Our first morning we set out to test the rifles and flares that we have with us. Everyone here has to carry safety equiment like this because of the polar bears that are found in this area. Laurel put us through the paces of polar bear safety protocols.
Here is Julia shooting from the standing position.
Derek trying out the lying down position.
Wayne Steinmetz from the Pomona College chemistry department took Julia and Derek and Laurel to the shooting range the day before we left for the Arctic to practise shooting and handling a firearm. Thank you Wayne for sharing your knowledge with us and taking the time to train us!
Then we headed up to the little auk colony for the first time. The little auks nest on the steep, scree covered slopes behind the station.
Here are Julia and Derek and Laurel at the base of the slope where the colony is.
Once we got to the colony, we were greeted by thousands of little auks whirling in the air. It was spectacular. They fly so close to us you can sometimes hear their wing beats.
Little auks in flight above the colony.
We spent the rest of the afternoon checking the nests. We check old nests by finding the wooden numbered stakes that we use to mark where nests are. Once we find the stake then we shine a flashlight in the hole and search for a bird. We found birds sitting on eggs in many of the nest sites from last year. We also found 12 new nests just by crawling along the slope looking into every crevise.
Nest searching on the colony slopes.