Ice Bears – Svalbard
The Arctic is still a very pristine and “wild area”, which houses a lot of wildlife. The eastern side of Spitsbergen is probably as far from civilization as you can get and at the same time still see land! The polar region is very hard and rough to reach if you do not bring your own infrastructure. To be onboard Endeavour and travel through this area is almost like being a spectator with the scenery and wildlife lined up in front of you. To be out on deck gets cold after a while, but you can always sneak in to get a Swedish pancake, a good lunch, hot coffee…. to warm up.
Today we cruised along the Hinlopen Strait, the body of water in-between Spitsbergen and the second largest island Nordostlandet. As we sailed through the strait our first encounter was the huge bird cliff at Kap Fanshave. Here 1000’s of Thick-billed murres find a small shelf to put their only egg. Our officers were able to bring the bow of the ship close enough for us to get some good pictures of the birds. To hear the call of 1000’s of Murres is something you never forget!
Later on we found a great flat spot at Kapp Freeden on Spitsbergen. Now it was time for us to walk on the tundra. As we approached the shoreline and landing site the first thing we saw was a huge den made by an Arctic fox. It was active, but of course the pups were shy and hiding inside. At least we could make an interesting observation about the feeding ecology. Outside the den we found 100’s of bird wings. The main food for the Arctic fox this time during summer are of course birds, as July is the month the numbers of birds peak in the high Arctic latitudes.
As we walked on tundra we were also able to get close views of the fox but also some Svalbard Reindeer. By the way, Svalbard is Scandinavian and means “cold land” and as we landed it was still cloudy and cold, but during our landing the weather slowly improved. The beach itself was pickled by large logs, but still trees are not to be found here in Svalbard. Actually they come from northern Siberia and are brought to Svalbard by ocean currents and through the ice cap over the Arctic Ocean. Fascinating to think that some of the logs may even have been to be North Pole!
As we continued further through Hinlopen Strait we found ice. Ice means a possibility for seals to haul out, and seals means food for Polar bears. The first seal we were able to get a close encounter with was the large bearded seal (on the picture). It usually lives solitarily and very rarely becomes the food for Polar bears. As the captain brought Endeavour deeper into the ice we started to see more and more ringed seals, and we did not have to wait for a long time until we had at least five Polar bears around the ship.
What could be a better way to enjoy an evening than to be surrounded by fast ice, seals and Polar bears? More amazing was that the expedition leader and the captain together made the decision to stay over night inside the ice and give every one the chance to watch hunting polar bears!
Since we are now on our way north above the Arctic Circle we have 24 hours of daylight, and all we can do is be persistent and wait. Will we see the Polar Bears take a seal?
The Arctic is still a very pristine and “wild area”, which houses a lot of wildlife. The eastern side of Spitsbergen is probably as far from civilization as you can get and at the same time still see land! The polar region is very hard and rough to reach if you do not bring your own infrastructure. To be onboard Endeavour and travel through this area is almost like being a spectator with the scenery and wildlife lined up in front of you. To be out on deck gets cold after a while, but you can always sneak in to get a Swedish pancake, a good lunch, hot coffee…. to warm up.
Today we cruised along the Hinlopen Strait, the body of water in-between Spitsbergen and the second largest island Nordostlandet. As we sailed through the strait our first encounter was the huge bird cliff at Kap Fanshave. Here 1000’s of Thick-billed murres find a small shelf to put their only egg. Our officers were able to bring the bow of the ship close enough for us to get some good pictures of the birds. To hear the call of 1000’s of Murres is something you never forget!
Later on we found a great flat spot at Kapp Freeden on Spitsbergen. Now it was time for us to walk on the tundra. As we approached the shoreline and landing site the first thing we saw was a huge den made by an Arctic fox. It was active, but of course the pups were shy and hiding inside. At least we could make an interesting observation about the feeding ecology. Outside the den we found 100’s of bird wings. The main food for the Arctic fox this time during summer are of course birds, as July is the month the numbers of birds peak in the high Arctic latitudes.
As we walked on tundra we were also able to get close views of the fox but also some Svalbard Reindeer. By the way, Svalbard is Scandinavian and means “cold land” and as we landed it was still cloudy and cold, but during our landing the weather slowly improved. The beach itself was pickled by large logs, but still trees are not to be found here in Svalbard. Actually they come from northern Siberia and are brought to Svalbard by ocean currents and through the ice cap over the Arctic Ocean. Fascinating to think that some of the logs may even have been to be North Pole!
As we continued further through Hinlopen Strait we found ice. Ice means a possibility for seals to haul out, and seals means food for Polar bears. The first seal we were able to get a close encounter with was the large bearded seal (on the picture). It usually lives solitarily and very rarely becomes the food for Polar bears. As the captain brought Endeavour deeper into the ice we started to see more and more ringed seals, and we did not have to wait for a long time until we had at least five Polar bears around the ship.
What could be a better way to enjoy an evening than to be surrounded by fast ice, seals and Polar bears? More amazing was that the expedition leader and the captain together made the decision to stay over night inside the ice and give every one the chance to watch hunting polar bears!
Since we are now on our way north above the Arctic Circle we have 24 hours of daylight, and all we can do is be persistent and wait. Will we see the Polar Bears take a seal?
