AT THE end of the highway, 200 miles from Anchorage, sits a small fishing and tourism town where, in early January, thousands of dead common murres, or guillemots, were washed ashore. These penguin-like seabirds littered the tidal wracks so densely that beach walkers had to be careful where they stepped. And beyond Homer, tens—probably hundreds—of thousands of these birds have drifted in dead along Alaska’s vast coastline or have been found far inland half-dead in the snow.
Alaska is home to about 3m common murres, which spend most of their lives on the open ocean but come to shore to nest in dense colonies on coastal cliffs. The female lays a pear-shaped egg so pointed at one end that it will roll in a circle, helping to keep the egg from plummeting off the bird’s narrow nest. Murres are renowned divers, using their wings to “fly” down 600 feet (183 metres) under water in search of a meal.
Around Homer, they are a daily sight all summer. They nest in a raucous crowd on a rocky island a few miles offshore, which becomes a magnet for tour boats during the warm months. But last summer they failed to raise chicks. And they have been...Continue reading
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