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 7, 1952, at Wahoo Lake, a single longspur was trapped in one
of 200 traps set for small mammals. On July 9, a line of 120 traps set
in a community of cotton-grass, other sedges, grasses and dwarf willow
also yielded one longspur--an adult male 172 mm long that weighed 28
grams. Smith's longspurs were uncommon at Wahoo Lake from July 3 to
July 11, and when seen were associated with open tundra supporting
cotton-grass, generally on flat areas adjacent to the lake. Singing
from the air was heard on several occasions. On the alluvial outwash,
between Lake Peters and Lake Schrader, two Smith's longspurs were
recorded on July 24, 1952, and flocks of 11-16-18-20 were seen there
in the damp meadows on August 13, 1952. Those seen on the latter date
had moved into the area since July 23, when we first arrived.
+Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis+ (Linnaeus): Snow bunting.--Specimens, 6:
Topagaruk, 155 deg.48', 70 deg.34', 10 ft., 5, Nos. 30862-30866 including 4 ad.
males and 1 ad. female, July 6, 7, 9, 10, 1951; Mount Mary, S end Lake
Peters, 145 deg.10'02", 69 deg.20'30", 2920 ft., 1, No. 31355, August 1, 1952.
Robert McKinley reported to us that snow buntings were at Barrow
Village at least as early as April 20, 1952, when snow covered most of
the ground. On June 14, 1952, at Birnirk mounds when snow still
covered most of the ground, snow buntings were already established on
territories.
At Point Barrow (June 21, 1952), the most northerly extension of land
on the Arctic Slope of northern Alaska, five pairs of snow bunting
were nesting in abandoned subterranean Eskimo houses. The houses were
in different stages of deterioration from one almost usable by man to
one that was no more than a flattened mound. Sides of some houses were
exposed by the sea cliff that was advancing inland. Logs and skulls of
baleen whales had been set on end for walls, and mandibles and ribs of
whales had been used as rafters. This framework had been covered with
tundra sod. Most of the nests were between the roof support and the
upper ends of the whale skulls. Each nest contained five fresh eggs
and was completely protected from rain, sun and wind. One nest weighed
24 grams and measured (in millimeters) 155 wide, 68 high, 38 in depth
of cup, 70 in width of cup, and was in the brain cavity of the
cranium. Another nest on top of a skull in the interior room, weighed
24 grams. This nest was built upon material of a nest of the previous
year. The old material weighed four grams and the new inner mass
weighed 20 grams. The new nest consisted of successive layers of new
yellow grass stems and feathers. The lining of the cup had feathers in
the 20 mm-thick layer of fine hairlike plant fibers. The feathers were
from birds larger than the bunting. The nest was well insulated in
comparison with those of the Lapland longspur, but like most of those
had the cup offset toward the inner side of the nest, and more nest
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