SVALBARD | TOP OF THE WORLD
Svalbard is an archipelago in the Artic Ocean. It is the northern most territory of Norway: located above the arctic circle (lying between 74-81° north latitude and 10-35° east longitude). For reference purposes: the arctic circle lies at 66°30′ N and the North Pole’s location is 90°N 0°E. Svalbard has an arctic climate and is known for its remote terrain of glaciers & tundra, northern lights, polar bears, and other wildlife. Its total population is estimated to be 2,500 people. Polar bears outnumber humans. It is the land of the midnight sun and polar night. Glaciers and snowfields cover 60 percent of the area.
Danskøya
My journey to Svalbard started by first flying to Oslo, Norway, then to Tromsø, Norway (where we disembarked for 45 minutes to go through passport control), then on to Longyearbyen, Svalbard. Longyearbyen is the northernmost settlement in the world. The town’s population is a little under 2,000. The settlement is not very big and if you leave the village limits you should carry a rifle and have experience using it. My time in Svalbard was during the 125 days of the midnight sun. The sun is at a 45-degree angle in the sky (rotating in a circle) 24/7. Sunglasses are a must all day and all night long.
Colorful houses of Longyearbyen
These days I am drawn to remote places. The locations that are less traveled and have a low population density. I came to Svalbard for the mountains, glaciers, and fauna. I still consider myself a wildlife newbie, especially when it comes to birds in flight, but I am getting better! The main wildlife draw for me was of course the polar bear. When I saw the first one - I was in awe and had to pinch myself. They are so impressive and huge up close.
We spent a lot of time amongst the icebergs with this POLAR BEAR, at Vibebukta, a bay at the shore of Nordaustlandet, Svalbard. He was busy triangulating the whereabouts of a few walruses he could smell but not see. Polar bears have an extraordinary sense of smell. They can smell their prey from twenty miles away. On this day, however, the walruses were quick to escape as the bear jumped from a nearby iceberg to the one they were resting on. Below are more pictures of this majestic animal. Click on the image to view it full-sized and uncropped.
Is there anything cuter than this polar bear cub? At one point, during our time with mama and baby, the mom laid on her back in a divot, the cub laid on its back on top of the mom who had her paws wrapped around the baby in a loving manner. They laid like this for a while then the cub started nursing.
Fun facts about polar bears: they are classified as a marine mammal, weigh 330 to 1,500 pounds, have a lifespan of 25 years, live in the Arctic Circle, and are carnivores. They can be found in Canada, Alaska (USA), Russia, Greenland, Svalbard (Norwegian Territory). Their skin, tongue and paw pads are black. The primary source of food is seals and carcasses from whales or walruses.
SOLITUDE
Other wildlife sightings, on this trip, included WALRUSES, SEALS, PUFFINS, SVALBARD REINDEER, FIN & MINKE WHALES, ARCTIC FOXES, and many species of BIRDS.
BREAKING NEWS - I finally did it! I captured my first bird in flight! Of course, it was just the one bird, the one time: but I am baby stepping forward like a boss!
There is more to Svalbard than wildlife. It has incredible scenery made up of majestic snow-capped mountains, impressive glaciers, icebergs, and fjords. There are no trees on Svalbard due to the harsh conditions and permafrost.
BLACK-LEGGED KITTIWAKES on a beautifully sculpted iceberg.
GLACIER details.
MOUNTAINS provide a perfect backdrop for this spectacular GLACIER.
We went ashore at ALKEHORNET (above) to photograph the ARCTIC FOXES. We were busy capturing these cute animals when a polar bear and two cubs were spotted about 20 yards away from the group. We immediately put the cameras down, formed a tight cluster and began walking back to the zodiacs. Our expedition leaders, Frede and Martin, (with rifles at the ready) took up the rear. We made it back safely to the ship with no harm done to the humans or the bears.
A hole in the clouds provides a backlight that illuminates this ICEBERG.
Behind the scenes - (left to right) zodiac life, Martin with a rifle for protection, me, the group, our ship (the M/S Virgo) and me again.
