42 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 76 



found them along the Kisaralik River on 19-21 June 1987, and M. Brown 

 et al. (unpublished) found one bird at the Eek River on 26 June 1985. Birds 

 nested at the Tuluksak River (DNW photo) and Togiak Lake, and possibly 

 nested at the Salmon River. Nests at the Tuluksak River were in timbered 

 areas near rivers, ponds, and sloughs at 120 m asl. Residents called 

 goldeneyes "stovepipe ducks" because they investigated chimneys and 

 abandoned dredge boiler stacks for possible nest sites. They also nested 

 in balsam poplar stumps. At the Tuluksak River (48 km of stream), we 

 found an average of 5.0 pairs per year and 3.0 broods per year until 1981 . 

 During those years, four broods of small downies averaged 5 8 young 

 (range, 3-7), and four broods of fledged young averaged 6.5 young (range, 

 4-9). Eggs in one nest hatched on 20 June 1974. There, broods of small 

 downies were first seen on 22-26 June, and newly fledged young were 

 first seen on 5-10 August. In 1983, after the 1982 showshoe hare (Lepus 

 americanus) population crash, red foxes were seen hunting and killing 

 young goldeneyes. In that year, 5 broods of newly hatched ducklings 

 averaged 9.6 young (range, 7-12), and 5 broods of large downy-to-feath- 

 ered ducklings averaged 2.5 young (range, 1-4). At the Tuluksak River in 

 1986, three broods of small ducklings averaged 6.0 young (range, 4-8), 

 and two broods of larger ducklings averaged 5 5 young (range, 4-7). Three 

 broods of larger ducklings averaged 30 young (2, 3, and 4 young) in 1987. 

 A female and three smaU downy young were at Togiak Lake on 3 August 

 1973. 



Barrow's goldeneye (Bucephala islandicd), VRv. 



Three adult male Barrow's goldeneyes were seen in Nanvak Bay on 

 4 June 1969. 



Biifflehead (Bucephala alheoUi), Rspm, Rsr. 



Buffleheads nested in the Ahklun Mountains and possibly in the 

 Kilbuck Mountains and used estuaries on the coast in spring. Two to 

 10 birds were seen on 6 and 15 June 1973 and on 5 of 19 days between 

 12 and 30 May 1976 in Nanvak Bay during spring migration. We found a 

 dead female at the Salmon River in July 1974. A pair was reported at the 

 Tuluksak River in late May— early June I96I (C. Clark, Sr., personal 

 communication). We saw three females on the Togiak River on 7 August 

 1973. A brood of three young was on the Kanektok River on 5 August 

 1973 0- L. Hout, personal communication). 



Common merganser (Mergtis merganser), Rsr. 



Birds nested in the Kilbuck and Ahklun mountains. We found nesting 

 birds at the Salmon, the Tuluksak, and the Kisaralik rivers in most years, 

 and M. J. Fry (unpublished) found breeding birds at the Kagati Lake. Birds 



