Svalbard is one of the world’s great wild places to see birds. Millions of them trek to the archipelago in summer for the abundance of food, and to breed and to raise their young in relative safety. Then they return with a new generation to warmer latitudes south, ahead of the perpetual darkness of the Arctic winter.
“Every May and June, when the ice retreats and the tundra clears of snow, upwards of three million birds flock to Svalbard,” writes Bruce Barcott in his National Geographic article “Ice Paradise.” The lure north is the biotic machine fueled by the Gulf Stream, Barcott explains. “The warm, salty current … keeps the water mostly ice free and nurtures massive plankton blooms every spring. The plankton lure whales and great schools of capelin and polar cod, which provide food for seabirds and seals.”
David Braun was a speaker on a Lindblad-National Geographic Expedition: Land of the Ice Bears, An In-Depth Exploration of Arctic Svalbard.
On our summer 2014 exploration of Svalbard on National Geographic Explorer, we were constantly in the company of birds. Fulmars flew in formation alongside, foraging for whatever small pelagic animals might surface in the wake of the ship. Kittiwake gulls were omnipresent, squabbling over fish caught around ice floes and flocking in the hundreds around breaching whales. Guillemots were also ubiquitous, but nowhere more abundantly than in the colony of perhaps several hundred thousand birds nesting on the steep dolerite cliffs of Cape Fanshawe, near the northern end of Spitsbergen island.
While populations may be huge, there is a dearth of variety of birds in the Svalbard region. More than a hundred species have been identified, but fewer than 30 species breed regularly in the archipelago. The Svalbard rock ptarmigan is the only land-inhabiting bird that resides in the archipelago throughout the year, according to the Norwegian Polar Institute.
Birds summering in Svalbard generally come from continental Europe and the United Kingdom, or migrate north from the open ocean as the sea ice retreats. One species common on Svalbard, the Arctic tern, spends winter in the Antarctic, making the circumpolar journey, the longest animal migration, twice a year.
The first excursion ashore on our Svalbard expedition was to Gnålodden, which features a soaring cliff populated with thousands of birds. “These birds are responsible for the constant noise during the nesting season that has given the place its name (“gnål” means “nagging” in Norwegian),” according to the Norwegian Polar Institute’s website.
The landing site was scouted by expedition naturalists to ensure there were no polar bears in the vicinity. The biggest threat, we were told, was from very hungry bears that might approach from the sea, which was why Zodiacs were patrolling the water behind us. All the naturalists were armed with flares and rifles.
Passengers could opt for one of three walks: long, medium, or short. I tried the medium, to gauge the level of effort in my heavy boots. We meandered slowly across the moss and muddy landscape, listening to the birds in the cliff and watching them around us.
The most exciting wildlife spotting of the excursion was an arctic fox, which we watched making its way along the foot of the cliff in search of fallen chicks and eggs. A scavenger and a predator, the arctic fox is a major reason why birds have adapted to nesting in the cliffs of Svalbard.
This spot is also the location of a cabin used by trappers in years gone by, now preserved both as a museum with furnishings and artifacts and also still used occasionally by researchers. One of the more intriguing aspects of the dwelling was its elaborate defenses against polar bears in the form of heavy poles to barricade doors and windows.
National Geographic Explorer is a great platform from which to watch the antics of seabirds, especially the kittiwakes, which could often be seen competing for food.
The bird cliffs of Alkefjellet at Kapp Fanshawe in the northern part of Spitsbergen are celebrated for their massive bird colonies. Hundreds of thousands of birds make their nests on narrow ledges on sheer cliffs rising 300 feet from the sea. The water adjacent to the cliffs is deep enough for National Geographic Explorer to get in close for great views. The air was filled with thousands of flying Brünnich’s guillemots, a curious bird that sits upright like a penguin, but which unlike its Antarctic lookalike can fly. The guillemot is also a strong diver, fishing hundreds of feet beneath the ocean surface. It is said it can “fly” underwater a lot more efficiently than it can fly through the air.
The guillemot breeding cliffs assault more than the sense of sight. There is also the strong odor of guano and, of course, a racket of screeching birds.
The Brünnich’s guillemot is a large black and white auk, according to the Norwegian Polar Institute. The birds synchronize the laying and hatching of their eggs so that the fledglings can all jump from the cliffs to the sea at more or less the same time. Curiously, the fledglings can’t yet fly when they jump to the sea, and many fall short, landing on the rocks, where foxes and other predators eagerly gather them up. Baby guillemots who make it safely to the water are escorted south by their fathers, swimming great distances to where they will spend the winter and grow into adults that can fly.
In my next post I write about Svalbard reindeer, strange-looking animals with short legs and big black circles around their eyes. Their story is a rare example of conservation success, for they are bounding back strongly throughout Svalbard.
More About Svalbard’s Birds
National Geographic Channel Video: Arctic Bird Attack
National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions to the Arctic
Lindblad-National Geographic, a Ten-Year Expedition of Inspiration and Discovery
In this National Geographic-behind-the-scenes interview, Sven-Olof Lindblad, founder and president of Lindblad Expeditions, talks about the impetus behind the Lindblad-National Geographic partnership, some of the accomplishments, and his thoughts of the future.
More about the National Geographic Explorer
Also from David Braun: National Geographic-Lindblad Expedition to the Galapagos (2012)
David Braun is director of outreach with the digital and social media team illuminating the National Geographic Society’s explorer, science, and education programs.
He edits National Geographic Voices, hosting a global discussion on issues resonating with the Society’s mission and major initiatives. Contributors include grantees and Society partners, as well as universities, foundations, interest groups, and individuals dedicated to a sustainable world. More than 50,000 readers have participated in 10,000 conversations.
Braun also directs the Society side of the Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship.