If I Were Going...: Bjørneøer

One of the most gorgeous places I have ever seen

The next morning dawned even more gorgeous than the previous days. Great, because we set out on another Zodiac expedition.

Ready, set, go!

This time we traveled to, in my opinion, the most beautiful place we visited in Greenland.

Every viewpoint was breathtaking

Bjørneøer, also known as Bear Islands (Nannut Qeqertaat in Greenlandic), is a cluster of low lying, rocky islands northeast of Milne Land, set within a maze of channels and steep cliff faces at the mouth of Øfjord in the northern part of the Scoresby Sund Fjord System.

Steep doesn't even begin to describe those mountains

The biggest two islands are about 4.7 miles in length.

Drone view; Photo: Scotty Sinton

Like everywhere else we went, the islands are part of Northeast Greenland National Park.

Snow-covered peaks and exposed golden cliffs

The name came from the 1891-92 East Greenland Expedition, led by Carl Ryder, because of a Polar Bear shot there by one of the expedition members.

Our wake as we wove through the islands

Individual islands were not assigned names, but in 1934, they were numbered 1 to 11 following a land survey. Members of the 1934 surveying group climbed parts of the spectacular ridges of islands 6 and 9. Further climbs were reported in 1978 by an expedition of the British Army.

Looks like difficult land to explore

Characterized by rugged, mountainous terrain, Bjørneøer was shrouded in fog when we first arrived. It drifted in and out of the islands before finally dissipating.

Morning fog

We had seen icebergs in Kong Oscar Fjord, but this was the first place we saw large numbers of really huge icebergs.

Stunning!

Wildlife

Bjørneøer is frequent Polar Bear and Muskox habitat.

Our guides were on the alert, trying to find wildlife; And they did

It was here that I saw two Arctic Hares, sitting quietly on a rock shelf above the water.

A wildlife sighting!

Highly adapted to living in the Arctic tundra and other icy biomes, the Arctic Hare survives with shortened ears and limbs, a small nose, fat that makes up close to 20 percent of its body and a thick coat of fur. It usually digs holes in the ground or under the snow to keep warm and to sleep.

They look like rabbits but have shorter ears, are taller when standing and, unlike Rabbits, can thrive in extreme cold. Large for a Hare, this species measures from 18 to 32 inches long and weighs 6 to15 lbs.

I missed this interaction; Photo: Fellow traveler

They sometimes travel with other Hares, huddling with dozens or more, but are usually found alone, sometimes taking more than one partner. The Arctic Hare can run up to 40 mph.

They are found over the northernmost regions of Greenland, the Canadian Arctic islands and Northern Canada, including Ellesmere Island, and farther south in Labrador and Newfoundland at elevations from sea level to 3,000 feet.

A close-up; Photos: Scotty Sinton

In Newfoundland and Southern Labrador, the Arctic Hare changes its coat color from brown or gray in the summer to white in the winter. But the ones further north, like these, remain white all year round. In addition to camouflage benefits on snow and ice, the fur has a high reflectance which may prevent excessive heat gain during the day.

Arctic Hares eat woody plants, with Arctic willow constituting 95 percent of their diet year-round. They eat snow to get water. They are, in turn, a food source for many Arctic predators. In Greenland, that means, Arctic Foxes and Wolves, Ermine, Raptors and, occasionally, humans.

When I saw them, they were just chillin'

There is little information on the lifespan of Arctic Hares. Some anecdotal evidence suggests they live three to five years in the wild, but do not fare well in captivity, living only a year and a half at most.

But, the Hares were only the beginning. While marveling at the phenomenal rock monoliths rising from the water and the huge icebergs floating around, we heard murmurs from other Zodiacs that there were Muskoxen on a low hill right above the water.

Much closer than our last encounter

Yes, indeed! There were several males.

Two were at very close range having a stand-off: heads down, ready to butt, threatening head tosses and steely stares.

I saw one small tussle, but didn't see a real fight

This made sense because the Muskox rut occurs from late August through October. Males engage in intense, violent battles for dominance over herds, often charging each other at up to 25 mph.

A lot of the interaction is threats and bluster

Sometimes they butt heads up to 20 times, using their thickened skull plating as a natural helmet to protect against the high-impact collisions.

You can see the skull plate here

They establish harems of 5 to 15 females. Dominant bulls exclude subordinate males from the herd, often forcing them into bachelor groups. These may have been bachelors that we saw.

A majestic beast

Another person on a different Zodiac did capture a small scuffle on video.

I was thrilled at the photos I got of these magnificent beasts

I also saw a couple of Common Eiders swimming around near the Muskoxen.

Triple score!!

We heard than another Zodiac saw a Seal swimming by, but we didn't see any sea mammals. That surprised me a little because it looked like prime Seal territory.

Ice!

Then, on top of that, there were huge icebergs, some shrouded in fog and some gleaming bright white in the sunshine.