the Chukchi it appears that individuals disperse 

 to the open ocean after breeding rather than 

 immediately migrating southward along the 

 coast. Coastal concentrations may occur at 

 times, however, as Bailey (1948) found 100 in 

 the shallows at Wainwright during the first 

 week in September. 



Eleven sightings of phalaropes were made 

 between Point Barrow and Icy Cape and nine 

 other sightings in the study area. Most of the 

 observations were of flocks of 10 or fewer 

 individuals (fig. 13). All were identified as P. 

 fulicarius although it is possible some were the 

 Northern Phalarope (Lobipes lobati(s), a 

 species less abundant at sea but frequent in 

 Alaskan coastal waters. Our few sightings in- 

 dicate that most individuals had left the Arctic 

 by late September. We last observed it in the 

 study area on 7 October but it has been re- 

 corded at Barrow as late as 16 October (Mur- 

 doch, 1885). Our sightings were too few to 

 demonstrate an ice affinity that other observers 

 have commented on, but the largest flocks were 

 close to the pack ice in the area of Barrow and 

 Wainwright. A single bird was also observed 

 on 18 October in the Bering Strait (fig. 12). 

 Phalaropes feed on crustaceans and small fish 

 on the surface. 



South Polar Skua (Catharacta maccormicki) 



A large, all dark bird with a conspicuous 

 white flash at the base of the primaries passed 

 about 20 feet directly overhead while we were 

 in one of the ship's small boats at 70° 18' N, 

 164^41' W, on 29 September (fig. 14). It was 

 about the same size as nearby Glaucous Gulls, 

 but had broader more rounded wings. Its dark 

 greyish brown breast and uniformly dark back 

 lead Watson (who was familiar with skuas in 

 the North Atlantic and Antarctic) to conclude 

 that it was a dark phase South Polar Skua 

 from the Antarctic rather than a Northern 

 Skua (C. skua) from the Atlantic. This is the 

 first record of any skua in arctic Alaska al- 

 though a specimen of South Polar Skua has 

 been collected and another seen near the Aleu- 

 tians (Max Thompson, personal communication 

 and Sanger in Gibson, 1970) . Three Ross' Gulls 

 harried the skua as it flew away. 



Jaegers (Stercorarius spp.) 



All three species of jaeger, the Pomarine 

 ( Stercoraruis pomarinus), the Parasitic (S. 



parasiticus) , and the Long-tailed (S. lon- 

 gicaudus), are circumpolar north of 55° N in 

 their breeding distribution and are found in 

 arctic Alaska. They winter in temperate and 

 tropical seas, beginning southward migration 

 as early as mid-July. 



The Pomarine has the most restricted breed- 

 ing range in Alaska with most records coming 

 from the Barrow area where Brower consid- 

 ered it to be more coastal than the other two 

 species (Bailey, 1948). Outside of the breeding 

 season, jaegers obtain much of their food by 

 robbing other birds so that their distribution 

 at sea and during migration is somewhat de- 

 pendent on the presence of other species. Nel- 

 son (1883) observed the Pomarine Jaeger in 

 scattered areas close to shore in the Chukchi. 

 He found it more common on the Siberian side 

 than the Alaskan side except at Barrow where 

 it was abundant. Jacques (1930) considered it 

 at times to be the most abundant bird in the 

 western Chukchi. Swartz (1967) reported 

 seven sightings all north of 67° N. 



We observed Pomarine Jaegers on six oc- 

 casions, totaling 11 individuals (fig. 15). In 

 early September observers aboard the GLA- 

 CIER saw jaegers more frequently, and our 

 observations are of the last of the fall migra- 

 tion. None was observed in the study area after 

 29 September, but a single individual was 

 sighted in the Bering Strait on 18 October (fig. 

 12). Most of our sightings were in ice areas 

 where large concentrations of other birds were 

 present. One case of harrassment of gulls was 

 recorded, two Pomarine Jaegers chasing an 

 Ivory Gull. Five of the seven Pomarine Jaegers 

 closely observed were dark phase. 



We observed a single Parasitic Jaeger on 30 

 September (fig. 14). This is the least abundant 

 jaeger in the Barrow area (Bailey, 1948). Both 

 Nelson (1883) and Swartz (1967) reported 

 this species from the Chukchi. Swartz's 12 ob- 

 servations were all north of 67° N. No Long- 

 tailed Jaegers were encountered. Summer 

 observers in the Chukchi have found it uncom- 

 mon. We saw an unidentified jaeger on land at 

 Barrow on 22 September. 



Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus) 



The Glaucous Gull is a common to abundant 

 breeder on both sides of the Chukchi Sea and 

 at Herald and Wrangel Islands. Its scavenging 



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