Tag Archives: Robin Corcoran

Alaskans may remember a few years ago, when huge numbers of common murres, a type of northern seabird, were washing up dead onshore. A new study from the University of Washington links the large die-off up to food scarcity during a period of extremely warm water temperatures. A dead common murre found in Kodiak during a seven-month beach survey (Photo …

Kittlitz’s murrelet, a common bird in Kodiak. (Photo by Alan Schmierer / Flickr) Kayla Desroches/KMXT It’s the 45th year of the Kodiak Christmas bird count. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service bird biologist, Robin Corcoran, says residents go out and record sightings on a data sheet. She says the event began in 1900. “It used to be a holiday tradition in …

Arctic Terns. Photo by Bryan Wilkins / Flickr Kayla Desroches/KMXT A biologist recently returned from a survey of seabirds on Kodiak Island, and she says some colony numbers have decreased this summer. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge bird biologist Robin Corcoran says terns are having a difficult year. She says there are three colonies on the road system: at the Pasagashak …

Peregrine falcon in Sitka. Photo by Harvey Barrison / Flickr Kayla Desroches/KMXT Saturday is Kodiak’s celebration of International Migratory Bird Day, and a couple of birds will be flying in for the occasion via plane. The visiting falcons – the merlin and the peregrine – are found all over North America, including Kodiak. They’ll be dropping by the Kodiak National …

Arctic Tern.Lindsay Robinson / Flickr Kayla Desroches/KMXT Kodiak will be one of three sites where scientists will study colonies of seabirds called terns, their movements during the breeding season and their winter migratory patterns. Robin Corcoran, bird biologist with the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, says it’s a collaborative research project with the refuge, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, …

Kayla Desroches/KMXT Eagles often hang around downtown in the winter to scour for food. Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge Bird biologist Robin Corcoran says the eagles travel from the chillier Kenai Peninsula during the cold months, and this year’s dropping temperatures means the island may be a popular location this year. However, the eagle’s scavenging also puts it at risk. That’s …