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NATIONAL PARK SERVICE
Fauna of the National Parks of the United States No. 3 Birds and Mammals of Mount McKinley National Park |
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BIRDS
CHECK LIST OF THE BIRDS
1. Gavia adamsi (Gray). Yellow-billed loon.
2. Colymbus grisegena holboelli (Reinhardt). Holboell's grebe.
3. Colymbus auritus Linnaeus. Horned grebe.
4. Cygnus columbianus (Ord). Whistling swan.
5. Chen hyperborea hyperborea (Pallas). Lesser snow goose.
6. Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos Linnaeus. Common mallard.
7. Chaulelasmus streperus (Linnaeus). Gadwall.
8. Mareca americana (Gmelin). Baldpate.
9. Dafila acuta tzitzihoa (Vieillot). American pintail.
10. Nettion carolinense (Gmelin). Green-winged teal.
11. Nyroca marila (Linnaeus). Greater scaup duck.
12. Nyroca affinis (Eyton). Lesser scaup duck.
13. Charitonetta albeola (Linnaeus). Bufflehead.
14. Clangula hyemalis (Linnaeus). Old-squaw.
15. Histrionicus histrionicus pacificus Brooks. Western harlequin duck.
16. Melanitta deglandi (Bonaparte). White-winged scoter.
17. Melanitta perspicillata (Linnaeus). Surf scoter.
18. Astur atricapillus atricapillus (Wilson). Eastern goshawk.
19. Accipiter velox velox (Wilson). Sharp-shinned hawk.
20. Buteo borealis harlani (Audubon). Harlan's hawk.
21. Buteo swainsoni Bonaparte. Swainson's hawk.
22. Buteo lagopus s. johannis (Gmelin). American rough-legged hawk.
23. Aquila chrysaetos canadensis (Linnaeus). Golden eagle.
24. Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus Townsend. Northern bald eagle.
25. Circus hudsonius (Linnaeus). Marsh hawk.
26. Falco rusticalus absoletus Gmelin. Black gyrfalcon.
27. Falco columbarius bendirei Swann. Western pigeon hawk.
28. Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus. Eastern sparrow hawk.
29. Canachites canadensis osgoodi Bishop. Alaska spruce grouse.
30. Lagopus lagopus alascensis Swarth. Alaska ptarmigan.
31. Lagopus rupestris kelloggae Grinnell. Kellogg's ptarmigan.
32. Lagopus leucurus peninsularis Chapman. Kenai white-tailed ptarmigan.
33. Grus canadensis canadensis (Linnaeus). Little brown crane.
34. Charadrius semipalmatus Bonaparte. Semipalmated plover.
35. Pluvialis dominica fulva (Gmelin). Pacific golden plover.
36. Aphriza virgata (Gmelin). Surfbird.
37. Capella delicata (Ord). Wilson's snipe.
38. Phaeopus hudsonicus (Latham). Hudsonian curlew.
39. Bartramia longicauda (Bechstein). Upland plover.
40. Actitis macularia (Linnaeus). Spotted sandpiper.
41. Tringa solitaria cinnamomea (Brewster). Western solitary sandpiper.
42. Heteroscelus incanus (Gmelin). Wandering tattler.
43. Totanus flavipes (Gmelin). Lesser yellow-legs.
44. Pisobia bairdi (Coues). Baird's sandpiper.
45. Pelidna alpina sakhalina (Vieillot). Red-backed sandpiper.
46. Ereunetes maurii Cabanis. Western sandpiper.
47. Lobipes lobatus (Linnaeus). Northern phalarope.
48. Stercorarius longicaudus Vieillot. Long-tailed jaeger.
49. Larus argentatus smithsonianus Coues. Herring gull.
50. Larus canus brachyrhynchus Richardson. Short-billed gull.
51. Sterna paradisaea Brunnich. Arctic tern.
52. Bubo virginianus algistus (Oberholser). Saint Michael horned owl.
53. Nyctea nyctea (Linnaeus). Snowy owl.
54. Surnia ulula caparoch (Muller). American hawk owl.
55. Asio flammeus flammeus (Pontoppidan). Short-eared owl.
56. Cryptoglaux funerea richardsoni (Bonaparte). Richardson's owl.
57. Megaceryle alcyon caurina (Grinnell). Western belted kingfisher.
58. Colaptes auratus luteus Bangs. Northern flicker.
59. Dryobates villosus septentrionalis (Nuttall). Northern hairy woodpecker.
60. Dryobates pubescens nelsoni Oberholser. Nelson's downy woodpecker.
61. Picoides arcticus (Swainson). Arctic three-toed woodpecker.
62. Picoides tridactylus fasciatus Baird. Alaska three-toed woodpecker.
63. Sayornis saya saya (Bonaparte). Say's phoebe.
64. Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni (Swainson). Western wood pewee.
65. Nuttallornis mesoleucus (Lichtenstein). Olive-sided flycatcher.
66. Otocoris alpestris arcticola Oberholser. Pallid horned lark.
67. Riparia riparia riparia (Linnaeus). Bank swallow.
68. Hirundo erythrogaster Boddaert. Barn swallow.
69. Perisoreus canadensis fumifrons Ridgway. Alaska jay.
70. Pica pica hudsonia (Sabine). American magpie.
71. Corvus corax principalis Ridgway. Northern raven.
72. Penthestes atricapillus turneri (Ridgway). Yukon chickadee.
73. Penthestes cinctus alascensis (Prazak). Alaska chickadee.
74. Penthestes hudsonicus hudsonicus (Forster). Hudsonian chickadee.
75. Certhia familiaris montana Ridgway. Rocky Mountain creeper.
76. Turdus migratorius migratorius Linnaeus. Eastern robin.
77. Ixoreus naevius meruloides (Swainson). Northern varied thrush.
78. Hylocichla guttata guttata (Pallas). Alaska hermit thrush.
79. Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni (Tschudi). Olive-backed thrush.
80. Hylocichla minima aliciae (Baird). Gray-checked thrush.
81. Oenanthe oenanthe oenanthe (Linnaeus). European wheatear.
82. Myadestes townsendi (Audubon). Townsend's solitaire.
83. Acanthopneuste borealis kennicotti (Baird). Kennicott's willow warbler.
84. Carthylio calendula calendula (Linnaeus). Eastern ruby-crowned kinglet.
85. Anthus spinoletta rubescens (Tunstall). American pipit.
86. Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps Reichenow. Bohemian waxwing.
87. Lanius borealis invictus Grinnell, Northwestern shrike,
88. Vermivora celata celata (Say). Orange-crowned warbler.
89. Dendroica aestiva rubiginosa (Pallas). Alaska yellow warbler.
90. Dendroica coronata (Linnaeus). Myrtle warbler.
91. Dendroica striata (Forster). Black-poll warbler.
92. Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis Ridgway. Grinnell's waterthrush.
93. Wilsonia pusilla pileolata (Pallas). Northern pileolated warbler.
94. Setophaga ruticilla (Linnaeus). American redstart.
95. Euphagus carolinus (Muller). Rusty blackbird.
96. Pinicola enucleator alascensis Ridgway. Alaska pine grosbeak.
97. Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis Baird. Hepburn's rosy finch.
98. Acanthis linaria linaria (Linnaeus). Common redpoll.
99. Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus Bonaparte. Western Savannah sparrow.
100. Junco hyemalis hyemalis (Linnaeus). Slate-colored junco.
101. Spizella arborea ochracea Brewster. Western tree sparrow.
102. Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli (Nuttall). Gambel's sparrow.
103. Zonotrichia coronata (Pallas). Golden-crowned sparrow.
104. Passerella iliaca iliaca (Merrem). Eastern fox sparrow.
105. Melospiza lincolni lincolni (Audubon). Lincoln's sparrow.
106. Calcarius lapponicus alascensis Ridgway. Alaska longspur.
107. Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis (Linnaeus). Eastern snow bunting.
HYPOTHETICAL LIST
1. Mergus serrator Linnaeus. Red-breasted merganser.
2. Pedioecetes phasianellus phasianellus (Linnaeus). Northern sharp-tailed grouse.
3. Squatarola squatarola (Linnaeus). Black-bellied plover.
4. Petrochelidon albifrons albifrons (Rafinesque). Northern cliff swallow.
5. Cinclus mexicanus unicolor Bonaparte. Dipper.
DESCRIPTIONS OF BIRD SPECIES
YELLOW-BILLED LOON
Gavia adamsi [GRAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—An unusually large diving bird. The feet are fully webbed. The summer plumage is striking, with contrasting black and white patterns on the back. Length, 36 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Its unusually large size, the black and white color pattern, the ivory-white instead of black bill, are good distinctive characters for this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—The breeding range and migration routes of the yellow-billed loon are imperfectly known. It is reported to breed on the tundra ponds along the northwest Arctic coast of Alaska.
HABITS.—When I was "frozen in" on the Arctic coast of Alaska near Demarcation Point, in 1913-14, I found yellow-billed loons inhabiting territory similar to portions of McKinley Park. Baird's sandpipers, which were breeding at Demarcation Point, were also found breeding in the high mountain passes of the park. It is doubtful whether the yellow-billed loon breeds in the McKinley district, but such a thing may be possible. We carefully examined the head and neck of a loon of this species that had been shot in the late fall by John Anderson at Wonder Lake. The ivory color of the bill and the nearly straight culmen showed plainly that the bird was a yellow-billed, and not a common, loon.
HOLBOELL'S GREBE
Colymbus grisegena holboelli [REINHARDT]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large diving bird commonly known as "hell diver." The feet are lobed but not fully webbed. The top of the head and the back of neck of the adults in summer is jet black. The cheeks are white. The neck is a rich reddish-chestnut. Length, 19 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The large size, reddish neck, and white cheeks contrasting with the dark area on the top of the head, are good identification marks.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska and Siberia south to Washington and North Dakota. It is reported as occurring regularly in the park.
HABITS.—This species is said to inhabit the larger ponds and lakes in the Wonder Lake region, but it occurs sparingly and has not been noted in any numbers in the region. A specimen, flat skin, no. 50554, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, was collected at Wonder Lake on October 17, 1926, by John and Paula Anderson. The first spring arrival at Wonder Lake was noted by Mr. and Mrs. Anderson on June 3, 1927.
HORNED GREBE
Colymbus auritus [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small diving bird about the size of a teal, with a slender neck and ear tufts. In summer this grebe has a rich chestnut neck and flanks with a broad connecting chestnut band along the side of the body. The top of the head, throat, and back are black. The ear tufts of feathers, behind the eyes, are ocher color, with a rusty stripe extending through and above the eye to the base of the bill, which is dark colored like the throat. Length, 13.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The large ruff, red neck, and light ocher ear tufts, as well as the slender narrow bill are all good field characters for this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—The horned grebe is a northern species that breeds across the continent, from the northern Canadian provinces westward to Mount McKinley National Park, where it nests in small secluded grass-rimmed ponds.
Figure 17.—This grass-rimmed pond was
the breeding ground of the
horned grebe. A species not previously known to nest within several
hundred miles of this region.
Photograph taken July 9, 1932, Igloo Creek. W. L. D. No. 2602.
HABITS.—This species was first noted near Igloo Creek, where I found a lone bird in a little grass-rimmed pond on June 14, 1932 (fig. 17). It was in company with a pair of lesser scaup ducks that nested there. On July 9, 1932, a family of horned grebes was found in another grassy pond on the old trail near Igloo ranger cabin. Two 24-hour-old downy young were colored as follows: back, head, black streaked with narrow lines of white; belly, white; sides of head, neck, black with distinct white streaks, The nest in which these young grebes had been hatched was found to consist of a mass of dead sedge, moss, and other aquatic vegetation that had been piled up by the parent birds on an islet in a quiet grass-grown corner of the pond. This nest (fig. 18) still contained one infertile egg.
Figure 18.—Floating nest containing one egg of the horned grebe.
Photograph taken July 9, 1932, Igloo Creek. W. L. D. No. 2601.
Each of the young streaked grebes hid by itself in the thick grass that grew all around the margin of this pond. They were watched over by both parents. Two pairs of short-billed gulls patrolled the pond daily, but the young grebes were more than a match for the gulls. They would dive like a flash whenever a gull or magpie flew over the nest pond.
Later it was found that in the region about Wonder Lake many of the smaller grass-rimmed ponds sheltered a breeding pair of these grebes. Since this locality is several hundred miles west of the known breeding range of the species, a breeding pair of adults and two downy young were preserved as specimens.
WHISTLING SWAN
Cygnus columbianus [ORD]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A very large, all-white waterfowl with a long neck and an unfeathered tract between the eye and base of the bill. Length, 55 inches, or less.
IDENTIFICATION.—The all-white plumage and large size will serve to distinguish this swan from the snow geese and white pelicans. The only species that the whistling swan is likely to be confused with is the trumpeter swan, a much larger bird with a deeper, more sonorous call than the whistler. A yellow spot in front of the eye is characteristic of the whistling swan but is not invariably present.
DISTRIBUTION.—The whistling swan nests only in the far north, while the trumpeter breeds in southwestern Canada and the Yellowstone National Park region in the United States. The whistling swan passes through Mount McKinley Park on its annual migration to and from its nesting grounds in the Arctic regions of North America.
HABITS.—Since whistling swans stop over at Wonder Lake each spring and fall and are seen on other nearby lakes, it has been believed by some that these swans might nest in the McKinley region. However, they are present only during the spring and fall migrations and there are no summer or breeding records for the McKinley region, although seemingly suitable nesting ponds and conditions exist there. Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson reported that in the fall of 1928, the first swans, consisting of two adults and two young, arrived at Wonder Lake from the north on October 4. On October 5 there were 3 families—6 adults and 7 young—while on October 7, approximately 350 swans including some 200 young were counted. On October 8, only 50 adults and 20 young remained.
In the spring of 1929, the first swans (20) arrived at Wonder Lake at 2 p. m. on May 4.
This swan is a regular migrant through Mount McKinley National Park, but probably does not remain to breed.
LESSER SNOW GOOSE
Chen hyperborea hyperborea [PALLAS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A snow-white goose of medium size, with conspicuous black-tipped wings, readily seen in birds that are in flight. Length, 23 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The snow-white plumage and black-tipped wings are the best field characters of this species and will distinguish snow geese from other geese.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds on the islands and mainland of Arctic North America and migrates through the McKinley region regularly each spring and fall.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon reported three geese of this species seen on October 11, 1907, migrating south. These geese occur regularly in migration at Wonder Lake, where the Andersons reported their earliest spring arrival at 11 a. m. on May 14, 1927. The same observers reported that the first geese to fly south on the fall migration departed on September 5, 1928, and that again on September 10, a large fleck flew south.
There is no evidence of the species breeding in the McKinley region.
COMMON MALLARD
Anas platyrhynchos platyrhynchos [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—Our best known river duck. It is commonly known as "green-head"; the green head and white ring on the neck of the adult male are familiar to all. Length, 23 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The green head, the white ring on the neck, and recurved upper tail coverts of the male, as well as the tail which shows a general whiteness when birds of either sex are in flight, are good distinguishing marks.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout most of North America, breeding in Alaska, except in the far northern portion. It is a summer resident on larger ponds at lower elevations in McKinley Park.
HABITS.—The mallard is one of the common breeding ducks at Wonder Lake, where it was observed by us and where it has been noted to breed regularly. Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson reported that in 1927 the first flock of mallards observed, consisting of both males and females, arrived at 9 a. m. on May 10. In 1929, the first pair of mallards observed arrived at 8 p. m. on May 21. In 1928, the first fall migrants of this species, comprising a flock of about 50 birds, arrived at Wonder Lake at 3 p. m. on September 10. On September 1-6, 22, 24, 28, and 29, mallards continued to arrive from the north. On October 6, the last mallard ducks left Wonder Lake on their southern migration.
Sheldon (1930, p. 400) reports that in 1907-8 about 300 mallards wintered along a 3-mile open stretch of the Toklat River (about 20 miles outside Mount McKinley National Park) and that they fed on dead salmon and salmon eggs.
GADWALL
Chaulelasmus streperus [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A streaked gray duck, somewhat smaller than a mallard, white below, without much detail. The female has much the color pattern of a female mallard but the barring is finer. Length, 19.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The large white color-patch or speculum and chestnut red upper wing coverts are distinctive in both sexes.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in Alaska and in northern Canada, and in the McKinley district, near Wonder Lake.
HABITS.—This is one of the rarer species of ducks breeding in the McKinley region. Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson reported it as breeding regularly at Wonder Lake, where we found a pair on July 19, 1926.
BALDPATE
Mareca americana [GMELIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A chunky river duck of medium size. The adult males have a distinctive white cap. The females are broadly speckled, but both sexes show broad white patches on the fore part of the wing. Length, 19 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The white cap of the male and the white wing patches, which are especially notable in flight, are the best identification marks of this species.
DISTRIBUTION.—The baldpate breeds throughout the greater portion of Alaska. It was noted by us at Wonder Lake and on adjacent ponds between Wonder Lake and McKinley River.
HABITS.—This is one of the breeding ducks of the region, and breeding records should be watched for by people who visit the park during the summer months.
AMERICAN PINTAIL
Dafila acuta tzitzihoa [VIEILLOT]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large, graceful duck with a slender neck. The male has long projecting black central tail feathers, also a white stripe extending from the breast up either side of the neck. The female and juvenile males are similar to the female mallard but are of more slender build and the speculum on the wing is bronze. Length, 28 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The extreme slender build, "sprig" or "pin" tail of the adult male and the slender form and bronze speculum of juvenile males and females are diagnostic.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds throughout the northern portion of North America. I saw adults and young of this species at Wonder Lake on July 16, 1926, and again in 1932.
HABITS.—This species breeds on the larger ponds adjacent to the McKinley River. It has been found breeding at Wonder Lake and is said by residents to breed at various suitable localities in the park.
Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson reported the first spring arrival of a pair of pintails at Wonder Lake on May 20, 1929, at 3 p. m. On October 4, 1928, the same observers reported that 25 pintails on their southern migration rested on Wonder Lake for 2 hours.
GREEN-WINGED TEAL
Nettion carolinense [GMELIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—The smallest duck found in the McKinley region. The male has a broad green stripe extending through the eye and along the side of the head. Both sexes have a brilliant green patch (speculum) on the wing. Length, 14.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The small size will distinguish this duck from all others that are known to occur in the McKinley region except the bufflehead. The lack of any white patch on the wing quickly distinguishes the teal from the bufflehead.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds across the continent, and is common through out the Northwest. It is found breeding at Wonder Lake, and near Copper Mountain adjacent to Mount McKinley.
HABITS.—A family consisting of a mother and eight downy young was seen not far from the eastern boundary of the park on July 2, 1926. Another similar family was observed in a small beaver pond near Copper Mountain on July 19, 1926. The first spring arrivals were recorded at Wonder Lake on May 17, 1927, and were last seen there in the fall on September 24, 1928. The species is not abundant, but the vicinities named are regular breeding grounds for them.
GREATER SCAUP DUCK
Nyroca marila [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—Scaup or bluebills are chunky ducks of medium size. The adult males at a distance appear black for the forward third of the body and white for the remainder. The adult females are white-bellied, brown ducks, with a conspicuous white spot on either side of the head at the base of the bill. Length, 18.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The best distinguishing mark between the greater and lesser scaup duck is found in the inner primaries, the outer webs of which are white in marila. This white area in the central portion of the forward part of the wing is lacking in affinis. The white spot at the base of the bill appears, on the average, to be larger in female marila than in affinis and the nail on the upper mandible is also larger and heavier in manila.
DISTRIBUTION.—The greater scaup breeds across the northern portion of North America in both Alaska and Canada. In McKinley Park all of the breeding bluebills that we found east of Sable Pass proved to be affinis and those that we saw breeding at Wonder Lake in the northwestern part of the park proved to be marila. Although we watched closely, no evidence of interbreeding was found, yet the two species were noted breeding within 50 miles of each other.
HABITS.—During August I found several families of greater Scaup ducks in a series of small lakes and ponds in the foothills about Wonder Lake (fig. 19). These families consisted of adult females and small young birds from one-sixth to one-third grown. No adult males were to be found with the groups. On August 18, 1932, I collected an adult female and one of her brood of six downy young at Wonder Lake where several broods were present along the grassy margins of the southern part of the lake. These downy young were too small to have traveled over land from other smaller ponds in the region and probably had been hatched there.
This species proved to be one of the commoner regular breeding ducks of the northern portion of Mount McKinley National Park.
Figure 19.—Two broods of greater scaup duck were found in this alpine lake.
In the background lies the Alaska Range, Mount Brooks showing above the
clouds to the left.
Photograph taken August 17, 1932, Wonder Lake. W. L. D. No. 2597.
LESSER SCAUP DUCK
Nyroca affinis [EYTON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A compactly built diving duck of medium size. Male scaups show a great deal of contrast in the color of the body, the forward half appearing black and the remainder, except the tail, white. Females are of a uniform dark brown color above with conspicuous white spots at either side of the base of the bill. Length, 1-6.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The lesser scaup male has a purplish instead of greenish reflection on the head found in the greater scaup, but this is difficult to distinguish except in a good light and at relatively close range. The most distinctive character between the two scaups in both sexes appears to be the color of the outer web of the inner primaries, this being white in the greater scaup and dark in the lesser scaup.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in northern Canada and Alaska. It was encountered by us in the McKinley region on the Nenana and Sanctuary Rivers.
HABITS.—On June 13, 1926, at a lake near Healy Station on the Alaska Railroad, Mr. Wright observed a flock of 11 bluebills. On June 16, in a small lake about a quarter of a mile in length, near the Sanctuary River, we found 4 females and 1 adult male scaup resting and preening on a warm gravel beach. The male was taken for a specimen (J. D. No. 8790) and was found to be in full breeding vigor with testes three-fourths of an inch in length. It is our belief that these birds were nesting.
On June 14, 1932, a trio—a drake and two female lesser scaup ducks—was located in a small lake near the mouth of Igloo Creek. Courtship was then still in progress, and on June 23, when I again visited this lake, a family of six downy ducklings was swimming about with their mother near a protective fringe of grass. They disappeared and effectively hid in this grass when warned of our approach by their parent (fig. 5). On July 9, 1932, the ducklings were large enough to shift for themselves. An adult breeding female collected and preserved on that date has the small narrow "nail" on the upper mandible, and other characteristics of affinis.
Less than 50 miles away, at Wonder Lake, breeding females and downy young of marila were observed and collected on August 18, 1932. It would seem from my experience that both marila and affinis breed there, but that affinis is decidedly the earlier breeder of the two scaups in this region.
BUFFLEHEAD
Charitonetta albeola [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A diminutive duck, almost as small as a teal. The male is white beneath and around the base of the neck. The head and throat are black. He has a triangular puffy white patch on the side of the head behind and below the eye which extends completely across the hind neck. The female is blackish above and on the head, and white beneath, with a small triangular white patch behind the eye. The juvenile is similar to the female but the cheek mark is not as distinct. Length, 14.7 inches.
IDENFIFICATION.—The small size and the white patch on the cheek behind instead of in front of the eye, together with the white patch on the wing, distinguish this species from all other ducks of the region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds over much of the northern portions of Canada and central Alaska and was found by us in the McKinley region on Savage River. It also breeds at Wonder Lake.
HABITS.—On July 27, 1926, at Fish Creek which is a tributary of Savage River, Wright observed two female buffleheads sailing downstream with their respective families of six and four young. Wright observed that one of the anxious mother buffleheads treaded water some 20 feet below a patch of overhanging willows that concealed her offspring. She coached them from the side line with anxious calls until he retired a few feet. Then the little fleet scurried forth to join its admiral in the downstream advance. Close observation failed to reveal the presence of any adult male buffleheads after the young were hatched, and it is our belief that the drakes leave the nesting ground by the time the young are out of the shell. Where the food supply is meager, such a withdrawal leaves the entire food supply to the mothers and their downy young who need it most.
OLD-SQUAW
Clangula hyemalis [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A medium-sized, chunky duck, with contrasting plumage of black above and white below. The male has long central tail feathers like the male pintail. In summer the top of the head and the basal portion of the neck are white with a contrasting dark area behind the eye. The female is obscurely colored, with a general "burnt" color. It has a narrow whitish area which extends as a stripe behind and around the eye. Neither sex in any plumage has a speculum or white patch on the wing. Length, 21 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The chunky build distinguishes the male old-squaw from the male pintail, which is the only other duck in the region that has long central tail feathers. The female may be identified by her chunky build and the absence of any white patch on the wing. The call note, "Ahr-har-lek", is distinctive.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds on the tundra plains across northern North America, and was observed by us in the McKinley region near the Sanctuary and Savage Rivers.
HABITS.—On June 16, 1926, four mated pairs of old-squaw ducks were found inhabiting a small lake near the Sanctuary River. The males were not quite in full summer plumage and their call note, "Ahr-har-lek", was a little rusty and cut short at the end. On June 24, five old-squaws were seen by Wright on a little lake near Savage River. Nests were reported. A specimen (no. 50,555 in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology) was collected October 17, 1926, by John E. Anderson at Wonder Lake. The earliest spring arrival noted was at 2 p. m., May 23, 1929, when three pairs of old-squaw ducks arrived at Wonder Lake. A family of eight ducks of this species that were hatched and grew up at Wonder Lake were last seen in the fall on October 6, 1928.
WESTERN HARLEQUIN DUCK
Histrionicus histrionicus pacificus [BROOKS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.— A stocky duck of medium size and general dark coloration. The gaudily colored male, with its rich cinnamon under-parts and bluish upper parts streaked with oddly placed bars of white, cannot be confused with any other duck. The female lacks any wing spot and is likely to be confused only with the female old-squaw. Length, 17 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The white crescent bar in front of the eye and on the side of the head, together with a white stripe across the neck and breast, distinguish the male. The female may be distinguished from the female old-squaw by dark instead of light underparts and flanks.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds on the northern Atlantic and Pacific coasts and in the interior of British Columbia. It was found by us along most of the glacial streams that flow out on the north side of the main Alaskan Range.
HABITS.—It is commonly encountered along the gravel bars of Savage River near the headquarters of the Mount McKinley Tourist & Transportation Co. (fig. 12). On May 22, 1926, at 2,800 feet elevation, I found a pair of harlequin ducks sunning themselves on a gravel bar under a warm, south-facing bank on Savage River. The brownish female always took wing first and led the male in flight. When alarmed these ducks flew upstream until they came to the first riffle, where they would alight and begin to feed by diving into the swift water, searching for living aquatic animal life under the smooth round stones that lined the river bed. Like the wandering tattlers, the harlequin ducks frequently and effectively escaped our notice while we passed, by crouching, motionless, in shallow water or on dark slate-colored gravel bars.
On May 28, 1926, I watched a pair of these ducks as they floated down stream. They usually dived together and reappeared from 20 to 50 yards below the point where they had gone down. Although I walked on down the stream at an average pace, the ducks outdistanced me. They disappeared down the stream and were out of sight in less than 5 minutes.
On June 2, a mated pair and two males in pursuit of another female were noted. By June 18, it became obvious that the female of the mated pair was incubating a set of eggs, for we saw her only occasionally, probably when she came off to feed, in the early morning or late evening. During the middle of the day the male harlequin hid out in the shady riffles resting or feeding. A male harlequin (J. D. no. 8,763) collected June 11, was in breeding condition with enlarged testes. Although the harlequin ducks were rather common, and though we spent many hours searching for their nests, they were so well secreted and the females so difficult to flush off these nests that we never succeeded in finding a single nest.
WHITE-WINGED SCOTER
Melanitta deglandi [BONAPARTE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large, dark, chunky sea duck, with a large white patch on the wing. Length, 22 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Birds of either sex may be recognized in any plumage by their large, dark, heavily built body and the large white patch on the wing.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds across the northern portion of North America. It has been observed at Wonder Lake.
HABITS.—Our record is based upon specimens obtained by Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson at Wonder Lake on October 17, 1926. One of these, which was preserved as a flat study skin, is now no. 50,556 in the bird collections of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology of the University of California.
SURF SCOTER
Melanitta perspicillata [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large, heavily built sea duck. The males are solid black except for a triangular white patch on the forehead and another on the back of the head and neck. The bill of the male surf scoter is highly-colored and swollen. The female is a uniform light brown with light patches on the cheeks below a dark cap. Length, 19 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Male surf scoters may easily be distinguished by the triangular white patches on the forehead and back of the head which give them their common name of "skunk-heads." The female is similar to the female American scoter but has more pronounced white cheek patches and the feathering extends farther down the top of the bill.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds across the northern portion of the continent. It was observed by us at Wonder Lake, Igloo Creek, and Copper Mountain.
HABITS.—At Wonder Lake, on July 19, 1926, from 50 to 75 surf scoters and their young were observed by us. On July 13, 1926, on the tundra near Muldrow Glacier, nine males and two females, all adult, were watched as they fed in a small pond. On August 18, 1932, I saw broods of six, seven, and eight downy young at Wonder Lake, where the first spring migrants arrived on June 11, 1927. This species is a regular breeder in the McKinley region.
EASTERN GOSHAWK
Astur atricapillus atricapillus [WILSON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—The largest of the short-winged hawks with a long narrow banded tail and short rounded wings. It is smaller than the red-tailed hawk. Length, 22 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The adults are almost all over light gray, finely vermiculated with darker gray below. The juvenile birds are striped brown and white below. The long tail, and the short rounded wings that beat rapidly when the bird is in hurried flight are good distinguishing characters for this species.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in the northern wooded sections across the continent. It is rare in McKinley Park and is confined to the lower timbered sections along the rivers.
HABITS.—On June 12, 1926, a bird of this species circled near us while we were examining a sheep lick on Ewe Creek, near the northern boundary of the park.
In 1932 an old nest of this hawk was found near McKinley Park Station. In this same locality a hawk of the species had been secured early in February 1932. This bird was saved as a specimen.
It is a rather rare resident in the lower aspen forested sections of the area (fig. 10).
SHARP-SHINNED HAWK
Accipiter velox velox [WILSON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small grayish short-winged hawk with a long, barred, square tail, and short rounded wings. Length, 11.2 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The round wings and the blue back of the adult "sharp shin" are readily distinguished from the slender, pointed wings, and reddish back of the sparrow hawk.
DISTRIBUTION.—It nests in the coniferous forests of Alaska and Canada. It was observed in the McKinley region only as a migrant.
HABITS.—On August 17, 1932, near Wonder Lake, I shot and wounded a large female hawk of this species. However, the bird was only slightly hurt and after allowing me to approach within 6 feet of her, she suddenly regained enough strength to fly away as though uninjured. It is believed that this individual was a rare fall migrant from farther north since no hawks of this species had been seen in the Wonder Lake area in midsummer.
HARLAN'S HAWK
Buteo borealis harlani [AUDUBON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large dark-colored hawk of the red-tailed type with broad, long, rounded wings, and a short chunky body. The four outer wing feathers are notched.
It is a noisy hawk that sits on exposed perches or soars in wide circles out in the open. When the bird is in flight, the tail is usually carried spread out in a fan shape. And in soaring birds, the length—the distance from the tip of the bill to the end of the tail—is less than half the spread of the outstretched wings. Length, 22 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The dark-colored tail, not white at the base, and heavy unfeathered tarsus (legs) distinguish Harlan's hawk from the American rough-legged hawk. Swainson's hawk is the only other large soaring hawk in the McKinley region and it has a decidedly smaller bill and more slender form than harlani.
DISTRIBUTION.—This species breeds in northwestern British Columbia, southwestern Yukon Territory, and in the adjoining parts of Alaska, at least as far west as Mount McKinley.
HABITS.—The Harlan's hawk is found in the McKinley region along the larger streams where trees of black cottonwood and spruce are found. Hawks of the species were first seen by us on May 24, 1926, in spruce timber near Savage River (fig. 6). On June 3, 1926, a pair of Harlan's hawks was found near this same place. They were perched in the very tops of large spruce trees and uttered the typical red-tailed hawk scream.
On July 19, 1926, a breeding pair of these birds was located at the south end of Wonder Lake. They were perched in a tall spruce beside their large bulky nest built of sticks. On July 27, George Wright collected an immature female Harlan's hawk, not long out of the nest, at Fish Creek on the lower Savage River. In 1932, a mated pair of Harlan's hawks was noted on June 4, 8, and 11, near the Igloo Creek cabin. Harlani is a regular breeding species in the Mount McKinley National Park.
All of the 15 hawks of the red-tailed type seen in the park both in 1926 and 1932 were of the dark harlani type; not a single light-colored bird was seen.
SWAINSON'S HAWK
Buteo swainsoni [BONAPARTE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A soaring hawk with broad, rather pointed wings. It is slightly smaller than the red-tailed hawk with slenderer, bare legs but never with a red tail. In the Swainson's hawk only the three outer wing feathers are notched. There is great color variation in this species, ranging from a very light color on the under parts to almost black. Length, 20 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—This species may be distinguished in the field from the rough-legged hawk by its lower legs which are bare, not feathered. The slender, lighter build and wing tips which are more pointed with only three notched primaries, instead of four, will distinguish it from the Harlan's hawk.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from the Mount McKinley region, Fort Yukon, and Great Slave Lake south through British Columbia and Manitoba to northern Mexico. In the McKinley region we only encountered it at Wonder Lake.
HABITS.—The only record that we have of this species for the region is of an adult, dark-colored female collected August 8, 1932, at Wonder Lake, where it sometimes breeds.
AMERICAN ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK
Buteo lagopus s. johannis [GMELIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large hawk about the size of the Harlan's hawk. Both light and dark phases occur in this species. The lower legs of the rough-legged hawk are feathered clear down to the base of the toes. When seen circling overhead, conspicuous white areas often show at the base of the tail and near the tip of each wing. Length, 22 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The white area at the base of the tail and on each wing, together with the fully feathered legs, distinguish it at once from all other large hawks of the region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from the Aleutian Islands along the Arctic coast of Alaska, to Victoria Island, Baffin Island, and Newfoundland. It was observed by us at the head of Savage River and at Copper Mountain.
HABITS.—We encountered this species first on June 18, 1926, near the head of Savage River. On that day, an American rough-legged hawk circled about a high cliff, returning several times. The white area at the base of the tail, with the terminal dark band, and the two other light areas, one near the tip of each wing, made identification easy.
On July 1, 1926, at Jenny Creek, five northern phalaropes were feeding busily in a small pond. They flew in precise military order upon our approach. Seeing the flying birds, a rough-legged hawk made a dart at one of the phalaropes but missed it and resumed his course low over the tundra. Only 10, 1926, another hawk of the species was observed hunting for mice along a grassy slope.
This hawk, like several other species, was not found in this same area in 1932. We therefore consider it an occasional rather than a regular summer visitor to the McKinley Region.
GOLDEN EAGLE
Aquila chrysaetos canadensis [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—The two largest hawklike birds found in the McKinley region are the golden and northern bald eagles. In this area, any bird of prey 30 inches or more in length and having a spread of more than 6 feet from tip to tip of the wings may safely be called an eagle. Length, 30 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The large size and general dark brown coloration, together with the long narrow wings; the massive bill, which is nearly as long as the head, and the legs, which are feathered to the toes, are all good field characters of the golden eagle. Some of the birds of this species have golden or even cream-colored heads and a similar light-colored area at the base of the tail, but the entire head and tail is never pure uniform white as in the adult bald eagle.
DISTRIBUTION.—The golden eagle inhabits the northern part of the northern hemisphere. In North America it is rare east of the Mississippi River, but in the mountains of the west, from the Mexican boundary to northern Alaska, it is still found well represented in suitable localities. This is the common breeding species of eagle in the McKinley region where it is widely distributed and relatively abundant.
HABITS.—The huge eagle nests composed of large and small interlaced sticks are interesting and characteristic features of the park. These nests are usually placed on the cliffs in selected niches that have a warm, southern exposure. Each pair of eagles has a well defined territory, or hunting ground, which in the McKinley region was found to cover an average area of about 10 square miles.
Sheldon noted golden eagles which were active about their nests, in the spring, as early as April 8. At Toklat, he found eggs in an eagle's nest on April 29; when he visited the nest a month later, the eggs had hatched.
On June 12, 1932, at Double Mountain, I found an eagle's nest that contained two downy eaglets about 1 week old. On July 15, I visited the nest again and found that it was occupied by a single eaglet. In 40 years of experience in studying the nesting of golden eagles I have found that although two eaglets are usually hatched, in many instances only one grows up. From experience which I have had with captive downy eaglets, I am inclined to believe that in the lively battles over food one of the eaglets may be driven to the rim of the nest and may even fall entirely out of it. In most instances it has been the larger, older eaglet that disappears from the nest about the time that the flight feathers begin to make their appearance. Close observation at the eagle's nest in July showed that at this stage of development the eaglets spend considerable time standing at the edge of the nest flapping and exercising their growing wings which often became unmanageable in sudden gusts of wind. Twice I saw one eaglet nearly blown out of the nest by an unexpected wind flurry. In each instance the bird saved itself by desperately clutching its talons into some solid stick that was tightly built into the nest. However, not all of the sticks forming the rim of a nest are solidly anchored and the finding of a dead eaglet and loose sticks at the base of the cliff below an eagle's nest leads us to believe that some of the more venturesome young fall from, or are blown out of, their nests by these sudden gusts of wind.
On July 17, 1926, we found that a pair of golden eaglets had just left their nest on a large cliff near the north end of Wonder Lake. This nest had been used regularly by a pair of eagles for several years.
At Stony Creek on July 11, we found an eagle's nest containing young. They could he heard calling a mile distant. The call of the golden eagle is not a scream, it is low pitched and resonant and carries a long way.
In the McKinley region the golden eagles depend primarily upon ground squirrels and hoary marmots for food. An incident observed on July 8, 1932, near the East Fork of the Toklat, suggests the possibility of foxes falling prey, at times, to the eagles. While we were returning from Stony Creek a very tattered adult red fox was observed crouching in the open beside the road; it was within a few feet of a galvanized iron culvert and was very loathe to run even when closely approached. At first we could not understand its tameness, but we were soon enlightened, for a golden eagle swooped down at the fox. A large male cross fox was found hiding nearby in the culvert. When we drove him out of it, he started off full speed down the open road, but he had gone less than a hundred yards when there was a sudden "hiss of wings" and the eagle shot down like a rocket and attempted to clasp the fox in its talons. The animal evaded the blow by jumping to one side just as the eagle struck. The moment the eagle attacked the second time, the fox fluffed out his tail and stuck it straight up over his back. It served as a protecting foil, attracting the eagle's blow so that the fox again escaped. The third attack of the eagle was frustrated by the fox diving into a narrow crack in the solid rock, under a large boulder, where we found him with just his nose sticking out. This fox was so fearful of the eagle that he allowed us to approach within 3 feet and even then we could not get him to risk the open again. Instead, he merely withdrew as far back as possible into the shallow, narrow crevice where we left him trembling, his eyes glowing like twin coals of fire.
Marmots are a favorite food of eagles. They proved to be the mammal most frequently brought to the young eagles in the nest that I watched at Double Mountain. On June 3, 1926, at Savage River, we watched a golden eagle circling high over a fat old marmot that was cautiously sneaking back to its den by a series of alternating short rapid runs and hidings in thick vegetation. The mere appearance of a golden eagle about a marmot den brings forth a series of sharp explosive whistles which warn every mammal within hearing distance that danger is near.
On the afternoon of August 26, 1932, while stalking mountain sheep with the camera, I climbed up a jagged crest and surprised a golden eagle that was perched on a rocky summit eating a male Alaska ptarmigan which it had just captured. The eagle had carefully plucked the feathers off the ptarmigan before eating the bird. Another eagle was seen in hot pursuit of a ptarmigan. The ptarmigan's wings were going like an electric fan, while the eagle's wings flapped only at a moderate speed. The ptarmigan soon became exhausted and was forced to drop for safety into a willow thicket. Had the willows been absent at the critical moment, the eagle would have secured a toothsome meal.
We have been unable to obtain any authenticated instance of eagles killing young caribou, I have no direct evidence that eagles capture young mountain sheep but certain observations indicate that eagles might, at times, pick up a few unguarded lambs. On May 25, 1908, near Toklat, Charles Sheldon witnessed an attack which he describes (1930, p. 366-7) as follows: "While watching through my field glasses, a golden eagle suddenly came over the crest and with wings extended, made a swoop at the ewes, coming within 3 feet of them. They jerked up their heads, trying to strike the eagle with their horns. . . . After this attack the ewes, keeping the lambs directly under them, watched alertly for 5 minutes for the reappearance of the eagle. . . . After another 5 minutes the eagle came soaring from behind them. But they quickly saw it and stood over their lambs. The heads of the ewes were held stiffly up, tipped a little to one side, ready to hook at the eagle, should it come too close. As it passed 15 feet above them it swooped somewhat indifferently, and quickly rose. . . . On June 7, 1908, Sheldon visited the eagle's nest at the forks of the Toklat and found "strips of skin and other remains of lambs" on the nearby rocks, showing that the eagle had been successful in his attack on sheep or had picked up carrion.
A careful study of four eagle nests all containing young was made in 1932, but I was never able to find any fresh remains of lambs in or below any of them. However, it should be stated that the lamb crop of 1932 was unusually poor. Sheldon states (1930, p. 383) that "after the lambs are over a month old they are seldom molested." Our experience in the region both in 1926 and in 1932 indicated that during these two seasons lambs were rarely taken by eagles, which were found to live chiefly upon ground squirrels and marmots.
It should not be assumed that the eagle is always king of the air. On July 21, 1926, near the East Fork of the Toklat, I watched a gyrfalcon actually drive an eagle away from a cliff where both the eagle and the falcon nested. On July 13, 1926, at Copper Mountain, an adult short-billed gull was observed to drive an eagle away from a pond in which a downy young gull was paddling.
On August 23, 1932, at Igloo Creek, I watched three magpies take a ground squirrel away from a golden eagle. When first seen the eagle was standing on the ground eating the squirrel which it had just captured; as the three magpies flew by, they spied him. Two of the magpies then took turns swooping down at the eagle's head. The moment the eagle was forced to relinquish his hold on the squirrel in order to combat the attack of these two magpies, the third magpie slipped in and grabbed the squirrel, carrying it off while the eagle's attention was distracted. Later all three magpies feasted peacefully on the squirrel which they had stolen from the eagle.
One of the outstanding avian citizens of Mount McKinley National Park, the golden eagle should be preserved as an integral part of the native fauna.
NORTHERN BALD EAGLE
Haliaeetus leucocephalus alascanus [TOWNSEND]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A very large dark brown, hawklike bird. The adult has a conspicuous white head, neck, and tail. This conspicuous white is lacking in the immature bird which is entirely dark colored, save for various lighter mottlings. Length, 33 inches.
DISTRIBUTION.—They are found chiefly along the seacoast, or more rarely near large lakes, in the northern half of North America.
IDENTIFICATION.—Because of its large size and its white head, neck, and tail, the adult bird is unmistakable. Both adult and young birds have yellow feet and the tarsus, or lower leg, is bare—not feathered to the toes as is the tarsus of the golden eagle. Immature bald eagles lack the light spot near the under tip of the wing and the light band near the tip of the tail, both of which characters are often present in immature golden eagles.
HABITS.—The northern bald eagle is a rare straggler in the park. On May 15, 1932, near Windy, I saw an adult white-headed eagle flying up the Nenana River in the direction of Broad Pass and the south side of the Alaska Range.
MARSH HAWK
Circus hudsonius [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A meadow-haunting hawk of medium size with long wings, long tail, and partly feathered eye ring—suggestive of an owl. Length, 19 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The adult male is light gray above and white below with black wing tips. The female is like the young birds except that it is paler with less red. The juvenile is reddish brown striped with lighter brown below. Both sexes in all plumages may be readily recognized by a broad white band at the base of the tail.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout Canada and the United States.
HABITS.—On June 1, 1926, a hawk of this species was seen flying along Savage River well within the boundaries of the park. It is a rare breeder in the area—this was the only one seen during the entire summer. Sheldon reports that marsh hawks were common on the Toklat, on August 20-21, 1907, where they had been attracted by the abundance of mice.
BLACK GYRFALCON
Falco rusticolus obsoletus [GMELIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—Largest of the true falcons, or "noble" hawks. In flight, falcons may be readily recognized by their long pointed wings and their direct bulletlike flight which is accomplished by quick strokes of the wings with relatively little sailing.
Another diagnostic feature of the falcons is the toothlike projection near the middle of each cutting edge of the upper half of the bill, which in all other hawks is sharp but even, not toothed. Gyrfalcons vary greatly in color, some being almost pure white, others nearly black. All of the gyrfalcons that we observed in the McKinley region ranged from gray to very dark gray. Length, 22 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The long pointed wings, rapid wing beats, and large size are all good field characters for gyrfalcons in flight. As, in our experience, the birds were nearly always in flight when observed, these characters proved most useful.
DISTRIBUTION.—Gyrfalcons inhabit the Arctic regions of both hemispheres. In North America they are found from the Alaska peninsula north to Point Barrow and east to Labrador. In the McKinley region in 1926, breeding pairs were found in Savage River Canyon and at Wonder Lake and Copper Mountain. In 1932, these same nesting sites were again visited and not a single gyrfalcon was present.
HABITS.—As previously indicated, gyrfalcons were nesting rather commonly in the McKinley region in 1926, when rabbits and ptarmigan were abundant. However, in 1932, when varying hares were at their periodic minimum and ptarmigan were just beginning to regain their former numbers, these large falcons were absent from their former nesting sites and not one bird of the species was seen during the entire summer. The pot holes in the cliffs, which had been used as nest sites, also showed that they had not nested there in 1931.
At Copper Mountain on July 20, 1926, we watched a family of four young gyrfalcons just out of the nest. They were flying about after their parents begging and calling loudly for food.
Another record of the presence of a pair of gyrfalcons in 1926 and their subsequent absence in 1932 was obtained from observations made in the Savage River Canyon. In 1926, a pair of gyrfalcons bred in this canyon and we watched them carrying ground squirrels and ptarmigan to their eyrie. During the summer of 1932, we visited the nest several times but the birds were absent.
It seems probable that the gyrfalcons have cycles of abundance, and the breeding birds move about over wide areas following closely upon the movements of rabbits, ptarmigan, and other small game upon which they subsist. In the future it will be interesting to check the years of abundance of rabbits and ptarmigans in the McKinley region and compare this abundance with the number of breeding pairs of gyrfalcons during the same period. It seems likely that the gyrfalcons will continue to be rare or wanting, in the McKinley area until such time as the rabbits and ptarmigan again become plentiful.
WESTERN PIGEON HAWK
Falco columbarius bendirei [SWANN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small falcon, similar in size and coloration to the sharp-shinned hawk but with more pointed wings and shorter tail. The general appearance is that of a diminutive duck hawk. The back of the adult male is slate-blue and the tail is barred with the same color. The under parts are white or cream and more or less heavily streaked with ochre or brown. Both the back and the tail of the female and juvenile are brown and the under parts are cream, or deep buff, heavily streaked with dark brown. Length, 10 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The pigeon hawk is a true falcon, shown by the "toothed" bill and pointed wings. It lacks the red on the wings and tail of the sparrow hawk which is the only other small falcon in the McKinley region.
DISTRIBUTION.—According to the fourth edition of the American Ornithologists' Union "Check List of North American Birds", the Western pigeon hawk is the form breeding in northwestern Alaska, Yukon, and northwestern Mackenzie.
A specimen of a male just acquiring the blue feathers of the adult bird was collected by George M. Wright on May 25, 1926, at Savage River. This is now specimen no. 49705 M. V. Z. in the bird collection of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Dr. Joseph Grinnell pronounced it as belonging clearly to the western form, namely, Falco columbarius bendirei.
HABITS.—Sheldon (1930, p. 401) states that he found the pigeon hawk a common summer resident and that it bred on the Toklat, and was first noted in the spring on May 27. On May 26, 1926, a family of three young Alaska jays were noted perched in the top of a dead spruce where they remained motionless and refused to fly as long as a pigeon hawk was present in that vicinity. Robins and other birds in the neighborhood uttered alarm and distress notes whenever the pigeon hawk appeared.
 Figure 20.—Young pigeon hawk in white natal down, with flight feathers developing on wings and tail. Photograph taken July 9, 1932 Igloo Creek. W. L. D. No. 2616. |
The crop contents of a family of young pigeon hawks, which were found and studied at Igloo Creek, consisted chiefly of Gambel's and tree sparrows and other passerine birds.
On the morning of July 7, 1932, a pigeon hawk was heard calling repeatedly in a grove of spruce trees near an old igloo. There were no dead trees with suitable cavities for a falcon nest site in this grove, but I felt certain from the solicitude of the adult female bird that she had a nest there, and after much searching, five downy pigeon hawks were located in a magpie nest in the thickly foliaged top of a spruce tree. These young falcons (fig. 20) were about half grown, with flight feathers emerging all along their wings and tails. The eyes of the young were bluish-black; the cere was greenish-yellow; and the feet were light yellow. These young falcons left the nest on July 11, as soon as they were able to climb about from branch to branch, but they remained in the top of the nest tree, or in other trees nearby, until July 23, at which time their flight feathers and wings were well enough developed so that they were able to fly about. They were never seen near the nest again.
The pigeon hawk nests regularly in the lower timbered areas in Mount McKinley National Park.
EASTERN SPARROW HAWK
Falco sparverius sparverius [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—Smallest representative of the falcon family. It is the only small hawk in the McKinley region that shows bold black and white facial markings in both sexes. Other distinctive markings of this species are the red back and tail of the male and the general rusty color of the female. Length, 10 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The red back, bold black and white facial markings, small size, long pointed wings, and the habit of hovering stationary on rapidly beating wings are all good field characters.
DISTRIBUTION.—It ranges across North America north to the limit of the trees, and is found breeding sparingly in the McKinley region at a low elevation along the larger streams.
HABITS.—Our first acquaintance with this species in the McKinley region was on May 19, 1926, when Wright saw a brightly colored male at Savage River. In 1932, I saw the species twice: on August 1, when a male bird of the year was collected at McKinley Park Station, and on August 14, at Moose Creek, when another male was observed perched in a dead cottonwood. It is a rare but regular breeder in this region.
ALASKA SPRUCE GROUSE
Canachites canadensis osgoodi [BISHOP]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small, dark-colored grouse known locally as spruce grouse or "fool" hen. The male is black, gray and white with a small red eye comb. The female is barred all around the body with the above colors, but with a large admixture of rusty brown. Length, 15 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Good characters for distinguishing this species are the small size, the dark coloration, the general black and white color of the male and the brownish female strongly banded all around the body.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in the interior of Alaska. In Mount McKinley Park, we found the Alaska spruce grouse was rare and restricted to the heaviest stands of spruce timber along the extreme northern boundary of the park.
HABITS.—The only individual of this species which we encountered in 1926 was an adult male (No. 8927 G. M. W.) which was discovered on July 27, at 1,600 feet elevation near the junction of Savage River and Fish Creek. It was on bare open ground amid the deepest part of the spruce forest. Park rangers reported that they usually see one or two spruce hens each year, but that they are always rare. Although especially sought for, John Anderson reported that he was able to find only one spruce grouse in 4 years (1926-30). However, the birds have increased. During the winter of 1931, the ranger stationed at the Kantishna Ranger Station, near Wonder Lake, reported them as being fairly common in the spruce woods there. At this same locality on August 8, 1932, I found a family consisting of a mother and her six nearly grown young, feeding in an open meadow beside a rambling brook, the course of which traversed the dense spruce woods. When alarmed, the mother flew up into a spruce tree and gave a series of warning, clucking notes. The young grouse flew in several directions perching in nearby spruce trees from whence they answered their mother's calls. All of these grouse sought shelter by perching well up in the trees under thick overhanging branches close to the main trunk where they were well hidden and extremely difficult to see.
From our observations and from data we have obtained, it seems that the periodic cycle of abundance in the spruce grouse occurs a season or two ahead of the peak of abundance in the willow ptarmigan. I am inclined to believe that the disease which produces a decrease in the numbers of the one may account for the periodic reduction in both species.
ALASKA PTARMIGAN
Lagopus lagopus alascensis [SWARTH]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A grouse slightly larger than the ruffed grouse of the eastern United States. It is white in winter; its general color is reddish brown in summer, with belly, legs, and flight feathers of wings white. The feet are feathered to the ends of the toes. It has an orange red erectile comb over the eye which is especially noticeable in the male birds. The females are smaller and more somber colored than the males. Length, 15 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—It is an Arctic grouse; throughout the year, its wing feathers are white and its tail feathers black When alarmed and flushed, the ptarmigan cocks fly up with rapid wing beats. As they fly off cackling hoarsely—sounds which remind one of an alarm clock running down—the white of their wings shows. During the summer, male ptarmigan, by their repeated crowing and cackling, often awaken park visitors at 1 or 2 o'clock in the morning.
DISTRIBUTION.—Ptarmigans breed in the northern parts of the northern hemisphere. The willow ptarmigan is the one species of ptarmigan to be encountered at lower elevations throughout the park, and individuals of this species are most numerous in willow thickets along streams. We found Savage River, just above the main transportation camp, an excellent place to discover and study them. This species is subject to great fluctuations in numbers from year to year. They may be abundant in a locality one season and almost entirely absent there after one or two unfavorable winters. Following a cyclic period of scarcity, ptarmigan were regaining their numbers in 1932.
HABITS.—The Alaska ptarmigan is an Arctic grouse which has the distinction of turning white in winter and brown in summer. The sight of this bird excites more interest on the part of the average visitor than any other bird in the park.
Since these birds do not occur in any of our other national parks, the opportunity to see and study them in Mount McKinley Park should not be overlooked. They may he found, if looked for, in willow thickets along the larger streams, and especially along the Savage and Sanctuary Rivers. The Alaska ptarmigan is primarily a bird of the lowlands and does not occur in any great numbers above timber line.
By early June, at which time visitors begin to arrive in the park, the male ptarmigan has already started to acquire its nuptial plumage. On May 24, at 6 o'clock in the evening, I heard a male ptarmigan "crow", and looking out from camp, I saw what appeared to be a lump of snow on the flattened crown of a spruce tree about 200 yards distant. However, the binoculars revealed that this supposed lump of snow was in fact the white body of a male ptarmigan. The nuptial plumage of the male consists of chestnut feathers on the head and neck, with a few brownish feathers interspersed among the feathers of the back. Aside from these changes, the body feathers are still pure white. The male ptarmigan, as soon as he acquires his wedding garb (fig. 21) begins gradually to assume the brown summer dress, which is worn for only a few weeks, since it is soon necessary for him again to change into the pure white plumage which is worn by him during the entire winter. It will thus be seen that the male ptarmigan spends a goodly portion of his time and energy during the summer changing his clothes.
Figure 21.—The cock Alaska ptarmigan
in nuptial plumage.
Photograph taken May 25, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5112.
The female ptarmigan is not burdened by so many changes. She molts directly from the white winter coat into a brown house dress or working suit (fig. 22) which she wears during the entire summer. There seems to be a perfectly good reason for the somber garb and Quakerlike dress of the female, because it is she who remains on the nest, incubating the eggs and protecting them from the prying eyes of numerous robbers. Later, this inconspicuous dress of the female is also very important when she is hovering and brooding her chicks.
Figure 22.—The mother Alaska ptarmigan
in her brown summer dress.
Photograph taken June 6, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5130.
By watching the male ptarmigan in the treetop we found that he was standing guard over his brooding mate, and, by waiting and watching, we discovered the hen ptarmigan when she slipped off her nest to feed. As soon as we started after the female, the male ptarmigan flew down from his perch and endeavored to decoy us away from her. The buffy brown hen fed hurriedly along, keeping in the depressions, with head, body, and tail all kept low to the ground. In contrast to this, the cock strutted about with neck and tail extended so as to attract as much attention as possible. We thought that by watching the hen we would be able to follow her back to her nest, but she eluded us. The next day we were on hand and had the privilege of witnessing the courtship of these very interesting birds. While the female was busily feeding, the cock ptarmigan spread his tail to the utmost, flexed his wings downward, and strutted in circles—just like a diminutive turkey gobbler—about his mate.
On May 21 a ptarmigan's nest was located near the transportation company's main camp. This nest was placed in a bunch of brush, right out in the open. It was merely a depression wallowed out in the soft, reddish moss, which covered the ground at this point and was almost the exact color of the female ptarmigan. Brooding ptarmigan are notoriously tame and confiding. This particular female allowed us to take pictures of her on the nest at arm's length, and we finally reached out and gently stroked her back; even then she did not seem to be in the least disturbed.
Ordinarily the mother ptarmigan left her nest at 6 o'clock in the morning to secure a hasty breakfast which, by following her about, we found consisted of succulent green willow leaves and an occasional insect. While the hen ptarmigan was off her nest we took occasion to examine it and found that there were nine eggs (fig. 23) slightly smaller than those laid by a bantam hen. However, the ptarmigan eggs were irregularly marked with dark brownish—almost black—lines and splotches. After her hurried breakfast, the female ptarmigan waded out into a shallow stream, where she drank thirstily. The hen ptarmigan did not dare remain long off her nest, because there were numerous robbers in the form of long-tailed jaegers and short-billed gulls which made a regular practice of seeking for and destroying the eggs of other birds. The male ptarmigan does not abandon his mate, but seems to realize that his garb is so conspicuous that if he remains too near the nest he will betray his mate and endanger their treasures in the nest. Consequently he retires to a little thicket, about 50 yards from the nest, where he occupies a roosting place on the ground which is well screened and hidden from view.
Figure 23.—The Alaska ptarmigan's
nest contained nine eggs.
Photograph taken June 1, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5148.
The thieving gulls usually work in pairs or trios. We watched them daily as they flew about, keeping within 5 or 6 feet of the ground, searching for nests and eggs. One day, the gulls found the ptarmigan nest we had been watching. The fact that we had molested the nest may have aided the gulls in finding it. Having located the eggs, they would have made short shrift of them, had it not been for the watchful, brooding female. They could not rob the nest directly, but first one and then another of the gulls would swoop down and try to crowd the hen ptarmigan over to one side of it so as to expose an egg. The third gull would then swoop in and try to secure the prized morsel. However, as soon as the female ptarmigan saw the gulls approaching, she uttered a peculiar cry for help. The cock ptarmigan at once flew to her assistance and, by flying directly into and knocking down the gulls, soon drove them away. It was interesting and gratifying to see how easily the cock ptarmigan was able to drive off the gulls.
The period of incubation, in this particular instance, was found to be between 24 and 25 days. Even though the gulls knew where this ptarmigan nest was located, the eggs were not destroyed. Eight out of the nine eggs hatched. The downy young chicks of the ptarmigan were very sturdy. They were able to walk soon after hatching, so that the entire brood left the nest 3 hours after the first egg had hatched. In general appearance the chicks resembled diminutive turkey chicks, and being streaked with brown blended so well with the vegetation that it was often difficult to count them when they squatted in the grass (fig. 24) at only arm's length from us.
Figure 24.—The eight Alaska ptarmigan
chicks are difficult to see, as the reader will find if he tries to count them.
Photograph taken June 15, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5140.
The mother ptarmigan brooded her chicks at regular and frequent intervals. She had a well-defined vocabulary which the chicks recognized and obeyed instantly. For example, when danger threatened, she uttered a warning note, a harsh "ke-ouk—ke-ouk." When the chicks were all safely brooded under her, she gave a soft, purring, "hush-a-bye" note which reminded us very much of that given by a domestic hen under similar circumstances. The cock was usually silent, but gave a hoarse, throaty "c-o-a-k", repeated several times in succession, whenever danger threatened.
The chicks were exceedingly active, running about, often leading their parents in their search for small insects and bugs, which were found to comprise more than 95 percent of their food.
The male ptarmigan accompanied his mate and helped in the care of the chicks, although he did not brood or hover them. The solicitude of the cock ptarmigan for his chicks is well known. We have been told of an instance in which a bull caribou had stumbled onto a ptarmigan brood and been put to flight by the onslaught of the enraged male ptarmigan. In another instance a large grizzly bear was reported to have been driven away from a brood of young ptarmigan in a similar manner. We were skeptical of such stories, until, on June 23, I came across a hen ptarmigan with her brood of small young. Wishing to make a close examination of one of the chicks, I rushed forward to grab one. Just as I reached over, a willow bush in front of me "exploded" and the male ptarmigan flew directly into my face, knocking my glasses to one side as he slapped my face with his beating wings. The bird then dropped to the ground, but returned immediately for a second attack, flying directly into my face. But this time I was ready for him, and succeeded in capturing him with my bare hands. I took the bird back to camp—which was nearby—photographed him, and then returned him to his family. Much to my surprise, when turned loose he wanted to fight again. I thought that such a valiant bird should be perpetuated, and I therefore backed off and left him in command of the field (fig. 25).
Figure 25.—We left the valiant male
Alaska ptarmigan in full command of the field.
Photograph taken June 6, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5117.
KELLOGG'S PTARMIGAN
Lagopus rupestris kelloggae [GRINNELL]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A ptarmigan or Arctic grouse of medium size with a slim body and black tail feathers. In winter, white except for black tail and distinct black stripe extending from the base of the bill through and behind the eye. In summer, brown and grey with grey tones predominating; distinctly barred. The legs are feathered to the toes. Length, 13 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The Kellogg rock ptarmigan is smaller than the Alaska ptarmigan and larger than the white-tailed ptarmigan. The black tail separates it from the white-tailed ptarmigan at all seasons. In winter, the black stripe through the eye is distinctive. It may he distinguished from the Alaska ptarmigan in summer by the smaller size, proportionately smaller bill, greyer color, and a darkish spot in front of the eye.
DISTRIBUTION.—The rock ptarmigan is more Arctic in its distribution than either the Alaska or the white-tailed ptarmigan; it is found in northern North America and Greenland. In Mount McKinley National Park we found the summer home of this species to be the rocky shoulders of the mountain.
HABITS.—It was our experience, both in 1926 and in 1932, to find rock ptarmigan in the summer breeding at middle altitudes in the McKinley region, usually around 4,000 feet elevations.
We saw this species first in 1926 on May 20, at an altitude of 3,800 feet, on a rocky ridge near Savage River. The male of the pair was decidely conspicuous, both on the brown tundra and on the gray granite rocks. At a distance, he appeared to be entirely white, especially as he stood on the crest of a ridge. We approached within 50 feet of the bird; then we could see that a few brown feathers were appearing on his head and neck. The female of this pair was much more completely in the brown summer plumage at the time. She remained well hidden in the dwarf alpine willows. We visited the pair again on May 26; the female was very nervous and kept up a continual "clucking"; at times, when closely approached, she gave a low warning "whine", which is quite different from the warning note of the female Alaska ptarmigan.
On May 27, 1926, we found a male ptarmigan standing guard on top of a rock pile, just above the refuge of two hoary marmots and a collared pika. It was our experience that there was a mutual advantage thus gained by these three species, since any one of the three upon sensing danger would sound an alarm. Although this alarm probably was intended only for their own kin, it was nevertheless a warning many times to the other species as well.
On June 24, 1926, two male rock ptarmigan were found hiding in a patch of dwarf willow high up on a rocky ridge near the head of Savage River. In 1932, I found that rock ptarmigan were entirely absent from the areas near Savage River where we had found them repeatedly in 1926.
On June 30, 1932, high up on the south side of Sable Pass, we found a male and two females feeding together. They were out in the open. The two females were in complete summer plumage while the male was still more than half white. The male kept trying to lead us away from the females. A pair of Pacific golden plover and two pairs of Baird's sandpipers were found near these rock ptarmigan; the breeding condition of the specimens which we collected indicated that all three species were nesting on the dry, gray rocky tundra nearby.
On July 8, 1932, at Stony Hill, in a high pass, two families of young rock ptarmigan, which were barely able to fly, were encountered feeding with their parents along the edge of the wet tundra. A downy male chick was collected.
In both 1926 and 1932 ten Alaska ptarmigan were seen to one rock ptarmigan. This, in our experience, is a fair expression of the relative abundance of these two species in the McKinley region.
KENAI WHITE-TAILED PTARMIGAN
Lagopus leucurus peninsularis [CHAPMAN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small grouselike bird. The toes are feathered to the base of the toenails. It is white all over in winter and is gray above and soiled white beneath in summer. Length, 12.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—It is the smallest of the three species of ptarmigan. The tail feathers are white instead of black as are the tail feathers of the rock and of the Alaska ptarmigan.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in the mountains of northern North America, both in Alaska and in Canada. In the park, we found these birds, during the summer months, high up on the mountain tops, at Copper Mountain and at the head of Savage River. When seen they were always on barren rocky ground near snowslides.
HABITS.—On June 27, 1926, while we were wading up an icy streamlet near the very headwaters of Savage River, Mr. Wright discovered a male white-tailed ptarmigan standing motionless on a snowslide within 15 feet of us. Realizing that he was discovered the ptarmigan ran across the snowslide, but as soon as he reached a gravel bar he stopped and again tried to hide by remaining motionless. The dark barring on the back of this bird blended so well with the surroundings that he was effectively concealed except when he stretched his neck in order to get a better view of the intruders. A few yards farther on we found another male bird of the same species, also near a snowslide. Neither of these cock white-tailed ptarmigan made any noise when alarmed, as do male rock and Alaska ptarmigan. They both tried to escape by running instead of by flying. One of the birds hid for a few minutes in the shadow of a rock.
On July 14, 1926, we climbed to the summit of one of the lower peaks near Copper Mountain. A short distance from the summit, at an elevation of 5,000 feet, we found a solitary male white-tailed ptarmigan amidst broken rock at a point well above the limit of plant life.
In 1932, not a single bird of the species could be found in the McKinley region although I hunted in many suitable places for them. It would seem that the species is rare in this vicinity, since during the nesting season of 1926 only 1 adult white-tailed ptarmigan was seen, to at least 100 Alaska and 10 Kellogg's ptarmigan.
LITTLE BROWN CRANE
Crus canadensis canadensis [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large cranelike bird of dull, uniform brownish color with long legs and a long neck. It is without any plume or crest on the head. The forehead and crown are covered with a thin growth of red hairlike feathers. Length, 35.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The rolling call note, the tall erect form, the red crown and, in flight, the long fully extended neck and legs are all good characters of this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—The little brown crane belongs to a northern race breeding along the Arctic coasts of North America and Siberia.
HABITS—Little brown cranes pass through the McKinley region each spring and fall. The earliest spring arrivals were noted at Wonder Lake on May 15, 1927, at 2 p. m., by Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson. The fall migration was recorded at Wonder Lake in 1928 as follows: September 1, first flock of 120 cranes were noted flying south at 3 p. m. September 2, at 6 p. m., approximately 300 cranes were flying south. The crane migration peak was reached on September 9, when about 4,000 cranes were seen—the flocks were flying south all day. On September 10, about 1,000 cranes were counted; the migration continued through the 13th and the 15th—approximately 500 being noted each day. The last flock of 28 cranes flew south over Wonder Lake at 2 p. m. on September 26.
In 1932, I noted the first fall migration on the evening of August 31, when I noted a flock of more than 200 little brown cranes flying eastward. The migrating cranes formed two rounded waving lines—the formation was not sharply V-shaped as it is in geese migrations. I could distinctly hear the loud rolling call notes of the clamoring cranes. This flight followed the first good snowstorm of the fall when the weather was clear but cold.
SEMIPALMATED PLOVER
Charadrius semipalmatus [BONAPARTE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A very small plover, similar to the killdeer but much smaller and having one, instead of two, black breast bands (fig. 26) It lacks the characteristic rust color of the killdeer's rump and tail. The legs and the base of the bill are warm yellow. The tip of the bill is black. The trim little body of this plover is white below and brownish-gray above. Length, 6.7 inches.
Figure 26.—
The semipalmated plover has but one black neck band and is smaller than
the killdeer.
Photograph taken June 2, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5079.
IDENTIFICATION.—The smaller size, single black breast band, and white forehead are sufficient to distinguish this species from all other wading birds which breed in the Mount McKinley district.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout North and South America. It breeds across the Arctic and sub-Arctic portions of North America. In McKinley Park these birds are common summer residents along the gravel bars which are so characteristic of the larger rivers of the region.
HABITS.—Semipalmated plovers were first noted by us on May 21, 1926; a pair engaged in an ardent courtship was noted along a thawing gravel bar on Savage River. On this date, deep snowbanks still lay in many places on the river bars. On June 2, we found two plover nests on open gravel bars within 30 yards of Savage River. Both nests were on dry ground where the rocks were small and so numerous as to cover most of the surface of the ground. One nest was located beside a small pile of driftwood, while the other was located right amid the bare rocks (fig. 27) with only a few rootlets and small bits of driftwood to cushion the eggs from the hard rocks upon which they lay.
Figure 27.—This nest containing
eggs of the semipalmated plover was found out in the open amid the
bare rocks.
Photograph taken June 2, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5074.
At first we supposed that the bird on the nest and the one most concerned about the safety of the eggs must be the female, but close observation proved that it was the male bird. The sexes in this species are said to have similar plumage and to be alike in external appearance. However, we found that on the nesting ground the male can be distinguished at close range, for he has a wide black band across the upper portion of his forehead; although the female has a similar band, it is narrower and browner than her mate's.
The male was flushed from the nest and in three out of four observed instances it was the male that was incubating the eggs. In nearly every case the bird on the nest would leave it while we were still 50 or 60 yards distant, and we found it advisable to retire to a greater distance and watch binoculars, in order to locate the nest as the bird returned to resume the duties of incubation. When the male was flushed from the nest, in nearly every instance if we stayed near the nest he would return at once and, coming up to within 6 or 8 feet of us, would spread his wings and tail and crawl off along the ground as though badly injured. Sometimes he would lie flat on the ground and flap his wings as if in mortal agony. A plaintive cheeping accompanied this ruse, to attract our attention and to draw us away from the nest and eggs. If we remained stationary, he would crawl off a few feet and then look back over his shoulder to see if his ruse was successful. If we made any attempt to follow the bird, he would flutter along feebly until 50 or 60 yards distant from the nest. Then he would get up and run along until he had led us about 200 yards from it. Having thus decoyed us away, he would leave us behind and circle back to his nest. On June 6, when frightened from the nest, the male plover was very solicitous. Failing to decoy us away with his regular tactics, he circled around and ran by the nest to see if all was well, yet he never stopped near it, and he pretended not to see it at all.
On June 18, we found a pair of semipalmated plovers with a brood of 4 day-old downy chicks. Whenever we approached, the parents gave a warning cry to their chicks. Upon hearing this alarm note the youngsters, with one exception, crouched motionless and flat on the gravel with their heads and necks extended. Their gray fuzzy backs blended so well with the gray gravel upon which they lay that, as long as they remained motionless, we were able to find them only by the most diligent search. The one bold chick would not heed his father's command to hide, but kept running about along the water's edge picking up small insects and other bits of food. Even when we walked up to within 20 feet of him he made no attempt to hide but sought safety by running away. Seeing the danger that the chick was thus bringing upon himself, the father plover was almost beside himself with anxiety. When the young plover insisted on running about in spite of repeated warnings from his parent, his father flew directly at the chick, knocked it off its feet, rolling it over and over on the sand; then, when it refused to lie still, the parent pecked the unruly chick on the head until it stretched out its neck and remained still and motionless. However, this chick was a restless soul and would not stay quiet for more than a minute or two at a time. Soon, seeing no intimate threat of danger, he jumped up and started running about in search of food. The danger of such disobedience to his parent's warnings was better understood as we watched the numerous gulls and jaegers that were continually flying about over this territory, keeping a constant watch for such chicks, which they gobbled up whenever found.
This day-old plover chick was able to run about when he was only 12 hours out of the egg. When on land, the chick appeared to be largely feet and legs. Its feet were nearly as large as the feet of its parents and proved to be exceedingly useful, for by the aid of them the downy youngster was able to run tirelessly over the rough gravel as fast as a man could walk. In one instance we tried briskly to "walk" a day-old chick down and found that after 20 minutes the chick was still going much stronger than we were. The large feet also enabled this chick to walk over soft mud (fig. 28)—a bird with small feet would have gotten stuck in the mud. Then, too, we found that when he was cornered, he did not hesitate to strike out and swim boldly across a 10-foot channel of rough water. In the rough water the chick bobbed about like a cork but, with the aid of his large feet, he was able to swim against a fairly swift current.
Figure 28.—The large feet of this
semipalmated plover chick enable it to walk and run safely over soft mud.
Photograph taken June 18, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5088.
On July 9 we found a family of four half-grown semipalmated plovers on the Sanctuary River. These young plovers ran ahead of us along the river bar and were able to run and dodge with great adroitness, so that it was only with difficulty that we succeeded in capturing two of them. In the two specimens captured the natal down was replaced largely by the juvenile plumage.
We have been told by residents of the district that the plovers are among the earliest fall migrants to leave the McKinley region. The first arrivals from the south were noted at Wonder Lake by John and Paula Anderson, in the spring of 1929, on May 14. I found this plover just about as numerous in 1932 as in 1926. There appears to be little seasonal variation in this rather common species.
PACIFIC GOLDEN PLOVER
Pluvialis dominica fulva [GMELIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A typical wading bird about the size of a killdeer, but chunkier. In summer the throat, the chin, the top of the head and upper parts of the adults are black with a distinct white band extending across the forehead, and the back along the side of the head above the eye and down the side of the neck. The back is speckled with numerous fine spots of golden yellow. Length, 10.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The golden flecking on the upper parts distinguishes the golden plover from the black-bellied plover, which is the only other species of plover with black under parts in Alaska. The short black bill distinguishes it from other plovers of the McKinley region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout North and South America. It breeds sparingly in the Mount McKinley region and along the Arctic Coast of Alaska. It was found by us at Copper Mountain on the Sanctuary-Savage River divide, and at Sable Pass.
HABITS.—On June 16, 1926, we encountered a pair of golden plovers on a barren gravel ridge near the summit of the Sanctuary-Savage River divide. They returned repeatedly to one locality, calling and showing great solicitude. The female of this pair was collected as a specimen and examination showed that she would have laid an egg within 5 or 6 days. Everything indicated that they would have nested right where we found them.
On July 11, we found two pairs of golden plovers in one of the mountain passes near Copper Mountain. One of these pairs of parent birds dragged over the tundra pretending to have broken wings; they gave every indication of having a brood of downy chicks nearby, but though we retired to a distance and watched with binoculars the chicks always eluded us.
On July 13, at Copper Mountain, a male golden plover kept up a continual outcry whenever we went near a certain patch of fireweed. It was obvious from his actions that there were young nearby but the parent was always on the alert and gave his offspring warning of our every move in their direction, thereby enabling them to hide even more surely and successfully.
At Sable Pass, on July 18, 1932, I found a pair of breeding golden plovers high up on a field of dry rocky tundra where, judging from their actions, the birds had small downy young hidden nearby.
We found about the same number of these plovers present in 1932 as were there in 1926, and we believe that the species is a rather rare though regular breeder in the McKinley region.
SURFBIRD
Aphriza virgata [GMELIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A shore bird, about the size of our common killdeer plover but chunkier. In summer it is brownish on the back and top of the head; the under parts are white, with triangular, bold, black markings; the feet are yellowish, and the bill is olive-colored. Length, 9.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The species may be recognized as a plump, grayish bird, with a white bar across the wing and a broad white patch at the base of the tail, which is conspicuous when the bird takes flight.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed along the Pacific coast of North and South America. It breeds high up on the mountains of central Alaska. This bird may be looked for on bare, rocky ridges, well above timber line. It has been observed at the head of Savage River and at various places near the crest of the northern, or secondary, range. It is only a summer resident of the park, spending the winter in southern South America.
HABITS.—The surfbird was found by us nesting in the park in May 1926. The nest was discovered by George M. Wright on May 28. Previous to to this its nest and eggs were unknown, although the downy young had been collected above timber line in the mountains of interior Alaska. The nest was 1,000 feet above timber line, on a rocky ridge, with a south exposure, so that it and its surroundings were free from snow, although extensive snowbanks were found nearby.
The nest was placed in a slight natural depression, entirely out in the open, without the least concealment. It was within 12 inches of a well travelled trail of the Alaska mountain sheep. The nest was not fabricated; the eggs were deposited on a slight lining of dry leaves and a few bits of lichen and caribou moss. The four eggs were of a buff color and were well marked with bay-colored spots (fig. 29). The nest was discovered through Wright's flushing the male bird directly from the nest. Although we kept watch during the entire night and a part of the following day, we found that only the male bird incubated the eggs. During this entire time he did not leave unless we forced him off; then he returned and covered the eggs within a few minutes, seemingly realizing that if they were left for any length of time they would become chilled and would not hatch. When it began to snow and rain, the male bird merely fluffed out his feathers over the eggs, so that the moisture ran off and was absorbed by the mossy covering surrounding the nest.
Figure 29.—The surfbird's nest with
its four eggs was found in a slight depression entirely out in the open.
Photograph taken May 29, 1926, McKinley region. M. V. Z. No. 5210.
During the entire time that we watched, no female surfbird put in an appearance. All of the males secured for specimens had bare patches on the lower portions of their breasts. Such incubation patches show conclusively that it is the male bird who attends to the domestic duties of the household. This seems to be especially certain since none of the females which we collected had any sign of incubation patches. Furthermore, the females were all fat and in good flesh, whereas the males were uniformly lean or emaciated.
While we were watching the nest, a female mountain sheep appeared out of the mist and walked directly toward the surfbird nest. Just as she was about to step on it, the surfbird suddenly flew directly up into her face. The unexpected attack, the sudden noise, and the flash of white on the bird's wings and tail caused the startled sheep to jump back. By repeated observation and experiment, we found that this was the regular method that the surfbird employed to protect its eggs from being trampled on by numerous mountain sheep and caribou grazing daily all around the nest. Even when a person approached the nest, the bird would remain on it until the last moment and then, instead of sneaking off, would fly directly up into the intruder's face. Although we knew what to expect, we were always startled by the suddenness of the attack. After flushing it from the nest, the bird would run off a little way to one side, usually to a distance of about 10 feet. Here he would perch on a rock, fluffing out his feathers like a sitting hen, and uttering a low call, "tee-tee-teet!" The call would be repeated several times, with a slight pause between calls. If we started in pursuit of the bird, he would lead us carefully away from the nest, and then as soon as he had decoyed us away to a safe distance, he would fly directly back to the eggs. If, on the other hand, we remained at a distance and stood still, instead of approaching him, he would not bother to distract us further but would hustle back. In approaching the nest, the bird was very careful not to step on the eggs. He would run up to them and after inspecting them would reach out with his bill and turn them about (fig. 30); then he would squat at the edge of the nest, fluff out the feathers on his breast, and slide gently forward until the eggs were completely covered.
Figure 30.—Male surfbird inspecting
the eggs upon returning to his nest.
Photograph taken May 29, 1926, Mount McKinley district. M. V. Z. No. 5213
The summer diet of the surfbird was found to consist almost entirely of insects, which the bird captured by active chase among the bare, broken rocks. Thus, we found that the food of the surfbird in summer varied greatly from that which the bird obtains along the seashore in winter, when mollusks, barnacles, and other sea foods are eaten.
The surfbirds were usually encountered at the base of some rugged cliff which was often inhabited by mountain sheep (fig. 3). We also found that the surfbirds were closely associated with a small, white-blossomed plant, Dryas octopetala (fig. 31), which grew abundantly along the slopes just above timber line.
Figure 31.—The "surfbird" plant,
Dryas octopetala, in flower.
Photograph taken June 17, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 4993.
During the entire 72 days which we spent in the park, in 1926, we encountered surfbirds only seven times, and many days were spent in good territory in search of them without discovering a single bird. May 30, 1932, I found that due to the heavy snowfalls during a long hard winter, snowbanks several feet thick still covered much of the area where we had found surfbirds regularly during the latter part of May 1926. Snow conditions and fresh falls of snow continued through the early summer—as much as 6 inches of snow falling at 4,000 feet on June 16, 1932, in the typical surfbird habitat. Although repeated visits were made to the identical places where we had found these birds regularly present in 1926, possibly as a result of this unusual snow condition, not a single surfbird could be found in the entire area. The severe late spring snowstorms, occurring as they did, made it difficult for surfbirds to nest successfully in this area. It is our opinion that in 1932 these birds nested at lower elevations farther in the interior where the snowfall was less and spring came much earlier than it did in Mount McKinley National Park.
Our experience would indicate that during favorable, early, warm summers, surfbirds nest in limited numbers in McKinley Park but that during late, cold summers they may be absent there.
There are many hundreds of square miles of territory along the northern, or interior, slope of the Alaska Range in the McKinley district which are suitable for surfbirds during the breeding season. It is therefore reasonable to believe that there are isolated pairs of nesting surfbirds scattered at intervals over this territory.
For a detailed account of this discovery, see The Surfbird's Secret by Joseph S. Dixon, published in The Condor, Vol. XXIX, pp. 3-16, January 1927.
WILSON'S SNIPE
Capella delicata [ORD]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A medium sized, brown, meadow inhabiting bird. It has a large dark eye and a boldly streaked head. Its long slender flexible bill is slightly enlarged and is sensitive at the tip. Length, 11.2 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The long bill, the reddish tail, the corkscrew flight leading to and from its wet meadow habitat; its harsh rasping alarm note—these are all good field characters for this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds across the continent in suitable wet meadow habitat. In the McKinley region it is found in wet meadows along the larger rivers.
HABITS.—The Wilson's or Jack snipe is an excellent example of concealing coloration. So well does its plumage blend with the surrounding vegetation that the bird may be almost stepped on before being seen. The first spring arrival of this species was noted as early as May 14. Late in June 1932, a nest and four eggs of the Wilson's snipe were discovered by a ranger near Igloo Creek. The bird is a rather common but inconspicuous summer resident in the McKinley region.
HUDSONIAN CURLEW
Phaeopus hudsonicus [LATHAM]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A very large shore bird of general buff color, with a long, curved bill. It is faded brown above mixed with buffy below, and it has a decided light stripe running from the base of the bill along the side of the head above and behind the eye. Length, 17 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The long curved bill, the large size, brownish color, whitish stripe on the side of the head (fig. 32), and the loud, nerve-racking cries of the birds when their home territory is invaded, all serve to distinguish this species.
Figure 32.—
The Hudsonian curlew is a large grayish brown bird with a long
curved bill and a white stripe on the side of the head above the eye.
Photograph taken July 13, 1926, Copper Mountain. M. V. Z. No. 4977.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout North and South America. It breeds in northwestern Alaska and in northern Canada; and it is found breeding in fair numbers on wet tundra areas in the higher passes of the Mount McKinley region between Savage River and Copper Mountain.
HABITS.—On June 16, 1926, we found three breeding pairs of Hudsonian curlews on a wet meadow on the divide between the Sanctuary and Savage Rivers. Nesting in the same meadow were two pairs of long-tailed jaegers. In several other places we found these two species closely associated during the nesting season. The curlews are excellent watchmen and detect an intruder while he is yet a long way off. They inform the entire neighborhood, by their outcry, whenever they see danger in any form approaching. On the other hand, the jaegers act as a police patrol and drive away any caribou, gull, or other intruder which they find invading the common nesting ground. There appears to be no friction between the jaegers and the curlews and our own experience confirmed the statements of persons who live in the region, namely, that the Hudsonian curlews and long-tailed jaegers in this region are always found nesting near each other on boggy patches of wet tundra. An adult female (No. 8789 J. D.) in breeding condition was collected by us on June 16, and on June 24 another female (No. 11 G. M. W.) with well-marked incubation patches on her breast was collected by Mr. Wright.
On July 13, at Muldrow Glacier near Copper Mountain, a female Hudsonian curlew with chicks about the size of a spotted sandpiper, kept trying to decoy us away from her offspring by spreading her tail and wing and then sneaking off through the fireweeds as if crippled. Although we saw the young curlews several times, they always eluded capture by cleverly concealing themselves in clumps of this fireweed. We watched the parent curlew as it fed amid the blossoming plants and found that, instead of foraging along the water's edge, as we had expected, the bird stalked and captured large bumble bees that visited certain large purple-red blossoms. At first we could scarcely believe our eyes when we watched with binoculars and saw a curlew slip up and deftly pick insects out of the flowers. The birds held the larger flies and bees in the tip of their bills; then before swallowing the insects they banged them against the ground until they were killed and broken. The smaller insects were gulped down whole as captured and without ceremony.
In 1927, the first curlews were seen at Wonder Lake on May 11, at 2 p. m. There were about 50 birds in the flock. In 1932, curlews were found in about the same numbers and at the same places that they were found in 1926. These birds occur commonly and are regular breeders in the McKinley region.
UPLAND PLOVER
Bartramia longicauda [BECHSTEIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A buff-colored wading bird slightly larger than a killdeer. The bill is short, about the length of the head. Length, 11.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The Hudsonian curlew is the only bird in McKinley Park which is liable to be confused with the upland plover. They are sometimes found near each other, but the upland plover has a short bill and is decidedly smaller than the curlew; and the upland plover has a habit of alighting in treetops, which we have never known the curlew to do.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout North and South America. It breeds from Oregon north to northwestern Alaska. In McKinley Park they were found by us on the McKinley River bar, below Muldrow Glacier, and in Polychrome Pass. This species is partial to the drier meadows and gravel bars.
HABITS.—On July 16, 1926, on an open gravel bar beside McKinley River, we saw a bird which at first sight we took to be a curlew, because of the manner in which it hurried out to greet us. The excited call notes of the bird were also very curlewlike, but this bird perched in the top of a dead cottonwood, which was not characteristic of the curlew. By the aid of the binoculars we could see that the bill of the bird was short and straight, not long and curved downward at the tip, as is the curlew's bill. The side of the bird's head was a light tan color which, together with the large dark eye, gave the bird a ghostlike appearance. In flight, the bird flapped its wings rapidly and then soared on set piñons, just as does the male mourning dove during the mating season.
Three pairs, all apparently breeding, were encountered between Muldrow Glacier and Wonder Lake. Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson collected the eggs and a parent bird of this species and sent them to the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology.
On July 21, 1926, in Polychrome Pass, we found a pair of upland plovers fluttering about. They were trying with their cries and contortions to distract our attention from the young which were dodging about in the grass eluding capture.
On July 16, 1932, I found several pairs of upland plovers along the Toklat River upon the open flats, near Charles Sheldon's old cabin. Sheldon's experience and our own observations indicate that the upland plover breeds regularly, though in rather limited numbers, in the McKinley region.
SPOTTED SANDPIPER
Actitis macularia [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A typical wading bird about the size of a robin. The upper surface, including the tail, is olive brown with a faint greenish lustre. The under parts of the body are white, sprinkled everywhere with rounded brownish black spots. Length, 7.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.— The small size, the conspicuous round blackish spots on its white breast and its habit of teetering at frequent intervals—these are all characters and habits which distinguish the species.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout North and South America. It breeds over most of northern North America. and it is found in McKinley Park breeding on Savage River at 2,800 feet elevation. It is not common in the park.
HABITS.—On June 3,1926, Wright watched 5 spotted sandpipers which were busy at love-making. He recorded that a male passing or catching up with a feeding female would hover 10 to 15 feet above and directly over her and then drop slowly to the ground beside her, only for her to lead him a merry chase by running off ahead of him. At other times the male would fly away for a few feet, then alight and strut back to the female with his breast feathers puffed out and his wings slightly drooped. These courtship displays were accompanied by a series of frequently repeated notes, "tsweet, tsweet, tsnet, tsne." On June 24, 1926, near this same spot Mr. Wright found a nest of the spotted sandpiper containing three well-incubated eggs. The parent bird returned to the nest as soon as Mr. Wright hid at a distance. During the next hour the same bird returned to the nest several times and was flushed from it several times. When collected, just as it left the nest, this bird proved to be the male and not the female.
WESTERN SOLITARY SANDPIPER
Tringa solitaria cinnamomea [BREWSTER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A dark slender wader, slightly larger than the common spotted sandpiper. The bill is slender and slightly longer than the bird's head. The wings are black. The long slender toes and legs are olive green. Length, 8.4 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—It may be identified by the barred axillar feathers under the wing; too, it lacks the white bars on the wing that are conspicuous in the spotted sandpiper when in flight. Another good field character of this species is its solitary habit.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout North and South America. It breeds in Alaska and adjacent areas, chiefly west of the Rocky Mountains. It was noted by us in the McKinley region at Igloo Creek, where a breeding bird was collected July 26, 1932, and at Wonder Lake on August 9, 1932, when a bird of the year was taken.
HABITS.—The Western solitary sandpiper was found to be a rare but breeding species in the McKinley region. Although special watch was kept for it in its favorite haunts, about small quiet ponds in deep woods, only two individuals rewarded our search.
WANDERING TATTLER
Heteroscelus incanus [GMELIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A medium sized gray wading bird; plain slate above, from head to end of tail; under parts white crossed by irregular slate gray bars. The throat is white, finely speckled with gray; the bill is black and slender, and it is as long, or longer, than the head. Length, 10.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The heavy gray barring on the under parts of the wandering tattler and the plain slate back are diagnostic. These birds are very noisy during late June and July. Frequently when an intruder approaches they fly toward him with a loud noise of alarm and often perch on the tops of willows, scolding vigorously.
DISTRIBUTION.—It inhabits the rocky islands and shores of the Pacific in North and South America. This is a purely maritime species except during the breeding season. It breeds in the interior of Alaska along the eastern flank of the Alaska Range. In McKinley Park it is found in summer along the rocky stream beds, especially near the upper portions and the headwaters of streams. Savage River, Igloo Creek, and Sanctuary River are favorite haunts of this rare species.
HABITS.—The wandering tattler has been found nesting only in the Mount McKinley National Park. It is, therefore, worth making an effort to see this species on its breeding ground. The tattler and the surfbird are the elite in Alaskan bird society. Several pairs of tattlers are to be found in summer along the upper portion of the Savage River.
Generally speaking, the birds are to be found foraging along the water's edge, particularly where the stream flows swiftly, and the streambed is composed of fair-sized cobblestones. The slatish color of the back of the bird blends surprisingly well with the rocky background (fig. 33). A person may be within 20 or 30 feet of a tattler and still not notice the bird. They seemed to be aware of the fact that they were practically invisible so long as they stood stock still, and they often remained motionless and let us pass within a few yards of them.
Figure 33.—The slate color of the
wandering tattler (center) blends so well with the rocky background that
a person can walk within a few feet of the bird without seeing it.
Photograph taken May 24, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5270.
In foraging, the tattlers would thrust their bills down, keeping their heads in a nearly vertical position, feeling around under the water about the edges of the larger pebbles and stones. In shallow water we could see the smaller pebbles, those about the size of marbles, move as the birds worked around them and under them with their bills, searching for certain fresh-water slugs and aquatic insects. On one occasion, where the water was 4 inches deep, the bird's whole head and part of the neck were immersed for as long as 10 seconds at a time. On May 21, while we observed them, one of the birds waded out into a pool of water until it got beyond wading depth. Instead of trying to fly across to the other side of the pool, this bird just sat down in the water and swam across, paddling vigorously with its feet, in true duck fashion.
The tattlers are noisy birds when flushed, particularly when they have young, but during the period of incubation they are remarkably quiet and secretive. The male bird usually stands on guard. He gives a warning to his mate of the approach of enemies, and this warning enables the brooding female to sneak off the inconspicuous nest, unobserved, while enemies are still at some distance. The eggs are spotted and colored in such a manner as to blend with the background, rendering them, too, difficult of detection, even when a person is standing almost over them.
The nesting sites are located on open, gravelly bars, where the accumulated rocks are about the size of cantaloupes. The nest itself is merely a depression, wallowed out by the bird, between small boulders. A scant lining of interwoven willow rootlets cradles the eggs and keeps them from coming in direct contact with the broken, sharp edges of the rocks.
On May 24, a male tattler began to scold as soon as we came near him. Then he flew around us on a tour of investigation, finally alighting, as is their usual way, in the top of a slender, dead willow (fig. 34). His mate was feeding at the edge of a nearby pool; soon he flew back and circled over her, fluttering and pausing momentarily while he uttered a clear "tweet tweet tweet", very much as does the spotted sandpiper in its mating season.
Figure 34.—Wandering tattlers, which
are strictly wading birds, have considerable difficulty in maintaining their
balance when perched for vantage in a willow top.
Photograph taken July 14, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5297.
The perching ability of tattlers, which are strictly wading birds, is not very great, and they have considerable difficulty in maintaining their balance when perched for vantage in a willow top. Most of the tattler chicks heed the warning of their parents instantly and crouch motionless, with neck extended, on the gray gravel, their gray backs blending perfectly with the slatish color of the rocks. As long as the intruder remains in sight, the parent tattlers keep up their warning cries, and when close pressed, they often teeter nervously up and down just as the sandpipers do. However, we found that if we walked away, as if apparently leaving the locality, the parent tattlers would soon call forth their chicks and resume hunting for minute aquatic insects along the shallow margins of the clear, seepage water.
On June 21, near the head of Savage River, we found a tattler feeding in water which was only an inch or so deep. It kept its eye on us as it fed (fig. 35), frequently reaching under the stones with its bill. As long as we remained in sight, it stood motionless, crouched between two rocks.
Figure 35.—Male wandering tattler
foraging at the water's edge.
Photograph taken June 22, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5282.
On June 22, as we again approached this spot, the male tattler began to chirp excitedly, the warning call being very much like the metallic warning note of the California ground, or digger, squirrel. As we stood listening, we heard a faint reply to the parent's call, and looking upstream, saw a downy young tattler chick running about, seeking food. We ran up and caught this chick, which instead of hiding at once, ran across the open gravel bars toward a clump of willows. Looking around, we discovered another chick, running up the gravelly stream bed. As we ran after him, we almost stepped on the third chick, which had crouched motionless on the rocky ground. The fourth and last chick in the brood was then spied just as he was going out of sight. During this time, both parents fluttered about wildly at our feet, finally flying up and perching in the willow tops nearby. When we put the chicks into our rucksack, the male tattler came up and nestled down about 4 feet away from the sack and tried to call the chicks to him. This call, or brooding note, was a low "deedle-deedle-cherr."
The general appearance of the parent birds was much the same. However, the male is about one-half an inch smaller in length than his mate. He is also darker, particularly with regard to the dark bars across the breast. The white area on the chin of the male is covered with small, faint, dark spots. It, rather than the female, showed the greatest anxiety and solicitude for the welfare of the chicks. When one of the downy youngsters, which we had turned loose, peeped plaintively, the male tattler flew over and, with partially spread wings, hovered the chick (fig. 36), uttering, meanwhile, a series of reassuring notes. Then both parents accompanied and coaxed this youngster about until the chick came to a steep gravel bank, where it sought refuge under a shelving rock. At this time we saw the adult birds pursue crane-flies which they captured on the wing, jumping clear off the ground in doing so; and again we watched them feeding on small fresh-water snails and small larvae. The chicks are able to swim as soon as they are hatched. This was demonstrated by one downy youngster when he came to a place where the water was deep. However, the young do not take to water as readily as do the chicks of the semipalmated plover.
Figure 36.—Male wandering tattler
hovering his chick.
Photograph taken June 22, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5269.
By July 12, we found that the young tattler chicks had grown surprisingly and that their slate-colored primary wing feathers were already more than an inch long. The gray, natal down on their backs was entirely replaced by slate-colored feathers, and on the lower breast and belly the natal down was replaced by cream-colored pinfeathers. When we attempted to capture a young tattler, he sought to hide, not out upon the open gravel, as he did when 2 or 3 days old, but by running and hiding (fig. 37) amid the grass and flowers that grew on the stream bank. If closely pursued, he would take to the water, where he swam readily, making headway even against a fairly stiff current. By this date, when about 12 days old, young tattlers were active and fleet enough to capture flying insects that moved about the clumps of fireweed growing on the sandy bank. The young tattlers mature rapidly and leave their birth places early in the fall. As early as August 9, 1908, at Prince William Sound, in a locality about three or four hundred miles distant from their known breeding ground, I collected a barely fledged young tattler.
Figure 37.—Young wandering tattler,
one-third grown, seeking refuge in dense vegetation.
Photograph taken July 8, 1920, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5296.
In 1932, our experience with wandering tattlers was similar to that of 1926, except that fewer pairs—only about one-half as many—were present. This seasonal decrease is believed to have been due to the adverse weather and snow conditions in Mount McKinley National Park where this species breeds each season in limited numbers.
LESSER YELLOW-LEGS
Totanus flavipes [GMELIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A graceful wader, about the size of a killdeer with long yellow legs. It is finely patterned in black and white. Length, 10.7 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Good identification characters for this bird are its long, slender yellow legs, gray back, and the large amount of white on the tail and rump, which latter is particularly noticeable when the bird takes flight. The lesser yellow-legs has a straight bill and is smaller in size than the greater yellow-legs.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout North and South America. It breeds from northern British Columbia northward at least to the McKinley district in Alaska. This species is rare in McKinley Park and is a bird of the lower grassy plains.
HABITS.—On July 2, 1926, near Healy on the Alaska Railroad, we saw two pairs of lesser yellow-legs feeding about a grassy pool. One pair had two downy young which stood about 4 inches high. On June 16, 1926, near the Sanctuary River, I collected an adult male lesser yellow-legs which was feeding along the margin of a grass-rimmed pool. This specimen (No. 8784 J. D.) had testes more than one quarter of an inch in length and was found to be in full breeding condition.
BAIRD'S SANDPIPER
Pisobia bairdi [COUES]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A true sandpiper slightly smaller than a robin. This bird is white below and brown above; it has a pale buff band across the breast. Length, 7.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Baird's sandpiper resembles a large least sandpiper, but the back has a scaly, rather than a streaked, appearance. It may be distinguished from the buff-breasted sandpiper by its whitish chin and black instead of dull yellow legs.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout North and South America, breeding in the Arctic regions of northwestern North America. In the McKinley region it is found only in the higher mountain passes above timber line.
HABITS.—One of the surprises of our trip to Mount McKinley was the finding of Baird's sandpipers breeding high above timber line in nearly all of the higher, wet passes. On June 28, 1926, at the extreme head of Savage River, two male birds of this species were collected. These were found on the frozen shore of a little lake in a hanging meadow, at 5,500 feet, near the very crest of the range. The regional conditions at this point were truly arctic, since deep snow slides filled many of the hanging valleys. The two male birds collected were in hot pursuit of a female and went through ardent courtship flights and displays. Their reproductive organs indicated that they had not yet bred.
At Copper Mountain on July 11, a male Baird's sandpiper was collected that pretended to have a broken wing and successfully decoyed us away from its nest, which was probably located in a marshy stretch of tundra.
Again, at Copper Mountain, near Muldrow Glacier, on July 13, we collected an immature female (No. 8897 J. D.). There still existed a patch of natal down on the back of the bird's head. However the bird still had the white-margined feathers of the immature plumage on its back and was able to fly a short distance and to forage by itself along the margin of a shallow pool. This individual was in exactly the same plumage as a specimen which I collected at Herschel Island, Yukon Territory, on July 30, 1914, and was figured in The Condor for May 1917 (p. 84).
On July 18, 1932, a mated pair of Baird's sandpipers was found high up in Sable Pass. Their actions indicated that they had a nest nearby. This species is believed to breed regularly in limited numbers in the mountain passes of Mount McKinley National Park.
RED-BACKED SANDPIPER
Pelidna alpina sakhalina [VIEILLOT]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A chunky sandpiper slightly smaller than a killdeer. The bill is longer than the head and has a slightly down-curved tip. In summer, it has a black patch across the belly; the back is reddish. The chin and hind lower surface and wing band are white. Length, 8 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—In summer, this sandpiper may be recognized in the field by its red back, black patch across the belly, and its slightly down-curved bill tip.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds on the northern coast of Siberia and in Alaska from Demarcation Point to the mouth of the Yukon River. It was observed in midsummer at Copper Mountain near Mount McKinley.
HABITS.—On July 19, 1926, Wright saw two waders at close range on a gravel bar, which, because of their reddish backs and other markings, he believed to be red-backed sandpipers. It is therefore possible that this species will be found breeding on the Arctic tundras in the higher meadows of the McKinley region.
WESTERN SANDPIPER
Ereunetes maurii [CABANIS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A "peep" or small sandpiper. The bill is longer than the head and is usually slightly curved down at the tip. It has a blackish spotted breast band which lacks the buffy ground color found in the Baird's sandpiper. It has webs between the bases of its front toes. Length, 6.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The upper parts are bright chestnut, mottled with gray and black, and the spotting on the breast is sharply defined. It is a "peep" with black legs and with a bill that is longer than its head.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds on the northwestern coast of Alaska. It is found along Savage River in McKinley Park.
HABITS.—On June 18, 1926, I found a lone western sandpiper foraging quietly along a backwater pool of Savage River. Its tameness and solicitous actions as it tried to decoy me away from the locality led me to believe that the bird was nesting. Frequently afterwards, a bird of this species, believed to be the same individual, was watched at this locality, but repeated searching failed to disclose the nest. Therefore, we are unable to produce positive proof that this species nests in the McKinley region; however, our observations indicate that it does breed in the park area.
NORTHERN PHALAROPE
Lobipes lobatus [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small, graceful sea snipe, wader-like in form, but with dense plumage and webbed toes. It is an expert swimmer. The female is larger and, in summer, more brightly colored than the male. These birds are dark gray above. The under parts and the throat patches are white and the bill is needlelike. The sides of the neck are brick red. Length, 7.7 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The needlelike bill, small size, and scalloped toe webs, and the bird's ability to swim serve to distinguish the species from other shore or wading birds.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout the northern and southern hemispheres. It breeds across the Arctic portion of North America, and is usually found in small ponds above timber line in McKinley Park.
HABITS.—Five northern phalaropes were noted busily feeding in a small pond on July 1, at Jenny Creek. These birds were whirling and spinning about on the water, meanwhile uttering a low "churr."
At the summit of Thompson Pass, on July 11, we found four Northern phalaropes feeding in a small pond. Their actions indicated that they were nesting in a grass-grown pond. This was further substantiated by us when we collected a male bird which was in full breeding condition at Copper Mountain, on July 19, near the same place where the five adults, which were apparently breeding, had been observed on July 13, 1926.
LONG-TAILED JAEGER
Stercorarius longicaudus [VIEILLOT]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A predaceous, black and white, gull-like bird, with a hooked bill, sharp claws, and webbed feet. Length, including the long, slender central tail feathers, 21 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—In flight the long central tail feathers form the best identification mark for this species. When perched on the tundra the white breast of this bird is visible at a considerable distance.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in the Arctic regions of Europe, Asia, and America. It is usually found during the nesting season in the neighborhood of wet or marshy tundra. In McKinley Park, it was noted by us nesting on the divide between the Savage and Sanctuary Rivers and in Polychrome Pass, and it was also seen in Sable Pass.
HABITS.—Two pairs of these jaegers were found nesting on June 16, 1926, in the Sanctuary Divide. In each instance the incubating bird was seen at several hundred yards distance, owing to the conspicuous white breast of the bird and to the exposed position of the nest. The latter was merely a slight depression wallowed out in the tundra moss in a dry, slightly elevated spot. In each case, there was but a single well-incubated egg in the nest. In a known instance the bird which was the most fearless in defense of the nest and which incubated the eggs proved, when secured for a specimen, to be the male.
The long-tailed jaeger is the most graceful flier among all of the birds in the McKinley district. Even when the breeze is very slight, these birds are able to soar about with the greatest ease. The long flexible tips of the wings are maneuvered to stabilize flight and to take advantage of slight changes in air currents.
In every instance where we found jaegers breeding in McKinley Park, we found one or more pairs of Hudsonian curlews living and foraging in the same wet meadows with them. Insofar as we could discover, there were no complications arising from these two species of birds living so closely together. This seems the more remarkable since jaegers are notorious robbers and live largely, during the summer, on the eggs and nestlings of other birds. However, it is our belief, after extended observations on the breeding grounds, that the jaeger-curlew company is a mutually protective association, the curlews acting as watchmen and the jaegers as patrolmen to evict robbers.
On June 30, 1932, a nest containing two eggs of this species was found at Sable Pass. There being no fabricated nest, the eggs were deposited in a slight depression. The earliest arrival in spring reached Wonder Lake on May 21, 1929. Our observations show that this species breeds regularly in the McKinley region.
HERRING GULL
Larus argentatus smithsonianus [COUES]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large swimming bird with flesh-colored webbed feet, a pearl-gray back, and pure white head and under parts. Length, 24 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Characters which distinguish this species of gull from all other gulls in the McKinley region are the large size, the flesh-colored, instead of yellow, feet, and the suffused red spot on the lower half of the bill.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in the interior of Alaska and Canada. In McKinley Park, herring gulls breed on islets in the larger ponds and smaller lakes. They were noted by us at Savage River, Highway Pass, and Copper Mountain.
HABITS.—These large gulls reach the McKinley district early in the season. First arrivals were noted by Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson, at Wonder Lake, at 11:30 a. m. on May 9, 1927, and at 2 p. m. on May 8, 1929. In 1926 we first noted herring gulls at Savage River on June 1, when an adult female was collected. Dissection showed that this female had laid her set of eggs. Well-marked incubation patches were present on the lower breast of this specimen. This species does not nest on the open gravel bars along the rivers, as does the smaller short-billed gull. A pair of herring gulls was encountered in Highway Pass on July 11, and from their actions they evidently had a nest on an islet in the middle of a large pond, where it was safe from most predators. These large gulls were never numerous, three being the largest number encountered in any one day. At Copper Mountain near Muldrow Glacier, on July 13, 1926, we found many meadow mice were being drowned out of their homes in willow thickets because of the changing course of a stream. A pair of herring gulls flew back and forth continuously over this flooded area. They were searching for meadow mice and nestling birds that were being left homeless by the swiftly changing stream.
A few scattered pairs of large herring gulls nest annually in the McKinley region, but we never found them present in flocks of 20, as was the case with the smaller short-billed gull.
SHORT-BILLED GULL
Larus canus brachyrhynchus [RICHARDSON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—Similar in color to the herring gull, but much smaller in size. The bill is yellow without spots or rings. The feet and legs are yellowish-green. Length, 17.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The smaller size and greenish-yellow, instead of flesh-colored, feet, distinguish this species from the large herring gull, which is the only other gull commonly found in the McKinley region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is found chiefly along the larger streams which afford extensive gravel bars suitable for nest sites. It was noted by us at Savage River, on the East Fork of Toklat River, and at Copper Mountain.
HABITS.—Short-billed gulls were just arriving when we reached the Savage River on May 19. Three gulls of this species were seen flying singly, low to the ground against a strong north wind. These earliest arrivals were apparently in migration, since they did not stop but kept on going northward. During the last week of May, six of these gulls took up quarters along the gravel bars of the river near our camp. The number of "mew" gulls increased until June 5, when 16 were present. After this date the number again dropped to three pairs which remained and bred on the open gravel bars of the river.
On bright days these gulls spent much time bathing in the icy water and sunning themselves on the gravel bars. Mornings and evenings they were often to be seen perched together in groups, watching for mice in the meadows near the stream. The meadow mice live in colonies and have many burrows running along just beneath the brown moss. The gulls wait at the openings of such burrows until the half-grown mice, which are not wise, come along, furnishing the gulls' breakfasts or dinners. It was a striking sight to see the dark green meadows dotted with the white-headed gulls, that stood like statues, for hours at a time, waiting for some unwary mouse to appear. At that season of the year, food was at its lowest ebb and the gulls appeared to realize that it would take less energy, with more certain returns, to stand and wait for mice, than to fly about and hunt for food far and wide.
Later in the season, when summer visitant birds began to nest, the short-billed gulls were seen daily hunting for ptarmigan and other eggs. On such forays the gulls would start out in the morning, three or four flying together in close formation, just over the tops of the low willow and dwarf birch bushes. They, maintained a sharp lookout, with heads cocked sidewise eyeing the ground 4 or 5 feet beneath them. When they located a ptarmigan nest, they would string out in single file. The leading gull would swoop down menacingly upon the hen ptarmigan as she sat on her nest. The first bird would be followed quickly by the second gull and the third. Even if the female ptarmigan were not driven entirely off her nest, she was likely to shift her position on it. Then the gulls would be quick to seize and carry off any eggs that might be momentarily uncovered. Many eggs or nestlings, and sometimes the entire contents of the nest, would be destroyed thus by these gulls.
On June 11, a "mew" gull's nest was found out on an open gravel bar where the river broke up into several interlacing channels. This nest was relatively small, being well and firmly built of dead rootlets and plant fiber compactly built together. It was placed amid several small piles of driftwood which it closely resembled. Another nest, containing two eggs (fig. 38), was discovered on June 18. The nest was placed out in plain sight amid small piles of driftwood on an open gravel bar in the river. It was made of small sticks and rootlets, and it measured 12 inches in length and in breadth outside. The inner cavity of the nest measured 5 by 7 inches. The nest cavity was 2 inches deep. We found, by watching with binoculars, that when a man appeared on the horizon the female gull on the nest would stretch up her neck in alarm and then would sneak off her nest while the intruder was yet a long way off. At other times, if a person walked slowly by the nest at a distance, the gull would merely crouch down on her nest, keep her neck near the ground, and remain motionless, thus trying to escape notice.
Figure 38.—A short-billed gull on her nest.
Photograph taken June 18, 1926. M. V. Z. No. 5001.
At Copper Mountain, on July 12, a downy young gull about one-fourth grown was found swimming about on a small lake. This downy youngster hid in the grass at our approach and was tenderly watched over by one parent. The other parent gull was found dead, floating in the lake. The surviving parent was observed to pursue and drive away a short-eared owl, and even golden eagles and gyrfalcons, that came near this lake which sheltered the young gull.
The first spring arrival was noted at Wonder Lake on May 9, 1927, and on May 8, 1929. Our observations showed that this is one of the common breeding birds of the McKinley region.
ARCTIC TERN
Sterna paradisaea [BRUNNICH]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small gull-like bird, grayish above and white beneath, with webbed feet, forked tail, and a black cap on the top of its head. Length, 15.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Because of their habits and lightness of action when on the wing, the terns are aptly called sea swallows. The Arctic tern may be distinguished from the common tern by an all red bill and deeper grayish suffusion over the breast and under parts. The feet and legs of the Arctic tern are very small and weak.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in the Arctic regions of North America and winters as far south as the Antarctic continent, making the longest annual migration of any known bird. It was noted by us along the McKinley River.
HABITS.—Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson reported the first arrival of the Arctic tern at Wonder Lake at 3 p. m. on May 13, 1927.
Our only contact with this species was on the headwaters of the McKinley River below Muldrow Glacier. At McKinley River bar, three terns were seen by us on July 17, 1926. At Copper Mountain I watched a pair of terns as they flew about over a pond on the tundra, but the birds eluded me when I tried to collect one as a specimen. However, in 1932, an adult female was collected on May 23, near Windy. A few pairs of this species breed regularly in the McKinley region.
SAINT MICHAEL HORNED OWL
Bubo virginianus algistus [OBERHOLSER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large dark-colored owl with well developed ear tufts or "horns" and finely vermiculated feathers. Length, 22 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Good field characters for this bird are its large size, its ear tufts, and its deep call note—"Who! who! ta whoo !"
DISTRIBUTION.—Horned owls are found in wooded sections over most of North America. Algistus is found in northwestern Alaska from Mount McKinley to Kotzebue Sound. In the McKinley region, horned owls have been seen at Wonder Lake, Toklat River, and at park headquarters.
HABITS.—Horned owls are rare in the McKinley region. Mr. and Mrs. John Anderson preserved a flat skin from an owl killed at Wonder Lake. This specimen has been compared with the series of horned owl skins in the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and was found to be between subarcticus and algistus but nearer the latter. Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 168) reports in 1907, that, "whenever rabbit tracks in the snow were observed, the following night or the next, the hoots of a great horned owl nearby would be heard. Then no fresh tracks could be found in the woods and none leading from them." This was near his winter camp on the Toklat River.
Not far from park headquarters at 8:30 o'clock on the evening of July 28, 1932, a large horned owl flew across the road within 50 feet of us. It was in plain sight. On this date the days were getting noticeably shorter so that there was a real feeling of evening by 9 o'clock and by 8:30 it was dusky enough for the owl to be out hunting.
In our experience, the St. Michael horned owl is a rare resident in Mount McKinley National Park. It is probable that its presence is revealed by its hooting, more frequently in winter than in summer.
SNOWY OWL
Nyctea nyctea [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large white owl without ear tufts or horns, but usually with a few bold broad dark bars on the body. These bars do not involve the face. Length, 25 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—It is a large, white owl with a round head and it lacks horns.
DISTRIBUTION.—The breeding grounds of this large bird, which is known to the Eskimos by the name, "Ook-pick", are Arctic America and Siberia.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 229) reports that on December 2, 1907, at his caribou camp on the rolling plain near the north boundary of McKinley Park, he saw "forty or fifty snowy owls that afternoon—some very dark a few very white. All were wild . . . and sat motionless, either on a hummock or a surface elevation, their heads constantly revolving as they watched for mice." Sheldon observed snowy owls all through the winter and following spring, the last observance mentioned being April 26, 1908.
AMERICAN HAWK OWL
Surnia ulula caparoch [MULLER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—An owl of medium size, without horns; but it has a long tail and a hawklike appearance. Length, 15 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.— The long tail; the regular barring of the under parts; the direct, rapid, shrikelike flight, and this owl's habit of hunting its prey chiefly in the daytime from a perch in the open, on the top of a tree, are all good field characters.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska and Hudson Strait to southern British Columbia. It is generally distributed over the wooded sections of the Mount McKinley region.
HABITS.—In 1926, which was a good mouse year, we found hawk owls abundant in the McKinley region. Our first encounter with this species was on June 8, 1926, when Wright found a bob-tailed young hawk owl sitting unconcernedly on the ground in the middle of the road. On June 10, while we were hunting in the spruce woods near Savage River in mid-afternoon, I heard a hawk owl calling nearby. The owl was soon discovered perched in the top of a tall dead spruce. It gave its characteristic call from the tree several times. This call note, which is given frequently when two of the owls are hunting together, is a long-drawn-out screech, with a sharply accentuated higher ending. The first part of the call lasts nearly one second and the accented ending endures for about one-tenth of a second. The call is well represented by the words, "all right"; the "all" is long and drawn out, and the "right" is given explosively in a rising pitch—"all-l-l-l-l right."
 Figure 39.—A young American hawk owl, half grown. Photograph taken June 13, 1926, Savage River. M. V. Z. No. 5055. |
The hawk owls that we encountered bunted in the middle of the day in bright sunlight, rather than at night. The young hawk owl (fig. 39), which Wright discovered in the road, was kept alive and reared by us. It was quiet at night, but it was exceedingly active in the daytime, particularly when the sun was shining.
The reaction of this owlet to various noises was interesting. When we made a slight mouselike noise by scratching, it was all attention, scanning the ground in all directions. However, if a person stood close to the bird and called out sharply, the bird would shake its head violently each time the sharp noise was made, showing signs of evident discomfort. We concluded that the owl's sensitive ears are attuned to catch slight sounds and that the bird suffers pain from the strong vibrations of loud or nearby sounds.
Near Double Mountain on July 22, 1926, we encountered a family of four fully grown young hawk owls at midforenoon. Although they were as large as their parents and seemingly able to take care of themselves, these young owls sat around in the tops of spruce trees and waited and called for their parents to bring them food.
In 2 days—June 12 and 13, 1926—we actually counted 39 hawk owls. Up to the time the young were out of the nest, about June 5, these birds were rarely seen. Then suddenly they were found everywhere in the spruce woods. After the young owls were able to hunt their own food they became quiet and less noticeable, and we saw them but rarely.
In 1932, when I went over this same territory, I hunted high and low for hawk owls and was unable to find a single one during the entire summer. Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 280) saw one hawk owl on the Toklat near the mouth of the Clearwater on January 26, 1908. This was the one owl of this species observed during the entire year. Hawk owls may be common or rare in the McKinley region according to the abundance or absence of mice.
SHORT-EARED OWL
Asio flammeus flammeus [PONTOPPIDAN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A medium sized owl with two small ear tufts close together rising from the center of the forehead. The general color of this bird is buffy, distinctly striped below with brown. The birds of this species from Mount McKinley National Park and the Arctic coast of Alaska are very light-colored. Length, 15.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—This owl, which is found on the open marshes and tundra, may be identified by its light color, medium size and small, centrally located ear tufts.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in northern Alaska from Mount McKinley to Point Barrow, east to Greenland, and south to California.
HABITS.—The short-eared owls inhabit the open tundra. The first arrivals in the spring were noted by Charles Sheldon at Toklat on May 1, 1908. He saw several owls of this species which were all flying high. By May 4, Sheldon reports that many mated pairs of short-eared owls were present, flying back and forth low over the tundra catching lemmings. At other times these owls soared high in the heavens with wings extended for a few moments, then they would flap them again and utter a rapid series of low hoots. Every now and then, while soaring aloft, one of the owls would dive down for a distance of 20 feet, flapping its wings quickly and making a peculiar barking call that sounded like the ki-yi of a small dog. These nuptial, or mating, performances were noted by us many times in 1926.
On July 16, 1926, on a stretch of wet tundra near Copper Mountain, I flushed a male short-eared owl that was sitting at the base of a hummock watching a mouse burrow. This bird was collected. It proved to be a very light-colored individual, similar in color to those I had observed at Point Barrow in 1914.
In 1932, careful watch was kept for short-eared owls in the identical areas and places that they had been found in 1908 and 1926, but not a single one could be found. Like the hawk owl, the presence of nesting pairs in the McKinley region seems directly dependent upon the abundance of meadow mice and lemmings.
RICHARDSON'S OWL
Cryptoglaux Junerea richardsoni [BONAPARTE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small, round-headed, brown and white owl about the size of a small screech owl, but without "horns." Length, 10 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—It is larger than the saw-whet owl, and the light-colored facial disk of the Richardson's owl contrasts sharply with the surrounding dark feathers of the head, which in the saw-whet owl blend softly with the head feathers.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from the limit of trees in central Alaska, and northern Yukon and Mackenzie south to British Columbia. It breeds also in northern Alberta, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and the Magdalen Islands.
HABITS.—Our only record for this species in Mount McKinley National Park is of "a male killed [by Sheldon at Toklat] on May 4, 1908" (Sheldon, 1930, p. 401). From our own experience and that of others living in the McKinley region, we believe that this owl is one of the rarest raptorial species to be found there.
WESTERN BELTED KINGFISHER
Megaceryle alcyon caurina [GRINNELL]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A stubby bird, somewhat larger than a flicker, with a slaty-blue back and breast band. The large pointed bill, weak feet, and ragged crest on top of the head are conspicuous characters of this bird which is nearly always closely associated with ponds and streams. Length 13 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Good field characters for the kingfisher are its rattling cry, large head, ragged crest, and habit of perching over water and diving with a splash into it after food.
DISTRIBUTION.—This species of bird is found over most of North America. The western race breeds from "northern Alaska and Yukon Territory southwest of the Rocky Mountains to San Diego County, Calif."
HABITS.—Kingfishers are rarely met with in the McKinley region. Sheldon reports seeing a kingfisher on the Teklanika River on August 21, 1906. Later he reports that the first spring arrival was noted by him at Toklat on May 29, 1908. One specimen, a flat skin, of a bird of the year was preserved by Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson at Wonder Lake.
NORTHERN FLICKER
Colaptes auratus luteus [BANGS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A northern form of the well-known yellow-hammer. The color of the back is grayish-fawn, barred with black. It has a red patch on the back of the head. The under parts are light-colored dotted with sharp, round black spots and the under surface of the wing is brilliant yellow in color. It has broad white patches on the rump which are conspicuous when the bird is in flight. Length, 12 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The black crescent band across the breast, the yellow under the wings, and the white rump, together with the well-known call, "flicker-flicker-flicker" are all outstanding field characters of this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in northern Canada and in Alaska from Mount McKinley north to the limit of trees and south throughout the northern and central United States. In the McKinley region it is confined chiefly to forested areas of cottonwood and aspen.
HABITS.—Northern flickers were found breeding in the aspen groves and in black cottonwood trees along the larger streams in the McKinley region. We saw them first at Savage River on May 24, 1926. A single individual was observed almost daily during the first half of May both in 1926 and in 1932.
This bird is a regular breeding species in the McKinley region.
NORTHERN HAIRY WOODPECKER
Dryobates villosus septentrionalis [NUTTALL]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A woodpecker of medium size with black and white coloration. The back stripe is pure white as are also the outer tail feathers. The male bird has bright red nape spots on the back of the head. Length, 9.4 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The hairy woodpecker may be distinguished from the Alaska and the Arctic three-toed woodpeckers by the white stripe on the back—the Alaska three-toed woodpecker having a black and white ladder-back, and the Arctic three-toed woodpecker having an all black back. Too, the red crown cap of the male northern hairy woodpecker differentiates this bird from the males of both three-toed woodpeckers which have yellow crown caps.
Another distinction which should be made is that of the definite and distinguishing difference between the downy woodpecker and the hairy woodpecker, the latter is larger in size and the outer tail feathers are pure white, instead of white barred with black as are those of the downy wood pecker.
DISTRIBUTION—It is distributed throughout the Canadian Zone of northern North America from Mount McKinley, middle Yukon, central Mackenzie south to the Canadian-United States border. In the McKinley region it is found at low elevations along rivers, chiefly in cottonwood and aspen groves.
HABITS.—On August 20, 1932, an adult male bird of this species was seen at close range, drilling into a dead cottonwood tree at McKinley Bar. On August 30, 1932, at Park Headquarters, another male was examined with binoculars at a distance of 25 feet.
The northern hairy woodpecker is a noisy bird, calling loudly and drilling or drumming on dead resonant limbs, whereas, both the Arctic and Alaska three-toed woodpeckers are quiet birds that work unobtrusively, flaking off bits of bark with their bills.
The northern hairy woodpecker is a regular, but not numerous, breeding species in the McKinley region.
NELSON'S DOWNY WOODPECKER
Dryobates pubescens nelsoni [OBERHOLSER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small black and white woodpecker with a broad white stripe down the back. The male has a bright red patch on the back of the head. The outer tail feathers are barred with black. Length, 6.8 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The small size and barred outer tail feathers distinguish this woodpecker from the northern hairy woodpecker which is similar in color and pattern but which is larger.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout "northwestern Alaska and southwestern Mackenzie to southern Alaska; extreme northern British Columbia, and central Alberta." It is found in the McKinley region chiefly in groves of aspen and willow.
HABITS.—At Igloo Creek on July 7, 1932, I watched an adult male Nelson's downy woodpecker working on an old dead stump drilling for wood-boring larvae. On July 28, 1932, another Nelson's woodpecker was seen in an aspen grove near Park Headquarters. A third bird of this species was seen on August 20, 1932 at McKinley Bar. An adult male Nelson's downy woodpecker was taken on May 7, 1932, by F. Nyberg, near Windy; it was preserved as a specimen.
This species is a common summer and winter resident in the park.
ARCTIC THREE-TOED WOODPECKER
Picoides arcticus [SWAINSON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A woodpecker of medium size, with three instead of four toes. The back is all black. The male bird has a broad yellow patch on top of the head. The flanks are white, heavily barred with black. Length, 9.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The yellow crown patch will distinguish the male, and the solidly black back, the female, from all other woodpeckers in the McKinley region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from central Alaska, Yukon, and northern Quebec, south along the Sierra Nevada to central California and in the eastern United States to the northern tier of States.
HABITS.—Our sole record for this species in the McKinley district is based upon an adult female (No. 8918 J. D.) collected by F. Nyberg and myself, on the Nenana River, near Windy, May 8, 1932. This bird probably traveled up the Nenana River from the Tanana Valley. All of the three-toed woodpeckers observed farther out in the park were of the smaller "American" type. It is a rare species, and probably breeds in the park along the Nenana River.
ALASKA THREE-TOED WOODPECKER
Picoides tridactylus fasciatus [BAIRD]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A smaller three-toed woodpecker than arcticus. It has a barred black and white back. Length, 8.7 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The ladder-back will distinguish this species from the Arctic three-toed woodpecker. The yellow crown of the male is a distinctive mark of male three-toed woodpeckers.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is found in central Alaska, Yukon, and western Mackenzie south to Oregon, Washington, Idaho, and Montana. Usually it may be seen in spruce timber in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—The Alaska three-toed woodpecker is the more common form in the McKinley region, arcticus being rare there. Three specimens of fasciatus were preserved. The first was an adult breeding male collected June 15, 1932, at Igloo Creek. It had a great deal of white on the back. A female collected July 28, 1932, near Park Headquarters, had a relatively white back with some barring, while another female collected August 14, 1932, at McKinley Bar, was distinctly ladder-backed. The woodpecker is more in evidence in winter than during the summer when it is quiet.
One individual came daily, during the winter of 1931, to the Kantishna Ranger Station at McKinley Bar to be fed. Its visits were regular and punctual. This woodpecker works almost noiselessly as it flakes off scales of bark from the trunks of spruce trees in search of hiding insects. It is a regular breeder in McKinley region.
SAY'S PHOEBE
Sayornis saya saya [BONAPARTE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large phoebe with grayish-brown back and a blackish tail. The throat and breast are brownish gray. The under parts are rusty brown. The bill and feet are black. Length, 7.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The phoebelike habits of this bird combined with the rusty brown belly make it distinguishable from all other birds in the McKinley region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from central Alaska, northwestern Mackenzie south to southern California, Arizona, southern New Mexico and Sonora.
HABITS.—The Say's phoebe is a bird of the wide plains and canyons. In Mount McKinley National Park we saw this bird first at Savage River on May 20, 1926. At 8 o'clock in the evening it was in full song.
On June 5, 1926, a nest of this species was found in Savage River Canyon under an overhanging rock. It was placed 12 feet above the ground on a little shelf of rocks where it was well protected from rain and snow. Both birds were seen at the nest but incubation had not begun as yet.
On July 10, 1932, at the forks of the Toklat, I found a Say's phoebe's nest made of shed caribou hair. The hair had been gathered by the birds and packed down and felted into a firm nest. The nest was placed 6 feet above the ground under an overhanging cliff that projected out from the canyon wall. It contained five young which were fully fledged and nearly ready to leave the nest.
At Muldrow Glacier on July 16, 1926, in the willows growing along the bank of McKinley River we found a family consisting of the parents and five young, feeding on insects. On July 25, 1926, a male young of the year, fully fledged and foraging for himself, was collected and saved as a specimen.
Our investigations, both in 1926 and in 1932, showed that the Say's phoebe is a regular but not numerous breeder in the McKinley region.
WESTERN WOOD PEWEE
Myiochanes richardsoni richardsoni [SWAINSON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A flycatcher of medium size with rather uniform coloration. It lacks the white or light-colored eye-ring found in many small flycatchers. The upper parts are brownish gray; the under parts are dark gray, becoming lighter on the throat and belly. Length, 6 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The flycatcher habits, uniform coloration and oft repeated harsh call note, "pee-ee", will identify this bird amongst all other birds in the McKinley region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from central Alaska south to northern Lower California. It is found at McKinley Park Station.
HABITS.—The sole record that we have of this species is of one observed by me June 22, 1932. It was on a burned-over hillside on a warm south facing slope near McKinley Park Station. It is believed to be a rare summer visitor to the McKinley area.
OLIVE-SIDED FLYCATCHER
Nuttallornis mesoleucus [LICHTENSTEIN]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large chunky flycatcher nearly uniform dark brownish gray above. The throat is whitish; the sides are brownish separated by a whitish medial stripe. There are two white areas on the rump which show when the bird is in flight. Length, 7.4 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The chunky build together with the white areas on the rump, and this bird's habit of perching on the very tops of tall dead trees are all good field characters. However, the bird's loud and unmistakable call, "Who-be-you?", or as others record it, "Quick-three-beers" is the best means of identification.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from central Alaska south in coniferous forests to northern Lower California, Arizona, New Mexico, and western Texas. It is also found in northern and eastern United States. In the McKinley region, it is found only at low elevations along streams.
HABITS.—On June 15, 1926, while I was passing through a dense spruce wood on Savage River, I heard the unmistakable and oft-repeated call of the olive-sided flycatcher. On this occasion I heard the call three times, but I was unable to locate the bird.
In 1932 I was more fortunate, for on June 2 I noted the first spring arrival at park headquarters. For several days I heard the well-known "Who-be-you" call notes of this species in a grove of mixed aspen and spruce, below the dog kennels. On July 26, 1932, I found a brood of young olive-sided flycatchers just out of the nest in the same locality. Although these youngsters were able to fly about freely, they depended upon their parents to catch and bring them food.
Our observations indicate that a few olive-sided flycatchers breed each year at low altitudes in McKinley National Park.
PALLID HORNED LARK
Otocoris alpestris arcticola [OBERHOLSER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A ground bird about the size of a sparrow, with distinct black and white marking on the crown, below and in front of the eye, and on the throat. The tail is black, the outer feathers being edged with white. The back of the head is pale pinkish brown, as is also the base of the tail. The hind toe has a long straight claw. Length, 7.8 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The slender black hornlike ear tufts, the black crescent on the throat, and this bird's ground-frequenting habits are all good field marks for horned larks. Arcticola is a large, pale, Alpine-Arctic form of the species.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Alaska and upper Yukon, South on the high mountains through British Columbia to Washington. We found this bird nesting only on the higher and drier ridges in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—On May 27, 1926, the first pair of horned larks was seen on a barren rocky slope at 4,200 feet altitude where the ground was still nearly all covered with snow. On June 16, 1926, at 3,400 feet altitude, on the Savage-Sanctuary divide, five pairs of horned larks were found on a barren, wind-swept gravel ridge. The males were in full song. The birds were evidently nesting. On June 24, 1926, a male horned lark was observed on a barren shale ridge at 4,200 feet near the head of Savage River.
On June 12, 1926, at Ewe Creek, I found a family of spotted young horned larks just out of the nest. They sought to escape capture by crouching motionless on bare gravel ridges covered with mottled black and white Nenana gravel. They would not fly unless almost stepped on.
On June 27, 1926, at the head of Savage River both young pipits and young pallid horned larks, just out of the nest were found. On July 14, 1926, three adults and seven young horned larks were seen well up on Copper Mountain.
In 1932, on June 2, horned larks were found nesting high up on a rocky slope on Mount Margaret. Again birds of this species were observed at Sable Pass on July 18, when six pairs were noted.
Pallid horned larks are regular breeders in the McKinley region. Seemingly, they pay little attention to late spring storms.
BANK SWALLOW
Riparia riparia riparia [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small swallow, dull brown above and white below with a distinct brown band across the breast. It has no irridescent green or blue on the back. Length, 5.2 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The rough-winged swallow is the only other species which is likely to be confused with the bank swallow. Both species nest in holes in clay or sandy banks. However, the bank swallows nest in colonies, while the rough-winged swallows nest in single pairs, or at most only a few pairs nest together.
As has been stated, a good field character for this bird is the narrow but distinct brown band across the breast. On the other hand, the whole throat and breast of the rough-winged swallow are gray.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Alaska and Quebec south to California, Arizona, Texas, Alabama, and Virginia.
HABITS.—This species is a common summer resident at low altitudes in the McKinley region. It nests in holes in banks usually overlooking a stream, pond, or small lake. Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 402) reports that the first spring arrival was noted May 18, at Toklat where it was a common breeding bird.
BARN SWALLOW
Hirundo erythrogaster [BODDAERT]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large, graceful swallow with long deeply forked tail. This bird is dark steel blue above and rich reddish-chestnut below. The chestnut coloration is on the upper breast and throat. Length, 7 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Both the rich reddish under parts and the deeply forked tail are characters which will distinguish this species from all other swallows.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska and Great Bear Lake south to Alabama and northern Mexico.
HABITS.—The first spring arrival of the barn swallow was noted by us on June 19, 1926, at Savage River. The bird was alone and was perched on a telephone wire near our cabin. In the spring of 1927, John and Paula Anderson reported that the first swallows reached Wonder Lake on June 10; and in 1929, the same observers state that the young barn swallows commenced to fly on July 10.
This species breeds in small numbers at Wonder Lake and in the Kantishna district of the McKinley region. Probably both the violet-green and the tree swallow will eventually be found breeding in the McKinley region.
ALASKA JAY
Perisoreus canadensis fumifrons [RIDGWAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A plain gray bird with soft fluffy feathers. It is about the size of a robin. The adult has a white forehead, face, and throat. The young birds are darker than the adults and have an almost black head and neck. Length, 13 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The best field marks of the species are the uniform gray coloration and soft fluffy plumage. The bold nature of these birds also is characteristic of them.
DISTRIBUTION.—They are distributed throughout the wooded parts of Alaska, except along the coast region east and south of the Alaska Peninsula. They are found in all wooded areas in the McKinley region north of the Alaska Range.
HABITS.—The Alaska jay, sometimes called the moose bird, the camp robber, or the whiskey jack, is one of the avian residents that thrusts itself upon the visitor's attention. Charles Sheldon found these birds to be very tame. They learned to come to his camp for food whenever he called them and ate fearlessly out of his hand.
About March 20, while snow still covers the ground to a depth of 3 or 4 feet, the Alaska jays in the McKinley region commence to sing. Their singing marks the beginning of their nesting activities. The nests are made of sticks and are lined with caribou or mountain sheep hair, and are artfully concealed in the dense tops of spruce trees. These birds, which are tame and confiding at other times, become very shy and secretive at nesting time so that it is difficult to locate them. By the time the park is open to visitors—late in May—the young jays are fully grown and out of the nest. Thus, on May 20, 1926, a pair of Alaska jays and their brood of three bob-tailed young were found in a spruce grove on the Savage River.
On June 1, at Savage River, Wright and I watched a pair of Alaska jays being chased away from camp by a red squirrel. Every time a jay would alight in the top of a spruce tree near camp the squirrel would look up at the bird, select the proper tree, and would run up the tree and jump at the jay, driving him away. This was repeated many times. If the spruce trees were close together the squirrel would jump from one tree to the next. If this was not possible he would go down and run across on the ground climbing the tree the jay was in. After the squirrel had driven the jays away, we saw the former take a bit of food—old, discarded cheese—that he had kept hidden in the crotch of a tree. Then he carried it down the tree and hid it under an old rotten log.
There is considerable competition about the camps among the Alaska jays and red squirrels to see which will get the choicest bits of discarded table scraps.
On May 26, 1926, a robin was found trying to drive a jay away from its nest. Investigation showed that the jay was doing his best to steal the robin's eggs.
In 1932, we found Alaska jays just about as numerous as they were in 1926. They congregate about the camps and cabins more in winter, when food is scarce, than they do in summer. This is a common and very early breeder in the McKinley region.
AMERICAN MAGPIE
Pica pica hudsonia [SABINE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large strikingly contrasted black and white bird with a long black tail. Length, 15 to 20 inches; the tail being more than half the total length.
IDENTIFICATION.—The black and white pattern, long tail, and vociferous nature of the magpie are all good field characters.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout western North America from the Alaska Peninsula and central Yukon south to New Mexico. In the McKinley region this bird is most frequently seen near road camps and cabins.
HABITS.—At the time that Charles Sheldon wintered in the McKinley region (1906-8), magpies were very rare. He reports (1930, p. 401) seeing only one magpie during his entire stay in the McKinley region. This lone bird may well have followed the kills of market hunters into the region. By 1926, 25 magpies were seen during 72 days spent in the McKinley region. In 110 days spent in this same area in 1932, I counted 132 magpies. In 1932, one to several pairs of magpies were found about each road camp and cabin in the park. The increase of magpies in the park is probably due to the increase of human habitations in the area. The refuse piles offer a food supply which helps tide the birds over severe winters when food for them is apt to be scarce.
On June 24, 1926, near the head of Savage River I watched a family of two adults and four nearly grown young magpies hunting ptarmigan chicks. As soon as the willow ptarmigan sighted the dangerous magpie, she gave a warning call but not before the magpie had rushed in and scattered the brood of young ptarmigan, which sought refuge under the clumps of dwarf willows. The magpie would then, fly away apparently leaving the vicinity for good; however, it would sneak quietly back and hide in the willows where it kept close to the ground so that the parent ptarmigan could not see it. The magpie would then stop and listen intently with its head cocked on one side. When the ptarmigan chicks began to "peep" in an effort to locate their parents, the magpie, still keeping hidden, would sneak along near or on the ground until it caught sight of a ptarmigan chick. Instantly the magpie would make a quick short combined run and flight, and picking the young ptarmigan up in its bill would carry the fluttering chick off to the waiting young magpies which quickly devoured it.
One bird in the region seemed to be able to beat off the attacks of the magpie. On May 23, 1926, near the upper end of Savage Canyon I found three magpies that were greatly excited. Presently one of the three flew out of the tree where they were. A militant Northwestern shrike was in vigorous pursuit. This shrike succeeded in driving all three magpies away from its nest one after the other.
NORTHERN RAVEN
Corvux corax principalis [RIDGWAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large crowlike bird. It is entirely black and has long pointed wings. Its call is a hoarse "cruck." Usually just a single individual is seen but occasionally the birds are seen in pairs. Length, 22 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The large size, wedge-shaped tail, and all black color are good field characters for this bird. There are no crows in the McKinley region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska to northern Greenland and south to Washington, central Minnesota, and Virginia. It is found throughout the McKinley region particularly along the higher ridges and mountain crests.
HABITS.—The raven was formerly quite numerous in the McKinley region, but with the advent of white trappers into the area many of the ravens disappeared. In 1908, Sheldon (1930, p. 271) states: "A possible explanation may be that ravens may have been killed by poisoned baits put out by some of the few men in the Kantishna region." In 1926, we found ravens still scarce in this region but in 1932 they were more plentiful.
YUKON CHICKADEE
Penthestes atricapillus turneri [RIDGWAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small bird with a distinctly black and white head and soft fluffy feathers. This long-tailed chickadee has a distinct and intensely black crown. The black throat is separated from the black crown by a broad white stripe that extends from the base of the bill along the side of the head below the eye. The tail is long and the outer margins of the feathers are edged with white as are also the wing coverts. Length, 5.2 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The distinctly black crown distinguishes the Yukon from the Alaska chickadee, and the lack of any rufous on the flanks and under parts distinguishes this species from the short-tailed Hudsonian chickadee. The lack of any white stripe above the eye sets it off from the mountain chickadee.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in northern Alaska, north and west of Cook Inlet. In the McKinley region it is found at lower elevations.
HABITS.—It is a rare species in the McKinley region; we have but one record, a specimen collected at Wonder Lake on October 22, 1926, by John and Paula Anderson, M. V. Z. No. 50558.
ALASKA CHICKADEE
Penthestes cinctus alascensis [PRAZAK]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large chickadee with a long tail and grayish, instead of black, crown which distinguishes alascensis from turneri. The size is slightly larger than in turneri and the tail feathers lack any distinct white edging. Length, 5.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—It is easily distinguished from the Yukon chickadee by the gray instead of the black crown, and from the Hudsonian chickadee by the lack of any red or rufous color on the flanks and belly.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is distributed throughout Siberia, and northern Alaska east to northwestern Mackenzie. In Mount McKinley National Park it is found well distributed in the aspen and spruce forests.
HABITS.—At Savage River Camp on July 25, 1926, a family of five Alaska chickadees consisting of an adult and four young was found. One of these, an immature bird, was collected, No. 49742. An adult male was also collected 2 days previously. People living in the region told us that these chickadees disappear in the spring and are rarely seen all summer, but that in the fall they again gather about the cabins to be fed.
HUDSONIAN CHICKADEE
Penthestes hudsonicus hudsonicus [FORSTER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small chickadee with a short tail, reddish flanks and under parts. Length, 5.1 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The small size and reddish under parts are the best field characters for this species.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from the tree limit in northwestern Alaska and central Mackenzie south to central Manitoba and Ontario. It is found near timber line in the spruce woods throughout the McKinley region.
HABITS.—This is one of the cheeriest and most inquisitive birds of the region. On June 3, 1932, I observed a Hudsonian chickadee carrying a bill full of caterpillars to its nest in an aspen grove near park headquarters. In 1926, this species was scarce. Only three individuals were seen all summer, whereas, in 1932 it was a species which was commonly seen in the area. Two specimens were collected and fully fledged young just out of the nest were observed June 23, 1926. It is a regular breeding species in the McKinley region.
ROCKY MOUNTAIN CREEPER
Certhia familiaris montana [RIDGWAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small, brown bird, evenly striped above with brown. The lower parts are white. The bill is long and slightly curved. This bird has a long tail of stiff, pointed feathers. Length, 5.6 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The slender, curved bill, pointed tail feathers, brown color, and its habit of creeping slowly up trunks of trees—these are the best field characters for this species.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Mount McKinley and central British Columbia south along the Rocky Mountains to Arizona and New Mexico.
HABITS.—Our sole record for this species is based upon a male bird collected October 21, 1907, by Charles Sheldon in the spruce woods near his winter cabin on the Toklat River. Sheldon states that this speciman was the only bird of this species observed. At best it is probably only a rare visitor to the McKinley region.
EASTERN ROBIN
Turdus migratorius migratorius [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—The reddish breast and cheerful song of the robin are so well known that a detailed description of this bird is not needed. Young robins have black spots on their breasts. Length, 10 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The rollicking song, the reddish breast of the adults and distinct black spots on the breasts of the young robins are diagnostic. In life the Eastern robin may be distinguished from the Western robin by the conspicuous white spots at the tip of the outer tail feathers.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska south and east to Kansas, Ohio, and Massachusetts it is found nesting throughout the McKinley region in spruce forests, and even above timber line in low Alpine-Arctic willows.
HABITS.—The robin is one of the first spring arrivals in the McKinley region. Charles Sheldon noted the first robin at Toklat on May 3, 1908. At Wonder Lake on the morning of May 4, 1929, the first robin was seen at 11 o'clock. Upon our arrival in 1926, we found robins common on May 19. In 1932, we found robins present and already building nests on May 15. On May 29, 1926, a robin's nest was found completed and containing four eggs. Other nests containing eggs were found that season as late as June 24. In the spring of 1929, the first young robins were found on June 3; and in 1926, young robins just out of the nest were observed on June 23.
In 1932, nesting robins suffered continually because of the late spring snowstorms. A heavy wet snowfall of 6 inches which fell on June 14 destroyed many sets of eggs. After two unsuccessful attempts at nesting in open willows some of the robins made a third and successful attempt by placing their nests on the ground under overhanging banks. Two robins' nests were thus located under cut banks of the main highway and both succeeded in rearing broods of young late in the season.
NORTHERN VARIED THRUSH
Ixoreus naevius meruloides [SWAINSON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A bird of the same build and about the size of a robin, but with a distinct black collar across the breast which is deep orange instead of brick red as in the robin. The varied thrush has a reddish eyebrow line and two bars across the wing both of which characters are absent in the true robin. Length, 10 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The wing bars, eyebrow line, and particularly the black bar across the orange breast are the outstanding field characters of the varied thrush which is only likely to be confused with the robin.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Kowak Valley, Yukon Delta, and Mackenzie Delta south to Prince William Sound, and in the mountains south through eastern British Columbia to Montana and Oregon. It is found in the McKinley region at low elevations in the deep spruce woods.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 403) reports the Northern varied thrush as a common summer resident which breeds in Mount McKinley National Park. He saw the first spring arrival on May 15, and the species was last seen in the fall on October 7. Sheldon also reports that by May 24, the voice of the varied thrush was heard constantly in the evening and occasionally during the day.
We did not encounter this species at all in the McKinley region in 1926. However, it was fairly common there in 1932, when the first spring arrival was noted at Park Headquarters on May 18. An adult male was collected at this locality on May 31, 1932, but after that date the birds became scarce and the species was observed but once, June 26, until August 21, when a varied thrush passing southward was observed at McKinley Bar where no birds of this species had been present earlier in the summer. No positive evidence of breeding in the form of eggs, nests, or young birds, could be found.
ALASKA HERMIT THRUSH
Hylocichla guttata guttata [PALLAS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small, trim, tawny brown elf with a white breast heavily spotted with dark brown dots and a short stubby reddish tail. Length, 7 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The small size and the distinctly dull red or rusty tail are the best "sight" field characters of this species; and the flutelike song, suggestive of sacred music heard at evening, also identifies this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from central Alaska south to Cross Sound and northern British Columbia. It is found breeding in the lower wooded sections of the McKinley region.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 403) reports this species as arriving at Toklat, where it breeds, on May 26. We secured a female as a specimen at Park Headquarters on May 31, but this specimen was destroyed later by a red squirrel.
It is our experience that this is the rarest of the thrushes in the McKinley region.
OLIVE-BACKED THRUSH
Hylocichla ustulata swainsoni [TSCHUDI]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.— A thrush with an olive or tawny back. The tail is the same color as the back. The breast and lower parts are white, heavily spotted with brown. Length, 7.2 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The olive-backed thrush may be distinguished from the Alaska hermit thrush by the tail which is olive-colored instead of rusty or reddish; and from the gray-cheeked thrush by the cheeks and sides of the head which are distinctly tawny, or ocherous, instead of grayish.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska and Mackenzie south to California, Utah, Colorado, Michigan and in the mountains to Pennsylvania and West Virginia. It is found in the dense spruce woods in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—This thrush is a retiring bird. It is often heard singing at night. I sighted this species first on May 31, 1932, at Park Headquarters when a male was collected. Sheldon reports that the birds kept singing all night during the nesting season and that the first arrival appeared on May 12. It is a common breeder in the McKinley region.
GRAY-CHEEKED THRUSH
Hylocichla minima aliciae [BAIRD]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A larger thrush than the hermit and olive backed thrushes. Its back and tail are of a uniform grayish-olive color without any rusty color. Length, 7.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The lack of any rusty or red color on the tail distinguishes this species from the hermit thrushes in the field. Although the back and tail are of uniform color as in the olive-backed thrush, the cheeks and the sides of the neck are clear gray without any tawny or buffy ground color, as in swainsoni.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northeastern Siberia through northwestern Alaska to northern Manitoba and central Quebec and Newfoundland. It is restricted to deep spruce woods in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—In the field this thrush is likely to be confused with the olive-backed thrush, which probably accounts for Sheldon not mentioning it in his list of birds of the Mount McKinley region. We found it a regular summer visitor in the park. We first found this species on June 3, 1926. Wright saw three individuals in a dense spruce wood. One of these was collected on June 4. In 1932, the first spring arrival was collected on May 31. No nests were found and the species was rarely seen after June 5.
EUROPEAN WHEATEAR
Oenanthe oenanthe oenanthe [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A bird about the size of the common bluebird to which it is allied, and which it resembles closely in flight and in feeding habits. The top of the head and back are clear gray with artisty overwash. The wings and tail are brown. The throat and stripe above the eye are white and it has a broad black stripe which extends from the base of the bill through and below the eye. The under parts and base of tail are creamy white. Length, 6 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The bluebird appearance of this bird and the broad white spot at the base of the tail, which is conspicuous when the bird takes flight, are the two best field characters of the species.
DISTRIBUTION.—The European wheatear breeds from the British Isles and Central Europe east to northern Alaska, south to the mouth of the Yukon and high up in the mountain passes above timber in the Mount McKinley region. It winters in India and in eastern Africa.
HABITS.—We first met this Asiatic straggler in the McKinley region on May 29, 1926, when a male bird in breeding condition was collected high up on the mountain side 1,000 feet above timber line. This bird was one of a pair that hopped around and explored a rock pile in a rock-wrenlike manner. The male was repeatedly seen to enter a narrow crevice in a rocky outcrop. We believed that the birds were nesting there but we were unable to reach the nest, the crevice was so narrow. On July 14, 1926, at Copper Mountain, I collected a young bob-tailed wheatear just out of the nest and barely able to fly. This young bird was in the speckled plumage which is similar to that of a young bluebird. However, the feathers of the wings and back were edged with brown. The white rump patch was as conspicuous in the immature bird as in the adult.
In 1932 I found wheatears more numerous than they had been in 1926. Nesting pairs were seen at Sable Pass, Savage Canyon, and near Double Mountain. On July 25, 1926, two families of wheatears were seen at Copper Mountain. The young were almost full grown. On August 24, 1932, at Highway Pass several families of wheatears were seen along the highroad which was then under construction. The broad white patch at the base of the tail was conspicuous. Except for a certain drabness of color and ungroomed appearance, the young were similar to the adults.
TOWNSEND'S SOLITAIRE
Myadestes townsendi [AUDUBON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A thrushlike bird slightly smaller and more slender than a robin. The general color of the bird is gray, except for the partly concealed tawny spots near the middle of the wing and for the outer tail feathers which show white when the bird is in flight. Length, 8 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Its beautiful song; the slender form and uniform gray color; the white outer tail feathers, and the white eye-ring of this bird are all good field characters.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Mount McKinley south through the Rocky Mountains to Arizona and New Mexico, and through the Sierra Nevada to the mountains of southern California.
HABITS.—This long-tailed gray bird is usually found in remote mountain districts, in the McKinley region it is rare and is most likely to be found near cliffs or in the canyons of the larger streams where it builds its nest under overhanging banks.
In 1926 our first acquaintance with the solitaire was on July 9, when a young bird just out of the nest was collected at Igloo Creek. In 1932 on May 26, a pair of solitaires was observed in a canyon, and on July 28, a single individual was noted at Igloo Creek. This total of only four individuals was seen in two seasons.
KENNICOTT'S WILLOW WARBLER
Acanthopneuste borealis kennicotti [BAIRD]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A bird similar in size and with general habits of the warbling vireo. About its nest it is a loud incessant singer. The upper parts of this bird and the tail are dull greenish. The under parts are creamy yellow and it has a distinct yellow stripe above the eye. Length, 4.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The yellow stripe above the eye, the incessant song, and the general warbling vireo characters are the best field marks for the species.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in western Alaska and winters in southeastern Asia.
HABITS.—This bird and the European wheatear are two species of land birds that cross the Pacific Ocean twice each year, traveling to their breeding grounds in Alaska and returning to winter in India and Africa. It is probable that the birds reach Alaska by following the Aleutian chain of islands from Asia to North America. Kennicott's willow warbler was a fairly common breeding bird on the upper Savage River in 1926. Here, on June 20, we found half a dozen willow warblers singing in one tract of spruce woods. The song might well be described as intermediate between that of the orange-crowned and northern pileolated warblers. Two of these birds were seen to perch on a limb fluttering their wings quite audibly and uttering a harsh "chit" at frequent intervals.
Three specimens were collected in June 1926, and two proved to be adult males in full breeding condition.
In 1932 I repeatedly visited the exact locality where these warblers had been found in 1926, but I neither saw nor heard them. All summer a continued search was carried on in the McKinley region but not a single willow warbler could be found. The late heavy snows had apparently prevented their reaching this inland district.
This is an Old World warbler related more closely to the kinglets than to the American wood warblers with which Americans are most familiar. Unlike the European wheatear, the willow warblers breeding in Alaska are regarded as a distinct race (kennicotti).
EASTERN RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET
Corthylio calendula calendula [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—The kinglets are the smallest birds found in the McKinley region. They have short rounded bodies, short tails, and short straight bills. Their general color is dull olive green above, lighter below, with a brilliant red crown patch on the top of the head. The males are incessant singers and they produce a song which seemingly could not possibly come from so small a bird. Length, 4 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The song, the small size, the greenish color, and particularly the bright red crown patch are the best field characters of this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska south to central New Mexico and southern Arizona. It is found throughout the spruce belt in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon found this bird to be a common summer visitor. He noted the first spring arrival on April 29. On June 4, 1932, at Park Headquarters, just after several inches of snow had fallen and the storm had abated, I heard a ruby-crowned kinglet in a dense spruce wood in full song. The breeding song is unmistakable.
In our experience this bird is a rare breeder in the McKinley region.
AMERICAN PIPIT
Anthus spinoletta rubescens [TUNSTALL]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A slender grayish ground-inhabiting bird with fine breast streaks of brownish-gray. It has a slender warbler-like bill and a long claw on the hind toe. It is similar in habits and in general outline to the horned lark. Length, 6.38 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—It lacks the black ear tufts and black facial and throat markings of the horned lark yet it is similar to it.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in the Arctic Zone from Siberia, northern Alaska, and Greenland south to Oregon, Colorado, and New Mexico. It is found in the higher passes throughout the McKinley region.
HABITS.—On May 20, 1926, high up amid the vanishing snowfields on a rocky barren ridge at 4,000 feet, we watched a male pipit in full nuptial flight. It perched on a rock, then flew almost vertically into the sky for a distance of from 50 to 150 feet, singing a single note which was repeated constantly. Then with legs extended, feet spread out, and tail sticking upwards at a sharp angle, this male bird sang steadily as he fluttered his wings and floated down like a falling leaf, usually landing near the place from whence he began his flight.
On June 18, 1932, at Sable Pass, I examined a pipit nest that contained five eggs. Incubation had just begun. This nest was placed on the ground under a shelving overhanging bank and was made of fine grass blades and plant fiber.
On June 27, 1926, at the head of Savage River, we found a young bob-tailed pipit just out of the nest. As it was scarcely able to fly we caught it easily.
At 5,000 feet altitude near Anderson Pass and the Muldrow Glacier we found three pipits feeding with two Hepburn's rosy finches at the edge of a melting snowbank on July 15, 1926.
This species breeds throughout the McKinley region in the mountain passes and along the barren ridges high above timber line. They appear to be but slightly discouraged from breeding because of heavy snowfall and late spring snowstorms. Since they place their nests under protecting rocks they are independent of the weather to a certain degree. They are regular and common breeders in Mount McKinley National Park.
BOHEMIAN WAXWING
Bombycilla garrula pallidiceps [REICHENOW]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A plump, neat appearing, brownish-gray bird similar in general appearance but larger than the well-known cedar wax-wing. This bird has a decided crest; a black stripe through the eye, and white spots forming a white bar on the wing. The tail is short and tipped with a broad yellow band. Length, 8 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—This species may be distinguished from the cedar waxwing by its greater size and the chestnut-colored area on the forehead and at the under base of the tail. Too, the abdomen is grayish instead of yellow. Both species of waxwings usually, but not always, have red wax-like tips on the shorter wing feathers.
DISTRIBUTION.—The Bohemian waxwing breeds from western Alaska, Mackenzie, and Manitoba south to southern British Columbia and southern Alberta. It is found in the spruce woods in Mount McKinley National Park.
HABITS.—The earliest spring arrival of this species was noted by me on May 24, 1932, at the boundary cabin on Savage River where a mated pair of Bohemian waxwings was found in a sheltered grove of spruce trees. From the actions of these birds it seemed likely that they would nest in the near vicinity.
On June 19, 1932, I found a pair of Bohemian waxwings gathering nest material in a small clump of spruce trees on the Nenana River near McKinley Park Station. Sheperdia bushes grew abundantly near this spot assuring an abundant food supply of berries for the nestlings. In fact, the whole ecological niche needed for nesting was present.
On June 25, 1926, Wright collected a pair of breeding Bohemian waxwings on Savage River. The female of this pair had the bare flabby breast of an incubating bird and her ovaries indicated she had recently laid eggs.
On July 26, 1932, I saw a family of young just out of the nest at Park. Headquarters. At McKinley Bar from August 21-24, 1932, between 10 and 30 Bohemian waxwings were seen daily feeding on Sheperdia berries in the spruce woods. One immature female not long out of the nest was collected at this locality on August 14. It was found to lack the red wax tippings that are usually present on immature male birds of this species. Our field investigations show that the Bohemian waxwing nests regularly in the lower dense spruce woods of the McKinley region.
NORTHWESTERN SHRIKE
Lanius borealis invictus [GRINNELL]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A bird about the size of a robin with raptorial habits. The strong black bill is notched and plainly hooked at the end. This bird has a black band through the eye. The head and upper parts are clear gray while the outer tail feathers are strongly edged with white which shows plainly when the bird is in flight. Length, 10.32 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Good field characters for the shrike are its coloration which is pronounced black, gray, and white; its method of perching upright on barren exposed dead limbs and tree tops, and its direct bullet-like flight. The large size of this bird and the fine wavy dark lines across the breast and under parts distinguish the Northwestern shrikes from the smaller shrikes breeding in the United States.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Mount McKinley and northwestern Alaska south to northern British Columbia, Alberta, and Saskatchewan. It is found throughout the McKinley region, being most abundant at or near timber line.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon noted the earliest spring arrival of this bird on the Toklat on April 26, 1908. In May 23, 1926, in Savage River Canyon we saw a shrike vigorously attack and pursue a magpie. On June 10, 1926, I shot a male Northwestern shrike that flew by carrying some large object in its claws. One shot pierced the shrike's brain so that it fell headlong, rolling over and over on the ground, but it still rigidly grasped the prey in its claws, which upon examination proved to be—not a mouse—but a fledgling robin which the shrike had evidently stolen out of the robin's nest, for it was too young to fly.
On June 22 at Savage River foothills a family of young shrikes just learning to fly was noted by Wright. They hovered over various objects and kept calling back and forth to each other. On July 1 a family of four fearless young shrikes was noted, and on July 10, 1926, a family of six young shrikes which were well able to fly was noted at Igloo Creek.
In 1932 I found shrikes about twice as numerous as they had been in 1926, and following the breeding season large families consisting of from four to six young shrikes were frequently seen in the late summer.
This species is a common breeding bird in the McKinley region where it is one of the earliest spring arrivals.
ORANGE-CROWNED WARBLER
Vermivora celata celata [SAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A warbler of medium size without conspicuous markings. It is gray-green above and yellowish beneath. The orange-colored crown patch, which gives the species its name, in life is usually covered and concealed by the tips of the feathers of the crown. Length, 5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The gray-green upper parts, the yellow under parts, and the lack of any distinct color markings are the best field characters.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Kowak River, Alaska, southeast to northern Manitoba.
HABITS.—Our experience both in 1926 and in 1932 leads us to believe that the orange-crowned warbler which Wright saw in a spruce wood on Savage River on May 21, 1926, at 2,800 feet altitude, was merely a late migrant passing through the McKinley region to its breeding ground farther north in the Yukon Valley. Repeated search in the McKinley region, both in 1926 and in 1932, failed to reveal any breeding birds of this species in the park in summer.
ALASKA YELLOW WARBLER
Dendroica aestiva rubiginosa [PALLAS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small warbler. The head and under parts are rich yellow, and the back is greenish. The breast of the male is streaked with fine rufous markings. The female and young birds are duller yellow and usually lack the rufous breast markings of the male. Length, 5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The uniform yellow color is the best field character of these birds in summer.
DISTRIBUTION.—They breed in the Canadian zone, throughout most of Alaska and south to Vancouver Island, British Columbia.
HABITS.—An adult female Alaska yellow warbler was collected by Wright on June 1, 1926, on Savage River at 2,800 feet elevation. From our experience both in 1926 and in 1932 we believe that this warbler may breed in Mount McKinley National Park.
MYRTLE WARBLER
Dendroica coronata [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A warbler of medium size. It has a white throat and conspicuous yellow patches on the crown, rump, and side between the flank and throat. Length, 5.6 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—This species is similar to the well-known Audubon warbler except that the myrtle warbler always has white instead of yellow throat markings.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska, Mackenzie, and northern Manitoba south to British Columbia, Michigan, and the New England States. It is found in the McKinley region, chiefly among the cottonwoods which grow along the streams.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon reports the first spring arrival of this bird on May 9. He found it to be the most abundant of the warblers on the Toklat. They were first observed by me on May 19, 1932. From one to six of the birds were seen daily during the week following. On July 1, 1926, Wright found a female myrtle warbler feeding a young bob-tailed warbler which was just out of the nest. The male parent was also present and was observed feeding other youngsters of this brood. At Savage River on July 25, 1926, Wright collected a juvenile of this species. In 1932 the species was common during the spring migration and then was rather rarely seen until the young of the year began to appear in July.
It is the most abundant warbler in the McKinley region.
BLACK-POLL WARBLER
Dendroica striata [FORSTER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—In the spring the male black-poll warbler is a distinctly black and white bird. The entire top of the head is intensely black. The sides of the head and the throat are white. The breeding female is quite unlike her mate; she is greenish in coloration on the head and back with yellowish under parts. Length, 5.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The solid black crown and the white patch on the throat and side of the head will distinguish the breeding male. The greenish female is highly streaked with black on the sides of the throat and the flanks.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska to Quebec and south to Michigan, Maine, and New York. It is probable that only migrants occur in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—Our sole record for this species is based on Charles Sheldon's record of June 3, 1908. He saw a flock feeding in the woods at Toklat.
GRINNELL'S WATER-THRUSH
Seiurus noveboracensis notabilis [RIDGWAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—This bird sometimes is aptly called "wag-tailed warbler." It is a true warbler with woodland ground-haunting habits. The upper parts are uniform brown, while the light buffy under parts are heavily streaked with dark brown. It has a distinct buffy line extending over and through the eye. Length, 6.04 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The ground-dwelling habits, the heavily streaked under parts, and the distinct whitish line through and above the eye are the best field characters for this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska, Mackenzie, and Manitoba south to British Columbia, Montana, Minnesota, and Michigan.
HABITS.—This bird has the general appearance in life of a small woodland thrush. At McKinley Bar on August 16, 1932, I noted a brown streaked bird which flew out of a brush pile and alighted for a moment on a dead log. The next day I collected another, or perhaps the same bird, at this identical spot. This is our only record for the species in Mount McKinley National Park.
NORTHERN PILEOLATED WARBLER
Wilsonia pusilla pileolata [PALLAS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small spritely warbler with greenish-yellow upper parts and bright yellow under parts. The top of the head is velvety black, and the forehead is golden yellow. In the female the crown patch is restricted and brownish, or absent entirely, but a vague yellowish eyebrow stripe is characteristic. Length, 5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The bright yellow color; small size; black cap, or the yellow eyebrow line when the cap is absent, are the outstanding field characters.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northern Alaska south to the mountains of New Mexico and central Texas.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon noted the first spring arrival of this species on May 20, 1908. He states that it is a common summer resident on the Toklat. It was observed by us repeatedly late in May 1926. The first spring arrival in 1932 was noted by me on May 21, and it was seen regularly all through the remainder of May. No nest or young birds were found, but this is probably one of the regular breeding birds of the McKinley region.
AMERICAN REDSTART
Setophaga ruticilla [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A warbler with striking black and salmon coloration. The adult male has a black head, neck, and back. The sides of the breast and flanks are reddish-orange. It has a salmon-colored bar on the wings and tail. The salmon coloration of the male is replaced by yellow markings on the female and the black is replaced by gray. Length, 5.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The vivid black and orange color of the male, and the gray and yellow of the female are distinctive field characters.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northern British Columbia, Mackenzie, and Quebec south to Oregon, Colorado, Arkansas, Alabama, and Georgia.
HABITS.—On July 25, 1926, a male bird of this species was watched by several members of the National Park Service who saw it at close range in the willows near the head of Savage River. This is our only record for the species in the McKinley region. None was found there in 1932.
RUSTY BLACKBIRD
Euphagus carolinus [MULLER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A medium-sized blackbird, the eyes in both sexes being straw-colored. The body is all glossy black or black washed with rusty. Length, 9.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Distinctive characters of the rusty blackbird are the light straw-colored eyes in both sexes; the greenish instead of purple reflection in the male, and the light eyes and faint traces of rusty on the breast and back of the female distinguish the species from Brewer's blackbird.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Kowak River, Alaska, east and south to northern Maine, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia.
HABITS.—According to John and Paula Anderson's report, on May 5, 1929, the first male blackbird was seen at Wonder Lake at 5 p. m. Charles Sheldon reports the first spring arrival on May 10, 1908. In 1927 the first male of this species was seen at Wonder Lake at 3 p. m. on May 10; the female birds were seen the next day.
This bird was found at Wonder Lake on July 18, 1926, when an adult female was collected, and again on August 14, 1932, when an adult male was seen. On July 27, 1926, 3 miles below Savage River Canyon, we saw a family of four young rusty blackbirds and their parents fly across Savage River.
This bird is a regular breeder in the McKinley region.
ALASKA PINE GROSBEAK
Pinicola enucleator alascensis [RIDGWAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A bird nearly as large as a robin, with a dark thick short bill. The general body color is dull gray but the adult male is strongly suffused with bright scarlet on the head, breast, wings, and back. The females and young birds of both sexes are yellow on the head and rump. Length, 9 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The thick dark bill and the bright scarlet of the male, and the yellow hue of the female and young are the best field characters. These birds are prone to choose exposed perches in the very tops of spruce trees.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Mount McKinley, northwestern Alaska, and Mackenzie south to northern British Columbia.
HABITS.—The Alaska pine grosbeak is one of the hardy songsters of the north. Although there is a general southward movement of the birds, many of them winter throughout the interior of Alaska. Charles Sheldon did not see any on the Toklat during the winter from November 7, 1907, to March 12, 1908.
This bird is common in the McKinley region during the spring and fall migrations but we have been unable to find it breeding there.
HEPBURN'S ROSY FINCH
Leucosticte tephrocotis littoralis [BAIRD]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large finch with a body of seal brown color washed with bright rose on the wings, rump, flanks, and abdomen. The head is gray and has a black crown patch. Length, 6.1 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The best field characters for this bird are its coloration—brown with a rosy wash—together with its habit of living and nesting high above timber line amid cliffs, broken rock slides, and snowbanks.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds above timber line in mountains from the Alaska Peninsula and Mount McKinley south to central Oregon. It is common in the cliff regions high above timber line in the vicinity of Mount McKinley National Park.
HABITS.—When Superintendent Liek and his party climbed Mount McKinley in April 1932, the birds which were found living farthest up on this "highest mountain in North America" were rosy finches. They were observed flying overhead and toward the cliffs at a point slightly above 7,500 feet elevation.
Sheldon reports the earliest spring arrival at the Toklat on May 3, 1908. On May 27, 1926, I found a pair of rosy finches feeding on weed seed where a few bare places were beginning to appear in the snow on Mount Healy at 4,200 feet. Examinations of the crop contents of two specimens collected showed an exclusive vegetable diet. This was a mated pair of birds apparently about to nest, since the female contained an egg that would have been laid within 2 or 3 days. Another female collected June 6, 1926, contained an egg fully formed and ready to lay.
On June 12, at Double Mountain high above timber line I observed two pairs of rosy finches entering cracks in conglomerate cliffs. Both of the vivid red males were vibrant with their bubbling mating song. One of the birds made repeated trips into a nest crevice carrying nest material which consisted of dry plant stems.
On June 28, 1926, rosy finches were found nesting in the cliffs on the snowy summit between Riley Creek and Savage River.
This bird is a regular breeding species in the McKinley region and its nesting seems to be but slightly retarded by cold, snow, and other adverse weather conditions.
COMMON REDPOLL
Acanthis linaria linaria [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small finch with a short, sharp bill. Its back and flanks are streaked with brown and ashy, and it has a crimson crown cap. The adult male has a rosy breast. The females have the crimson crown patch and the black chin spot of the male but they lack the rosy breast of the male. Length, 5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The small size, the streaked plumage, the red crown patch, and the black chin spot are the outstanding field characters of this bird.
DISTRIBUTION.—In North America it breeds from northwestern Alaska and Mackenzie south to Alberta and Manitoba and is resident in the willow areas throughout the McKinley region.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 402) states that the redpolls were seen in the Toklat area throughout the year but that few birds remained at timber line in winter. About April 15 they return to timber line and remain there to breed.
On May 21, 1926, I found three mated pairs of redpolls on Savage River. They were foraging in a willow thicket along the margin of a shallow pool in the river bed. Two of these birds were collected for specimens and their throats were found to contain many weed seeds.
On June 1, 1926, I found a redpoll's nest 5-1/2 feet above the ground in the crotch of a willow. The female was flushed from the nest which was found to contain two fresh eggs. When it was visited again on June 7, the nest contained a full set of five eggs. It was composed of plant fiber and weed stalks and measured 4 inches across and 3-1/2 inches in depth—outside measurements. The inside measurements of this nest were 2-1/2 by 1-3/4 inches, with a depth of 1-1/2 inches. It was lined with white ptarmigan feathers.
A second redpoll nest was found within a quarter of a mile of the first nest. It was also placed in the crotch of a willow and was a bulky affair profusely lined with white ptarmigan feathers which made it conspicuous even at a distance.
Redpolls were as common in 1932 as they were in 1926. A sharp watch was kept for the hoary redpoll but none was found; the common redpoll is the breeding bird in the McKinley region.
WESTERN SAVANNAH SPARROW
Passerculus sandwichensis alaudinus [BONAPARTE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A small grass-inhabiting sparrow. It is striped above with brown and ashy, and below with sharp brown streaks on the breast and flanks and in some instances on the throat. It has a distinct yellow stripe on the side of the head in front of the eye above, as well as on the bend of the wing. Length, 5.6 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The small size, streaked breast, and yellow line over the eye are the best field marks of this species.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from the Arctic coast of Alaska and Mackenzie south to British Columbia and Alberta. It is found in the McKinley region in the open, grassy meadows above timber.
HABITS.—The Western Savannah sparrow is a retiring bird. It keeps well hidden in the grass and may therefore be easily overlooked unless especially sought.
On June 12, 1932, I saw several of these birds and collected one specimen high up on a snow-covered meadow on Double Mountain. On Savage River, on July 7, 1926, I collected a bobtailed young Savannah sparrow just out of the nest. At the time this fledgling bird was thought to be a young tree sparrow because a pair of adult tree sparrows were flying distractedly about and making every effort to lead me away. No adult Savannah sparrows could be found in the locality where the young bird was found during the entire summer, and it was only when detailed comparisons were made later at the museum that the correct identification was established.
This species was found on July 19, 1926, near Muldrow Glacier at which time a single individual was encountered. It is not an abundant bird in the McKinley region but it breeds there regularly in small numbers.
SLATE-COLORED JUNCO
Junco hyemalis hyemalis [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—The head and neck of the male of this well-known species is black, and that of the female is dark slate-colored like the bird's back. The under parts are white, and the bill is flesh-colored. The tail is dark except for the outer tail feathers which show white when the bird takes flight. Length, 6.2 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The white outer tail feathers which are so conspicuous in flight and the dark gray or black head and neck of the birds are the two best field marks.
DISTRIBUTION.—The slate-colored junco breeds from Point Barrow, Alaska, northern Mackenzie, Manitoba, and Quebec south to Mount McKinley, British Columbia, Minnesota, Michigan, Maine, and in the mountains of Massachusetts, New York, and Pennsylvania. It is found in the timbered sections throughout the McKinley region.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon found this bird to be a common summer resident at Toklat where the first spring arrival was noted and a male was collected on April 30, 1908.
In 1932 juncos were numerous at headquarters when we arrived on May 15; a few were seen nearly every day throughout the summer. On June 10, 1926, an incubating female was collected in the spruce woods at 2,800 feet, on Savage River. At this same location on July 25, 1926, many streaked young of the year were seen. These birds were still in the family circle, accompanied by their parents. On the same date many of the adult birds were bobtailed, having lost their tail feathers by molt. The flight of such birds was very uneven and was usually only from one bush to another nearby bush.
By September 1, 1932, the juncos in the region were abundant since they breed regularly in the spruce woods of Mount McKinley National Park.
WESTERN TREE SPARROW
Spizella arborea ochracea [BREWSTER]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—This bird is slightly smaller than a song sparrow but is redder above. The crown is brownish red; the breast is grayish with a single large brown Spot in the center. The upper half of the bill is dark; the lower half is mostly yellow. Length, 6.3 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The white wing bars; the brownish-red cap; the ashy-gray throat, and the large dark spot in the center of an evenly colored breast are the best field characters.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Bering Sea and Point Barrow east to the Anderson River, and south in the mountains to northern British Columbia. It is the commonest passerine bird in the Mount McKinley region where it is abundant at timber line.
HABITS.—Sheldon reports the first spring arrival on April 26, 1908. In 1929 the first tree sparrows reached Wonder Lake on May 6, at 11 a. m., according to the observations of Mr. and Mrs. John E. Anderson.
On June 13, 1926, tree sparrows were flushed from their nests twice, in the tundra at Dry Creek. In each instance there were two recently hatched birds in the nest. These nests were deep pockets sunk in the moss. The depth of each exceeded the diameter, and white feathers were used to line them.
On July 7, at Savage River, numerous tree sparrows just out of the nests were observed. In 28 days spent in intensive field work between May 20 and July 25, 1926, 572 tree sparrows were counted. The daily extremes range from 6 to 50, and the average number of tree sparrows seen daily was 20. In 1932, 68 days spent afield in this same territory, between May 16 and August 31, revealed a total of 152 tree sparrows, the daily extremes being I and 6 with a daily average of about 2. The 1932 population, according to these observations, was only about one-tenth of that of 1926.
GAMBEL'S SPARROW
Zonotrichia leucophrys gambeli [NUTTALL]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A sparrow of medium size with distinct broad black and white stripes on the head of the adults. The young birds have brown and ashy head stripes. The back is striped brown and the hind part of the head and the neck are gray. The throat and the belly are white. Length, 6.7 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The Gambel's sparrow is similar to the white-crowned sparrow except that the lore, or area between the eye and the bill, is not black. The white line just above the eye extends forward to the very base of the bill.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from northwestern Alaska and northern Mackenzie south to central Montana and west to the coast mountains of southwestern Alaska and southeastern British Columbia. It is a common bird of wide distribution in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—John and Paula Anderson report the earliest spring arrival of this sparrow at Wonder Lake at 11:30 a.m., on May 4, 1929. Sheldon also reports the first spring arrival at Toklat on May 4, 1908.
During the late season of 1932, I found that Gambel's sparrows were present in goodly numbers at park headquarters when I reached there on May 15. At that date, migration was still in full swing and it continued so for several days.
Sheldon (1930, p. 386) reports finding the nest of a Gambel's sparrow on June 11, 1908. It was found on the lower Toklat River and it contained one fresh egg. Twenty-five miles lower down on the Toklat he found another nest with three young and one egg.
On July 2, 1932, near park headquarters I found a nest containing four eggs in which incubation was about one-third completed. This nest was placed on the ground in a depression under a protecting willow. The nest was composed of weed stems and plant fiber.
Contrasted with the late season of 1932, at Savage River on July 1, 1926, we found bobtailed young Gambel's sparrows just out of the nest. These birds were watched while they were being fed by their parents.
It was my experience both in 1926 and again in 1932 that the Gambel's sparrows breed commonly on the brushy, warmer, lower slopes near the river but that they are relatively scarce in the alder and willow thickets above timber line.
By the first of September, 1932, practically all of the breeding Gambel's and tree sparrows had migrated. In many instances the young birds of the year were the first to leave, but a very few immature birds remained even after the adult birds had left for the south. The first real fall snowstorm seemed to be the signal for their departure.
This species is a regular breeder in the McKinley region. It is almost as numerous as the western tree sparrow.
GOLDEN-CROWNED SPARROW
Zonotrichia coronata [PALLAS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A sparrow slightly larger than Gambel's sparrow but similar to it in general form though duller colored and without the black line behind the eye. The crown patch is bright yellow or gold-colored instead of white. Length, 7 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The darker, duller coloration and the yellow instead of white crown patch distinguishes the adult golden-crowned from the Gambel's sparrow in the field.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Kotzebue Sound to the Shumigan Islands, Alaska Peninsula, and Kodiak Island, and southeast at least to central British Columbia.
HABITS.—Our only record for this species on the north side of the Alaska Range in the McKinley region is based upon Sheldon's record (1930, p. 402) in which he states that this bird was ". . . commonly seen in spring. Arrived, May 26." Although diligently sought for, both in 1926 and 1932, not a single bird of this species could be found by us. No other bird observers in the region, including those who have made observations at Wonder Lake, have seen the species, so we regard it as of rare or irregular occurrence.
EASTERN FOX SPARROW
Passerella iliaca iliaca [MERREM]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large, robust, reddish sparrow with a short stout bill. The upper parts, particularly the rump and the tail, are a rich rusty-red, about the color of the red fox, from which—because of its color the bird takes its name. The breast and under parts are white, heavily spotted, and streaked with red. Length, 7.2 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The rich reddish-brown color and the short stout bill are the two best field characters for this species.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from the tree limit in northwestern Alaska, Mackenzie, Manitoba, northern Ontario, and northern Quebec south to northern Manitoba, Magdalen Islands, and Newfoundland.
HABITS.—The Eastern fox sparrow was found by me in the dense willow thickets near McKinley Park Station on May 16, 1932. In 1908, Sheldon found the fox sparrow to be a common summer resident on the Toklat. The first spring arrival was noted by him on May 4 of that year.
On June 20, 1926, two breeding male fox sparrows were collected at 3,000 feet elevation on Savage River.
This bird is a regular and rather common breeder in the McKinley region.
LINCOLN'S SPARROW
Melospiza lincolni lincolni [AUDUBON]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—The Lincoln's sparrow is like a small song sparrow but it is darker in color above and has a distinct buff-colored band across the breast. The breast is marked with fine spots and there is no central blend of spots on the breast. Length, 5.75 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The bird's small size, short tail, and buff-colored band across the breast, as well as the lack of any central spot on the breast, distinguishes this sparrow from all other sparrows of the region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from the Kowak and Yukon Valleys, Alaska, east to Manitoba, Quebec, New Brunswick, and northern New York, and south in the mountains to southern California and northern New Mexico.
HABITS.—Thus far all field work has failed to reveal any positive evidence of the Lincoln's sparrow breeding in the McKinley region. However, it is possible that it may breed there.
This species was first detected in the McKinley area by myself. On August 30, 1932, I collected an adult female at Park Headquarters. No birds of this species had been present at this locality earlier in the summer, so the bird was probably a migrant from farther north.
ALASKA LONGSPUR
Calcanius lapponicus alascensis [RIDGWAY]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A sparrowlike bird of medium size with a long claw on the hind toe. The male is characterized by its black crown, throat, and markings on the side of the head. The bird has a rich rusty-red patch on the hind part of the neck. The under parts are white with black stripes along the sides and flanks. The back is streaked with brown. In general the color pattern of the females is similar to that of the males but the colors appear softer and much faded. Length, 6.2 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The long hind claw and the white under parts, as well as the distinctly streaked sides and flanks, are the best field characters for this species. No other Alaskan bird has the black facial markings and red hind neck markings of the male longspur.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds in northern Alaska, from the Pribilof, Aleutian, and Shumigan Islands, cast to the mouth of the Mackenzie River. It is found commonly above timber line in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—The Alaska longspur is the typical passerine bird of the open Arctic tundra. Sheldon noted the earliest spring arrival of this bird on May 12, 1908. On June 16, 1926, on the divide between the Savage and Sanctuary Rivers, we found Alaska longspurs nesting on the barren open tundra at 3,400 feet altitude. Four adult males were noted in full song. In each instance the singer was perched on a stone or tundra tussock. A female was observed carrying craneflies and other insects to her young. She was assisted in the feeding of her offspring by the male bird which also was seen to carry insects in his bill to the young. When we visited this spot again on July 7, 1926, we found the longspurs both adults and young, feeding quietly and keeping out of sight.
On July 10, 1926, we found longspurs common in Polychrome Pass. The day following they were seen high up on the sides of Copper Mountain.
In 1932 I found longspurs to be about as abundant as they had been in 1926. However, the late wet spring made nesting difficult for all the birds that built their nests out in the open on the ground.
I found these birds to be numerous near the summit of Mount Margaret on June 22, 1932. However, due to the unfavorable conditions, relatively few young longspurs were found in 1932.
EASTERN SNOW BUNTING
Plectrophenax nivalis nivalis [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large, white, sparrowlike bird. The male has conspicuous black and white plumage. In the breeding season the wing and tail feathers are black contrasting with the white body feathers. Length, 6.88 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The striking black and white color pattern of the snow bunting cannot be confused easily with any other bird in the McKinley region.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from Greenland and northern Alaska south to northern Quebec; also in Scandinavia and in northern Scotland. It is found in the high mountain passes and along the snow-clad Alaska Range in the McKinley region.
HABITS.—Charles Sheldon reports that the earliest migrant arrived at Toklat on April 8, at which time a specimen was collected. In 1926 we encountered snow buntings first on June 12. I found a pair of snow buntings feeding along a snowbank at the margin of a snow-field on the summit of the north range at 5,200 feet altitude. There had been no snow buntings present when I visited this locality on May 27. The birds had evidently arrived since that time.
On June 28, 1926, a pair of breeding snow buntings was collected in a rock slide on the divide at the extreme headwaters of Savage River. The flabby bare skin on the abdomen of the female of this pair showed plainly that she was incubating a set of eggs.
While Charles Sheldon regarded this species merely as a migrant, our observations and the specimens we collected show that although it is not common in the McKinley region, it does breed there.
HYPOTHETICAL SPECIES OF BIRDS
Five species were reported by local residents as having been seen in the park but positive evidence of their occurrence inside the park is lacking. The records cited, however, are for localities just outside the park boundaries, and these species are, therefore, consigned to the hypothetical list.
REDBREASTED MERGANSER
Mergus serrator [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A fish-eating duck, commonly known as sawbill, with a cylindrical, tapering, serrated bill. The hind toe is lobed as in the sea ducks. Length, 22 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The red-breasted merganser may be distinguished from the American merganser by its smaller size and by the feathering at the base of the bill, which, in the red-breasted species, extends well forward on the side of the upper mandible beyond the feathering on the lower mandible.
The male red-breasted merganser has a crest and a reddish breast band which are lacking in the male American merganser. Females of the two species are difficult to distinguish except by the feathering at the base of the bill.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds throughout northern Canada and Alaska, nesting north as far as the Arctic coast. In the McKinley region, it was observed on the Nenana River near Healy. This was the only time in the two seasons' field work that the species was found by us.
NORTHERN SHARP-TAILED GROUSE
Pedioecetes phasianellus phasianellus [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A large pale grouse with many sharp, dark V-shaped marks on the breast and flanks. The tail is soft and pointed, and is almost white. The bird has no characteristic neck adornments or plumes. Length, 17.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—The sharp tail, the light color below, and the many dark V-shaped marks on the breast and flanks distinguish this species from other members of the grouse family.
DISTRIBUTION.—It ranges across the north woods from Quebec to Alaska and it is said to occur along the Sanctuary and Nenana Rivers, near the north boundary of Mount McKinley National Park.
HABITS.—This is a bird of the lower lands in the Tanana Valley, and while we did not actually see any birds of the species within the park, they might easily occur there. Edward Gern, and other men who are familiar with this grouse, state that they have seen "pintail grouse" near the north boundary of the park. We examined study skins which, together with the reports from reliable men, indicate that this species of grouse occurs sparingly over all of the lower Tanana and Nenana River valleys.
On August 1, 1932, I received a northern sharp-tailed grouse that had just been killed, near Sperry, by flying into a speeding gas car on the Alaska Railroad. This bird was sent to me by Colonel Ohlson, of the Alaska Railroad; it was saved as a specimen.
BLACK-BELLIED PLOVER
Squatarola squatarola [LINNAEUS]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A good-sized chunky shore bird with a short black bill less than the length of the head. It is checked black and white above and its face, throat, and breast are solid black. The hind toe is rudimentary. Length, 11 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Though larger than the golden plover, the black-bellied plover is similar to it. In summer it is more white than black above, particularly on the crown which is nearly white instead of black, as it is in the golden plover. The black-bellied plover lacks the golden flecking or spotting which is present on the backs of breeding golden plovers. Also, the under tail coverts are white in the black-bellied plover and black in the golden plover.
DISTRIBUTION.—It is a circumpolar form, breeding in North America along the Arctic coast west of Hudson Bay.
HABITS.—Our sole record for this species in the McKinley region is based upon the observations of Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 10) who on July 25, 1926, records that "black-bellied plovers were often seen" on the ridges between the Muldrow and Muddy forks of the McKinley River. All the breeding specimens that we collected in the McKinley region have proved to be Pacific golden plovers.
NORTHERN CLIFF SWALLOW
Petrochelidon albifrons albifrons [RAFINESQUE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A medium-sized swallow. It is steel blue above, except for the rump which is a light tan. The tail is not forked. This bird has a creamy bar across its forehead; the face and throat are a rich chestnut, and the belly is white. Length, 6 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Good field characters of this species are the white forehead; the square tail which is conspicuous in flight, and the birds' gourd-shaped mud nests plastered on the cliffs.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds from central Alaska and upper Yukon south over nearly all of the United States, except Florida and the Rio Grande Valley.
In Mount McKinley National Park it is found breeding on Toklat River near the north boundary of the park.
HABITS.—The characteristic gourd-shaped mud nest of this species can not be confused with that of any other bird. Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 386) states that on June 11, 1908, a colony of cliff swallows had finished their nests on the cliffs at the lower forks of the Toklat and were already laying their eggs.
This species is believed to be a regular summer resident along the lower northern boundary of Mount McKinley National Park.
DIPPER
Cinctus mexicanus unicolor [BONAPARTE]
GENERAL APPEARANCE.—A plump, short-tailed bird. It is uniform dark slaty gray in color. Its close and compact feathering permits this bird to dive under water and to even walk under water on the bottom of mountain streams searching for insect food. Length, 6.5 inches.
IDENTIFICATION.—Good field characters of the dipper, or water ouzel, are the chunky body and dark slate gray color; its habit of bobbing up and down, and its loud, sparkling song.
DISTRIBUTION.—It breeds along mountain streams from northwestern Alaska to southern California and southern New Mexico. It was noted on the Toklat River in the McKinley region by Sheldon.
HABITS.—The dipper is noted for its cheerful, bubbling song which may be heard even in mid-winter when practically all other birds have ceased singing. On January 28, 1908, Charles Sheldon (1930, p. 282) states: "But what surprised me most in this region of winter cold was . . . the beautiful song of a small bird, seemingly a symbol of spring . . . I determined to find the songster that was pouring forth such music among ice and snow. As I advanced to the river bank, the music seemed to issue from directly beneath me in the ice gorge, through which the waters swiftly flowed. Cautiously stepping to the edge, I spied a water ouzel sitting on a projection of ice close to the water. Others were in the frosted willows nearby, and still others on and about the ice."
Sheldon states that winter temperatures sometimes drop to 60° below zero in this region. For that particular winter the lowest temperature which he recorded was 41° below zero. Even this seems pretty severe weather for a dipper.
The dipper is not numerous or common in the McKinley region, but it can sometimes be found along the clear creeks and grayling streams in that region.
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fauna/3/chap9.htm
Last Updated: 01-Feb-2016