SYLVIA PATTON - 2019 - 2021 - CALENDAR EXTRAS

MARCH 2019        March's  image was captured in Buchan Gulf, Baffin Island. This 22 mile long gulf was carved by glaciers which left steep coastal cliffs as high as 2000 feet. I was fascinated by the designs of the glaciers as they met the sea.  In addition to the stunning views, we saw a lot of wildlife in the gulf. We saw numerous narwals, orcas, and a few polar bears. The narwals were numerous, but too far away to photograph, with the exception of two who became polar bear lunches. Lunch by the water. Find the narwal! Polar bear retrieving narwal carcass from the water to see if there wasn't just one more bite!

                                                                  FEBRUARY 2019 Ilulissat has a population of 4453, and is the third largest settlement in Greenland. It's the most visited tourist destination in Greenland due to its proximity to the Ilulissat Icefjord, which was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2004. It is well deserved! Ilulissat literally means "the icebergs", and its name comes from the fact that the Icefjord is the most productive glacier in the northern hemisphere. And what do glaciers "produce"? Icebergs! Like 20 billion tons of icebergs calving and moving out of the fjord every year.  Hog heaven for me! We got to cruise among the icebergs in a small fishing vessel, and the light that morning was spectacular. The whales were enjoying frolicking among the icebergs as well. The problem...

January's photo was taken in Inglefield Bredning, which is a fjord in northwest Greenland.  This area is where a lot of the research on Arctic climate change is occurring, and an area where narwals summer. We saw narwals, but we were never close enough to get good photos of them. A staff member was kind enough to put the below photo in the shared folder. Here is a great video of them using that long tooth! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHAc65Vwwnk