Bucket List Biggie – Gnålodden

Climbing Gnålberget 

You would think that after a few excursions, the arctic would start to look the same. But, no. Every experience we had was different. G Adventures did a good job of providing variety.

Map: G Adventures

The next morning, we found ourselves very far south, having sailed past Longyearbyen as we slept. 

During the night we had picked up that private yacht passenger with a medical emergency that I mentioned earlier. We didn't stop to drop him off in Longyearbyen, so I don't know what he was doing while we were exploring. Perhaps giving the ship's doctor something to do. I must have been tired, I was oblivious to the stop and to the distance we had traveled at night.

We were headed for Gnålodden, which featured another Black-Legged Kittiwake cliff and historical remains from the Beluga whaling era.

The 500-foot-tall cliff, Gnålberget, is home to thousands of nesting Black-legged Kittiwakes and Thick-Billed Murres. Their constant noise during the nesting season spawned the location’s name; "gnål" means "nagging" in Norwegian.  

Gnålodden

Trappers and whalers called the site Fuglefjell, meaning “the bird cliff.”

Fuglefjell or Gnålberget

Our expedition group, the Puffins, drew the final departure slot for our visit to Gnålodden, which resulted is us missing some good stuff. 

I shouldn't complain because the starting spots were, generally, distributed fairly. But, we missed some really good stuff and I hate missing stuff!

First, it was gloriously sunny when the first Zodiacs departed. But by the time the Puffins set foot on shore, it was gray and drizzling. Yep, weather is unpredictable in the arctic.

Second, the first groups had a very close encounter with some Beluga Whales that, apparently, spent a little time swimming around the Zodiacs. But, then, all the activity must have frightened them away. They were long gone by the time we got there.

Photo: Marcelo Flores, G Adventures

And, third, a real heartbreaker: the first group got a great view of a blue morph Arctic Fox stealing eggs at the bird cliff. 

He, too, was gone when we got there.

After my incredible fortune with the Polar Bear, I shouldn’t have been so aggravated that we missed everything. But, I was. Later, I got over it. But, for now, I was sad to still not have a photo of an Arctic Fox.

Regardless of the disappointments, Gnålodden had its charms. Even though it is known for Kittiwake cliffs, these birds don’t confine themselves to the rocky prominence beyond the shore. There were scores of them on the rocky outcrops in the bay ... 

We were greeted by cackling Kittiwakes

... and swimming in a tidal pool. 

Bath time?

And, as advertised, the nagging cries from the cliff were deafening. Gnål!

We passed a nesting Glaucous Gull sitting at the top of one of the sea stacks as we motored in. These huge gulls are the primary threat to other nesting birds because they feed on eggs and chicks. The bird world is truly “bird eat bird.” Tough environment.

Nesting Glaucous Gull

Speaking of tough … the curved shore featured some historic artifacts of tough times. 

Trappers' hut

Human presence was sparse in Svalbard but, as I outlined earlier, a number of nations have made incursions there, mainly to strip away as many natural resources as they could get their hands on.  

Gnålodden is the site of a wood and tarpaper trapper’s hut built around 1919. The hut would have been chilly and damp with the warm weather we were having. I imagine it was very uncomfortable during cold weather.

Oh, and the primary resident of that hut was a woman, a Norwegian trapper named Wanny Wolstad.   

Wolstad spent eight seasons trapping at Gnålodden She even raised her children there. Life was tough, but so was Wanny!

And, the beach is littered with the bones of Beluga Whales that were hunted and processed here up until 1961. It is a grim reminder of what has been done to whales all across the globe. Fortunately, Beluga Whales seem to be doing well in Svalbard.

Remains of a long-term whaling enterprise

Hunted for their meat, blubber and skin, Belugas were easy prey because of their predictable migration patterns and high close-to-shore population density in the summer. By the way, the name “beluga” is the Russian word for "white."

Examining the Beluga boats and bones

Old whaling boats on the shore show just how risky whaling was. These weren't big commercial icebreaker ships outfitted with exploding harpoons; these were small boats made of wooden planks held together with nails! I cannot imagine going out in that frozen ocean in one of those tiny wood boats.

Old whaling boat

As we climbed the hill, looking for Kittiwakes, we passed the remains of a Polar Bear cub that died on Gnålodden about 18 months ago, most likely from starvation or possibly by attack from a male Polar Bear. Although the bones had been picked clean by Foxes and birds, the fur and one of the paws were intact. With its cold and somewhat sterile environment, there isn’t really much decomposition; dead bodies can remain for a long time. And, there is no nasty smell.

Remains of a Polar Bear cub

After checking out the bones, I trekked up the cliff to watch the Kittiwakes. Although they were still far away, I could make out a lot more detail this time: I could clearly see hundreds (thousands?) of kelp nests on the small rock ledges and in the nooks and crannies.

Nesting Black-Legged Kittiwakes

Worldwide, Black-Legged Kittiwakes colonies have been declining, but the Svalbard communities have remained stable and, in some cases, actually increased. The reason for declines is unknown as is the reason Svalbard is doing better, but it has been shown that rapid ocean heating has a negative influence Kittiwakes. Climate change is threatening almost every facet of the arctic.

Photo: Marcelo Flores, G Adventures

As I said, the little Arctic Fox was long gone by the time I made it there, although I spent a fair amount of time looking for it on the cliff side. 

Arctic Foxes, which I will talk about in a later post, are generally white in the winter, but get dark in the summer. But the one spotted at Gnålodden was a “blue,” with a dark, rich brown coat that looks dark bluish gray in some light. These foxes stay dark all winter.

While somewhat rare elsewhere, blue morph Arctic Foxes are fairly common on Svalbard, probably because so much of the environment is bluish-black rock.

And, speaking of bluish-black, I also saw some more of the cute little Snow Buntings hopping about. 

Bunting with a purpose

I hadn’t seen any in a few days, so that was nice. 

Snow Bunting

And, a couple of Barnacle Geese were hanging around on the sea cliffs, as well.

Barnacle Goose

In what can be a very harsh environment, there are pockets just teaming with life, especially birds and plants. Any rock that can supports a carpet of tundra plants, tiny tundra flowers, lichens and mosses, often introducing unexpected color.

Arctic flora

Even though I missed all the “good stuff,” I enjoyed the trip to Gnålodden. The overcast sky with a hint of sun across the fjord gave it an authentic rustic, wild feeling. 

View of Gnålodden from Gnålberget

Next, we went for a Zodiac ride and I got another special treat.

Trip date: June 15-July 4, 2019