Read Ebook: Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska by Bee James W

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Ebook has 307 lines and 35273 words, and 7 pages

"So I spent the whole day--along with my usual chore of shifting the lights--blindfolding dingleburys. Which is a hell of a sport for a man who is captain of his own ship."

I must say that I agreed with him, but it seemed to be a good time for me to keep my mouth shut.

"Well, after the dingleburys had eaten and propagated, they became inquisitive. They explored the whole ship, going into places I wouldn't have believed it to be possible for them to reach, including the inside of the main computer, which promptly shorted out. I finally figured that one of the things had managed to crawl up the cooling air exhaust duct, against the flow of air, to see what was going on inside.

"I didn't dare to get rid of the things without checking my book, of course, so it was back to the head for me. 'Night' had come again--and it was the only place I could get any privacy. There were plenty of the carolla left to join me outside.

"I showered and swatted and started to read. I got as far as where it said that the dingleburys continued to be of importance, and then I'm afraid I fell asleep.

"I got up with the sun the next morning. Hell, I had to, considering that it was I who turned the sun on! I found that the dingleburys immediately got busy opening small buds on the stems of the marocca plants. Apparently they were pollinating them. I felt sure that these buds weren't the marocca blossoms from which the fruit formed--I'd seen a lot of those while we were on Mypore II and they were much bigger and showier than these little acorn-sized buds.

"Of course, I should have translated some more of my instruction book, but I was busy.

"It was then that I began to get worried. If they twined around the light, they would keep me from moving it, and they would shadow it so it wouldn't do its job right. In effect, their growth would put out the sun.

"I thought of putting up an electrically charged fence around the light, but the bugs had put most of my loose equipment out of action, so I got a machete. When I took a swing at one of the vines, something bit me on the back of the neck so hard it almost knocked me down. It was one of the dingleburys, and it was as mad as blazes. It seems that one of the things they do is to defend the marocca against marauders. That was the first of my welts, and it put me back in the head in about two seconds.

"And what's more, I found that I couldn't kill the damn things. Not if I wanted to save the plants. The growth only stops at the end of six hours, after the blossoms appear and are visited by the dingleburys. No dingleburys, no growth stoppage.

"Every time they got a little too worried, or I slipped and bumped into a plant too hard, or looked crosseyed at them, they bit me. If you think I look bad now, you should have seen me just about the time the blossoms started to burst.

"I was worried about those blossoms. I felt sure that they would smell terrible, or make me sick, or hypnotize me, or something. But they just turned out to be big, white, odorless flowers. They did nothing for me or to me. They drove the dingleburys wild, though, I'm happy to say. Made them forget all about me.

"It turns out that it's all right to cut marocca as soon as it stops growing. To keep the plants from dying, though, you have to mulch the cuttings and then feed them back to the plants, where the roots store whatever they need against the time of the next explosive period of growth. Of course, if you prefer you can wait for the vines to die back naturally, which takes several months.

"There was one little catch, of course. The cuttings from the vines will poison the plants if they are fed back to them without having been mixed with a certain amount of processed mulch. Enzymes again. And there was only one special processor on board.

"I was the special processor. That's what the instructions said--I translated very carefully--it required an 'organic processor'.

"So I had to eat pounds of that horrible tasting stuff every day, and process it the hard way.

"I didn't even have time to scratch my bites. I must have lost weight everywhere but in the swollen places, and they looked worse than they do now. The doctor says it may take a year before the bumps all go away--if they ever do--but I have improved a lot already.

"I hadn't chopped off all of the new growth, although I had the plants down to manageable size. Some of the blossoms left on the plants had formed fruit, and the fruit had ripened and dried, and the seeds had developed fully. They were popping and spreading fine dust-like spores all over the ship, those last few hours before I landed.

"When I opened the airlock door, though, the spores drifting outside set the customs inspectors to sneezing and swearing more than seemed reasonable at the time." Captain Hannah inhaled a sip of rhial, and seemed to be enjoying the powerful stuff. He acted as if he thought he had finished.

"Well, go on," I urged him. "The marocca plants were still in good shape, weren't they?"

Hannah nodded. "They were growing luxuriously." He nodded his head a couple of more times, in spite of the discomfort it must have given him.

He said, "They made me burn the entire crop right away, of course. They didn't get all of the carolla or dingleburys, though. Or spores."

"They'll send you the bill. They don't figure it will take them more than a few months to complete the job."

Captain Hannah stopped talking and stood up, painfully and a little unsteadily.

I'm afraid I didn't even notice when he blacked my other eye. I was too busy reaching for the rhial.

END

For additional contact information:

+Somateria spectabilis+ : King eider.--Specimen 1: Point Barrow, 156?27'25", 71?23'11", 3 ft., No. 31306, ad. male, August 25, 1952.

Robert McKinley told us that in the last week of April of 1952, eiders arrived in the vicinity of the Arctic Research Laboratory in large numbers and continued to pass to the east for the next three weeks. King eiders were observed at Point Barrow on July 3, 1951.

Ninety king eiders and 30 Pacific eiders were resting on the shore of the Arctic Ocean at Point Barrow on August 25, 1952. The following day 200 king eiders were in the same area. A male, shot there, measured 560 millimeters in total length. The muscles were only a third the size of those on a normal bird. Another eider found dead also was emaciated and may have died from gun shot wounds inflicted by the guns of the Eskimos. For every bird killed by Eskimos, several are injured; many of these die along the migration route. On July 28, king eiders were flying northwest along the shore of Elson Lagoon, thence across the Point Barrow Peninsula at Birnirk, and thence southwest along the coast of the Arctic Ocean. This day was foggy and wind was from the east. On clear days and especially when wind blows from the northwest, king eiders cross the peninsula a fifth of a mile or so nearer Point Barrow, which is the most northern extension of the Peninsula. More eiders moved by on clear days than on cloudy or foggy days. In one hour, ten flocks, averaging 400 birds each, passed overhead at Birnirk ; three days earlier flocks of from 50 to 300 passed approximately every 20 minutes. Eskimos on this date were shooting into these flocks of eider and bagging them in excess of the winter needs of the hunters. One Eskimo had 40 king eiders undressed and hanging on a drying rod at his home at Barrow Village .

On July 29, 1951, we flew from Point Barrow to Teshekpuk Lake and observed only two small flocks of king eiders. On August 1, 1951, at Barrier Lake, three large flocks were flying west beyond the north end of the lake. This was the first day since July 29, on which we had seen such large flocks so far inland.

On September 11, 1952, eight king eiders were resting on the shore of the Arctic Ocean at Point Barrow.

+Lampronetta fischeri+ : Spectacled eider.--On July 28, 1951, at Birnirk, several flocks were flying along the Arctic Ocean.

+Melanitta perspicillata+ : Surf scoter.--Specimens, 2: Porcupine Lake, 146?29'50", 68?51'57", 3140 ft., No. 31307 and 31308, ad. males, July 15, 1952.

Two males shot at Porcupine Lake on July 15, 1952, measured as follows: Total length, 489 mm, 495 mm; length of testis, 9 mm, 11 mm; weight, 1134 grams, 998 grams. These birds were frequently seen together along the south side of the lake. At Lake Schrader , 15 scoters, in loose groups of two to six, fed in the southwest corner of the lake.

+Buteo lagopus s. johannis+ : Rough-legged hawk.--On July 2, 1952, a nest of three young approximately six days old was examined 1/2 mile southeast of Umiat Mountain. The young were being fed small mammals. Another nest containing three addled eggs was also examined near Umiat. Many infertile and addled eggs of several kinds of birds were noted on the Arctic Slope.

+Aquila chrysa?tos canadensis+ : Golden eagle.--Marvin Mangus told us that he had seen young in nests at the following localities: Kurupa River, 155?11', 68?38', on July 1, 1946; 10 miles south of Driftwood in latter part of June, 1950; 11 miles NW from the north end of Chandler Lake, 152?56', 68?25' on June 10, 1951; Awuna River, 157?03', 69?12' July 4, 1952. Single adult birds were seen by us at Gavia Lake and at Driftwood .

Atanak and his companions from Wainwright saw 12 eagles while hunting from the junction of the Avalik and Ketik rivers to a point seven miles up the Kaolak River, but no eagles were seen between the junction of the above rivers and Wainwright.

Golden eagles daily hunted prey along ridges where Arctic ground squirrels were abundant, for example, at Wahoo Lake and at Porcupine Lake . This species of eagle hunted also in areas where marmots were abundant, as on the slopes adjoining Lake Peters. There three eagles soaring at 3800 feet elevation south of the mouth of Chamberlin Canyon elicited from each of four marmots three warning calls. Thereafter the marmots remained silent until the eagles had left the area. One eagle that consistently hunted on the lower slope of Mount Annette along the Canning River was three times harassed by two ravens.

At the south end of Lake Peters , a pair of adult eagles soared along the slopes of Mount Mary approximately 1000 feet above the lake. Twenty minutes later these birds flew by camp at the base of the mountain. On August 2, at 8:00 P.M., two birds, one a large dark adult and one a bird of the year dropped with partly closed wings from high on the east side of the lake to an undisturbed meadow on the west side. After circling the meadow once, the two birds spiralled upward to approximately 4500 feet elevation in one steep canyon, leveled off and after gaining the head of the next canyon, plummetted down to the base of the mountain some 1500 feet below. The high-speed flight continued across the ridge to the mouth of the next canyon where they circled twice and then soared upward to repeat the act. The objective probably was to surprise and prey upon small game at the mouths of each canyon. On August 13, the eagles were still in the area at the south end of Lake Peters in spite of an abrupt seasonal change; snow and rain increased and the temperature dropped.

On August 15, a Dall sheep crossed the canyon from Mount Mary to the mouth of Chamberlin Canyon. As the sheep reached the east side of the canyon an eagle flew across the canyon and alighted approximately 150 feet from the sheep. A large group of small birds immediately harassed the eagle.

Two eagles fed on a dead caribou on a delta on the east side of Lake Peters. Eagles were noted every day at Lake Peters from July 31 to August 15 inclusive.

+Falco rusticolus obsoletus+ Gmelin: Gyrfalcon.--At the southwest corner of Barrier Lake on July 29, 1951, a gyrfalcon sat on a bank 10 feet above the water level. A dead Arctic tern was on the beach only 90 feet away and visible to the gyrfalcon. When approached to within 250 feet, the gyrfalcon, rather than flying north over the lake and lowlands, flew south across the upland tundra. On August 3, on the edge of the upland tundra approximately 3 1/2 miles farther east a gyrfalcon ate a Sabine's gull--a bird of the year. Its feathers had been plucked and only the stomach and intestines remained. The gyrfalcon left the feeding area when approached to within 450 feet and, as did the other gyrfalcon, flew south over the upland tundra rather than over the lowlands of inundated sedges. On July 4, one gyrfalcon sat on a promontory at the south end of Barrier Lake. This bird flew south.

At Umiat a gyrfalcon each day hunted the same areas of marsh in the river valley where tundra voles were numerous and along the side of the valley where ground squirrels were common. On several occasions, this bird hovered 30 feet up and inspected us. This confidence was in contrast to that of the gyrfalcons at Teshekpuk Lake; they evaded us by leaving the ground several hundred feet away and flying out of sight.

Westley Redhead told us that a gyrfalcon was at Umiat as early as the latter part of May, 1952. We saw them there on September 1 and 2 in the same year. Gyrfalcons feed on ptarmigan in the river valley and on ground squirrels and small birds on the uplands by striking their prey on the ground. These falcons fly like prairie falcons and are of the same nervous disposition.

+Falco peregrinus anatum+ Bonaparte: Peregrine falcon.--A nest was found on June 27, 1952, on the south slope of Mount Umiat approximately 225 feet above the Colville River, 40 feet from the top of the cliff and 30 feet west of the top of the mountain. The nest, three feet in depth at the front, two feet in depth at the rear, and 2 1/2 feet wide was made of sticks of many years accumulation and was placed on a pinnacled platform 12 feet high. The nest contained one infertile egg and two others in which embryos were approximately one third developed. The female remained near us the one hour that we were in the area. She flew back and forth in front of the nest terminating each flight in an upswing arc and occasionally rested on top of the ridge to the west. She dove at us but never came closer than 10 feet before swerving upward. The male was not present. In a canyon 1/5 mile northeast of the nest two dead ptarmigan were at the edge of a willow cotton-grass swale. A nest of a peregrine falcon used three years before was 1-7/10 miles east and 1-7/10 miles north of Umiat. The nest was eight feet up on the face of a cliff 13 feet in height and easily accessible to either fox or wolf. Along the Colville River the falcon feeds on small shore-birds and other small birds.

+Falco columbarius bendirei+ Swann: Pigeon hawk.--On a benchland between Chandler Lake and mountains to the west on August 12, 1952, a pigeon hawk hunted back and forth across a meadow, fearlessly inspecting us from distances of 20 to 30 feet as it searched the meadow for food. This falcon systematically searched those areas where longspurs were known by us to be most frequently found. Twice it flushed Lapland longspurs and darted at them but without success. Of the four pigeon hawks at Chandler Lake three were moving south and one was moving north down the canyon. We saw this species at Chandler Lake also on August 17, 20 and 21, 1951, and at Driftwood on August 27, 1952.

Approximately 1/10 mile north of James Robert Lake a pigeon hawk was harassing five ravens that were feeding on a dead caribou. This falcon flew back and forth above the ravens.

+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 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 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 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.

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