Image from the Biodiversity Heritage Library.
Contributed by Smithsonian Institution Archives.
| www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Transcription
bird populations and numbers occur from area to area; however,
the single exception of the concentration of fulmars mentioned
previously, distribution of birds was fairly even within grid.
Eastern Bird Species Accounts
Black-footed Albatross
(Diomedea nigripes)
This Hawaiian Island breeder was present in all three sections of
the grid, although the density was significantly lower in the northern
third than in the southern two-thirds. Two banded birds (Nos. 797-26257
and 767-h2h23) were collected on January 21, and two more with bands
were seen the following day. Based on size and conditions on those
collected indicated that both birds were sub-adults, which would be
expected as breeders are presently nesting.
The black-foot almost always follows ships for undetermined lengths
of time. An effort was made to learn how long they follow; evidence
suggests that the period is variable. Some birds apparently follow
only a few minutes, while others may follow all day and possibly through
the night. During nocturnal watches it was established that black-feet
were following the ship, but no individuals could be identified.
Laysan Albatross
(Diomedea immutabilis)
Like the Black-foot, this species breeds in the Hawaiian Islands.
Those birds present in the eastern Pacific are probably also sub-adults,
although none were collected to verify this. The Laysan was not noted
to following ships. However, some individuals followed for several
hours, meandering considerable distances from the ship and then
returning.
Density within the grid was highest in the northern two-thirds;
while individuals were rarely seen in the southern portion.
Fulmar
(Fulmaris glacialis)
This was the most abundant procellariiform in the grid. Dark-
phase birds outnumbered other phases (light and intermediate) by
5:1, suggesting that these birds are from the more southern of the
North Pacific populations, i.e., the Aleutians as opposed to the
Bering Sea populations.
Highest density occurred in the northern portions of the grid
and dropped to only one sighting in the southern portion. Figures
in Table 2 are somewhat misleading as most of those recorded for both
the northern and central portions were in an apparently favored
feeding area on the eastern end of the legs connected by points D and
E (see map 2). Throughout the remainder of the grid, sightings were
relatively sparse. Occasionally a fulmar was noted to follow the ship
for five or ten minutes. One dark-phase bird was collected.