Howland Island SIC 12 j 
April 6-7, 1966 
Due to a message received prior to our arrival at Howland Island, 
we did not land on the island. However, surveys of some interest were 
conducted within 500 feet of the west shore on the evening of April 6 
and morning of April 7# These two surveys were to try and ascertain 
whether there there were breeding Sooty Terns on Howland Island and to 
take 25 specimens for reproductive organ studies and the heads for nasal 
mite studies# 
We arrived at the island at 1930 (after dark) and put the skiff in 
the water. The USNS Shearwater drifted offshore while the skiff remained 
just off the surf collecting and observing Sooty Terns. Although we were 
not positive, it was thought the Sooty Terns were probably down on the 
ground during the night. The size of the population could only be guessed 
at in the dark and was placed roughly from 50,000-100,000 birds with a 
chance of the actual figure being as much as 50 percent off. 
At 0700 on 7 April, the skiff made another trip along the west shore 
of the island but little more was learned about the terns from the skiff 
except they were not on the ground at that time. 
Observers on the ship recorded large and small groups breaking away 
from a large group circling over the island about 0700. These groups 
scattered in all directions. These early morning observations are in 
•contrast to the last visit made to the island in mid-March by SIC 11, when the 
majority of the Sooty Terns left the island prior to 0300 and numbered 
only 5,000-10,000 in number. 
