This morning I had no food, so my stomach decided to go to the shop. My camera and bins where going with me, because I planned to drive to sea for a fast check to see if I could find some King eiders close to the shore. 2 males and 2 females where sitting ducks on a floating ice shelf in the middle of the fjord, but there was a mild wind blowing in my direction, so I delayed my breakfast to see how fast the ice was getting closer. After waiting for 1 hour a floating object caught my attention… My first guess was one of the bearded seals who call the adventfjorden home. But the second time it showed his back, I heard a typic whale-blow, so it must have been a Beluga, right? Dark grey with spots, without dorsal fin, all alone… Not perfect, but what else? OK, I admit it… The possibility that I found a Narwhal popped up into my head, but it was only the small wish inside my head that made me consider this. After waiting for a long time, I saw it 3 times in an hour, but I could not see his head or clear sings that could convince me, until……… It popped up is head after tempting my impatience for 20 minutes with only a blank sea in front of me. I clearly saw the tooth: – AMAAAAAZING!!!! – but it was quite short, I would guess about half a meter? Off course I was not prepared for this, so I missed the picture :(. A few minutes after, the Narwhal gave me a second chance by lifting his head only a little out of the water, but just enough for a picture that could proof this incredibly rare sighting here in the South. This is out of it’s distribution when considered this map. And with the information I found on the website of the Norwegian Polar Institute: “In Svalbard, most recent sightings of narwhals come from fjords in Nordaustlandet and from Hinlopenstretet.” I was sure that this was a nice vagrant I found! After 3 more hours of blank sea, I finally had a breakfast, rethinking about the moment that will stay forever with me 🙂
Oh yeah, I got the King eiders as well, but who cares 😀
What’s this in front of the King eider ice shelf…?
Anne-Laure
27 Apr 2013Wa een zot beest?!!
karl
27 Apr 2013dit pikt echt ongelofelijk hard bij mij. Mijn nr 1 doelsoort wereldwijd…
Jan Kelchtermans
27 Apr 2013Who’s the king! Who ooooooooooooooooo! Cool gedaan man! Congratulations zeggen ze dan! Ikke niks gezien vanochtend op weg naar den bakker…only the same 5 koffiekoeken as usual: twee met krieken, twee ronde rozijnen en een 8-tje! Straks moshpitje placeren op Groezrock. Rise Against sluit daar den dag af!
René
29 Apr 2013Van harte, P-J! Zeer cool en goed gedaan! Invoeren op Observado en doorgeven aan de lui van het `Norwegian Polar Institute”
Tomas Willems
29 Apr 2013Ongelooflijk…
Goe bezig!
jap@a
18 May 2013Zotjes!!!