Of birds and bears in a changing Arctic climate

Chukchi Sea, Barrow, Alaska

Living conditions have changed considerably over the last few decades for sea birds who live or breed in the Arctic region.

Ornithologist George Divoky has found that his monitoring of black guillemots on the Arctic Cooper Island off the coast of Barrow, Alaska over the last four decades has turned into observation of the rapidly changing climate in the high north. On his Friends of Cooper Island website, you will find spectacular pictures and videos of the black guillemots, the puffins and other sub-Arctic species who are spreading further north and the polar bears forced by hunger to land on the island in the hope of finding some tasty birds. – Not if George and his special nesting-boxes can help it! Well worth a look.

If anyone in the Seattle area of the USA should be reading this, George Divoky will be giving a presentation on March 21 at the Burke Museum on the University of Washington campus in Seattle. George is an entertaining and informative speaker. I met and interviewed him during a visit to Barrow, Alaska. He has made some worrying observations about the changing climate, though.