6 
G 
ut of the Grid and Phalarope numbers have dropped. The fact that such 
high densities appeared at all was surprising for the time of year when 
birds should largely be on the breeding grounds in the north. I feel 
that these birds were largely nonbreeding birds which were more or less 
static in the 15 slick" areas during the summer. The presence on the Grid 
I attribute to a drifting tendency which brings what is probably an off¬ 
shore type of summering population farther out to sea than expected. 
This oast summer’s unusual water structures brought these favorable 
j. 
oceanographic features and accompanying Phalaropes out to the Grid. As 
the slick conditions faded birds may have retreated back towards the 
coast, producing the decline noted on Surveys 12 and 13. 
As yet no southward movement seems to be underway although the ex- 
oected migration time is approaching rapidly. Thus the Grid data show 
a decrease when an increase is expected. It is possible that a migra¬ 
tion is underway and that it is passing so close to the coast that it 
is not being detected in the Grid, but the spring data suggest that this 
is not the case. Puture surveys should answer this question. The de¬ 
crease that has been noted may be only a product of an unusual climate 
situation peculiar to this year only. 
No Northern Phalaropes w T ere seen this survey. Their presence on 
the Grid in July supports the idea that unusually favorable conditions 
existed on the Grid during the summer which drew this typically coastal 
species out to sea along with the unusual numbers of Reds. 
Jaeger so. 
# Birds 
9 2 
2 3 1 
6 4 5 
14 9 12 
Per Section 
I 9 
3 12 
10 1 
115 
1 1 
110 
0 2 3 
0 0 0 
Total Obs. 
23 
Ik 
22 
k2 
2 C- S # 
iO-July 
11-August 
12-Aug.-Sep 
13-September 
22 
5 
1 
xo 
2 
3 
18 
8 
3 
T.G.S. rJir H 5 12, 13; combined sector addition 
Only six birds were identified to species on the present survey but 
all three species were represented. The northern third contained over 
CO percent of the Grid total and these were most frequent toward the 
coast. 
Vestern Gull (Lsrus occidentalis) 
One adult was seen in Section 9• 
fr Obs. = 1 
