KILBUCK AND AHKLUN MOUNTAIN BIRDS 



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(1 to >15 birds per day on 13 days during 9-25 August; M. Brown ct al., 

 unpublished); and seen there in 1987 (16, 17, and 20 June; B. J. 

 McCaffery, personal communication). Longspurs were at the Kwethluk 

 River (1 to >15 birds per day on 12 days during 11-26 July 1985; M. 

 Brown et al., unpublished); seen at the Eek River (in summer; R. Baxter, 

 unpublished; 1 to >15 birds per day on 17-29 June 1985, M. Brown et al., 

 unpublished); abundant along the Kanektok River (White and Boyce 

 1978); and seen at the Togiak River (1 on 8 August 1973). Longspurs 

 nested along the coast at Goodnews and Chagvan bays (this study) and 

 Cape Peirce (this study; D. R. Herter et al., personal communication). 

 Birds were "suspected" to nest at Round, Crooked, and Hagemeister 

 islands in 1977 (P. D. Ameson and D. B. McDonald, personal communi- 

 cation) and were seen at Round Island (R. Macintosh, unpublished; E. H. 

 Miller, unpublished). 



Nesting longspurs used dwarf shrub mat and dwarf shrub meadow 

 habitats. Numbers varied between locations and years. We found one to 

 three pairs per linear kilometer in the arctic-alpine zone at the Tuluksak 

 River; however, higher numbers were found in valley floors above 

 timberline, and lower numbers were found on moist tundra terraces 

 within the timberline. At Goodnews and Chagvan bays, we usually found 

 about 50 adults per day in June and July. Densities of longspurs at Cape 

 Peirce in May and June varied between 1 1 . 1 ± 1 .3 pairs per survey (range, 

 9-14) in 1973 and 5 9 ± 0.5 pairs per survey (range, 4-8) in 1976, or 

 approximately 3 3 pairs per kilometer in 1973 and 1.7 pairs per kilome- 

 ter in 1976. 



Nesting chronology varied between locations and years. No flying 

 young were seen at the Tuluksak River between 25 and 30 June 1962, 

 but fledged young were found in flocks on 7 July 1974. At Kagati Lake, 

 M. J. Fry (unpublished) found some nests with eggs or young after 

 20 July 1962. At Goodnews, one bird was incubating five eggs on 

 12 June 1974, an adult was carrying food on 1 6 June 1974, and a nest 

 had four small nestlings on 19 June 1974. In years with intensive surveys 

 at Cape Peirce, males began displaying on 3 May 1976 and 5 May 1973, 

 a copulating pair was seen on 1 June 1973, and eggs (A^= 8 total nests; 

 X = 4.2 ± 0.4 eggs per nest; range, 3-7) were found between 6 June and 



6 July each year. Small young were found beginning on 14 June 1970, 

 and newly fledged young were seen beginning on 19 June 1973 and 



7 July 1976; adults were on territories until 17 July 1976. D. R. Herter 

 and D. Lloyd (personal communication) found a nest at Cape Peirce with 

 five eggs on 14 June 1981, and, in 1984, D. R. Herter et al. (personal 

 communication) found nests with eggs from 21 to 28 June (N= 4 nests; 

 X = 4.5 eggs per nest; range, 4-5) and newly hatched young on 24 June 

 (two eggs and three young) and 28 June (two eggs and two young). One 



