3 August, 1997

Sunday, August 3, 1997.

Sundays are usually set aside for resting, recreation and, of course, hiking. However, Karie thought that since the weather was cooperating and my time (as well as the fishermen's time) in Toolik was so short -- only two weeks -- that we should continue with our field work. The fishermen went out early that day, however, I did not go out until after lunch as I was still exhausted from the previous days walking and was upset with myself that I had already aggravated my previously "scoped" knee.

Before lunch I made my first positive identification of a bird -- at camp -- a large Common Raven. At 1:00 pm I returned to the Kuparuk River to begin my bird watching. I did a quick survey of the insect traps in the control zone and found they were still standing and that insects were sticking to the cards. Sunday's weather was overcast, very windy and cool. The fishermen reported a poor day and that the fish were hard to catch. There is a fair amount of bird activity and I spend most of my day immersed in Armstrong's Guide to the Birds of Alaska in an attempt to identify them by sight or sound.

I confined my birdwatching to the river corridor and all of my birdwatching was within the -0.7 and 3.0 km of the Kuparuk River corridor.

I spotted an all white gull in flight which I later identified as a Glaucous Gull (Larus hyperboreus). Sitting in the edge of the willows and seemingly not alarmed at my presence I spotted a (male) Common Redpoll (Carduelis flammea). Many small birds were seen eating insects along the the river and at the edge of the willows. At this time, I could not identify the birds.