ANAKTUVUK PASS 83 



experience of some 40 years, several instances of the capture of horned 

 owls in wolf traps north of tree line. The valley is close to their nor- 

 mal range, and, while they are not common visitors there, it is there- 

 fore not surprising that these powerful owls venture over the tundra 

 for exploration. 



Nyctea scandiaca (Linnaeus) 



1 female Feb. 27, 1951, weight 2267 g. 



Contact Creek 



Snowy owls are frequently seen in the Anaktuvuk Valley during 

 the winter, and they are well known by the Nunamiut name Okpik. 

 Simon Paneak saw individual owls almost daily north of the moun- 

 tain line in late March and early April 1951, and from the reports of 

 other Nunamiut hunters then taking advantage of the lengthening 

 days for extended hunting excursions, Simon remarked that there 

 were quite a few owls in the Valley. The latest recent date for one 

 to have been reported came from John Krog, who saw one May 25, 

 1951, at Tuluak Lake. They have occasionally been seen in summer 

 at Chandler Lake, but no nests have been found in the mountains. I 

 have heard no comment indicating in what circumstances the small 

 immbers of owls seen vary systematically from year to year, nor is there 

 any comment to indicate that there are cyclic changes in the small 

 population of lemmings in the mountains. Any considerable change 

 in either population would have been observed and remarked upon. 



Along the arctic coast of Alaska the cyclic variation in numbers of 

 lemmings is attended by variation in the numbers of all predators. I 

 do not have enough information about the variation in numbers of 

 snowy owls in the central parts of Alaska for it to serve as evidence 

 for a cyclic migration. Neither do I have specific evidence that the 

 winter movement of snowy owls to Anaktuvuk has the consistency 

 which appears in the regular annual migrations of birds. For the 

 present it seems best to designate snowy owls as visitors from the north 

 coming to Anaktuvuk in winter. 



Surnia ulula caparoch (Miiller) 



1 male Mar. 1, Hmit Fork, weight 350 g. 



1 female Feb.lO, JohnRlver weight 350 g. 



American hawk-owls are well known as N eakoktocikruh among the 

 Nunamiut to be dwellers in the timbered country, where they have 

 been seen as far north as the last spruce at Publatuk Creek and on 

 the upper Savioyuk River. They are not reported as venturing north 

 of timber and are not included among the avifauna of Anaktuvuk 

 Pass. Our records show that some hawk-owls of the northernmost 

 population in the forests are winter residents. 



