.--For three weeks in the autumn of 1950, I was
a passenger on the Canadian National Railways ship, S.S. Kyle, as it made its last trip
of the season to ports in Labrador. The Kyle left St. John's, Newfoundland, on October
14, and stopped at Newfoundland ports of Carbonear, Catalina, Wesleyville, Twillingate,
and St. Anthony. We then sailed north, passing west of Belle Isle, to reach the Labrador
coast at Battle Harbour. Numerous small ports as far north as Hopedale were visited.
On the return trip, we sailed up Lake Melville to call at Northwest River and Goose Bay
before returning to the Atlantic Ocean and going south. As a rule, the Kyle moved close
to shore, usually within several hundred yards of land, and went especially close to land
when entering the many small harbors in Labrador or when threading its way among the
numerous rocky islands and shoals which lie off the coast of Labrador. However, we were
several miles from land when crossing Conception Bay, Trinity Bay, Bonavista Bay,
Notre Dame Bay, the open sea east of the Grey Islands, the strait of Belle Isle, and
Hamilton Inlet. The wind was generally moderate to strong; it blew from the west or
northwest except for a severe easterly gale on two days (Oct. 21 and 22). Daytime air
temperatures were 30-40 ø F. in Newfoundland waters and 20-30 ø on the Labrador coast.
There was snow on the ground after the first day in Labrador.
I devoted about five hours a day to observing the birds of the region. Except for the
stop at Cartwright, Labrador, I made my observations from the ship since it was usually
difficult or impossible to go ashore. Seven-power (7 X50) binoculars were used in
scanning the water and shore. I have summarized the results in Table 1. Exact deter-
mination of species was not always possible for a variety of reasons, including poor light,
distance, snow flurries, and rough water. The larger and rounded-off numbers in Table
1 are, of course, mostly estimated values.
Nearly all of the Fulmars iFulmarus glacialis) seen were within a few miles of Hawke
Harbour, Labrador, the site of a whaling factory. They were especially numerous in
Hawke Harbour itself. I saw over a hundred there on each of two occasions, some on the
water but most in flight about the harbor.
The unidentified ducks were nearly all female eiders; exceptions were the ducks seen
on Lake Melville, 12 on Oct. 26 (probably White-winged Scoters [Melanitta ]usca], ac-
cording to a missioner at Northwest River) and 80 on Oct. 30 (apparently Goldeneyes
[Glaucionetta clangula or G. islandica] but very far distant). I saw no Black Ducks
(Anas rubripes), Old-squaws (Clangula byemalls), Harlequin Ducks (Histrionicus
histrionicus), Surf Scoters (Melanitta perspicillata), or Red-breasted Mergansers (Mergus
serrator). They might reasonably have been expected since they all appear to breed in
Labrador and the recorded late dates of their departure are close to the time that I was
in the region (Austin, 1932. Mem. Nuttall Ornith. Club, No. 7: 40-61; Bent, 1923. U.S.
Natl. Mus. Bull. 126:1-68; 1925. Ibid. 130:1-151).
I saw no Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolus) although I was informed by a resident of
southern Labrador that Gyrfalcons become fairly common there in December and that
many are killed in pole traps in winter. I saw only one Duck Hawk (Falco peregrinus).
It flew shorewards across our bows when we were several miles off the Grey Islands.
This bird was probably a migrant from Labrador where it is a comnon summer resident
(Austin, op. cit.: 69). Peters and Burleigh (1951. "The birds of Newfoundland," Hough-
lol
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ton Mifflin Co., Boston, p. 146) describe the Duck Hawk as a rare summer resident and
transient in Newfoundland. They give only four records of this species.
The late occurrence of shore-birds in Labrador was interesting. These birds were
apparently not merely stragglers since I saw 115 White-rumped Sandpipers (Erolia
/usclcollls) in a walk along a two-mile stretch of the rocky beach at Cartwright on Oct.
20; the water was then thinly frozen over in the shallow places. It is apparent from
Table 1 that the migration of White-rumped Sandpipers from Labrador was still taking
place in November. Bent (1927. U.S. Natl. Mus. Bull. 142:192) gives the late date of
this species at Battle Harbour as Oct. 29. Austin (op. clt.: 98) states that scattered
individuals linger on in Labrador through October although most birds have passed
through by the end of September. Hantzsch (quoted by Austin, loc. cit.) observed a
White-rumped Sandpiper at Hopedale on Nov. 2, 1906. I found both White-rumped
Sandpipers and Sanderlings (Crocethia alba) to be rather common on Nov. 10, 1950 at
Searston in southwestern Newfoundland. Peters and Burleigh (op. cit. 199) give Nov. 22
as the late date for White-rumped Sandpipers at St. Anthony. They also give (op. cit.:
209) Oct. 1 as the late date for Sanderlings in Newfoundland. I saw no Purple Sand-
pipers (Erolia maritima) on the trip although we passed much apparently ideal habitat.
Since the winter range of Purple Sandpipers extends as far north as Greenland (Austin,
op. cit.: 95; Bent, 1927:151), it might be presumed that relatively few migrants of this
species had reached Labrador and Newfoundland by Nov. 3. Peters and Burleigh (op.
cit.: 197) described the Purple Sandpiper as an uncommon winter resident and transient
in Newfoundland. The unidentified small shore-birds I saw were neither Purple Sand-
pipers nor White-rumped Sandpipers; they appeared to be other species of the genus
Erolia.
The scarcity of Glaucous Gulls (Larus hyperboreus) was somewhat surprising. Coues
(quoted by Austin, op. cit.: 111), who spent July and August, 1860, on the coast of
southern Labrador, thought Glaucous Gulls were rather rare in this region. Others
(cited by Austin, loc. cit.) reported them common throughout the interior and north of
Cape Harrison. Austin says that Glaucous Gulls are most common between Hamilton
Inlet and Nachvak but are never so common as Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus) and
Great Black-backed Gulls (Larus mar:nus). It should be kept in mind that these reports
were made by persons present in Labrador only during the summer months. Peters and
Burleigh (op. clt.: 221) state that Glaucous Gulls are fairly common winter residents in
Newfoundland, becoming most common in fall, winter, and spring when drift ice is just
offshore. Austin gives only one record of an Iceland Gull (Larus leucopterus) for
Labrador. As he remarked, this is doubtless due to the absence of observers during the
autumn, winter, and spring months, when this species would be expected. Peters and
Burleigh (op. cit.: 223) describe the Iceland Gull as an uncommon winter visitant in
Newfoundland. I found that the white-winged gulls in Labrador always occurred with
Herring Gulls and, in salt water, with Great Black-backed Gulls also. Because of this,
I was able to estimate comparative wing-spread and relative heaviness of bills, critical
field marks for the separation of Glaucous Gulls from Iceland Gulls. On the basis of
these observations, the species identifications of Table 1 were assigned. It will be noted
that the only white-winged gulls seen on Lake Melville and Goose Bay were apparently
Iceland Gulls and that only two Glaucous Gulls were seen on the coast of Labrador.
A man living near Hawke Harbour told me that Glaucous Gulls (apparently known
locally as "slob gulls") do not become common there until December, when ice is forming
in large amounts in the ocean. Since he seemed to have observed wild life closely and
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with interest, ! felt that his statements were accurate. I also gathered from his remarks
that Ivory Gulls ("ice partridges"; Pagophila eburnea) are seen at Hawke Harbour
with the appearance of sea-ice in December.
The difference in habitat of the various alcids was rather sharply marked. Black Guil-
lemots (Cepphus grylle) were seen in the sheltered harbors and close to shore, Dovekies
(Plautus alle) in deeper and less sheltered waters and the Murres (Uria aalge and U.
lomvia) and Razor-billed Auks (Alca torda) in still deeper water and further from shore.
Puffins (Fratercula arctica) were either uncommon in Labrador at the time or else pre-
fer regions further from shore than the Kyle ordinarily sailed, for I saw very few of these
birds. Austin (op. cit.: 140) remarks that Puffins stay among the outer islands and al-
most never come into the bays, at least during summer, the time of his observations.
The migration of Snow Buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) from Labrador was apparently
complete after the fourth week in October, since I saw none of these birds after Oct. 20.
According to Austin (op. cit.: 200), they are rarely found in Labrador during the winter.
--JoH G. ERICKSOl, 611 North Lilac Drive, Minneapolis 22, Minnesota, September 18,
1951.