Snow blizzard.

Kamchatka is a land of winds. There are often snow blizzards even with clear skies above. That happens when strong wind is dragging large masses of snow from one place to another in open tundra. In temperatures way below freezing these blizzards pose a serious challenge for humans. I have been knocked down by the winds several times while walking in this weather. This is the best weather to get yourself frostbites all over the face. Even opening eyes is a challenge…

Snow blizzards are just as difficult for animals… Especially given the fact that they don’t have cabins heated by fireplaces…

Frosty mornings in Kamchatka

The coldest time of the day is just before the daybreak. But it is also the most beautiful, mystic and photogenic. Here are several early morning photos from my last year wintering in Kronotsky Nature Reserve in Kamchatka.

On the top photo there is a larch tree with an ospray (or sea hawk) nest on the foreground and Kronotsky volcano in the background.


Eruption of Kizimen volcano. It is still erupting, but much less intense than last year.


Larch forest on the banks of Kronotsky Lake.

"Frozen" sea eagle.

This is a story from last year wintering in Kamchatka.

It is a bright and fresh December morning with the temperature somewhere below -13F (-25C). But the sun is rising, so it's getting slightly warmer. I am pacing along the banks of Kronotskaya river, if I'd walk slower my feet would freeze in my rain boots. The fog is coming from the water. Large fish is leaving crease marks on the surface - the coho salmon ruts are still going upstream for spawning. Next to the spawning ground, on top of an old Erman's birch tree I see tree Steller's sea eagles sleeping. As I approach two of them fly away. When I come closer I notice that the bird that stayed did not even move: his head was under a wing, just as a common village rooster.

"The eagle must be dead," - I'm thinking -

Steller's Sea Eagle and volcano Ilyinskaya Sopka. Kamchatka dreams.

Originally posted by at Камчатские сны. Орлан и вулкан Ильинская сопка.

Warm, calm and cloudy.

It is warm and cloudy today. Large packs of crows are pecking last year's berries in tundra. The largest pack has 63 birds in it! I have a feeling that nothing will be left for other animals after their feast.

The only snowdrifts left are in the shade of my cabin, but even they are thawing away. The weather forecast for tonight says that the strong cyclone is coming with mix of rain and snow, and strong winds. I am worried about Steller's sea eagles - they are already hatching in their enormous nests. In the radius of two miles around my ranger station three nests are occupied. Let's hope that these birds have adapted well to the spring storms.

And I have prepared myself for the storm as well: I brought enough water from the river and firewood for three days. I don't know how the satellite internet will work - it is sensitive to precipitation.

Originally posted by at Доброе утро из Кроноцкого заповедника!