+Gavia adamsii+ (Gray): Yellow-billed loon.--Specimens, 3: Kaolak
(Kuk) River, 159 deg.47'40", 70 deg.11'15", 30 ft., No. 30571, ad. female,
July 18, 1951; Wahoo Lake, 146 deg.58', 69 deg.08', 2350 ft. (a breeding
pair), No. 31301, ad. male and No. 31302, ad. female, July 9, 1952.
Upon our arrival at Wahoo Lake (July 3, 1952), two yellow-billed loons
were swimming, side by side, on the east end of the lake. On July 8,
the pair were seen swimming close together 400 feet distant from the
nest. It was located on July 4 and held two fresh eggs. Three days
later at 3:00 A.M. one of the pair called directly in front of our
camp, which was approximately 4000 feet from the nest at the other end
of the lake. The call was the first uttered in the area since our
arrival. Except for the two instances noted above, only a single loon
was seen at any one time almost certainly because the other was
sitting on the eggs. At 3:00 P.M. on July 9, by means of a boat, we
visited the nesting area; the male was incubating and the female was
absent from the area. As we approached to within 30 feet of the nest,
the male, conspicuous as it sat upon the nest with neck held low and
extended, became nervous. When we were 25 feet away the bird plunged
into the lake. His feet and wings beat the water, increasing his
speed; he flew to our right approximately 30 feet from the nest and
was shot. The nest and eggs were photographed and we left the area. At
5:30 P.M., the female was swimming on the lake in the general area of
the nest. In an effort to obtain the bird we pursued her down the
middle of the lake, approximately 1000 feet from her nest and in the
direction from which we came. Turning shoreward she dived and
resurfaced approximately 300 feet in the opposite direction from which
she was being pursued. Two additional dives brought her to the
vicinity of the nest. No cry was uttered by either of the birds during
our pursuit.
Although the female had been incubating two nearly fresh eggs, her
ovary, 35 mm long and 19 mm in diameter, contained ova of various
sizes up to six mm in diameter. The female measured 850 mm in total
length and weighed 4536 grams; the male was 900 mm in total length and
weighed 6804 grams.
The nest, approximately 60 cm in diameter, of sedges, grasses and an
assortment of plant debris, was on a mound of soil 23 cm above, and 40
cm from, the open water. The cup of the nest measured 37 mm in depth.
The site of the nest (southeast corner of the lake) was near the area
supporting the most lake trout (_Cristivomer namaycush_). Between open
water of the lake and the shore, 20 feet of sedges and grasses
deterred wolves (_Canis lupus_), red foxes (_Vulpes fulva_), and
caribou (_Rangifer arcticus_) from molesting the nest; tracks of these
mammals were numerous on contiguous shore areas.
The early run-off entering the lake created a variable water level
(the overflow decreased 60 per cent in the period July 2 to July 11).
The loons lay their eggs when the lake's level is fairly well
stabilized. The cotton-grass (_Eriophorum_) at the latter date was
developing white flowers and the sedges, growing in dense stands, were
showing springtime green.
The force with which the excrement of the loon is expelled while
standing on land, accounts for long white lines upwards of one meter
in length. These lines of dried excrement, reaching as far as one and
one-tenth meters landward, were noted at several places along the
shore.
At Topagaruk on July 9, 1951, a single yellow-billed loon was
observed. At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951) the yellow-billed loon
was occasionally heard at night and, at times in the day. On July 18,
an Eskimo, Atanak, accompanied by two companions from Wainwright, shot
two loons of this species approximately two miles down the Kaolak
River from our camp. They had planned to prepare the birds for their
evening meal. With the exception of twelve pebbles averaging 3.5 mm in
diameter in the one, the stomachs of the loons were empty. The female
was given to us by the Eskimos. It measured 870 mm in total length,
1600 mm in wing spread, and 5897 grams in weight. The ovaries
contained many ova, the largest eight mm in diameter. Many of the
individual ova were black.
At Porcupine Lake a yellow-billed loon was seen every day (July 13-18,
1952) but was not heard until 8:00 P.M. on July 17; its call was the
first since our arrival on July 13. Thereafter its long drawn-out wail
or raucous, hilarious call was uttered at intervals in the evening and
well toward midnight.
A yellow-billed loon was on the south end of Lake Peters on August 4,
1952. At 9:00 A.M. it caught a small fish at the mouth of Carnivore
River. The loon flew north approximately five miles to Lake Schrader
where it was known to have young.
Of the three species of loons observed on the Arctic Slope, the
yellow-billed loon is the least numerous. Owing to its large size this
loon is more often taken than either of the others. Eskimos consider
its dark, fine grained flesh a delicacy. On the more isolated areas of
the Arctic Slope the yellow-billed loon remains common; elsewhere it
needs protection.
Additional specimens, especially from the contact zone between the
areas of geographical distribution of _Gavia immer_ and _Gavia
adamsii_, are needed in order to decide on the subspecific _versus_
specific status of these two kinds of loons.
+Gavia arctica pacifica+ (Lawrence): Arctic loon.--Specimens, 2:
Barrier Lake, NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153 deg.05'40", 70 deg.39'40", 8 ft., No.
30570, ad. female, July 29, 1951; Topagaruk River, 155 deg.48', 70 deg.34', 10
ft., No. 30572, ad. female, July 7, 1951.
On July 3, 1952, between Umiat and Ivashak River, pairs of Arctic
loons were on only small and medium sized lakes; on this date they
mostly were free of ice whereas large lakes were ice covered and thus
unavailable to this species of loon. The use of small and medium sized
lakes by this loon may result from the described unavailability of
large lakes at nesting time. The tundra, at this time, when nesting
has begun, is free of snow except for cornices and deposits in deep
gullies. Willows and alders at Umiat on July 3 were without foliage,
whereas these plants farther east were in leaf. On July 4, 1951, at
two-tenths of a mile south of the Arctic Research Laboratory, a single
bird flew over the tundra and onto the Arctic Ocean beyond. It called
regularly as it passed overhead. At Topagaruk (July 5, 1951) the pairs
of Arctic loons were nesting on the vegetated edges of lakes of medium
size. This species of loon constituted less than one per cent of the
avian population of the area. A nest of this loon on a promontory
between two lakes and within 30 centimeters of deep water was damp,
shallow, slightly depressed and held eggs exposed to view. On July 7,
the female was killed as she left the nest. The wind blowing offshore
drifted her toward the center of the lake. Later, as she reached a
point near the opposite side, the male alighted near the dead female
and indulged in its courtship display of raising and lowering its head
and neck. Swimming around the mate several times he continued to
solicit attention from the lifeless form. An hour later we examined
the off-shore and found the dead female among the sedges. By this time
the male had abandoned its mate and was observed feeding in an
adjacent lake. Arctic loons on several adjacent lakes could be heard.
The male that had been deprived of its mate, did not respond.
The female weighed 1200 grams. The largest ovum was eight mm in
diameter; others were smaller and the smallest were in clusters. On
leaving the nest we placed mosses and grasses over it to protect the
single egg from the parasitic jaegers. We wished to learn whether the
male returned and incubated the egg. On our approach on July 8 he was
on the nest but left and swam approximately 200 feet under water
before surfacing. On the afternoon of the same day the single egg was
cold and unattended. The male was swimming on a nearby lake some 300
yards distant. Two pairs of the Arctic loon were observed swimming on
adjacent lakes. On July 9, the male was again incubating the egg.
The Arctic loon calls frequently when flying overhead. The Eskimos
were adept at imitating the loon's call and were successful in having
the birds respond.
At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951), pairs of the Arctic loon used the
course of the stream as a flight lane.
On an airflight from east to west between the mouth of the Canning
River Canyon and Umiat (July 18, 1952) I noted an increase in the
numbers of this loon, especially over the lakes near the Colville
River.
Seven pairs and two singles of this species were observed between the
mouth of the Avalik River and a point 23.3 miles from the Arctic Ocean
when I flew directly from Kaolak to Point Barrow. In the above
33 miles of coastal plain, the greatest interval between loons was
9.7 miles, the shortest 1.9 miles, the average 5.9 miles. The last
23.3 miles before reaching the Arctic Ocean, produced no records of
the loon. On a lake near the Arctic Ocean, 3.8 miles southwest from
Barrow Village, a single pair was observed.
Upon our arrival at Barrier Lake, northeast of Teshekpuk Lake (July
29, 1951), there were two adult and two young Arctic loons at the
south end of the lake at a point approximately 300 feet from where we
camped. During our stay at the lake, the loons nearly all of the time
remained on approximately 1-1/2 acres of water in spite of being
disturbed and having their territory periodically invaded by us.
Adjacent to the area of the lake used by this family of loons were
three small lakes connected by wide channels to Barrier Lake. Other
small lakes to the east were connected by smaller channels. The loons
preferred to feed in the lakes having larger connecting channels.
In the evening of the first day of observation, the female together
with her two young was on land. The male was swimming approximately
200 feet out on the lake. The female was shot as she was flushed from
the bank. The largest ovum was four mm in diameter. On the morning of
the second day (15 hours after the female was shot) the male was
observed tending the young; one young was by his side and the other
had wandered to a point 40 feet away. A parasitic jaeger came and
hovered above the straying young loon and then dived vertically to
seize it. The male loon was too far away to reach its young before the
jaeger departed. As the jaeger was leaving the area, three other
parasitic jaegers pursued the first in an attempt to wrest from its
beak the young loon. The contest for possession of the young loon
continued as far as the eye could follow the contestants.
On August 2, at 3:35 P.M. the surviving members of this loon
family--the male and the one young--rested on the water of the lake,
approximately 200 feet from shore. The adult dozed with its head
tucked under its wing--head end oriented into the wind except for
occasional complete turns. These were made without visible change of
posture. The young one alternated by swimming around its parent and
resting at which time it tucked its head under its wing. Toward
evening, the male was shot. A survey of the area the following morning
disclosed the absence of the young loon, not to be seen again during
our stay. It was noted that during our sojourn of seven days, when the
male was left with the orphaned young, the parent would fly to
Teshekpuk Lake some 1-1/2 miles to the south to procure food. The young
loon when left alone would dive under water when approached.
On August 4, a pomarine jaeger pursued the male loon as it was
returning from fishing on Teshekpuk Lake. When the birds first were
seen, the jaeger was approximately 200 feet behind the loon, but in a
distance of approximately 300 feet the jaeger overtook the loon which
had reached the shore of Barrier Lake. When the jaeger was ready to
strike in order to make the loon drop the fish it was carrying, the
loon dropped over the erosional cliff and splashed into the water.
After 30 seconds of hovering over the submerged loon, which remained
under water for one minute, the jaeger departed to the west. The loon
came to the surface holding the fish tightly crosswise in its beak.
Numerous calls of the Arctic loon were heard on the Barrier Lake area.
When a person enters the territory of a family of loons, the male
makes a sound similar to a courting tomcat. The female responds with a
like sound and in addition concludes her call with a high pitched
note. When mildly disturbed, low guttural notes are uttered by both
sexes, and are continued as a person penetrates farther into the
territory of the loons, especially when young are present. In addition
to the above-mentioned calls, loons have a ravenlike call, one
resembling the cackling of a domestic fowl, and another resembling the
bleating of a lamb.
The male concerns himself less than does the female with the safety of
the family; nevertheless, attempts were noted in which the male
endeavored to decoy the intruder and allow the female and young to
retreat from the area. The loons react to caribou, if these animals
approach too closely to the shore line adjacent to the territory of
the loons.
On July 30, 1951, pairs of loons were flying over the tundra between
Barrier Lake and Teshekpuk Lake.
On an airflight from Teshekpuk Lake to Point Barrow (Aug. 4, 1951) I
saw Arctic loons as follows: 63 miles from Point Barrow, one; 25 miles
from Point Barrow, two; 10 miles from Point Barrow, four.
At Chandler Lake (Aug. 12, 1951), a single Arctic loon was frequently
heard at the southeast end near the mouth of the Chandler River. In
the evening of August 13, the wind changed from the normal southern
wind to a cold wind from the north. Thereafter no Arctic loon was
detected at the mouth of the river until August 22 when a bird there
called at three intervals in the day. Presumably the change in
direction of wind caused the fish and the loon to leave the south end
of the lake. Arctic loons in other parts of the lake were heard every
day from August 8 to August 25 inclusive.
On August 19, 1952, when we flew from Umiat to Gavia Lake, the loons
seemed to be more restless and more easily disturbed than on our
earlier flights. Wariness probably increases as the season advances.
On August 20, 1952, through August 23, 1952, six pairs of Arctic loons
and 10 old squaw ducks were on Gavia Lake (named after the Arctic
loon, genus _Gavia_). These were the only large birds on the lake on
these dates. The loons dove as they sensed danger, emitting, before
the dive, a single doglike yelp.
On September 2, 1952, at 1/2 mile northeast of Barrow Village, we passed
an Arctic loon on the beach six feet from the waters of the Arctic
Ocean. On the return trip, two hours later, the loon was again seen in
the same area, now preening its feathers. As we approached it walked
to the water and began to swim through the breakers of the ocean. Snow
was falling, telling of the approach of the migratory season for this
species.
+Gavia stellata+ (Pontoppidan): Red-throated loon.--Specimens, 4: NE
Teshekpuk Lake, 153 deg.05'40", 70 deg.39'40", 8 ft., No. 30576, ad. male and
No. 30577, ad. female, July 29, 1951; Kaolak River, 159 deg.47'40",
70 deg.11'15", 30 ft., No. 30574, ad. male, July 18, 1951 and No. 30575,
ad. female, July 14, 1951.
At the west side of Salt Water Lagoon (June 17,1952) we observed a
single red-throated loon feeding in the lake. At Point Barrow (June
21, 1952) 15 birds in one loose flock flew east along the shore of the
Arctic Ocean.
At Kaolak River (July 13, 1951) three pairs of red-throated loons
nested among high sedges along the edges of small lakes (some as small
as 100 x 40 feet). Of the three species of loons on the Arctic Slope,
this one chooses the smallest bodies of water for nesting. Each of two
nests held two eggs approximately 1/2 incubated. One nest and that of an
Arctic tern were approximately 30 feet apart on an island in the
center of the lake. The loons arrived and departed from the lake
without molestation by the terns, but whenever we approached the lake
a tern would fly 300 feet out on the lake to meet us. On July 14, the
female loon was shot. The largest ovum was 8 mm in diameter. On July
16, we again visited the above mentioned nest. The male was incubating
and left unnoticed. While we were inspecting the nest the loon
reappeared only six feet away and uttered one guttural note seemingly
of surprise. The loon hurriedly swam away keeping its head turned
toward us and when at a distance of 25 feet, dove again. Fifteen
minutes after we left the nest the bird could still be seen swimming
about in the lake. On July 18 the male was shot. It weighed 2268 grams
and its testes were 10 mm long. The eggs, measuring 73 x 42 and 69 x
43 mm, of this pair of loons held embryos having natal down. Although
the loon usually approached the nest from the direction of open water,
several trails led to the nest among sedges. One call by these birds
resembled that of a wolf and was generally given between 11:00 P.M.
and 2:00 A.M. Other calls were froglike, humanlike and birdlike in
quality.
On a small lake between Barrier Lake and Teshekpuk Lake (July 29,
1951) a male and female attracted our attention by uttering guttural
notes and occasionally a sound resembling the meowing of a cat. This
lake was approximately 200 feet long and 40 feet wide and was bordered
by exceptionally high sedges. Several points of sedges projected into
the lake from its edge. When the loons were approached they dove
under water with a splash suggesting the sound made by a beaver as it
strikes its tail against the water before submerging. A loud
high-pitched shrieklike call was given just before diving. They
remained under water for about 20 seconds, came to the surface, and
repeated the behavior. These birds were capable of leaving the lake
but remained in close proximity to their young that were hiding in the
grasses and sedges along the side of the lake. Both adult birds were
collected. A broken egg was on one of the points of vegetation that
projected into the lake. This lake was approximately 600 feet from
feeding grounds at Teshekpuk Lake where small fish three-fourths of an
inch in length were numerous (30 per square foot) along the edge of
the lake. Other red-throated loons were noted on July 29 through
August 4.
At Chandler Lake (Aug. 15, 1951), two red-throated loons frequently
fed in a small meandering creek at the south end of the lake.
+Olor columbianus+ (Ord): Whistling swan.--On July 16, 1951, a boat
with three Eskimos neared a point of land approximately 1/3 mile north
of our camp on the Kaolak (Kuk) River. At 200 feet from the point, two
adult whistling swans and three cygnets left the edge of the river.
The female pretended to have a crippled wing and flapped upstream on
the surface of the water for 100 feet and then continued at normal
cruising speed. The male left the area but returned in a few minutes
and joined the female as she endeavored to lure the hunters up the
river. The Eskimos inspected the shore where the swans had been
resting and then returned to their boat and continued up the river in
the wake of the female swan which was then 200 yards upstream. As the
boat approached the female, she fluttered out of their way and the
boat passed at approximately 30 feet. The Eskimos did not attempt to
shoot at the male, the female, or the three cygnets. The following day
we inspected the area from which the swans had been flushed. Four
molted primary feathers of the adults were found. Twenty feet from the
edge of the river was an old nest which had been occupied the previous
year. This nest was in willows and grasses one foot high. At our camp
(July 12), numerous foot prints measuring 160 mm in length and 142 mm
in width of the swan were noted on the north side of a sand bar in the
river.
Atanak and his companions from Wainwright told us that other whistling
swans were observed (July 16-17, 1951) from our camp on the Kaolak
River to a point seven miles up the Kaolak River from the junction of
the Avalik and Ketik rivers. In the previous month (June), these same
Eskimos had observed 12 pairs of swans between Wainwright and our
camp.
+Branta canadensis minima+ Ridgway: Canada goose.--On July 8 and 9,
1951, four geese fed on a large lake at Topagaruk and when disturbed,\
flew from the lake in groups of two or four, never as single
individuals. Upon returning to the lake they reformed in a group of
four. Drilling for oil was underway there but geese, ducks and smaller
water birds 300 or more feet away from the well were relatively
unmolested and present in normal numbers. Men at the well told us that
birds were not so plentiful in 1951 as in the previous year and that
it was the latter part of May, this year being earlier than last year,
when waterfowl and shore-birds arrived on the tundra. In late May 50
per cent or more of the ground is covered with snow and the lakes are
frozen. Creeks and rivers are used until lakes open up. This is a time
of loud clamor and nuptial performances when geese and brant call all
night. The noise and much of the activity ceases at nesting time. In
the cool weather of autumn (September 1), lakes freeze and the birds
leave the tundra and congregate along the shores of the Arctic Ocean
preparatory to flock formation and migration. Geese and ducks tarry
but the shore-birds leave suddenly. The fall migrations at Point
Barrow begin in the middle of August.
+Branta nigricans+ (Lawrence): Black brant.--On June 19, 1951, two
black brant flew east over the tundra at Salt Water Lagoon and
continued in that direction as far as we could follow the birds with
binoculars. On August 25, 1952, between Birnirk and Point Barrow, we
flushed a flock of 60 brant seven times; they were loathe to leave the
peninsula. On the following day, 58 brant were seen in the same area.
+Anser albifrons frontalis+ Baird: White-fronted goose.--Specimen,
1: 9/10 mi. W and 9/10 mi. N Umiat, 152 deg.10'58", 69 deg.22'53", 380 ft.,
No. 31303, ad. female, July 1, 1952.
As late as June 24, 1952, white-fronted geese were in flock formation
at Umiat. Eight days later (July 1), 9/10 mile west and 9/10 mile
north of Umiat, a nest held six incubated eggs; the embyros showed
natal down. The nest was in a depression of moss (not excavated) on a
mound 45 cm above water level among polygons. The concavity of the
nest was 320 mm in diameter and was lined with an 80 mm thickness of
sticks, pieces of moss, stems of grass and miscellaneous material. The
cup, 160 mm wide and 80 mm deep, was lined with down feathers from the
bird. The nest and brooding bird blended with the vegetation of
_Vaccinium_, _Arctagrostis_, mosses and lichens. When the observer was
25 feet distant the female left the nest. She measured 685 mm in total
length and weighed 2268 grams. The largest ovum was three mm in
diameter.
On August 30 and 31, 1951, 16 white-fronted geese were feeding on the
tundra along Seabee Creek. They called frequently at night.
When we flew from Point Barrow to Kaolak (July 20, 1951),
approximately 100 miles southwest of Point Barrow, 12 white-fronted
geese were in one group, and on a return trip (July 27) along the same
route we noted several small groups.
Upon our arrival at Barrier Lake, northwest of Teshekpuk Lake on July
29, 1951, 12 white-fronted geese were resting at the south end of the
lake. They had consistently used this shore, as well as the entire
east shore line as evidenced there by fecal deposits. In the seven
days that we camped at this lake the geese remained in the area but
never returned to their original resting grounds. In the mud and silt
of a lagoon on the west side of the lake, numerous tracks of these
geese were associated with tracks of caribou, Arctic fox, wolf and
small shore-birds. On August 1, thirty-five white-fronted geese left
the north end of the lake and flew west approximately one mile where
they remained feeding and calling until midnight. On the morning of
August 3, two geese flew south over our camp to Teshekpuk Lake and at
8:45 P.M., 15 flew to the west.
+Chen hyperborea hyperborea+ (Pallas): Snow goose.--Atanak, an
Eskimo, told us that snow geese were common along the coast at
Wainwright in the early spring of 1951. On the date of interrogation
(July 18, 1951) he reported that none was in the area.
+Anas acuta+ Linnaeus: Pintail.--Specimens, 2: 2 mi. W Utukok River,
161 deg.15'30", 68 deg.54'50", 1275 ft., No. 31304 and 31305, ad. females,
Aug. 30, 31, 1952.
At Kaolak River (July 15, 1951), the primary feathers of a female in
breeding plumage were being replaced by new feathers then 25
millimeters long. She was unable to fly and had secluded herself in
the sedges and grasses along the edge of a lake. On July 18, a male
flew over this lake. These were the only two pintails observed in this
area.
At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951), within one mile of our camp there were
four females with young in groups of 4, 5, and 6. The young birds of
the group of five were 75 mm in length. On June 17, 1952, several
pintails were feeding in the Salt Water Lagoon at Point Barrow.
The largest of two adult females collected on August 30 and 31, 1952,
two miles west of Driftwood, was 536 mm in total length and weighed
729 grams.
On August 25, 1951, three pintails fed in a small creek at the
southwest corner of Chandler Lake. They were the first observed in the
area where we began camping on August 9.
+Anas carolinensis+ Gmelin: Green-winged teal.--On September 4,
1951, one green-winged teal was on a small lake approximately 1-1/4 miles
northwest of Umiat.
+Aythya marila nearctica+ Stejneger: Greater scaup.--On July 8,
1952, approximately 1/2 mile southwest of the east end of Wahoo Lake, a
nest of seven eggs of this species was located on the edge of a small
lake. Three males swam together in the lake.
+Clangula hyemalis+ (Linnaeus): Old squaw.--Specimens, 5; Barrier
Lake, NE Teshekpuk Lake, 153 deg.05'40", 70 deg.39'40", 8 ft., No. 35080, ad.
female and 30581, ad. female, July 30, 1951; Topagaruk River, 155 deg.48',
70 deg.34', 10 ft., No. 30582, ad. female, July 7, 1951; Kaolak River,
159 deg.47'40", 70 deg.11'15", 30 ft., No. 50579, ad. female, July 14, 1951
and No. 50578, ad. sex?, July 15, 1951.
Two old squaws were feeding in Salt Water Lagoon on June 17, 1952. On
June 30, 1952, a nest of seven eggs was 20 feet from the edge of a
lake at Umiat. One of the eggs was infertile and in the others embryos
had barely begun to form. The nest was unattended but the eggs were
warm and covered with down feathers. The next day the male was in the
lake adjoining the nest and the female was on the nest; we collected
the eggs on this date. The nest was in a natural depression in the
moss on top of a hummock one foot high. A dwarf alder gave overhead
protection.
Each night, at approximately 10:00 P.M. (July 3-11, 1952) a male lit
in Wahoo Lake and preened, ruffled and adjusted its feathers. This
behavior indicated to us that he had just been relieved from
incubating eggs. Old squaws were noted also on a small lake
approximately 1/2 mile southeast of Wahoo Lake on July 8.
Most of the old squaws (July 4-10, 1951) were in pairs or small groups
at Topagaruk. They constituted less than one per cent of the avian
population and were more commonly seen around the edges of stabilized
lakes of medium size than elsewhere. One adult female shot on July 7,
weighed 600 grams and had ova as large as 17 millimeters in diameter.
On July 8, 1952, between 1:00 A.M. and 2:00 A.M., the ice started to
move and formed leads near the shore of the Arctic Ocean at Point
Barrow. Ordinarily the ice does not leave until approximately the 20th
of the month. These new leads brought greater numbers of old squaws
nearer shore. At 6:00 P.M. that same day eighteen old squaw ducks sat
on the ice off-shore and approximately 100 flew to the east in three
separate groups.
At Kaolak River (July 12-18, 1951), old squaws were observed every
day. On a four hour field trip (July 15), four adults were seen. On
July 18 an old squaw was flying in company with a male pintail. An
Eskimo hunting party of three men had killed a female (July 18) near
our camp and were going to prepare it for food that evening.
At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) we observed one pair with young and two
single adults.
At Barrier Lake, northeast of Teshekpuk Lake (July 29-Aug. 4, 1951),
old squaw ducks were in evidence at least once or twice a day. On July
30, three birds were sitting on an island in a small lake adjoining
Barrier Lake. They were molting and although capable of flight were
using the island as a place of refuge. Two females shot on July 30,
weighed 650 grams and had masses of ova smaller than those in the
female shot at Topagaruk 23 days earlier. The largest ovum in the
latter female was 2.3 mm in diameter. On a flight on August 4, 1951,
from Teshekpuk Lake to Point Barrow we saw two flocks of 18 each when
73 and 34 miles southwest of Point Barrow.
Between the mouth of the Canning River Canyon and Umiat (July 18,
1952), old squaws were more numerous in lakes adjacent to the Colville
River than in lakes to the east.
Upon our arrival at Gavia Lake (Aug. 20, 1952) a family of two adults
and two juveniles and another family of one adult and six juveniles
were the only ducks on the lake. One of the juveniles rested on the
bank instead of feeding in the lake with the other ducks, and on
August 23 died. On August 21, one duckling in the second family
strayed out toward the center of the lake, whereupon the adult female
swam out and herded the young bird back toward the group nearer the
shore line. On August 22, the female and two ducklings of the first
family were shot. The adult was 390 mm in total length whereas the
young were 300 mm in total length and weighed 320 grams. Neither young
birds nor the mother could fly. The breast of each young consisted of
only a few thin layers of muscles whereas the adult's breast was made
up of thick muscles. The second family had frequented the south shore,
but moved to the north side of the lake when fired upon. On August 22,
one duckling was 214 mm long and weighed 119 grams. Although the
season was far advanced and the snows of autumn were already falling,
ducklings of the sizes specified above were still unable to fly and
the females were still molting the essential flight feathers.
At Driftwood (Aug. 30, 1952) an adult and two juveniles were feeding
in a lake northeast of camp.
+Polysticta stelleri+ (Pallas): Steller's eider.--Specimen, 1:
Topagaruk, 155 deg.48', 70 deg.34', 10 ft., No. 30325, ad. female, July 10,
1951.
An incubating female was shot at Topagaruk on July 10, 1951. Her ovary
was 30 mm long, and the largest ovum was 3 mm in diameter. Her nest
was in a depression of a high-centered polygon some 300 feet from any
large body of water, contained five fresh eggs, and was lined with
black down feathers of an adult. On each of three occasions when
approached, the female left the nest when I was six feet away.
On September 7, 1952, a flock of eight Steller's eiders was swimming
in a large lake approximately one mile southeast of the Arctic
Research Laboratory.
+Somateria mollissima v. nigra+ Bonaparte: Common eider.--On August
25, 1952, approximately 100 yards southwest of Point Barrow, 30
Pacific eiders were resting on the beach in company with 90 king
eiders. When approached some swam and others flew out onto the Arctic
Ocean where they remained until we withdrew from the area, after which
time the birds returned to their resting place on the beach.