Cordova, Alaska: Ducks Unlimited Dusky Canada Goose Intern - Summer 2022

          After driving back to town from the airport following the Controller Bay Red Knot survey, scenery on the delta was noticeably greener. With some nice sunny and 65 degree days towards the end of the week leading into Memorial Day Weekend, its's safe to say that the Copper River Delta has transitioned into spring and even early summer. On Friday, May 27th, we even saw the first brood of Mallard ducklings along Copper River Highway when we were out tracking down some collared Duskies to photograph for the Alaska State Waterfowl Stamp Contest. Earlier in the week, we found a hen mallard nest with a clutch of eggs, as well as another couple Dusky nests which we deployed cameras on. In doing so, we also informed a group of teachers from Prince William Sound College on the processes of nest searching and setting up cameras. Mid-week, we took a day to get up bright and early to do some birding, looking for songbirds. Early enough to even catch some of the sunrise. We saw and hear

Below is the complete list of confirmed bird species we encountered while at Controller Bay:  Greater White-fronted Goose  Tule White-fronted Goose Pacific Black Brant Dusky Canada Goose Cackling Goose  Snow Goose Trumpeter Swan  Mallard  Northern Pintail American Widgeon  Northern Shoveler Green-winged Teal  Scaup Long-tailed Duck Bufflehead Common Merganser Gadwall Surf Scoter Ring-necked Duck Double-crested Cormorant  Northern Harrier  Bald Eagle  Sandhill Crane Black-bellied Plover American Golden Plover Semipalmated Plover  Greater Yellowlegs Lesser Yellowlegs Whimbrel Bristle-thighed Curlew Hudsonian Godwit Marbled Godwit Bar-tailed Godwit Ruddy Turnstone Black Turnstone Red Knot  Pectoral Sandpiper Dunlin Long-billed Dowitcher Short-billed Dowitcher  Wilson's Snipe  Red-necked Phalarope Raven Arctic Tern  Caspian Tern  Aleutian Tern Mew Gull  Bonaparte's Gull Parasitic Jaeger  Merlin Short-eared Owl  Tree Swallow  Savannah Sparrow  American Robin Rufous Hummingbird  Grea

            Extremely fortunate and thankful to have spent the last 12 days in Controller Bay surveying Red Knots with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Had some awesome times, met some great people, and got some fantastic pictures. Identified a total of 56 confirmed bird species on our camp bird list including the targeted Red Knots, and saw some other non-avian creatures like coyote, bear, wolf, and moose. Hiked nearly 100 miles of mudflats doing our surveys, and added another 50+ in the boat. Tallied close to 8,000 photos of flagged Red Knots, many other shorebirds, waterfowl, and everything in-between. Fascinated at the mix of waterfowl and shorebirds and how they intermingle.           We ha d terrific weather for most of our surveys, which were conducted two hours before and after high tide, for a four hour window. Red Knots typically feed along the tide line, so they follow the waters edge as it comes up, and sporadically spread out over the mudflats more as it recedes. Ri