i 
6 
With its limitations, the johziston area survey did yield a Pacific 
Program first. To date there has boon no sigutxrjg oi aault oooty Terns 
resting on the water in the central Pacific. On February 13 doth ship¬ 
board bird observers saw a single flock of u2 adult booty Terns resuing 
on the water about 10 miles south ox Johnsoon. When i-irst seen axx were 
together on the water spaced two to six xee^ apart. As ere c>hip ap¬ 
proached two or three birds rose off the water and began hovering over 
the remaining 20; these remained on the water for at least another 
minute before the ship scared then- into ilignt. The time lapse oeuv^en 
the first sighting and flushing was about two minutes, but it was ob- 
vious that the birds had been there cuite a oiu longer. 
Another interesting observation in the Johnston area is oiat the 
Sooties appeared to be swirling more than 10 miles to the soum cf the 
island. On 13 February, beginning at about 1400 hours, swirls were seen 
at what was estimated to be from 50-300 feet high. Three suer groups 
were observed (one with 50 birds, one with 2o, and ohe omr ui — » 
30 ); each group would, on occasion, transform from a swir 1 uo a r- 
ing^or feeding flock and then resume swirling such as hawks on a thermal 
In talking with personnel on Johnston Atoll during the same perioa it 
was learned that the Sooties first started swirling near the island at 
about the same time of day. 
Gray-backed Tern 
*0 
Gray-backs were surprisingly coamion during this cruise. The ccUlc: 
bundance seemed to be around Tfecker and kino a. Most o± t re uirds 
ware sighted either as singles or in two's, and none were seen in -cea- 
ins flocks. 
White Tern 
Frequent sightings of one or two birds, but also seen as memoers 
of mixed feeding flocks.' Highest numbers were recorded in the areas 
closest to the main and leeward Hawaiian Islands. 
One specimen collected from a mixed feeding -lock was a mare v— 
unknown) with considerable molt in the flignt feathers ana light-* f 
(field No. k0802). 
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