Digital Journal Element 6

Waterfowl of Humboldt County

Local Waterfowl Species

Black Brant 

Black Brant are a species that commonly visits Humboldt County during their migratory trip down the Pacific Flyway from Baja to Imbezek Lagoon, Alaska.(Garrod 2013) Birds continue to stopover all throughout the winter months. They have been divided into three different sub-species pertaining to flyway including, "Branta bernicla hrota found in Europe, Branta bernicla nigricans found in Alaska, Canada, and Siberia, and Branta bernicula bernicla found in Russia"(Garrod 2013). Multiple studies have been done on these waterfowl including studies on their feeding behaviors, stop-over behaviors, population dynamics, and even grit-sit selection performed by members of Humboldt State University (Black). They have been found to eat mostly eel grass.They are limited in their feeding by tide high.(Garrod 2013)  The species is in decline, due to hunting a habitat restoration.

Western Canada geese

 Western Canada Geese are normally found along the Pacific Flyway. The population found in Humboldt Bay was translocated in from Reno, Nevada throughout 1987-1992. They transfered a total of 645 birds to the Humboldt Bay refuge site. A study performed on the population showed that by 1999 the population had become substantial enough to sustain a hunt (Griggs and Black 2002). The geese eat mostly crops and wetland plant seeds. They are commonly found in farm lands and pastures. Some of the population migrates along the fly while other participate in a yearly migration(PFC 2000)

Aleutian Cackling geese (Mini 2011)

 The Aleutian cackling goose is a unique story. This species was in severe decline in the early 1960's. The species was thought to be extinct when a single population was discovered in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska. These birds were one of the first species listed as an endangered species before the Endangered Species Act of the 1970's was passed. This led to a series of recovery efforts including fox removal, translocation, and captive breeding. This took a population of 790 and returned it to over 30,000 individuals by 2001. The population explosion resulted in the delisting of the species in this year. Today, in 2012, the population has reached over 100,000 members. These geese feed primarily on grain found in croplands and wetland seeds. The increase in numbers has been met with an adverse reaction from farmers along the Pacific Flyway who say that the geese are overgrazing their pastures and decreasing production. This is the first case in history where a listed species was listed as an endangered species then delisted and,  then was classified as a game species and, is now becoming a pest species. They reopened the hunting of the species in the late 2000's and last year they extended the hunting season to have a special late season hunt for the geese. Many farmers have reported degredation of pastures valued at thousands of dollars.

American Widgeon

American Widgeon is a species commonly seen around Humboldt Bay and the surrounding area. They eat wetland grasses and sedges. They are a migratory species with two populations one that migrates on the Pacific Flyway and one that migrates on the Mississippi flyway. They utilize a variety of habitats, sloughs, ponds, fresh, or saline.

Literature Cited

Black, J.  Current Research. Humboldt State University Wildlife Department. <http://www.humboldt.edu/wildlife/faculty/black/research/blackbrant.html>

Ducks  Unlimited Conservation Website < http://www.ducks.org/hunting/waterfowl-id/american-wigeon>
Griggs K. M. and J. M. Black.2002. Assessment of a Western Canada Goose Translocation: Landscape use, movement patterns, and population viability.

Garrod, H. Black Brant. Humboldt State University Moodle website. April 30, 2013 <http://learn.humboldt.edu/mod/forum/discuss.php?d=24700>

Mini, A. E. , C. B. Dominic, J. Cocke, K. M. Griggs, K. A. Sparagens, J. M. Black. 2011. Recovery of the Aleutian Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii leucopareia: 10- year review and future prospects. Wildfowl 61:3-29
Pacific Flyway Council. 2000. Pacific Flyway Management plant for the pacific population of western canada geese.