Isispynten, Nordaustland and the pack ice of the north.
A slow approach all morning through the fog brought us ever closer to the third largest ice cap in the world. Nordaustland, a large island in the northeast corner of Svalbard has an icecap that is over 8,000 square km in size. Over the years the ice has retreated to reveal a small island off the southern edge. This newly exposed island, Isispynten, is essentially a glacial moraine and can be a great place to spot walrus and sometimes bears. Low fog settled into the area and we had a relaxed morning before setting out on Zodiac cruises around this island. Arctic terns were in abundance. The loose rubble of a glacial moraine creates the perfect nesting ground for terns who prefer loose rocks to create a scrape of small pebbles to lay their eggs in. Eider ducks were also spotted in abundance. Mostly chicks of the year and females were seen, their mottled brown striping being rather beautiful to look at.
A creature was also seen today a bit closer than the Zodiac cruises of the previous evening for some, the walrus. A pair of walrus was seen swimming in the water just off the northern tip of Isispynten. Popping their heads out of the water they eyed us in our Zodiacs. They splashed as they dove under the water, deciding they didn’t want too much to do with us. The rocky island still had patches of snow here and there. We were all excited to find that the first patch of snow we came upon had three polar bears, a mother with two cubs, curled up together. They were not moving much as they are conserving energy at this time of year, and eventually we left them to peacefully continue their nap. Driving around the next point four more polar bears were spotted in the next patch of snow. A mother with a cub had carved a little snow cave for herself and they, like the others were curled up and napping. Just to the left of this pair was another sprawled out in the snow and yet another to left of that one! Seven bears in such a small area was thrilling. Finally, when it was time to turn around and head back to the ship, an eighth polar bear was spotted on a distant slope. This one looked quite large. The Arctic terns wheeled and dove overhead chasing away the Arctic jaeger, long tailed jaeger, and even a pomarine jaeger that were bothering them to steal their hard-caught meal. We drove on back to the ship, admiring the ethereal light on the ice cap as the fog lifted slightly. The National Geographic Explorer lifted anchor and headed to the north. Time to find some ice.
During the afternoon we crossed eighty degrees north and by dinner time we were drifting into the first signs of pack ice. Unfortunately, fog was in the area and reduced our visibility. The low sunlight shining through the fog was extremely beautiful but kept us from seeing as far into the pack ice as we would have liked. Twice, polar bears were spotted at the last minute, only being spotted a short distance off the bow. Too late, we spotted them as they moved off into the fog. Many blinked sleepy eyes and tried to stay awake, searching the ice for what we hoped so much to see. Slowly, one by one, most drifted off, tiredness overtaking them. We would see what tomorrow would bring. But ten polar bears in one day, two being on the Arctic pack ice, is a pretty good day.
