Excitement has been building aboard National Geographic Explorer since leaving the southernmost island of Svalbard archipelago Bjørnøya yesterday. Following in the wake of Willem Barentsz, who discovered Svalbard in June of 1596, our course was to take us to the island of Edgeøya, the third largest island in the archipelago. Scandinavians may have discovered these islands as early as the 12th century, but official credit goes to the Dutch Navigator.
Arriving off the western side of the island at a large bay called Russebuhkta (Russian Bay), we stretched our legs on hikes of varying lengths, reveling in the feeling of the spongy tundra beneath our boots! Purple saxifrages were just beginning to show their beautiful violet flowers, ice was just beginning to retreat from the many ponds and lakes in the area, and the sun was trying valiantly to shine through the low layer of heavy clouds above us.
And everywhere there was life! As winter is releasing its grip on these islands, birds from many parts of the world are here to nest and fledge chicks in the short Arctic summer. King and common eider ducks were seen in large numbers, red phalaropes, purple sandpipers, and even red-throated divers, are all here to nest. Snow buntings flitted to and fro amongst the tundra ponds.
For many the highlight of the morning came to us in the form of Svalbard reindeer. Several dozen individuals could be seen out across the tundra, intently grazing or just bedded down to rest. This reindeer sub-species is endemic to Svalbard, and is fairly small compared to reindeer in other parts of the world. Heavy hunting pressure drove Svalbard reindeer to near extinction, but reindeer were afforded protection in 1925 (with some limited hunting by locals starting in 1983), and the population has rebounded to perhaps 10,000 to 12,000 individuals throughout the archipelago.
Traveling further north up the western shore of Edgeøya in the afternoon brought us to the protected waters of Kapp Lee, a famous walrus haul out site. The all-male bachelor’s beach did not disappoint! Large bulls frolicked in the water just off shore, coming close to inspect our Zodiacs. Lazy walrus wishing to rest were piled on top of each other on the beach, snoozing away the afternoon. The occasional walrus would change positions in the pile, waking his neighbors laying on and against him, and a short scuffle would result, at least until drowsiness once again overcame the group. Lots of belching, moaning, and staccato snorts accompanied the sleepers, much to our delight and amusement!
As we are now truly in the land of the midnight sun, no sunrise or sunset are present to dictate our timings. Stay tuned dear reader for more reports from the land of constant light…
