76 



NORTH AMERICAN FAUNA 76 



communication) reported one herring gull at Cape Peirce on 8 June 

 1984. Light-mantled adult herring gulls were seen just north of our area 

 at Aniak village in 1986 and east of it at Dillingham in 1962. 



Slaty-backed gull (Larus schistisagus). VRv. 



An adult of this species was seen on 1 5 June 1984 at Cape Peirce by 



D, R. Herter et al. (personal communication) and seen and photo- 

 graphed on 12 July 1990 at Shaiak Island (territorial bird; K. Winkler and 

 J. Klicka, unpublished). Slaty-backed gulls have not been previously 

 reported from this area. These sighting are not unexpected, as birds have 

 been reported from the Aleutian Islands, south-coastal Alaska, and 

 Nunivak Island (Kessel and Gibson 1978; American Ornithologists' 

 Union 1983). 



Glaucous-winged gull (Larus glaticescens). Asr. (27 April-27 Sep- 

 tember). 



Glaucous-winged gulls occurred throughout the coastal portion of 

 the study area, nested on cliff faces and offshore islands, and fed inland 

 on dead salmon. We found gulls in summer at the refuse dump at Nyac 

 in 1952 and 1962, but not in other years when the dump was smaller. 

 We recorded birds inland at the Kisaralik River on 30 July 1979 and 



15 September 1977, at the Salmon and Aniak rivers in July and August 

 1979 and 1986, and at the Togiak River in August 1973; they were also 

 seen at the Kwethluk River on 21-22 July 1985 (one bird per day; M. 

 Brown et al., unpublished), the Eek River in August 1976 (R. Baxter, 

 unpublished), and Kagati Lake in August 1962 (M. J. Fry, unpublished). 

 Along the coast, birds nested at Little Beluga Peak, Big Beluga Peak 

 (DNW photo). Cape Newenham, Cape Peirce (MRP photo), Shaiak 

 Island (MHD photo; MRP photo) and Nunavachak Lake, and probably 

 nested at Chagvan Bay (D. F. Parmelee and J. M. Parmelee, unpublished). 



E. H. Miller (unpublished) found one nest on Round Island in 1972; P. 

 D. Ameson and D. B. McDonald (personal communication) also found 

 nesting birds at Round, as well as Summit, Crooked, Twin, High, and 

 Hagemeister islands and Black Rock in 1977. Sowls et al. (1978) reported 

 them nesting on all suitable islands in our study area. 



Gulls had arrived at Nanvak Bay by 27 April 1973 and were at nesting 

 territories at Shaiak Island on 2 May 1973 and 1976. At Shaiak Island 

 (Fig. 17), we saw pairs copulating on 19 May 1976 and 27 May 1973; 

 found eggs on 6 June 1976 and 14 June 1973; and saw fledged young on 



16 August 1973. A sample of 23 nests contained 1 egg (10 nests), 2 eggs 

 (5 nests), and 3 eggs (8 nests) on 14 June 1973- Small young were on 

 Shaiak Island on 18 June and fledged young on 25 July 1981 (D. R. Herter 

 and D. Lloyd, personal communication). Nesting success on the island 

 varied between years, with no chicks fledging in 1976 due to fox 



