ZECO TRAVEL TALK

We’re into the Russia part of our Japan to Kamchatka adventure—or so says the map. If it wasn’t for the Russian writing on the side of a building, you’d think we were in Antarctica! Northern fur seals and Steller’s sea lions by the thousands covered the beaches of Tyuleniy Island off the coast of Sakhalin—the island’s name means “seal.” On Shimushir, while we were exploring an old Soviet base, a beautiful little Siberian rubythroat put in an appearance and we all had the chance for a good close-up look. The weather was wonderful, clear and calm, and in the afternoon many of us walked to the top of Yankicha Island for incredible views across the sinking volcanic caldera. A bonus photo op (though blackmail also comes to mind!) was the impromptu hot spring dug out by our expedition crew who could be spotted huddled in the little pool in their undies—“researching the hot-bath bird list, ” they later explained. Hmmmm.

We stayed at anchor in the evening and saw the most amazing site. All three species of auklets came in to nest overnight on the island. It was like a huge haze of birds, so many it looked like a swarm of locusts and not like birds at all. Truly awesome. The next day was chilly and foggy, but our Zodiac explorations of Srednego Islands rewarded us with hundreds of seals and sea lions surrounding us in the water. And, as we sailed to Matua Island, we had the most incredible encounter with more than 30 orca—the photos should be fantastic!

All of us at Zegrahm Expeditions are very pleased to see today’s announcement by Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, that the polar bear is now officially listed as “threatened” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Using 28 years of research and study findings on receding sea ice—the primary habitat of polar bears—the Fish and Wildlife Service proposed the threatened listing in January 2007. The dramatic loss of ice in the past five years exceeded all previous records, and in the last year alone, Arctic ice fell to the lowest levels ever recorded by satellite. One of the five determining factors in listing a species is evidence of “present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of habitat.”

Many of our travelers who have joined us on past expeditions to Spitsbergen, Greenland, and Baffin Island have witnessed polar bears hunting from ice floes or pebbly shores—a sight never to be forgotten. In 2008 & 2009 we are continuing our tradition of adventures in the far north with expeditions to Greenland and the Svalbard Archipelago with the renewed hope of continuing to see these magnificent animals.

Our North Cape excursion ended the day with a great zodiac cruise around the seabird cliffs. The contrast between Norway and Russia is unbelievable and amazing to witness. Someone commented that it’s like going from a black and white movie to a color movie… from bleak Soviet-style apartment blocks to charming little houses with lace curtains, neatly manicured lawns, and lots of flowers.

The leaders and many passengers are still in heaven after seeing the nuclear powered icebreakers in port in Murmansk; we even saw the famous nuclear battleship named Peter the Great. Olga Stone plays the piano like I have never heard before and got continuous standing ovations throughout the two trips. All in all, the contrasts between Svalbard, Russia, and Norway - the amazing ceremonies and beautiful landscapes have made these trips truly special. The highlight today was the Sami reindeer herder standing in front of his tent telling us reindeer stories… When his cell phone went off and he had to get it out from under his reindeer skin tunic, everyone cracked up!

Wahlenbergfjorden, Spitsbergen to the White Sea

We had a great day again today… Went to a fjord called Wahlenbergfjorden and then up a side arm called Palanderbukta. We did a great walk on a glacier this morning, and in the afternoon we visited some absolutely amazing bird cliffs, Alkejfillet, where there were thousands and thousands of birds. The rock cliffs themselves were spectacular; we saw small chicks dive-bombing into the sea with their dads, then having to learn to swim… all in a couple of minutes. We saw gulls eating chicks… big drama, fast action, and everything you could imagine in this bird colony. In the evening we made a landing to view a large number of walrus and 71 passengers got out there to quietly watch and photograph the walrus. They got really close and had a great look at them.

Liefdefjorden, Spitsbergen to the White Sea

A change of plan turned out to be just what we needed today and we had a fantastic time up in Liefdefjorden where we started the morning with a polar bear sighting… it was eating a seal! We spent some time with him and when he went into the water we continued up the fjord where we found another bear rolling around on a piece of ice. Last night we stopped at Moffen Island after dinner and had a great experience from the ship with a number of walrus.

A world-renowned colorectal surgeon and an Aleut living across the Bering Sea in the Commander Islands – these men have never met and yet they share a common interest. Any guesses?

When Russia first opened the Kamchatka area to visitors in the last decade of the 20th century, Zegrahm Expeditions was among the very first to explore the Russian Far East. Imagine what the natural wonders of Alaska were like before the U.S purchase of the territory and you can imagine what lies in store for the visitor to Kamchatka: terrific numbers of Steller’s sea eagles, brown bear, walrus, Steller’s sea lions, otters, northern fur seals, and a plethora of avian and botanical species. The geology is equally amazing. The Kuril-Kamchatka island-arc includes some 68 active volcanoes in its 2,000-km length, of which 29 are on the Kamchatka Peninsula. Read more

A massive landslide covered portions of Russia’s Valley of the Geysers on June 3, 2007. The valley is located within the Kronostsky Nature Reserve and comprises part of “The Volcanoes of Kamchatka,” a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The slide was more than a mile long and over six hundred feet wide and moved within a three-minute interval. The front of the slide stopped only several feet from a helicopter on the ground near the only tourist hostel in the Reserve. Nineteen tourists and six park personnel were evacuated but no injuries were recorded. The cause of the landslide is uncertain. Initial reports of an associated earthquake have not been confirmed. Volcanic rocks underlying the steep slopes of the Valley have been extensively altered chemically during a long history of penetration by hot, acidic geothermal fluids that characterize the area. This combined with water saturation associated with spring snowmelt could have influenced detachment along already unstable steep slopes.

Tatiana Ustinova, a geo-hydrologist, first described the Valley in 1941. The area was a popular tourist destination during the Soviet era but was closed to foreign visitors until 1990. The Valley is one of only five regions in the world with significant geyser fields, including the United States, Chile, Iceland and New Zealand. Within the Valley, an area of 2.7 square miles hosts more than 20 large geysers, 200 thermal springs, vapor-steam jets, thermal pools and boiling mud-pots. Read more

Glybokaya Bay, Kamchatka to Alaska

We started with walks ashore at Glybokaya Bay and sailed on to Lavrova Bay. We split the group and put half ashore and half did Zodiac tours. Within 5 minutes of starting Kevin found a two year old brown bear. Everyone had fabulous views and got incredible photos while Craig and I served them Apple cider in the zodiacs. We were nervous that the second group ashore wouldn’t have the same opportunity, but luckily, this little bear caught yet another fish, rolled around and played for the second group as well. It was great!