Treasure of the Bering Sea

As we exited the vehicle, the air appeared to be composed of half fog and half water with a ceiling of low gray clouds keeping it all contained. These were typical conditions for a late-May morning on St. Paul Island, the largest of the four main islands comprising the Pribilof group in Alaska. Resting near the center of the Bering Sea, the Pribilof Islands flaunt their volcanic origins with rugged lava flows, symmetrical cinder cones, and dark basaltic headlands.

While we readied our gear — scopes, cameras, and extra layers — there was a sudden shift in the weather, not uncommon here, and rising gusts of cold, dry air from the north quickly dispersed the mist. With the wind at our backs, we walked a short stretch across the maritime tundra that was still matted down in shades of brown and gray. Reaching a cliff known as Ridge Wall, we peered carefully over the edge, and suddenly the otherwise-quiet island revealed an exuberance of life. The spectacle was almost overwhelming, as if someone had pulled back a curtain to reveal a circus where all actors performed simultaneously. In this show, the clowns were Tufted Puffins, the tightrope artist a Thick-billed Murre balancing on the precipice, and the trapeze stunt a Crested Auklet bravely jumping off a ledge. We were watching a spectacle of seabirds that had just arrived on their breeding grounds.

Below our observation point, Common Murres clung to narrow ledges on the cliff