The House & other Arctic musings

When Hares fly

One of my photos will soon be traveling around the north, in a rather big way. This photo of an Arctic Hare that I took this spring was bought by First Air. In about a month's time it will be put up on the tail fin of one of their ATR-42 turboprop passenger planes traveling on routes in Nunavut.

I'm often critical of First Air, especially about the cost of flying here in Nunavut and the impacts it has on all aspects of our lives. But I am grateful for the work they do in the north, and I am very grateful for this opportunity to showcase one of my photos, and for their purchasing of it. Look up, that might be my photo up there...

 

The landslide brings you down.

The Saint George's Society Cliffs are one of my favourite places out here. Spectacular red vertical cliffs that jut 600 feet out of Adam's Sound, they are right around the corner from where I live. This time of year we are often found standing below them on the sea ice, especially at the Gyrfalcon aerie tucked into their face. This photo from last year will give you a bit of an idea of scale (note Dave Brosha on the ice).

They are a crumbly cliff.  Thousands of years of freezing and thawing cycles annually drive wedges of ice in cracks, popping rocks off that tumble down the cliff landing far out onto the frozen sea. Often, especially after the sun circles away from the cliff face, you can hear or see rocks come loose and bounce down the face and out onto the ice. In 2008, I wrote about a rock fall that happened in between visits, hours apart.

Leah tells me a story about her grandparents camping across Adam's Sound from cliffs and watching part of the cliff face give way and smash into the ice, sending a huge splash up in the air, visible from some 5 to 10 kilometres away. If I was taking a guess I would think that rock came from where the Gyrfalcon aerie is. The cliff face is scooped out there, and looks less weathered than the surrounding rock, greyer.

I was last out there the Sunday before last, and made plans to go this weekend. This Sunday was one of those glorious spring days we enjoy up here this time of year. We dog sledded in the morning and the dogs had an incredible run. It is something to watch them, especially at the start when they hit 20 mph. It is impossible to wipe that smile of Travis' face.

In the afternoon, we joined much of the community, and several dog teams out at the iceberg for tea. Breaking one of the fundamental rules before heading out, I didn't check the camera battery, or put a spare in my pocket. A wonderful afternoon, with so many great photo opportunities it hurts. Dog teams + iceberg, yeah no potential there.   But while there a friend who just got back from a short holiday asked if I'd seen the landslide at the cliffs.

I hadn't and he pointed at the cliffs some 15 kms away and said "you can see it where that white strip is".  Sure enough, a light streak marked the cliffs where none had been.  We headed home, Travis joining one of the dog teams for a ride back on the qamutik. He will one day return the favour, passing along his growing skills with a dog team to some starry eyed youth.

After supper, he and I headed out to the cliffs. We hoped to see the Gyrfalcon, and I wanted to get a closer look.  Shortly after we arrived, Travis spotted one of the pair slipping away.  It had been perched further away from the aerie than we'd expected and I would have missed it if not for his sharp eyes. High up on another section of the cliff, perhaps 400 feet up, we found a Raven's nest. Somewhere, hidden from our view halfway up a Snow Bunting was belting out song.

But further up we found the slide. It had to have been spectacular to see. The scar on the rock reached to the top of the cliff, and rocks and what I thought was a dust field stretched far from the face, covering well over an acre.

What I saw as I got closer surprised me. The rock fall had smashed through a large area of the ice, turning the nearly smooth surface into a field of small iceblocks. The dust field, was in fact the splash zone.  The spray must have enormous to cover such an area. Someone standing below would not have stood a chance.

As I headed further and further out to try and get the scene in my telephoto lens we made another discovering.  The remains of Raven reduced to nothing but feathers. We have little doubt that it was the handiwork of the Gyrfalcons. And with that we headed for home, for with the Sun still high in the sky it was easy to forget that it was already passed someone's bedtime for school night.

Nemesis no more

It may surprise some people, given where I live, that I have never seen a Snowy Owl up here. Oh I've seen them in the south, on one of their irruptions, but never up where they are a common breeding bird. But I've never travelled to where they commonly breed, and have relied on chance to find them in their travels, foraging or moving from their breeding grounds. And chance has not been kind.

You see, for me, Snowy Owls are what are known as a nemesis bird, a bird that the fates seem to conspire against ones seeing it. Its not like they haven't been around, just that everyone would see one, but me. This year, due to the extremely good breeding year (thanks to an extremely plentiful year on the lemming cycle) Snowy Owls have been seen extensively in the south, as far south as Dallas Texas. A lot of juvenile birds, coupled with the crash of the lemming population meant that the birds were pretty far flung, looking for sufficient rodents to hunt.

Up here, we've also seen this bounty.  Well, others have also seen this bounty. At least three Snowy Owls wintered around here and succumbed. Two were killed by Ravens and a third was found dead of unknown causes. And from late winter through to now I've heard reports of at least one that has been around town. Everyone, well almost everyone, has seen it, with more frequent sightings as we've turned the corner to Spring. I've even seen video footage of the damned thing perched on a pole, taken by one of my son's friends on his iPod. Victor Bay, the dump, the road to the airport are all different spots where it has been seen. And I'd hear about it after the fact, "Did you see the Snowy Owl by the Hamlet Garage?" Why no I didn't, thanks for asking.

And its not like I'm not out looking.  We're out for a drive almost every evening. I make special trips when I hear of recent sightings. It just wasn't meant to be. Such is a nemesis bird.

Yesterday was another glorious spring day here. Temperatures are beginning to approach (but not quite reach) zero, but the constant warm sun makes everything feel warmer. Couple that with little or no wind and that makes it all but impossible to be indoors. Yesterday we took full advantage of it. 

In the morning we went dog sledding out to the St George's Society Cliffs, the dogs having their best run of the year so far. The two of them live to be in the traces, their excitement when they see the harnesses come out of the porch is intense. Yesterday they ran hard and fast from the moment they took off and you had the sense they would have ran all day if we'd let them.

After lunch we took our tea/coffee/hot apple cider/hot chocolate/instant something almost, but not quite, completely unlike lattes out further down the cliffs. We sat below the Gyrfalcon aeries, hoping to enjoy the bird's company. But they remained hidden from us and we were content to watch Ravens soar along the cliff face, almost brushing it with their wings.

Late afternoon we decided to take another run with the machines and leave the qamutiq behind.  We headed over down Victor Bay where Leah's parents are building a cabin. There was some debate about which route to take but my choice to go past the dump along the gentle valley in King George's shadow won out. As we got closer to Victor Bay I watched a Raven along the hills, and then saw another glide across my path further down. Only this one was pale.

My first thoughts were that it was gull as they have recently arrived back, but the flight wasn't right. It landed on a low ridge by the frozen river and I stopped and retrieved my binoculars from behind the seat. It was an owl. Obviously one that didn't get the memo that I was to be avoided at all costs. It was a juvenile or a fairly dark female, but unmistakeably an owl.  Leah had stopped and I handed her the binoculars and began describing where it was. About that time I realized my camera was hanging around my neck, and simultaneously the owl took off, disappearing behind the ridge. 

We headed over that way, hoping to get a better look and at least a record shot, but when we saw it again it was disappearing over another small ridge, and we decided not to pursue it further and cause it undue stress. As we turned and started off again for the cabin I'm sure a smile broke over my face. The jinx had been broken, Snowy Owls were no longer a nemesis bird.

Now about those Sabine's Gulls.