Birds Found on the Arctic Slope of Northern Alaska

Set against the stark, treeless tundra of Alaska’s northern Arctic slope, this field report captures a summer of discovery in 1951‑52. The author, working from the Arctic Research Laboratory at Point Barrow, recorded bird life in a region bounded by the Brooks Range, the international border, and the Arctic Ocean, filling a notable gap in scientific knowledge of the area.

The manuscript details the collection of 351 bird specimens representing 44 species, alongside observations of 29 additional species seen in the wild. Each bird was carefully catalogued, measured, and compared by foot, bill, and skeletal features, with the resulting specimens now housed at a university museum. The work also acknowledges the collaborative effort of students, researchers, and naval support staff who made the fieldwork possible.

Accompanying the data are the author’s own photographs and maps that trace the expedition’s camps and routes. Readers gain a clear, methodical picture of early Arctic ornithology and the painstaking process of building a comprehensive avian inventory in one of the world’s most remote landscapes.