I got to thinking, as I and The Bird’s deadline was rapidly looming, that my posts over the next few months are going to start to blur together (if they haven’t already). Ravens, ptarmigan, gyrfalcon, ravens, ptarmigan, gyrfalcon. And really it will be mostly ravens, ravens, ravens, ravens. Hmm perhaps I had better start writing about poultry flu.
The small passerines have long left for the south, the arctic pelagics are retreating farther and farther away as the extent of the ice grows. Some of them will turn north to major polynae near Ellesmere island. The ravens, still soar and dance on the winds around the house, and are masters of all they survey from it’s peak. The only other common bird left now really is the Aqiggiq or Ptarmigan.
We can get both Willow (Lagopus lagopus) and Rock Ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) here, although the Rock is by far the most common. This time of year finds them in rocky windswept slopes, eking out a living on the buds of Arctic Willow. Locally they are known as Aqiggiq. Only on occasion do the odd ones venture right into town, actually last spring was the first time I’ve seen a pair right here.
Of course, these birds are mostly known in their (almost all) white plumage, but they do change into a mottled summer plumage. Interestingly enough, the males retain more white plumage longer than the females in the summer, possibly as part of a sexual display. A consequence of this however is that males suffer more predation by Gyrfalcons as they are more conspicuous. Ah, the price of love.
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what a wonderful contradiction of colors- the ebony black of Ravens, Ravens, Ravens.. and the snowy white Ptarmigan. I would love to view both the Willow and Rock Ptarmigan in their gorgeous winter plumage. (And a few gyrs would be pretty awesome too) 🙂
Clare, Ptarmigan and ravens are not the only birds left, There is snowy owl, and a small bird with red feet that I have seen in February. If you ask around elders will tell you the name of the small bird, its the size of snowbunting and it lives year round in the Arctic, and you can probably see ducks in winter, south of Arctic Bay what we call sullukuluk ( channel near the end of Admiralty Inlet) its a non freezing polyeana? ( wrong spelling).
Thanks Mishak, I know the Snowy Owl is a year round resident, and the ducks were the pelagics I referred to , I was thinking more along the lines of the common birds, that one is likely to see around town. I’m stumped on the red-legged bird you saw though. I’ll have to ask someone soon. I was trying the think of the red-legged birds from up here, and none I could think of fit… Black Guillemot (too big, ocean bird), Arctic Tern (again too big, also migrates), Common Ringed Plover (right size-ish but would normally migrate, and legs are more of an orange)gulls with pinkish legs. I’m wracking my brain with little luck, the Redpolls? (dark legs, red forehead and throat, reddish breast) They could be a year round bird, I’ve yet to see one here, although this is within their range.
They are called ukiuqtaq ( one who lives in winter) I have seen pictures of it in the school book, one of those Inuktitut books and they had a reference and a scientific name, They are small little birds, usually living along the cliffs, I have seen one across from Nanisivik in Strathcona Sound.
Okay, I’m no closer to figuring this out. I’ve got the inuktitut version of the Birds of Nunavut, and can find no reference to ukiuqtaq. Perhaps it is a local name. I checked with my sukiq and neither was familiar with the name, although Paul recognized the name, but didn’t know the bird.
I’ve not given up though.