This funky looking bird can be found in the north Pacific as well as along the coast of far east Russia, including Kamchatka and the Kuril Islands.
I had seen many of these crested auklets flying around, and some diving in the water in search of krill or other food, but hadn’t been able to really get up close to many of them until I made it to Yankicha Island in the Kurils.
There were many bird species here, but the crested auklets were in huge numbers here, thanks to it being a big nesting area. With thousands of them flying about, I spotted a few that were still hanging out on land as we toured the island by Zodiac.
This guy was nice enough to pose for the camera. If you’re a crested auklet, the size of your crest is a big deal, as in both male and female aucklets prefer mates with large crests!
What happens when you come across someone named Sergey in Far East Russia who is one part artist and one part sailor?
You end up having an encounter that is a little bit odd and a lot interesting.
Wall Art at Sergey’s House on Bering Island
Sergey’s House isn’t exactly an easy place to get to.
He lives on Bering Island, which is part of the Commander Islands off the coast of eastern Russia. Now, even if you do find yourself wandering around this remote Russian island, you’re not guaranteed that Sergey will be home, and if he isn’t home – you don’t visit his house.
The somewhat ominous doorway and entrance to Sergey’s House
So who is this Sergey and why is he so oddly interesting?
The oddity simply comes from the environment. Sergey lives in the only settlement of these islands. He’s had to adapt to the environment as he has grown older. Somewhat charismatic – if you understand Russian – his unique character comes out in his artwork which is scattered all throughout his home, which is also his workshop. Paintings are his main passion, yet sculptures from the spoils of the land are dotted throughout his cabin of a home as well. What he takes pleasure in, and has a passion for, may come across as different – but somehow he found a way to have a vibrant life in a very inhospitable landscape.
He has a catty confidence, that keeps you on your toes, whether he’s showing you a piece of artwork he is painting or sitting beside his wood burning stove, enjoying a bit of drink and fish. After spending a bit of time in his home and learning a bit about him, I decided he had a kind of Keyser Söze legend to him, which is why you won’t find any photos of him here.
Art and History Exposition, Bering Island, Russia
Outside his home, the cold near-Arctic waters of eastern Russia are only a short walk away. There was a time, when he was younger, that Sergey sailed his own boat across the Commander Islands and Aleutian Islands over to Alaska. He did this trip solo, more than once. This element of adventure is still apparent in his paintings and workshop, even though his adventuring days are over.
Sergey’s House, like the entire Bering Island, feels like a living museum. It’s a welcoming, yet harsh place. Dreary landscapes dotted with specks of vibrant colours. Remote Russia at it’s greatest, a place that seems stuck in time, yet somehow carries on.
Some of Sergey’s artwork and collection of historic documents
The Commander Islands…quite possibly a destination you’ve never heard of. On a map, follow the Aleutian Islands from Alaska all the way across to Russia and the closest islands to Russia are actually the Commander Islands.
A Rusty Ship at Nikolskoye Village, the only permanent settlement in the Russian Commander Islands
These Russian Islands, almost 200km off the coast of Far East Russia, are a protected marine area. The village of Nikolskoye, on Bering Island, is home to 800 people. This is the only permanent settlement on the islands, which are prone to severe weather, including earthquakes. There are no trees on the islands – it’s quite a desolate looking part of the world.
A home in Nikolskoye Village on Bering Island – Far East Russia
This is a place that survives on fishing and was only just escaping the icy grip of winter at the end of May. Not many people visit here, but the wildlife draws some adventurous people who are on the lookout for northern fur seals, sea otters and Steller sea lions.
Nikolskoye Village on Bering Island in Russia. The blue building is the museum.
Russia recently went on an improvement spree here, painting and fixing up some old buildings, building a new church for the village and creating a lookout honouring Vitus Bering, whose ship, St. Peter, wrecked here in 1741.
The church officially opened in October and took about two years to build. It is actually the easternmost Orthodox church in Russia!
Building the Easternmost Orthodox Church in Russia, on Bering Island
As a visitor, the island museum was entertaining too. They had a skeleton of an extinct species of sea cow that was once very common in the area, as well as a good amount of displays showcasing the natural history of the islands.
Nikolskoye Village Museum on Bering Island, Far East Russia
The lady who takes care of the museum was quite friendly and gave us some insights into local life on the islands as well – such as her favourite meal being puffin soup with lots of blood in it!
An Arctic Fox resting on a small island near Yankicha Island in Far East Russia
I’ve seen Arctic foxes a few times. Sometimes in their puffy, pure white coats, sometimes in more grey colours and sometimes – like this guy – a brown black colour.
On Yankicha Island in the Kuril Islands off the far east coast of Russia, there are some towering birds cliffs and Arctic foxes have learned that it makes for good eating to hang around those thousands upon thousands of birds (and their eggs).
This particular fox was a noisy one, calling to other foxes on nearby mountains. Somehow he had gotten himself stranded on a tiny island in the middle of an old volcanic crater. There was plenty of food around for him, but he’d have to wait for winter and frozen ice to make his way back to Yankicha Island.
After landing in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky in Kamchatka, I had a couple of days to relax before exploring the Commander Islands and Kuril Islands off the coast of Russia.
Drab buildings before a stunning volcanic backdrop, this is Petropavlovsk Kamchatsky in Far East Russia
This is the part of Russia beyond Siberia. The eastern edge of the largest country in the world. In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, or PK as they say, everything seemed stuck in time. Old concrete block buildings everywhere. Nothing new, bright or exciting. As drab as it was, I loved it, and didn’t care that many Russians call PK the ugliest city in Russia.
This was just a temporary stop. I had islands to explore, and one that I was looking forward to most was Simushir Island in the Kurils. The island was mostly uninhabited over the years, but a size-able settlement was functioning here for nearly 20 years, with a top secret submarine base operating at Broutona Bay from about 1987 to 1994.
Broutona Bay, once home to a top secret Russian Submarien Base on Simushir Island in the Kuril Islands
It was abruptly abandoned one day, leaving behind relics and buildings that tantalize your imagination. Plenty of Soviet Era artwork still adorns the walls in the empty buildings too.
Once home to thousands of people, the settlement had a hospital, large apartment blocks, school, livestock pens – now all lying in ruins. Books are scattered on the floor. Gun turrets rust outdoors, having never fired a shot. A shoe repair shop has half-finished repairs lying about and trucks now sit idle in fields being recaptured by nature.
Unfinished Shoe Repairs at Broutona Bay on Simushir Island
It’s a spooky place in some ways, but fascinating at the same time.
The setting is beautiful. A large volcano in the background, a sheltered bay and beach out front. Wild foxes and birds all about. You can really envision families living here and having a good life. But then it all ended.
Not a bad view – looking out a window to Broutona Bay on Simushir Island
Where did they all go? Why did they abandon the settlement? Did they move to another top secret submarine base we don’t know about, or was it just time to close up shop and send everyone back to more populous cities?
A Gun Turret at the abandoned submarine base on Simushir Island
Today, very few people visit this island. Perhaps some Russian fishing boats stop by now and then. Only a handful of tourist boats ever make it out here in any given year. It feels more like an outdoor museum than anything else.
Definitely a place unlike any other that I have visited. It made me wonder though, how many of these abandoned settlements exist throughout Russia?
Abandoned trucks on Simushir Island, Kuril Islands, Russia
Hospital Operating Room at Broutona Bay on Simushir Island
