Birds of St Paul: Rock Sandpiper

As with most things in life, the more you chase, the more things run away. The Rock Sandpipers (Calidris or Erolia ptilocnemis) were no exception. The more I tried to get close to them, the more they fled. The day I gave up and said, "Fine! Be that way - I didn't want your picture anyway!", is the day the bird leapt to the nearest rock and posed, gratiously turning from side to side, making eye contact with everyone present as if he had been trained at the Barbizon School for Models. Turns out the little guy knows how to own the runway!

The Rock Sandpiper breeds throughout the northern tundra of the Arctic Pacific coast of Alaska, on the Aleutian and Pribilof Islands as well as Kamchatka, Russia and the Kuril Islands. In winter they migrate south to forage the rocky, ice free coasts.

They are monogamous birds with pair bonds that last several years and both parent takes responsibility for incubation. The Pribilof Island sub-species sports a black patch on his belly.

Mammals of St Paul: Arctic Fox

The Pribilof Island Arctic Fox (Vulpes lagopus) is a cutie for certain. The fox on St. Paul are known as Blue Fox because they take on a blue-grey color coat in winter rather than pure white. Their coats were highly prized by Russian fur traders in the 1700's. At 3 feet long (most of that length is fluffy tail) and 7-15 pounds they are amazingly agile. They are able to scale the cliffs and steal eggs and chicks from unsuspecting murre and auklet.

I had hoped to see one and was thrilled when I found one hunting along the cliff. He spotted me and ducked behind a rock, playing hide-n-seek before he ran away with an expression of guilt on his face. I counted myself lucky to have gotten a few close up frames. A few days later I was laughing at my naivety.

I was walking along a cliff when I heard Greg and Alan yelling at me. I looked up and they were frantically pointing behind me... I turned around and found I was being stalked. Not 10 feet behind me was the cutest chocolate colored male fox. Soon he was too close for me to even focus on... Oh how I wish I had, had a wide angle lens in my pocket. After practically sitting in my lap he made the rounds to a group of tour boat tourists before posing majestically on a rock for our entire photo group. He gave us almost a full our of his time and we might have stayed even longer if the fog hadn't rolled in and obscured our shots.

Life is pretty hard for these guys. The only rodents on the island are an endemic shrew and there are no polar bears to follow after in winter. They depend on the birds and many of them have come to depend on the people. Dens in town, often inside abandon cars or under sheds and dens near the dump... we even had a fox visit our hotel. I have to admit, if they didn't smell so badly (almost skunk-like)... I would have tried to take one home.

Birds of St Paul: Kittiwakes

St Paul is home to both species of Kittiwake (a medium sized white gull with pale grey back and wings); Black-legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla) and the Red-legged Kittiwake (Rissa brevirostris).

Kittiwake Stats (Whatbird and Cornell Bird Lab):

• Length Range: 41-43 cm (16-17 in)
• Weight: 422 g (14.9 oz)
• Wingspan: 94 cm (37 in)
  
• Size: Large (16 - 32 in)
• Color Primary: White, Gray
• Underparts: White
• Upperparts: Pale Gray
• Back Pattern: Solid
• Belly Pattern: Solid
• Breast Pattern: Solid

The Black-legged kittiwake is the only gull that will actually dive and swim underwater to capture prey though mostly I saw them dive bombing puffin and murre in an attempt to relieve them of their fish.

Their name is derived from their call, a shrill 'kittee-wa-aaake, kitte-wa-aaake' though my friend Kathy and I agree it sounds more like a plea not to be eaten: "Kitty Wait"!!

St Paul Feeling

Enough of the cold sterile facts of the location... what is St Paul really like?

Fog hugs the cliff tops, coating everything with its fine mist. The shoreline is dotted with bright red floats broken away from errant crab pots. Here and there the skeletons of ships lost remind captains to take care and remain vigilant against the weather and rough conditions of the Bering Sea. The high wind whips up the minerals in the surf to a thick froth breaking into pieces that float over rocks and up cliff faces. Wildflowers and lichen paint the landscape with vibrant purple, blue and gold. Distant growls and belches from the fur seal colony can be heard mixing with the plaintiff call of the kittiwakes. The wind burns your cheeks as you sit on the edge of the cliffs watching and waiting.

The town itself, while small, is alive with color and texture and a rich maritime history. Children play carefree in the streets as family cats look on from the safety of the front porch. The cats dare not wander far because the winters are harsh, they wouldn't be able to survive if they turned feral. Dogs are not allowed on the island for fear of spreading distemper to the fur seals so arctic fox take up residence under garages and inside cars and trucks stripped and abandon after a lifetime of service. The Russian Orthodox Church stands guard at the center of town and the small grocery store is a central hub for the latest gossip on the island.