David Cothran, Naturalist/Certified Photo Instructor
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Daily Expedition
Reports
18 May 2017
Olden & Briksdal Glacier, 5/18/2017, National Geographic Orion
Aboard the
National Geographic Orion
Arctic
Traveling deep within one of Norway’s many fjord, National Geographic Orion arrived to Olden. With eyes stretching skyward to see the tops of the fjord, our guests headed to Briksdal Glacier for a view of the remaining ice that once carved through the stone. Walking amidst the valley, many waterfalls crossed our paths. All while the Undersea Specialist team explored the anomaly of a farm flooded in 1908 by a rock slide that interrupted a river’s path.
Paul North is the founder of the educational nonprofit Meet the Ocean and host of its online podcast. As a polar diver with Lindblad Expeditions/National Geographic, he tours the remote underwater landscapes of Antarctica and other sub-zero destinati...
David has worked for Lindblad Expeditions-National Geographic since 1993 on six continents and in over 65 countries. David is interested in many of the natural sciences, particularly ornithology, geology and marine biology; he most enjoys contrasting...
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Our last day in Svalbard began with a wintery feeling. National Geographic Endurance sailed towards the entrance of Krossfjorden while it was gently snowing. Our morning destination was 14th of July Bay. This was our last outing in Spitsbergen and we could not have picked a better spot to end our unforgettable voyage. The landing area was covered with spring flowers which painted the otherwise barren looking landscape with green, white, and purple colors. Svalbard reindeers were contently grazing in the outskirts of the steep cliffs, enjoying the place also known as “hanging gardens.” Thousands of kittiwakes were loudly soaring above us. Occasionally a fight would break out between a kittiwake and an Arctic skua, who clearly was not very welcomed in the nesting site of the gulls. A Zodiac cruise also offered us great wildlife encounters. The shoreline was a popular nesting place for the guillemots, eider ducks, and the Atlantic puffins. After lunch, Captain Oliver positioned our vessel in front of another spectacular sight, Lillehöök Glacier. After an hour-long cruise, we reluctantly bid farewell to Krossfjorden and made our way towards Longyearbyen.
What a great day for wildlife viewing here in Svalbard on board National Geographic Endurance . Today the ship explored in Woodfjord where we were able to land for hikes on the tundra and visit Monacobreen where we boarded Zodiacs to explore the face of the glacier. Bird sightings were plentiful and once on the ice we had close up views of bearded seals, including a very young pup.
Our visit to Alkefjellet was an experience we will not forget. Located in Hinlopen Strait, these steep cliffs more than 100 meters high are home to 45,000- 60,000 breeding pairs of thick-billed murres. We suddenly found ourselves surrounded by thousands of birds. Several hundreds were congregated in the water, others were up in the sky soaring right above us. We well might have been in a scene from a Lord of the Rings film or a part of a fairy tale. During our one-hour long cruise, we kept admiring the changing scenery with quickly changing light. While we were getting ready for our afternoon excursion on the shores of Lomfjord, our scout team encountered another polar bear. The fifth bear of our voyage was having a nap on our intended landing site. Landing was postponed but we had one of the most amazing polar bear sightings of our trip. Eventually after an hour delay, the landing site was secured, and we could finally set foot on Spitsbergen and go for a nice hike. Our incredible day at Svalbard ended with another unforgettable experience when we crossed 80° north and officially entered the Arctic Ocean.
