Edgeoya
During the night we rounded Sorkapp, the southern cape of Spitsbergen Island, and headed northeast across the open waters of Storfjorden. A beaming sun greeted us in the morning as we made our way to our first anchorage at the island called Edgeoya. As the scout boat headed ashore, the second polar bear of the voyage was sighted. This bear was not interested in the company of humans, and it high-tailed it north across the tundra and well out of sight. Feeling well assured that this bear was no longer in the area, we loaded into the Zodiacs and went ashore at Habenichtbukta. Although the area looked nondescript and quite barren from a distance, it proved to harbor many fascinating things. Just above the rocky shoreline were scant archeological remains of habitations used by Russian Pomors, hunters who came to this northern region in search of animals bearing tusks, furs, oil or hides. Earlier whalers hunting bowhead whales had also used this area, and there were still a few large whalebones dappled with lichen that lay scattered on the tundra.
There were numerous interesting birds found here, including many snow buntings, the only songbird found in Svalbard. Long-tailed ducks were swimming in a large pond. A tiny island in the pond was being used for nesting by a few arctic terns. Purple sandpipers fed around the mossy fringes, and several red phalarope were also found. On the tundra slopes above the pond there were many kinds of tundra wildflowers in bloom; saxifrages, louseworts, chickweeds and the showy pink arrays of moss campion.
Back onboard the ship we continued northward to Kapp Lee at the northwestern end of Edgeoya. We again boarded the Zodiacs, but for a very different sort of outing. There was a large haul out area for walrus at Dolerittneset. At this site there was a group of small huts previously used by Dutch scientists, and now only sporadically occupied by researchers from the Norwegian Polar Institute. About a hundred walrus had decided this was the perfect place to haul out on the shores during their annual molt. We approached the beach slowly and were treated to fantastic views of massive walrus surfacing around us in the water. Most of these animals were males, and some were seen jousting and flashing their sleek ivory tusks at each other. We floated just offshore for at least an hour marveling at these incredible animals of the arctic. By evening we were on our way eastward through Freemansundet toward the eastern part of the Svalbard archipelago in search of pack ice.
During the night we rounded Sorkapp, the southern cape of Spitsbergen Island, and headed northeast across the open waters of Storfjorden. A beaming sun greeted us in the morning as we made our way to our first anchorage at the island called Edgeoya. As the scout boat headed ashore, the second polar bear of the voyage was sighted. This bear was not interested in the company of humans, and it high-tailed it north across the tundra and well out of sight. Feeling well assured that this bear was no longer in the area, we loaded into the Zodiacs and went ashore at Habenichtbukta. Although the area looked nondescript and quite barren from a distance, it proved to harbor many fascinating things. Just above the rocky shoreline were scant archeological remains of habitations used by Russian Pomors, hunters who came to this northern region in search of animals bearing tusks, furs, oil or hides. Earlier whalers hunting bowhead whales had also used this area, and there were still a few large whalebones dappled with lichen that lay scattered on the tundra.
There were numerous interesting birds found here, including many snow buntings, the only songbird found in Svalbard. Long-tailed ducks were swimming in a large pond. A tiny island in the pond was being used for nesting by a few arctic terns. Purple sandpipers fed around the mossy fringes, and several red phalarope were also found. On the tundra slopes above the pond there were many kinds of tundra wildflowers in bloom; saxifrages, louseworts, chickweeds and the showy pink arrays of moss campion.
Back onboard the ship we continued northward to Kapp Lee at the northwestern end of Edgeoya. We again boarded the Zodiacs, but for a very different sort of outing. There was a large haul out area for walrus at Dolerittneset. At this site there was a group of small huts previously used by Dutch scientists, and now only sporadically occupied by researchers from the Norwegian Polar Institute. About a hundred walrus had decided this was the perfect place to haul out on the shores during their annual molt. We approached the beach slowly and were treated to fantastic views of massive walrus surfacing around us in the water. Most of these animals were males, and some were seen jousting and flashing their sleek ivory tusks at each other. We floated just offshore for at least an hour marveling at these incredible animals of the arctic. By evening we were on our way eastward through Freemansundet toward the eastern part of the Svalbard archipelago in search of pack ice.
