Wedge-tailed shearwater sightings, 1963-1964

by: National Museum of Natural History (U.S.) Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program

Publication date: 1963

Topics: National Museum of Natural History (U.S.) Pacific Ocean Biological Survey Program, Ornithology, Zoological surveys, Wedge-tailed shearwater, Pacific Ocean

Collection: biodiversity; sifieldbooks

Digitizing sponsor: Smithsonian Field Book Project

Contributor: Smithsonian Institution Archives

Language: English

This volume is a log of observations of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Year information is not provided, but the folder title and finding aid information for this volume give the years as 1963 to 1964. Fields include date [day and month], time, lat. [empty field], long. [empty field], mi. fr. Joh. [miles from Johnston Atoll?][empty field], # birds, size of flock, other species, and remarks. Entries are dated from 5 September to 15 November [1963] and 3 January to 18 May [1964], with a line for each observation. Daily bird totals and statistics are given after each day in which at least one observation is recorded; statistics include number of birds per sighting, number of birds per flock, and number of birds per sighting not in flock. The remarks field gives direction [SW, NE, etc.], which may represent direction of flight. The remarks field also notes whether birds are feeding, number of dark phase individuals, and other observations. In the folder with the field book are two 1-page tables. The table titled "Tendency for Wedge-tailed Shearwaters to group together" has the following fields: category (no. of ~B), # sightings Sept-Nov. 1963, # sightings Jan.-May 1964, # sightings total, and % of total. The other table, "No of times Wedge-tailed Shearwaters have been seen in association with other birds," has the fields species, Sept-Nov. 1963, Jan.-May 1964, and total

Abstract: This volume is a log of observations of Wedge-tailed Shearwaters. Year information is not provided, but the folder title and finding aid information for this volume give the years as 1963 to 1964. Fields include date [day and month], time, lat. [empty field], long. [empty field], mi. fr. Joh. [miles from Johnston Atoll?][empty field], # birds, size of flock, other species, and remarks. Entries are dated from 5 September to 15 November [1963] and 3 January to 18 May [1964], with a line for each observation. Daily bird totals and statistics are given after each day in which at least one observation is recorded; statistics include number of birds per sighting, number of birds per flock, and number of birds per sighting not in flock. The remarks field gives direction [SW, NE, etc.], which may represent direction of flight. The remarks field also notes whether birds are feeding, number of dark phase individuals, and other observations. In the folder with the field book are two 1-page tables. The table titled 'Tendency for Wedge-tailed Shearwaters to group together' has the following fields: category (no. of ~B), # sightings Sept-Nov. 1963, # sightings Jan.-May 1964, # sightings total, and % of total. The other table, 'No of times Wedge-tailed Shearwaters have been seen in association with other birds,' has the fields species, Sept-Nov. 1963, Jan.-May 1964, and total.