KILBUCK AND AHKLUN MOUNTAIN BIRDS 



103 



the Kisaralik River 180-270 m asl. Fledged young were common at the 

 Tuluksak River from early July each year and were fed by adults as late 

 as 22 August. Aerial displays and singing were intense in October-No- 

 vember. 



Arctic warbler (Phylloscopus borealis), Csr (1 May-24 August). 

 Specimens: RMS 1962/36/40, BMNH/83sk/DNW04, 

 BMNH/83sk/DNW10, and BMNH/83sk/DNWl6. 



Arctic Warblers nested inland in the Kilbuck and Ahkiun mountains 

 and were occasionally seen on the coast. We found them nesting at the 

 Tuluksak River (DNW photo) and probably nesting at the Salmon and 

 upper Kisaralik rivers. Mindell (1983) considered them common near 

 Nyac on 15 July 1980. Warblers were found at the Kisaralik River on 

 19-21 June 1987 (B. J. McCaffery, personal communication) and 9- 

 18 August 1985 (M. Brown et al., unpublished), at the Kwethluk River 

 on 10-27 July 1985 (M. Brown et al., unpublished), and at the Eek River 

 23-29 June 1985 (M. Brown et al., unpublished). Arctic warblers were 

 abundant at the Kanektok River (White and Boyce 1 978) and seen at Cape 

 Peirce (eight on 1 May 1976) and the Togiak River (7-9 August 1973). 



Territorial birds used open spruce woodlands with willow under- 

 story, but these warblers were also found in most valley floors and in 

 lower hillside, open, tree-shrub habitats to 450 m asl. We found 5 0 pairs 

 per square kilometer in disturbed riparian plots at the Tuluskak River in 

 1983 and 24.3 pairs per square kilometer in undisturbed plots. A nest we 

 found on 7 July 1981 at the Tuluksak River was in grass-dwarf shrub 

 habitat under tall willows in an open spruce woodland. Nesting chronolo- 

 gies varied widely between years. At the Tuluksak River in 1962, arctic 

 warblers must have been overlooked (because birds were not recorded 

 until 26 June), but fledged young with adults were evident by 18 July. In 

 1974, birds were not recorded until 22 June, scolding adults were first 

 seen on 30 July, and birds were present to 24 August or later. In 1976, 

 adults carried food on 14 July, and in 1978, scolding adults were common 

 on 25 June. In 1981 , one nest had six eggs and no birds were seen carrying 

 food to young on 7 July; and many young were full grown but still being 

 fed by adults on 27 July- 5 August or later. In 1983, adults were first 

 recorded on 6 June, and young were independent by about 10 June. In 

 1987, scolding by adults was common by 21 July, volant young were 

 being fed by adults to at least 8 August, and singing birds were heard as 

 late as 8 August. At Kisaralik Lake (450 m asl), we found scolding adults 

 on 26 July 1979. 



Nesting arctic warblers collected at the Tuluksak River were identi- 

 fied by A. Knox (personal communication) ^sP.b. kenecottii. 



