Disturbing news

The invasion of Iceland Gulls might be disturbing. Now I have talked to Turid Vestergaard in Suðuroy and she saw about 10 Iceland Gulls simultaneously on a small lake. Janus Hansen also saw several on Vágar. And fishermen talk about 30-40 birds around their vessels. So maybe there are thousands around the Faroe Islands right now!
Both Iceland Gulls and Glaucous Gulls are shot and eaten on the Faroes. JKJ has got hold on some birds and they were all very skinny, starving and were close to dying (http://www.jenskjeld.info).
Normally more than 90% of all Iceland Gulls that are checked for gender on the Faroes are females. But this year about 80% have been proven to be males and 20% females according to JKJ. It is easy to imagine that the smaller females normally have a tendency to lose the competition for food against the larger males and thus having a greater tendency to migrate further away. Now that the males turn up here on the Faroes in large numbers it probably is due to severe lack of food in Greenland. Hopefully they’ll find some food around here before they starve to death.

Is global warming taking another arctic bird hostage?
SiO