By Chris Collins, Tour Leader

15 June 2009: Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, Sakhalin Island

It had taken almost 24 hours to cross ten time zones and reach Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (the main town on the island of Sakhalin) and as we waited for the last of the luggage to arrive, some of the group went for a short walk into a nearby meadow of wild flowers.  With almost everyone else waiting on the bus, Chris went to fetch those who had gone birding, to be told they had found a singing Lanceolated Warbler.  It was, therefore, time for a quick change of plan and our bus quickly emptied as everyone went to see the bird.  For a species which is usually regarded as an “ultimate skulker”, this individual was very showy and we enjoyed good looks before returning to the bus for the short journey into town.

After checking into our hotel (the appropriately named “Lada”), we had an opportunity to freshen up and then the vast majority joined Chris for an afternoon visit to the nearby Gagarin Park.  Being only a 10 minute stroll from the hotel and heavily wooded in places, this town park is an extremely convenient birding location and we quickly found a singing Pallas’ Warbler, several Large-billed Crows, as well as several species we were more familiar with including Nuthatch and Coal Tit.

A little later, some of the group saw a Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, although the bird was silhouetted and before everyone could get onto it, it flew off.  We attempted to attract it back with playback but this was unsuccessful, so we continued to explore and for many, the highlight of the afternoon was a stunning male Siberian Rubythroat which was seen carrying food; presumably it had a nest and chicks nearby.

It had been a long journey, so in the late afternoon we returned to the hotel for dinner and then for many, it was time for an early night.

 

 

16 June 2009: Eastern coastline of Sakhalin Island

Leaving the hotel shortly after 8am, we headed out of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk for the east coast of Sakhalin Island, with our first stop being at a sandy beach on the outskirts of the seaside town of Starodueskoe.  Although initially the area seemed somewhat birdless, we soon found a variety of species including Black-eared Kite, Oriental Greenfinch, several dozen Slaty-backed Gulls, a couple of Glaucous Gulls and our first Black-browed Reed-Warbler.

Heading north up the eastern side of the island, we saw good numbers of Latham’s Snipes with a surprising number sat on the top of telegraph poles.  Seemingly the birds were using these as display perches !!

Making a short stop for scope views of a perched sub-adult White-tailed Sea-eagle, we were also able to watch some snipe displaying before continuing on towards our main destination, Tikhaya Bay, where our principle target of the day, the Spectacled Guillemot, could be found.

Small numbers of this range-restricted auk breed on a small island in the bay and several were quickly found and as we walked along the shoreline (getting closer to the island), at least a dozen individuals could be seen along with our first Tufted Puffins.  Whilst we knew we would see this latter species during our voyage on the ‘Spirit of Enderby’, it was a new bird for the majority of the group and we enjoyed these as well as our first Harlequin Ducks of the trip.

After a picnic lunch, we explored the grassy area near where our bus was parked and whilst a few of the group managed to see and photograph a male Long-tailed Rosefinch, the rest of us had to make do with a rather streaky juvenile bird.  The major frustration, however, was an eagle that disappeared (around a cliff) almost as soon as it was spotted; our first Steller’s Sea-eagle but barely a handful saw it and a patient wait in the hope it would reappear, unfortunately, went unrewarded.

After several hours exploring Tikhaya Bay, we moved inland and explored some slightly different habitats.  The vegetation here was more developed and whilst we had struggled to find any male Long-tailed Rosefinches earlier, this area was clearly to their liking and at least four males and one female were found.

The best birds, however, were extremely elusive with both Japanese and Swinhoe’s Robins being seen by some.  The latter responded to playback enabling most to see it, although the Japanese Robin behaved in the usual manner for this species and stayed firmly out of view.

Heading back down the coast, we stopped at some roadside pools where there were hundreds of Pacific Swifts, good numbers of Sand Martins, 3+ Eastern Yellow Wagtails and several Middendorf’s Grasshopper Warblers.

As we drove back to Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk, a combination of a day in the field and the after-effects of a 24 hour journey caught up with the majority of the group (was there anyone who stayed awake ??).  Although everyone was clearly tired, the overwhelming consensus was that we had had an excellent day’s birding and a great start to our expedition.

 

 

17 June 2009: Southern Sakhalin Island

For the majority of the group, birding started with a pre-breakfast trip to Gagarin Park where one of our principle targets was the Sakhalin Warbler.  Whilst the first individual we attempted to tape-lure into view refused to move from deep cover, our second attempt involved a bird in a more open area and this was highly responsive, allowing everyone to get great looks at a species that is usually difficult to see well.  Indeed on occasions, this individual was so obliging that it perched (albeit briefly) on bare branches – most untypical for this particular Locustella !!

Later on, we enjoyed some good looks at a Swinhoe’s (or Rufous-tailed) Robin, although a Sakhalin Leaf-Warbler we had heard refused to move closer in response to our tape and we returned to the hotel for an 8 o’clock breakfast very pleased with what we had seen but a little frustrated at having missed the Leaf-warbler.

After breakfast, we set off by bus for the 30 minute journey to our next birding destination, some woodland near the village of Vestochka.  The walk took us briefly through the small community where (according to our local guide) in Soviet times there had been equipment to block the radio signals from “Voice of America” !!!

Today, however, activities like that had been well and truly abandoned and the area was very quiet with the trail quickly taking us into some nice forest habitat.  Although birding was a little slow, we had some good looks at a singing Pallas’ Warbler, as well as brief views of both Dark-sided and Narcissus Flycatchers.

Returning to our bus, we made the short journey to the coast where there was a viewpoint over a large estuary with the highlight being three Far Eastern Curlews.  Also present were several Grey Herons, Black-tailed Gulls and a somewhat distant White-tailed Sea-eagle.

Our destination for the afternoon was Aniva Bay and to reach this we had to pass the new LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) plant which had been opened by the President of the Russian Republic earlier in the year.  This, we were told, was the largest plant of this type in the world and it was certainly something of an eyesore !!!

Arriving at Aniva Bay, we were fortunate enough to have extremely sunny conditions and below us on the rocks a group of 20+ Largha Seals were hauled out clearly enjoying the barmy weather.  It was possible to see the very obvious spotting on some of the animals which gives them their other name, Spotted Seal.

Exploring some forest along the edge of a small stream, we found a number of interesting species with the undoubted highlights being a pair of Red-flanked Bluetails and a stunning male Narcissus Flycatcher.

18 June 2009: early morning birding in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk & boarding ship and sailing

Today we were due to board our ship, the ‘Spirit of Enderby’ for our voyage to the Kuril Islands and Kamchatka, however, as our departure was only scheduled for lunchtime, Chris offered two further trips to Gagarin Park.  Whilst some elected to enjoy a lie-in, those who joined the early departure were rewarded with some nice looks at a Sakhalin Leaf-warbler.

Fate, however, decided to be kind on the later risers (for once !!) as on our post-breakfast walk, two Leaf-warblers were found.  After our unsuccessful search for this species the previous day, these individuals were most obliging and many of the group were able to watch them singing through a telescope.

Shortly after 12 o’clock, we boarded two buses for the 40 minute journey to the port at Korsakov where our home for the next twelve nights, the ‘Spirit of Enderby’, awaited us.  Shortly after everyone was onboard, we sailed and although a chunk of the afternoon was dedicated to safety briefings, the lifeboat drill and an introduction to the staff and ship, there was still plenty of time for seawatching with eight species of auk seen during the course of the afternoon.  Whilst these included two we had already seen (Tufted Puffin and Spectacled Guillemot), new species included Rhinoceros Auklet, Ancient Murrelet and Horned Puffin.  Also seen were our first Fork-tailed Storm-petrels, Pelagic Cormorants, however, in terms of numbers the most impressive sight were the thousands of Short-tailed Shearwaters.  Many of these birds were in heavy moult and looked decidedly scruffy.

19 June 2009: Morning at sea, afternoon on Kunashir Island, Kuril Islands

We awoke to pretty typical weather for the Kuril Islands, regular thick fog banks with the conditions then just as quickly improving again.  This made birding a little frustrating at times and what made matters worse was when one fortunate member of the Wildwings group announced that whilst the rest of us had been inside finishing breakfast, a sub-adult Short-tailed Albatross had flown passed the ship !!!  He had even managed to video it and we were all green with envy that such a major rarity had sneaked through at such an inopportune moment.

We arrived at the anchorage off Kunashir shortly before lunch with an Oriental Turtle Dove flying around ship and landing on the vessel very briefly.  This was evidently a lost migrant which like us could not see the island (due to the thick fog) even though it was only one and half miles away !!

Shortly after lunch, we set off in four zodiacs for the Kunashir Nature Reserve where we were met by two local rangers, one of whom was armed with a gun.  We had been warned that there was a very high density of bears on the island and precautions needed to be taken……...

Our Expedition Leader, Nathan Russ, offered a choice of walks, with some taking a three kilometre hike to a spot where Blakiston’s Fish Owl was known to breed, others going for a gentle stroll along the shore, although the majority opted for a forest walk.

As we set off, we enjoyed great looks at two male Long-tailed Rosefinches, however, for the next half hour or so the forest was very quiet with very little seen or heard.  Although we did hear a moderately close Oriental Cuckoo, attempts to tape lure it into view back-fired somewhat as it flew overhead and then promptly disappeared!!  A short distance further along the trail, a small woodpecker was seen flying into a nearby tree and it was clear that our luck had now changed, as we enjoyed stunning views of a Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker which very obligingly sat on a succession of bare branches for several minutes.  After struggling with this species on our shore excursions on Sakhalin, it was great to finally get good looks at this species.

A little further on, we heard an Eastern Crowned Warbler calling which was rather elusive but was eventually seen by the majority of the group, although Asian Brown and Narcissus Flycatchers proved to be a lot easier to see.

Arriving at the river, we split into two groups with some retracing their steps (and having a close encounter with a Brown Bear on the way back to the beach) and the rest of us continuing down the river to the mouth.

With perfect conditions, we had great views of the Tyatya volcano (an impressive sight at almost 6,000 feet) and on the bird-front had nice looks at least 25 White-tailed Sea-eagles.

By late afternoon, we were back on the ship and heading towards our next destination, Iturup Island, enjoying the ongoing spectacle of tens of thousands of moulting Short-tailed Shearwaters, as well as hundreds of Rhinoceros Auklets and both Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas.

20 June 2009: Iturup Island, Kuril Islands

At dawn, we were at anchor off the small town of Kurilsk on Iturup Island.  Initially there was dense fog and nothing could be seen until about 6am when it suddenly cleared revealing an impressive looking island with numerous volcanoes.

Scanning the sea around the ship, we found three Long-billed Murrelets and whilst these were a little distant, it was possible to see their distinctive white throats through scopes.  As this species is one of the trickier alcids to find around the Kurils and Kamchatka, a PA announcement was made at 06:35am to alert those who were still in bed and over the next few minutes the numbers of birders on the bows rapidly rose as the majority of the group joined the early risers.

After breakfast, we boarded the zodiacs for the run to Kurilsk village where two specially chartered 4WD trucks, “Urals”, were waiting for us.  Within a few minutes we were all aboard and heading for the Baranskiy Volcano.  The journey took a little while but passed through some stunning scenery with amazing views over forested slopes and crater lakes with a number of other peaks and volcanoes in the distance.

Arriving at some thermal pools, some decided to go for a quick swim, although the majority of us split into a series of small groups and slowly birded our way back along the track.  One of the commonest birds by voice was Arctic Warbler and many of us got decent looks at this species, although prize birds of the morning were Japanese Pygmy Woodpecker, Japanese Bush Warbler, Japanese Robin, Pine Grosbeak, Japanese Grey Bunting and Brown Dipper.  Whilst only a few of us caught up with all of these, there were plenty of beaming smiles amongst those who caught up with the Robin – a cracking looking bird which unlike its European counterpart is a real skulker.

Back on the ship, we continued to cruise north towards our afternoon destination, Four Brothers Bay which is further along the coast of Iturup.  The journey itself was memorable with some huge flocks (tens of thousands) of Short-tailed Shearwaters, our first Crested Auklets plus some great Orca sightings.  The estimate was that at least thirty Orcas were seen during the day including a young calf (which was only about 4 foot long) and some big males with very substantial dorsal fins.

Shortly after we got ashore, two separate Brown Bears were spotted and although these proved to be frustratingly elusive at times (as there were plenty of gullies and small woodland patches for them to disappear into), eventually we all got decent views of this fabulous animal which sadly is still hunted in Eastern Russia.

On the bird front, sightings included Brown-headed Thrush, Middendorf’s Grasshopper Warbler and Siberian Rubythroat, however, it was interesting to see the local form of Reed Bunting which looked distinctly different from its counterpart in Western Europe being much paler with an apparently broader white collar.

21 June 2009: Urup Island, Kuril Islands

Having arrived off our intended landing site on Urup Island in the early hours of the morning, we awoke to the ship drifting quietly and before breakfast had added another alcid to our growing trip list with our first looks at Pigeon Guillemot.  Although the birds in the Kurils are all supposedly of the subspecies snowi which should show very little white in the wing, curiously this individual had prominent white wing flashes.

Once ashore, we began exploring the area which initially involved walking along the beach.  There were several White-tailed Sea-eagles scavenging carrion along the shoreline but the highlight (and a new bird for many) was a very obliging Grey-tailed Tattler.

We had been told in advance that this was an “expedition landing” (ie none of the expedition team had been ashore here before), however, we knew that not too far from the coast there was a large lake, so many of us headed inland following a small stream.  This involved quite some scrambling through high grasses and over uneven terrain, although our efforts were well rewarded with various species found over the course of the morning including Brown-headed Thrush, Long-tailed Rosefinch, Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warbler and, for some, a Nutcracker which most of us had heard calling.  Also seen well were several parties of Bullfinches which were of the “Grey-bellied” form and treated as a separate species by some authorities.

It had been a very successful morning with stunning views and gorgeous sunny conditions and by 11:30am we were all back on the ship and cruising towards our afternoon destination further along the coast of Urup at Novokurilskaya Bay.  On the way, we enjoyed some spectacular views of the island (albeit there were periodic patches of dense fog) and also saw several logging Sperm Whales.

As we cruised into Novokurilskaya Bay, we found our first Red-faced Cormorants and could clearly make out their red faces, as well as the distinctive double crests which makes this species readily identifiable even at a fair distance.

Once ashore, many of us headed a short distance inland to a small abandoned village which was surrounded by woodland.  Several Japanese Robins were heard singing from deep in the undergrowth, however, these continued to be extremely tricky to see, although there were plenty of other birds about, with a very obliging Oriental Cuckoo amongst the highlights.  This was singing from a prominent song post and we could clearly hear the difference in song from Common Cuckoo (which is also present in the area) and appreciate how similar the two species are to look at.

The woods also held good numbers of Arctic Warblers, several singing Siberian Rubythroats, Oriental Greenfinch, and for some of the group, a rather elusive Japanese Grey Bunting.  Other species seen included Woodcock, Latham’s Snipe, Middendorff’s Grasshopper Warbler, Nutcracker, more of the striking Grey-bellied Bullfinches and some nice Harlequins in the bay as we headed back to the ship.

As the ship continued on towards Shimushir, we saw dozens of Tufted Puffins, hundreds of Crested Auklets and, after dinner, our first sightings of Laysan Albatross with at least three individuals seen.

22 June 2009: Shimushir and Yankicho Islands, Kuril Islands

At first light, the ‘Spirit of Enderby’ was close to the island of Shimushir and after breakfast we boarded five zodiacs for the fairly long run to our intended landing site.  This involved cruising through a wide entrance into the flooded caldera of this volcanic island and we had fantastic views as the weather was nigh on perfect with warm conditions and a blue sky.

During the ‘Cold War’, Shimushir had been a secret submarine base, however, with the breakup of the Soviet Union, the island had been abandoned by the Russian military.  There were plenty of reminders of what the area must have been like less than twenty years ago with abandoned buildings, trucks and other junk littering the island, although nature was now re-colonising with scrubby trees and other vegetation growing up where previously there had been presumably been parade grounds for the conscripts and car parks for the vehicles.

With many of the buildings clearly more than a little ‘worse for wear’, we were advised not to enter them but these clearly made excellent nesting sites for some species, with a Nutcracker seen to repeatedly enter one particular building, presumably to feed its chicks.

Other species seen included good numbers of Siberian Rubythroats (this species is genuinely common on Shimushir), as well as Pine Grosbeak, Japanese Grey Bunting and a rather lost looking Barn Swallow.  The biggest surprise, however, was a Cattle Egret which was seen flying high around our landing site – we were subsequently told by Yuri Artukhin, the Russian Ornithologist we had on board, that this was the first record for the Central Kurils !!

All too soon it was time to return to the landing site and before lunch, we were on our way to our next destination, Yankicho Island.  As we cruised away from Shimushir, we went through several fog banks, although there were still plenty of birds with numerous Laysan Albatrosses for those who had missed this species the previous evening.

The most extraordinary natural feature on this journey were the tidal races we crossed which were so strong in places that the sea gave the impression of almost boiling in places – a truly amazing sight.  As a result, the speed made by the ‘Spirit of Enderby’ varied markedly, although these conditions clearly favoured the birds and as we got closer to Yankicho the number of alcids increased considerably.

Using five zodiacs once again, we set off to explore and the number of auks was truly breathtaking with literally hundreds of thousands of birds.  Whilst the vast majority were Crested and Whiskered Auklets, there were other alcids too including both Brunnich’s and Common Guillemots, Tufted Puffins, some classic snowi Pigeon Guillemots (ie with predominantly dark wings) as well as small numbers of Parakeet Auklets.  Other species seen included both Pelagic and Red-faced Cormorants, Black-legged Kittiwakes and Harlequin Ducks.

Cruising inside the caldera, we found three Arctic Foxes, a species which had apparently been introduced onto Yankicho some years ago.  These were pretty close to a large colony of Crested Auklets and it seemed likely that they were spending the summer months feasting on alcids.

After a short time ashore where some of us went to see some geothermal (sulphur) vents, it was time to return to the ship. Although it was a somewhat bumpy and wet journey home, the ride was definitely one of the highlights of the entire voyage with tens of thousands of auklets returning to their burrows with many of these flying passed us at point-blank range.

23 June 2009: Matua and Ekarma Islands, Kuril Islands

At dawn, we were positioned off Matua Island hoping to see evidence of the recent volcanic eruption, however, the island was shrouded in thick fog and whilst there was occasionally a strong smell of sulphur, the visibility did not improve as we cruising offshore for a couple of hours.  With little to see, it seemed senseless to spend longer in the area, so the decision was taken to head for our afternoon destination (Ekarma Island), although the frustrations with the weather continued with the “pea soup” conditions persisting and visibility rarely improving beyond 100 metres or so.

It was, however, still possible to see birds with Fork-tailed and Leach’s Storm-petrels, Laysan Albatross, Short-tailed Shearwater, Tufted Puffin, Crested and Whiskered Auklets amongst the species found in the gloom, with those who remained outside well rewarded shortly before lunch when a juvenile Short-tailed Albatross was spotted sitting on the sea.  With a Laysan Albatross very close by, the differences in jizz and size could be seen but a matter of moments after both birds were found, they were lost in the fog.

With many of the group inside (due to the weather), few caught up with the ‘STA’, so after a quick discussion between Nathan and the Captain, the ship was turned around with us reversing our course to look for this much wanted bird.  Unfortunately, it could not be relocated, so after searching the area where it had been seen, we resumed our course for Ekarma, frustrated that two Short-tailed Albatrosses had been sighted, but less than ten of the group had seen either bird.

As we approached Ekarma, the visibility improved considerably and for the second day in succession we encountered enormous clouds of alcids, with the vast majority being the same two species as yesterday, ie Crested and Whiskered Auklets.  With a Northern Minke Whale, some Dall’s Porpoises and a couple of pods of Orca also seen, we soon forgot the earlier frustrations with the fog.

Cruising round to the sheltered side of the island, we stopped near a large flock of Northern Fulmars and as everyone was readying themselves for a zodiac cruise, word rapidly spread round the ship that another Short-tailed Albatross had been found (by one of the Wildwings group through the porthole in her cabin), although unlike the two previous sightings, this individual was sitting on the sea a matter of yards from the ship in the Fulmar flock !!!

All too soon, the Albatross took off and headed for the distant horizon, however, everyone had finally got great looks at this threatened species which had not been seen on any of the previous Heritage Expeditions trips to the Russian Far East and our voyage had now sighted three !!

With everyone in a great mood after such outstanding views of the Albatross (many thanks to Anne Cooke for finding it), we set off to investigate the sheltered side of Ekarma in perfect conditions for zodiac cruising with blue skies and little wind.  The views of the peaks on Ekarma were really impressive and as we cruised around the coastline, we had great looks at hundreds of Tufted Puffins, as well as snowi Pigeon Guillemots, Brunnich’s Guillemots, Whiskered and Crested Auklets, Red-faced Cormorants, Slaty-backed Gulls and a single (lost ??) Vega Gull.  Although it was apparent that a number of these species were breeding on the island, the Northern Fulmars somewhat stole the show due to the huge numbers that were present.  Indeed with so many birds flying overhead, a number of the zodiacs and passengers were hit by ‘flying objects’.  Allegedly it is lucky………..

With such perfect conditions on the sheltered side of Ekarma (but a strong wind clearly blowing out at sea) the decision was taken to spend the last few hours of daylight drifting off the island and as the sun slowly sank to the horizon, the Fulmar flock was still surrounding the ship after what had been, yet another, spectacular day.

24 June 2009: Onekotan and Paramushir Islands, Kuril Islands

We awoke to very different conditions from the previous evening, as not only had the fog returned but this was accompanied by a violently gusting wind which was clearly going to make it impossible for zodiac operations.  As a result, our Expedition Leader, Nathan, took the decision to head north hoping that there would be shelter on the west side of Paramushir.

With choppy sea conditions and regular fog banks, many stayed inside and enjoyed a lecture by our onboard Russian Ornithologist, Yuri Artukhin, on the Kamchatka Peninsula.  Outside, birding was a little frustrating due to the conditions, but there were decent numbers of Fork-tailed and Leach’s Storm-petrels, as well as Laysan Albatrosses, Tufted Puffins, Brunnich’s Guillemots and Short-tailed Shearwaters and yet another pod of Orcas.

As we approached Paramushir, it was possible to see a number of volcanoes including Alaid which is the highest peak in the Kuril Islands chain at over 2,300m.  Historically this has been responsible for some of the most violent recent eruptions in the Kuril chain, however, as we passed by, it was quiet with only a small wisp of steam coming from its highest cone to indicate that it was still active.

After lunch, we arrived at Krasheninnikova Bay on Paramushir and, as hoped, the conditions were sheltered enough to allow us to land.  With several hours ashore, we broke into a number of small groups and set off to explore, however, with far more wintery conditions than we had experienced further south (eg several large patches of lying snow) and only limited tree cover, birding was rather slow.  Although many got their first decent looks at Buff-bellied Pipit (which here looked very ‘cold’ and surprisingly similar to Water Pipits), the bird of the afternoon was undoubtedly a lone Long-toed Stint which unfortunately was only seen by those who went to investigate a small boggy area with Chris.

Other species seen included Rough-legged Buzzard, Brown-headed Thrush, Siberian Rubythroat, Middendorf’s Grasshopper Warbler and a rather distant Brown Bear, however, out in the Bay there were both Black and White-winged Scoters, Harlequin Ducks and a small number of Slavonian Grebes as well as more Orca and several Sea Otters.

Returning to the ship, conditions in the open sea were still unpleasant with the wind blowing strongly, so for first time on voyage the front and lower decks were closed on the grounds of safety.

25 June 2009: Cruising the Kamchatka coastline and Russkaya Bay, Kamchatka

By dawn the ‘Spirit of Enderby’ was in Vestnik Bay on the Kamchatka Peninsula but with a heavy swell, conditions were far from ideal for an early morning zodiac cruise, so Nathan took the decision not to wait (in the hope that the weather would improve) but to head on towards Russkaya Bay.

After some extended negotiations (by radio) with the Russian border guards who were based in the fjord, we eventually received permission to land, although the delay proved to be beneficial as we found two Long-billed Murrelets whilst waiting.  A little later, an active Steller’s Sea-eagle nest was also spotted and although the adult birds were somewhat distant and telescopes were certainly required, it was great to finally see this species after the frustration of most of the group missing the individual we had seen so briefly on Sakhalin.

As we cruised slowly down the fjord, we saw 30+ Sea Otters, several Largha Seals and then the biggest surprise of the voyage, a pair of distant Kittlitz’s Murrelets.  First identified via the screen on the back of Chris’s camera, most of the group initially had to make do with scope views, however, we were then in for a further surprise when a second pair were spotted very close to the ship allowing everyone to get great looks.

For a species which supposedly only breeds as far south as North Kamchatka, it was a genuine surprise to find three pairs here (as two more birds were found a little later) and this surely raises the possibility that the breeding range maps for this poorly known bird are wrong ……….

Landing at the far end of the fjord, we began by walking as a group towards a tree where a pair of Steller’s Sea-eagle had been spotted but a fast flowing stream meant we could not get particularly close.  Eventually both birds took off and flew down the fjord allowing us to see their distinctive white and brown patterning.

With the eagles having disappeared, we split into smaller groups and began exploring the grasslands, woodland and shoreline finding a good variety of birds including Common Snipe, Yellow Wagtail, Lanceolated Warbler, Rustic Bunting (a singing male), Brambling (another singing male), Common Rosefinch and Oriental Greenfinch.  Unfortunately, however, there were lots and lots of mosquitoes and after a while many of us got fed up with the constant attention and retreated to the beach and then back to the ship.

By 5pm, we were, therefore, cruising back down the fjord, finding a couple more Kittlitz’s Murrelets, similar numbers of Long-billed Murrelets and as we left the entrance, the Steller’s Sea-eagles were still present – it had been a fantastic afternoon despite the clouds of biting mozzies !!

As we reached deeper water, a small pod of Dall’s Porpoise gave fantastic views as they bow rode the wave at the front of the ship, although after a few minutes there was a somewhat ominous thump and one of the group disappeared.  It seemed that the unfortunate animal had misjudged its ride and had hit the side of the ship……..

After dinner and the nightly bird and mammal log, some of the group went back outside for some final seabirding and with impeccable timing, the fourth Short-tailed Albatross of the voyage chose then to fly passed the ship and although the word was quickly put out, unfortunately, only those who were outside at the time got decent looks. 

26 June 2009: Zhupanova River, Kamchatka and at sea heading towards the Commander Islands

We awoke with the ship drifting off our intended destination, the mouth of the Zhupanova River, and shortly after a 06:15am breakfast, we boarded the zodiacs.

Stopping briefly at the Zhupanova fishing company village (which is licensed to catch 450 tonnes of salmon per annum) to meet up with our local guides, we then followed their boat up the river.  Almost immediately an adult Steller’s Sea-eagle flew by and over the course of the morning, we saw at least six more of these spectacular raptors, including an immature bird which was extremely obliging and allowed all four zodiacs to get great looks as it sat on a small tree close to the river bank.

There were good numbers of other species too and at least one of the zodiacs got brief views of a single Aleutian Tern amongst the flocks of Common Terns (of the dark billed subspecies longipennis), however, all too quickly this was lost to view, much to the frustration of everyone.  Other species included Red-throated Diver, Red-breasted Merganser, Wood Sandpiper, Rustic Bunting and Oriental Greenfinch.

All too soon it was time to turn round and as we cruised back to the village, there were plenty of gulls at the river mouth including several Kamchatka Gulls (a putative split from Common/Mew Gull) as well as good numbers of Largha Seals, although it was the eagles that had been the undoubted highlight of the morning.

After several hours in the zodiacs, it was good to get ashore and splitting into two groups, some enjoyed local hospitality from the villagers (fresh salmon and cod) whilst the rest went to explore a nearby marsh and mudflats, with the groups then switching round after 30 minutes or so.  For many, these walks allowed them to catch up with Long-toed Stint (as the majority had missed the lone bird a couple of days before), although a group of 40+ Long-billed Curlews was also a great find.

By midday, it was time to return to the ship to begin the journey to the Commander Islands and as we cruised away from Kamchatka, there were spectacular views of the coastline and a number of the volcanoes.

Moving into deeper waters, we found our first phalarope of the voyage, a male Grey, however, the seabirding was a little slow, so a late afternoon chumming session was organised.  Initially this only attracted several hundred Northern Fulmars but an adult Laysan Albatross eventually came over to investigate, giving us great views.

After the early start, we had an early dinner and after the bird log, the majority took the opportunity to have an early night, as we expected the next couple of days to be pretty action packed.

 

 

27 June 2009: Bering Island, Commander Islands

At dawn, we were about 40 nautical miles south-west of Nikol’skoye (the main settlement in the Commander Islands) and for the early risers, there were a couple of new seabirds well before breakfast with the voyage’s first Mottled Petrels and Red-legged Kittiwakes.

Arriving at our anchorage, it was clear that the conditions were far from ideal with large swells making operations at the gangway somewhat challenging.  As a result, there was a short delay whilst our zodiac team (Nathan, Adam and Simon) watched and studied the movements of the ship and platform, however, they concluded that it was safe and with first class assistance from all three of them, we safely boarded the zodiacs for the ride to the shore.

Once we had landed, we were free to explore with most choosing to walk along the road towards Nikol’skoye and then onwards to a salt marsh behind the small town.  The shoreline held a good range of species including Glaucous-winged Gull, Rock Sandpiper and Mongolian Plover with a small number of Red-legged Kittiwakes also present.  Snow and Lapland Buntings were also found, as well as a good sized flock of Dunlin and a lone Bar-tailed Godwit (seemingly with an injured wing), however, once we were out on the salt marsh, we were in the habitat for one of our major targets for the morning, Pechora Pipit.  After some searching, a pair was eventually located (with the male making occasional song flights and the presumed female periodically carrying food to a nest) and those who persisted were rewarded with good looks at this species.

By 2pm, we were heading back to the ship and with the wind direction ruling out an afternoon landing at a nearby fur seal colony, Nathan took the decision to head east for Medney Island.  The rest of the day was, therefore, at sea, although there was plenty to look at, with good numbers of Mottled Petrels, Tufted Puffins, Red-legged Kittiwakes and Laysan Albatrosses.

For many, however, the cetaceans were the highlight of the afternoon with four species including several pods of Baird’s Beaked Whales.  This species is only found in the North Pacific and was a new cetacean for many onboard, with at least fifteen animals seen.  By the late afternoon, we had also found several Sperm Whales, decent numbers of Orcas and a Humpback Whale which gave a great display with several breaches and tail slaps.

After dinner and the bird log, many of us went back outside to enjoy great views of Bering Island and by 10pm, the ship had turned and we were heading up the channel between Bering and Medney Islands towards our destination for the following day.

28 June 2009: Medney Island, Commander Islands

We awoke to a thick blanket of fog which had not cleared by breakfast (06:15am), however, with at least one handheld GPS unit in each zodiac, we set off for the 3 nautical mile run to shore.  It took a fair time to reach our destination at Gladkovskaya Bay and as we cruised along through the murk, there were good numbers of auks including an unexpectedly high proportion of Horned Puffins.  Although we had seen this species plenty of times before, it had only ever been in moderate numbers, however, here there were dozens of individuals and we were able to enjoy some great views of them sat on the sea.

Arriving at our landing site, we had an hour and a half to explore and initially most of the group did not get too far from the beach as there were several Pechora Pipits, a very curious Arctic Fox and a pair of rather obliging Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches.

Venturing further inland, the fog began to lift and many of us walked to a lake where we found about twenty or so Common Eiders of the subspecies v-nigra which looked very different from the birds in Europe with bright orange bills and feet.

All too soon, it was time to return to the shore where we boarded the zodiacs for the ride back to the ship.  Out at sea, we suddenly left the fog bank and shortly afterwards five or so of the group spotted three Least Auklets.  This species is the rarest of the alcids on our itinerary and there were groans of disappointment as others trickled out on deck.

After lunch at a rather early 11:00am, we boarded four zodiacs for our final excursion of the voyage, a zodiac cruise to Cape Matveya on the north-east corner of Medney Island.  None of the expedition team had been here before and as we headed towards some small stacks and islets, conditions were superb with the fog finally having lifted, giving us great visibility.

As we approached the shore, several groups of small alcids were sat on the sea and as we got closer, we realised that many of these were Parakeet Auklets.  Although a number of us had seen this species earlier in the cruise, (eg around Yankicho), previously views had been brief so it was great to finally get such fantastic looks at this somewhat odd looking alcid.  We estimated that there were at least seventy individuals in the colony and we saw them floating on the sea and perched on low rocks near the waterline.

Reluctantly dragging ourselves away from the Parakeet Auklets, we continued to explore westwards and soon discovered that the area also held exceptional numbers of Horned Puffins with at least 200 birds seen on the sea and nearby cliffs.  Several Red-legged Kittiwakes also showed really well (perched almost at touching distance !!) and we also enjoyed great looks at Red-faced Cormorants, Harlequins, Pigeon Guillemots, Tufted Puffins and somewhat surprisingly two or three Grey-crowned Rosy-Finches which were feeding on the rocks.

With Sea Otters, Northern Fur Seal, Steller’s Sea-lion and Harbour Seal also found, it was a truly stunning finale to the excursion programme and it was with genuine reluctance that we returned to the ‘Spirit of Enderby’ to begin our journey back to Kamchatka.

After such a great afternoon, the rest of the day could have been a little flat but there were still more surprises awaiting us and in the later afternoon, we hit another ‘purple patch’ when within a twenty minute spell we completed a ‘grand slam’ of North Pacific Albatrosses with our fifth Short-tailed (surely a record for any birding trip through these waters), our first Black-footed and 5+ Laysans.

With Humpback, Baird’s Beaked, Northern Minke and Sperm Whales also seen, we cruised away from the Commander Islands delighted with what we had seen over the previous 36 hours.  We had been amongst the first ever tourists to visit Medney Island and it had greatly exceeded all of our expectations.

 

29 June 2009: At sea heading towards Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy

The day started well for those interested in cetaceans with two Fin Whales swimming passed the ships bows early in the morning, however, this sighting was soon surpassed when a huge blow was spotted a couple of miles away from the ship.  When the back and dorsal fin of the animal were seen, initial suspicions were confirmed as it was clear that this was indeed one of the rarest creatures on the planet, a Blue Whale.  As a result, the Captain changed course and we headed towards where we expected the whale to surface next.  Right on cue, it came up again and we all had great looks before resuming our course for Kamchatka – a real unexpected bonus to add to our already impressive list.

As we cruised on towards ‘PK’, at least ten Red-legged Kittiwakes spent most of the day flying around and landing on the ship.  A number of these adopted various parts of the ship (eg the radar) as a temporary home and drove away all others who attempted to land nearby allowing the photographers to get some great shots of this North Pacific endemic.

Other species seen during the day included Fork-tailed Storm-petrel, Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas, Slaty-backed Gull, Ancient Murrelet, Crested Auklet and as the Kamchatka coastline came into view in the late afternoon, we found our final new species for the voyage with 20 or so Red-necked Phalaropes.

30 June 2009: Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, Moscow and home

During the night the ‘Spirit of Enderby’ had entered the natural harbour on which Petropavlovsk is located and shortly after breakfast the ship tied up at the wharf, we said our thanks to the ship’s crew and Heritage Expeditions staff and then boarded our specially chartered bus for the short ride to the airport.

Our flight to Moscow was uneventful (albeit with some great views of the Russian tundra and frozen seas off the north coast) and with a few hours spare before the flight to London, the entire group joined Chris and Simon on a short birding trip.  Walking along a quiet road only a mile or two from the airport, our principle targets were Blyth’s Reed and River Warblers and both were found along with Red-backed Shrike, Hobby and Hooded Crow.

A few hours later, we arrived at Heathrow and our adventure was over.  We had been privileged to visit a part of the world which few are fortunate enough to see and the trip had been an undoubted success with some great birds, cetaceans, other wildlife and scenery seen.