In case you missed it:Svalbard Norway - Part 1
Svalbard Norway - Part 2
eBird Trip Report
After the incredible day with the polar bear and seabird cliffs we had another special treat in store. By the next morning we had moved up to the pack ice. Our ship was capable of moving through the ice and did so for the entire day. While it would have been great to see a polar bear on the ice, it wasn't to be. But the experience was still magical and we did see lots of other great stuff, especially seals. We crossed 81 degrees north two times in our wander through the ice, only about 620 miles from the North Pole. Amazing.
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| The pack ice looms... |
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| Here we go |
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| A Bearded Seal hangs out on the ice |
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| 81 degrees north |
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| A flyby Atlantic Puffin |
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| Ivory Gull on the pack ice. Our best look of the trip |
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| The seals come up between the ice flows, maybe just checking us out |
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| Bearded Seal |
By the next morning we were back to the main island of Spitsbergen with our first stop at a site known as Texas Bar. We went for a hike, the flowers and scenery were amazing.
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| Moss Campion (Silene acaulis) |
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| Yellow Saxifrage (Saxifraga aizoides) |
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| Moss Campion (Silene acaulis) |
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| A hundred year old historic trapper's cabin |
In the afternoon we cruised farther into Liefdefjorden for a zodiac ride around Monacobreen, an enormous tidewater glacier that flows down from interior Spitzbergen. There were tens of thousands of Black-legged Kittiwakes scavenging on the food sources brought up by the near continuous calving of the glacier.
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| Kittiwakes over the zodiaks |
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| Look closely, there are thousands of kittiwakes feeding near the calving glacier |
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| Black-legged Kittiwake |
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| Black-legged Kittiwake |
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| Arctic Terns |
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| Arctic Terns |
That evening we had the traditional outdoor barbecue on the helicopter deck. A bit chilly, but a good time had by all.
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| Our guide John went all in with the shirt |
Our last full day on board started with a visit to "14th of July" Glacier, named after France's Bastille Day by Prince Albert I of Monaco. The glacier was beautiful, and the nearby cliffs had numerous pairs of nesting Atlantic Puffins.
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| We even had a full rainbow to grace our day |
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| Atlantic Puffins |
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| Svalbard Reindeer |
Our final stop was at the scientific outpost of Ny-Ålesund. Once a coal mining town, this outpost now hosts scientists from around the world who conduct polar research. It's also the launch location for the famous dirigible airship flight of Amundsen over the North Pole in 1926 (100 years!). The tether mast still exists to honor the flight.  |
| Walking in to Ny-Ålesund |
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| Historic coal train |
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| Amundsen's airship tether mast |
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| Ny-Ålesund |
As we pulled away from the dock, another polar bear was spotted near town. With that cherry on top (our 6th polar bear of the trip) we headed south.
One last night aboard as we cruised back to Longyearbyen for an after breakfast disembarking and flights back home.
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