Panorama of a little island in a bird sanctuary in Kongsfjord
The small island Midtholmen is one of Lovénøyane in Kongsfjord.
The small island of Midtholmen is situated within the little group of islands of Lovénøyane in Kongsfjord. All of Lovénøyane are protected as bird sanctuary, which means that landings are not allowed during the breeding season, defined as 15 May – 15 August. Boat traffic within 300 metres from the neares shore or offshore rock (as per low tide) is also included in the ban.
It is good that the islands are protected from visitors during the breeding period, because there is a high density of ground breeders including common eider ducks and arctic terns.
But they leave when they have finished their breeding business, and they islands can be visited legally from 16 August. Lovénøyane, which also include Juttaholmen, Sigridholmen and several other islets, may appear to be unspectacular when seen from the distance, and “spectacular” may not be the right word anyway. But for anyone interested in that part of the beauty of the arctic that is hidden in smaller details including ground structures, colourful lichens and that kind of things, Midtholmen is a treasure box, a pearl of nature. You can sense that birds have been breeding there for thousands of years. And there is, of course, the panoramic view of the stunning mountain and glacier scenery of inner Kongsfjord, and that is indeed spectacular.
Midtholmen itself is a small island with a maximum extent of under 600 metres. This 360 degree panorama was taken on a golden “autumn” (early winter, in that case) day in late September 2023 on the highest elevation of the island, 22 metres high 🙂
Lovénøyane: Midtholmen – Photo gallery
And finally some impressions of Midtholmen. The first two photos were taken in September 2021 from the neighbouring island Observasjonsholmen.
This and other publishing products of the Spitsbergen publishing house in the Spitsbergen-Shop.
Norwegens arktischer Norden (1): Spitzbergen
Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German. [shop url="https://shop.spitzbergen.de/en/polar-books/70-norwegens-arktischer-norden-1-aerial-arctic-9783937903262.html"] ← Back
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.