15 Aug 2019

Chukotka - What A Difference A Day Makes

The distance between Wrangel Island and the Chukotka Peninsula is just 140 miles, less than a day's sailing on Kapitan Khlebnikov, and the weather only marginally warmer, but the differences are noticeable. The coastal tundra is lusher and grows higher. Arctic ground squirrels stand sentinel at their burrows, calling out in alarm if we walk too close. At the bird colonies we find new species including Parakeet and Tufted auklets. Peregrine falcons watch from perches above, a Rough-legged buzzard patrols the cliffs and Sandhill cranes call from the hills. We also spot our first Brown Bear of the trip, feeding in a stream bed.

The evidence of traditional human settlement is also much greater here. On the shore at Bukhta Puutin we come across huge mounds of whale bones. They are partly buried in the vegetation - massive skulls, jaw bones, ribs and vertebrae. Some are arranged in circular structures, maybe the walls of dwellings. Higher on the hill are graves and meat storage pits. This is all clear evidence of a whale hunting culture that dates back hundreds, possibly thousands of years.

The location is in a sheltered bay, with low hills behind. A large lagoon nearby is full of salmon. It is easy to imagine the hunters spending summers here, launching their small boats off the beach to pursue the Gray, Humpback and Bowhead whales that pass by, as well as harvesting fish and shellfish from the shallows. Such abundance of wildlife has attracted people to this area for thousands of years. Today, we were just the most recent of a long line of human visitors.

Image from file (c) R.Rudland, Heritage Expeditions