(a mini-) TRIP REPORT: Svalbard, Norway, June/July 2016
Another interesting animal we photographed were the walruses; seeing them in the water (basically just the head) doesn't prepare you for their size when they are hauled out on land. Nor how fat they are--their diet consists mainly of mollusks (clams, et al) but can include many other small seafood species.
To this Alaskan, reindeer are nothing new--just a subspecies away from our caribou--basically they are a little shorter, but stockier. Like our July caribou, these reindeer are raising this year's young and growing new antlers, while shedding last year's hair.
Like all Arctic regions, the birdlife is abundant, especially the seabirds that nest in the many cliffs of Svalbard. The noise and smell from a colony awakens your senses, to say the least!
Cliff Dwellers. It is common to have different species nesting on the same cliff, since the nesting requirements of each might be different. Here the Kittiwakes require (build) an actual nest, while the Brunnich's Guillemots lay their eggs on almost any flat surface.
