletin 102:413-426. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4162898
Petersen, M. R. 1991. Reproductive Ecology of Emperor Geese. Ph.D. dissertation. University of California, Davis.
Petersen, M. R. 1992. Intraspecific variation in egg shape among individual emperor geese. Journal of Field Ornithology 63: 344-354.
Petersen, M. R. 1992. Reproductive ecology of emperor geese: annual and individual variation in nesting. Condor 94: 383-397. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1369211
Petersen, M. R. 1992. Reproductive ecology of emperor geese: survival of adult females. Condor 94: 398-406. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1369212
Petersen, M. R., J. A. Schmutz, and R. F. Rockwell. 1994. Emperor goose (Chen canagica ). In The Birds of North America, No. 97 (A. Poole and F. Gill, Eds.). Philadelphia: The Academy of Natural Sciences; Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists’ Union.
Rockwell, R. F., M. R. Petersen, J. A. Schmutz. 1996. The emperor goose: an annotated bibliography. Institute of Arctic Biology. Biological Papers of the University of Alaska No. 25. ISSN 0568-8604.
Schmutz, J. A., S. E. Cantor, and M. R. Petersen. 1994. Seasonal and annual survival of emperor geese. Journal of Wildlife Management 58: 525-535. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3809325
Schmutz, J. A., R. F. Rockwell, and M. R. Petersen. 1997. Relative effects of survival and reproduction on the population dynamics of emperor geese. Journal of Wildlife Management 61: 191-201. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3802428
Author(s): Petersen, M. R.Suggested Citation: https://doi.org/10.5066/P9QAX2UQ .Version History :
DataID: 564 | doi:10.5066/P9QAX2UQ | Date Posted Online: 2023-04-26 | Last Updated: 2023-04-26 10:44:14
