annotated list of birds by families 
The annotated list of Isle Royale 
birds follows the order and terminol¬ 
ogy of the fifth edition (1957) of the 
American Ornithologists' Union Check- 
List of North American Birds. The 
list, by families, comprises 197 
species and includes the species list¬ 
ed by Wood ( 21) and Zimmerman and 
Van Tyne ( 23) as well as many others. 
The species believed to be possible 
breeders are preceded by an asterisk 
(*); the species known to have bred 
at least once are preceded by two 
asterisks (**) . 
GAVIIDAE (Loons) 
**1. Common Loon ( Gavia immer 
(Brunnich)) 
This is a common migrant and 
summer resident. It breeds on the 
inland lakes and protected harbors 
of the main island and on the 
smaller surrounding islands. Be¬ 
tween 1890 and 1892, Scott noted 
that fishermen caught loons on set 
lines and in gill nets near Windigo 
(17). In the early 1900's both 
adult and young birds were observed 
on the inland lakes (1£, 14). Adult 
birds were noted almost daily in 1929 
and 1930 (6, 21) as well as in the 
1940's (25, 27, 29, 30, 36, 38). 
Pairing off of loons was noted as 
early as May 4 and as late as May 25 
(36, 35). Shelton saw four pairs 
with one young each in 1960 and one 
pair with one young in 1963 (39) . Two 
of these five young were on harbors 
and three on lakes. In early August 
1963, nine adult loons were seen in 
the harbors of Isle Royale ( 34) . 
PODICIFEDIDAE (Grebes) 
2. Red-necked Grebe ( Podiceps 
grisegena (Boddaert)) 
This grebe is primarily a 
spring migrant and is erratic in its 
appearance along the shores of the 
island. Observations were made in 
the summer and fall of 1929 and in 
the spring of 1937 (21). In May 1948, 
43 of these grebes were seen in Lake 
Superior, scattered singly or in pairs 
along the south shore of the island 
( 36) . Observations in the same gen¬ 
eral area in 1950 revealed a single 
adult bird in Siskiwit Bay ( 35) . 
Shelton saw a single bird off Todd 
Harbor, July 28, 1961, and one in 
Tobin Harbor on August 15, 1963 (39). 
3. Horned Grebe ( Podiceps auritus 
(Linnaeus)) 
The horned grebe is a common 
migrant. It was first reported in 
the fall of 1929 and again in the 
spring of 1937 (21) . During the 
1940's and early 1950's the species 
was reported as a common spring and 
fall migrant (3£, 35 ). Shelton re¬ 
garded the species as a common 
migrant in the early 1960's. Singles 
or groups of five -or six or more were 
common between mid-September and Octo¬ 
ber, almost always in or near deep 
water (39). 
**4. Pied-billed Grebe ( Podilymbus 
podiceps (Linnaeus)) 
This grebe is an uncommon 
migrant and an uncommon summer resi¬ 
dent. It is usually observed in the 
inland lakes and in the harbors 
around the main island. The species 
was more common in the early 1900's 
when it was considered a common 
summer resident at Washington Harbor. 
A pair of adults and five young were 
noted in August and September, and 
young birds in their first plumage 
were taken (14, 22 ). In 1924, fall 
flocks totalling 22 birds were seen, 
and the species was reported again 
in the fall of 1930 at Tobin Harbor 
(21). Several were reported again 
in the mid-1940's (24, 28). Shelton 
saw only three pied^FilTed grebes 
in 1960-63 (39). 
19 
