Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska — John Shaqi
Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern AlaskaBee, James W.
Science
Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska
Bee, James W.
Birds -- Alaska
A single parasitic jaeger was noted at Chandler Lake on August 10 and
one on August 11, 1951. At Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1952) there were six
jaegers in one group.
+Stercorarius longicaudus+ Vieillot: Long-tailed jaeger.--Specimens,
5: Kaolak River, 159 deg.47'40", 70 deg.11'15", 30 ft., 1, No. 30738, ad.
female, July 12, 1951; Kaolak, 160 deg.14'51", 69 deg.56'00", 178 ft., 4, Nos.
30734-30737 including 2 ad. males and 2 ad. females, July 21, 1951.
The long-tailed jaeger was the second most abundant of the three
jaegers at Topagaruk (July 5-10, 1951). The greatest number seen on
any one day was three. At Kaolak River (July 12-19, 1951) this species
was the most common jaeger. On a four hour field trip (July 15 and 18)
we saw six birds. When in groups of three or more, they frequently
chased each other and called vigorously. One adult female shot on July
12, weighed 300 grams. The largest ovum in the female was 1.2 mm in
diameter and the ovaries were 5 and 6 mm long.
Within 1/5 of a mile of our camp at Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) there
were three breeding pairs of jaegers. On a four hour trip beyond this
limit we saw as many as 14 individuals. Most of these were in groups
of three and were commonly seen flying over meadows and along ridges.
Single birds hunted by hovering or swinging upward. Territories
vacated by our collecting adult birds were not immediately filled by
other nesting jaegers. One pair of jaegers nested in a broad grassy
meadow. The female was aggressive and demonstrative and called
continually above her young. The male was less demonstrative but
joined the female when she began calling. On July 24, four jaegers
flew over areas where brown lemmings had been trapped in greatest
numbers. Two adult males shot on July 21, weighed 270 and 250 grams.
The testes of these two birds were 5.5 and 8.0 mm long. Two adult
females from the same area, and shot on the same date as the males,
were larger than the males. The females weighed 285 and 298 grams.
At Barrier Lake (July 29, 1951) we observed three long-tailed jaegers,
all chasing and harassing a glaucous gull. These jaegers hunted mostly
along ridges and over marsh. At midnight these birds were still
hunting and flying about. Other long-tailed jaegers were on the lake
from July 29 to August 4 inclusive.
At Gavia Lake (Aug. 21-23, 1952) two long-tailed jaegers fed from our
refuse pile only 30 feet from our tent. A single individual was noted
at Lake Peters on July 25, 1952, and one at Driftwood on August 27,
1952.
+Larus hyperboreus barrovianus+ Ridgway: Glaucous gull.--Specimen,
1: Topagaruk, 155 deg.48', 70 deg.34', 10 ft., No. 30739, ad. male, July 9,
1951.
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