SPITSBERGEN TOUR REPORT - Birdquest

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tusks. We then sailed south to the northwest of the main island of Svalbard. The mist soon disappeared and dramatic scenery appeared all around us as we anchored just off the entrance of the Raudfjord. All five zodiacs were launched, and for the next couple of hours we explored the bay, admiring the huge colony of Black-legged Kittiwakes and Brünnich’s Guillemots on the precipitous cliffs, and drifting about amongst the bright blue icebergs in front of the 3km wide Hamilton glacier. In the afternoon we sailed to the nearby little island of Fuglesangen, where we enjoyed a delightful afternoon just sitting at the edge of an enormous Little Auk colony. These delightful little creatures soon settled down within very close range and posed so incredibly well. We had a great time here just lying amongst the boulders and watching these cuties display and cackle and fight and snooze. Magical moments. Every now and then a Glaucous Gull flew over the colony and startled all the Little Auks in taking flight, whereby they showed off their amazing flight prowess in spectacular dense Starling-like formations. But soon they settled down again, often within a few meters from us. This was definitely one of the highlights of the trip! On our last full day in Spitsbergen, we landed on Prins Karls Forland at a sandspit called Poolepynten, a haul out spot for male Walruses. A strategic approach under the watchful eye of our German expedition leader Rolf resulted in being able to approach these gentle-looking giants within 50m. We spent a very enjoyable couple of hours watching and photographing the antics of these strange creatures that look like big fat slugs on land, but move so elegantly in the water. A spectacularly breaching Humpback Whale provided even more entertainment and so did another Beluga. Arctic Skuas were very much a feature of this area and once we saw no fewer than four birds chasing the same hapless Black-legged Kittiwake. Three Red-throated Divers were displaying, Red Phalaropes were spinning away and we also obtained our best views of several Great Skuas here. In the afternoon we explored a lovely tundra spot full of flowers called Eidembukta. The leisurely walk yielded a flock of c500 drake Common Eiders, about 15 King Eiders, a party of Long-tailed Duck including a male in winter plumage and several displaying Purple Sandpipers. We then sailed to Longyearbyen as several passengers had to catch a middle of the night flight out. After some final formalities on board, we said our farewells to our friendly crew and the Oceanwide Expeditions staff, and disembarked from the Professor Multanovskiy for the last time. A short bus ride brought us into town, and then those who did not want to spend the morning shopping ambled out to the husky kennels on the outskirts of town. Common Eiders, fierce Arctic Terns and Snow Buntings waved their goodbyes and we had lunch at the Café Busen. We then boarded our bus for the airport, and were on our way back to the hustle and bustle of the civilised world, filled with delightful memories and with full memory cards. 4 <strong>Birdquest</strong>: Spitsbergen 2007
SYSTEMATIC LIST Species which were not personally recorded by the leader are indicated by the letters (NL). GAVIIDAE Red-throated Diver Gavia stellata: A fairly common breeding bird in Spitsbergen, where there are thought to be 500-1,000 breeding pairs. We saw them well on a number of occasions, including pairs on ponds or lakes at Blomstrandhalvøya, Ny Ålesund, the Andøyane Islands and on Prins Karls Forland. PROCELLARIIDAE Northern Fulmar Fulmarus glacialis: Common and ubiquitous at sea, often following the ship. There are thought to be between 500,000 and 1,000,000 pairs breeding in Spitsbergen. Most of the birds seen were of the dark morph, often known as ‘Blue Fulmar’ and characteristic of these high latitudes. ANATIDAE Pink-footed Goose Anser brachyrhynchus: A widespread breeding bird in Spitsbergen; seen well on several occasions, and found nesting at Blomstrandhalvøya. This is the commonest of the three geese in Spitsbergen, with a breeding population of between 12,250 and 18,800 pairs. The Spitsbergen population (currently estimated at 42,000 individuals) spends the winter in Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium. Barnacle Goose Branta leucopsis: Another widespread breeding bird in Spitsbergen, seen well on many occasions. Birds were found nesting on low-lying islands off Blomstrandhalvøya and Eidembukta. The entire Spitsbergen population of Barnacle Geese spends the winter in the Solway Firth in south-west Scotland (particularly at Caerlaverock Reserve), and stages on the archipelagos of the Helgeland District in West Norway in spring, and on Bear Island in autumn (although there is evidence that some birds make the journey from Spitsbergen to the Solway in a single hop!). This population has shown a dramatic increase from as few as 550 individuals in the 1950s to about 27,000 in recent years, thanks to increased habitat protection and greatly reduced hunting pressure throughout its range. Pale-bellied Brent Branta [bernicla] hrota: The least common of the geese in Spitsbergen, recorded at just one locality. Six were seen in flight upon arrival at the Bockfjorden. The Pale-bellied Brents breeding in Spitsbergen, along with those breeding in north-east Greenland and Franz Joseph Land, belong to a discrete population that spends the winter in northern Denmark and around Holy Island (Lindisfarne) in north-east England. This is one of the smallest goose populations in the world; numbers were reduced to as few as 2,000 individuals in the late 1960s, but under protection have since increased to about 7,000. Common Eider Somateria mollissima: Much the commonest duck in the islands, encountered almost everywhere. The concentration of nesting females around the husky kennels (a fox-free zone!) at Longyearbyen was interesting. The flock of about 500 drakes at Eidembukta was particularly impressive. The breeding population is estimated at 13,500-27,500 pairs. King Eider Somateria spectabilis: Not as common as we might have hoped, but we had good views of a nesting female at Longyearbyen, four drakes and a female around the Andøyane Islands in Liefdefjorden and 15 birds (mainly drakes) at Eidembukta. According to the latest estimates from BirdLife International, there are between 300 and 1,000 pairs of King Eiders breeding in Spitsbergen. Long-tailed Duck (Old Squaw) Clangula hyemalis: Good views of this very attractive little duck on several occasions. Most were single individuals or pairs at small ponds where they were presumably nesting. A male in winter plumage at Eidembukta was particularly interesting. The total breeding population in Spitsbergen is estimated at 500-1,000 pairs. 5 <strong>Birdquest</strong>: Spitsbergen 2007
Page 1 and 2: LEADER: MARK VAN BEIRS SPITSBERGEN
Page 3: oarded the zodiacs for a leisurely
Page 7 and 8: Great Skua (Bonxie) Catharacta skua
Page 9: The endemic Spitsbergen race platyr

SPITSBERGEN TOUR REPORT - Birdquest

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