Thick-billed Murre Hunting in West Greenland, 1988-89

Thick-billed murre (Uria lomyia) hunting by Inuit of West Greenland was surveyed during the winter and spring of 1988/89. Kill toll levels and age structure of the kill were determined for districts between Upernavik (73 degrees N) and Nanortalik (60 degrees N). Based on counts of the numbers of birds available for purchase at markets and on information from processing companies, an estimated 100,000 murres were killed for commercial trading purposes in 1988/89. Non-commercial hunting is harder to assess, but estimates based on the number of licences issued and the mean number of murres killed per day by non-commercial hunters indicate that between 190,000 and 293,000 murres are killed per annum. Thus the total kill toll is estimated to be between 283,000 and 386,000 murres annually. In Central West and Southwest Greenland the peak hunting period was November and December, but hunting continued to 15 March or until ice conditions prevented sailing. Age distribution of the kill was determined by classifying 6278 murres as "first-year" or "older" by the development of the cranium. In Southwest Greenland the proportion of older birds in the kill was always below 9%, whereas in Central West Greenland (Nuuk) the value increased from 27.5% in October to 75.8% old birds in March. About 90% of the murres killed in spring near major breeding colonies in Upernavik were adult breeding birds, and hunting near the breeding grounds is considered the major cause for population reductions. Murres shot in winter are mostly birds from colonies outside Greenland, but though it has yet to be proved, the immense kill of murres during the winter hunt probably affects the populations involved.Key words: thick-billed murre, Uria lomvia, Greenland, Inuit, hunting, seabirds, population structure, resource management, hunting legislationRÉSUMÉ. Au cours de l’hiver et de l’été de 1988-89, on a effectué des relevés portant sur la chasse à la marmette de Brünnich (Uria lomvia) par les Inuit de l’ouest du Groenland. Le taux des oiseaux abattus et leur structure d’âge ont été déterminés pour les districts situés entre Upernavik (73” N.) et Nanortalik (60’ N.). En s’appuyant sur le comptage du nombre d’oiseaux mis en vente sur les marchés ainsi que sur l’information obtenue auprès des compagnies de conditionnement, on a évalué à 100 000 le nombre de marmettes de Brünnich tuées à des fins commerciales en 1988-89. La chasse non commerciale est plus difficile à évaluer, mais les estimations fondées sur le nombre de permis issus et la moyenne de marmettes tuées chaque jour par des chasseurs non commerciaux indiquent qu’entre 190 000 et 293 000 marmettes sont tuées chaque année. Le nombre total de marmettes tuées annuellement se situerait donc entre 283 000 et 386 000. Dans le centre-ouest et le sud-ouest du Groenland, la saison de chasse battait son plein en novembre et décembre, mais la chasse continuait jusqu’au 15 mars ou jusqu’à ce que les conditions des glaces empêchent la navigation. On a déterminé la distribution d’âge des oiseaux tués en classant 6278 marmettes dans deux catégories, soit <<première année>> ou <<plus âgée>>, d’après le développement de la boîte cranienne. Dans le sud-ouest du Groenland, la proportion d’oiseaux plus âgés parmi les oiseaux tués était toujours inférieure à 9 p. cent, tandis que dans le centre-ouest du Groenland (Nuuk), la proportion augmentait de 273 p. cent en octobre à 75,8 p. cent au mois de mars. Près de 90 p. cent des marmettes de Brünnich tuées au printemps à proximité d’importantes colonies reproductrices à Upemavik étaient des adultes en âge de se reproduire, et c’est la chasse près des sites de nidification qui serait tenue en grande partie responsable de la diminution de leur population. Les marmettes abattues en hiver sont surtout des oiseaux venant de colonies situées hors du Groenland, mais, bien que cela reste encore à prouver, l’abattage massif des marmettes durant la chasse hivernale affecte probablement les populations concernées. Les recommandations en vue d’améliorer la gestion des populations de marmettes de Brünnich au Groenland comprennent des programmes éducatifs et l’application stricte des lois, la réduction du nombre de chasseurs et le raccourcissement de la saison de chasse hivernale. D’autres recherches sont nécessaires concernant l’ampleur et la variation de la chasse non commerciale, une surveillance détaillée de la population reproductrice et la provenance des oiseaux tués.Mots clés: marmette de Briinnich, Uria lomvia, Groenland, Inuit, chasse, oiseaux marins, structure de la population, gestion des ressources, législation concernant la chass

The birds of Ydre Kitsissut (Kitsissut Avalliit), Southwest Greenland

Ydre Kitsissut (60°45-47'N, 48°25-29'W), an archipelago about 10 km off Nunarsuit in the district of Qaqortoq, is the only breeding reserve for birds in southern Greenland. However, it has only been visited by ornithologists four times: by F. Salomonsen on 3 July 1971, and by the authors for between 3 and 14 days in 1983, 1985, and 1992. Population sizes of the most abundant species in 1992 were: Fulmarus glacialis 125 occupied sites (32% with young); Somateria mollissima about 30 nests (and 500-1000 summering birds, together with c. 100 Somateria spectabilis); Larus hyperboreus at least 100 adults with 25-30 broods of young; Larus marinus 2 pairs, one brood (but 11 pairs in 1985); Rissa tridactyla 23 pairs, no young; Uria aalge 900 birds (about 630 pairs); Uria lomvia 9000 birds (6300 pairs); Alea torda 400-500 birds; Cepphus grylle 150 pairs (very rough estimate); Fratercula arctica 200 birds. Although numbers of Uria spp. in 1971 were reported as 61,200, there are good reasons to believe that this was a gross overestimate, and that actual numbers did not differ much from the more recent counts. Apparent population declines between 1983-85 and 1992 for Fulmarus glacialis, Larus marinus and Uria spp. may reflect a lower attendance at the colony in 1992 where the breeding success of these and most other species was low. The poor breeding performance was most likely a consequence of the cold and prolonged winter 1991/92, with persistent frost prevailing until after mid-June. In Uria spp., however, egging and associated disturbance probably was the primary cause of breeding failure; residents of nearby villages habitually take eggs on Ydre Kitsissut in spite of its status as a bird reserve

The Danish Peregrine Falcon population:Reestablishment and eggshell thinning

Denmark being a country with only a few suitable steep nesting cliffs has only harboured a small population of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in historic time. In the previous century, the population gradually declined due to persecution, egg and young collection, and pollution. The last breeding attempt in the 20th century occurred in 1972 in southeastern Denmark. No new breeding attempts were recorded in Denmark until 2001 but since then the population has gradually increased – most rapidly since 2012 – to a peak of 24 territorial pairs in 2018; some of them breeding on man-made structures (nest boxes at bridges and power plants). Here we update the information on the reestablishment of the Peregrine Falcon in Den-mark, including origin and dispersal, reproduction, and eggshell thinning