SP Myers 1977 Journal NARL, Barrow, Alaska 12 June (cont) Longer blotchy of snow remain along prolated ridge sites and in creek bottoms. Run-off from the melt has created but flow is still appreciable flow. Tundra ponds at their fullest. 13 June tracked 8 melanoto on GRID 4. see mel sp accent. 14 June tracked 8 melanoto on GRID 4. see mel sp accent *. Also tracked 9 fulicarius. Dave Shuford has become quite adept at hooping them so we now have a banded pop. P. bairdii especially prominent now, particularly along Gasline ridge, displaying continuously. ASIDE → why should there be so much individual variation in their distances at which birds get off nests. HYP: an optimizing problem between advantages of getting off early (lower predation) vs advantages of staying on longer (less thermal stress). May also result from different predator strategies. What other factors could be involved (more later)? 15 June d sampled transect 3 a.m., then dld tracked 9 fulicarius in a.m. sp.m. Not terribly nice day. 34° windy. Dave Shuford is doing quite well at catching 9 P. fulicarius. 8 melanoto now appearing on GRID 4 after a day in which several flocks were seen flying W or NE. This appears to be comparable to the movement last year, although today's easterly wind may be keeping them down or making them less conspicuous. 16 June more tracking on GRID 4. As of this evening Dave has captured 19 fulicarius, 17♀ and 2♂. Wind today made activities truly miserable, with 34° almost all day and a low wet fog moving in by moon. The strong easterly winds of the last few days have created an incredible feat on the sea ice — there is now a lead several hundred meters wide curtain (km of shore [probably ~300 m from shore]). We had known that there was very little fast ice formed by the mild winter this past season. Now that is abundantly confirmed, because even with howling gales normally would not suffice to open up a lead so close to shore, especially one the dimensions of that now sticking off NARL. By town it comes much closer to shore. Dick and Dave scanned it for birds and saw only Glaucon Corrals and Black Guillemots.