irishbrentgoose

June 15th Cont..

We left Resolute in snow and low cloud and after about two hours of flying it began to break up and we got spectacular views of the icecaps and mountains of Axel Heiberg Island, before a breath taking flight up the frozen turquoise and white sea of Eureka Sound. After a few hours of sorting out kit, food beds etc., we took our quads east along the fjord to a large braided river where some geese had bred successfully in 2007. Snowmelt is in full swing up here and there is a lot of mud, most of which seemed to have found its way on to Ian and Chantelle, both of whom were riding pillion.

After much searching of the rivers gravel beds we spotted a lone goose, possibly with a female on a nest nearby. We walked a line quite far up the river following it until it eventually took off and flew all the way back down to where we started (literally a wild goose chase). We stopped to watch a couple of Musk Ox on the way back. Magnificent animals, although surprisingly small, with a real sense of the prehistoric about them. As we got closer they eventually ran off coats swaying and mud flying everywhere. We got back to camp and went to meet the other teams to discuss helicopter scheduling. There are two BBC crews (making different documentaries) and a couple of scientists all working on wolves and so there is a fair amount of demand for time in the air. As they are setting up camps, we agreed to go for a short flight tomorrow to check out some of the known Brent goose breeding sites. Just after dinner I glanced out the window to see two huge white wolves right outside the tent, sniffing at our gear. We rushed outside to get a better look and after spending a minute or so eyeing us up they both rather nonchalantly [see pic] decided that we were not worth bothering about continued their exploration for a few minutes, before loping off up the airstrip. Highlight of the trip so far!!