Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Hello Readers,

Every day that I have on this expedition seems to be better than the previous one. Today was no exception! Through the night we traveled from Coats Island across Hudson Bay and into Hudson Straight to arrive on time to Digges Island and the Northwestern tip of Quebec. If you remember how I talked about the amazing bird cliffs at Coats Island yesterday, that was NOTHING compared to what I saw today. The entire coast of Quebec was lined with cliffs that stretched as far as the eye could see. Yesterday I said I saw 100 000 + Thick-billed Murres (penguin like birds) today I saw a 1 000 000 +++, it was impossible to look ANYWHERE without seeing at least a dozen birds that were either flying, swimming or simply perching on their rocky home. I am told that this is one of the largest colonies in the world. It was truly and absolutely breathtaking. After a lecture on Arctic Flora the SOI (Students On Ice) team decided to make an impromptu landing in a bay on the Quebec shore that used to host a Inuit community until they were forced to relocate. The bay was amazing. I have never seen such a picture book scene in my entire life. A quiet meandering river, grassy cliffs and u-shaped/glacier made valleys. There were large deposits of leftover snow on the hillsides. I even saw a family of Caribou grazing in the fields. The most impressive part was that the entire landscape showed no sign human occupation except for a lone Inuit graveyard near the river. Speaking of the river, I have never seen river water that is so clean and clear instead of the usual murky green you find in and around cities and towns. It was perfect. A deep calm came over my mind. I could have spent a week there. Unfortunately we don’t have time to spare. Everyone enjoyed it so much that we decided to do our lecture on Conservation in the bay instead of on the ship. After that we (regretfully) left the picturesque little bay. We spent the rest of the afternoon listening to lectures (The Making of an Activist) and participating in workshops (The journey for the North-West Passage). Another full, educational and EXTREMELY fun day for the books.

Thanks for Reading,

Connor

P.S. The list of NEW animals I have seen over the past 4 days:

• Beluga Whales (Churchill River)
• Orca Whales (Hudson Bay)
• Polar Bear (Walrus Island)
• Walrus (Walrus Island)
• Seal (Churchill River)
• Caribou (Quebec Coast)
• Thick-Billed Murres (Coats Island, Digges Island & Quebec Coast)
• Various other bird species