Bear Island
Today we made our first landing at Svalbard, on Bear Island. At the Radio station at the northern end of the island, we saw some breeding Arctic Terns defending the nest. Yes, Endeavour is much like this tern, migrating between the two opposite Polar areas. In February, we saw the Arctic terns in the wintering area of the Weddell Sea near the opposite pole and now again way up far north in the Arctic in the breeding areas. There are many miles between, both for the tern and the ship!
Today we arrived back to the pure and pristine Arctic and encountered ice already at Bear Island. It was much as the explorer Wilhelm Barrents found this island June 1596, surrounded by ice. Over the years Lindblad Expeditions has visited this island many times but we have never seen anything like this!
The officers and the captain had to spend many hours to find a way through the ice flow until we were able to arrive at the southern tip of Bear Island. During our time in the ice, the staff together with the eager eyes of the guests looked for the great white ruler of the Arctic, the polar bear, but the closest we got were tracks in the snow. Maybe we will spot them tomorrow?
At lunchtime, we arrived to the southern part of Bear Island, always a magical spot. Here the warm Gulf Stream meets a cold-water current coming from Siberia. Fog is almost always covering this part of the island and gives a mystical appearance.
After lunch we dropped the fleet of Zodiacs and experienced an eventful outing. Some of us went though long caves, arches, in between ice sheets and birds in endless numbers. The island houses almost 1 000 000 seabirds, auks like murres, dovkies and puffins, but also kittiwakes, fulmars…the list goes on. Together with the pinnacles and high cliff faces partly covered and hidden in the fog and waterfalls flowing down, it is a highlight of a lifetime! Very few places can have the same impact on anyone!
The rich birdlife here on this lonely island in the Barents Sea is explained by the richness in the ocean. Barents Sea is shallow and over the long polar day with 24 hours daylight from mid May and into mid September, the productivity is enormous. The Capelin and herring, both small fish, which is the food resource for the birds but also for all larger fish. Large cod are still common in this part of the world.
The place names along this rugged coastline, on the eastern side of Bear Island, tell the long history of the island since 1596. It was first Wilhelm Barents, a Dutch expedition with the aim to find a shortcut to China, who killed the Polar Bear and named it “Bear Island”. The English found the same island a few years later and named it “Cheery Island” after the shape.
Hvalrossbukta was probably covered by walrus, in early days as the first hunters arrived not more than 400 years ago. Misery Mountain was most likely named by English whalers in early 1600; Cape Kolthoff a Swedish scientist who visited the island late 1800 and again early 1900 on different Arctic expeditions. To my surprise we also found “Kapp Forsberg” named after a Swedish scientist who visited the island and stayed with an expedition in 1899 to be one of the first to make any measurements about weather and tidal water in the area of Bear Island.
Our expedition leader, Bud, later took us to the radio station at the northern tip of the island. Bear Island Radio is manned and managed by 9 hardy Norwegians all year round and they willingly greeted us on our arrival. Very few ships take the time and opportunity to stop at this outpost in the northern Barents Sea.
Some of us took the advantage for a short tundra hike. The ponds harbored Phalaropes and Long-tailed ducks. Around the more rocky slopes, the snow bunting, the only passerine bird to reach this far north, had its territory. The snow had recently diminished but still some of the hardy Arctic plants like the bright purple saxifrage sometimes covered parts of the tundra.
Others went for a cold Arctic plunge (sea water temperature 32°F!) and were able to experience how the brain more or less freaks out as they dove into the water. Still after this eventful experience everyone who was brave enough to try, were reward with a nice diploma.
The crew and staff at the radio station also shared some tales and stories and of course the history around this very isolated station. Too soon we had to leave to set sail into the ice and again search for polar bears. Few places in the world can be as charming, magical and impressive as Bear Island. It is easy to love the place!
Today we made our first landing at Svalbard, on Bear Island. At the Radio station at the northern end of the island, we saw some breeding Arctic Terns defending the nest. Yes, Endeavour is much like this tern, migrating between the two opposite Polar areas. In February, we saw the Arctic terns in the wintering area of the Weddell Sea near the opposite pole and now again way up far north in the Arctic in the breeding areas. There are many miles between, both for the tern and the ship!
Today we arrived back to the pure and pristine Arctic and encountered ice already at Bear Island. It was much as the explorer Wilhelm Barrents found this island June 1596, surrounded by ice. Over the years Lindblad Expeditions has visited this island many times but we have never seen anything like this!
The officers and the captain had to spend many hours to find a way through the ice flow until we were able to arrive at the southern tip of Bear Island. During our time in the ice, the staff together with the eager eyes of the guests looked for the great white ruler of the Arctic, the polar bear, but the closest we got were tracks in the snow. Maybe we will spot them tomorrow?
At lunchtime, we arrived to the southern part of Bear Island, always a magical spot. Here the warm Gulf Stream meets a cold-water current coming from Siberia. Fog is almost always covering this part of the island and gives a mystical appearance.
After lunch we dropped the fleet of Zodiacs and experienced an eventful outing. Some of us went though long caves, arches, in between ice sheets and birds in endless numbers. The island houses almost 1 000 000 seabirds, auks like murres, dovkies and puffins, but also kittiwakes, fulmars…the list goes on. Together with the pinnacles and high cliff faces partly covered and hidden in the fog and waterfalls flowing down, it is a highlight of a lifetime! Very few places can have the same impact on anyone!
The rich birdlife here on this lonely island in the Barents Sea is explained by the richness in the ocean. Barents Sea is shallow and over the long polar day with 24 hours daylight from mid May and into mid September, the productivity is enormous. The Capelin and herring, both small fish, which is the food resource for the birds but also for all larger fish. Large cod are still common in this part of the world.
The place names along this rugged coastline, on the eastern side of Bear Island, tell the long history of the island since 1596. It was first Wilhelm Barents, a Dutch expedition with the aim to find a shortcut to China, who killed the Polar Bear and named it “Bear Island”. The English found the same island a few years later and named it “Cheery Island” after the shape.
Hvalrossbukta was probably covered by walrus, in early days as the first hunters arrived not more than 400 years ago. Misery Mountain was most likely named by English whalers in early 1600; Cape Kolthoff a Swedish scientist who visited the island late 1800 and again early 1900 on different Arctic expeditions. To my surprise we also found “Kapp Forsberg” named after a Swedish scientist who visited the island and stayed with an expedition in 1899 to be one of the first to make any measurements about weather and tidal water in the area of Bear Island.
Our expedition leader, Bud, later took us to the radio station at the northern tip of the island. Bear Island Radio is manned and managed by 9 hardy Norwegians all year round and they willingly greeted us on our arrival. Very few ships take the time and opportunity to stop at this outpost in the northern Barents Sea.
Some of us took the advantage for a short tundra hike. The ponds harbored Phalaropes and Long-tailed ducks. Around the more rocky slopes, the snow bunting, the only passerine bird to reach this far north, had its territory. The snow had recently diminished but still some of the hardy Arctic plants like the bright purple saxifrage sometimes covered parts of the tundra.
Others went for a cold Arctic plunge (sea water temperature 32°F!) and were able to experience how the brain more or less freaks out as they dove into the water. Still after this eventful experience everyone who was brave enough to try, were reward with a nice diploma.
The crew and staff at the radio station also shared some tales and stories and of course the history around this very isolated station. Too soon we had to leave to set sail into the ice and again search for polar bears. Few places in the world can be as charming, magical and impressive as Bear Island. It is easy to love the place!
