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 July 8, 1952, approximately two miles south of Wahoo Lake on a high
divide an adult was feeding a young bird 114 millimeters in total
length and just able feebly to fly. On July 17, 1952, an adult female
was feeding young on top of Mount Annette south of Porcupine Lake.
Numerous insects had converged there--the highest point in the range
of mountains. At Porcupine Lake, we observed water pipits on each of
the five days July 13 to 18, 1952.
At Lake Peters there was a definite increase in numbers and in
movement of water pipits with the approach of winter. This increase
was correlated with a decrease in temperature and an increase in rain
and snow. The many individuals and family groups, which, prior to our
arrival, were generally distributed on the higher slopes and in the
canyons of the Brooks Range, left the lower snow-covered slopes and
congregated on the lake shore. On July 19, 1952, at the north end of
Lake Peters, for example, we did not see water pipits in their usual
haunts. On July 31 a single individual was noted at the south end of
Lake Peters and on August 3, a single family appeared. On August 10,
the water pipits were the most common bird at the edge of the lake,
five or six usually being seen in a half hour trip. One flock of 14
bathed in shallow pools along the edge of the lake. These birds in the
last few days had been congregating in small and large groups. On
August 13, on a trip along the west shore line from the south end to
the north end of the lake, the only birds seen were water pipits and
these were in great numbers. On the morning of August 15, there was a
dramatic increase in the number of pipits along the edge of the lake.
Twenty of these birds fed 10 feet in front of our tent and others
perched on its top. A juvenile shot on August 3 on Mount Mary was
approximately the size of the adults, being 162 mm in length and 17
grams in weight.
At Chandler Lake (Aug. 12, 1951) pipits fed along the sandy edge of
the lake and among short sedges. These birds also fed on scraps of
food at the entrance of our tent door. From August 10 to 25, water
pipits were more commonly found in the east-west canyons whereas other
kinds of small birds were almost wholly confined to the north-south
valley and were of only accidental occurrence in areas inhabited by
water pipits.
+Lanius excubitor invictus+ Grinnell: Northern shrike.--A bird was
noted on August 23 and 25, 1951, in an extensive stand of willows at
Chandler Lake.
This bird was one of a few birds that had not yet departed from the
area with the advent of winter.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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