GREAT FRIGATEBIRD 
Annotated List — LISIAESKE 
L£# 1 Feb.l4, '63 (FCS Rept) Estimated Population- 1,000 N. 
Mar.12-13,'63 Blood samples - 10 
Banded 4-3- 42 adults 
16 subadults 
(FCSnotes) Hundreds of frigatebirds,some on'eggs. 
(WOW-Feb.14) There were many frigates here and were 
starting to nest in Scaevola . Large' numbers were in the air most of the time 
as we moved about the island. They have a curious hhbit of skimming right 1 
up to you on the ground and trying to snatch a hat or nip at your *head. 
As -qe anchored at Laysan one kept trying to snatch the campaign pennent off 
the tip of the ship's mast v 
I observed a frigate with a large fish in its beak; and three orthers 
chasing it. One ran it down almost to the water as they came towards me. 
The bird keeps-’ tyring to swallow the fish but another is now chas’ing it. , 
The bird then dropped the fish son the beach, the pursuer dropped down and 
got it, it in'turn dropped half and a third got the Iasi piece. 
Shore along the southeastern side: there are many frigatebirds along 
here in the Scaevola . 
We observed large numbers of firgatebirds in the air over the south 
beach. There again appears to be a predominance\of females and immatures. 
I 
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3 Mar. 11-12, f 6k (ABA Rept) Estimated Population-1,750 
Number of nests -—-------- k-50 
Number -of young —---—-- none 
80 percent of nests 4 -with eggs 
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L9^ h Aug. 21-23, ! 64 (Rept) Estimated Population - v --- 10,000 adults 
) 100 nestlings 
Banded ------*—-—* — - - —• 33 adults 
7 nestlings| 
1 
Nesting in Scaevola mainly on the southern half of the island. Young -were 
from l/3 to 2/3 grown. Great numbers aloft over the island throughout 
the day, increasing in late afternoon. 
(PWW- Aug.2l) Thousands of frigates over the island....! noticed a female 
Great Frigate flying and trying to pick ;up two fish recently regurgitated 
by an adult Blue-faced Booby. It flew Counterclockwise out' 1 over the ocean 
making about a 30 foot arc and then would fly low over ,the beach snapping 
the bill down trying to get the fish. After) a couple of tries it made it. 
By this } time another firgatebird was going thru the same procedure. It also 
succeeded.— that, night noted a Great Frigatebird posting in the Casuarina s 
Frigates, were roosting all pver the island, j 
LS$" 5 Sept. 18, t 6k (RRF) Estimated Population —-- 1,600 
Count 85 adults 
235 immatures 
