Dovekies are small chunky ocean-dwelling
birds - the smallest of the auk family (7-9 inches).
Dovekies have been and are known by several other
descriptive names, including Little auk, Pine-knot,
Ice-bird, and Sea dove.
"The
fishermen call Dovekies "Pine Knots" or Knotties"
to indicate their
extreme hardiness, for they are indeed as
"tough as a pine knot." - Forbush |
Dovekies, as is true for all auks (examples: Puffins,
Guillemots and Murres), are exclusively marine birds,
i.e. they spend their life on the open ocean except
for a short 4 to 6 week breeding period during June
and July.
The primary ranges of the Dovekie are the waters
of the Arctic and North Atlantic. During the winter
months Dovekies move to waters south of Greenland
escaping pack ice and may be driven as far as New
Jersey latitudes by stormy conditions. According
to Peterson's Birds of Eastern and Central America,
Dovekies are "Accidental inland when "wrecked" by
November Storms." Thus it is only after harsh weather
conditions that one is likely to see a Dovekie on
Block Island.
An incomplete check of written records for Block
Island Dovekie sightings comes from three obvious
sources. The first is a Dovekie in the Elizabeth
Dickens Bird Collection at the Block Island School
dated January 1, 1929.
The second is a Dovekie found by Elise Lapham and
banded on November 12, 1970. Elise Lapham's bird
log reports that the weather was very windy, and
after donning a pair of waders, she retrieved the
exhausted bird from the middle of a small pond at
Clay Head. The same log entry reveals that another
Dovekie was found dead along a trail at Clay Head
on November 13, 1970.
The most recent Dovekie "wrecked" on Block Island
on November 29, 2004 (the day after a powerful southeast
storm which curtailed boat travel). This bird was
found by RI Department of Environmental Management
conservation officers washed up on the West Beach
apparently exhausted but uninjured. After being
banded and fed the minced meat of several Slipper
shells and a small quahog this third Dovekie was
released into the protected waters of Andy's Way.
Dovekies:
- are rare accidental visitors to Block Island,
or any inland sight.
- only go to land for the purpose of nesting on steep rocky or talus slopes along
the coast of Greenland and offshore North Atlantic islands.
- lay one egg (rarely 2) per breeding season. The egg is incubated, and the young
is fed by both parents.
- have webbed feet and legs positioned well to the rear of their bodies thus
making them fantastic swimmers and divers, but clumsy and inadequate walkers
on land.
- use their wings to fly/swim under water.
A review of old classic bird books such as those written by Chapman (Handbook
of Birds of Eastern North America), Forbush
(Birds of Massachusetts and Other New England
States), Pearson (Birds of America) and
others are filled with anecdotes about the wayward
travels and unusual occurrences (both of numbers
and location) of Dovekies. In addition to these
written records there are likely many other stories
to be told by fishermen and others who live and
work by the sea about their chance encounters with
Little auk.
At a quick glance a general description of the Dovekie
with its black and white plumage at home in the
North Atlantic Sea may seem like a foreboding cheerless
existence. However, much of the writing in Forbush's
Birds of Massachusetts and Other New England
States (1927) presents an energetic bird exquisitely
adapted to its environment.
| "HAUNTS
AND HABITS. .This little auk is a "God-send"
to the Eskimo on its return home to the Arctic
regions at the advent of spring. The Eskimos
welcome its arrival with joy as we welcome
the return of the bluebird, for its coming
means to them not only the recurrence of the
vernal season but often the transition from
starvation to plenty." |
In spite of the preceding description, the two greatest
threats to the Dovekie is predation by Great Black-backed
gulls whose numbers have increased with the existence
of open dumps, and changes in ocean temperatures
and nutrient-rich currents due to global warming.
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