Journey North News

Migrations Along the Arctic Coast:
May 9, 1996

To: Journey North
From: Melinda Berg, Hopson Middle School, Barrow, Alaska

Greetings from the "Top of the World", Barrow, Alaska!

The bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) have been migrating past this area for the past three weeks. As those of you may have noticed from Point Hope messages, these whales begin their journey north as soon as "leads" or openings in the pack ice become available. Local people who hunt bowheads for subsistence utilize technology to follow the migration. Using Internet email, telephone, vhf radios and cellular phones, Barrow whalers ready their crews as they follow the bowheads' imminent migration past this northernmost USA point of land.

Traditional migration of the eastern population is followed from Gambell to Savoonga, Wales, Little Diomede, Barter Island (Kaktovik) Nuiqsut, Barrow, Wainwright then Point Hope. Each year the International Whaling Commission (IWC) determines quotas allowed each community.

The first North Slope Borough whale was struck April 3 in Gambell; the second on April 14th in Pt. Hope; third, April 21 in Pt. Hope; fourth in Pt. Hope; fifth in Barrow April 25 by Leslie Itta's Crew; sixth in Gambell May 3; seventh in Wainwright May 3 by Steve Undgarak's Crew; eigth by Simon Kunaknana's Crew in Wainwright; ninth by Benny Ahmaogak's Crew in Wainwright.

Barrow whalers are currently out at their whale camps on the ice looking, watching, and waiting for their whale to come to them.

In the ornithology department:

• The snowbirds ornow buntings (Plectrophenax nivalis) returned here with their luxuriant songs the week of April 15th-there's no lovlier bird in my opinion. They bring sounds of life to the barrens. Since buntings in the Arctic have no trees to perch in nor in which to nest, the female lays her eggs in ground cavities, often abandoned lemming holes. The ground will cool the eggs quickly if she leave them, so instead she stays put on the eggs, depending completely on the male to feed her.

• There has been one pair of ravens who've lived here, surviving off of dumpground goodies all winter long!

• Today a number of glaucous gulls (Larus hyperboreus) made their presence known by squawking loudly as they flew over the town.

• Spectacled and common eiders are using the open leads to gather food and find mates. Our NSB Wildlife Department has been counting the birds noting their marked decline. Biologists are trying to learn why eider populations are decreasing so rapidly.

  That is all for now. I will try to update this bulletin once more before May 18th, when our school ends.

  Melinda Berg
  Hopson Middle School
  Barrow, Alaska
  mberg@arctic.nsbsd.k12.ak.us

  You Can Visit Hopson Middle School's Home Page on the WWW at: http://www.nsbsd.k12.ak.us/BARROW/HOPSON/Hopson.htm

  
  

  © Journey North 1996