Storm-petrels in the sea ice
The encroachment of ice was slow enough for a quick visit to one of the field sites on the morning of Saturday June 13th, allowing us to record the first great black-backed gull chicks of the season. The ice slowly enclosed the small island, forcing us to leave early, but not before we noticed seabirds in a similar predicament. A slowly shrinking pool of open water on the lee of the island held a collection of seabirds including common murres, razorbills, black guillemots, a single Atlantic puffin, common eider, and harlequin duck (an unusual species for the summer), but most surprisingly over 150 Leach’s storm-petrels. This tiny member of the ‘tubenose’ family, a relation to the great albatrosses, is strictly nocturnal and only visits it’s island colonies under the cover of darkness to avoid predation by gulls. Unwilling to cross the pack ice, these (usually) strictly pelagic seabirds swam on the surface, sometimes taking wing and flying around the perimeter of the pool before alighting again. Seeing such an enigmatic species in large numbers and so close to the shore is highly unusual unless after a strong storm, and is a direct result of the late ice we are currently experiencing.
