4 
* 
% 
Fork-tails first appeared on the Grid in early December. Two 
birds were observed on each of the two December surveys (EGS #18 and 
$ 19 ). The high count recorded on the present survey was due to a single 
sighting of a flock of 35 in section "T.” 
Leach Storm Petrel Oceanodroma leucorhoa 
# Obs. = 187 
.05 
.03 
.01 
.37 
.28 
0 
.32 
.55 
M 
Birds/linear mile by section 
An evidently rapidly moving population (probably a northern one) 
passed south through the Grid in late November (see EGS $ 17 )- The early 
December survey found moderate numbers on the Grid, concentrated in the 
northern and northeastern sections. The early December birds I take to 
be chiefly migrant stragglers and possibly winter T, pseudo-residents TT from 
the northernmost breeding populations. By late December numbers over the 
entire Grid reached an all-time low. The present survey found the same 
low densities in the northern sections but densities in the southern 
third were significantly higher. I suggest that the birds now infil¬ 
trating the southern Grid are from post- or currently breeding popula¬ 
tions on Guadalupe and/or other sites to the south of the survey area. 
Red-tailed Tropicbird Phaethon rubricauda # Obs. = 1 
An adult was observed in section f, U TT on the 8 th. 
(The forthcoming Annual Summary will discuss the distribution 
of the two tropicbirds on the Grid in more detail.) 
Red Phalarope (and Phalarope sp.) Phalaropus fulicarius $ Obs. = kk 
.01 
.01 
.15 
.28 
.05 
0 
Birds/linear mile 
0 
.03 
.ok 
by sections 
The distribution of phalaropes was again found to correlate better 
with the presence of slicks or "windrows 1 ’ rather than any specific geo¬ 
graphic region. The three collected birds were all females. (See other 
reports for a discussion of the sex ratio problem.) 
Glaucous-winged Gull Larus glaucescens 
# Obs. = 13 
.Ok .01 0 
.01 0 .02 
.02 .05 .01 
Birds/linear mile by section 
All sightings appeared to be first-winter birds; all were following 
the vessel. Numbers have increased slowly since November. Unlike the 
