Wildlife and Bird Lagoon at the Campsite
- The special Svalbard reindeer can be met on the campsite almost daily from spring to autumn.
- Belugas approach the campsite beach to a few metres several times each summer.
- Polar fox in white winter coat at the campsite in late winter. In summer, it is a frequent sight, then greyish-brown, then attracted by the many birds.
- Especially on drift-ice in winter/spring, but sometimes also ashore in summer, ringed seals and bearded seals can be spotted.
Best Base for Animal Observation
No other accomodation in Longyearbyen gets anywhere close to Longyearbyen Camping regarding possibilities for arctic animal observation. Tundra, bird lagoon and the sea with the beach: different ecosystems interact here and attract ar range of species.
The lagoon in front of the campsite is among the top locations for bird spotting around Longyearbyen (more further down).
Right here, we present to you in pictures some of the vertebrates, which you most likely will be able to spot (of course depending on season) right on the campsite or within about 300 m around your tent during your stay at Longyearbyen Camping. From the service building, there is a good and sheltered overview over most of the tundra and the lagoon.
The presented typical species are just a choice - and in addition, there are chances for spotting occasionally also more rare species, even errants.
- The arctic tern almost circles Earth halfway twice a year (wintering around Antarctica) and defends its offspring by attacks and bombardment.
- Purple sandpipers - the most frequent wader at the campsite.
- Black guillemot: this auk species is frequent on the fjord just off the campsite beach.
- Juvenile plover at the campsite bird lagoon.
- With the red phalaropes, only the males (picture) take care of the offspring ...
- ... while it is the other way round with the eider ducks (here a couple), which are frequent on the shallow water at the beach, occasionally also breeding near the campsite.
- Barnacle geese appear at the campsite and the lagoon especially from early August to their departure southwards in late September.
- Arctic skua looking out for easy prey above the campsite - some couples breed on the tundra nearby.
- Fulmar: high arctic species, probably staying in the Spitsbergen area all year round - gliding above the waves often also in front of the campsite beach.
- Snowbunting male - the only singing bird species in Spitsbergen, returning from their wintering locations in April.
- Glaucous gull: frequent visitor at the lagoon, the biggest species breeding in Spitsbergen.
The Bird Lagoon at the Campingsite
- Partial reshaping of the lagoon in late September 2008 ...
- ... for creating additional good breeding locations for future summers.
- In addition: several information boards, both along the coastal road at the lagoon and on the wall of the campsite service building.
A special highlight for naturalists and ornithologists, as well as wildlife photographers: the lagoon in front of the campingsite between the coastal road and the actual fjord beach. Not really spectacular in itself, but with the majestic panorama of the Isfjord (Icefjord) as background, this lagoon is one of the best locations around Longyearbyen for easily observing and depicting a number of typical arctic bird species and also polar foxes. Particularly comfortable is the perspective through the panoramic windows of the campsite service building - if only for keeping an eye open for good observations.
The lagoon - of artificial origin from the 1970s as a source of material for the airstrip construction - has been discovered and accepted since by a number of summerly bird species so well, that the local ornithological club got financial support from the Svalbard environmental fund for measures of further improvement of the lagoon for the birds. After the bird season of 2008, the lagoon was partly excavated deeper and the material from this was used to create additional breeding islands. As the water level of the lagoon drops in the course of each summer, because the frost core in the outer beach wall shrinks over the season, the increased water depth is intended to make the islands less accessible to polar foxes, thus improving the breeding success. For the foxes, the lagoon will still be attractive, too, as many birds breed around its rim, too, and a bigger number of birds increases also coincidental chances for the fox. Its presence is usually easy to realize from long distance in summer - due to a dozen arctic terns busy with attacking the intruding fox from above.
With proper optical equipment, the lagoon is an excellent place for studying and photographing a number of arctic birds without having to go onto tough expeditions.
Bird species usually connected to the lagoon, the tundra and the shore at the campingsite in summer: kitiwakes and arctic terns in bigger numbers, plus in addition barnacle geese, red phalaropes, purple sandpipers, plovers, eider ducks, longtailed ducks, glaucous gulls. More on the tundra in addition: snow buntings, arctic skua, turnstone, dunlin. And connected to the sea but frequently close to the beach: black guillemots, common guillemots, and - usually gliding past - fulmars. A number of these species breed here, too, while others come for feeding or (especially swarms of kittiwakes) for taking a bath in the less salty lagoon water. Not all species are here permanently: the barnacle geese for instance appear more regularly from August onwards, until they move south in late September - by then, most other bird species have left already.
Some of the mentioned species can be observed here already from somewhen in spring onwards: black guillemots and fulmars are very early, and somewhen in April, also eider ducks, geese and snow buntings will arrive.
In addition to the above mentioned fairly regular species, a long list of further species appears here more erratically.
Great observation place:
Also locals and tourists from other accomodations pay visits to the lagoon due to its easy and good observation possibilities - but these are limited to coincidental observations during their limited time of presence. The campsite customers, on the contrary, can keep an eye on the lagoon far more continuously - with accordingly better chances for interesting observations and photos.
Useful: the animals are used to activity on the coastal road - and the lagoon is easy to overview from that road, having the Isfjord panorama as a great natural scenic background behind the lagoon.
Information and wildlife protection:
- Information board about the bird lagoon. Clicking on these two pictures opens extra pop-up windows with an especially big copy, which can be read.
- Information about bird attacks and proper behaviour in such cases.
The local ornithological club has installed Information boards (Norwegian-English) along the lagoon and on the wall of the campingsite service building, which help both with identifying the most common bird species plus adding information about them. At the same time, the boards assist with tips about how to enjoy the birdlife without disturbing it.
In addition to environmental idealism: disturbance of animals, especially intentional and easy-to-avoid, is also illegal in Spitsbergen. This includes for example the pursuing and chasing of birds and other vertebrates for photo purposes, and so on.
Important basic rules for the protection of wildlife:
• Do not disturb animals (including birds) and avoid especially the pursuing of retreating animals. Repeated disturbance costs the animals energy and hinders their search for food and their breeding during the short summer and their survival chances during the cold periods. Moreover, pictures showing the back of a retreating, nervous animal are neither particularly attractive nor professional and document first of all that the photographer showed no respect to the animal. Natural photos of animals behaving naturally and undisturbed require time, patience, some luck and a distance, where the animal is not disturbed - which often means also heavy and expensive lenses. The negative classic is the tourist chasing a reindeer with a pocket camera, ending up with a dozen rear views. Moreover, such molesting of animals is also illegal.
• Minimize bird attacks: Especially arctic terns attack and bombard, once one gets to close to their (often perfectly camouflaged) eggs and yound. The attacks are not for fun, nor a flight show displayed for photographers, but are an instinctive behaviour, which costs the animals much energy to chase the intruder away from the offspring. This energy is hard to replace while breeding - and at the same time, eggs or chicks cool down and are exposed to quick predators. Surprise attacks are hard to avoid, but can be stopped usually efficiently, by getting some 10s of metres further away from the nest or the young: the attacks are limited just to a small perimeter.
Do not hit against the bird - a broken wing will mean its certain starvation, and most likely the same also for the offspring.
An efficient defense is holding a stick motionlessly above the head, or circling quickly with your fingers above your head. The bird will attack by program always the highest point, and if this is moving, the bird should be sufficiently irritated for not hitting the upward finger. Against bombardement, however, this is no remedy, so a quick retreat is the best immediate reaction.
Activity on the road has to be accepted by the birds - and those few birds who actually try to nest right on the road or right next to it - will have to experience that this is no good solution.
• Stay away from nests and chicks, which you may discover coincidentally. Not all species attack intruders, but are nevertheless stressed and ready for escape. Last second flight in panic can damage eggs and unprotected nests are a welcome meal to opportunistic other animals.
• Protection of the Spitsbergen environment begins already at home: Whoever wants to come back with large-scale professional shots, should bring along accordingly strong and heavy tele lense, which allows a distance sufficient for not making the animals nervous, continueing instead with their undisturbed natural behaviour. Trying to compensate poor optics with attempts of pursuing and chasing the animal leads usually to poor, unnatural pictures.
• No feeding of wild animals (not even "just for one picture"): The arctic environment is still largely intact - and certainly, it will not be improved by feeding, however tempting this might be. From a principal point of view, feeding is always an artificial interference with the natural system - and therefore also forbidden. From a purely practical point of view, feeding ruins the last shyness of some animals, which is cute only for a moment - then the problems may follow: Polar foxes for example, normally hardly interested in tents, may be tempted by feeding to associate human smells with food, then breaking into tents on the campsite on their search for food. Also some birds may start specialising on damaging outdoor equipment after feeding has created new associations. With foxes, an additional risk is the possibility of transfering dangerous diseases like rabies or fox tapeworm via undetected saliva on dishes or food provisions.
Main additional rules for wildlife experiences at the bird lagoon:
• Stay on the coastal road, only - meaning that the terrain between road and lagoon water level should remain unused. The animals are fairly used to activity on the road - but not closer to the lagoon.
• Route to the beach: The dam across the lagoon, marked on the maps on the information boards, can be used for moving between campingsite and beachline (kayaks, bathing, etc.) - but preferrably for transit only, not for staying on the dam.
• Beach activities should be limited to the area close to the mentioned dam in order to leave most of the beach in front of the lagoon undisturbed to the birds as a link between lagoon and sea, at least from late June to August. Beach strolls along the beach in front of the lagoon should be avoided.
