Howdy folks. Summer is cruising right along and it seems like we have skipped over June. For us, the month was focused around nest island monitoring. We spent 8 days out at camp from the 13th to the 20th monitoring just under 400 islands. The nest island program was started in the 80's to help boost the nesting success of dusky Canada geese. The program placed artificial islands with transplanted sweet gale shrubs on ponds throughout the Copper River Delta. We spent our trip out at camp checking the islands for dusky nests and recording nest fate. We also observed the condition of the islands to see if any maintenance was required. Two common problems that require maintenance are missing anchors or landscaping issues with sweet gale plants. Beavers and other critters can create significant obstacles for establishing shrubs on islands as well as large ponds that create significant wave action.

We saw a lot of successful nests as well as some that had been depredated, but all signs point towards a high percentage of hatches this year. We were also happy to see that most of our islands were in good condition and that we may not have as much maintenance to perform as in previous years.

During the week, we experienced a variety of weather. We were lucky to have a decent amount of sunny days, but we also had to deal with days of heavy rain and wind. On those sunny days, summer on the delta was in full swing. Bird species of all kinds were seen with their young including geese, swans, ducks, gulls, phalarope, and loons. We were also treated to flowers blooming such as irises and chocolate lilies and saw a handful of moose with calves. It was amazing to see all of the new life sprouting in such a productive and diverse ecosystem.

One of the many nest islands scattered across the delta.


Evan and I planning one of our daily trips. We use poke boats to travel to all of the nest islands utilizing the numerous ponds and sloughs that make up the delta.
Most of our islands are far from camp so days begin by loading up the air boats with our gear.

Pictures from a weekend fishing trip we went on after our return from camp.













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