SEHRE1BER 
CHRISTMAS ISLAND 
\ / 
m 
K 
May. I 
higher than i can reach, with all of them over 6 
feet or so. The RFBnests seem to be placed on the 
lee side of the bushes while theGFnests are unpro 
tected from the wind- possibly because of flying 
habits. About 1.5 miles south on smae road found 
a cofinny to the right of the road with many 
immautre birds, some of which did not fly away, 
possibly they were no£ really able to yet, sitting 
on old nest sites. S me local as above low and on 
old bushes. Jhese nests were very well covered 
with guano. Found 26 fresh eggs in this area 
most of them on new nesting material pleed on top 
of old nests, but a few on entirely new nests. 
Parents with unsuccessful nests build again? Why 
not find any of these in othercolony where all 
nests look new. Also in this area there were ftxds 
ad 6 dead young birds on nests, they were at the 
flying stage but just were lying dead on top of th< 
nests. Starvation????Also displaying fiales in thi 
/' area. At night found that many of the females 
? in the whole colony have blue-purple eye rings 
while jBB TETgnyxTgfxxfrx about a half have the mormal 
pink eye ring. Also the males with ful sacs and 
white breasts are more common than the ones with 
blacks breasts, could this indicate a new colony? 
being formed, kaaSxSkH because of more food supply 
but them why the perhaps starved birds//??? 
BTC : heard and saw 6, four of tiam in a flock. 
RT: saw 6, this is the first time that i have 
seen any number. All in spring plumage. 
WT: saw 4 along road. 
CT; saw three. 
May. 
visited three islets in Isles Lagoon today on the 
raft, which is almost impossible to navigate and 
make any headway with into the wind. See descrip 
tion under species and islet for deatails. 
l nay. Plane arrived.at noon so wasted day... Spend 
the night banding on the peninsula on Isles Lagoon 
Think that this is a pretty good method, visit the 
areas during the day and then go back at night to 
work them. 
SCHREIBER 
CHRISTMAS ISLAND 
May. ; 
Drove along carvers way and into the peninaula to 
the west of the al lagoon, region of heavy Sida 
and Scaevola . see species for deatils 
CT: found 12 birds along a "fresh" digging water I 
area just to the east of the camp. 
BB saw one adult flying around the area near 
Manulu lagoon, 
ST: one mile north of carvery way the birds are 
in the wa air, and then this extends to the south 
abut 5 miles beyond the are way but the birds are 
thickest in the air about 1.5 miles south of carv 
ers way. In this area they are on the ground 
in groups in open spaces between the scaevola. The 
scaeves here form a realtivly think brush about 
100 yards from the road and the area up to this is 
covered with lepturus and heliotrope with scatterec 
scaevola. The birds are flying above the edge of 
the think scaev&la and settling along this edge. 
Gun shots and shouting up them up and they do not 
seem to settle again while i am in the area. 
Have no idea how many tere are No eggs found. Is 
this a fear reaction that they first settle near 
the taller bushed? 
D. Cook says that the natives are allowed to harves 
t the eggs but that they take them only on the firs 
t day da that they are laid, after that they are 
no good. Almost a two month cline between 
beginning of nesting at one end of the island and 
the other and they seem to proceed form one end to 
the other. 
