The Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS) has been flown annually in Alaska since 1957. This survey follows a standard protocol as part of a North American continental survey program. The waterfowl habitats included in the WBPHS in Alaska were originally determined from fairly crude, small-scale aeronautical maps. Questions about how well the WBPHS represents waterfowl breeding populations in Alaska led to a multi-year effort to more precisely define the waterfowl breeding habitat and better measure the size of breeding waterfowl populations within it. Habitat areas were redefined and digitized from larger-scale (1:250,000) U.S. Geological Survey maps. This resulted in a 20% increase in the amount of waterfowl breeding habitat on the western tundra. A series of intensive waterfowl breeding population surveys, utilizing many different survey crews and different aircraft, were flown from 1989-1997 over this better-defined habitat. Comparisons of the average population estimates of waterfowl (total indicated birds) from these intensive surveys to the average results of the WBPHS are presented, by survey area, for the western tundra habitats. Results showed an overall 14% increase in the number of total indicated ducks from the traditional estimates for the western tundra. The population estimates for the Arctic Coastal Plain, for the period 1986-2006, are also included. Qualifying factors of this comparison and some potential options for future modification of the traditional WBPHS in Alaska are discussed.
