Day 8- 6/9/08

I got to go onto two new plots today to do predator surveys and search for nests. Dunlin are our main target and the species we do the most work on. Early in the day I managed to find a Dunlin nest. I thought it would be a great day for finding nests, but this was the only one I found.

You can see the numbers on the eggs. We number them, measure them and float them to estimate how old they are.

On the predator surveys, Pomarine Jaeger showed up on every section of every survey, as did Brown Lemming. Another awesome predator I saw today was a Short-tailed Weasel. He wasn't very big and was way too fast for a digiscoped picture. The lemmings continue to be easy to catch, so I had to do another photoshoot with one. This one bit me though, good thing he is tiny.

As you can see, still snow out there, but it really is melting fast. The only other bird of note on the tundra today were the two Spectacled Eiders that flew right past me. The Steller's Eiders continue to be seen easily right from the road, and I had about 7. Tomorrow is another snow survey day and I'll be searching for nests as well.

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