REFUGE NARRATIVE REPORT May 6, 1959 through September 12, 1959 ALEUTIAN ISLANDS NATIONAL \HLDLIFE REFUGE Cold Bay, Alaska NARR AI/INWR May-Sep 1959 \ ....;..� I.EPUGE IWUtATIVE REPOB.T Table of Contnt:a Pag-e I. GENEitAL 1 It. WII.DLIFE 2 A. Waterfowl 2 a. Bock PtU'IDtaaa 2 t. Other Jirda 3 D. -la 5 E. rteh 7 F. IR.eet:s 10' �.· tiL EPUGE DEY.ELOPMEIIT MADITEIWICE 12 1Y. jt'UIUC REIATit'lBS 13 V • ECOIDilC USE 14 ! YI. FIELD INYESTIGATIOIIS 01. APPLIEDJtES£AllCH 15 Caribou .lfttrochtctt• to Mall lalanct lS S.ea Otter Forage StucUea lR Kuluk Bay 41 8749 9 ooo 7 " 3 3755 ., REFUGE NARRATIVE REPORT May 6. 1959 through September 12. 1959 ALEUTIAN ISlANDS NATIONAL WIWLIFE REFU:;E Cold Bay. Alaska I. GENERAL A. Weather conditions have been remarkably warm, calm. and dry for the Aleutian Islands. So favorable for outdoor operations has t t been that fr0111 the middle of June to the corres poncUng time in Aqgust we laid our plans involving day to day use of the dory and on only a single occasion was it necessary to delay a run of 14 miles until the next morning. And this was the only occasion in a months field work, during which the dory was in operation 90 hours, that it: was necessary to run her in rough water. B.. As a consequence of the weather reported above all the streams were at a very low level. c. No fires observed or reported. D. Duri� mid-summer Garelol Volcano was reported by Navy pilots to be in a minor eruption. Page 2 II. WILDLIFE A. Waterfowl. 1. No geese were observed during the period. 2. -Ducks. (a) Common eiders were observed in the areas about Adak Islancl visited during the period. This Includes about 40 in Finger Bay, an unde�ermlned but somewhat larger number ln the small lsla·nds off Zeto Point, 40 to 50 lying off the Andrews Lake spit, well over· 100 drakes observed in Shagak Bay July 5, late in July several broods of fledglings in Sbagak Bay, between 40 and 50 laying and incubating hens on North Rocks and North Island in the Bay of Islands on July 11, an undetermined number of moulting and flying drakes tn the Bay of Islands, and about 100 of both sexes in Claa1 Lagoon. (b) One brood of Aleutian teal was noted tn the meander­ ing creek flowing into Adak Strait from the Caribou Peninsula just nor th of Argonne Pt. (e) Oni.June 23 while bandtna gulls on an island in Lake Betty at the head of Finger Bay, S nes ts of American �rgansers were noted, each containing 8 eggs . The hens were incuba�iag at the tlme. 3. Throughout the period after May 26, commcm lo� �ere ob. served in all the s�lt water areas visited about Adak and tn Lake Betty. In this lake 5 were notec1 June 23rd. They regularly feed in Finger Bay, Sweeper's Cove, Shagak Bay, and the Bay of Islands. Rarely a day passed when the famed laughing call of these birds was not heard. B. Rock ptarmigan. Judging from our constant contaet with these birds both in the Finger Bay area and the area adjoining Three Arm Bay and the Bay of Islands, there is a large population on Adak. These Mrds appear much more elusive with their broods than does the willow ptarmtaan at Cold Bay. for only once did we see chicks in all the many milea we traveled. On this occasion !.n wrl two early August,. the ter observed chicks barely able to fly. Following open ing of the hunting seasot\ ht August, hunters obtained satisfactory bags though hunting these birds on Adak Page 3 is a clecid.edly sporuna p�oposl tton. c. Other btrcla. 1. On June 29 we banded 71 glaacous-win&ed gulls Oft the islands tn Lake Betty , A4ak and oa. .July 11. 29 were b(.tnded em North Rocks and North tsland in the Bay of Islands ,. Adak. 2. Oa Uftl\allled rocke near Cormorant Island in the 8ay of Islands , several nests of Arctic terns were noted. 3. laolated nests of black oystercat�:hers were oi>.served en several rocks in the Bay of Islands. 4. July 23rd two da rk colored petrels bearing a white band at the base of the taU were noted tn the Bay of Islands . This ts presu.ably leal's petrel. 5. July 18 two sanderllns• were obserw«< on the beach of Unalga Bight, Bay of Islands. 6. July 28 a s inale wandering tattler was noted along the creek flowing into Beverley Co�, Bay of Islands. this ts precisely where a single spec·tmen of this species was observed a year ago. 7. On July 28 a large nu.ber of birds were obseJ'ved Ia a dense fog bank lying off the entrance to Shasak Bay. Included were a few fulmars and shearwaters plus kitty• wakes, pufflna, cormorants and glaueous-wlngetl gulls. 8. ArO\U\Cl the c:abla at Unalga Bight we dally observed winter wrens. sons sparrCllWs and longspurs. 9. June la t we observed 7 murreleta in Finger Bay too af r off for ldentlfieation. These were the first observed thts season. 10. A pair of rosy finches had constructed a nest ln the cari­ bou barn at Finger Bay prior to our reoc:cupaney. Despite the commotion caused by both animals and men. they incubated the two eggs in the nest and two nestlings were noted on the fourth of June. Shortly thereafter we noted the adults were no longer ln a ttendanee and we found both nes tllngs dead. 11. One Peale's falcon was noted on the Navy Base at Adak August 25. Two of these birds were noted on Amchltka Page 4 August 29. The latter observation is not particularly remarkable as this falcon is abundant o.n Amchitka but is scarcely so on Adak. 12. The large m!lllber of bald eagles reported in the Bay of Islands last year were not present this year. We attribute this to the very poor showing of salmon. Two bald eaale nests were observed in the B•y of Islands not far from Unalga Bight. They were about two mlles apart and in each case attended by both adults. One contained a single fledgling almost as· large as the adults, and the other contained two of similar size. These nests were watched throughout the last half of July and the birds were still in the nests at months end. We were able to approach closely the neat containing a single fledgling, though we remained about 10 feet from it for the bird seemed disposed to jump out and would have fallen into the Bay. As this nest is sited in an area of dense sea otter population and there were many otter pups in evidence on the w�er below the nest, we sought to discover if there were any evidence of predation. No otter remains were observed, all identifiable remains being avian. 13. Cormorants, puffins, and gulls. We are apt to take common­ place events and species for granted and so 0rig1nally did the writer tn preparing this manuscript. A colony of pelagic cormorants nests on the high rocks off the north­ western corner of North Island wh i le the cliffs forming the we stern face of the island are the nesting sites of hundreds of puffins of both species. We tra�lled many times between Unalga Bight and the beach of Shagak Bay. as this was our supply and cOtmtUnications route. and the course eaeh way took us directly to the cormorant colony. On bright, clear days the approach of the dory to North Island was s ignaltzed by a cascade of cormorants and puffins from the cliffs and then we traveled under a vert .. table canopy of wings. When the sea fog' lay dose and we ran on compass courses, quite out of sight of land though we knew it to be near. the smell of whlt�ashed cliffs was a beacon guiding us and a sudden avalanche of birds, bursting out of the murk, pinpointed our location. North Island is, happily, fox free (though we under­ stand it was not always so) and is now the most important Figure 2. Pel tc eorroorants, North lsland. .� Page 5 ' - bird ialan4 ln the Bay of tslanda. It Is hi&h• an4 aa noted aboW, precipitous. Just above the eltffs and 011 the many promlnant knobs in the interior of the tii4-rld tall. dense grass clu.pa have developed. This la no doubt the result of fertiUzation by the large numbers of glaucou:s-wi ngecl gulls that rest there. Some of them nest. there • although when ve Yislt.ed it In July for the purpose of banc:Ung nes tllng gulls • there was no e'Yidence of a large nest.ln.a population. Nevertheless• the top of the island was always white with gulls resting and soaring. A nUOlber of ktttywakes vere obserft:d. usually around the mouth of Shagak Bay but no large nesting colonies are Ia the area. D. Manmals. 1. At Unalaa Bight we found one family of blue foxes and a maber of others on t::he beaches of Actak Strait.. One tslal\d in the Bay of lslanda (Staten Island) has a lar�e popu­ lation of foxes. The only b ird nest we observed 01\ ith s island was that of an eagle (above noted).