ATF No. 6 
DRAFT 
4. 
REPOFULATION OF BAKER ISLAND 
During the first four visits to Baker Island (March, July, October, 
1965 and February 1964) only Noddy Terns nested on the island. The only 
other species present were wintering shorebirds and a few individual boobies 
and frigatebirds which roosted on the six telephone poles. 
In July 1964, when theecat population had been reduced from JO plus 
to 4, Blue-faced Boobies (200 birds and 10 nests). Red-tailed Tropicbirds 
(lO birds and 1 nest), and Gray-backed Terns (3 nests) were nesting in 
addition to the Noddy Terns in the small lagoon. 
I 
June-July is the peak nesting time for most species in the Phoenix 
Islands area and in October the number of nests is considerably below the 
July total. On Baker Island the reverse was true. In October 1964 both 
Blue-faced Boobies (400 birds and 25 nests) and Red-tailed Tropicbirds 
(5 nests) were commoner than in July. For the first time. Brown Boobies 
were roosting on the ground, a flock of Fairy Terns stopped on the island, 
and several Noddy Terns nested outside the small lagoon. 
Because of previous extensive banding of Blue-faced Boobies it is 
possible to trace the origin of this new population. The table below gives 
a breakdown of the birds captured on Baker Island in October 1964. Over 
1 
80 percent of the birds present were captured and approximately equal 
proportions of nesting and roosting birds were taken. 
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