An unusual weekend on the island of Papay - home to our North Hill reserve - marked 200 years since one of the last great auks in the UK was killed there. The great auk was a large flightless bird that spent most of its life at sea and was hunted to extinction in the 19th century.
The last Papay great auk - shot at Fowl Craig in 1813 by an islander working to the order of a collector - was stuffed and is now held in the Natural History Museum at Tring. The auk is too delicate to travel but the museum provided the next best thing for the weekend: a virtual replica of the bird! People on Papay were invited to look through 3D glasses and view the beautifully filmed specimen as it slowly rotated, as if it had come home to Papay after 200 years.
Picture © The Natural History Museum, London.
The 'AAKNOWLEDGE' weekend included a walk to view the great auk's home at Fowl Craig, a dance where 'aakstinct' homebrew was served, a farmers market including local auk-themed crafts, and a dinner with speakers. Dr Jo Cooper from the Natural History Museum had made the 'pilgrimage' to Papay and gave a fascinating talk about the exploitation and demise of the great auk and the story of the Papay specimen. She explained that although the last British great auk was captured off St Kilda in 1840, the Papay specimen is the only British example of the bird still in existence.
Although there are no great auks left, Fowl Craig on the North Hill reserve is still home to seabird colonies. The auks breeding there today are guillemots, black guillemots, puffins and razorbill. Seabird numbers have declined dramatically in recent years and the sadness over the fate of the great auk made Papay residents and RSPB staff all the more determined to protect our remaining birds.
Fowl Craig photo by Lorna Dow