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
On an air trip along the Arctic Ocean 56.2 miles southwest of Barrow
Village (July 27, 1951) we counted 312 gulls, most or all glaucous
gulls, in small groups as follows: average size of flock, 34(2-70);
average distance between flocks, 5.8(1.9-13.6) miles. A large flock of
188 glaucous gulls, on this date, was in the environs of Barrow
Village and the Arctic Research Laboratory. On an airflight between
Point Barrow and Smith Bay (July 29, 1951) we observed three groups
(1-2-7) equally spaced between the two points. The glaucous gulls were
seen in only small numbers at Barrier Lake (July 29-Aug. 4, 1951)
generally as individuals or groups of two or three, and frequently
were harassed by jaegers. On August 3, a glaucous gull on three
occasions inspected but did not touch a freshly killed pectoral
sandpiper floating on the surface of the water. On a flight from
Teshekpuk Lake to Point Barrow (Aug. 4, 1951) we observed groups of
gulls as follows: one at 40 miles (miles are from Point Barrow), four
at 34 miles, four at 10 miles and twenty-three at 8 miles. At
Driftwood (Aug. 27-31, 1952) groups of from one to 12 glaucous gulls
were seen every day. At Umiat (Aug. 30-Sept. 4, 1951) several birds
were flying up and down the river. In 1952 (July 18) at 10 miles east
of Umiat we observed a single bird. On August 25, 1952, at Point
Barrow, 33 glaucous gulls flew along the edge of the Arctic Ocean.
Between Birnirk and Point Barrow (Sept. 11, 1952) a group of 230
glaucous gulls rested along the shore of the Arctic Ocean. Glaucous
gulls were noted also at the following places in the Point Barrow area
(1952): west side Salt Water Lagoon, June 17; 9/10 mile east and
8/10 mile north Barrow Village, June 23; 1 mile southwest Barrow
Village, September 6; 1/2 mile south Arctic Research Laboratory,
September 7.
+Larus canus brachyrhynchus+ Richardson: Mew gull.--Specimens, 2: SE
Lake Peters, 69 deg.20'56", 145 deg.09'26", 2950 ft., 1 imm. female No. 31314
(Aug. 6, 1952) and one adult female 31313 (Aug. 9, 1952).
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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