If I Were Going...: Bucket List Biggie

Dovekies at close range

After a misty, rainy morning, we were blessed with clearing skies that afternoon at Ingeborgfjellet, a mountain located on Bellsund just across the fjord from Bamsebu.

A beautiful view

Ingeborgfjellet is known for its location as a breeding area for Black-Legged Kittiwakes and about 55,000 Dovekie. We had seen lots of Kittiwake cliffs, but no breeding Dovekies yet.

Map: G Adventures

Bellsund is the entrance to a fjord system with branches (Recherchefjord, Van Keulenfjord and Van Mijenfjord) that reach up to 50 miles inland.

The local climate in Bellsund is relatively mild because the cold waters of the East-Spitsbergen current that come from the south give way to the warmer West-Spitsbergen current at the surface. Nesting seabirds provide fertilizer, resulting in some rather lush vegetation (for the high arctic).

The landscape around here is characterized by high mountains with interesting geological structures, including long, sinuous folds.

Across the water is an impressive snow-covered mountain peeking out of the clouds. I wish I could remember its name or find it on the Internet, but there isn't a lot about Svalbard.

The prettiest mountain we saw in Svalbard

The landing point at Ingeborgfjellet was a rocky beach that led up to a huge mound of large loose round stones.

You can just see a few of the big rocks in this picture

The pile of rocks was probably 12 feet high and you had to go over it to get to the to the plain and cliffs. It was a bit treacherous. Not quite scrambling, but a little beyond my comfort zone. Several people on my Zodiac opted not to go over it and instead waited on the beach.

When we arrived some people on the shore said that they had just seen another Arctic Fox, this one with a pronounced limp. Of course, it had scurried away with the arrival of all the people from the G Expedition.

Arctic Fox; Photo; Rosemarie Keough, G Adventures

Over the mounds of stone, the area opened up in a wide green swath of land punctuated with a stream and with rock formations that looked as though they had been devised by a landscape architect.

Ingeborgfjellet

The ground, like many other places, was littered with bones, most of which from Svalbard Reindeer that has not survived winter. There was even a whale vertebrae – not from a Beluga, but from a larger species, perhaps a Minke.

Some animals don't make it through winter

I explored a little, looking for (and failing to see) the Fox. I contemplated not climbing up the steep cliff because, on previous expeditions, getting marginally closer to nesting colonies hadn’t yielded particularly improved photo opportunities.

Heading up the cliff

But, I figured I’d go anyway because there was a chance that’s where the Fox was, hunting for eggs.

It was steep and rocky, making it a bit difficult in places.

I definitely had to keep my eyes on my feet.

When I arrived where many other shipmates were sitting on the cliff side right by a huge rockfall, I craned my neck up and saw that the Kittiwakes were, indeed, still pretty far way.

Kittiwake Cliffs

Someone pointed out a “good spot,” so I wiggled up through some rocks and sat. When I looked forward rather than up, I got a big shock. The Dovekies weren’t up the cliff. They were nesting among the rocks at the base of the cliff.

Dovekies nest among the rocks

They were right there in front of me, some just a few feet away.

Three little Dovekies

So, I was able to get some great photos and – like everyone else up there – some bird poop on me. Mine was on my backpack and jacket. It could have been worse.

A Dovekie checking me out

Dovekie
The Dovekie is also known as the Little Auk and is about half the size of the Atlantic Puffin. It is the only member of the Auk family that is that small.

Dovekies breed in large colonies on marine cliff sides, so Ingeborgfjellet is ideal for nesting. I didn’t see any obvious chicks, but I did see lots of Dovekies going in and out of crevices, presumably to their well-hidden nests.

When they find a suitable spot among the rocks, they line the area with a thin layer of pebbles, sometimes with bits of grass or lichen mixed in.

They mate for life and are generally monogamous. A mated pair of Dovekies may use the same nest site multiple years.

A rocky cliff is the preferred nesting site

Each year, they lay a single pale blue-green egg in their burrow. After hatching, both parents feed the nestling, bringing back food in their throat pouches. Young birds leave the nest 23-30 days after hatching, usually in the evening or at night, although in the land of the Midnight Sun, I am not sure why that matters.

The fledglings fly out to sea, alone or accompanied by adults and don't return until they reach maturity.

Dovekies forage for food like other Auks by swimming underwater. They eat mainly very small crustaceans that occur in swarms near the surface in cold waters.

The lower one might be a youngster begging for food

They also eat small numbers of fish, mollusks, marine worms, plus bits of algae.

In most cases, they visually spot their prey while flying low over the ocean.

They can dive as deep as 100 feet, getting under their prey and then zig-zagging back up to catch it from underneath.

They feed close to the shoreline during nesting season, but when not nesting they scavenge for food in the open ocean.

Striking a pose

With short wings, the Dovekie flies with fast whirring wing beats that are amazingly loud when a flock zips quickly right over your head. They tend to fly in large groups, primarily in a “safety in numbers” defense against marauding Glaucous Gulls. They are extremely fast, reaching speeds of up to 45 miles per hour. However they are straight-line fliers, not particularly good at coasting or turning.

Dovekies have short wings

They move south in winter into northern areas of the north Atlantic. Because they are tiny and lightweight, late autumn storms can carry them south of their normal wintering areas, or into the North Sea.

Approximately 55,000 Dovekies nest at Ingeborgfjellet

Dovekies sometimes show up way out of range along the east coast of North America in massive "wrecks" of stranded, starving birds. The largest recorded wreck in North America was in the winter of 1932-1933, when Dovekies rained down on the streets of New York City and large numbers washed up along the entire eastern seaboard from Nova Scotia to Florida.

I loved the close proximity, even if I did get pooped on

Dovekie populations appear to be decreasing, but not at a rapid rate. They adapt better to climate-caused prey changes than other seabirds, which may give them a slight hedge against environmental concerns.

Lifting off

Although Polar Bears have also been reported to feed on Dovekie eggs, the Glaucous Gull and the Arctic Fox are their main predators. While I was photographing, a Glaucous Gull made a pass over the colony and the majority of the birds lifted off and flew away.

Escaping a Glaucous Gull

I waited patiently, but finally decided to go back down the hill when the Gull kept circling, preventing the Dovekies from returning.

The rocks near the landing site harbor bones, logs and (Maybe) Foxes

A Difficult Fox Sighting
When I got back to the bottom, there were reports that the Fox has run down a far beach and some folks claimed they could see it. I couldn’t. But, I took some pictures to try and ferret it out by zooming in. Still no luck. Then, it was reported to be on a rock outcrop at the end of the beach. I still couldn’t see it. But, when I processed the photos, I found it!

So, I “sort of” saw two Arctic Foxes on this trip. I’ll take it.