Yukon Delta

In the final couple days of Tut camp research I worked with Mairin Murphy on her project connected to spectacled and common eiders. These are large sea ducks and they too use the fertile land of the Yukon delta as a breeding ground. Mairin is also doing a population study but this species does not

Baby development and clutch size (number of eggs laid per mating couple) are good metrics when looking at a successful population, but parents’ survival is also important. That is why scientists also work on banding adults and affixing geo trackers to assess their migration routes. Trapping geese can be tough. Geese are big, strong, smarter

Background on one of the birds in the study: Pacific Brant Geese have a fantastic migration route. During the breeding season of late spring and summer they can be found in the Yukon Delta of Alaska. Once breeding is complete they move to their fall staging grounds of Izembek Lagoon near Cold Bay Alaska. They

If you have never heard of experiential whiplash I will give you a breakdown. It is when you get a sudden shift of sensory input that stops your general flow of life. My month of June was one big experiential whiplash. This is not to be confused with the “normal” life of a high school