Part 3, continuing with short blog.................. My absolute favorite Alcid species is the Great Auk. Since it is not possible to observe them in the wild any longer, all I can do to enjoy them is to pay them my most profound tribute; to honor them in my art. Here are a few of my decoys and carvings that pay tribute to this remarkable Auk species which was taken from us so long ago. Hopefully, man has learned something from the extinction we caused!!

            Here are a few decoys that I made that represent the Great Auk in winter plumage. Much of the written material about the Great Auk directly from the accounts of witnesses who knew and saw the Great Auk, they often commented on the posture of a Great Auk when it was swimming on the sea. They mentioned that the Auks would hold their heads "tucked down" with their bills pointed to the sky. This posture with the heads down and bill pointed upward is the common posture of one of its cousins the Common Murre. Swimming Murres when relaxed and resting will tuck down their heads and their bills would point upwards at a 30 degree or more angle. 

      Much about the Great Auk is not known, or little known at best. In all of the personal accounts from people that had handled the Auk, or in only a few cases; handled the Auk (usually for cooking or skin/oil preparation) specifics such as eye color and the color of the inside of its gape were only documented in journals or through conversations from only a handful of people. I created this actively preening Great Auk in winter plumage to showcase the iris color and the inside gape coloration. The active pose is my way of conveying life and vitality...... an artistic metaphor bringing attention to its catastrophic termination and extinction due to selfishness and ignorance of man! HOWEVER......the few accounts from people that actually handled the birds mentioned that they had eyes that were hazel brown to chestnut-colored reddish brown. The gape coloration inside the bill was a bright "dark yellow" (aka- yellow/orange).  To compare to its cousin Auks......Razorbill and Murres have a yellow gape, Black Guillemot have a coral red gape, and the Puffin and Dovekie have a pink gape. 

                5 Razorbill, 1 Common Murre and 1 Dovekie decoy I made for a Biologist for his studies-