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This trip report (daily log and systematic list) describes the first voyage on the “Spirit of Enderby” from Petropavlovsk on the Kamchatka Peninsula to Yuzhno-Sakhalin on Sakhalin Island between 27 May – 9 June 2007.

This was the inaugural expedition in the Russian Far East for the vessel, however, it still proved to be extremely successful.  Almost all the seabirds which could reasonably have been expected were seen including thirteen species of Alcid (Auks, Auklets and Puffins), Laysan Albatross, Mottled Petrel, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Red-faced Cormorant and Red-legged Kittiwake.

Other birds encountered during the voyage included White-billed Diver, Steller’s Sea-Eagle, Harlequin, Rock Sandpiper, Lanceolated & Middendorf’s Grasshopper Warbler, Siberian Rubythroat and Pine Grosbeak.

There was also an impressive supporting cast of mammals including five species of large whale (Sperm, Blue, Northern Minke, Humpback and Grey) as well as multiple sightings of Orca, Dall’s Porpoise, Brown Bear and Sea Otter.

 

Chris Collins

June 2007

 

DAILY LOG

26 May

Petropavlovsk

It had taken almost 24 hours to reach the grey, Soviet-style city of Petropavlovsk from Heathrow, however, after a night in what was apparently one of the town’s only decent hotels, we made our way to the port in the early afternoon, to board our home for the next two weeks, the “Spirit of Enderby”.

After finding our cabins and enjoying our first lunch aboard, we were told by Rodney Russ, our Expedition Leader, that there would be a short delay in the ship’s departure due to “military manoeuvres”.  With a couple of Russian submarines having been seen out in the bay, we wondered how long we might have to wait, however, fortunately the delay was only short and just after 3pm, we began to make our way towards the mouth of Avacha Bay, one of the largest natural harbours in the world. 

As we approached the entrance, we saw our first auks of the trip - Ancient Murrelets (50+), Pigeon Guillemot (10+), Brunnich’s Guillemot (one), Tufted Puffin (five), Common Guillemot (five) and then our first bit of luck of the trip, a single Spectacled Guillemot.  We knew that this species is not particularly common anywhere on our itinerary and subsequently heard from Yuri Artyuhin, a Russian Naturalist we were taking to the Commander Islands, that there were only two pairs in the whole of Petropavlovsk Bay !!

After the welcome briefing and compulsory lifeboat drill, it was about 17:30 before we were able to get back outside again and we were well out into the ocean.  In relatively short succession, we saw our first Laysan albatross and Glaucous-winged gulls, species which were to accompany us for much of the rest of the expedition.

After dinner and the first of the nightly bird logs, we were back outside to find hundreds of fulmars around ship.  The vast majority were dark morph birds, the so called “Blue fulmar”.  It was hard to see, however, how the colour of these birds could really be described as ‘blue’, as in the cloudy evening light they looked almost steely-grey in colour !!

27 May

At sea heading towards the Commander Islands

During the morning, the three species we had seen the evening before were still present, ie Laysan Albatross, Northern Fulmar and Glaucous-winged Gull and we began debating the identification of the shearwaters which periodically passed the ship – were we seeing both Sooty and Short-tailed Shearwaters or was just one species present ??  My personal view was that both species were here, however, the task of identifying them was made trickier by the fact that a number of the birds were in heavy moult and thus were very scruffy compared with the pristine birds I had seen on the Western Pacific Odyssey six or so weeks before.

Also seen during the day were about ten Mottled Petrels and c.20 Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels.  Whilst the Petrels had come up to this area from the Southern Ocean, the Storm-Petrels are only found in the North Pacific and, thus, were a new bird for many onboard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another North Pacific endemic we saw was the Red-legged Kittiwake with 20+ passing the ship during the day.  Although superficially similar to the more widespread Black-legged Kittiwake, we noted the shorter bills on the “Red-legs” and that they were prone to tuck their legs out of sight under their feathers.  Whilst this earned them the somewhat unoriginal nickname of the “No-legged kittiwake”, this feature was nevertheless very helpful in separating birds which were directly overhead.

 

28 May

Commander Islands

At first light off, we were anchored just off the main settlement in the Commander Islands of Nikol’skoye.  Although the sky was grey and there was snow on the low lying hills, at least it wasn’t raining - it is reputed to do this here on well over 200 days a year !!

The settlement itself appeared pretty grim with a combination of very dilapidated wooden houses and some Soviet-style concrete buildings and the locals (military types in uniform) weren’t much better, blanking a number of us, even when we said ‘good morning’ to them in Russian.  The children, however, were far friendlier and clearly very curious, as no Russian-flagged ships filled with foreign tourists had evidently ever been here before.

Still we weren’t exactly here for a cultural experience and as soon as everyone was safely ashore, we set off to explore the vicinity of the settlement to see what birds and other wildlife we could find.

The most common species along the shoreline were several hundred Glaucous-winged gulls and these ranged from 1^st summer birds through to full adults.  Also present was a single Rock Sandpiper which gave great views as it crept around on the rocky shore.

 

Shortly before our departure, most of us made a quick visit to Nikol’skoye’s museum which somewhat unexpectedly had many of the exhibits labelled in excellent English, as well as in Russian.  Amongst these was one of the few known skeletons of the extinct Steller’s sea-cow.  This species was only ever known from these islands and based on the size of the skeleton, it was clearly a pretty substantial beast.

A 20 minute zodiac ride from the wharf then took us to Toporkov Island.  There were a plenty of Tufted Puffins passing overhead but sadly none were landing in view.  We did, however, manage to get great looks at several dozen Pigeon Guillemots, a number of which were sat on nearby seaweed covered rocks.

Just offshore, there were several Harbour seals and also one of our mammal targets, the Sea Otter.  There were at least half a dozen of these fairly substantial animals and several were adopting the classic otter technique of lying on their backs in the water with a food item balanced on their bellies.

As part of the ‘deal’ Rodney had negotiated with the Russians, we had brought two researchers on the ship from Petropavlovsk (the aforementioned Yuri and his wife) and these hardy souls were due to spend three months on Toporkov Island.  They had brought all their supplies with them including ample amounts of food, a large and rather heavy tent, plus (for reasons we never really understood) a substantial pile of wooden planks.  Weighing in at over 1.5 tonnes, a group of us assisted them in lugging this mighty pile of gear across the wave-cut platform to the spot where they were planning to camp until August.

Back on board, we headed towards the NW corner of Commander Island where there was a colony of Steller’s sea-lions, however, there was a substantial surf crashing onto the beach, so the landing was aborted and instead we headed over to the nearby island of Arij Karmen.  As we neared the island, a small auk flew by with an obvious red bill and curved white line behind the eye, our first Parakeet Auklet.

Several thousand Kittiwakes nest on Arij Karmen and as we cruised around in the zodiacs and naiads, it was apparent that although the majority were Black-legged, there were also good numbers of “Red-legs” present.

As well as the Kittiwakes, we enjoyed great looks at both male and female Sea-Lions and a single Northern Fur-Seal, however, all too soon, it was time to return to the ship and begin our journey back towards the Kamchatka Peninsula.  As we headed into deeper waters, I noticed the top of a large fin break the surface and within seconds we had great views of a pod of at least half-a-dozen Orca (or Killer Whales), no more than 50 metres off our port side.

There was a steeply shelving shelf-edge water on the course we were taking and it was clear that this must be creating some upwellings (ie bringing nutrients to the surface) as there were good numbers of Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels and Laysan Albatrosses.

As we continued in a south-westerly direction, a fairly large whale surfaced directly ahead of the ship.  Unfortunately, it quickly dived, however, those onboard who had previously been to Baja California were convinced we had seen a Grey whale, a species which is thought to only number a few hundred animals in the NW Pacific.

After another excellent dinner, there was enough light for another hour or so of birding and we added another new bird to the trip list, a small flock of summer plumage Grey Phalaropes.

 

30 May

am: At Sea

pm: Zhuponavo River, Kamchatka Peninsula

We awoke to an almost glassy sea heading back towards the Kamchatka Peninsula and our scheduled landing at the Zhuponavo River.  The flat sea conditions were excellent for cetaceans and shortly after 7am, a large blow was spotted a short distance ahead of the ship. 

As we got closer, it was clear that this was a very substantial animal which could only be either a Fin or Blue Whale.  The whale surfaced a couple more times and this allowed us to get a good look at the colour of it and see that it only had a tiny dorsal fin.  There was little doubt we were looking at one of the rarest animals on the planet, a Blue Whale !!

Shortly afterwards, another blow was seen on our port side, however, this whale was producing an angled blow and we could see that this animal was a Sperm Whale.  Not a bad start to the day and it wasn’t even time for breakfast !!

Almost immediately after breakfast those who had missed the Blue Whale were in for some considerable luck as a second individual was spotted.  This animal spent longer on the surface than the earlier individual and the great towering blow was really obvious.

Later in the morning, two passerines were spotted flying around the ship, the first of which landed on board – a cracking male Siberian Rubythroat.  Some of the photographers went to investigate and reported back that the bird had shown incredibly well.  It was clearly a very tired migrant.

As we continued towards the coast, there was an almost continual passage of waders, however, only two species seemed to be involved, Grey Phalaropes and Red-necked Phalaropes.  Almost all the birds were in summer plumage and some showed really well, remaining sat on the sea until the ship was a matter of metres from them.

As the coastline became easier to see, some cetaceans were seen splashing directly in front of the ship.  Although views were not great, enough of the animals could be made out to confidently identify them as a small pod of Dall’s porpoises.

Shortly after lunch, we lined up to board the four zodiacs and naiads for our cruise up the Zhuponavo River.  We had been told that there was Steller’s Sea-Eagle eyrie in the vicinity and as a result, expectations were high that we would strike lucky and find this “must see” bird.  We had not even boarded the boats, when three huge raptors were seen circling over a nearby promontory.  Somewhat distant but no doubt whatsoever what we were looking at – three Steller’s Sea-Eagles with the adult birds having obvious white panels in their wings.

As we headed inshore, the Sea-Eagles showed really well passing directly overhead and then we saw our second major target of this “landing”, Brown Bear.  A female with three cubs was wandering along the beach, however, as we slowly approached, they became nervous and wandered off up the hillside, although the lack of vegetation meant they continued to give excellent views.

Having picked up our local guide from the small community at the river mouth, our convoy of small boats began heading up the river.  Winter was, however, still very much in evidence at this locality, as not only were all the surrounding mountains white but the snow extended down as far as the river edges and was still several feet deep in places.

There was very little evidence of spring growth at this locality, however, our objective was more views of Steller’s Sea-Eagle and our local guide knew exactly where the birds were likely to be and over the course of the next couple of hours, we saw a further ten or so birds.  Almost all of these were perched and by slowly advancing upstream, we were able to get some fantastically close views of this monstrous raptor.

Steller’s Sea-Eagle Zhuponavo Island May 2007 © Chris Collins

All too soon, it was time to head back to the river mouth, where we were informed that hot drinks and light refreshments had been laid on for us by the small river mouth community.  Whilst the excellent meals on the ship meant extra food was hardly required, the mugs of hot tea were very welcome after three hours of sitting in rather chilly conditions in the zodiacs and naiads.

As we returned to the ship, the Sea-Eagles were still cruising over the cliff tops and we had another pleasant surprise when a single Long-billed Murrelet was spotted sat on the sea. 

As we began heading south on the ‘Spirit of Enderby', we enjoyed a spectacular sunset with the sun setting behind the snow-covered mountains which flank the eastern coastline of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

With dusk rapidly approaching and most folk already on their way to bed, the day ended with another new alcid for the trip, two Horned Puffins, close to the ship.  A great finale to a fantastic day during which we had seen two Blue Whales, six Dall’s Porpoises, 12+ Steller’s Sea-Eagles and five Brown Bears!!!!

 

31 May

am: Russkaya Fjord, Kamchatka Peninsula

pm: Vestnik Bay, Kamchatka Peninsula

During the night, we had continued to cruise south down the eastern flank of the Kamchatka Peninsula passing Petropavlovsk.  As dawn broke, we were off the entrance to the Russkaya fjord and were blessed with an incredible day with blue skies and almost no wind.

Before breakfast, we cruised inland up the fjord enjoying great views of the stunning scenery in almost perfect conditions.  All the surrounding mountains were still covered in snow with this coming down to the waterline in places.  Highlights on the wildlife-front included a cracking pair of Harlequin Ducks and our sixth Brown Bear in less than 24 hours.  Despite us being on the ship and several hundreds metres from the beach, this Bear was as wary as those we had seen yesterday and quickly began moving away from the shore.  A sad reminder that these fantastic animals are still hunted in this area.

During breakfast, the ship repositioned to a bay a few miles south of Russkaya fjord where Rodney took the decision that conditions looked perfect for a zodiac cruise.  As we started to disembark, some Orca were spotted close inshore with a small pod of Dall’s Porpoises nearby.  It was impossible to tell whether the former were hunting the latter, however, all too soon the Porpoises disappeared leaving the Orca cruising up and down the coastline.

With everyone aboard the zodiacs and naiads, we set off towards the shore with the first “stop” being where the Orca had last been sighted.  There were four animals present and whilst we did not approach them too closely, nevertheless, we had great views as they cruised backwards and forwards presumably searching for one of the sea-lions from the nearby colony.

After everyone had had good looks at the Orca we moved over towards the Steller’s sea-lions.  Whilst most remained resolutely on the rocks, a “pack” of about 15-20 animals were clearly curious and made repeated passes of our little boats.

Moving round into a sheltered bay, an adult Steller’s Sea-Eagle was spotted on the cliff top a couple of hundred feet above us.  There were also hundreds of Tufted Puffins flying overhead with a good number also sat on the sea.  Several of these gave great views and it was obvious that there must be a fair sized colony somewhere above us on the cliff-tops.

As the majority of those on the trip had missed the two Horned Puffins which had been seen late the previous evening, good looks of several flying around the bay were very welcomed and whilst none were sat on the sea, everyone was more than satisfied with their views.

All too soon, however, it was time to head back to the ship and by 11am we were all back onboard and once again began heading south.  Although nothing new was seen on the wildlife front over the next few hours, we enjoyed stunning views of the snow-capped peaks which flanked the eastern coast of the Kamchatka Peninsula.

With the evening meal due to clash with our plans to explore Vestnik Bay (at the very southern end of the Kamchatka Peninsula), Rodney arranged an early dinner so we could explore the area after dinner.  As we dropped the anchor, a bushy blow was spotted and this was quickly identified as our second Grey Whale of the trip.  Subsequently we learnt that this bay was a traditional feeding spot for this highly endangered species and shortly after the first whale was spotted a second animal was also found.

After a high speed starter and main course (we would have dessert on our return to the ship), we set off to investigate the islands at the southern end of Vestnik Bay.  As we cruised closer, passing one of the Grey Whales, there were hundreds of Tufted Puffins sat on the sea.  As with their North Atlantic counterparts, these birds appeared to be gathering on the sea before heading ashore to their island burrows.

As we approached the island, we saw fifty or so seals hauled out on the beach.  Although the majority were Harbour (Common) Seals, there were also a number of the North Pacific endemic Largha Seal.

Feeding amongst the kelp beds were upwards of fifty Sea Otters, however, like the seals, although these were very curious, the Otters were also somewhat nervous and it was difficult to get much closer than 20m.

 

All too soon it was time to head back to the ship and after our delayed dessert, a number of us went back on deck to enjoy another spectacular sunset behind the snow-covered peaks of the Kamchatka Peninsula.  As we pulled away from Vestnik Bay, there were large numbers of alcids sat on the sea including a raft of more than one thousand Brunnich’s Guillemots, as well as Tufted Puffins and our first good looks at Ancient Murrelet. 

It was all too tempting to stay up and watch dusk turn to night and it was after midnight before a number of us finally wandered off to bed.

1 June

am: Atlasova Island, Northern Kuril Islands

pm: Paramushir Island, Northern Kuril Islands

Unlike yesterday, when we had enjoyed an almost cloud-free day from dawn until dusk, we woke to fog and only limited visibility as we headed towards our first scheduled landing in the Kuril Islands on Atlasova Island.

The poor weather conditions were hardly ideal for northbound migrants and shortly before breakfast, a thrush was seen flying around the ship.  After a couple of minutes, it landed and we had brief but good looks at a Brown-headed Thrush.

As we approached Atlasova island, the murk cleared somewhat, however, we were unable to see much higher than a couple of hundreds metres - rather unfortunate as the charts indicated that the island was close to a perfect volcanic cone. 

Transferring to the zodiacs and naiads, we cruised along the coastline and landed by what had apparently once been a fish-processing factory.  Now very much decayed, what remained of the buildings was surrounded by alder scrub.

On some nearby ponds, we saw Mallard, Greater Scaup (100+), Wigeon, Tufted Duck, Eurasian Teal and Pintail, however, our search of the scrub was quickly rewarded with great looks at two male Siberian Rubythroats, both of which were in full song.  Also present were at least a couple of Siberian Flycatchers, looking somewhat miserable in the murky conditions.

After an hour and a half ashore, we headed back to the landing beach and shortly afterwards were heading off towards Paramushir island, our scheduled afternoon landing.  

One of the Russian crew spent part of the journey gutting the fish they had caught off Atlasova and as all the scraps were being thrown overboard, we had a large flotilla of Fulmars and at least two Laysan Albatrosses following the ship, giving everyone some fantastic views of these birds. 

One new bird for the trip was added during the cruise over to Paramushir island, Crested Auklet.  Unfortunately, however, the six birds which were seen were somewhat distant – we will have to hope for some better views later on in the trip.

With the cloud at only about 200m, we boarded the zodiacs once again and set off for an expedition-style visit to Paramushir Island, as Rodney had struggled to find any literature on the part of the island he wanted to visit.

With a fairly heavy swell running, we searched for an appropriate spot to land and as we motored along, we had good looks at 100+ Harlequin Ducks and a new bird for the trip, Black Scoter.

Eventually a sheltered landing site was found and as we began to disembark, the clouds partially lifted allowing us good looks at the volcano which dominates this island.  We could see clear evidence that this was still active as it was possible to make out ‘smoke’ coming out of the top of the cone.

Although the clouds quickly rolled back in, this was the first place we had visited where it was really obvious that spring was not too far away.  There was no snow lying on the lower slopes and the stunted alders had in some case already started to leaf, with others clearly only a day or two from doing so.

The literature we had received prior to the expedition had stated that Brown Bears were reasonably common on this island and whilst none were seen whilst we were ashore, some extremely fresh ‘poo’ was found only a hundred metres from our landing site.  Future visitors beware ……….

Unfortunately, however, few summer migrants had yet reached Paramushir except Siberian Rubythroats.  Nevertheless, there was still plenty of bird activity with a small mixed colony of Red-faced and Pelagic cormorants about 500m away from where we had landed.  Whilst watching this, I saw a Raven ‘raid’ the colony twice, dislodging sitting birds and stealing eggs !!

With the time approaching 19:30, it was time to head back to the ship and as we did so, another party of Orca were spotted – a great end to another fantastic day.

 

2 June

am: Onekotan Island, Northern Kuril Islands

pm: Ekarma Island, Northern Kuril Islands

Shortly after 7am we set off in the zodiacs and naiads for Onekotan Island.  Unfortunately the mist we had experienced the previous afternoon had turned into thick fog, so we needed a GPS to navigate us ashore.

Landing on a black sandy beach at the mouth of a small river, we were somewhat surprised to find a path leading up and out of the steep-sided river valley, as we had been assured that this island was uninhabited.  A climb of about 300 feet brought us up onto a large plateau and we set off to explore in the murk.

With visibility not much more than two hundred metres, we struggled to find many birds, however, a radio message from Rodney’s son, Aaron, informed us that he had “found a fox”.  Retreating a couple of hundred metres, we had great views of the aforementioned animal, a Red fox, sitting only a matter of a few feet from Aaron.  It seemed completely disinterested in our presence and was in a somewhat scruffy state, as it was in the process of moulting its thick winter coat.

Returning to the ship, we set off in a south-westerly direction towards our next destination, Ekarma Island.  The journey was 50 nautical miles and due to take us 5-6 hours, so there was plenty of time for seawatching.  Although fog continued to restrict the visibility, we enjoyed a pod of five Orca (the fifth day in succession we had seen this species), two Dall’s Porpoises and cracking views of a Crested Auklet which stayed on the surface a matter of metres off our port side.

Late in the afternoon and with the fog having partially lifted, we boarded the zodiacs and naiads and set off for Ekarma Island.  Compared with Onekotan Island, walking around Ekarma was pretty hard work (long grass, large boulders and uneven ground), so after scrambling back down to the shoreline, we re-boarded the boats and began zodiac cruising around the southern end of the island.

By this stage, the weather was steadily improving and we were able to see both glaciers and the rim of the volcano a couple of thousand feet above us.

As we cruised round the coastline, the number of Fulmars was incredible and the day count must have been several hundred thousand birds minimum.  As with further north, almost all the birds were dark phase individuals with only a tiny percentage being pale, ie like the birds most of us were familiar with from UK waters.

Further round the island, we came across a Tufted Puffin colony and although we had already had multiple excellent views of this species, we all enjoyed a relaxing half hour as the birds went to and fro between the ocean and their burrows. 

There were also a number of Pigeon Guillemots, however, compared with the birds we had seen around the Kamchatka Peninsula these birds were very different (they are a different subspecies, snowi) as they lack the obvious pale panel in the wing.

As we slowly drifted offshore towards the ship, a message came over the radios informing us that the most seaward boat had found a Whiskered Auklet and the engines were quickly started on the other two boats and we raced over to look for this North Pacific endemic.  Fortunately, the bird seemed totally unconcerned by our presence and it showed down to 10 feet for the next 5 minutes, diving on one occasion but then resurfacing close-by.  Eventually it moved away, so we took the opportunity and headed back to the “Spirit of Enderby” for a well-deserved hot drink.  It had been a fantastic but rather chilly zodiac cruise.

As soon as everyone was onboard, we started heading south on again and over the next half an hour, 30+ more Whiskered Auklets were seen – we had certainly entered the waters where this great little alcid could be found.

With dinner only finishing at 10pm, the majority headed off straight to bed, however, they missed an amazing passage of Storm-Petrels with an estimated 100+ birds/minute passing the ship’s bows until it got dark 75 minutes later.  The majority of the birds were Leach’s, however, there also a good number of Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels.

At 10:45pm, some splashing was seen just off the bows suggesting that there might be some cetaceans bow-riding.  After a quick sprint to the front, 10 Dall’s porpoises were on show at point blank range.  After repeated distant sighting of this species, it was great to finally get some great looks at this little pied-balled cetacean, even if there were only a handful of us around to enjoy the spectacle.

 

3 June

am: Matua Island, Northern Kuril Islands

pm: Yankicho Island, Northern Kuril Islands

Shortly after dawn we arrived off Matua Island, as the planned visit to Raikoke Island (where hundreds of thousands of fulmars breed) had been abandoned as the island was fog-bound.  Matua Island, however, was clear of murk and it was possible to see the top of the volcano which dominated this island.

Up until the end of the Second World War, there had been a Japanese military presence on Matua and we understood that subsequently the Russians had based troops here after they seized the Kurils at the end of the War.  The island had, however, now been completely abandoned, although as soon as we got ashore, the evidence of human occupation was very obvious with decaying buildings, vehicles, oil drums, spent bullets etc.  Nature was, however, reclaiming the island with trees now growing over much of the old airstrip.

Once ashore, we were able to spread out and explore and as with almost all the other islands we had visited, Matua had extensive stands of stunted Alder trees.  None of these were yet in leaf and this allowed us to get some nice looks at a number of stunning male Siberian Rubythroats.  As with the other islands we had visited, there were relatively few female Rubythroats, so it seemed that the males must migrate earlier and set up their territories before their mates arrive.

Back on the beach, there were four summer plumage Grey-tailed Tattlers feeding amongst the rocks.  These had only light chevrons on the flanks and breast with these markings not extending onto the belly or undertail coverts as would have been the case on a Wandering Tattler.

As we cruised away from Matua and onwards towards our next destination, Yankicho Island, the fog continued to come and go, however, this did not prevent us seeing incredible numbers of both Whiskered and Crested Auklets.  There were so many birds that any sort of estimate was a totally wild guess, however, over the course of three hours, we almost certainly saw in excess of one million birds.

Whilst some of these were alone, in pairs or small groups, on occasions we passed huge flocks of birds where the flock sizes were many tens of thousands of individuals – a truly amazing spectacle. 

 

As we closed in on our destination, the weather began to clear and over the course of an hour, there were repeated sightings of Orca with a minimum of fifty animals seen.  Some of these were extremely close to the ship and all on board got great looks at this largest member of the dolphin family.

Arriving off Yankicho Island, the fog had unfortunately returned, however, undaunted we boarded the zodiacs and naiads and set off to explore the inside of the volcano caldera which dominated this end of the island.  Many millennia ago, part of the caldera had become submerged and there was now an entrance which allowed us to cruise inside, passing some impressive seabird stacks where many thousands of Black-legged Kittiwake and several hundred Brunnich’s Guillemots were breeding.

Once inside, we landed on a small sandy beach and by, quite literally, following our noses came to some active sulphur vents.  Close up, it was possible to see that the sulphur had actually crystalised around some of the vents and there were also pools of boiling water.  It was very apparent that this volcano was certainly still active !!

Whilst we standing around, a Blue Fox suddenly appeared and proceeded to walk around amongst the group completely unconcerned by our presence.  It seemed this animal had no concept of fear (when it came to humans) and it was quite happy to get close to people and inspect rucksacks, adding an interesting aroma to one bag by liberally urinating on it and then rolling on its handiwork !!

Back in the boats, we cruised around the edge of the crater-lake seeing more foxes and getting good looks at Pacific Diver, Harlequin Duck, Northern Shoveler and umpteen, mainly Crested, Auklets.

Returning to the ship under the guidance of my GPS (as the fog had rolled in once again), the majority of folk elected to have a hot shower to warm up – it had been a fantastic evening excursion (18:15-20:45) but, nevertheless, a very cold one.

 

4 June

am and pm: Shimushir Island, Central Kuril Islands

With the overnight weather conditions looking perfect for birds coming onto the ship during the night (fog, rain and a strong wind), I had asked the night watch on the bridge to wake me up if they saw any birds land on the ship during the night.  At 3am, there was a knock on the door and the duty seaman informed me that there was a “bird at bridge”. 

Having dressed hurriedly and run up to the bridge, I was shown the bird, a bunting, which had landed just outside one of the outside bridge doors.  It was easily caught and with no boxes to store it in overnight, I emptied a drawer in my cabin to act as a temporary storage container until the morning.

With one bird on the ship, it was possible that there might be others, so I made a quick check of all the other decks.  Another bunting was found but sadly this had crashed into the superstructure and was dead.  With nothing else to be found, it was back to bed for some more sleep …….

Shortly after dawn, we arrived off Shimushir Island, however, as had been our recent experience the island was fog-bound.  Undaunted, we boarded the zodiacs and naiads taking with us a box containing our now identified overnight guest, a Japanese Grey Bunting.

As we approached Shimushir, the fog cleared and we had great views of the island which like Yankicho (the island we had landed on yesterday evening) was a flooded volcanic caldera with an entrance which allowed us to cruise in.  There had apparently been a secret submarine base on this island during the ‘Cold War’ and as soon as we were within the caldera, we could make out the long-abandoned buildings.

Landing on a shingle beach immediately adjacent to where we presumed the submarines had been berthed, we released the bunting which disappeared off into some nearby vegetation, none the worse for its night on the ship.

With over three hours ashore, we started by birding around the abandoned settlement where Siberian Rubythroats were incredible common with singing males seemingly every 50 metres or so. 

 

 

 

 

A new bird was added to our list when a pair of Nutcrackers were found.  These were pretty tame allowing some good looks and over the course of the next couple of hours, this pair or some others were seen and heard on several occasions.

As well as abandoned buildings, the Russians had also left all sorts of junk around the base including rusting bulldozers, lorries and oil barrels, some of which, unfortunately, were leaking.

There were, however, plenty of birds in the immediate vicinity with a singing male Pine Grosbeak and a number of Brown-headed Thrushes being the main highlights.  Other species seen include several more Grey Buntings and the local race of Coal Tit which looked very different to the birds in the UK being far colder in colour.

After three hours, it was time to continue our journey south and after cruising down the west coast of the island for about 40 miles, we went ashore again in the late afternoon at the southern end of Shimushir.  From a birding perspective this landing was a little disappointing, however, the scenery was stunning with snow-capped peaks several thousand feet above us.

5 June

am: Broutona Island, Central Kuril Islands

pm: Urup Island, Central Kuril Islands

Prior to dawn we were anchored in one of the bays off Broutona Island and as dawn broke we enjoyed a stunning sunrise from the zodiacs and naiads which we had boarded at 7am.  After a brief cruise, which included frustratingly brief views of a Parakeet Auklet (only seen by one boat), we landed on a sandy beach on Broutona Island.

Along the beach was a curious line of krill (or a similar type of small crustacean) which had somehow just been washed ashore in large numbers.  Indeed, so recently had some of them been beached that they were still alive and frantically wriggling on the dark sand.  Clearly rich pickings for the resident Slaty-backed gulls …..

As the habitat seemed similar to where we had been the previous afternoon, a number of us elected to go on another zodiac cruise, as on the ride in we had seen various seabirds on some nearby cliffs, as well as an impressive large male Northern/Steller’s sea lion. 

Cruising slowly around the shore, we enjoyed some excellent views of about half a dozen Pigeon guillemot of the Kuril subspecies which thus lacked most of the white wing panel we had seen on more northerly birds.  There were mutterings that these birds seemed as different from the Kamchatka birds as from Spectacled Guillemot.  May be a possible split …..

As we continued slowly cruising along the shoreline, we saw our first White-tailed Eagle of the trip which was standing on the cliffs just above us.  This was an impressive adult with a very pale head and a pure white tail. 

 

 

 

Returning to the seabird cliffs, we enjoyed great views of Brunnich’s Guillemots, Red-faced Cormorants and Black-legged Kittiwakes (all of which were breeding) and then to our surprise saw a Horned Puffin on the cliffs.  It appeared that this bird was using a hole in the rock face as a natural “burrow”.  Whilst we had seen this species on four previous occasions, all these sightings had either been brief, in flight or at a distance, so it was great to finally catch up with this bird and get good looks at a perched individual.

Collecting the rest of the group from the beach, we re-boarded the “Spirit of Enderby” and continued on our southward journey, enjoying a late breakfast before returning outside to see what seabirds and cetaceans we could find.

We had only been out on the ‘monkey deck’ (the deck above the bridge) for a short while, when I spotted five Auklets sitting together on the sea.  It was clear that there were two species involved, as one bird was distinctly smaller than the other four and as we got closer, we realised that the larger birds were Whiskered Auklets, the second smallest alcid in the Pacific.  The smaller bird could, therefore, only be one species, a Least Auklet.  Whilst we had hoped to find this species on the trip, we were now at the southern end of its breeding range, so it was great to add this one to the list at this late stage.

As we cruised out into deeper water a Sperm whale was spotted blowing and over the next couple of hours, a further twenty or so were seen. 

During the morning, we also saw a couple of pods of Orca (c.20 animals) and amongst these was one animal with a dorsal fin which was completely bent over.  Some commented that it looked rather like the animal from the “Free Willy” movie and it was suggested that like that Orca, the one we had seen was presumably sick in some way.

Towards the middle of the afternoon, we arrived at our next destination, Urup Island, and as had been the case all day, we were blessed with clear blue skies and no cloud or fog.  Once ashore, we quickly realised that the temperature was, for the first time on the trip, actually quite pleasant and a large number of fleeces and jackets were temporarily abandoned on the beach, before we set off to explore the island. 

The spring-like conditions certainly worked in our favour, as we added two new birds to the trip list during the couple of hours we were ashore.  The first of these was Middendorf’s Grasshopper Warbler, a bird which we had hoped to encounter further north.  On Urup, however, it appeared that a reasonable number had arrived and whilst the majority of these were extremely elusive (ie typical behaviour for Locustella warblers), one was seen making the high arcing display flight this species is known for.

The other new species was Long-tailed Rosefinch and we were lucky enough to find a superb adult male that came to drink at a small pool on a couple of occasions.

 

6 June

am and pm: Iturup Island, Southern Kuril Islands

Today had been billed as a “cultural day” with visits to the main settlement on Iturup Island, however, the day started with a minor snag as, somewhat unexpectedly, there was no one to meet us when the three zodiacs and naiads reached a small beach on the edge of the town.  Our Russian agent (who had been travelled with us) made some quick telephone calls and discovered that the Southern Kuril Islands were two hours behind Petropavlovsk time – we were rather early and instead of meeting our local guides at 08:30, we had showed up shortly after 06:30am local time !!!

To fill the time, we went for a walk around the town adding a new bird to our list, Large-billed (or Jungle) Crow.  These were incredible common and far more numerous than, for example, Carrion Crows in the UK with several hundred loafing around the town.  On the beach, we also saw a number of Black-tailed Gulls, another new species for the trip.

After meeting up with our local guides and a short visit to the town’s museum (only one fairly small room containing, amongst other things, some rather ‘sad’ stuffed birds and animals), we boarded our transport for the day and set off to explore Iturup.  Our vehicle was, however, somewhat different from the average tourist coach as it was a 22-seater cabin mounted on the back of what looked like a medium-sized lorry with three pairs of substantial tyres – we were clearly going to be crossing some interesting terrain !!

We set off along the coast and after a while the road deteriorated to little more than a track, with us fording streams and crossing some rather dicey looking wooden bridges.  Further on still, the driver left the track altogether and we were then driving along the beach and occasionally in the surf !!

Passing some interesting looking wetlands, we eventually reached our destination which was known as the “White Rocks”.  These were some spectacularly weathered pumice cliffs and after a few minutes admiring these we set off again (along the beach !!), to a waterfall. 

Whilst there had been only limited birding opportunities up until then, we were now able to explore the area around the waterfall and enjoyed great views of the local subspecies of Bullfinch.  These birds were very different from those in Europe with the males only having pink throats (and brown breasts) rather than this extending down onto the underparts as on European birds.  Also seen at this site were our first Pacific Swifts which gave great views as they whirled around the nearby cliffs.

Returning by the same route, we negotiated a short stop at the aforementioned wetland.  As well as a selection of familiar wildfowl, ie Tufted Duck, Northern Pintail and Eurasian Wigeon, the surprise was finding a single Black-winged Stilt – a species which is apparently only a vagrant to this part of Russia.

Following a very pleasant lunch at a local restaurant where the owners were evidently convinced that Westerners should be fed vast quantities of food (soup, crab, salad, fish and potato and dessert !!), we headed off to an area where we had been told that there were archaeological remains left by some of the earliest settlers to reach the Kurils.  Although there was little visible evidence remaining of their settlement, the area was great for birding with the added advantages of glorious weather and some stunning scenery.

New birds added to our list included Latham’s Snipe (at least one displaying bird), Lanceolated Warbler, Japanese Bush-Warbler and Common Cuckoo.

After half an hour or so, it was time to head to the final destination of our whistle-stop tour of Iturup, the thermo-electric plant on a nearby volcano.  As we climbed up into the mountains, it was amazing how quickly the spring meadows we had enjoyed by the sea, gave way to forest and large snow fields – spring had certainly not yet come to the mountains on this island.

After a brief look at the power station (which was apparently not functioning properly due to a problem with the underground cables which took the electricity down to the town !!), we had time to explore the immediate vicinity finding some boiling mud pools and hissing sulphur vents. 

Later, as we were driving back down the mountain, our truck suddenly came to an abrupt halt, the door flew open and one of our Russian guides (who had been sitting in the cab) said something excitedly to our translator – evidently there were some Brown Bears up ahead and piling out of the vehicle, we sprinted to the brow of the small hill in front of us.  About 50m in front of us was a large female with two cubs who on seeing us began lumbering away down the road. 

We enjoyed great views of the Bears, however, it was sad to see that they were so wary of humans, especially when we compared them with the Red Fox we had seen on Onekotan and the Blue Fox we had seen on Yankicho which both seemed to have no concept that people presented a serious threat to them.

Returning to the town, we were invited to a short outdoor concert which had been laid on for the benefit of ourselves and another expedition ship, the Clipper Odyssey, which had just disembarked its passengers.  Discussing what we had seen with the Clipper’s bird guide, we were told that Russet sparrows could be found at a spot only a couple of minutes walk away.  Slinking away from the concert, we followed the directions and within a couple of minutes were enjoying great looks at this cracking member of the Sparrow family.

After well over 12 hours ashore, we returned to the “Spirit of Enderby” and shortly afterwards began cruising south towards Kunashir Island.

 

7 June

Am and pm: Kunashir Island, Southern Kuril Islands

We awoke to another morning of thick fog for our visit to Kunashir Island, much of which is a nature reserve.  The weather meant we could not see the shoreline, so loading my GPS with the position on the beach where the Officers on the Bridge had told us the Park Ranger would be waiting for us (as they had spoken to him by radio), we set off into the mist, quickly losing sight of the ship.

On reaching the shore, we were told over the radio that there had been some confusion, as the Ship’s Officers had told us to go to west side of a nearby river mouth but we now heard that the Ranger was apparently waiting for us on the east side !!!  Undaunted, we cruised eastward and shortly afterwards spotted him through the murk, waiting for us on the shore.

We had an easy landing on a black volcanic sand beach and having pulled the zodiac up the shore to above the tide-line, we received a short briefing on our planned activities on the island.  Due to a high population of Brown Bears, we would have to stay as a single group during our morning walk and to ensure our safety, the ship’s staff had bear-scaring devices and the Ranger a gun !!!

One of the more significant birds on this island was the Blakiston’s Fish-Owl and the Ranger took us into the woods to an area where he knew a pair of these owls roosted.  Unfortunately these could not be found, however, over the course of the morning, we saw a number of good birds including Long-billed Plover, Red-flanked Bluetail, Japanese Bush-Warbler and Asian Brown Flycatcher.

After a couple of hours, our circular walk brought us back to the beach (near the aforementioned river mouth) and we enjoyed good looks at 5+ White-tailed Sea-Eagles and a single Black Kite.

The ship’s Chefs had brought a buffet lunch over in one of the zodiacs and after eating this on the beach, we split into two with some going back into the woods (in the hope of finding an Owl) and the rest of the group going for a walk along the shoreline.

Those of us who went back into the forest found it rather quiet and Owl-less, however, we saw our last Siberian Rubythroats of the expedition as well as the local subspecies of Willow Tit, Coal Tit and Nuthatch, all of which were far “colder” in colour than their Western European counterparts.

Returning to the zodiacs in the middle of the afternoon, we found a new bird for the trip close inshore, a Red-throated Diver, and then enjoyed a leisurely cruise back to the ‘Spirit of Enderby’.  There were good numbers of auks between the shore and the ship and these included a single Spectacled Guillemot, a species I had not seen since shortly after leaving Petropavlovsk. 

Also seen were good numbers of Ancient Murrelets, a couple of Long-billed Murrelets and our final new alcid for the trip, Rhinoceros Auklet.  At least a hundred of these were seen and by cruising along very slowly, we were able to get great looks at some of them and make out the small horn on their bills, which gives them their name.

Once all were back onboard, we set sail towards our final destination, Sakhalin Island, however, two new cetaceans were seen before the end of the day with brief, but conclusive, looks at both a Northern Minke Whale and a Harbour Porpoise.

 

8 June

At sea crossing the Sea of Okhotsk

Today was our last full day on the ship and, unfortunately, for much of the day, we had some of the thickest fog of the entire voyage.  Periodically this would clear and we would have a good view and then, just as quickly, we would re-enter another bank of murk. 

As a result, birding was somewhat restricted, however, with bags to pack, accounts to settle and departure briefings to attend, there were plenty of things that needed to be done. 

When the fog did clear, the one species we did see and in vast numbers were Sooty Shearwaters.  As we crossed the Sea of Okhotsk, it was very obvious that this was an important moulting area for this species, as there were literally tens of thousands of birds with many of these in an extremely scruffy state and, in some cases, missing many of their flight feathers.

As was the case earlier in the trip, there were attempts to find some Short-tailed Shearwaters amongst the multitude.  However, this was even more difficult than usual (and this species pair are bad enough at the best of times!!), due to the degree of feather loss on many of the birds. 

By early evening, the only other species we had seen were 20+ Northern Fulmars, ten Fork-tailed Storm-Petrels and a few Black-tailed Gulls and shortly after dinner we were anchored off the port of Korsakov at the southern end of Sakhalin Island.  Our trip was all but over and all that remained was to disembark after breakfast the following morning.

SYSTEMATIC LIST - BIRDS

 

White-billed Diver [Yellow-billed Loon]                    Gavia adamsii

A winter plumage bird was seen shortly after leaving Kunashir Island on 7 June.

 

Red-throated Diver [Loon]                    Gavia stellata

Only one seen - off Kunashir Island in the Southern Kurils on 7 June.

 

Pacific Diver [Loon]                    Gavia pacifica

The only Pacific diver which was seen well was whilst zodiac cruising on the "crater lake" at Yankicho Island on 3 June. 

A number of divers were also seen around the Zhuponavo River, Kamchatka Peninsula on 30 May and were presumed to mostly be this species, however, these were generally only seen in flight and the views were not conclusive.

 

Laysan Albatross                      Phoebastria immutabilis

Seen in variable numbers on an almost daily basis throughout much of the trip.

 

Northern Fulmar                       Fulmarus glacialis

An extremely common bird throughout much of the trip with the largest numbers being around Ekarma Islands (2 June) where hundreds of thousands were seen.  Further south, it was less common, however, daily counts were still typically in three figures.

Almost all the birds seen were dark phase, the so-called “Blue fulmar”.  The percentage of pale birds, ie similar to those typically encountered in UK waters, was well below 1%.

 

Mottled Petrel                        Pterodroma inexpectata

Only seen on 28 May during the voyage from Petropavlovsk to Commander Island with an estimate of ten birds during the day.

 

Sooty Shearwater                      Puffinus griseus

Separating this species from Short-tailed shearwater is never easy, especially when birds are in moult, however, birds which were considered to be this species were seen periodically throughout the trip. 

The largest numbers were in the Sea of Okhotsk, which appears to be an important moulting site for this species, as many thousands were seen there.

 

Short-tailed Shearwater               Puffinus tenuirostris

Birds which were certainly Short-tailed shearwaters were seen on a number of days, especially during the early stages of the trip.  See comments under Sooty shearwater about separating this species from Sooty shearwater. 

 

Leach's Storm-Petrel                  Oceanodroma leucorhoa

There was a major passage of this species in the late evening of 2 June when it was estimated that 100+ per minute were passing the ship at relatively close range.

 

Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel              Oceanodroma furcata

This species was seen in variable numbers on most days of the trip.

 

Japanese Cormorant                    Phalacrocorax capillatus

Only seen around some of the more Southern Kuril Islands and then in relatively small numbers with the maximum day count being ten birds.

 

Pelagic Cormorant                     Phalacrocorax pelagicus

Seen on an almost daily basis until Urup Island (5 June) after which none were seen.

 

Red-faced Cormorant                   Phalacrocorax urile

Similar status to the above species.  Best views were of breeding birds on Atlasova and Paramushir Islands.  At the later site, Ravens were twice seen to raid nests and successfully steal eggs.

 

Grey Heron                            Ardea cinerea

During the voyage itself, only a single sighting of one bird on Urup Island on 5 June. Subsequently, several birds were seen during a birding excursion on Sakhalin Island on 10 June.

 

Intermediate Egret                    Egretta intermedia

Not seen during the voyage, however, a single bird was seen on 10 June on Sakhalin Island.

 

Eurasian Wigeon                       Anas penelope

Seen on six dates during the voyage with a double figure count only on one date.

 

Eurasian Teal                         Anas crecca

Seen on four dates during the first half of the voyage with the largest numbers during the zodiac cruise up the Zhuponavo River, Kamchatka on 30 May.

 

Mallard                               Anas platyrhynchos

Only seen during the cruise on the Zhuponavo River and subsequently on Atlasova Island in the Northern Kurils on 1 June.

 

Northern Pintail                      Anas acuta

Seen on four dates whilst cruising through the Kuril Islands.  All counts were of between 2-4 birds.

 

Northern Shoveler                     Anas clypeata

Four birds seen on 2 June at Ekarma Island.

 

Common Pochard                        Aythya ferina

Not seen during the cruise itself with the only sighting being 3 birds on Sakhalin Island on 10 June.

 

Tufted Duck                           Aythya fuligula

Small numbers seen on Atlasova Island, Northern Kuril Islands on 1 June and 10+ on 6 June on Iturup Island, Southern Kuril Islands.

 

Greater Scaup                         Aythya marila

Seen on 3 dates during the expedition, with the largest number being on Atlasova Island where c.100 were seen on 1 June.

 

Harlequin Duck                        Histrionicus histrionicus

Seen on 8 dates throughout the trip with the highest numbers being around Paramushir Island (North Kuril Islands) where 100+ were seen on 1 June and Kunashir Island (South Kurils) where a single flock of at least two hundred birds was seen.

 

Black Scoter                          Melanitta nigra

A flock of 50+ birds was seen off Paramushir Island, North Kuril Islands on 1 June with five then seen on 7 June around Kunashir Island, South Kurils.

This species was, however, very common during some post voyage birding along the east coast of Sakhalin.

 

White-winged Scoter                   Melanitta fusca

Only seen after the voyage during a birding excursion on Sakhalin Island on 10 June when large numbers were encountered in mixed flocks with the previous species.

 

Common Goldeneye                      Bucephala clangula

Small numbers were seen during the zodiac cruise on the Zhuponavo River, Kamchatka on 30 May.

 

Red-breasted Merganser                Mergus serrator

Only two individuals were seen - near the Zhuponavo River, Kamchatka on 30 May.

 

Goosander                      Mergus merganser

Seen in small numbers on three dates during the expedition with the strangest sighting being two birds many miles out to see whilst crossing from Petropavlovsk to Commander Island on 28 May.

 

Osprey                                Pandion haliaetus

A single bird was seen on Sakhalin Island on 10 June during a post-voyage birding excursion.

 

Black Kite                            Milvus migrans

The only sighting during the voyage itself was on the Southern Kuril island of Kunashir where a single bird was seen on 7 June.  A further two individuals were subsequent seen on a birding excursion on Sakhalin Island on 10 June.

 

White-tailed Eagle                    Haliaeetus albicilla

Only seen on three dates (5-7 June inclusive) with a total of about 12 birds noted.  The largest number seen was on Kunashir Island where there were at least five birds.

 

Steller's Sea-Eagle                   Haliaeetus pelagicus

One of the undoubted highlights of the trip and seen on four dates.  The largest number of birds seen and the best views were on the Zhuponavo river, Kamchatka (30 May) where at least 12 individuals were noted.  A number of these were pairs which were roosting close to their eyries. 

Subsequent sightings were at the Russkaya Fjord and Vestnik Bay, Southern Kamchatka (31 May) where a total of 5+ birds were seen and at Ekarma and Matua Islands (2 and 3 June) where single birds were noted.

Eurasian Sparrowhawk                  Accipiter nisus

A single bird was seen flying around the ship in the early morning of 2 June (close to Onekotan Island) with a subsequent sighting of one bird in woodland near the geo-thermal power plant on Iturup Island on 6 June.

 

Eurasian Buzzard                      Buteo buteo

Two birds were seen during a birding excursion on Southern Sakhalin Island on 10 June, ie after the completion of the voyage.

 

Rough-legged Buzzard                      Buteo lagopus

Three birds seen during a pre-voyage birding excursion near Petropavlovsk on 26 May.

 

Black-winged Stilt                    Himantopus himantopus

A single bird was seen in marshland on Iturup Island on 6 June.  This species appears to only be a vagrant to this part of Russia.

 

Long-billed Plover                    Charadrius placidus

At least one bird was seen on Kunashir Island (South Kurils) on 7 June.

 

Latham's Snipe                        Gallinago hardwickii

At least two birds were seen displaying on Iturup Island, Southern Kurils on 6 June.  A further individual was also seen the following day on Kunashir Island.

Following the completion of the voyage, there were a number of further sightings of this species during a birding excursion on Sakhalin Island on 10 June.

 

Common Snipe                          Gallinago gallinago

Only seen during a pre-voyage birding trip at a site north of Petropavlovsk where 20+ birds were seen displaying.

 

Whimbrel                              Numenius phaeopus

A single bird seen on Matua Island on 3 June.

 

Far Eastern Curlew                    Numenius madagascariensis

Only seen on one occasion during the voyage – one bird seen in flight over Atlasova Island in the Northern Kurils on 1 June.

 

Common Greenshank                     Tringa nebularia

Small numbers seen during the zodiac cruise on the Zhuponavo River, Kamchatka on 30 May.

 

Wood Sandpiper                        Tringa glareola

A single bird showed down to a matter of metres (sat on riverside scrub) during the zodiac cruise on the Zhuponavo River on 30 May. 

A few birds were also seen displaying at a marsh near to Petropavlovsk on 26 May, the day before the start of the voyage.

 

Grey-tailed Tattler                   Heterosceles brevipes

Four summer plumage birds seen well feeding in rock pools on Matua Island on 3 June.  A single bird having also been seen the previous day on Ekarma Island.

 

Ruddy Turnstone                       Arenaria interpres

Only seen on two occasions during the voyage with a flock of c.30 birds seen flying passed the ship close to Shimushir Island on 4 June, with a further 4 birds on Iturup Island on 6 June.

 

Long-toed Stint                       Calidris subminuta

A lone bird was seen on Atlasova Island in the Northern Kurils on 1 June.

 

Rock Sandpiper                        Calidris ptilocnemis

One bird was seen on the shoreline in front of the village of Nikol'skoye on Commander Island on 29 May.

 

Red-necked Phalarope                  Phalaropus lobatus

There were three figure counts of predominantly summer plumage birds on both 30 May and 1 June.  These were all in small flocks and appeared to be in the process of migrating north. 

There was an additional sighting on 2 June when approximately 20 birds were seen.

 

Grey [Red] Phalarope                         Phalaropus fulicarius

Only seen on the same dates as the previous species, although smaller numbers were involved.  As with the Red-necked Phalaropes referred to above, the majority of birds were in summer plumage, with all sightings at sea.

 

Pomarine Skua [Jaeger]                      Stercorarius pomarinus

A total of five birds were positively identified as Pomarine skuas with 1 full adult (complete with “spoons”) seen during the crossing from Petropavlovsk to the Commander Islands on 28 May, one in the late afternoon of 5 June near to Urup Island and a final sighting of two birds near to Kunashir Island on 7 June.

 

Arctic Skua [Parasitic Jaeger]                     Stercorarius parasiticus

One seen during the approach to the mouth of the Zhuponavo river on 30 May and a further sighting of three birds near Matua Island on 3 June.

 

Long-tailed Skua                    Stercorarius longicaudus

A single bird on 28 May during the crossing to Commander Islands from Petropavlovsk.  Subsequent sightings were on 30 May during the journey back to Kamchatka when a single bird was noted and on 3 June when two were seen near Matua Island.

 

Black-tailed Gull                     Larus crassirostris

This species was only seen in the later stages of the voyage with at least five birds near to the settlement on Iturup Island in the Southern Kuril Islands and similar numbers the following day on Kunashir.

 

Glaucous-winged Gull                  Larus glaucescens

This species was commoner during the northern part of the trip and was noted on an almost daily basis with the exception being the last couple of days when none were seen.

A number of nests were found during the visit to Topolkov Island, one of the small islets offshore from Commander Island on 29 May. 

 

Slaty-backed Gull                     Larus schistisagus

As with the Glaucous-winged gull, this species was encountered on most days of the trip, however, unlike the aforementioned species it was generally commoner further south.

 

Black-headed Gull                     Larus ridibundus

Seen periodically throughout the expedition with 10+ in Petropavlovsk on 27 May, five at the mouth of the Zhuponavo River, Kamchatka Peninsula on 30 May, two on Yankicho Island on 3 June and 20+ on Iturup Island on 6 June.

 

Red-legged Kittiwake                  Rissa brevirostris

This north Pacific endemic was only found during the early part of the voyage with at least twenty seen during the crossing from Petropavlovsk to Commander Islands on 28 May. 

Good numbers were also noted in a mixed kittiwake colony at Arij Karmen Island (off Commander Island) the following day, although the majority of birds in this colony were Black-legged kittiwakes.

 

Black-legged Kittiwake                Rissa tridactyla

Seen on nine dates during the voyage and considerably commoner than the Red-legged Kittiwake.  The largest numbers were around breeding cliffs on Yankicho Island (3 June) and Broutona Island (5 June) where the counts were several thousand birds.

 

Common Tern                           Sterna hirundo

Only seen in the early stages of the trip, around Petropavlovsk (26 and 27 May) and on the Zhuponavo River on 30 May.  Subsequently, a number of birds were also noted around Sakhalin.

 

Aleutian Tern                         Sterna aleutica

Not seen during the voyage itself, although several were seen during a birding excursion on Sakhalin Island on 10 June.

 

Common Guillemot                          Uria aalge

Identified on a far less frequent basis than the commoner Brunnich’s guillemot with confirmed sightings on only five dates.  The largest number were seen on Arij Karmen (a small island off Commander Island) where there was a reasonable sized colony.

 

Brunnich’s Guillemot                    Uria lomvia

This species was seen on most days during the trip, albeit in variable numbers.  The first sighting was in the bay on which Petropavlovsk is located (27 May) and the last record was on 7 June off Kunashir Island in the Southern Kurils.

The largest numbers were in Vestnik Bay, Southern Kamchatka (31 May), Yankicho Island (3 June) and Broutona Island (5 June) where this species breeds and the counts varied between low hundreds and several thousands.

 

Pigeon Guillemot                      Cepphus columba

This species was seen on seven dates with the largest counts (several dozen birds) on Topolkov Island, a small island off Commander Island (29 May) and off Russkaya Fjord and Vestnik Bay, both on the Kamchatka Peninsula, on 31 May.

Further south, this species was also seen in the Kuril Islands (Matua and Broutona Islands), however, the birds there are a different subspecies, snowi, and lack the prominent white wing panel of the more northern birds.

 

Spectacled Guillemot                  Cepphus carbo

This species was only noted on two occasions during the voyage, with a single bird seen shortly after leaving the wharf at Petropavlovsk (27 May) and another lone individual on 7 June off Kunashir Island.

During a subsequent birding excursion on Sakhalin Island, at least ten birds were seen at a breeding colony approximately 120 kms north of Yuzhno-Sakhalin.

 

Long-billed Murrelet                  Brachyramphus perdix

Another alcid which was only seen on a few occasions, with one bird seen well but briefly on the zodiac ride back to the ‘Spirit of Enderby’ after the cruise on the Zhuponavo river, Kamchatka Peninsula on 30 May.  Four birds were then seen the following day near to Russkaya Fjord, with the only other sighting being two birds off Kunashir Island in the Southern Kurils on 7 June.

 

Ancient Murrelet                      Synthliboramphus antiquus

This species was seen on nine days with sightings throughout the trip.  Although on most occasions only single figure counts were involved, 100+ birds were noted near Petropavlovsk on 27 May, Vestnik Bay (Kamchatka Peninsula) on 31 May and off Kunashir Island (Southern Kurils) on 7 June.

 

Parakeet Auklet                       Aethia psittacula

This species was, somewhat surprisingly, only seen on two occasions with two birds seen off Yankicho Island on 3 June and a single bird close inshore off Broutona Island on 5 June.

 

Crested Auklet                        Aethia cristatella

Only seen between Atlasova Island (Northern Kurils) and Urup Island (Southern Kurils) and generally only in moderate numbers, ie low hundreds maximum on any one day.

The largest concentrations were whilst at sea cruising down a fairly steep shelf edge between Matua and Yankicho Islands on 3 June when the estimated number encountered over the course of just a few hours was a minimum of several hundred thousands and conceivably over one million birds.  The sheer number of birds seen congregating in this area was truly staggering and undoubtedly one of the major highlights of the voyage.

 

 

Whiskered Auklet                      Aethia pygmaea

This species was first seen in the afternoon of 2 June when an extremely tolerant individual was watched at very close range from three zodiacs/naiads close inshore off Ekarma Island.

Whilst 20+ individuals were seen later that day, the following day “monster numbers” were seen (along with Crested auklet – see above species account) between Matua and Yankicho Islands.  As with the Crested auklets, it is almost impossible to accurately estimate the number seen over the course of the afternoon but it was certainly many hundreds of thousands.

The only other sightings of this species were on the following two days (ie 4 and 5 June), however, the numbers counted were only in double figures.

 

Least Auklet                          Aethia pusilla

The only sighting was of a single bird sat on the sea with four Whiskered auklets shortly after leaving Broutona Island on 5 June. 

According to the available literature, Broutona Island appears to be at the extreme southern end of this species’ breeding range.

 

Rhinoceros Auklet                     Cerorhinca monocerata

Only seen in the vicinity of Kunashir Island in the South Kurils on 7 June where the day count was an estimate of 100+ birds.

 

Horned Puffin                         Fratercula corniculata

This species was unexpectedly uncommon and although seen on five dates, on most of these occasions only one-three birds were seen (eg two off the mouth of the Zhuponavo river on 30 May, one in Vestnik Bay on 31 May and three off Ekarma Island on 2 June). 

Most sightings were also somewhat brief/distant, however, two birds were seen exceptionally well on a seabird cliff on Broutona Island (5 June) where it appeared they were using a natural crevice in the rock as a “burrow”.

The only place where reasonable numbers were found was just south of the Russkaya fjord, Kamchatka Peninsula, where at least a couple of dozen were seen during a zodiac cruise.

 

Tufted Puffin                         Fratercula cirrhata

This species was seen on an almost daily basis from leaving Petropavlovsk until Kunashir Island in the Southern Kurils.  Day counts were often in the hundreds, however, in the later stages of the trip, the numbers fell markedly with none, for example, seen in the final stages of the trip, ie whilst crossing the Sea of Okhotsk.

 

Oriental Turtle-Dove                  Streptopelia orientalis

Only encountered during the latter stages of the trip with the first sighting being of a single bird on Yankicho Island on 3 June.  Two birds were then seen on Iturup Island, Southern Kuril Islands on 6 June, with a number subsequently seen on Sakhalin Island during a post voyage birding excursion.

 

Common Cuckoo                         Cuculus canorus

Another migrant species which was only seen in the final stages of the voyage with 2 birds seen on Iturup Island on 6 June and a similar number the following day on Kunashir Island.

 

 

 

 

White-throated Needletail             Hirundapus caudacutus

This species was not found during the voyage, however, about 10 birds were seen in one loose flock during a birding excursion on the east coast of Sakhalin Island on 10 June.

 

Pacific (Fork-tailed) Swift                     Apus pacificus

Another migrant which was only seen towards the end of the trip. 

First seen on Iturup Island in the Southern Kurils on 6 June where at least one hundred birds were noted across various sites.  At least fifty birds were also seen just prior to disembarking the ‘Spirit of Enderby’ at the port in South Sakhalin on 9 June.

 

Pygmy Woodpecker                      Dendrocopos kizuki

This species was not seen during the voyage, however, it was seen exceptionally well in the town park at Yuzhno-Sakhalin on 9 June. 

 

Great Spotted Woodpecker              Dendrocopos major

One bird seen on Kunashir Island, South Kurils on 7 June.

 

Eurasian Three-toed Woodpecker        Picoides tridactylus

Prior to the start of the voyage, a single bird was seen very well in forest a few miles north of Petropavlovsk on 26 May.

A bird believed to have been this species was also heard drumming in woodland in the mountains on Iturup Island in the Southern Kurils on 6 June.

 

Sky Lark                              Alauda arvensis

This species was seen in small numbers on five dates during the voyage - Zhuponavo river, Kamchatka on 30 May, Atlasova Island on 1 June, Matua Island on 3 June, Broutona Island on 5 June and Iturup Island on 6 June.

 

Sand Martin                          Riparia riparia

The only sighting on the voyage was of 5+ birds on Iturup Island on 6 June.  Similar numbers were seen subsequent to the trip during a birding excursion on Sakhalin Island on 10 June.

 

Barn Swallow                          Hirundo rustica

Two birds were seen on Iturup Island on 6 June.

 

White Wagtail                         Motacilla alba

The taxonomy of some of the black-and-white wagtails which occur in this part of Asia continues to be somewhat controversial with “Black-backed wagtail Motacilla [alba] lugens” variously treated as a full species or as a subspecies of the widely distributed White wagtail Motacilla alba.

During the voyage, Black-backed wagtails were seen on the majority of islands in the second half of the trip with some White wagtails Motacilla alba further north.

 

Grey Wagtail                          Motacilla cinerea

Only one bird seen – Kunashir Island on 7 June.

 

Yellow Wagtail                          Motacilla flava

Several birds seen during the zodiac cruise on the Zhuponavo river on 30 May.

 

Buff-bellied [American] Pipit                        Anthus rubescens

Pipits were seen on a number of the islands, although views were often too poor (due to the long grass or other vegetation) for their identification to be clinched.  Definite Buff-bellied pipits were, however, seen on both Broutona Island (5 June) and Iturup Island (6 June).

 

Pechora Pipit                        Anthus gustavi

Only one identified for definite – on Atlasova Island on 1 June.

 

Water Pipit                        Anthus spinoletta

Several seen on Paramushir Island on 1 June.

 

[Winter] Wren                           Troglodytes troglodytes

This species was seen or heard on a number of islands during the second half of the trip. Including Matua Island on 3 June and Iturup Island on 6 June.

 

Brown-headed Thrush                   Turdus chrysolaus

The first sighting was a female seen flying around the ship in dense fog, prior to our visit to Atlasova Island (1 June).  It landed briefly on the ship before being flushed by a PA announcement and was not seen again.

The only other sightings were between 4-6 June with 10+ birds were seen on Shimushir Island (4 June), two on Urup Island (5 June) and a single bird on Iturup Island (6 June).

 

Japanese Bush-Warbler                 Cettia diphone

Small numbers were seen on both Iturup and Kunashir Islands in the Southern Kurils.  Somewhat confusingly, the plates in some of the relevant bird books do not look like the subspecies which occurs on the Kurils.

 

Lanceolated Warbler                   Locustella lanceolata

Only one sighting – a single bird in thick vegetation on Iturup Island on 6 June.

 

Middendorff's Warbler                 Locustella ochotensis

This migratory species was only found on Urup Island (5 June) and Iturup Island (6 June) and on both occasions it was estimated that about five individuals were seen.  At least one of the birds on Urup was making the looping display flight this species is known for.

Subsequent to the voyage, a couple of additional birds were found during a birding excursion along the east coast of Sakhalin Island.

 

Sakhalin [Gray's] Warbler                        Locustella [fasciolata] amnicola

The taxonomy of some of the Locustella warblers that occur in this part of Asia is not fully resolved with the birds on Sakhalin, Hokkaido and the South Kuril Islands variously treated either as a race of Gray’s warbler Locustella fasciolata amnicola or as a separate species, Sakhalin warbler, Locustella amnicola.

During the voyage, none were seen in the Southern Kurils, however, a couple of birds were seen in the town park in Yuzhno-Sakhalin on 9 June.

 

 

Black-browed Reed-Warbler             Acrocephalus bistrigiceps

Not seen during the voyage itself, however, three birds were seen on Sakhalin on 10 June with two of these in the town park in Yuzhno-Sakhalin.

 

Radde's Warbler                       Phylloscopus schwarzi

The only sighting of this species was subsequent to the voyage during a birding excursion to woodland near to Yuzhno-Sakhalin on 11 June.

 

Sakhalin Leaf-Warbler                 Phylloscopus borealoides

This species was not seen on any of the islands visited on the voyage, however, a single bird was seen in woodland near to Yuzhno-Sakhalin on 11 June.

 

Grey-streaked Flycatcher               Muscicapa griseisticta

A single bird was seen on Kunashir Island, South Kurils on 7 June.

 

Dark-sided [Siberian] Flycatcher                   Muscicapa sibirica

Two birds seen on Atlasova Island in the Northern Kurils on 1 June.

 

Asian Brown Flycatcher                Muscicapa dauurica

The only occasion when this species was seen was two birds in woodland on Kunashir Island on 7 June.

 

Narcissus Flycatcher                  Ficedula narcissina

This species was not seen during the voyage, however, an adult male was seen well in the town park in Yuzhno-Sakhalin on 10 June.

 

Red-throated Flycatcher               Ficedula albicilla

The only bird seen was during a pre-voyage excursion to some woodland near Petropavlovsk on 26 May.

 

Rufous-tailed Robin                   Luscinia sibilans

A single singing male was seen in the town park in Yuzhno-Sakhalin on 9 June.

During their migration (eg through Beidaihe, China), this species can be pretty elusive, however, the bird seen in Yuzhno-Sakhalin was extremely obliging and was singing continually from a series of open perches.

 

Siberian Rubythroat                   Luscinia calliope

This species was first encountered on the morning of 30 May when two males were seen at sea during the return crossing to Kamchatka after the visit to the Commander Islands.  One of the birds landed on the ship and gave brief, but excellent, views.

This species was then seen ashore on the majority of the islands visited in the Kurils although it was commonest on Matua, Yankicho and Shimushir Islands with the count on the third of these islands estimated at 200+ birds.  Whilst it continued to be seen on the more southerly islands, the numbers encountered were considerably lower with, for example, only two birds seen on Kunashir.

 

 

 

 

 

Red-flanked Bluetail                  Tarsiger cyanurus

Only two seen – a female type in the mountains on Iturup Island on 6 June and a second individual the following day on Kunashir.

 

Siberian [Common] Stonechat                      Saxicola [rubicola] maura

Approximately five individuals were seen on Iturup Island on 6 June with three seen the following day on Kunashir Island.

Several birds were also seen during a post-voyage birding excursion on SE Sakhalin on 10 June.

 

Willow Tit                            Poecile montana

The only individual seen during the voyage itself was a single bird on Kunashir Island on 7 June.  This species was, however, also seen in small numbers on the pre- and post-voyage birding excursions.

 

Coal Tit                              Periparus ater

The subspecies which occurs in the Kuril Islands is a lot greyer in tone than the birds found in the UK and small numbers were seen on both Shimushir (4 June) and Kunashir Islands (7 June).

 

Great Tit                             Parus major

Not seen on the voyage itself, however, single figure counts were made in the town park in Yuzhno-Sakhalin on 9 and 10 June.

 

Eurasian Nuthatch                     Sitta europaea

Two birds were seen in woodland on Kunashir Island on 7 June.  Like the Coal tits referred to above, the nuthatches were much “colder” in colour than their Western European counterparts.

This species was also seen in small numbers on the birding excursions before and after the voyage.

 

Eurasian Magpie                       Pica pica

The only sighting was of three birds seen near Petropavlovsk on 26 May during some pre-voyage birding.

 

Eurasian Nutcracker                   Nucifraga caryocatactes

Only seen on Shimushir Island on 4 June.  Two birds were seen several times during the course of our time ashore, however, it was difficult to be sure whether this was one mobile pair or if other birds were being seen.

 

Carrion Crow                          Corvus corone

This species was only noted around Petropavlovsk (on a pre-voyage birding excursion on 26 May) and at the Zhuponavo river, Kamchatka Peninsula on 30 May.

 

Large-billed [Jungle] Crow                     Corvus macrorhynchos

This species was extremely common around the settlement on Iturup Island in the Southern Kurils (6 June).  The only other sightings were on a post-cruise birding excursion on 10 June on Sakhalin Island where a few birds were noted.

 

 

Common Raven                          Corvus corax

This species was seen in small numbers on seven dates throughout the voyage.  The first sightings were around the Zhuponavo river, Kamchatka Peninsula on 30 May with birds then seen on a more or less daily basis until reaching Kunashir in the Southern Kurils.

During the landing on Paramushir Island, at least one was seen to raid the nests of two pairs of Red-faced cormorants, forcing the adult bird off the nest and stealing an egg.

 

Chestnut-cheeked Starling             Sturnia philippensis

A single bird was seen on roadside wires during a post-voyage birding excursion on Sakhalin Island on 10 June.  This species is apparently rare on this island and the species is evidently only considered a vagrant.

 

Russet [Chestnut-backed] Sparrow                        Passer rutilans

Only found in the settlement on Iturup Island where two males were seen.

 

Eurasian Tree Sparrow                 Passer montanus

This species was only encountered on the inhabited islands visited during the voyage.  Two birds were seen in the main settlement of Nikol’skoye on Commander Island on 26 May, however, the species was common in the village on Iturup Island, Southern Kuril Islands on 6 June.

Birds were also seen prior to sailing in Petropavlovsk and after the completion of the voyage in and around Yuzhno- Sakhalin.

 

Brambling                             Fringilla montifringilla

This species was not seen during the voyage, however, a pair was found in woodland close to Petropavlovsk on 26 May.

 

Pine Grosbeak                         Pinicola enucleator

A lone male bird was seen in song on Shimushir Island on 4 June.

 

Oriental Greenfinch                   Carduelis sinica

This species was seen on four dates with two birds near the community at the mouth of the Zhuponavo river (30 May), two on Paramushir Island on 1 June, 5+ on Urup Island on 5 June, with similar numbers also seen on Iturup Island the following day.

 

Eurasian Bullfinch                    Pyrrhula pyrrhula

The subspecies which occurs in the Kuril Islands is very different from the birds in Western Europe as the males only have a pink throat, rather than this extending down onto the breast.

The best views of this species were on Iturup Island, Southern Kuril Islands on 6 June where at least five birds were seen, however, a male had also been found a couple of days before on Shimushir Island.

 

Long-tailed Rosefinch                 Uragus sibiricus

This species was seen each day whilst in the Southern Kurils, although only ever in very small numbers, ie one or two birds. 

The first sighting was on Urup Island (5 June), where a male bird was seen coming in to drink on a small pool, with two birds seen the following day on Iturup and the final sighting of a single bird on 7 June on Kunashir Island.

Rustic Bunting                        Emberiza rustica

The only sighting of this species during the voyage was of a single male bird during the zodiac cruise on the Zhuponavo river on 30 May.

Prior to the voyage, a number of birds were seen in woodland close to Petropavlovsk on 26 May.

 

Black-faced Bunting                   Emberiza spodocephala

This species was first seen on Urup Island on 5 June and then seen on each subsequent day of landings with 5-10 birds typically seen each day.

The species was found to be relatively common on Sakhalin during two days of post-voyage birding excursions.

 

Japanese Grey Bunting                          Emberiza variabilis

Only seen in the Central-Southern Kurils with the first sighting on Matua Island (3 June) and the last on Urup Island (5 June).

During the night of 3-4 June, the crew found a Japanese Grey Bunting on the ship – this was caught, roosted overnight and released the following morning on Shimushir Island, where the species seemed to be moderately common.  During a search of the ship in the early hours of 4 June, a dead bird was also found.

 

Reed Bunting                          Emberiza schoeniclus

Not encountered during the voyage itself, however, four birds were seen during a pre-trip birding excursion near Petropavlovsk on 26 May.

 

Snow Bunting                          Plectrophenax nivalis

The only sighting was a single bird on the shoreline in the main settlement on Commander Island on 29 May.

 

 

SYSTEMATIC LIST - MAMMALS