Seabird Citadels

Each year, thick-billed murres by the millions return to the Canadian Arctic to breed. Their colonies are among the largest avian congregations in the world. For the first time, the life and death struggle and the unique behaviors of these little-known seabirds are presented. Remarkable footage captures gulls tearing brooding murres from the sheer cliffs, snatching their defenceless chicks and swallowing them whole on-the-fly. Murres locked in combat tumble 250 metres to the sea. The camera follows as they continue to battle below the surface. Chicks, before knowing how to fly, leap to the sea. The male encourages his chick and trails it closely as losing each other results in a fatal end. Local Inuit remain true to their ancestral traditions and take advantage of the abundance. The film-makers's understanding of the rhythms of nature in the north is rendered by spectacular images of grace and beauty.