10 Aug 2015

Snowy Owls on Wrangel

We arrived a little behind schedule at Wrangel Island due to the expected storm and spent time ashore yesterday in Doubtful Bay. We were delighted to have great views of Snowy Owls as numbers are down this season because it is not a Lemming breeding year. For the same reason Arctic Fox numbers are lower than usual, though we did see one animal. During an after dinner walk last night we sneaked up on a group of Muskoxen grazing and obtained some great photos.

 
The storm has blown away what sea ice was left around the island and the rangers report a significant increase in the number of Polar Bears coming ashore. We saw eight this morning during a Zodiac cruise at Herald Island and are expecting to see many more in the next few days as we explore Wrangel.