If you’ve ever seen birds flying in large groups, you’ll know that most fly in a coordinated pattern. The birds of Alkefjellet fly in what can only be described as a haphazardly chaotic manner. Having said this, they never bump into one another, despite the sheer numbers which circle the cliffs. From a zodiac looking up, all you can see is a jumbled mass of birds silhouetted against the sky, and it’s easy to believe that scientists have studied these birds in an attempt to figure out how they never crash into one another. 

With chicks on the cliffs in the summer months, the Glaucous gulls are everywhere, and are often seen diving low to disturb the parents at their nests, in the hope that a chick falls into the water in the commotion. An excellent opportunity for them to secure a good meal, they are relentless in their pursuit of chicks, and should one fall, it becomes dinner within seconds. 

The Arctic foxes who live around here are also opportunists, who stalk the foot of the cliff on the hunt for birds which would make an easy meal. The fact they are engrossed in their hunting, usually means that they are easy to photograph and observe from the zodiacs.

An incredible opportunity to be overwhelmed by birds, and see the endearing Arctic foxes too.