KILBUCK AND AHKLUN MOUNTAIN BIRDS 



101 



by 4 May 1973, young hatched by 26 May 1973, and recently fledged 

 young were found between 26 June and 27 July in all years. At the 

 Tuluksak River, young usually fledged between 20 and 3 1 May, and adults 

 fed fledged young at the nest as late as 3 July in some years. Young in 

 three broods in the Goodnews area were within 1 week of flying on 

 12-17 June 1974. Ravens gathered into large flocks in fall. Thirty-four 

 birds milled around a hill at Nanvak Bay on 29 August, and 45 birds milled 

 around the mountain on Cape Newenham on 23 September 1973. More 

 than 30 ravens fed on a moose (Alces alces) carcass at the Tuluksak River 

 in November 1979- 



Ravens were consistent and voracious predators of pelagic cormo- 

 rant, murre, and kittiwake eggs and young when nesting near the seabird 

 colonies. We frequently saw ravens flying to their nest areas with eggs 

 and small chicks. Ravens were commonly observed landing next to 

 incubating or brooding kittiwakes and murres and taking eggs or small 

 chicks, either after the adult left or after pulling the adult from the nest. 

 Two ravens also killed and ate two roosting kittiwakes at Chagvan Bay 

 on 24 May 1987 (Parmelee and Parmelee 1988). 



Ravens also ate carrion of moose, bear feces, dead salmon, small 

 rodents, Empetrum and Vaccinium berries, other birds, young of various 

 birds, and dead birds and mammals washed up on beaches. W. Arvey 

 (personal communication) saw a raven catch and fly away with a downy 

 sandhill crane chick at Nanvak Bay. Ravens also ate garbage and bread 

 provided by people at Nyac (see first paragraph, this section). 



Black-capped chickadee (Parus atricapillus). Cpr. Specimen: 

 RMS 1962/36/31. 



Chickadees occurred inland throughout the year. They nested at the 

 Tuluksak River (adults; DNW photo), probably nested at the Salmon and 

 Kisaralik rivers, and were seen at the Togiak River. Mindell (1983) 

 considered them common in the Nyac area and uncommon along the 

 Kisaralik River; B. J. McCaffery (personal communication) found chicka- 

 dees at the Kisaralik River on 21 June 1987. M. Brown et al. (unpublished) 

 found chickadees on 20 and 22-27 August at the Kisaralik River, on 

 12 and 17-27 July at the Kwethluk River, and on 22-24 and 26 June 1985 

 at the Eek River. Birds nested in broadleaf or mixed tall shrub-tree 

 riparian areas to 330 m asl, often in old woodpecker holes in dead tree 

 stubs in beaver pond complexes. In 1983, we found 1.7 pairs per square 

 kilometer in disturbed riparian plots and 7. 1 pairs per square kilometer 

 in undisturbed, riparian poplar-spruce plots. At the Tuluksak River, a 

 bird was incubating on 3 June 1974, two pairs were feeding young on 

 6-7 June 1983, and young fledged on 20 July 1962, 22 June 1974, and 

 10 July 1976. Birds were in flocks until 20 September; after then, pairing 

 was more evident. 



