Birds of the Thule District, Northwest Greenland

Abstract

ABSTRACT. The avifauna of the Thule district was studied during three breeding season visits in 1983-85. The results are presented here, supplemented by data from four late summer expeditions made in 1983-86 by M. Lea, A. Erskine and W. Higgs. Counting the two redpolls as one, 47 species have been recorded from the Thule district, 17 of them seabirds, 10 shorebirds and 7 waterfowl. There are at least 21 species with established breeding populations. Status changes are demonstrated for three species, and three Nearctic species are recorded here for the Thule district for the first time.

New species records and changes in abundance of waterfowl in northwest Greenland

“…comm.). Vaughan (1988) similarly observed 250 non-breeders in full molt in mid-July 1984, and an additional 15 birds in flight, although he did not document any breeding. Based on our observations from 1999 to 2012, their abundance has increased, with approximately 1,000 snow geese counted in the Booth Sound and Drown Bay wetland areas during the 2008 survey (Table 2).…”

“…1). Using information collected during these surveys and what little information was available in the literature (e.g., Salomonsen 1950;Røen 1960;Thing 1976;Vaughan 1988), we identified 24 locations (islands, islets, small lakes, and ponds) where nesting pairs or colonies and nonbreeding flocks of geese and ducks had been documented or were probable based on habitat characteristics. Two major wetland areas were also identified: a wide river valley surrounding TAB and an area that extended from Cape Parry south to Granville Fjord (Fig.…”

“…The first mention of snow geese regularly nesting on islands in our study area was by Salomonsen (1981), although it is possible he was referencing the same islands as Røen (1960), and no specifics were provided. Similarly, Vaughan (1988) makes mention of ''established colonies on rocky offshore islets,'' and further states that snow geese nesting on islands in the area were most definitely a recent event, which likely occurred sometime after the mid-1970s.…”

“…The first blue morph lesser snow goose was documented in Greenland in 1975 (Thing 1976; McGary Island, north of our study area), and only a single additional observation of five individuals in 1989 has been made since (Best and Higgs 1990;at Taserssuit). Despite visiting Taserssuit and both Booth Sound and Drown Bay areas, no observations of lesser snow geese (white or blue morph) were made during Vaughan's (Vaughan 1988) three summers in the Avanersuaq District in the mid-1980s. Both blue and white morph lesser and greater snow geese now appear as regular visitors to the Avanersuaq District based on our observation and measurements, and it suggests that the number of blue morph lesser snow geese in Greenland is increasing, similar to population trends observed in north-central and northeast Canada (Kerbes et al 2006).…”

“…Of these, the common eider occurs in the greatest numbers, with an estimated 25,000-30,000 breeding pairs based on a survey conducted in 2009 (Burnham et al 2012a). Information on the other five species is limited to Salomonsen's (1950) Birds of Greenland, a 1959 snow goose survey by Røen (1960), and general species observations collected during both historical and contemporary expeditions and brief visits to the area or anecdotal field notes (e.g., Chapman 1899;Gibson 1922;Thing 1976;Vaughan 1988;Best and Higgs 1990).…”