Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska

by James W. Bee

Falco sparverius sparverius Linnaeus: Sparrow hawk.—One seen in the summer of 1952 at the mouth of the Colville River by Clifford Fiscus.

Lagopus [lagopus] alascensis Swarth: Willow ptarmigan.—Specimens, 5: Topagaruk, 155°48', 70°34', 10 ft., No. 50587, ad. female, July 8, 1951; Kaolak River, 159°47'40", 70°11'15", 30 ft., No. 30586, ad. female, July 14, 1951 and No. 30585, ad. male, July 15, 1951; Kaolak, 160°14'51", 69°56'00", 178 ft., No. 30583, ad. male and No. 30584, ad. female, July 23, 1951.

Wherever ptarmigan were found, there was evidence that they were resident in the area throughout the year. At Topagaruk, informants said the ptarmigan were not so numerous in the summer (1949-1950) as in the winter. The apparent relative abundance of these birds in these two seasons could conceivably result from the birds being less conspicuous and more seclusive in the summer because of nesting activities. In summer these birds are protectively colored; at times a female only a few feet away is hardly distinguishable from the tundra. We observed only two adults and three juveniles in the area (July 5-10, 1952) although we saw considerable sign associated with the winter season. Sand dunes derived from material along the edge of the river formed a conspicuous feature of the landscape. These dunes, 20 to 30 feet high, were deeply cut by winds from the west-northwest. Ptarmigan tracks and sign were on all sides of the dunes, but the lee side was more commonly used than any other because of the protection from winds and the presence there of large willows and other plants. At Barrier Lake (July 29-Aug. 4, 1952) we noted numerous droppings of ptarmigan on the uplands between Barrier Lake and Teshekpuk Lake but we did not see any birds there. The sign could have been deposited either in the winter or in a previous season.

There are perhaps local migrations of ptarmigan. Harmon Helmericks, for instance, told us that in either April or May of 1946 he saw a ptarmigan on the ice of the Arctic Ocean 10 miles north of Pingok Island. At Gavia Lake (August 22) we observed a local shift of a group of ptarmigan. One day there were 19 birds in an area; the following day only seven birds were counted. On the third day the full complement of 19 birds were again in the area.

Ptarmigan are generally distributed on the Arctic Slope. On an airflight (July 3, 1952) from the mouth of the Canning River Canyon to Umiat the number of ptarmigan increased as we approached the drainage system of the Colville River. On this date, when these birds are nesting, the willows were just starting to grow new leaves and other vegetation of the tundra still was undeveloped. On August 16, along this same route, when young ptarmigan were nearly as large as adults, willows and alders were in full leaf and dominated the vegetation along water courses; the tundra was mature in appearance with considerably more green and yellow color in the landscape. The water in rivers and especially ponds was clear but brownish.

In the river valley at Umiat (June 28, 1952) a nest of seven eggs (½ incubated) was on an elevated mound supporting dwarf willow and birch averaging 1½ feet high. The nest was merely a concavity in sphagnum moss depressed by the weight of the bird. The female refused to leave the nest until bodily removed.

Dusting pits are actively used in the period of nesting. At Umiat (June 25, 1952), ptarmigan were using seven dusting pits on the shoulder of the airstrip. On the upland at Kaolak River (July 12, 1951), ptarmigan developed dusting pits on abandoned diggings made by Arctic ground squirrels. Most of the mounds were covered with mosses and lichens and other vegetation.

Individuals and family groups were noted at various localities on the Arctic Slope. At Kaolak River (July 15, 1951) on a four hour field trip, we saw three pairs of birds and their families of four to six young. One flock of eight adults was seen from the air at the mouth of the Canning River Canyon on July 22, 1952. At Kaolak (July 21-27, 1951) they were common; ten pairs of adults (males and female) were within a one mile radius of our camp. The families of young were in groups of 1-3-4-6-8-9-10-11-14. One group consisted of one male, two females and four young. While on a flight from Kaolak to Point Barrow (July 27, 1951) we observed several ptarmigan on the tundra. At Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1951) ptarmigan were in groups or singles as follows: two adult singles, group of seven young and one adult, group of four young and one adult and one group of five young and two adults. According to Harmon Helmericks, ptarmigan were high in population numbers on the Arctic Slope in 1952.

Ptarmigan were associated with most of the communities of the Arctic Slope but were noted more commonly in the following situations than elsewhere: At Kaolak (July 21-27) and at Kaolak River (July 21, 1951) in damp swales of grasses and sedges in poorly drained areas where soils were damp to supersaturated and among the dwarf willows bordering lakes and creeks; at Gavia Lake (Aug. 21, 1952) among willows and alders (4 feet high) along the edges of ox-bow lakes. On windy, cold days the ptarmigan were mainly on south exposures among grasses and sedges along lakes and on windless days were on flat tundra of polygons but near dwarf shrubs. On June 27, 1⁄5 mile northwest of Mount Umiat, two dead willow ptarmigan were noted along the edge of a willow and cotton-grass swale. The feathers had been plucked by a raptor (?) preparatory to his eating the ptarmigan.

Variations in parental display are indicated by the following observations. At Kaolak River (July 12) we flushed a family of adults and young. The male called as he left the ground and then he flew across the lake. The female, when flushed at a distance of 10 feet from the observer, feigned injury for 12 seconds before following the male. Seven young, averaging seven inches in length, left the ground and flew in the opposite direction from that taken by the male and female, to swales of cotton-grass and willow on the hillside. Another adult male and female were at the side of a young bird held in a trap. The female first left the young and fluttered over the vegetation for 40 feet and the male flew out of the area. Four other young were flushed 30 feet from the trap that held the captured ptarmigan. On July 17, while walking through a wet meadow of grasses and sedges, we flushed a male, female and four young (150 mm in length). The female crawled through vegetation for 30 feet and then rose into the air. At this same moment four young left the ground. The female, while in the air, reversed her course and joined the young, which had alighted some 300 feet away. On July 23, 1951, a family of two adults and 10 young were flushed. The male returned and chattered until the female arrived. The male then retreated 15 feet beyond the observer and remained close to the female while she tried to distract our attention from the young by pretending to have an injured wing. In a group of one male, two females and four young at Kaolak (July 21, 1951) the male and young left after the females fluttered along the ground for 30 feet.