I should add that before any landing the area is scanned for bears. If a bear is seen, landing is precluded. When we do land, the guides all carry rifles and flares in the event of a bear attack.
The day was sunny and warmer than we have had so far with no wind. The local geography is sedimentary, red sandstone, uplifted and tilted, and lots of glacial erratics. We were cruising along the shore and saw a wreck of a fishing or hunting shack. On the inside of the curled peninsula we saw a big flock of pink-footed geese with one barred goose in the middle. There were eiders, fulmars and gulls on the water.
The bear, our fifth, was spotted further inland walking toward us near the beach. The zodiacs were jockeying for photo op position, and moving to stay ahead of the bear, who was oblivious to the boats. The bear was trotting along briskly, then stopped, sniffed the air, and headed for the water and swam toward the peninsula. He [she] came out of the water where a bunch of glaucous gulls were clustered around something at the water’s edge. The bear pulled it out of the water. It looked like a thick rug. The guides thought it was a dead whale skin. The bear dragged it to the top of the low bank and started eating. The gulls voiced their objections to the theft of their lunch. After many pix, we went back to the ship for our lunch.
Ship's position at breakfast.
Pink-footed geese on shore.
Pink-footed geese and one barred goose in the water.
Bear in the distance...
Closer, and moving along...
Retrieving lunch...
Mmmm, tasty.
After said lunch we hiked at Bockfjorden, a cul-de-sac further south off the main bay that offers a small hot spring. There is nearby volcanism. One side of the cove is the sedimentary, red sandstone, mountain high this time. The other side of the cove is the gray mountains that we usually see, a very rocky beach and a small glacier, above the beach are two beige mounds, the precipitate from the hot springs, I’m guessing calcium carbonate. Rocks below the springs have a coating of pink material from the springs, perhaps a carbonate containing manganese. In places the coating had chipped off. The coating was 2 mm thick and layered, indicating successive accumulations. The beach is filled with weathered rocks, and a huge rock pile nearby is a glacial moraine. The landscape is filled with glacial valleys, arêtes and horns.
Red mountains on the left, black on the right,
After the hike, we did a zodiac cruise to the base of the glacier. A walrus surfaced near the zodiac and spouted like a whale. We moved away to avoid any contact with what is basically a marine rhinoceros. We saw him a few more times, but from a distance. There were more geese on the beach and in the water. The rocks below the glacier looked like basalt consistent with a volcanic neighborhood.
Small glacier.
Brent geese and pink-footed geese.
Walrus near the zodiac.
Back on the ship, cleaning up before the big BBQ, whale sightings were announced over the PA system. In the bay near the walrus site were many beluga whales, perhaps as many as a hundred according to the naturalists. The beluga is a small whale, white as an adult and gray as an immature. Whatever drew the walrus also drew the whales and the gulls swarming overhead, perhaps some fish run. It’s very hard to photograph whales that barely, briefly surface. But by shooting at spouts, I got a few bodies and one possible head out of dozens of attempts. I should have taken video—next time.
Four spouts, whale backs and glacial moraine on shore,
More belugas on the other side of the bay.
The BBQ outside on the stern in the warm, bright evening sun was great, with live music and mulled wine, and whale watching.
1 comment:
Love your comments.
They're almost like actually being there. Thanks!
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