7 
January 196$ ~.BCF cruise 
General Discussion 
The considerable increase in total numbers from 1368 in December, 
to 2960 in January was due wholly to a large movement of Sooty Terns . 
into the area concurrent with the beginning of their breeding season 
on Moku Manu, Oahu. Birds in flocks comprised 251;6 birds or 86$ of the 
total* Sooty Terns alone comprised of birds in flocks and 9±p of 
total birds. This represents the greatest domination of the total 
population by a single species to date, ^each*s Petrels* Bi^ck—iooued 
Albatrosses and Fairy Terns also rose in numbers but their low total 
numbers are poorly reflected when the population of the area is con¬ 
sidered as a whole. 
Direct migrants were almost totally absent from the area ( 3 ) and 
species which utilize the area mainly as a wintering range decreased in 
number sharply so that they accounted for only 6.1^ of the total. 
Significant sight records included three gulls in Pearl Harbor* a possible 
Black-browed Albatross* a Phoenix or Tahiti Petrel* a possible Pink-footed 
Shearwater* and 16 Kermadec Petrels* a new high. Three Black-footed 
Albatrosses were banded and one Beach’s Petrel was collected. 
Two distinct areas of concentration occurred* within a 200 mile 
radius of the high Hawaiian Islands and in the extreme southern end of 
the area. These two areas were similarly densely populated in the 
early spring of 196U* 
