Birds of the Noatak River, Alaska

Hines, John

In conjunction with studies conducted at Cape Thompson on the bird life of the arctic coast of Alaska, portions of the country about the Kelly and Noatak rivers were visited in the summers of 1960 and 1961. In this area, riparian woodland of willow, poplar, and alder extends into a dense forest of white spruce. Bogs are common and there are many small lakes and ponds. The climate of this area is severe, with long cold winters and short cool summers. The mean annual temperature is 20.6°F, and the ground is perpetually frozen, except for a shallow upper layer of earth. The coldest month is January, with a mean monthly temperature of -6.6°F, and the warmest month is July, with a mean monthly temperature of 52.6°F. The average frost free season is about 90 days. The average annual precipitation is slightly more than eight inches, and the mean annual snowfall is 41.1 inches. Eight major avian habitats are recognizable: fluviatile waters, lacustrine waters and edges, barrens, riparian woodland, spruce forest, freshwater marsh, wet tundra, and dwarf birch-heath tundra. Birds characteristic of these habitats are listed. A total of 83 species of birds has been recorded from the Noatak River drainage. Only six raptorial birds were recorded in the summers of 1960 and 1961. The Western Wood Pewee and the Olive-sided Flycatcher are probably accidental; the Yellow-shafted Flicker is rare. The avifauna of the Noatak River is compared in some degree to the avifauna of the more continuous spruce forest of the Kobuk River. More detailed investigations of all ecological formations are needed to establish the status of some species of birds.

Birds of the Noatak River, Alaska

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