1833: Jewel of the Russian Far East 03 Sept 2018

Day 1: Monday Sept. 3rd
Anadyr
Position at noon: 64°41'N, 177°37'E
Weather: clear sky, light breeze, 12°C
Wildlife: Largha Seal, Beluga, Kittiwake, Vega Gull

What a day to start a new adventure! Warm and sunny, completely unexpected. Fifteen of us started of in the early morning to take the local ferry and cross the Anadyr River to visit the city. Another seven arrived just before noon to their new home for the next two weeks, and the rest just jumped on board, before we let go of the lines and started our adventure.

While the ship was still moored to the pier, the current seemed to bring a lot of fish, so Largha Seals and Beluga Whale families were present close to the ship all day long. But as soon as we departed we left them behind and were busy unpacking, exploring the ship and taking part in the mandatory briefings and the safety drill. Like that the day had passed and after dinner most of us fell into a deep, well deserved sleep.

Day 2: Tuesday Sept. 4th
At Sea & Egvekinot
Position at 8 a.m.: 66°15'N, 179°08'W
Weather: partly clouded, moderate breeze, 10°C
Wildlife: Raven, fox, Vega Gull, Rough Legged Falcon, Red Fox, Humpback Whale

During the morning we entered Kresta Bay. While we waited for the harbour master to be ready to receive us we got a little introduction to Egvekinot and our plans by Samuel and enjoyed the views from the ship. While ashore we walked towards the museum and found an interesting collection of information about the world war and gulag history on the bottom floor exhibition, as well as geology, anthropology and biology on the second floor.

Egvekinot was built in 1946, by mainly political prisoners. They also build the 200km road to the village Lul'tin, which gave the district its name. From there a winter road went to Cape Schmidt, which was an important base during the Second World War. An air-bridge was created between America and Russia to support Russia’s west front with planes and ammunition. One stop was Egvekinot. The airstrip was build within 10 months only. Since Chukotka was very little charted and heights of mountains unknown, lots of pilots lost their lives or crash-landed. More than 8,000 planes made their way from Alaska. More than 40 lost planes were found and more than 100 missing pilots were found dead somewhere in the tundra. The monument on top of the village, representing the two wings of an airplane, stands for their heroism.

The town itself was built because of the need of infrastructure and a reliable harbour for the restart of the exploitation of gold and other mineral mining in the area. Ore was transported from here to Vladivostok. Not only the settlement, but also an airstrip, a power plant and a port had to be built. About 8000 people went through the prisoner’s camp of Egvekinot. People died along the roads during their work. Not before 1957 all prisoners were released, but many of them stayed in Chukotka to work for their subsistence.

In the afternoon we landed a second time. Now we went on two trucks, which are used to serve as public transport in the region, towards the Arctic Circle. We passed the village of Ozeriny (named after the many surrounding lakes), more than 5,000 people used to live here. They were employed in the local concrete plant, 600 people were employed at that time. Today only the power plant is left and about 400 inhabitants are mainly working in Egvekinot or the surrounding mines. We followed the bumpy gravel road in the noisy truck until we reached the metal arch that marks the Arctic Circle. Here we got some time to stroll around the tundra. Many different lichen species covered the lateral moraines of the previous glaciated area. Close by a few ruins of barracks of the former street workers were witness to the hard gulag times almost a century ago. On the way back we stopped here and there for a nice view. A cirque between two steep, rugged mountain peaks showed clearly evidence of glaciation.

As soon as all were back on board, we set course south. However, we still had to make a short stop and sailed a little loop, since we met three feeding Humpback Whales on the way that were wonderful to observe in the evening light.

Day 3: Wednesday Sept. 5th
At Sea & Bukhta Gavriila
Position at 8 a.m.: 63°30'N, 179°09'W
Weather: overcast, moderate breeze, 10°C
Wildlife: Vega Gull, Slaty-backed Gull, Crested Auklet, Horned Puffin, Ground Squirrel

We needed to cover a long distance to our next destination, so we still spent the morning at sea today. Some of us watched the numerous birdlife outside. Others enjoyed listening to Samuel and the history of discoveries of Vitus Bering and the people around him.

The Danish discoverer Vitus Bering under contract of Zar Peter I prepared a huge expedition. From 1727-30 he and his men travelled for 21 months from St. Petersburg to Okhotsk. There they built two ships and discovered a lot of new land and coastline on their northbound expedition along the coast of Chukotka. They showed for the first time, that the empire was limited by an ocean. Three years later he went on the “Great Northern Expedition” (1733-42), this time it took them five years to reach Okhotsk with all the material and people that belonged to the expedition. When he arrived he was already 57 years old. Some of his officers went in the meanwhile inland to the north. Cape Cheljuskin at the Taimyr Peninsula was discovered as well as the Laptev Sea. Bering and his second in command, Captain Cherikov, went to discover the Alaskan coast, Kodiac Island and the Aleutian Islands. They sailed out with their two ships, “Peter” and “Paul” and soon got separated in the fog. Both continued to explore independently and returned with a high loss of crew members, who heavily suffered from scurvy.

After Samuels lecture Helen opened the onboard shop, while some went shopping, others were enthusiastically birdwatching.

In the afternoon we reached Bukhta Gavriila. Very low clouds reduced the visibility, but they lifted as we went into the bay even further. The landing turned out to be easy and very protected by the strong southern swell. We met lush moss and lichen tundra, with its plants altered in autumn colours. The offered excursions met all interests, so we had a group of mountain goats conquering the close by Mt. Pyramide, a reindeer group that explored the tundra at a larger range and birders and botanists, who successfully found their objects of interest.

Day 4: Thursday Sept. 6th
At Sea
Position at 8 a.m.: 62°29'N, 178°04'E
Weather: partly clouded, calm, 8°C , big swell
Wildlife: Vega Gull, Slaty-backed Gull, Walrus, Gray Whale

This morning we woke up in front of the beautiful scenery of Pika River. A brown bear was spotted at the coastline and a few walrus were in the water close to the shore. Two Gray Whales seemed to feed in the distance as well. The swell was unfortunately too heavy to allow a safe Zodiac operation, so we continued slowly along the coast towards the settlement of Meinypil’gyno.

Alex offered a lecture on lichen, since so many of us had questions last night. These live forms are an assemblage of one or multiple species of algae and one or multiple species of fungi. Most of the species of these algae-fungi-communities profit from their symbiotic lifestyle. The fungus would offer water and a sheltered environment, while the algae would provide carbohydrates and nitrogen. Lichens are reproducing either via spores, but then the fungus offspring has to find the algae partner again, or they reproduce and spread asexual by clones. As pioneer settlers lichens stabilise the substrate and prepare it for higher plant life. In addition they can erode rock and set up new habitats also here. These organisms are fascinating survivors of the most extreme environments.

During lunch we reached the coastline of Meinypil'gyno but also here the swell was just too big. Samuel and Julia gave the situation a trial, but they were not able to enter the mouth of the river. So the operation was abandoned. However we could enjoy the beautiful weather on the outside decks.

Later in the afternoon, the staff presented us a giant recap, teaching us about various things we have seen on the way so far. We learned about the post-glacial landscapes in Egvekinot as well as permafrost soil that creates interesting tundra patterns but also helps or prevents vegetation from germinating. We also heard about the importance of the root system in polar environments: Roots are below-ground biomass that store carbohydrates and proteins, but also act as anchor and distribution organs. Sea gull morphology was discussed afterwards, because we were just traveling in the transition distribution zone of the light gray winged Vega Gulls and the larger, dark gray winged Slaty-backed Gulls. Alex finished this interesting meeting with information about plastic garbage sources and concentrations in marine ecosystems around the world. A lot of garbage apparently comes from fisheries but another huge amount is either washed or blown off from terrestrial environments into river systems and oceans. Reducing the use of plastic, especially one way plastic is one of many ways to help avoiding the seas to be contaminated. Plastic is not a natural product and thus will not be broken down and reused by microbes or other life forms in the ecosystem. Finally all plastic garbage will turn into micro-plastic and might end up in the food chain, as it has characteristics that will attract pollutants such as PCBs and dioxins both from the water but mainly from the air. So if the fish we are eating does not end up polluted on our plates, then it might die of starvation, because the micro-plastic has taken too much space in its stomach.

Day 5: Friday Sept. 7th
Bukhta Pavla & At Sea
Position at 8 a.m.: 61°06'N, 172°22'E
Weather: partly clouded, calm, 7°C
Wildlife: Brown bear, Largha Seal, Red-throated Diver, Short-tailed Shearwater

Early in the morning we reached calm waters. This allowed us to get some proper sleep after the stronger swells we have been experiencing on earlier days. By 8:30 a.m. we were already ashore or in the Zodiac to explore the Koryak-tundra. Largha Seals were hauled out at the exposed rocks of the landing beach. After watching them and changing footwear most of us started a nice hike inland. Arctic-Bellflower, Crowberries, Arctic-blueberries and Lappland cornel covered the tundra. We went all together to a shallow lake, where we also spotted our first brown bears during the voyage. A mother with a cub had spotted us as we were about to climb up the steep slope of the nearby mountain and disappeared between dwarf bushes, cliffs and low hanging clouds. A pair of Red-throated Divers displayed loudly on the lake and received our attention. Soon afterwards we split the group and 24 hikers set off for a crossing of the peninsula, while the others returned on a similar route to the Zodiacs. The hikers quickly conquered the pass and had some great views over the nearby mountains, hills and valleys. On the way to the next valley a Marmot was discovered. A few warning whistles and it disappeared into its burrow behind a big boulder. So we continued our walk downhill across numerous boulders and dense vegetation. Another Marmot was stopping us on the way. However finally we reached the next bay, Bukhta Petra, where Alex and Samuel met us to shuttle us back to the well deserved lunch.

The afternoon we spent at sea. Julia gave us an introduction to Kamchatka. She was talking about the different protected areas of Kamchatka and Russia, but also about explorers, wildlife and the native people that are still living in Kamchatka regions: Koryaks, Evens, Itelmens, Aleuts and Chukchi.

© A. Breniere
Day 6: Saturday Sept. 8th
Bukhta Lavrova & Tintikun Lagoon
Position at 8 a.m.: 60°19'N, 167°07'E
Weather: foggy & drizzle, gentle breeze, 8°C
Wildlife: Largha Seal, Long-tailed Duck, Pintail Duck, Pelagic Cormorants, Steller's Sea Eagle

Although we were happy about the sheltered anchor place, we were not very happy to sea the weather this morning. Deep hanging clouds and drizzle reduced the visibility quite a bit, however we started off to explore the fjord system of Lavrova Bay. We passed by an old wrecked fishing vessel. Between rusty rails and barrels white-yellow chrysanthemum was flowering. Nature re-conquered this wreck as it did with the adjacent ruins of an old fishing plant and a mink farm. The latter we visited shortly, after we had scouted the bay behind it for some wildlife. A number of Largha Seals seemed to be home here, as well as some cormorants and numerous flocks of ducks. At the ruins of the farm the wooden frames of the former barracks were already grown over by willow and alter bushes. Wooden planks on the ground had turned into understructure for various beautiful bushy lichens. Along the shore line fresh bear tracks were spotted, but no bear in sight so far. We went into the next bay, along the ruins of the former fishing plant. Again seals and shags accompanied us, until Samuel spotted two Steller's Sea Eagle at a sandbank. They took off and chose a different place to sit, but we still could get a nice glimpse of them. After two hours all in all we returned to the ship to warm up and get dry, before the next outing would start.

In the afternoon we tried to explore Tintikun Lagoon. The weather was still miserable, but the landscape and the fragile and colourful vegetation made up for it. We landed at the exit of the river to the sea, to walk along the riverbank, while the Zodiacs continued through the very shallow waters of the outflow of the lagoon. We got picked up inside the lake after a very nice walk and continued on a Zodiac cruise. Wagtails and Harlequin Duck were spotted along the shore. In a little creek we found still some salmon that were old and exhausted still alive after their spawning season. Later we landed at an old fishers hut and enjoyed the berries growing in its surroundings, before we headed back to the ship. Although the water was relatively calm inside the lagoon, we had to cross some wild swell after we first exited the river into the sea, but all got back on board safely.

© E. Lindner
Day 7: Sunday Sept. 9th
Bear Gully & Verkhoturova Island
Position at 8 a.m.: 59°51'N, 169°04'E
Weather: partly clouded, gentle breeze, 9°C
Wildlife: Brown Bear, Largha Seal, Red Fox, Kittiwakes, Dusky Thrush

After a night in calm waters we went onto an excursion to Bear Gully. The weather was promising, some sun here and there. We landed on a sandy beach and walked in a bulk group along a narrow path, most likely used by bears. As soon as we stepped onto the beach we already observed some sand pits with bear tracks: tiny bear tracks and huge ones and a lot of excrements as well. Oysterleaf plants grew along the way, changing with Mountain sorrel and the beautiful flowers of the Grass-of-parnassus later on. After crossing a little creek we had to climb a steep slope to get to a picturesque plateau covered in lichen, Lappland cornel, Crowberry and more or less open Dwarf-pine thickets. On the edge of the colourful plateau we settled and waited for bears to come. We did not wait for long: a sub adult bear went along the creek and we followed it with our lenses and binoculars. As soon as it scented us, it turned around and run up the opposite slope. Behind the hill it might have met a mother bear with her cubs, since soon after it disappeared they showed up on the ridge. Also surprised about the brightly-coloured herd of humans ahead of her, she quickly turned around and disappeared with her offspring. We enjoyed the scenery and the sun for while, before Samuel spotted the next bear. A big male went along the ridge of the stream and went through the willow bushes into the water. It took a few minutes before he showed up right in front of us. In the middle of the watercourse he raised on his hind legs to check us out, before he continued his way through the well sheltering vegetation. Another bear showed up soon after. It slowly walked down the tundra terrace on the opposite riverbank sniffing along its way. It strolled along the Dwarf-pine bushes until it lay down with its bump towards us to have a little snack of pine cones. As we decided to leave our observation spot to head back to the beach, Alex spotted the same bear, coming up on our side. When it realised our close presence, it speed off uphill, in large jumps.

After lunch Samuel shared with us his plans for the next day, before we got some time for ourselves on the way to the next destination: Verkhoturova Island. We landed at a sandy beach, with a wide belt of saltwater tolerant vegetation: Oysterleaf-plants, Sandwort, and Dune Wildrye were the dominating species. Many of us started to explore this part of the island by strolling along the shore until we reached the bird cliffs, with hundreds of kittiwakes. A Red Fox showed up as well, and the many remains of birds across the tundra and the beach witnessed about its feast, it must have had during the summer. To get to the lichen tundra we had to climb a short but steep slope. The view was magnificent although the clouds started to descend and the wind was quite strong. All vascular plants were embedded within the lichen layer. Here they would find shelter from the wind but also some moisture. The trickiest parts to walk along were the alder stands. Although their canopy appearing not higher than the lichens, they had hidden their branches in ditches and hollows that sometimes were more than one meter deep. A little hut earlier most likely used by Border Guards or scientists had almost fallen apart. Pots and pans were still hanging on the walls and an ax was laying on the oven, ready to be used. However, humans might not have been here during the last couple of years, so a fox family moved in underneath instead. An old lighthouse rose proud from the wind blown tundra and attracted some keen hikers as well.

© A. Chavanne
Day 8: Monday Sept. 10th
At Sea
Position at 8 a.m.: 57°37'N, 166°05'E
Weather: partly clouded, moderate breeze, 10°C
Wildlife: Dall's Porpoise, Laysan Albatross, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel

Already before breakfast the first marine mammals were spotted. Also the first albatross crossed our way, as well as numerous dark morphs of Northern Fulmars.

After breakfast we started our lecture marathon. We learned about the influence of latitude and altitude, but also the presence of the sea to different terrestrial environments. This voyage we had already visited tundra regions with their specific vegetation, such as various different sedges and lichens. We also visited northern taiga habitats with the first bushes of alder and pine that still grew in bushes to cope with the snow load during winter. At the Commander Islands we would visit oceanic influenced plant communities with alder thickets. Many of the plants have adapted to the cold climate at Kamchatka, with average winter temperatures around -20°C. Leaf buds and fruits might be produced already in fall. Most of the species are perennial and produce either lots of shoots or many seeds with long life span, to spread their chances of reproduction.

Alex presented a lecture about life and adaptation of the brown bear. Kamchatka Brown Bears used to be the largest brown bears in the world aside the Kodiac Bear. Individuals often roam too far and thus are adapted to local specialties, rather than they would rely on general present food. The presence of the salmon in the area might be the reason that the bears of the region are so big. During the salmon spawning season they will manor the riverbanks with dead fish and their excrements and like that help to grow lush plant life. Hunting for bears is still going on in Russia, but restricted to a quota. However, there are no proper numbers known about population size, nor is it known how many bears are poached every year.

After lunch we continued with history. Lot's of animals carry the name “Steller” in their species name. Samuel told us about that famous naturalist. In the 17th century he lived and worked in Germany. His knowledge ranged from Theology, Medicine and Botany to Mineralogy. As the Russian Academy of Science was founded he went to St. Petersburg. In combination with that he went on a natural expedition to Lake Baikal to learn more about plants. Within a few months he described about a thousand different plants, dozens of new bird species and more than a hundred new insect species. At this occasion he met Vitus Bering in Okhotsk, who took him on a voyage to Kamchatka. Steller discovered tens of new fish species, but also did anthropological studies on the native Itelmens and Koryaks. Like that he continued on almost all major waterways in Kamchatka, and was the first to describe the Kuril Lake with its species richness. Most of today’s knowledge of Kamchatka is still based on his publications.

Julia finished with an introduction to the Commander Islands. Geologically belonging to the Aleut Islands, the four westernmost islands belong to Russian territory today. They were discovered the first time by Vitus Bering and his crew on their way back to Kamchatka. When they came home with the news of plenty of valuable pelts could be taken there, the less honorable history of the area started: the run for the fur. Steller's Sea Cow became extinct just 27 years after its discovery. Thousands of fur seals, sea otters and fox lost their lives, until almost all shore breeding mammals were wiped out. Local settlers fought for the protection of their home in the 1920s and a nature reserve was created. First they tried to regulate the hunt but in 1993 a National Park was formed, including a 30 nautical mile zone of protected waters, and all hunt and fisheries were prohibited. Today about 650 people live in Nikolskoye, the only settlement left on the islands.

We were supposed to go to bed early, however, around 9:30 p.m. we heard the announcement about jellyfish lightening behind the ship. This we had to see! The aft deck was dark and many of us squeezed themselves into the dense row of curious night watchers. After our eyes got used to the darkness we could observe a light blue track behind the ship and many circular luminescence flashes here and there in the wake. We were amazed like children, and could not stop watching it.

Day 9: Tuesday Sept. 11th
Medny Island: Preobrazhenskaya Harbour, Cape Matthew & Cape Sulkovsky
Bering Island: Commander Bay
Position at 8 a.m.: 54°43'N, 167°55'E
Weather: clouded, light breeze, 9°C
Wildlife: Pechora Pipit, Northern Fulmar, Horned & Tufted Puffin, Steller's Sea Lion, Sea Otter

The morning activities started before breakfast. As soon as light was favourable for a safe operation we went ashore in Preobrazhenskaya Harbour at Medny Island. We were very lucky with the weather, even the morning sun glimpsed through the clouds sometimes during the landing. Close to the landing site some salmon tried to stay in a creek with their last energy. Dense vegetation covered the remains of a former Border Guard station. Pechora Pipits and Pacific Wrens had a feast within the seed stands of the Cow parsley. We followed a grass covered path towards the coastline to get some nice views over the bay. There we had to pass a number of graves. Many of them belonged to soldiers that were stationed here. The young men had a hard life at this remote post, and many committed suicide during their time of military service. After a sad accident, where 12 soldiers drowned, the station was closed in 1968.

After breakfast we went on a Zodiac cruise along the rugged coast. Pillars of igneous rock were covered in lichen, liverworts and grasses and offered unique nesting sites for puffins and fulmars. The tidal rocks were colonized by barnacles and occupied by numerous cormorants. Kelp fields grew close to the coast, the perfect habitat for sea otters that curiously watched us from a safe distance. Some of them came quite close to the boats. Mums with juveniles in their arms stayed further away from us. As these animals do almost not have any body fat, they have one of the warmest furs in animal kingdom. This dense fur prevents pups from diving, so they have to stick to their mother. They eat their food while swimming on the back. Sea urchins, crabs, shellfish or fish is collected on the belly that acts as their plate. Juveniles learn from adults what is edible, and how to eat it. Every prey species requires a different handling. Because of their precious fur, sea otters were hunted right after the Bering expeditioners returned and reported their presence. By the beginning of the 20th century the species was almost extinct. While at the Aleut Islands the estimated remaining numbers were around 500, the Commander Islands had only 65 animals left. After the species received international protection, the Commander Islands are home for about 4,000 animals today.

The highlight of the cruise was nevertheless the Steller's Sea Lions. At the northwestern end of Medny Island we found two small groups hauled out on the beach. Their roaring went far across the water, despite the strong wind that met us here.

We repositioned towards Bering Island during lunch. Here we went ashore in Commander Bay in the afternoon. A number of information boards were neatly placed along a path that seemed to have been cut a few weeks ago. We could roam freely across the tundra, at this historical place. Bering and some of his men found here their last place of rest, after an exhausting voyage and a forceful storm that more or less wrecked their ship. The bodies had been removed after their discovery and later replaced to the present day graveyard. Most of us maybe felt the spirit of that energetic explorer, when looking over the valley and the surrounding rolling hills.

© E. Lindner
Day 10: Wednesday Sept. 12th
Bering Island: Peresheyek Bay, Nikolskoye, Severo-Zapadnoye rookery
Position at 8 a.m.: 54°49'N, 166°24'E
Weather: rain, light breeze, 10°C
Wildlife: Red-legged Kittiwake, Steller's Sea Lion, Sea Otter, Northern Fur Seal, Arctic Fox, Orca

Yet another early morning in calm conditions. How great was that! However, when we were checking the weather from the porthole, the decision making got difficult as to whether we would have a rainy Zodiac cruise this morning or not. At least we got some time to think about it during breakfast. Afterwards Zodiacs were launched and the explorers took off. It was still not the right light conditions but we soon spotted the first sea otters in the kelp forests along the coast. Here and there also a Largha Seal would show up. Slowly we made our way to an exposed canon like cliff. Here kittiwakes would nest, but first we only found the dozens of Tufted Puffins sitting in the grass on top of the cliff. Inside the canon all four Zodiacs had just about enough space, as we were watching two Arctic Fox that seemed to live here under some boulders. If they are not on seabird diet, they will eat fur seal pubs during the fur seal breeding season.

On the way out the channels, the kittiwakes had returned to their nest on the cliff. At least four Red-legged Kittiwakes were sitting beyond all the black legged one. Red-legged are special, because this species does only breed along the Aleutian Chain islands and a few other islands in the Bering Sea.

After the outing we did a ships cruise, heading for the shelf area. We did not sail long when to pods of Orca were spotted and a couple of Humpback Whales too. We did not know where to look first. The Orcas were quick and seemed to hunt in a group. Soon they had passed the ship, but not before slapping with the tail and rolling in the water. The Humpback Whales were easier to follow and the calm weather allowed us to hear them breathing. Every individual seemed to have a different noise when exhaling. And gently but close they swam ahead of us and did not seem to be disturbed.

After a quick lunch we landed at the settlement Nikolskoye. About 600 people are living here and approximately 400 of them are of Aleutian origin. Aleutians were relocated from the islands Attu and Adak by the Americans in 1835, during the fur hunting era. Today the settlement is modern. It has playgrounds, a swimming pool and a modern school building. Kids attend classes with 5-6 other class mates and they have a very high education level. After some further education on the mainland, many of the young people return to work at the Commander Islands.

At the beach a committee of sandpipers welcomed us. Most of us went to the museum and the Bering monument. The newer Russian houses here are situated at a higher elevation and they were colourfully painted, a must in a land that barely has any sunshine. The museum offered some souvenirs for sale, aside their informative exhibition about the discovery, history and the natural environment of the islands. There are still three original cannons to see and to touch that once belonged to Bering’s vessel St. Peter.

After a short transit to the NW-corner we were shuttled ashore by Zodiac to walk to a big Northern Fur Seal colony. Hundreds of fur seals and a few Steller's Sea Lion were hauled out ashore or played in the shallow waters. Pups gathered in small crèches or played around. All kinds of fights went on for all kind of territory, either some peaceful piece of sandy beach or a tiny rock island in the waves. All the spots were highly wanted by other animals then the present occupier. After a long hike back through the high vegetation of the autumn coloured tundra, we were again well fed by our chefs. Today was early bed time: we woke up in dusk and returned in dawn. What an intensive day!

© J. Mishina
Day 11: Thursday Sept. 13th
Kamchatka: Olga Bay
Position at 8 a.m.: 54°26'N, 161°37'E
Weather: partly clouded, gentle breeze, 8°C
Wildlife: Orca, Gray Whale, Steller's Sea Lion, Steller's Sea Eagle, Brown Bear

Many of us were already awake before breakfast. By that time we had entered Kronotsky Bay already. In the distance the majestic peak of Kronotsky Volcano (3521m) caught our attention. As stratovolcano it has the typical volcano shape. It is formed by alternating eruptions of lava and pyroclastic material. However, as beautiful the scenery was, soon some pods of Orcas where spotted. We followed them for a while and observed their hunt for fish. As we changed direction to go back on course a pod of about eight individuals showed up on starboard. We could hear them breathing, when they moved alongside and than turned around the ships bow. Words can't describe that special moment!

Later Samuel gathered us for yet another giant recap. First he talked about his plan and showed us the different volcanoes on a map. Than he handed over to the expedition team:

Alex talked about Salmon. We had seen them dead and alive in lagoons and streams since we came to the Koryak coast. There are six species of salmon living in Kamchatka waters. Further two freshwater species inhabit lakes and rivers in the interior. While the marine species do not get much older than two years some of the freshwater salmon is getting about 11 years old. The fish we had seen was mainly humped pink salmon, the smallest and most numerous one of all. After hatching they swim to the sea where they spend the next 18 months as silvery individuals. During that time they are growing to finally return to their river where they were born. Now they are very colourful with a white belly. During the next six months the females will find a suitable place for egg laying and the male will fertilize them afterwards. There are odd and even year salmon that live in the same river system, but they will never meet.

Moshe wanted to share plant adaptation in dessert like habitats as we found in Commander Bay. His example was a blue bellflower that we had seen at Medny with multiple flowers but on the dry windblown ridge at Bering Island it had a very short stem and only one flower: adaptation to dessert climate. He also pointed out the vegetation in Bear Gully, where different north and south facing slopes provided different habitats. But contrary to a warm dessert light and temperature restrict lush plant growth here rather than moisture and nutrition.

Agnes presented the pinnipeds we had seen during the voyage. Steller Sea Lion was the seal we definitely wanted to see. Adults appear blond compared to other seals. They are living up to 30 years and from 3-4 years every year a single pup is born and nursed until the next sibling is born. During mating time the female would stick to a strong male harem and he will defend his territory against other bulls. Steller Sea Lion will share haul out places with the much more pelagic species of Northern Fur Seal. While the first is threatened from population decline the last has a stable population in the N-Pacific and is even hunted by native people.

Elke chose the whale topic today. We got introduced to morphological differences of toothed and baleen whales, before we learned more about the whales we have seen. The playful Humpback Whales, that lunge feed crustaceans and fish in dense schools we could observe the day before. Gray Whales were the ones we wanted to see today. An old species, they skim the sea bottom to feed on worms and mollusks. On their migration along the coast they are prey for transient Orca groups. This type of Orcas would mainly follow and eat marine mammals. At the Commander Islands they would eat males of Northern Fur Seal. They would even beach for it. At the Aleutian chain Orca pods have specialised in Gray Whales. This morning we had seen resident whales that basically eat fish. Scientists believe that the mammal eaters split genetically about 700,000 years ago from the others, including the fish eating pods.

Julia finished of with information about the different reserves and National parks of Kamchatka. Especially in the Kronotsky area Sable was a valuable prey for hunters. After they were almost hunted to extinction they got protected very early. Additionally the rare silver fir tree grows at a limited area close by. So the region got protected in 1882 and in 1934 it became the status of a Nature Reserve. In 1983 the Southern Kamchatka Sanctuary and in 2015 the Koryaksky Reserve were added to Kronotsky Reserve.

While we were at anchor some Gray Whales displayed and a brown bear strolled along the shore. A Steller's Sea Eagle was spotted just before we got the call for lunch.

In the afternoon we landed at a sandy beach. We split into two groups, to even out the speed of the walks. The sun and the landscape were fabulous. We could still see the Gray Whales blowing in a distance. The long hikers walked up to the ranger’s settlement. We took a pause here to feed the local sand flies and mosquitoes, that fortunately were rather annoying than nasty. Soon the ranger decided to continue a bit further into the woods. Like Indians on the warpath we quietly followed behind the ranger and each other. It was obvious that we used the traditional bear tracks. As we went along the river, a bear was spotted. Now a great interaction between him and us started. He was curious and anxious at the same time. We hide at one side, he on the other side of the river. Then both of us went downstream. And the bear decided to go for a quick fish into the river until the anxiousness took over again. Quietly and hidden between the vegetation we observed him until we reached the beach again. Here the bear decided to visit the settlement and it was already time for us to walk back to the Zodiacs. We were happy to see the short hikers cruising along the shore, observing their bear; yet another one. What a great adventure! The day finished with a glorious sunset behind the volcanoes and a rising moon above the sea.

© A. Breniere
Day 12: Friday Sept. 14th
Kamchatka: Zhupanova River & Morzhovaya Bay
Position at 8 a.m.: 53°41'N, 159°53'E
Weather: partly clouded, light breeze, 9°C
Wildlife: Steller's Sea Eagle, Largha Seal

What a beautiful morning again! Just a different place but the same magic scenery: rugged coast and volcanoes in the background. After breakfast we launched the Zodiacs and went for a river cruise through the estuary of Zhupanova River. Already in the firs wide bay we found a Steller's Sea Eagle, the bird we came to watch. While we passed many groups of Largha Seals, five more birds were spotted. Now we had both adult and sub adult birds in the trees. The challenge was to find the right angle for the best photograph: Sea-eagle in sunshine and the snow covered Zupanovsky Volcano in the background. Red-throated Divers and crows dominated the nature musicians. Further up the stream more Steller’s Sea Eagles had a lookout from either trees on the riverbanks or sandbanks and driftwood in the river. We even found some nests, where some of us could have fit easily.

Steller's Sea Eagle belongs to the largest raptor. Females can weight up to 9 kg! They generally feed on salmon. The population is recently almost only limited to the Pacific coast of Russia. The species is migratory, if their winter habitat would freeze. The birds would migrate at the beginning of October to open water habitats such as Kamchatka, Kuril Islands, Sakhalin or Japan. Especially Japan is a favourite winter quarter because of the multiple food sources, left behind after human activities, such as fish from fisheries or carcasses from hunters. Adults seem to migrate faster than sub adults. They would arrive earlier in the breeding grounds and return to their former nesting site. Usually the same nest is used and repaired. It can be as wide as 3m and as deep as 2m, however if the nest gets too heavy for the tree, they might loose their brood.

When back on board we rolled along the beautiful and sunny coastline. We enjoyed the sun on the outside decks and some of us even started to pack our bags. The last lecture was announced: geology of Kamchatka. Elke gave us an overview on basic plate tectonics, so that we were well prepared for the details of the region. We learned about subduction zones, trenches and slip faults. And we heard about the origin of the three different mountain ranges that make out the geography of the Kamchatka peninsula. The Pacific Plate is sub ducted under the Eurasian plate and produces a chain of volcanoes behind the subduction zone. This process was changed, when the sub ducted plate break and the pushing plate went under the remaining, teared plate. Now a new volcano chain appeared, while the other one got less active. The Commander Islands appeared along a transform plate boundary of the Pacific and the American plate. The Pacific plate moves between 7-9 cm per year, and this is the reason for that high volcanic but also Earthquake activity. The volcanos we had seen on the way, like the Kronotsky, the Zhupanovsky and the Karymsky, belong to the strato volcanoes that have alternating events of Lava and pyroclastic eruptions.

Now we already had arrived in Morzhovaya Bay, and the ship was quietly on anchor. At the slopes a bear family strolled along. Many of us enjoyed the last silent moments in the sun. The expedition team invited us for a last meeting with disembarkation information and a wonderful recap slide show of the voyage. The bar was busy afterwards, and the chats about the experiences of the last weeks would continue under the delicious fare well dinner of our chefs.

© J. Mishina
Day 13: Saturday Sept. 15th
Port of Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy

When we arrived in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, the group disembarked and headed for their homes around the world. A few remained in PK longer to explore this spectacular volcanic region. Spirit of Enderby has sailed her last voyage down this remarkable coastline for 2018, and will now continue on to sail south to the warmer climates of Melanesia. Memories, friendships and images would linger on long after ‘Jewel of the Russian Far East’ had completed.

Thank you for traveling with Heritage Expeditions, we hope to see you again somewhere between the poles!

Total Nautical miles sailed: 1780nM