SISIMIUT, GREENLAND

SISIMIUT, GREENLAND

After a leisurely breakfast, we prepared for our trip ashore via tender. We were happy to see Nigel and his scope on the dock. Through the scope I saw hundreds of Iceland Gulls, two cormorants, and many Lesser Black-Backed Gulls. We took a short shuttle bus ride to the Old Quarter and its Museum and Old Town called Gammelby. The complex consisted of a peat house reconstruction, the oldest surviving church in Greenland, and several other buildings that showed how the early inhabitants lived. We then set out for the lake passing a group of sled dogs enroute. We also stopped at an area of tundra that was alive with redpolls. There may have been a hoary among them - at least I'd like to think so. At the lake, we spotted a few Mallards. We ventured off the trail and headed for some cairns in the hills. The view of the rugged mountains was quite spectacular. After finishing the walk, we headed for the downtown area and then back to the redpoll area where we met up with Nigel again and did a little birding with him. I spotted a Peregrine Falcon flying over.
On our return to the ship, we browsed the food at the Bistro and headed to our room for a well deserved nap. Our accompanying icebreaker, The Shackleton, leaves us today.
Tonight, our favourite piano player is giving a show before dinner at one of the larger venues and we will be there for the early show as part of his sophisticated audience. That's how he refers to his early show audiences as opposed to the rowdies he faces after the 8:30 dinner seating finishes.