I've spent the last two days rope dragging our plots to find shorebird nests. Yes, it is as simple as it sounds, dragging a rope across the tundra for 8 hours. We use two people per plot to hold a 30 meter rope and drag it across every square inch of our plots because now that it is later in the season, some shorebirds will not flush from their nests until you are within feet of them. This allows us to find almost every nest on our plots. The last two days, just on two plots, our crew has found 37 nests and we still have 4 plots to go. Typically, we get 1/2 of each plot done per day. It is very strenuous and frustrating at times, but soon I will be banding birds and the chicks will also be coming!

Because my camera memory card doesn't work, I won't be able to post my Western Sandpiper, Parasitic and Long-tailed Jaeger pictures. Hopefully I can find a way to get a new card, but the only local store only carries one size of memory card, and, of course, it isn't my size.

Not many interesting sightings lately. A WINGS extension tour told me about a Great Egret they had seen but nothing else.

Rope dragging tomorrow, and then our day off on Saturday for another festival!

Back to Barrow, Alaska!     Home