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Greenland Seabird Ecology

Hi Mary Anne!

I just figured out that you and Misty will be in the field at the same time. We will be back in school as of late July, so you can BET that I will be asking some questions.

My students read a book during the last week of school called "Goodbye, My Island" about the last group of Inupiat on King Island (way up north of St. Lawerence Island) in the Bering Sea. In the book, the boys would go out and collect Auklet eggs and birds for eating.

So how big of an egg are we looking at? And how big of a bird? Is their evidence in Greenland that other native peoples ate auklets or auklet eggs as well? 

Thank you so much for your time in finding out the answers for me. I will be pulling together a slide show for my students to learn more about auklets, so as you do your research, know that I will be eyeballing your images too!

warmly,

Maggie 

Thu, 06/21/2007 - 14:07

Mary Anne Pell…

Hi Maggie, 
I am excited to know there will be a junior high class in session when I am in the field!! If you look at the photo gallery, you can get a perspective of the size of an adult Little Auk. It is being held. They are not tiny, and are definitely a food source for the Greenlanders. Eggs are also consumed, however, the breeding colonies are not easily assessable, so I do not think the eggs are a significant part of the diet. One of the reasons Ann is interested in having the school at Ittoqqortoormiit participate is so that the community notices and saves any tags found on Little Auks that are hunted. I am unsure the size of the eggs, so will let you know that in July. Have a good summer.
Mary Anne