KILBUCK AND AHKLUN MOUNTAIN BIRDS 



117 



Fox sparrow (Passerella iliacd). Csr (12 May- 20 September). Speci- 

 mens: RMS1962/36/59, BMNH/83sk/DNW15, and RMS 1974/ 119/04. 



This sparrow nested throughout the area. Fox sparrows nested at 

 the Salmon and Tuluksak rivers and Goodnews and Chagvan bays; they 

 probably nested at the Kisaralik River, possibly nested at Round Island 

 in June 1972 (E. H. Miller, unpublished), and were "suspected" to nest 

 at Summit, Crooked, and High islands in 1977 (P. D. Ameson and D. B. 

 McDonald, personal communication). Sparrows were uncommon along 

 the Kisaralik River in 1982 (Mindell 1983); present in 1985 (1-15 birds 

 per day on 8 days during 1 1-28 August; M. Brown et al., unpublished); 

 and present in 1987 (16-19 June; B. J. McCaffery, personal communica- 

 tion). Birds were also present at the Kwethluk River (1-5 birds per day 

 on 9 days during 12-27 July 1987; M. Brown et al, unpublished); 

 present at the Eek River (summer 1976 [R. Baxter, unpublished]; 1 to 

 >15 birds per day on 9 days during 17-29 June 1985; [M. Brown et al., 

 unpublished]); common at the Kanektok River in June 1977 (White and 

 Boyce 1978); found at Chagvan Bay on 24 May 1987 (D. F. Parmelee and 

 J. M. Parmelee, unpublished); and found at Togiak Lake and Cape Peirce 

 in summer. 



Fox sparrows were generally found in dense taU shrub habitats 

 (primarily alder and wiUow) 9-350 m asl. Numbers of birds varied be- 

 tween years at the Tuluksak River. Six pairs were found in 1962, they 

 were abundant in 1974 and 1987, and common in other years. We found 

 33.3 pairs per square kilometer in disturbed and 7.1 pairs per square 

 kilometer in undisturbed riparian plots at the Tuluksak River in 1983. In 

 undisturbed habitats numbers varied from 0 in riparian low-tall shrub 

 thickets above timberline to 8.6 pairs per square kilometer in dense 

 riparian tall shrub thickets and woodland. We found about 10 pairs at 

 Goodnews in June-July. At Cape Peirce and Nanvak Bay, we found fox 

 sparrows 2 of 3 years: none in 1970, fairly common in 1973, and one on 

 25 August 1976. D. R. Herter and D. Lloyd (personal communication) saw 

 one there on both 15 July 1981 and 13 July 1984. 



Nesting chronology was similar each year at the Tuluksak River. Two 

 fox sparrow nests had four and five eggs each on 2 and 3 June 1974, 

 respectively; scolding adults were found on 23 June and newly fledged 

 young were present after 26 June. Young were first independent by 

 12 July, but some young were still fed by adults as late as 28 July. Birds 

 remained at the Tuluksak River until 25 August, with the latest observa- 

 tion on 20 September 1977. Three nests were found at Goodnews in 

 1974: one had four eggs on 18 June, one had an adult carrying food to 

 small young on 20 June, and one had newly fledged young on 20 June. 

 Specimens from the Tuluksak River and Platinum were evidently F. i. 

 zaboria, but a much grayer female was seen paired to a male P. i. zaboria 

 near the mouth of the Salmon River (Platinum) on 20 June 1974. 



