Blooming diapensia, Diapensia lapponica obovata, Belyaka Spit, Chukotka, Russia. Diapensia lapponica is a plant in the family Diapensiaceae, the only circumpolar species in the genus Diapensia, the others being mainly in the Himalayas. It is a circumboreal arctic-alpine species which grows on exposed rocky ridges that are kept free from snow by high winds. It is a small cushion-forming evergreen perennial shrub, up to 15 cm in height. It has oval blunt leathery toothless leaves, up to 1 cm long, which are arranged in dense rosettes. It bears solitary white flowers, on stems up to 3 cm tall.

Small spit near the mouth of Ioanna River, Chukotka.

A coastal spit in Cross Bay.

Dwarf hawksbeard, Crepis nana, Belyaka Spit

Summer night at Russkaya Koshka Spit, Chukotka.

Oysterleaf, Mertensia maritima, Russkaya Koshka Spit.

Arctic sandplant, Honckenya oblongifolia, Belyaka Spit

Blooming Lapland Dispensia, Belyaka Spit.

Beach pea, Lathyrus maritimus, Russkaya Koshka Spit.

Ornithologists' camp, Belyaka Spit.

Ornithologists' camp, Belyaka Spit.

Tundra of Belyaka Spit.

Snow bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis

Snow bunting, Plectrophenax nivalis, Belyaka Spit.

One kind of birds that is rare on coastal spits is songbirds. Normally you see only 5-6 species around. The most common one is snow bunting, an ubiquitous resident of almost all Arctic habitats, from mountaintops to cities. It is the only bird to make use of huge piles of rusty diesel fuel barrels that litter all Russian Arctic, and can be found even in most remote places. Decades of Soviet occupation have left deep mark on the environment.

Nest of snow bunting, Belyaka Spit.

Snow bunting hatchling, Belyaka Spit.

Nest of yellow wagtail (Motacilla flava), Etelkuyum Spit

Thousands of geese and ducks nest on spits. Eiders often use man-made structures to shelter their nests.

Pacific eider, Somateria molissima v-nigrum, on nest, Belyaka Spit.

Nest of Pacific eider, Belyaka Spit.

Spectacled and king eiders Somateria fischeri, Somateria spectabilis , Cape Schmidt.

Emperor goose, Anser canagicus, Uelen.

Molting Emperor goose, Chen canagica Belyaka Spit.

Pacific eider, Somateria mollissima v-nigrum Cape Dezhnev.

Red-throated loon (Gavia stellata), Belyaka Spit.

The calls of Chukotka's four loon species are among the most beautiful sounds of the tundra.

Yellow-billed loons (G. adamsii), Belyaka Spit

Pacific loons, Gavia. pacifica, Belyaka Spit.

Gaviiformes
Gaviidae Loon family

Gavia stellata, Red-throated Loon
Gavia arctica, Arctic Loon
Gavia pacifica, Pacific Loon
Gavia immer, Great Northern Loon
Gavia adamsii, Yellow-billed Loon

The loons (North America) or divers (UK/Ireland) are a group of aquatic birds found in many parts of North America and northern Eurasia (Europe, Asia and debatably Africa). All living species of loons are members of the genus, Gavia, family.

Loons are excellent swimmers, using their feet to propel themselves above and under water while their wings provide assistance. Because their feet are far back on the body, loons are poorly adapted to moving on land, and usually avoid going onto land, except when nesting.

All loons are decent fliers, though the larger species have some difficulty taking off and thus must swim into the wind to pick up enough velocity to become airborne. Only the Red-throated Diver, Gavia stellata, can take off from land. Once airborne, their considerable stamina allows them to migrate long distances southwards in winter, where they reside in coastal waters.
Loons can live as long as 30 years.

Loons find their prey by sight. They eat mainly fish, supplemented with amphibians, crustaceans and similar mid-sized aquatic fauna. Specifically, they have been noted to feed on crayfish, frogs, snails, salamanders and leeches. They prefer clear lakes because they can more easily see their prey through the water. The loon uses its pointy bill to stab or grasp prey.
They eat vertebrate prey headfirst to facilitate swallowing, and swallow all their prey whole.

Red-throated Loon, Gavia stellata An adult Red-throated Loon in breeding plumage swimming in Iceland. Photo: Ómar Runólfsson, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gavia_stellata_-Iceland_-swimming-8.jpg The Red-throated Loon or Red-throated Diver, Gavia stellata, is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. It breeds primarily in Arctic regions, and winters in northern coastal waters. It is the most widely distributed member of the loon or diver family. Ranging from 55–67 centimetres (22–26 in) in length, the Red- throated Loon is the smallest and lightest of the world's loons. In winter, it is a nondescript bird, greyish above fading to white below. During the breeding season, it acquires the distinctive reddish throat patch which is the basis for its common name. Fish form the bulk of its diet, though amphibians, invertebrates and plant material are sometimes eaten as well. A monogamous species, the Red-throated Loon forms long-term pair bonds. Both members of the pair help to build the nest, incubate the eggs (generally two per clutch) and feed the hatched young. The Red-throated Loon has a large global population and a significant global range, though some populations are declining. Oil spills, habitat degradation, pollution and fishing nets are among the major threats this species faces. Natural predators—including various gull species, and both Red foxes and Arctic Foxes, will take eggs and young. The species is protected by a number of international treaties. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red-throated_Loon

Black-throated Loon, Gavia arctica Arctic Loon Gavia arctica on nest http://digitalrepository.fws.gov/cdm4/item_viewer.php?CISOROOT=/natdiglib&CISOPTR=744&CISOBOX=1&REC=4 The Black-throated Loon, Gavia arctica, is a migratory aquatic bird found in the northern hemisphere. The species is known as an Arctic Loon in North America and the Black-throated Diver in Eurasia, its current name is a compromise proposed by the International Ornithological Committee. It breeds in Eurasia and occasionally in western Alaska. It winters at sea, as well as on large lakes over a much wider range. Breeding adults are 58 to 77 cm in length with a 100 to 130 cm wingspan, shaped like a smaller, sleeker version of the Great Northern Diver. Body mass is reportedly from 2–3.4 kg. They have a grey head, black throat, white underparts and chequered black-and-white mantle. Non-breeding plumage is drabber with the chin and foreneck white. Its bill is grey or whitish and dagger-shaped. In all plumages a white flank patch distinguishes this species from all other divers including the otherwise almost identical Pacific Diver. This species, like all divers, is a specialist fish-eater, catching its prey underwater. It flies with neck outstretched. It feeds on fish, insects, crustaceans and amphibians. The calls include a yodelling high-pitched wail and harsh growls, similar but lower pitched than Pacific Loon. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-throated_Loon

Pacific Loon, Gavia pacifica Pacific Loon, Gavia pacifica Photo: Tim Bowman, USFWS The Pacific Loon or Pacific Diver, Gavia pacifica, is a medium-sized member of the loon, or diver, family. It breeds on deep lakes in the tundra region of Alaska and northern Canada as far east as Baffin Island, and in Russia east of the Lena River. Unlike other loons/divers, this bird may migrate in flocks. It winters at sea, mainly on the Pacific coast, or on large lakes over a much wider range, including China, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, USA and Mexico. It has occurred as a vagrant to Greenland, Hong Kong, Great Britain, Spain, and Finland. Breeding adults are like a smaller sleeker version of Great Northern Diver/Common Loon. They measure 58–74 cm in length, 110–128 cm in wingspan and weigh 1–2.5 kg. They have a grey head, black throat, white underparts and chequered black-and-white mantle. Non-breeding plumage is drabber with the chin and foreneck white. Its bill is grey or whitish and dagger-shaped. In all plumages, lack of a white flank patch distinguishes this species from the otherwise very similar Black-throated Diver/Arctic Loon. This species, like all divers/loons, is a specialist fish-eater, catching its prey underwater. It flies with neck outstretched. The call is a yodelling high-pitched wailing, as well as harsh growls and barks. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Loon

Great Northern Loon , Gavia immer A Great Northern Loon in Minocqua, Wisconsin, USA. Photo: John Picken, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gavia_immer_-Minocqua,_Wisconsin,_USA_-swimming-8.jpg The Great Northern Loon, Gavia immer, is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. The species is known as the Common Loon in North America and the Great Northern Diver in Eurasia; its current name is a compromise proposed by the International Ornithological Committee. Adults can range from 61 to 100 cm in length with a 122–152 cm wingspan, slightly smaller than the similar Yellow-billed Loon (or "White-billed Diver"). The weight can vary from 1.6 to 8 kg. On average a Great Northern Loon is about 81 cm long, has a wingspan of 136 cm , and weighs about 4.1 kg . Breeding adults have a black head, white underparts, and a checkered black-and-white mantle. Non-breeding plumage is brownish, with the chin and foreneck white. The bill is black-blue and held horizontally. The bill colour and angle distinguish this species from the similar Yellow-billed Loon. The Great Northern Loon breeds in Canada, parts of the northern United States, Greenland, and Alaska. There is a smaller population (ca. 3,000 pairs) in Iceland. On isolated occasions they have bred in the far north of Scotland. The female lays 1 to 3 eggs on a hollowed-out mound of dirt and vegetation very close to water. Both parents build the nest, sit on the egg or eggs, and feed the young. This species winters on sea coasts or on large lakes over a much wider range in Europe and the British Isles as well as in North America. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Northern_Loon

Yellow-billed Loon, Gavia adamsii Juvenile Yellow-billed Loon, a rare visitor to the California coast Photo: Len Blumin, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gavia_adamsii.jpg The Yellow-billed Loon, Gavia adamsii, also known as the White-billed Diver, is the largest member of the loon or diver family. Breeding adults have a black head, white underparts and chequered black-and-white mantle. Non-breeding plumage is drabber with the chin and foreneck white. The main distinguishing feature from Great Northern Loon is the longer straw-yellow bill which, because the culmen is straight, appears slightly uptilted. It breeds in the Arctic and winters mainly at sea along the coasts of the northern Pacific Ocean and northwestern Norway; it also sometimes overwinters on large inland lakes. It occasionally strays well south of its normal wintering range, and has been recorded as a vagrant in more than 22 countries. This species, like all divers, is a specialist fish-eater, catching its prey underwater. Its call is an eerie wailing, lower pitched than Great Northern Diver. Yellow-billed Loon Gavia adamsii off Hwajin Po, January 5th 2009, Photo © Thomas Langenberg, http://www.birdskorea.org/ With a length of 76 to 97 cm, a wingspan of 135 to 160 cm, and a weight ranging from 4 to 6.4 kg, so the Yellow-billed Loon is the largest member of the loon (diver) family. The adult is primarily black and white in breeding plumage, with a purple gloss on its head and neck. The Yellow-billed Loon is an Arctic species, breeding primarily along the coasts of the Arctic Ocean as far north as 78° N and wintering on sheltered coastal waters of the northern Pacific Ocean and the northwestern coast of Norway. It has been recorded as a breeding bird in Russia, Canada and the United States. Though it winters primarily to the north of 50° N, its winter range extends south to 35° N off the coast of Japan, and it has been recorded as a vagrant in more than 20 countries, including some as far south as Mexico and Spain. Though it prefers freshwater pools or lakes in the tundra, the Yellow-billed Loon will also breed along rivers, estuaries or the coast in low-lying areas of the Arctic; in general, it avoids forested areas. Breeding typically starts in early June, though it is dependent on the timing of the spring thaw. Like all members of its family, the Yellow-billed Loon builds a nest of plant material very close to the edge of the water. The female lays two eggs. The Yellow-billed Loon is a specialist fish eater, though it also takes crustaceans, molluscs and annelids. It dives in pursuit of prey, which is caught underwater. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellow-billed_Loon

Chicks of Red-necked Phalarope, Phalaropus lobatus,

. Red-necked phalarope, Belyaka Spit.

Sabine's gull, Larus sabini / Xena sabini Russkaya Koshka Spit.,

Nest of Sabine's gull, Russkaya Koshka Spit.

In some places you have to watch your step to avoid stepping on a nest or chick.

Arctic Tern, Sterna Paradisaea

Nest of Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea, Sbornaya River spit.

Arctic tern chick, Russkaya Koshka Spit.

Arctic tern chick, Russkaya Koshka Spit.

Arctic tern chick, Russkaya Koshka Spit.

Arctic tern chick, Russkaya Koshka Spit

Read and see more of the Arctic Tern here.

In winter almost all birds leave. Arctic tern fly all the way to Antarctica. Many others winter in SE Asia.
But for now, let us leave them all, and see what we can see in part 4.

Summer night at Russkaya Koshka Spit, Chukotka.