Fair Haven, Svalbard
The land of the ice bears, or so we call this expedition. And ice bears we had aplenty throughout our exploration of Svalbard. But polar bears are only a part of the story here in the high Norwegian Arctic, there is so much more than just bears to capture our imaginations.
Some of these wondrous animals are quite small, like the dovekie, or little auk. At about 7 inches in height with a wingspan of 18 inches it is the smallest member of the alcid family here in Svalbard. With an estimated worldwide population of about 80 million individuals this little seabird makes up in numbers what it lacks in size.
And of course who doesn’t love the cherubic face of a puffin? Nesting high on the cliffs of the outer islands here in Fair Haven puffins were flying to and fro with their comings and goings. Several puffins were seen merrily cleaning themselves on the calm seas surrounding the nesting sites. Color is hard to come by here in the Arctic, with most animals choosing a conservative black-and-white motif. The puffin flies in the face of this color scheme and sports a brilliant red and yellow bill that announces its unique head markings to all who gaze upon it.
Late this afternoon we went from the some of the smallest animals in the archipelago to the largest animals on the planet! Calm seas and light winds allowed National Geographic Explorer to head offshore along the western side of Spitsbergen towards the continental drop-off in search of whales. Several fin whales were sighted lunge feeding on the oceans surface. At almost 80 feet in length this is the second largest animal living on our planet.
Then the call went out from the bridge as we sighted blue whales, the absolute largest animals ever to have lived on planet Earth. One particularly curious adult repeatedly swam across our bow, rolling on its side to get a good look at us, the blue shimmer of its body clearly visible beneath the sea. Just who is watching whom here, after all?
Yes dear reader, there are plenty of polar bears to be seen here in Svalbard. When you come, keep an open mind (as well as open eyes) as you just may be surprised at all the wonders large and small this land of the midnight sun may choose to reveal to you.
