Pelicans fe?d on fish which feed on invertebrate aquatic fauna which may pick up pesticide residues from a contaminated 

 water environment. Often, the magnificat inn of poison concentrations through the food chain results in the death of 

 the fish and/or birds. The Bureau is studying food-chain relations in aquatic birds at several locations in the United 

 States. ( Photo by V. B. Seheffer I 



Since te inception of the bat-banding work, 

 over 1,161,889 bands have been issued for use on 

 bats. The recovery rate over the years has aver- 

 aged aboul 1 for every 100 bats banded. Several 

 major papers have incorporated results obtained 

 l>y tracing movements of handed hats, and much 

 has been learned about the distribution, abundance, 

 and life history of these mammals through the pro- 

 gram. There are currently about 50 active band- 

 ers, till scientists attached to universities or mu- 

 seums, engaged in studies of hat biology which 

 require the use of handed animals. 



All data on banded hats and recoveries are 

 housed in the files of the Bird and Mammal Labo- 

 ratories where they are available lor study by 

 qualified individuals. 



Studies of Midway Albatrosses continued 



Dr. Chandler S. Robbins and frame Manage- 

 ment Agenl John Waters continued studies of 



albatrosses, long a hazard to military aircraft on 

 Midway Atoll. 



In accordance with recommendations previously 

 made by the Bureau, the Navy paved a strip at 

 least 40(i feet wide along taxiways that were for- 

 merly used l>\ tin- birdsasa nestingarea. Asa re- 

 sult, fewer than •". percent of the Laysan alba- 

 trosses nested within 400 feet of their former 

 breeding grounds, and displaced black-footed al- 

 batrosses moved even farther away from (he taxi- 

 ways during the nest in^- season <d' 1962 63. 



Three of the original '•»'■» Laysans banded as nest- 

 ing adults •-'! years earlier were recaptured. These 

 birds presumably are now at least 31 year- old. 



During the fall of 1963, before the nesting sea- 

 son, the Navy made preparations for leveling and 

 hard-surfacing (he shoulders of the two runways 

 tu a distance of 7.">o feet from the center lines in 

 order to give still further safety to departing and 

 landing plane.-. Also, trails were bulldozed 



