In this part there will be photos of nature on the islands.
Also, some wildlife that has grown rather accustomed to human presence.
There are no large predators on the islands, and no snakes.
But there are a lot of birds, and my lenses were not enough to capture anything of interest except gulls, an occasional loon, or a duck.
Sea
A typical sight on the White Sea. The horizon line is not clearly visible and is foggy.The southern-most seashore.This is a western seashore near the settlement. The sea is to the right, and to the left is a fish pen that the monks used to keep the caught fish fresh for longer.The road to the eastern seashore and the causeway. That road was built before cars were a thing.A causeway between Bolshoy Solovetsky and Bolshaya Muksalma Islands. It has three arches for the seawater to flow between the islands.
Forests
Even though the islands seem not to be a big piece of land, the forests there differ across the different parts.
When you travel from the settlement, the view changes dramatically depending on where you move: north, east, or south (the settlement is on the west coast), or onto another island.
I speculate that this is based on the presence of lakes, swamps, and the history of aggressive forest cuts during the prison camp period.
Some of the roads are in almost-perfect condition (and one of them follows an old railroad).
But as you go further from the settlement, the condition deteriorates. Mostly near swamps, where the water, trying to flow from one part to another, erodes everything.
A typical sight of the road near the settlement. This one is to the north, leading to other sightseeing places: the boat station, the botanical garden, the sketes, and further.An example of how a good road can quickly deteriorate because of a swamp. This is near the seashore, and the swamp water mixes there with seawater, so the shore was named "Gryaznaya", meaning "dirty" or "muddy".Local solutions to local issues. There are a lot of bikes that are used both by locals and tourists. In some places there is this interesting parking solution.From the hills with the sketes the views are gorgeous. This one is from Anzersky Island (Anzer).And this is from the skete on Bolshoy Solovetsky Island.As you come closer to the seashore, the forest becomes smaller, and big pines give way to smaller trees and shrubs.Northern forest.Southern forest. It is much brighter than in the northern parts.
Lakes
There are no rivers on the islands, but a lot of lakes at different elevation levels.
Those lakes were connected via channels to create a robust fresh-water supply for the settlement.
And there is a boat-renting service on the island for traveling that lake system.
I highly recommend renting a boat for yourself and going to different parts of that system, as there are interesting views.
Beware of the gulls during their nesting season, as there are a lot of nests on some lakes, and the birds don’t like intruders in their homes.
There are a lot of boats to choose from.You can choose a boat with an electric motor or oars. Of course, we chose to row.A typical view of the lake.And one of the channels. And a gull keeping us company as we explore the lakes.Another channel. And here you can see how it was reinforced with more stones.An island on the biggest lake, Krasnoye. There are a lot of gull nests near similar small islands.
Animals and Plants
Plants
There is an old botanical garden near the settlement that was established and is still maintained by the monks.And you can clearly see the stones that were used for the square and some roads.Cloudberry. Not yet ripe — we were too early for that.But it was just the right time for blueberries to start ripening.
Gulls
Gulls are everywhere. Especially if someone starts feeding them.Guess the bird. No, it is not an eagle, but white-tailed eagles do nest on these islands.A gull chick on the lake. The adult gulls were vocally not happy about our presence.
Other Animals
A seal. Not sure which one — the guide said it is a ringed seal.A fox. They are not afraid of humans and sometimes appear at the edge of the settlement. But we never saw them come inside.A squirrel (out of focus).A cat tax. There are many cats on the islands, a problem similar to Cyprus.
We also saw a beluga whale, a moose, and four white-tailed eagles.
But my lenses were not enough for a good shot, as I pointed out earlier.
Sunsets
As a finishing touch, here are some of the amazing sunsets we were able to capture.
