The Arctic fulmar

In August our Operation Manager, Henrik Törnberg, was guiding an expedition cruise with M/S Sjøveien. We asked Henrik to write a short travel blog from his trip. Instead of writing about encounters with polar bears, walruses, and whales, he featured one of his absolute favorite birds – the Arctic fulmar!

Of all the birds on Svalbard, the Arctic Fulmar is my absolute favorite, says Henrik. It flies so beautifully and it's a great companion at sea. They are also very fun to photograph, but it's almost as fun to photograph or film someone trying to capture an Arctic Fulmar!

These birds have the ability to appear somewhat unexpectedly and often pass quite quickly. Just when you have your camera ready, they make another stylish turn. The tip of their wing almost touches the surface of the water when they turn. They are so incredibly graceful in the air and seem to fly very relaxed. It looks like they really enjoying their flight!

The Arctic Fulmar is a bird that you are guaranteed to meet when you travel to Svalbard. There are so many of them. They often fly alone, or possibly in a small group, but you will never see a large group of Arctic Fulmars fly together. This bird can actually get really old, up to 60 years! Don't forget to stop and enjoy these amazing master pilots when you travel to Svalbard!