The wildlife in the Sermermiut valley varies greatly throughout the year. We have some animal species who live their whole life here and then we have migrating species that only come to visit in the summer.
Small mammals include the hare and the fox. With luck you may see the snow-white hare in the mountains at any time of the year. The fox also lives here in the valley, but you usually have to be up early to see it before it retires to its den during the day. The larger land mammals, such as reindeer and muskox, are not found in the valley, living south of the fjord.
You may also notice there are quite a lot of birds in the valley: ravens, snowy owls and ptarmigans are traditionally the only species that overwinter here, but as the climate becomes warmer we now also see more small birds staying here over the winter.
In the month of May, many Canada geese visit the grasslands in the valley. They forage after the spring migration and move towards the inland lakes to breed before summer really sets in.
In smaller lakes in and around Ilulissat you can be lucky to see the tiny Red-necked Phalarope. In the Phalarope family, it is the female who displays a brightly colored plumage and takes the lead in mating. After the eggs are laid, it is the male who is responsible for hatching the eggs and caring for the young.
The sea eagle, snowy owl, peregrine falcon and gyrfalcon are birds of prey that also reside in the area.
When you get down to the water you may see some marine mammals, but you have to be in the right place at the right time. The ringed seal lives in the ice fjord year-round, but the harp seal only arrives in the summer, so if you see a seal sticking its snout up, it will most likely be one of the two species. You might also be lucky enough to see a whale. Pods of humpback whales migrate here in the summer to eat in this nutrient-rich Arctic habitat. The humpback whale is easy to recognize by the long flippers in front – Humpbacks usually surface to draw air 4 to 5 times, after which it dives, waving goodbye with its tail.
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