Volume 8, 1955 - The Arctic Circle - Home

".VOL. VIII NO.4 THE ARCTIC CIRCULAR 77average number of eggs per nest was a little over Z, varying between1 and 3. Of 77 Kumlien's Gull eggs known to have been laid,IS, or 19,5 per cent, were lost before hatching. This is a minimumfigure as I have not made allowance for an egg having been laid andlost between observations. No figures are available for chickmortality, which is commonly the major fraction of breeding failurein colonial gulls. During the field season 189 Kumlien1s Gull chickswere banded.Glaucous Gulls, like KumUen's Gulls, usually nested on thesteep cliffs fringing the shore line, frequently, as noted before, inthe company of breeding Kumlien's Gulls. One colony of 4 Glaucousand Z Herring gull pairs was also found. However, they sometimesformed small pure colonies of 5 or 6 pairs and occasionally nestedsingly on shoals or cliffs. Another, though rare, type of nest wasthe solitary nest on a lake boulder - a typical Herring Gull situation(only Z nests in sites of this sort were found, although theyoccur in Newfoundland (.ee Bent, 19Z1, p. 53)). Egg laying beganabout June 1 in one of the four nests under observation but the peakcame about June ZOo No egg loss was ob.erved. The first chickhatched on July 1, the majority not before July 15. It is harder toestimate the population of Glaucous than of Kumlien's gulls becauseof the scattered nesting sites; however, it is thought thatthe 106 breeding pairs seen comprised about 80 per cent of thetotal breeding population between Pikiolialuk and Amadjuak, Thetotal breeding population is therefore estimated at about 130 pairs.As with Kumlien1s Gull, no breeding pairs were seen fromPikiolialuk north to the Wildbird Islands, although several places,such as Cape Enauolik, appeared to have suitable nesting sites.Forty-four Glaucous Gull chicks were banded..: "'\Most Herring Gull nests were on boulders in small lakes,usually only one or two pairs to a lake. However, three lakeislandcolonies were found with lZ to 30 pairs on each (average 18) •Egg laying began about June 6 and reached a peak about July 10.Breeding Herring Gulls were even more scattered than breedingGlaucous Gulls and only 5 nests were under observation and only6 chicks banded. Judging by comparative numbers seen at the floeedge, Herring and Glaucous gulls probably occur in about the samenumbers. Although a few were collected, immature birds wereuncommon during the nesting season.