Hornsund, Spitsbergen
Today was regrettably our last day of the Photographic Expedition in Svalbard. Our first stop this morning was in Hornsund where we explored the area by land and sea. Below a massive bird cliff full of squawking kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots is and old hunting cabin where from 1971-1973 a man named Ivar Ruud lived alone hunting a record number of polar bears. 1973 was the year the polar bear was officially protected in Norway, ending 80 years of traditional trapping and hunting. Bears routinely use this area in the spring as a highway when crossing the glacier from the east in the spring. Toward the end of the long walk, belugas or “white whales” were spotted just off shore. We soon discovered that there were a number of snow-white adult females accompanied by darker juvenile calves. The belugas moved slowly along the shoreline in very shallow water without noticeably changing their behavior as we observed them from the Zodiacs. Belugas frequent shallow areas where they rub their old skin off during the summer moult, and they are not commonly seen so closely! We were lucky to see such beautiful creatures in such fine weather. Our afternoon was spent in Samarin fjord cruising the glacial brash ice in our trusty Zodiacs searching for seals and seabirds, and in kayaks contemplating the silence and splendour of the High Arctic.
Today was regrettably our last day of the Photographic Expedition in Svalbard. Our first stop this morning was in Hornsund where we explored the area by land and sea. Below a massive bird cliff full of squawking kittiwakes and Brünnich’s guillemots is and old hunting cabin where from 1971-1973 a man named Ivar Ruud lived alone hunting a record number of polar bears. 1973 was the year the polar bear was officially protected in Norway, ending 80 years of traditional trapping and hunting. Bears routinely use this area in the spring as a highway when crossing the glacier from the east in the spring. Toward the end of the long walk, belugas or “white whales” were spotted just off shore. We soon discovered that there were a number of snow-white adult females accompanied by darker juvenile calves. The belugas moved slowly along the shoreline in very shallow water without noticeably changing their behavior as we observed them from the Zodiacs. Belugas frequent shallow areas where they rub their old skin off during the summer moult, and they are not commonly seen so closely! We were lucky to see such beautiful creatures in such fine weather. Our afternoon was spent in Samarin fjord cruising the glacial brash ice in our trusty Zodiacs searching for seals and seabirds, and in kayaks contemplating the silence and splendour of the High Arctic.
