Svalbard Norway Visual Journey
Svalbard Norway is an archipelago in the Arctic Ocean above the Arctic Circle. It is home to polar bears, walrus, seals, reindeer, arctic fox, and pelagic seabirds. At the beginning of June 2019, I boarded the M/V Stockholm ship (130 ft boat, limited t 12 passengers) for 7 days cruise around the islands planning to photograph the spectacular scenery, ice flows, and wildlife with Joe and Mary Ann McDonald. We met the ship in Loongyearbyen on 31 May. While in town, we explored the surrounding from rented vehicles where we photographed Skua, Common Eider, Barnacle Geese, Fulmars and other birds. While on the ship and in zodiacs, we had great opportunities to photograph polar bears and walrus at close distances. The surrounding landscape was amazing with beautiful ice flows and snow capped mountains. Here are some images from the trip. Included are a few images from the Senja Peninsula.
Polar bear on ice flow
Longyearbyen town
Reindeer scratching
Young Ringed Seal resting on ice
King eider lifting off from water.
Bearded Seal resting
Ice breaking up
Polar bear after swimming
Fulmar flying past boat
Common Eider landing
Iceberg
Icebergs floating in front of mountains.
Walrus near zodiac
Ice cycles
M/V Stokholm
Curious polar bear
Polar bear looking as if praying
Common gull wings
Stockholm ship in ice
Glaucous full nesting on roof
Eurasian oystercatcher jumping from rock to rock
