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at 300 feet they looked like tubs floating on the ocean, and yet they carried 
from 50 to 60 people. 
At one nesting area the gannets flew over the ocean and circled close to 
me as I stood at the edge of the cliff. As they came toward me I was able 
to get some nice flight shots, but it was hard to get the birds in focus. I 
finally hit upon the idea of setting the distance on the lens, and waiting 
for the gannets to fly into correct focus. Kittiwakes were nesting on the 
face of the cliff to our left; they possess the art of laying an egg in any 
kind of an indentation and hatching it safely. We could see one kittiwake 
feeding its young. 
We met Mr. Teste, a student from a Canadian college. He was making a 
survey of the gannets and writing a thesis. It was he who had estimated 
the colony of gannets at 45,000 on Bonaventure island by measuring the 
space occupied by the nesting colony and counting the number of gannets 
to a certain unit of measurement. He did not have to allow for vacant spots; 
the gannets were so crowded and so awkward that one flying in to land 
would bowl] over several neighbors. Each bird met a welcoming committee 
of several squawking, protesting gannets; the disturbance was constant as 
the gannets were continually ‘‘on wing.” 
The last sightseeing boat was due to leave the island at 6:00 p.m., and 
as we made our way toward the wharf, we saw a boat coming in and hur- 
ried to catch it. This was not the “St. Therese” on which we had arrived, 
but the “Sea Parrot.” Captain Simonean to!d us that we could go back to 
the mainland on his boat if we desired. He did not charge us for the re- 
turn trip, and that was the only “free thing’? we received on the entire 
trip, a boat ride. The spruce forest on Bonaventure had Black-poll, Black- 
throated Green, and Yellow Warblers. As we hurried to the dock, we saw 
several female Pine Grosbeaks, but no males. 
1400 W. Macon St., Decatur, Ill. 
BALD EAGLES: A Comparison 
Between Tri-City and Other Areas 
By ELTON FAWKS 
THE WRITER CONTACTED many people for data on Bald Eagle populations 
just before the National Audubon Society started the North American 
Eagle Study. In the future much of the data from other states will go 
directly to Alexander Sprunt IV, at Box 2381, Tavernier, Florida. He is 
heading the National Audubon Society project. However, I will continue to 
carry on a Bald Eagle Survey in the Upper Mississippi Valley, sending my 
results to Mr. Sprunt and giving reports at intervals to local natural history 
publications. 
From the data collected to date definite conclusions cannot be drawn. 
However, a three-winter study of the Tri-City Bird Club’s Christmas Count 
area does show a serious, definite, yearly decline in young eagles, as sum- 
marized below: 
Winter 1958-59: 487 adults seen to 103 immatures 
82.5424% tOmln4o 16% 
Winter 1959-60: 1,128 adultsseen to 204 immatures 
84.6237% to 15.8763% 
Winter 1960-61: 675 adults seen to 102 immatures 
86.8726% to 13.1274% 
