Reproductive success of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) was monitored at a nesting colony on Anaho Island, Pyramid Lake, Nevada in 1996 as part of an environmental contaminants study. Reproductive success was normal based on hatching rates of eggs (≥ 75% in undisturbed areas) and survival of nestlings. We entered 2 subcolonies after dark to reduce impacts of our egg collecting activities. Human disturbance from egg collection activities did not result in reduced production at one subcolony, where 80% of eggs in both sampled and unsampled nests resulted in 2-wk-old young. However, in a second subcolony only 60% of eggs in sampled nests and 30% in unsampled nests resulted in 2-wk-old young. Data from this study suggests colony visits for sample collection be done at night rather than the day to preclude gull predation and reduce heat stress on eggs and nestlings.

Despite an abundance of studies describing nest selection in cavity-nesting birds, few account for the variation in habitat availability across the geographic range of a species and through time. Changes in the frequency of disturbances such as fires, timber harvests, and insect outbreaks can dramatically alter habitat. Responses by cavity-nesting birds to these changes provide an opportunity to evaluate underlying determinants of nest selection. We compared nest site attributes to available resources for 3 species of cavity-nesting birds: the Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), Williamson's Sapsucker (Sphyrapicus thyroideus), and Black-backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus). Data collected in 2003–2004 were compared to data collected in the 1970s in the same study area to identify changes in patterns of selection. Due to severe insect outbreaks, available resources differed greatly between the 2 time periods. In studies separated by 30 y, Pileated Woodpeckers and Black-backed Woodpeckers exhibited remarkable consistency in patterns of nest site selection. Both species still selected Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) snags preferentially for nesting despite their decline in availability. Williamson's Sapsuckers were less selective and nested in the most abundant snag species during both time periods. Selection for factors such as tree size and degree of decay remained consistent regardless of differences in habitat availability for the 3 species. By identifying these general patterns of nest site selection, our conclusions are applicable to a wider variety of habitat conditions.

Creating artificial refugia through the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes to capture hylid treefrogs has been examined in the Eastern United States and Caribbean, but has not been evaluated in the Pacific Northwest. We compared the effectiveness of ground-based and tree-based PVC pipes for capturing the Pacific Treefrog (Pseudacris regilla) in northwestern California. We recorded a total of 464 P. regilla captures. Probability of use increased asymptotically over our 28-d sampling period and was higher (6–20%) for tree-based than ground-based pipe refugia. Tree-based pipe refugia caught 81% more P. regilla than ground-based pipe refugia but latency to first detection did not vary significantly. Probability of use was higher for pipe refugia that had been used in a previous study than for new pipes, but age did not influence capture rate or latency to detection. Our results support the hypothesis that tree-based pipe refugia are more effective than ground-based pipes for capturing P. regilla, as well as the hypothesis that P. regilla actively discriminate among refugia. Using tree-based PVC pipe refugia to monitor P. regilla may be more effective than current techniques for addressing many research questions.

The Pacific Sand Lance (Ammodytes hexapterus) is an important Pacific Northwest prey species for marine predators. In our study along the West Coast Trail, southwestern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, we examined shallow subtidal habitat selection of juvenile and adult Sand Lance with respect to sediment characteristics, and also examined aggregation behavior. Analysis of presence or absence using a classification tree showed that Sand Lance avoided sites with no subtidal sediments, preferred sites with mean sediment particle sizes ≤ 1290 μm and preferred mixed sediments (sorting values >3.09 standard deviations; standard deviation of particle size used as a heterogeneity index of the substrate grain size). The regression tree analysis explained 99% of the variation in abundance based on the effects of mean particle size, particle sorting and presence or absence of sediments, but the model showed evidence of over-classification due to small sample sizes. Nevertheless, the model indicated environmental factors that are important for Sand Lance habitat use. Behavioral analysis showed that Sand Lance aggregated into larger schools to feed and these schools tended to occur in the mid-water column compared to non-feeding schools which remained closer to the seafloor. Near the beaches, 0-year (young-of-the-year) Sand Lance were found in deeper water compared to older Sand Lance (1 -year classes). Together these data suggest that Sand Lance using the shallow subtidal show some indication of habitat use based on particle size and sorting, and aggregation differences based on behavior and age class.

Bottom trawl nets towed at 17 stations from Bering Strait to the northwestern Chukchi Sea during the 1st cruise of the Russian–American Long-term Census of the Arctic (RUSALCA) in August 2004 caught 33 or more species of fishes distributed among 10 families. The families with the most species were Cottidae (8), Zoarcidae (6 or 7), and Agonidae (4). The 4 most abundant fishes were Gymnocanthus tricuspis (Cottidae), Myoxocephalus scorpius groenlandicus (Cottidae), Hippoglossoides robustus (Pleuronectidae), and Boreogadus saida (Gadidae), collectively accounting for 79% of the catch by numbers. Theragra chalcogramma, H. robustus, and M. polyacanthocephalus occurred farther north than previously recorded. We found the 2nd and 3rd records of occurrence of Liparis fabricii for the Chukchi Sea and a new maximum size for that species; and the 2nd record of Pallasina barbata for the Chukchi Sea. New studies of fresh and archived material clarified historical distributions and enabled more accurate identification of species such as M. scorpius, Hexagrammos stelleri, Hemilepidotus (Melletes) papilio, Podothecus veternus, Lycodes mucosus, and L. polaris. Some fishes, notably Gymnelus, could not be readily identified. Color photographs of fresh specimens should assist in field identifications of species that are difficult to identify or are often misidentified.

In the spring of 2006, fisheries observers identified 2 Green Sturgeon specimens in Alaska waters: 1 in the Bering Sea and 1 in the western Gulf of Alaska. These occurrences are noteworthy because the northern range limit for Green Sturgeon is poorly documented, and specimens encountered in northern latitudes could be either North American Green Sturgeon (A. medirostris) or Asian Sakhalin Sturgeon (A. mikadoi). The specimen collected in the Bering Sea was destroyed, but several morphological characteristics were determined from photographs. The specimen from the Gulf of Alaska was collected and preserved. Morphometric and meristic data from this specimen were compared to published ranges of A. medirostris and A. mikadoi, as well as the published record of a Green Sturgeon reported from the western Bering Sea in 1953. These comparisons show that the specimen collected in the Gulf of Alaska is A. medirostris and suggest that the specimen reported over 50 y ago from the western Bering Sea also may have been A. medirostris. Because the specimen recently collected in the eastern Bering Sea was destroyed, its specific identification could not be determined. These findings highlight the need for additional documentation of sturgeon in Alaskan waters.