Lady Franklin Island's vertical basalt columns host one of the High Arctic's most breathtaking seabird colonies. Witness tens of thousands of thick-billed murres, fulmars, and kittiwakes in raucous nesting season from both Zodiac and elevated cliff-top vantages.
What to expect
Approach the cliffs by Zodiac until the noise hits you — a wall of sound from thousands of nesting birds stacked in tightly packed ledges like apartment blocks above the sea. Your guide identifies thick-billed murres, northern fulmars, black-legged kittiwakes, and glaucous gulls through binoculars. The spectacle of chick-rearing behaviour, diving sequences, and mid-air courtship is mesmerising. Photography opportunities are extraordinary; the birds are largely habituated to quiet Zodiac approaches.
Good to know
Peak nesting season runs July–August — the optimal window for this excursion. Bring a 300mm+ telephoto lens for close-up shots of cliff ledge behaviour. Morning light hits the east-facing cliffs best. Wear dark, quiet outerwear to avoid startling nesting birds near the water line.