I love the colour Darling

In the morning we went on safari to Alkefjellet where there are @ 60,000 breeding pairs of guillemots and kittiwakes, not to mention the puffins.. It is now the eastern side of Spitzbergen and the weather had vastly improved. We tappylappied along the base of the cliffs and tried to get some shots of the birds flying. Apart from my own inabilities, there was the motion of the sea and other people to scupper any idea of a good shot, so I relaxed and enjoyed the peace if not quiet.
In the afternoon we were bathed in sunshine. We 'hit' the ice fields and everyone was put on alert to look for bears. we saw a bear, a mother and young cub, and a mother and older cub. These last two were very curious and came very close to the ship following the smell of osso bucco in the air. In fact they came so close that they disappeared under the arch of the bow of the ship, and my lens actually got to be too big to capture them at that range.
I am showing this photo because I keep being constantly surprised at how wild animals have the same actions as our domesticated pets. Does your dog ever roll on its back to scratch it and have its tummy tickled? So did this polar bear. No-one obliged. I have a series of these shots but this one looks to me as though it is admiring the nail varnish its toe nails. Perhaps not.

If you want to see more photos of this amazing trip go to
http://gallery.me.com/lizziebea#100161