Northern Spitsbergen, Svalbard
On this second day of exploration the morning greeted us with weather conditions just perfect for our planned operations. The early risers were already up as the National Geographic Explorer rounded Velkomstpynten (“the Welcoming Point”) at the very northern tip of Haakon VII Land, in the northwestern corner of Svalbard. Just as we were entering the mouth of Woodfjorden, three individual polar bears were spotted, all lying on the ground in the far distance. One of the bears was completely white, and very much resembled the tiny snow patches in its near surroundings.
Our primary destination of the morning was Monacobreen, one of the most beautiful glaciers in Svalbard. This large glacier dumps its ice into the head of Liefdefjorden (Dutch for “Lovely Bay”). This fjord has a varied bird life, including a large nesting colony of kittiwakes on the north side and a few islands with nesting eider ducks. The black-legged kittiwake is the most numerous gull species in Svalbard, with an estimated population of approximately 270, 000 pairs. The Monacobreen Glacier is named to honor Albert I Grimaldi, Prince of Monaco.
After breakfast we had two options for outdoor activities. Many of our guests were happy to go kayaking; others preferred a Zodiac cruise. Both boats provide excellent platforms for bird-watching and photography, particularly along the glacial front. Flocks of kittiwakes swarmed near the front of the glacier or rested on floating ice. Northern fulmars, glaucous gulls and black guillemots could also be seen during this lovely morning excursion.
After lunch our Norwegian naturalist, Carl, gave a presentation on the natural history and management of Svalbard. Soon after, we went kayaking and Zodiac cruising again, this time around Andøyane (“The Duck Islands”), just outside of Reinsdyrflya (“The Reindeer Flat”). A few red phalaropes were seen near one of the islands. We also encountered arctic terns, eider and long-tailed ducks.
The calm, flat sea was arched by a blue heaven, making it hard for the explorers to go back to our ship. Henrik, our hotel manager, and a couple of good helpers were providing excellent “first-aid” by serving refreshing drinks out at sea. On the return, the bravest among the guests took the opportunity to plunge into the chilly Arctic sea just before recap and dinner.
We crossed 80 degrees latitude shortly after dinner. This memorable day of exploration was rounded off with a short visit to Moffen Island, which has been a nature reserve since 1983. This was established in order to protect an important haul-out location for walrus against human disturbance. From the ship we could observe a large group of walrus on the island in the distance and in the water around us. Many guests showed up with binoculars or their longest lenses on the front deck. A few acrobatic walrus were now and then raising their heads among the waves. This exclusive “farewell” rounded off an expedition day that will be long remembered.
