1628: Chukotka - Where Russia's Day Begins 18 Jul 2016
Chukotka:
Where Russia's Day Begins #1628
Day 1, Monday 18th July
Anadyr
By the afternoon we all arrived to Anadyr, some of us from Moscow and others from Nome. We drove to the beach in Ugolnye Kopi town, past local fishermen and the piles of coal waiting for the shipment. At the beach we were met by the barge that ferried us aboard Professor Khromov/Spirit of Enderby. After settling in, we all met in the lecture room for introductions to our expedition leader Rodney and ship staff, and then were invited to the top desk to see the ship departing. The pilot accompanied us out of the harbour, peeled away, and we began our journey to the north. Quite a few people remained on the decks for some sea watching. Sightings included many bird species, largha and ringed seals, dozens of beluga whales flashing their shiny white backs and a school of salmon leaping out of the water. We enjoyed the delicious dinner prepared by our chefs, Connor and Robin, followed by the very first meeting of Sarah’s Bird Club. Then, unable to fight jet lag anymore, we went straight to bed, full of expectations for tomorrow.
Day 2, Tuesday 19th July
Egvekenot
We woke up to find ourselves in calm waters of Kresta Bay, surrounded by spectacular rusty green mountains. The ship was speedily heading up north, and the gentle rolling that we felt overnight has ceased. The weather looked promising with gentle breeze and the sun occasionally peeping out. Later in the morning the ship came to anchor in Egvekenot Bay, and we had a number of briefings about Zodiac use, onboard safety and upcoming landing. After learning how to tell apart starboard and port board using the phrase “There is no port left in a bottle”, we had a lifeboat drill practice and enjoyed taking selfies while inside the lifeboat. And finally, after lunch, we went out on our very first Zodiac cruise to the small Soviet town of Egvekenot that just celebrated its 70th birthday a few days ago.
We split into two groups, one went straight to the museum and another was taken by a big shaky Ural truck to the Arctic Circle just north of the town, marked by a big metal arch. Afterwards the groups swapped. One of the groups was lucky to see a bear cub on a way up north, and both of the groups saw lots of ground squirrels, many birds and spectacular ruins of Soviet Empire. At the museum we had a very interesting excursion on the sad history of Egvekenot and saw beautiful traditional ivory and bone carvings made by Chukchi people.
After strolling through the town with its shaggy buildings and shiny white church, the groups met at the beach and were ferried back onto the ship by Zodiaks. After dinner, the weather got worse and it started to rain. Neither birds nor birdwatchers enjoyed these conditions, so most of us called it a day and spent the rest of the evening inside.
Day 3, Wednesday 20th July
Konergino
Early in the morning the ship sailed off south along Kresta Bay, and by breakfast time we were already anchored near the Konegrino village. The morning was calm but a bit rainy, and just before the breakfast those of us who didn’t sleep in saw a group of walruses that passed the ship by. After a briefing on the upcoming landing, we went out on Zodiac cruise to Konegrino – a small Chukchi village of reindeer herders.
Our excursion to Konegrino was unique, as it was the first visit by an expedition for this village. Rodney and Katya visited Konegrino earlier during their snowmobile trip across Chukotka, but no large group of tourists had ever landed here. The villagers met us on a beach in traditional Chukchi clothes made of reindeer pelts and fur, and we were all invited to step over a fire and to have a bite of reindeer meat as part of welcoming ritual. We were taken to a local club, where we had a presentation on history of Konegrino and an amazing concert with traditional Chukchi singing and dancing. After the concert we went outside, where we were met by the mistress of yaranga, who invited us inside to show the interior of this traditional Chukchi dwelling. We were treated to traditional food of reindeer herders, unique and delicious, and strong black tea, the favourite Chukchi drink. Lots of delicacies were eaten, and many photos were taken. Sadly, soon it was time to go. We reluctantly proceeded back to Zodiacs, taking a small group of villagers with us. Back on board we had lunch with our guests and, after Zodiacs took them back ashore, our ship sailed off towards out next destination, Preobrazhenya Bay.
After lunch we had two great lectures, on history of Chukotka by Katya and on alcid birds by Sarah. But the true culmination of the day was yet to come. Soon a group of humpback whales was spotted in a distance, and we all rushed out on the decks. As the ship approached the whales, the view became more and more fascinating: over sixty humpbacks were blowing and rolling and flapping their flukes just in front of us, with hundreds of sea birds swarming around them. Just when we thought that the view couldn’t be more fascinating, a group of orcas was spotted off the starboard in a distance. The ship changed course to approach them. As we got closer, we saw them hunting in lines, popping out and jumping such a beautiful and graceful manner, showing their backs and their flukes. One of the orcas got very close to the ship, and as we watched it from the lower deck we could see its whole body in details through the water. We enjoyed this fantastic show for an hour at least, having completely forgotten about the chilly wind and the sea sickness, and it was just pure happiness. This breath-taking performance was a true highlight of the day and, overwhelmed with excitement, we went back inside to dinner and bed.
Photo credit: SBlanc
Day 4, Thursday 21th July
Preobrazheniya Bay
We woke up to a calm morning in Preobrazheniya Bay area, surrounded by cliffs wrapped in a veil of fog. After the briefing on day activities, we set out on a Zodiac cruise to the bird cliffs on cape Kikilin. The winds earlier on had created the slight swell, so our excursion was a bit bumpy but nonetheless fascinating. The spectacular cliffs were covered with countless numbers of birds, and the air was busy with heavy traffic of birds moving back and forth. We followed the shore slowly, watching the private life of guillemots, puffins, auklets, cormorants, kittiwakes, and other sea birds. In addition to birds, we spotted a brown bear that hastily clambered up the cliff before disappearing into the fog.
On the way back we made a landing at the head of the bay, where the waters were calm enough. Here we enjoyed the walk across the beautiful open tundra with its fresh fragrant air and tasty berries. Some of us saw buntings and ground squirrels, while others found whale and walrus bones.
Back aboard, we had another great lecture by Katya on indigenous peoples of Chukotka and then spent some time shopping for souvenirs at the Sea Shop organized in the dining room. Later in the afternoon we had an impressive view of infinite numbers of crested and least auklets flying in flocks just above the water on a way back to their colonies on cliffs. A lecture on cetaceans by Michael completed the day.
Day 5, Friday 22nd July
Yttygran Island
The ship sailed off soon after midnight, and in the early hours of the morning we were already anchored just off the green and foggy Yttygran Island. After a briefing the Zodiacs started to ferry us ashore. Due to a short administrative interruption the cruise was a bit delayed, but all was settled in the end. We landed at the Whale Bone Alley, the world renowned archaeological site with whale jaws and skulls organized into a sort of an alley along the shore and scree structures used as meat pits. We explored the saddle covered in sappy green grasses, watched birds and ground squirrels and set in ambush for pikas.
Later on we met again at the beach and, as the weather played in our favour, we set out on a whale watching cruise. Our destination was a shallow strait that is known to be very attractive to grey whales as well as to Chukchi people who hunt them. After some searching and waiting we saw two whales quite close and some more in a distance. We got a great view of whales’ blows, backs and flukes. One of the whales started breaching as we got closer, the sign of it being nervous. So, to give it some space, we retreated.
Happy with whale sightings, we returned to the ship for lunch and then set out for another cruise to Gilmimyl hot springs in the Senyavina strait. There everyone got to find things for their interest: some joined Katya to visit the local Chukchi family, some went birdwatching into the tundra, while others went directly to the hot springs. Sandhill cranes with chicks were seen walking in a distance, waders and snow buntings were spotted, and in the tundra the permafrost site was found. One of the ground squirrels we met was especially cuddly and obviously enjoyed posing for us. Finally, relaxed and a bit sleepy after soaking in the hot pool, we went to back on board.
Photo credit: SBlanc
Day 6, Saturday 23rd July
Novochaplino
During the night we sailed back south to Tkachen Bay to visit the Marine Mammals Hunters Festival that takes place every year at the Eskimo village of Novochaplino. In the morning we found ourselves anchored just off the village. The weather was surprisingly serene and warm, and after the late breakfast a scout Zodiac with Rodney and Katya went ashore to make inquires about the festival program and permissions. When the arrangements were made, we joined them ashore at the festival.
We stayed at the village for almost the entire day, with just a short visit back on board for lunch. We had many different experiences and many stories to tell, as well as photos to show to each other afterwards. We enjoyed an amazing concert with people from all over Chukotka and even from Alaska across the strait performing traditional singing and dancing, including a splendid professional band called Ergyron. At the stalls many of us bought unique souvenirs hand-made by local people, including amazingly beautiful ivory and bone carvings. We tried local delicacies: whale and walrus meat, sea cucumbers, and mantak – thin slices of whale skin with blubber. We took a walk across the village and, just before dinner, we returned back on board for the rest of the day.
Photo credit: SBlanc
Day 7, Sunday 24th July
Cape Dezhnev
The ship sailed overnight from Novochaplino straight to Cape Dezhnev. The morning was beautiful, with the sun shining and a rainbow hanging just over misty Cape Dezhnev. At the briefing Katya told us about the sad history of Naukan village, and old Eskimo settlement that existed for thousands of years before being forcedly relocated by Soviet authorities in 1958.
Zodiacs departed for Cape Dezhnev, and as we followed the coastline we admired the mighty cliffs covered with thousands of birds. The upcoming landing was one of the most difficult landings of this trip, but fortunately the weather allowed us to land just a bit south of Cape Dezhnev, at the Naukan village. There we were met by a brown bear clambering up the slope in a distance. We went up the creek and slowly wandered through the village. Walking among the old abandoned yarangas, we were trying to imagine the life people used to have here. The wind was strong and carried a bitter-sweet scent of absinth, the sun was shining, and the ruins of yarangas were teeming with ground squirrels. We walked up the slope to the lighthouse and spent some time there, enjoying the wind, the sun and the beauty of this very special site.
Later we all went back aboard and the ship began sailing north, towards the Wrangel Island. After lunch we had two very interesting lectures, one about polar bears by Katya and another about Karluk expedition by Sam. The rest of the evening was spent at sea sailing north, and we met a couple of grey whales and humpbacks on our way.
Day 8, Monday 25th July
At sea
We made good progress overnight and in the morning we saw ice for the first time. The sun was shining, and the sea was calm and glassy. We sailed north until we met a big ice sheet, and then the ship began moving around it, navigating through ice using the ice maps. Just after breakfast we saw our first polar bear: a young bear was walking by the edge of a big ice sheet, stopping to sniff the air from time to time. After a while we saw more polar bears: a mother with two cubs walking on ice and diving into the water soon after we spotted them. We also met bearded seals and phalaropes for the first time, and skuas became much more abundant than before. Other sightings included walruses, ringed seals and a couple of whales in a distance.
After lunch Sam gave a lecture about sea ice, and later we listened to Katya’s presentation on the Wrangel Island’s history and wildlife. By dinner time the ship entered the waters almost free of ice and gained speed, moving further towards the Wrangel Island.
Photo credit: SBlanc
Day 9, Tuesday 26th July
Wrangel Island
The morning was sunny and glorious. We were surrounded by spectacular ice pieces reflecting in glassy water, and misty mountains of Wrangel Island could be already seen on the horizon. Many of us went out on the decks to enjoy the view before breakfast. After breakfast, while the ship was navigating her way through the ice sheets to Wrangel, we went out for ice watching again and had plenty of amazing sightings. For a start, we had a perfect interaction with a mother polar bear and a cub. As we slowly approached them, they didn’t seem to get worried and were rather curious about us: they were watching us closely and even moved to the edge of the ice sheet, probably to have a better look. While we were watching each other another polar bear was spotted not far from a ship: a big male, swimming and casting curious sidelong looks at us. After coming alongside the ship, he stopped and continued observing us, peeping out from behind a piece of ice. Later on, we saw more polar bears, as well as walruses, bearded and ringed seals and various birds.
Around midday we finally arrived to Wrangel Island and, after a hurried lunch, set out on a long-awaited Zodiac cruise to the shore. On our way there we saw a group of walruses lying on a big ice sheet. Quietly, so as not to disturb them, we approached. After watching the walruses and taking photos, we went on and landed at the abandoned village in Doubtful Bay. There we were met by a group of rangers. We split into three groups accompanied by rangers and our guides. One group left for a long walk across the tundra, another set off for a medium distance walk, while those who didn’t fancy a walk at all stayed at the village to explore the surroundings. Everyone found something to their interests: male snowy owls with their snowy white plumage flashing from far away, peculiar dwarf tundra plants, old airport, grey plovers making their beautiful haunting calls, musk ox skull, mammoth tusk, and many other exciting things. But the best of all was the tundra itself, with its vast of colours, light, crisp wind, and sense of freedom.
After coming back on the ship for dinner those of us who were interested set out on another Zodiac cruise to enjoy the evening walk across the beautiful twilight tundra. The Bird Club was cancelled for tonight, so after coming back on board we went straight to bed, looking forward to another landing on Wrangel Island tomorrow.
Photo credit: SBlanc
Day 10, Wednesday 27th July
Wrangel Island
After breakfast we all went out on a Zodiac cruise to Wrangel. Strong chilly wind was blowing from the island and, as we landed at Devil’s Creek, across the tundra. But the sun was shining, and the tundra was just as glorious as yesterday. We strolled along the beach to 180° meridian, where eastern and western hemispheres meet. After taking photos, we split into three groups: some went with Rodney on a longer walk across tundra to Skurikhinsky Pass, others joined Katya on a shorter walk, while some preferred to get back on board. The views were breath-taking, with gorgeous tundra covered in a soft carpet of flowers, lichens and mosses, bright blue sea with shining ice, and gentle outlines of multi-coloured mountains. A flock of moulting snow geese with goslings was seen at Mammoth River, musk oxen were spotted in the distance, and male snowy owls, long-tailed skuas, and numerous grey plovers were seen again.
We shortly came back on board for lunch and then went back ashore again, to Doubtful spit. There we saw a grave of Pavlov – a trapper who died on Wrangel under mysterious circumstances – with animal bones scattered all around. In a lagoon we watched many various waders, took photos of fearless red phalarope, and saw Sabine’s gull for the first time. Eventually we were chased away by a pair of Arctic terns, who were swooping on us, anxious about the safety of their fluffy chick.
After strolling along the spit we returned to Zodiacs. On our way back to the ship we had some ice cruising across incredibly beautiful fairy-tale sea. When everyone was back on board, the ship began sailing south towards Kolyuchin Island. However, it wasn’t the end of the day yet. Just before dinner a polar bear was spotted on ice; as we rushed outside, a second bear appeared on the same ice sheet; then another one and another! One young bear was sleeping deeply, completely oblivious to our ship coming closer. It woke up eventually and began carelessly stretching and rolling, paying very little attention to our presence. Two males met on ice and demonstrated their greeting ritual consisting of sniffing at each other’s snouts with open mouths. We could see the bears in great details, and the view of these amazing animals against a background of beautiful ice and silvery pink sky was absolutely gorgeous. We took our time to observe these fascinating animals, and after dinner, overwhelmed with emotions and tired, went straight to bed.
Photo credit: SBlanc
Day 11, Thursday 28th July
At sea
Today we spent the entire day at sea, sailing further south towards Kolyuchin Island. There was still floating ice in the water, and the weather was quiet with a light haze. After a late breakfast we had a Bird Club meeting to make up for the last two days. Later on we listened to Michael’s lecture on Arctic food web, and after lunch Sarah shared with us her experience of living and doing research in a remote Arctic field camp. Then we had a lecture by Katya on the interactions between Arctic foxes and snowy owls on Wrangel Island – the subject of research of Irina Menyushina, Katya’s mother. On and off we went out on the decks or on the bridge for some sea watching. Sightings included skuas, some seals and couple of whales. All in all it was a very relaxed and lazy day, and the dinner and yet another meeting of Bird Club filled the rest of the evening.
Day 12, Friday 29th July
Kolyuchin
In the early hours of the morning we were already anchored at Kolyuchin Island. Just after the early breakfast a scout Zodiac was sent to the island to check for the polar bears and walrus haul-outs on the southeastern shore of the island. The way was clear, and soon we landed at the island and climbed up the hill to the abandoned Soviet polar weather station. We strolled among the ramshackle houses, old rusty equipment and personal items of people used to live here. But the highlight of the island was bird cliffs just below our feet. We watched hundreds of horned and tufted puffins, kittiwakes and cormorants, common and Brunnich's guillemots minding their own business, quarrelling, feeding their chicks, and sitting on eggs. It was a great sight to see and just a perfect spot for photographers and all wildlife-lovers. And even more: while on the island, we spotted dozens of whales in the distance, and some of them were identified as bowhead whales – an incredibly rare sight for this region.
So, after everyone had come back on board, Rodney decided to change course to have a better look at the whales. As we came closer, we saw dozens of humpback and bowhead whales, blowing, breaching, and flapping their flukes. The whales surrounded us from every side, and it was just a fantastic show!
Full of excitement, we came back inside for lunch. Later on, after the briefing on the afternoon landing, we set out on a Zodiac cruise to Belyaka Spit in the Kolyuchin Inlet. It was the last landing of this expedition, and the longest one. Until the early hours of the evening we were wandering across this enormous spit with its wetlands and small lakes. Everyone found something special for them. For some it were the long sandy beaches and vast expanses of flat open tundra. For others it were the grassy mounds that once used to be the marine hunters’ dwellings, the old burial sites with human bones, or the lighthouse with a small hut nearby. And of course it was a paradise for birdwatchers. According to the local ornithologist Alexey, the breeding season was especially early and successful this year. We saw lots of birds, including many different waders, emperor geese, long-tailed ducks, northern pintails, and four species of loons, including the gorgeous yellow-billed loon. We spent a few wonderful hours on the spit, and only the suddenly deteriorated weather forced us to get back to the ship. Because of the long landing, the dinner was a bit delayed, and the Bird Club was reserved for tomorrow.
Photo credit: SBlanc
Day 13, Saturday 30th July
At sea
Today we had a relaxing day at sea, heading back south towards Anadyr. The swell has abated by the early morning, and the sea was calm when we woke up after a sleep in. Right after breakfast we passed by the Ratmanova Island, or the Big Diomede, the easternmost Russian land. The sky was clear enough to have a great view not only of both Diomede Islands, but also of Cape Prince of Whales on the US side of the strait. Later on we had a meeting of Bird Club to record the species that were seen yesterday. Then we listened to a great lecture by Samuel on the history of North Pacific and the legacy of the explorer Georg Steller in Russian Far East. After lunch we watched the documentary recorded by Katya’s father Nikita Ovsyanikov and featuring his research on polar bears at Wrangel Island. Afterwards we had a presentation by Rodney about two unique and challenging snow-mobile expeditions across Chukotka that he did with Katya and two of their friends in Chukotka.
Day 14, Saturday 31st July
At sea
Another lazy day at sea as we make our way to Anadyr across the Anadyr Bay. In the morning the sun was shining beautifully, and there were still quite a few birds at sea. After breakfast we had the penultimate meeting of Bird Club. Later on Rodney and Meghan gave us a behind the scene look at the logistics of the expeditions aboard Professor Khromov/Spirit of Enderby. We got to know about the great work of planning the itineraries, maintaining the ship, getting the frontier permits, and stocking food supplies, and it was very interesting.
After lunch we spent some time with Meghan for the settlement of our onboard accounts. When it was over, we had a briefing on tomorrow's disembarkation and getting to the airport. It was followed by an Expedition Recap, when we reflected on our experiences throughout our fantastic journey. We shared our impressions and stories and thanked each other for the great time we had together. Katya presented a great slideshow of expedition photos, and we once again recalled the great moments of this unique journey.
Later on we all met in the bar for our very last drinks onboard the ship. It was a very special evening with a touch of sadness. The day culminated with a delicious farewell dinner, a great way to celebrate our amazing journey.
Day 15, Sunday August 1st
Disembarking in Anadyr
The day started early, and after the breakfast we were all lined up and prepared, ready to be picked up by the barges. Soon we all made it back to the solid ground and civilized world. It was very sad to leave the ship and the beautiful land of Chukotka and Wrangel Island behind. This was an incredible adventure and one of those experiences never to be forgotten.
