One Gyr Falcon, 38 dogs and 100,000 Little Auks – Birding East Greenland by dogsled (1 Viewer)

Wednesday 16 May 2012: Kap Høegh – Kap Høegh

Blinding sunlight again outside but what a sight awaited when the sunglasses went on; while there had been thousands of Little Auks last night at the colony, the numbers overnight had increased massively – there were Little Auks everywhere, huge clouds of them swirling overhead and settling in great numbers on the scree on the headland and on the snow-covered slopes of the mountain across the fjord. The day was spent doing a circuit on the sea ice. We tried to reach the ice edge but it was simply too far away and the further away from the coast, the more chaotic the jumble of ice became. Around midday I heard the unmistakable chatter of Little Auks in the air but looked in vain for a polynya which I assumed was the source of the noise. It took me a few moments to realise that I just needed to look up: high above there was a constant stream of tens of thousands of Little Auks flying from colonies at Kap Høegh and elsewhere in Liverpool Land to the open sea to feed for the day. By July the sea around Kap Høegh is open but in May and June they have a long commute to the feeding grounds. The rest of the afternoon was spent admiring towering icebergs, and holding tight as the sleds bumped over the rough sea ice and on two occasions having to leap off the sled at the last second as the dogs disappeared into a two-metre deep hollow in the ice. As we turned north up the coast, I asked Johan how far north he'd been and he told me he'd sledded up to the Danish base at Daneborg, 450 km away, three times, once on his own just to see what it was like to spend six weeks solo. They are tough people these East Greenlanders.

1. The hut at Kap Høegh
2. Walking on water on Kolding Fjord
3. Heading north up the coast
4. Typical view
5. Iceberg held tight by the sea ice

Thursday 17 May 2012: Kap Høegh – Kap Swainson

I was up with the lark as sleeping on the floor of a hunting cabin is not conducive to leisurely lie-ins. We clambered up the slopes of the cape and parked ourselves in the centre of the Little Auk colony and just waited for the birds to come to us. It wasn’t long before we were surrounded by chattering auks, some only an arm’s length away and it was a real privilege to watch their courtship rituals at such close quarters, the birds bowing their heads, walking in circles, high-stepping, with rivals frequently engaging in vicious tussles which saw them locked together cartwheel downhill and then continue the brawl in the air. The noise in the colony reached a peak when flocks of thousands took flight in unison, great showers of guano carpet-bombing anyone foolish enough to sit in the middle of the colony. Predators were also in evidence. I twice saw Glaucous Gulls catch Little Auks in flight and also saw Ravens force a bird to crash on the sea ice before finishing it off. Arctic Foxes barked close by in the colony while I saw two distant foxes out on the ice. It had been another magical morning with the auks but it was time to continue south. The trip from Kap Høegh down the outer coast took us past several more massive Little Auk colonies with attendant Glaucous Gulls and Ravens; there must be hundreds of thousands of breeding Little Auks along this coast. This section of the journey was the most difficult for dogs, driver and passengers alike, with the uneven ice presenting a labyrinth of dead ends, drops and deep cracks to negotiate. It was quite amazing to see the skill and dexterity of the drivers as they stood up on the bucking sleds to spot routes through the convoluted ice, while we passengers simply had to grip the Musk Ox rug for grim death simply not be thrown off. Approaching the mouth of the vast Scoresby Sund we scrambled an iceberg to get an idea of where the ice edge was. The huge polynya at the mouth of the fjord contains a great deal of wildlife but it was out of our reach. But smaller openings in the ice contained a few Black Guillemots and five attractive King Eider, as well as a few Ringed Seals. The hut at Kap Swainson commands a fabulous location at the northern mouth of the world’s largest fjord. The southern entrance, Kap Brewster, is over 38 km away and fjord mouth is full of beached icebergs, some of them absolutely vast. This should be a good area for Polar Bears as migrating bears following the coast often come close to land here. Indeed Johan told me he had seen one here in April and that once when he came to the hut there were Polar Bear tracks all around the hut. But again luck was not with us despite the hour or two I put into scanning the ice from the hill behind the hut. Scratching around in the bare patches behind the hut was a Snow Bunting and a female Lapland Longspur. Lapland Longspurs were common on my previous trip to East Greenland but this trip obviously coincided with the first arrivals. Behind the hut was another recent arrival, a male Northern Wheatear, a common Greenlandic bird in summer but the only one I saw on his trip.

Photos 1-5
Little Auks at Kap Høegh

Kap Høegh continued

Photos 1-4:, even more Alle alle
5: Occasionally dogs work themselves loose or are cut free if they are being difficult and not pulling. This one had followed us at a distance for about 5 km but now it was time to put him back in front of the sled.

Just stunning Edward...very envious!

Edward said:

I was up with the lark...

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...but didn't even get a record shot?!

Fantastically evocative photos Edward, absolutely breath-taking.

This is an amazing trip - absolutely stunning images and great descriptions Edward.

One way to visit this area is on a cruise ship.
Probably one of the best holidays of my life was a cruise to The Faroes,Greenland and Iceland on a 2 week cruise.
The best part is the seawatching along the way.The very best part was sailing through Cap Dan an avenue of icebergs off the Greenland Coast.Hundreds of birds around the icebergs as well as whales.
You get enough time on land to do your own thing either sightseeing or birdwatching.
Every day was fantasrtic with close up views of Skuas,Auks,Gulls, andTerns.
Its remarkably affordable as all the eating and drinking costs are included.
Fred Olsen usually go that way once a year.

Thanks for the kind comments. Here are a few more shots of the trip along the outer coast from Kap Høegh to Kap Swainson.

1. Beautiful icescape but tough terrain for dogs, driver and passengers alike
2. Dogs resting near Kap Swainson
3. A glimpse of the big polynya at the mouth of Scoresby Sund. The Greenlanders said that this area of open water is much bigger than it used to be. South side of fjord is about 35 km away.
4. I spent an hour or so looking over the fjord here above the hut at Kap Swainson on the look out for bears as this is a good spot for them. But no luck. And it was pretty cold.

Friday 18 May 2012: Kap Swainson - Ittoqqortoormiit

Thick fog enveloped Kap Swainson in the morning, greatly reducing the chance of seeing any bears en route, although a couple of Ringed Seals were seen. The first stop was at the hot springs of Uunartoq, where 62°C water wells out the ground, creating a steamy bare patch in the white desert. A lone Purple Sandpiper ran among the rocks and steam. Just next to the springs is the half-abandoned village of Kap Tobin, where many Ittoqqortoormiit hunters have cabins as it’s so close to the ice edge at the mouth of the fjord. Large numbers of Glaucous Gulls loafed around but that was about it. From here it was a very fast 7km back to Ittoqqortoormiit, the dogs speeding up as they approached home in anticipation of a good rest, while the humans were looking forward to running water again. We said our goodbyes to Johan, who told us he was going to have a day at home before heading off alone with his dogs and tent on a seal hunt deep in the fjord, and we returned to the guesthouse in Ittoqqortoormiit.

I didn’t stay long as my friend Hilmar came in and said he’d seen a Gyr Falcon in the village while he was being dropped off on the sled. There were only Ravens at the site in the village where the Gyr had been so I crossed the river (hidden under a couple of metres of snow at this time of year) and headed toward the town dump. Across the valley was a steep rock face and I lifted the binoculars and immediately saw a white falcon-shaped form on the cliff. Despite the great distance I was pretty sure it was a bird and any doubt evaporated when two Ravens flew past and the white shape exploded into action and vigorously saw off the intruders. While I’ve seen Greenlandic Gyr Falcons in Iceland before seeing a pristine adult here on its own turf, in this superb Arctic landscape, was incredibly thrilling. I lost sight of it for a few seconds and then picked it up heading directly for me and the magnificent beast flew very low right over my head and disappeared into the village and then promptly came back over me again, treating me to superb views, before returning to a new perch in the crags. I watched it here for half an hour or so, marveling at its tenacity as it buzzed every passing Raven and Glaucous Gull without fail. A walk through the village unearthed the usual suspects plus another female Lapland Longspur. After an evening meal of very free range Arctic Hare, we went for a last evening walk up the mountain where I saw the Gyr Falcon earlier in the day. We were now so used to the lack of Polar Bears we didn’t even take the gun with us, even though bears do occasionally walk through the village. There was no Gyr Falcon on the mountain but Scoresby Sund looked fabulous in the midnight sun. A fog began to roll in and when we reached the guesthouse the thermometer had dropped to -13°C.

1. Lapland Longspur at Kap Swainson.
2. Snow Bunting at Kap Swainson
3. Purple Sandpiper in hot springs at Uunartoq
4. Glaucous Gulls loafing around at Kap Tobin
5. Record shot of distant Gyr Falcon in Ittoqqortoormiit. The bird then flew just over my head but I forgot to try to photograph it then.

I cannot even put into words.... you Sir not only have a Man Card, but a whole damn pack!

Jealous? green as the hulk. I.. damn I'm just going to go back to the beggining and gawp some more. This thread delivers!

Ratal said:

I cannot even put into words.... you Sir not only have a Man Card, but a whole damn pack!

Jealous? green as the hulk. I.. damn I'm just going to go back to the beggining and gawp some more. This thread delivers!

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I think that must have been a vote for a 6-star rating. :t:

I do love record shots- isn't it great that a record shot of a Gyr with a bit of story and context can be a million times more stirring and gripping than all the crisper, closer pics on the Net

I've been enjoying this greatly too. I really wanted to get a feel for the actual locations a bit, and looking around found a nice map here (choose map 3 and look in the east) - it really gave me a sense that you were on the far edge of that huge mass.

Thanks so much for sharing!

Awesome report . Very brave of you sir, to undertake such an uncomfortable expedition. Topped off by a magnificent Gyr Falcon.

wolfbirder said:

Awesome report . Very brave of you sir, to undertake such an uncomfortable expedition. Topped off by a magnificent Gyr Falcon.

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Thought you might like the Gyr Falcon. A local I spoke to said that she had seen up to 15 Gyr Falcons hanging round the masts at the telecom station at the edge of the village last autumn for a day or two. I suppose northerly birds migrate through the area and some of them spend the winter out on the sea ice, presumably living off auks.

Gretchen said:

I've been enjoying this greatly too. I really wanted to get a feel for the actual locations a bit, and looking around found a nice map here (choose map 3 and look in the east) - it really gave me a sense that you were on the far edge of that huge mass.

Thanks so much for sharing!

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Thanks. I always like to look at maps too so I drew one on Google Earth showing the approximate route and a couple of the place names.

Pics
1. Route
2. The small boat harbour in Ittoqqortoormiit, not very busy for most of the year.
3. The central business district. Gyr Falcon was seen on the mountain behind village.
4. Evening overlooking the fjord

Edward said:

I always like to look at maps too so I drew one on Google Earth showing the approximate route and a couple of the place names.

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Very nice - thanks!

Even small boats look like they would not be moving much of the year at that location! Your pictures have really been a great part of the report, and you've done well despite all the challenges of photographing snow.

Saturday 19 May 2012: Ittoqqortoormiit – Nerlerit Inaat – Kulusuk – Reykjavík

An early helicopter flight left us with three hours to kill at Nelerit Inaat, an airport with even fewer facilities than JFK. The officious Danish airport official tried to insist that we spend the whole time inside watching the television, but the sun was shining and despite the -10°C degrees I was determined to sit outside. It proved a good choice as there was almost a constant stream of migrating Barnacle Geese and Pink-footed Geese heading north along Hurry Inlet over the airport. In the two hours or so I sat outside 835 Barnacles and 153 Pink-feet passed overhead and I really enjoyed seeing these birds, so familiar from Iceland, nearing their end-station in Greenland. Eventually it was time to leave Nerlerit Inaat for the 800 km flight south to Kulusuk to pick up passengers there before heading east back to Iceland. The flight from Nerlerit Inaat to Kulusuk, along the savage east coast of Greenland, must rank as one of the most scenic scheduled flights on Earth. I spent a minute looking out in vain for Musk Ox as we flew over Jameson Land and then just enjoyed the views of the vast inner fjord of Scoresby Sund, the gigantic Inland Ice looming over in the background, the 1,000 metre wall of the Volquart Boon Coast, the Watkins Mountains, the highest range in the Arctic, and then possibly the most hostile coastline in the world outside Antarctica, the Blosseville Coast, an area of vertical mountains and glaciers that forms an insurmountable barrier to the further spread south of Greenland’s land mammals. The environs of Kulusuk remained as stunning as I remembered them in 2009 and it was interesting to note how much further advanced the spring was here than up north. After a short turnaround it was time for the 1h 45 m flight back to Reykjavík, Iceland appearing very green and inviting after the dominant icescapes of Greenland.

Pics
1. Waiting for the helicopter at Ittoqqortoormiit. Possibly the best departure lounge view in the world.
2. Nerlerit Inaat airport. A near constant stream of Barnacle Geese and Pink-footed Geese passed these mountains while I waited outside. The valleys beyond these mountains contain a large Musk Ox population.
3. The southern side of the fjord from the air, looking towards the ice sheet. It's pretty wild country down there.
4. Most visitors' first view of East Greenland, from the terminal at Kulusuk airport.
5. Of all the languages I've dabbled in, then Greenlandic is the one that has had me totally defeated - it's the bottom one in case you were wondering.

Truly stunning, I would suppose that this not only equates to a trip report with the most words per species (all most apt though), but also to a trip resulting in the most dosh per species too, yep?

Edward said:

Of all the languages I've dabbled in, then Greenlandic is the one that has had me totally defeated - it's the bottom one in case you were wondering.

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iserfigeeqqu...

it's friggin cold...

See, Greenlandic is easy :t: