over to Drs. Lucille F. Stickel and Eugene H. 

 Dustman at the Patuxent Wildlife Research 

 Center, Laurel, Maryland, where tissue samples 

 of muscles and organs were removed for pesti- 

 cide and heavy metal analysis. The results of 

 the analyses for chlorinated hydrocarbons, 

 polychlorinated biphenyls, and heavy metals, 

 especially mercury, will be reported elsewhere 

 when complete. Carcasses were returned to the 

 Smithsonian Institution for museum specimens. 

 Marine science technicians aboard the GLA- 

 CIER recorded bird observations sporadically 

 and collected three specimens from 18 August 

 to 21 September while the ship was engaged 

 in geological sampling in the Chukchi Sea or 

 en route to Barrow. Where their observations 

 augment ours they have been included in the 

 species accounts. 



Sightings were plotted by species on maps 

 (figs. 4 to 40) with all mammals and birds, 

 except gulls, seen during 20-minute intervals, 

 or fractions thereof, being summed. Abundance 

 is indicated by symbols keyed in powers of 

 three (see figs. 4 and 5 for key). Gulls, which 

 were attracted to the ship and tended to con- 

 gregate in the wake, were counted at least once 

 in each 20-minute interval and at stations. The 

 highest count was entered in the log and later 

 mapped. 



SPECIES ACCOUNTS 



The sequence of species and nomenclature in 

 the following accounts follows the American 

 Ornithologists' Union Check List (1957) for 

 birds and Rice and Scheffer (1968) for mam- 

 mals. General information on distribution, 

 migration and food habits in Alaska is based on 

 Bailey (1948) and Gabrielson and Lincoln 

 (1959) for birds and Bee and Hall (1956) and 

 King (1964) for mammals unless otherwise 

 stated. 



The following terms, used to categorize feed- 

 ing methods of seabirds in the species accounts, 

 are based on Ashmole and A.shmole (1967). 



Contact dipping — The bird remains airborne 

 and forward motion does not stop as it 

 snatches its prey out of the water. 



Hovering — Forward motion ceases as the 

 bird with wings beating picks its prey 

 from either water or ice surface. 



Plunge to surface — The bird partly folds its 



wings and drops to the water surface but 

 does not fully enter the water. No species 

 were observed plunging deeply in pursuit 

 of prey. 



Surface feeding — The bird swims on the 

 surface and picks up its prey on or just 

 below the surface. 



Surface diving — The bird dives while swim- 

 ming on the surface and pursues its prey 

 under the water. 



Loons (Gavia spp.) 



The Yellow-billed (Gavia adamsi), Arctic 

 (G. arctica), and Red-throated Loons (G. 

 steUata) breed on the arctic coast of Alaska, 

 while the Common Loon (G. immer) breeds 

 only as far north as Kotzebue Sound. All four 

 species winter from the Aleutians and southern 

 Alaska southward. Bailey (1948) found that 

 most of the loon migration at Wainwright took 

 place in early and mid-September. Of the 112 

 loons we observed (fig. 4), one seen between 

 Wainwright and Barrow on 24 September was 

 identified as G. adatnsi. The Common Loon was 

 seen twice: one north of the usual breeding 

 grounds 20 miles northwest of Point Lay on 4 

 October and another in the Bering Strait on 18 

 October (fig. 12). The remainder of the loons 

 consisted of G. arctica and G. steUata. The 

 similarity of the two species in winter plumage 

 and the distance from which most birds were 

 observed did not allow positive identification, 

 but on the basis of flight characteristics we 

 thought the majority were Arctic Loons. 



Loons were common in the area of Barrow 

 and along the coast to the study area (fig. 4) . 

 In the study area, we observed loons primarily 

 within 40 miles of land. The majority was 

 headed southwest. The largest number (54 in 

 314 hours) was seen on transects 10 and 11 

 extending northwest from Point Lay 27 Sep- 

 tember. No loons were observed in the study 

 area after 6 October. Loons feed on fish ob- 

 tained by surface diving. 



Northern Fulmar (Ftdmarus glacialis) 



The Northern Fulmar breeds north to St. 

 Lawrence Island in the Bering Sea, and birds 

 observed in the Chukchi Sea in the summer are 

 probably all nonbreeders. It winters from the 

 Aleutians southward. Nelson (1883) observed 

 it in the area of Herald and Wrangel Islands 

 and believed it might nest there but subsequent 



114 



