Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska Part 2

The female weighed 1200 grams. The largest ovum was eight mm in diameter; others were smaller and the smallest were in cl.u.s.ters. On leaving the nest we placed mosses and gra.s.ses 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 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 sh.o.r.e. 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 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 fis.h.i.+ng 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 sh.o.r.e 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 s.e.xes, 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 sh.o.r.e 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 mile northeast of Barrow Village, we pa.s.sed 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, 15305'40", 7039'40", 8 ft., No. 30576, ad. male and No. 30577, ad. female, July 29, 1951; Kaolak River, 15947'40", 7011'15", 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 sh.o.r.e 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 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 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 42 and 69 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 gra.s.ses 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 columbia.n.u.s+ (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 sh.o.r.e 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 pa.s.sed 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 gra.s.ses 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 sh.o.r.e-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 sh.o.r.es of the Arctic Ocean preparatory to flock formation and migration. Geese and ducks tarry but the sh.o.r.e-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, 15210'58", 6922'53", 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 gra.s.s 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 sh.o.r.e, as well as the entire east sh.o.r.e 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 a.s.sociated with tracks of caribou, Arctic fox, wolf and small sh.o.r.e-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, 16115'30", 6854'50", 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 gra.s.ses 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 miles northwest of Umiat.

+Aythya marila nearctica+ Stejneger: Greater scaup.--On July 8, 1952, approximately 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, 15305'40", 7039'40", 8 ft., No. 35080, ad.

female and 30581, ad. female, July 30, 1951; Topagaruk River, 15548', 7034', 10 ft., No. 30582, ad. female, July 7, 1951; Kaolak River, 15947'40", 7011'15", 30 ft., No. 50579, ad. female, July 14, 1951 and No. 50578, ad. s.e.x?, 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 mile southeast of Wahoo Lake on July 8.