Today, we reached the sandy
little island of Moffen – the northern most point of our cruise – around 8:00am.
The sun gave the island a brown orange colour and in the same colour we saw our
first Walruses on the beach. We could be happy. We have been able to watch two
bigger groups of these giants under the seal. Most of them were sleeping but
there was at least a little movement in the groups so that we could see the
huge tasks. Here at the beach of Moffen you can see only the males. The females
and their calves stay more near Franz Josef Land. It was a perfect start for an
expedition day.
We used the time after
breakfast and our first landing for lectures about ice and birds. Around 11:00
we reached Kinnvika in the Hinlopen Strait. Here we got the possibility to
explore the scientific station that was built for the International Geophysical
Year in 1957-1958. The landing gave us a good overview how the scientists lived
during their research job at this time; and we had the feeling they did not
live bad. They had good warm houses with heating, a sauna, offices, workrooms
and laboratories. It looked like that they had a good time during their life
here in Spitsbergen.
In the afternoon we
passed by Alkefjellet. This bird cliff is up to 100m high and one of the most
important bird cliffs in the Hinlopen Strait. During May and June the cliff is
full of breeding birds, Glaucous Gulls, Kittiwakes, and especially Brünnich’s
Guillemots. 60 000 breeding pairs come each year for breeding. At this time of
the year the migration south had started already, but we could still see some
different species flying around; adult ones and the youngsters from this year.
Our last landing for
the day was planned in Trollneset, where we hope to see Walruses again. We
could see these creatures already with our binoculars from the ship but then,
suddenly we saw another creature showing up; a Polar bear was waiting for us at
the landing side to welcome us in his kingdom. So that meant no possibility for a landing, no longer
hike, no kayak adventure this evening. But our expedition leader Karin is well
known for her fast changes in the program. To give everybody the chance to see
the Walruses and the Polar bear we started with short boat cruises. This
evening changed to an unforgettable adventure in the golden evening sun.
So we had Walrus
observation for breakfast and Walrus observation together with a Polar bear as a late night event.
Can you imagine a better expedition day?
