Puffins primarily from Point Hope and Kotze- 

 bue Sound. Swartz (1967) thought they prob- 

 ably utilized the same feeding areas as murres. 

 They winter in ice-free waters in and somewhat 

 south of the breeding grounds. 



We identified Horned Puffins only on the 

 most westerly transects in the study area (fig. 

 31). They appeared to outnumber murres 

 though the difficulty in separating murres and 

 Horned Puffins at a distance did not allow 

 accurate estimation of relative numbers (see 

 also fig. 30). One was seen in the Bering Strait 

 (fig. 12). 



Small fish constitute the bulk of the diet of 

 this diving species although it probably also 

 takes some crustaceans. 



Snowy Owl (Nyctea scandiaca) 



While passing through the Bering Strait 

 within sight of both Alaska and Siberian coasts 

 on 18 October we observed Snowy Owls nine 

 times in about four hours (fig. 35) . Though only 

 one bird was observed at a given time, dif- 

 ferences in plumage and direction of flight 

 indicated that at least four individuals were 

 involved. Glaucous Gulls and Kittiwakes drove 

 the owls away from the ship; otherwise, they 

 might have landed in the rigging. Snovi^ Owls 

 are resident in arctic Alaska but in years of 

 lemming scarcity they may irrupt southwards. 



Raven (Corvns corax) 



On 17 October, 10 miles west of Cape Lis- 

 burne, a Raven flew over the ship (fig. 14). 

 This species is a year-round resident through- 

 out arctic Alaska. 



Yellow Wagtail (MotacUla ftava) 



A Yellow Wagtail in winter dress landed on 

 the deck of the ship in the Bering Strait 20 

 miles east of East Cape on 18 October and 

 remained aboard for about 5 minutes (fig. 14). 

 The Yellow Wagtail is an Old World species 

 that has become established in western and 

 northern Alaska. Individuals migrate across 

 the Bering Strait in the spring and fall and 

 four previous pelagic observations have been 

 reported for this region. On Cook's last voyage 

 one was reported in the Bering Strait at 

 66°00' N on 3 September 1778 (Stresemann, 

 1949). Swartz (1967) reported three observa- 

 tions for the Chukchi Sea: one off Point Lay 

 on 7 August and two southwest of Point Hope 



on 10 and 13 August. Our sighting is an ex- 

 tremely late date for this area; most individ- 

 uals leave Alaska in late August and early 

 September. 



Savannah Sparrow (Passerculus 

 sandwichensis) 



The Savannah Sparrow commonly breeds 

 inland on the tundra and less frequently on the 

 arctic coast of Alaska. An individual of this 

 species was collected by marine science tech- 

 nicians aboard the GLACIER at 72°59'N, 

 167=36' W, 110 miles from the nearest land 

 on 6 September. On 24 September a bird, pre- 

 sumed to be this species, circled the ship 10 

 miles northwest of Wainwright (fig. 14). 



Snow Bunting (Plectrophenax nivalis) 



A flock of 15 Snow Buntings was feeding on 

 Beach Ryegrass (Elymus mollis) on the snow- 

 covered frozen beach at Point Lay on 26 Sep- 

 tember. Six specimens, one an immature, were 

 collected (table II). This species was not ob- 

 .served on the second visit to Point Lay on 5 

 October when more snow covered the ground. 

 Most Snow Buntings leave arctic Alaska on 

 migration by mid-September. 



Polar Bear (Thalarctos ursinus) 



Polar Bears live largely on heavy pack ice 

 and in nearby water and are therefore absent 

 from the southern Chukchi during the ice-free 

 summer months when they move north with 

 the drifting pack. They are most common dur- 

 ing winter when they are hunted by eskimos 

 and sportsmen. The populations are apparently 

 declining because of increased trophy hunting 

 from airplanes. Gravid females retire inland 

 during winter where they whelp and, in late 

 March, they and their cubs join the solitary 

 males and barren females on the ice. 



We observed Polar Bears on four occasions 

 either on the pack ice or swimming near it. 

 Two single individuals were seen near Point 

 Barrow 25 September. Three bears, presumably 

 a mother and two nearly full grown immatures 

 were at 71°08'N, 158°55'W the following day 

 (fig. 37), and while on our deepest penetration 

 into the pack ice we saw another single bear at 

 70°34'N, 163°16'W on 1 October. 



Polar Bears feed on Seals, young Walruses, 

 fish, and carrion that they find on the ice or in 

 nearby waters. 



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