Xridler Comments 
(to RBC) 
And with everything else for the rest of these observations, at least 
. give us a little credit for information which was gathered mostly by us. 
March 196.8, you might insert under remarks that the nesting phenology this 
year was behind that of 1964 . fhere appeared to be a little later. I r ll 
have to check my notes here on the August 1968 trip. 
On to Bulwer's Petrel - I disagree with your statement and none of the 
numerical estimates have much validity as no adequate effort has been made 
to census populations. A figure of at least a quarter of a million in July 
of 1966 was not too bad. If anything it was a little low because many 
thousands more came to the island at night. This is the most abundant species 
of birds on the island during that time, far outnumbering Sooty Terns and 
even the Common Noddy Tern. They were just all over the place. Under 
populations - the second sentence - after the second sentence you might wish 
to add "most abundant in July and August". I take issue with your last 
sentence of the first paragraph under annual cycle - you 1 re saying on the 
other hand descriptions of callings by birds in March 1967 seem to indicate 
that Sooty Storm Petrels were heard rather than Bulwer's Petrels. . That may 
have been the case in March 1967 but one would gather from that particular 
sentence that this may have also been the case in these other March observations 
that they probably were Sooty Storm Petrels. Now we did not see any in March 
1968 and in March 1964 I know there was one present because I took a picture 
of it. I'took it out of the hole in the rocks, put it on the rocks, took MU 
its picture and put it back in, so the statement that numbers.seen in March 
1967 by Pacific Project personnel is an error. There were others there. I 
dorMt recall making a count on them, but I definitely know there was at least 
one present. . 
1 
Getting down to the last paragraph - "only young were found from mid- 
August through mid-September, etc..." I would strike that whole sentence 
our. Instead substitute "hundreds were observed in late August, 1968 during 
the day, their numbers increased to thousands at dusk as thoseg- returned 
from fishing at sea to roost on the island during the night. They were flying 
all around us at dusk at night, flying into the tent, just like the shear¬ 
waters, and were very abundant." Then under breeding habitat, just what do 
you mean when you say "oh, Vanderbilt and this other chap Kridler and Heiden 
'noted the species was found throughout the island but few described the 
nest sites." Bo you mean the few of us, or the others besides us? I would 
say that nests are found in innumerable nooks and crannies both under vegetation 
and within bare areas. Even though Heiden banded a large share of the adults 
in July and August of 1966, the rest of the party gave him considerable help. 
He would have never done the job by himself. 
The observations on the island - the 1966 July entry - you 
as your reference. Berger accepted my estimate. He had no idea just what 
•was out there. He was flabbergasted by it all. The same pertains to Heiden. 
Your footnote about Kramer and Beardsley noted that Bonin Petrels were common 
und on eggs. I T 11 agree with you on this, Roger. I T m sure they must have 
been mistaken. They must have meant the Bulwer's Petrel because we've never 
seen any Benins all the time I've been there. 
<•>) 
