The main objectives of the Spectacled Eider survey along the USDOT pipeline between
Alpine (CD-1) and CPF-2 were to
• monitor the distribution and abundance of Spectacled Eiders within an 800-m (~0.5 mi)
wide corridor surrounding to the pipeline during pre-nesting; and
• if pre-nesting Spectacled Eiders were seen on the aerial survey, locate any nests during a
ground-based nest search and monitor their fate.
The distribution and abundance of Spectacled and Steller’s eiders along the other USDOT
pipelines in the greater Kuparuk region were evaluated in 2009 as part of the long-term avian
studies in the Kuparuk Oilfield (Anderson et al., in preparation); results from that study that
pertain to the USDOT pipeline areas are summarized inside.
