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June 29, 2008 — Tymna Lagoon, Chukotka Region, Russia

Our plan was to enter Anadyr Bay and visit Anadyr, the capital city of this remote region but the bay still has ice. Anadyr remains a small town of about 13,000 inhabitants, and is a regular trade seaport used by supply vessels.

The mighty Anadyr River flows to the Bering Sea in this land of tundra and permafrost. One of the first outside visitors was the Siberian Cossack and seafaring explorer Semen Dezhnev, who in 1648 sailed through the Bering Strait, unknowingly proving that the continents of Asia and America were separate. The record of this achievement was filed away and therefore lost for hundreds of years. The area is rich in natural resources, with an economy based on gold and mineral mining, the fur trade, and reindeer herding. Chukotka and its native inhabitants, the Chukchi, take their name from a Russian word meaning “reindeer people” or “rich with reindeer.”
Instead of Anadyr, we went to Tymna Lagoon where the birders embarked on a hopeful search for the rare spoon-billed sandpiper at 5.30 a.m. — it is believed only about 1,000 of these birds remain. The less dedicated got to sleep until 8 a.m. before venturing into what was expected to be mosquito hell. Instead the mist was replaced with rain and wind. By 9.30 many of us made of lesser stuff had abandoned the lagoon — but not the birders. One of the joys that make small ship travel with Zodiacs the best way to travel in my estimation is that you can always hail a Zodiac and return to the comforts of home.

After lunch Conrad Field gave us a lecture on Spineless Wonders and Tim Baughman presented another dynamic lecture on Russian history. This time it ended with the Russian - Japanese confrontation of the early 1900s.

Later we were invited to a cocktail hour sponsored by participating organizations involved in this adventure — Zegrahm Expeditions, The American Museum of Natural History Expeditions, Audubon Nature Odysseys, The Explorers Club Travelers and Noble Caledonia

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