Monday, August 6, 2018 | Anchored/drifting off Bjørnøya (Bear Island) | Language: Norwegian | Currency: n/a | Population: thousands of kittiwakes, murres, fulmars and many other seabirds | Forecast: Partly Cloudy 15-18°C, 59-64°F Moderate breeze NE 15-20 knots | Midnight Sun (no sunrise or sunset)

Today we arrive halfway between Norway and Svalbard, offshore of Bjornoya (Bear Island). The weather, with low-clouds clinging to the bird-covered cliffs made quite an atmospheric entry.

With no points to land, we set out on Zodiacs to cruise the coast of the island. Intermittent sunlight played along the contours of the landscape, highlighting crags, coves, pillars and arches.

And then there were the birds. Bear Island’s colonies are among the largest colonies found in the entire Northern Hemisphere and were a spectacular sight to behold. Many have suggested changing the name from No Bear Many Bird Island since polar bears have not lived here for many years. Upon approaching the cliffs, the cacophony of calls from all the birds perched along the ledges above created quite an auditory experience. Alive with guillemot, kittiwake, fulmar, auks and gulls (yes, all are species of birds) there were wings, songs and droppings everywhere.

I had a little trouble adjusting to the settings on my camera with fast moving subjects in a bouncy boat but, sometimes, failures can be called art. I intended for you to experience how fast the colors and sounds were flying around us against a backdrop of crag rock browns and verdant lush greens.