Sunburst lichen
An Arctic fox is one thread in a web. But unlike the complex ecosystem that a red fox can navigate and exploit, the far north offers less prey and fewer rivals.
There are no native rodents in Svalbard; a few sibling voles Microtus levis live near the old Soviet mining settlement of Grumantbyen, but they were accidentally introduced in hay in the 1960s, and do not appear to be spreading. So any mammals that the fox is able to consume are likely to be killed by weather, starvation or polar bears. But they do have birds – one of which is hardy enough to stay all year.
This is the rock ptarmigan, found widely around the northern hemisphere but of particular importance to Svalbard and its foxes. This impossibly white bird turns mottled brown in the summer, much like the fox itself.
Other birds linger with the last of the light. This purple sandpiper is wearing leg rings from a research project. They overwinter on the shores of Europe and the UK.
Plants have no such options, and can only time their activity with the seasons. Most of the cotton-grass has finished by mid-October, but this one clings on, bobbing in the clean air like a rabbit’s tail.
Like the trees, it will be under snow soon. Yes, this is Svalbard’s tree: polar willow, which grows 2 – 5cm high.
That is about the same depth as a polar bear’s coat.
A Walk with Wildlife 
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