info@hannamichel.com

Wildlife Biologist, Science Communicator, Guide, Lecturer

Hanna Michel

Arctic Foxes in Greenland’s Evighedsfjord // Polarfüchse im Evighedsfjord in Grönland

EN: One of the Arctic’s most popular inhabitants is the Arctic fox (sometimes also called white fox, polar fox, or snow fox). These furry predators occur on islands and continents throughout the Arctic and have even been sighted on sea ice close to the North Pole! The beautiful Evighedsfjord (eternity fjord) in West Greenland offers…
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Greenland – first impressions // Grönland – erste Eindrücke

EN: After exploring Greenland in the East, South and West, we have experienced a great mix of nature and culture. From visiting the larger towns Nuuk, Sisimiut, and Illulisat, to lesser known but not less charming villages and hikes and zodiac cruises in the complete wilderness, Greenland has a lot to offer. More on Wildlife…
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Arctic Tern Attack! // Angriff der Küstenseeschwalbe!

EN: Arctic terns have a reputation. They are beautiful, elegant birds which can turn into the devil during the breeding season. 😉 Arctic terns are famous for undergoing the longest migration in the animal kingdom. They spend the summer time in the Northern hemisphere in their breeding grounds in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. Subsequently, they…
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Finally: Walruses in Svalbard // Endlich: Walrosse auf Spitzbergen

EN: What a beautiful day in Svalbard – calm seas, blue skies with sunshine, and a group of walruses! We were lucky to see a group of 35-45 walruses resting on the beach, lifting their heads to have a look around, scratching or trying to find a more comfortable position. This group consisted mostly of…
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First Polar Bear Sighting Of The Season! // Erste Eisbär-Sichtung der Saison!

EN: After arriving in the waters of Svalbard and sailing along the impressive mountainous landscape towards our first destination for a while, one of my eagle-eyed colleagues spotted a Polar bear from the outside deck of our vessel. That’s the one on the first picture on the left (blue circle). You’re not impressed? Well, due…
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A first taste of the British Isles

EN: Remote places, birdlife, and castles – that is a good summary of the experiences of the last two weeks. We were blessed with good weather until the end which allowed us to visit places as remote as the St. Kilda Archipelago which has been uninhabited since the 1930s. A personal highlight: we had an…
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The Arctic Season is coming up!

EN: The counterpart to IAATO, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators in the Arctic is AECO, the Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators. Everyone working as a Guide on Expedition cruises in the Arctic needs to pass an online assessment. Despite one assessment with general questions, there are specific assessments for different areas of…
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ARA Uruguay – A former Antarctic Expedition Ship // Ein ehemaliges Antarktis-Expeditionsschiff

This is the corvette ARA Uruguay which was commissioned 150 years ago, in 1874. In 1903 this ship came to the rescue of the Swedish Antarctic Expedition led by Otto Nordenskiöld after their ship got destroyed by ice. It is an incredible story of an expedition which for example led to the discovery of fossil…
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A23a – the largest iceberg in the world! // A23a – der größte Eisberg der Welt!

EN: While we crossed the Scotia Sea from the Subantarctic Island of South Georgia to the Antarctic Peninsula in November, we made a small detour to see something spectacular: A23a, the currently largest iceberg in the world. With its area of 3,900 km², it was only temporarily surpassed by another iceberg, A76, in May 2021.…
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Icelandic Killer Whales – New Publication! // Isländische Orcas – Neue Veröffentlichung!

EN: Happy Holidays, everyone! Awesome to have a new paper on Killer Whales published just before christmas. I was able to contribute photos for identification of a couple of individual killer whales when I was working as a guide and biologist on whale watching tours off the coast of Reykjavìk. Photo-identification was one of the…
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