broods of young have been reported (14. 
30 ). Pairs of these birds were noted in 
1948 and 1950 (35 ,36). Shelton saw a 
female with young on a beaver pond on 
the stream draining Lake Richie, 
June 23, 1961 (39). 
**31. Common Merganser ( Mergus 
merganser Linnaeus) 
This bird is a common summer resi¬ 
dent and common migrant. The preferred 
habitat includes Lake Superior and the 
protected harbors, the inland lakes, 
and the lake shores and beaches. Both 
young and adults have been reported 
numerous times since 1904 (15,21,26, 
27 ,29,30,36,38) Lee and Krefting 
tallied 88 in May 1948, usually in 
pairs but sometimes in groups of up to 
4 or 5 birds (36) . In early August 
1963, 8 broods containing from 4 to 
20 young were recorded in various 
parts of the island (34). Broods of 
25 to 30 young have been recorded, 
and chances are they represent the 
broods from 2 or more hens. 
**32. Red-breasted Merganser ( Mergus 
serrator Linnaeus) 
This merganser is a fairly common 
summer resident, but is far less numer¬ 
ous than the common merganser. The 
preferred habitat includes Lake Supe¬ 
rior, protected harbors, ana inland 
lakes. It nests along the shores of 
the protected harbors, but very few 
nests have been found. Adults and 
pairs of adults have been reported on 
numerous occasions, but reports of 
broods are infrequent (27,29,30,36). 
Like the common merganser, large 
broods are often seen in summer on 
protected waters. 
ACCIPITRIDAE (Hawks) 
**33. Goshawk ( Accipiter gentilis 
(Linnaeus)) 
This hawk is a rare summer resi¬ 
dent and an uncommon winter visitor. 
It was reported twice in 1905; one 
was a young bird which probably was 
born on the island (14). Gilbert 
listed the species as a rare migrant 
(30). Shelton made the following ob- ; 
servations: on November 16, 1962, an 
adult was seen with a freshly killed 
hare; on November 29, two immature 
goshawks and one adult were recorded; 
and on February 16, 1963, an immature 1 
specimen was flushed from the remains 
of a freshly eaten hare in the Siski- 
wit swamp ( 39) . The habitats in which 
the goshawk are most likely to be found 
are birch-conifer, aspen-birch-conifer, 
burned areas, and swamp forest. 
34. Sharp-shinned Hawk ( Accipiter 
striatus Vieillot) 
This is a rare summer resident 
and a common migrant. In 1904 and 1905 
it was abundant and had a preference 
for clearings and the more open wood¬ 
land (14, 22) . Numbers of these hawks 
were observed again in 1924 and 1929 
(7, 21). During the first half of the 
1940's it was one of the most common 
hawks and seemed to delight in chasing 
songbirds, especially flickers (30). 
In May 1948 two were recorded on Passage 
Island, and one caught a flicker (36). 
In recent years there has been a prefer¬ 
ence for the 1936 burn area, the birch- 
conifer type, and the aspen-birch 
conifer type. 
35. Cooper's Hawk ( Accipiter 
cooperii (Bonaparte)) 
This is a rare summer resident and 
an uncommon migrant. In 1904 and 1905 
the Cooper's hawk was fairly numerous 
but was regarded as one of the rarest 
hawks even though food was abundant 
(14,22). From about 1940 to 1950 it was 
seen at various times on Isle Royale 
and Passage Island (28,30,33,35). The 
preferred habitat seems to be clearings 
and the more opeq wooded areas. Other 
habitats include the 1936 burn area 
and the aspen-birch-conifer type. 
*36. Red-tailed Hawk ( Buteo 
jamaicensis (Gmelin)) 
The red-tailed hawk is ati uncommon 
summer resident. It has been observed 
in the sugar maple-yellow birch forest 
24 
