Fugløya: Mountaineering Bear

Sunday, 10 July (Part II)

Following our landing at Smeerenburg (post here), we had free time aboard the ship while the remaining two groups were out exploring.  We used the time to check out the bridge.

In our typical roles: Mui, the driver ...

... Erin, the navigator.

The day’s plan called for exploring nearby Raudfjorden after lunch.  Those plans went out the window when a polar bear was spotted on Fugløya (Bird Island).  How ironic!  Earlier in the voyage, we visited Bjørnøya (Bear Island) to see birds; today an island named for birds gave us a bear sighting!

While the ship positioned into Fuglesongenfjorden (Bird Season Fjord), we enjoyed a leisurely lunch.  By the time the noon meal was over, Silver Explorer was at anchor.  Since we’d gone out first for the morning landing, we had time to kill on board before it was our turn to take to the zodiacs.  We hoped that the weather would change for the better while we waited; but no, the fog and rain stayed put, and the damp weather increased the chill factor.  All of which made for a particularly uncomfortable zodiac ride since the captain — once again — anchored a considerable distance off shore.  (We’ve heard from a reliable source that the ship is operating without a bow thruster during this voyage.  That said, not sure how that’s a problem in deep water with no ice anywhere in sight.)

Traveling through the light fog, the zodiacs disappear around the headland to the right.

The first two groups had a great sighting of a polar bear snacking on some meat near the shoreline.  It turns out, the meat had been left there by the passengers of a small boat to lure the bear to where they had set up photographic equipment.  We saw none of that — no close bear sighting; no cameras; no boat nearby.

This is the scene the first group saw.
(image sent to me by my Silversea cruise specialist.)

Note how pristine the snow is in the above image.  And so is the bear.  Not a drop of blood anywhere.  I’ve seen video footage and still shots of a polar bear kill.  They are not fastidious eaters.  Were this a “natural” kill, the snow and the bear would have been stained crimson with blood and gore, and I’m sure there would have been more of the prey’s carcass lying about as well.

You want to know what we saw?  We saw a creamy dot in the high reaches of the steep, rocky slope behind the shoreline.  Thanks to my long lens, I was able to get some reasonable shots of the bear, but to the naked eye, it looked more like a patch of snow than a bear.  Here’s what’s ironic about seeing what we termed “mountaineering bear.”  While we were waiting our turn to go out in the zodiac, Robin said that if the bear decided to move on, the steep cliff would force it to follow the coastline since it had nowhere else to go.  Hah!

Polar bear in search of small auks nesting amongst the rocks.

An explanation or two about the collage.  Note the glacier’s edge in the top right photo.  On our way to the sighting, Uli stopped the boat here briefly so that Karolina, our bear guard, could point out the bear’s footprints where it crossed the glacier and then belly-slid down the left side (hard to see; so I marked the bear’s path with a dotted line).  The bottom right picture is a shot of what’s left of the lure used to draw the bear to this spot.  Again; incredibly pristine, so no chance this was a natural kill IMHO.

With the bear so far up the slope, we asked Uli to drive us over to Svitjodbreen for a closer look at the glacier instead.  He did so, but it was raining hard and I decided not to risk getting the camera wet, so no photos.  By the time we returned to the ship, we were chilled to the bone, but still dry under our rain gear.  A cup of thick and creamy hot chocolate in the Panorama Lounge sure hit the spot.

The art of herding a bergy-bit with a zodiac.

The two afternoon briefings had a common theme — currents: air and sea.  It was during this session that we learned how driftwood, which originates in Siberia, ends up in Svalbard, located well above the tree line.  Then, Robin outlined plans for tomorrow.  We’re going to be continuing south along the coast of Spitsbergen.  To be expected since we have two days left before our voyage comes to an end.  If the weather cooperates, tomorrow we’ll be going for a glacier hike and visiting a site of considerable historic significance.

Tonight was our farewell cocktail and dinner.  It was scheduled a day earlier than usual, because the original itinerary called for a long day and a late landing tomorrow.  We were invited to dine with Martin Blanar, the Silver Explorer Hotel Manager, and the Rafaelis, a couple from Israel.  Martin was a charming host and we had a very pleasant evening discussing topics of interest to one and all.  I ordered a selection of dishes from the intermezzo section of the menu — mushroom soup, salad garnished with fried zucchini, and spinach cannelloni.  All were excellent.  With lobster on the menu, there was no doubt what Mui would be having as his main course.  Dessert for me was vanilla ice cream, lightly drizzled with chocolate sauce; Mui pronounced the chocolate crème brûlée yummmmmy.

The sun has broken through the clouds; the blog post is completed.  I’m going to bundle up and go out for a walk around Deck 6.  A bit of fresh air will do me good.  Besides, after all the socializing I’ve been doing today, an introvert like me needs some quiet-time.  I’m sure to find it on the outside decks — after all, it’s almost midnight.