August 14, 2010 Terns, Guillemots, and Bears, Oh My!...Yet Again... (A story told in pictures)

Alaska is full of surprises and I had absolutely no idea of what today would hold. At my PolarTREC orientation, I was told to have no expectations of how things should be, and now I know why.

Before he let me on the boat, Lewis made sure that I knew that the ocean can be very dangerous and that I had to do whatever he said because my life was in his hands. Sometimes the winds and waves get really bad and when people panic the boat can capsize.

This is the boat we took to Cooper Island about 35 miles from Barrow. Lewis uses this boat for fall whaling.

We hopped on the boat and began our trip to Cooper Island.

Luis Brower is completely at home in the ocean. <img src=

As we neared Cooper Island we passed by a polar bear.

We saw this bear swimming from Cooper Island towards the mainland.

When we got to Cooper Island, we met George Divoky, who has been researching Black Guillemots for over 30 years.

George lives in an 8' by 10' shelter each summer on Cooper Island.

He spends every summer researching the birds because their habitat has been changing with the retreat of sea ice. The birds fish near and under the sea ice. Since the sea ice is depleating, it's getting harder for Black Guillemots to find food for their young. 

George lets me hold a black guillemot chick.

The young chicks grow quickly as they eat the fish their parents bring for them.

You can tell this chick just ate. The fish is the pink area jutting out.

Black Guillemots nest under shell crates left by the US Navy after the Korean War.

The island is about 5 miles by a half mile. The Black Guillemots nest and breed under the box pieces

Sometimes nature is not always pretty...remember that polar bear you just saw? He was leaving the island after having supper last night.

A polar bear walked on this box last night and ate the chick inside. As it becomes harder for polar bears to find seals and other large mammals, they have been eating Black Guillemots more.

On our way back to Barrow we saw some sea ice and the PolarTREC mascot...the Arctic tern!

There was a flock of Arctic terns on the sea ice. They migrate from the Arctic to the Antarctic every year.

If you want to learn more about George's research, he has a webpage: http://cooperisland.org/ 

I think it was a good day...THANKS, LUIS!