New environments are always inspiring and I really enjoyed exploring the buildings of Longyearbyen as photographic subjects. What is always more exciting are the birds of a new environment. Seeing and identifying new species and trying to make firstly, record images and then, hopefully something a bit better to remember the experience. This week I will share bird images encountered on my first afternoon walk around Longyearbyen.
Barnacle geese were present in good numbers and I had first seen them in Oslo but without any real opportunity to photograph. It was good to spend a bit of time watching them feeding, flying and resting. There were also a number on nests.
Arctic terns were also plentiful and while I have seen them previously in Antarctica and the New Zealand Subantarctics, this was my first chance to photograph them in the Arctic.
Glaucous gulls were another opportunity for a new bird species for me.
While down at the edges of the Adventfjord, I heard the peeping of plover and took a little while to find the 2 little birds foraging on the mudflat. I managed to identify them as Ringed Plover and the low 24 hour sunlight gave a nice opportunity to get some low level shots with the Nikkor Z 100-400mm with 1.4x teleconverter as they fed.
While down photographing the plovers, in what was to become a recurring theme, I saw my first Arctic skua (Parasitic jaeger) but only after it had passed me so only managed a reflex going away image.
The most exciting first encounter for me were the numerous Snow buntings. As a child a Golden-breasted bunting was a rare and exciting visitor to our garden so I’ve always had a soft spot for buntings, little birds with a cute name and equally cute appearance. I’ve always admired images of Snow buntings in snow so was very happy to encounter them albeit without snow.
Snow buntings are the most northerly passerines in the world and Svalbard’s only songbird that add a musical background to the arctic summer. Follow this link for the sound of a Snow bunting.
Despite their cute name and appearance they’re feisty little things with regular territorial disputes during the breeding season.
The final flying subject was an air ambulance flying down the fjord as it lined up to land at Longyearbyen airport.
Photos with Nikon Z8 and Nikkor Z 100-400mm f4.5-5.6 VR S with 1.4x teleconverter.
