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Amazon River Adventure – Part 3

Land ahoy! We’ve arrived in the Amazon River- it’s difficult to describe the scale to be honest as it is so wide, it’s like being at sea still! Although with many more birds than we have seen over the past few days! The nearer Belem we got, the more skuas, terns, gulls, vultures and egrets seen. I have to say, it is more than a little surreal watching TURKEY VULTURE circling over a cruiseship when it looks like you are still at sea!

M-1857 Royal Tern 23012019-1809 — Royal Tern

M-1857 Dead boat 25012019-1831 — Derelict River Boat on the way into Belem

On arrival to Belem, we took the two-storey local tender over to the city to have a tour of the market and learn more about the trees and fruits of the forest. Unfortunately, as we arrived, the famous rain hit, and boy did it rain! I think I would actually have stayed drier if I’d gone for a swim in the river! Still, I think we all would have been a little disappointed if we hadn’t experienced the rain given we are visiting a rainforest and it did mean that the lady selling umbrellas at the cathedral did a roaring trade!

Large-billed Tern_RN_ 23012019-0570 — Large-billed Tern

The next day saw us out in the vast Amazon Basin heading north towards the northern channel and the Macapa Pilot Station where we were scheduled to pick up our river pilots. In terms of wildlife, it was an exceptionally quiet day, but that meant there was much less risk of me missing anything good whilst I gave my final presentation on the evolution of the whale from land mammal to sea mammal! It was a good opportunity to relax and make the most of the wonderful facilities on board Braemar before the very busy days ahead as well as attend the Crossing the Line party after recrossing the Equator during the morning.

After picking up our pilots at Macapa Pilot Station, we settled in for the day on deck with the excitement of knowing that this was going to be our first full day in the Amazon River proper – there was certainly an air of expectation buzzing around the ship when our wonderful local guide Marco Lima gave his deck talk about what to expect throughout the day. Again, it is difficult to put into words the sheer scale of the Amazon, it is huge in every direction and every possible way. At times, we sailed in the middle of the channel and the trees appeared tiny on the horizon, at other times we were able to sail close to the banks and see the forest and her wildlife in all it’s glory.

Wildlife watching from a moving vessel can be difficult at times and none more so when you are trying to identify raptors sitting in trees at distance or watching distant flying parrots over the treetops. However, throughout the day we were treated to some close CHESTNUT-FRONTED MACAW and BLUE-YELLOW MACAW flying overhead. A small group of GREY-BREASTED MARTIN made use of the ship whilst feeding on the insects around.

M-1857 Chestnut-fronted Macaw 25012019-2043 — Chestnut-fronted Macaw

M-1857 Blue-yellow Macaw 25012019-2131 — Blue-yellow Macaw

M-1857 Grey-breasted Martin 25012019-1979 — Grey-breasted Martin

Along the banks of the river, we found many different egrets and heron including SNOWY EGRET, GREAT WHITE EGRET and COCOI HERON. TURKEY VULTURE were never far from sight soaring high over the canopy and we managed to spot on distant KING VULTURE showing its distinctive white plumage as it soared. Raptors were not easy to identify at distance, but we had good views of both LAUGHING FALCON and SWALLOW-TAILED KITE through the scope. As dusk approached, lines of BLACK SKIMMER passed us heading off to roost.

M-1857 Laughing Falcon 25012019-2021 — Laughing Falcon in a tree

My target species of this particular trip were proving elusive – we had frustrating glimpses of what were probably AMAZON RIVER DOLPHIN feeding along the edges of the river, but never had good enough views to be certain. However, we were able to confirm one small group of TUCUXI feeding by a submerged tree and vegetation. These diminutive dolphins proving very difficult to spot from a larger vessel! Hopefully, we’ll have better luck as we progress up the river and get the opportunity to head out in smaller boats!

M-1857 House by Amazon River 25012019-2222

The one thing I had been warned to expect was larger than life insect life in the Amazon! Passengers soon got to know that we were interested in all wildlife and took great delight in pointing out some of the huge bugs and moths which came on board each evening including the GIANT WATER BUG more affectionately known as the TOE-BITER!. Look away now if you don’t like bugs and beasties!

Thanks for reading.

M-1857 Large Orchid Bee Eulaema meriana 25012019-1961 — Large Orchid Bee (Eulaema meriana)

big moth_RN_25012019-0274 — Giant Water Bug (deceased)

Protambulyx strigilis

‘Twig’ Moth

Hieroglyphic moth (Diphthera festiva)

Letis sp. Moth

Unidentified moth

Long-tailed Skipper

Black Witch Moth (Ascalapha odorata)

‘Bird-poo’ Moth

Letis sp. Moth

Erinnyis ello ello

Amazon River Adventure – Part 2

Our first of three full days at sea found us heading southeast in blustery conditions towards Brazil and the port of Belem. We were over very deep water for the whole of the first day – there is nothing more frustrating as a cetacean enthusiast than a combination of deep water and a lot of white water as the few whales and dolphins which call the deep-sea home are often elusive and difficult to spot at the best of times. This led to a frustrating day in terms of cetacean sightings, but the many thousands of flying fish and a posse of up to 21 MASKED BOOBY accompanying the ship saved the day! Watching these aerial acrobats twisting and plunging after the fish time and time again (to varying degrees of success) was an absolute delight. It is rare that you get the opportunity to study seabird behaviour away from a breeding colony so it was an absolute privilege to be able to watch this group all day and start to understand the subtle changes in body language as the birds were about to dive and try to anticipate them in an attempt to get that elusive diving photograph! There is something so very special about standing eyeball to eyeball with these ocean masters as they glide by with so little effort – you always have to love a seabird that interacts with a ship!

Magnificent Frigatebird

Flying fish

Masked Booby

M1902-2012019.Masked Booby.RN-9456 — Masked Booby

With the hope of shallower water and a better day than yesterday, it was disappointing to find similar weather conditions to hamper viewing on day 2 – at least it was warm on deck! Three MASKED BOOBY were still in attendance early morning, but these soon veered off and we lost our aerial friends. Mid-morning, a lone dolphin frustrating leapt high out of the water once at distance as if about to race in towards the ship – only to never be seen again! It was also incredibly quiet for seabirds with just a handful of MANX SHEARWATER, LEACH’S PETREL and a probable GREAT SHEARWATER seen.

M1902-2212019.Leachs Petrel.RN-0338 — Leach’s Petrel

We finally admitted defeat with the spray after wiping optics down for what felt like the hundredth time and moved to the stern to sit and observe. Our patience was finally rewarded at around 4pm when a small group of five BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN raced into the bow out of nowhere to play. I can’t deny it was a trying and tiring day!

M1902-2112019.Bottlenose Dolphin.ENW-1756 — Bottlenose Dolphin

It has to be said that things didn’t really improve in terms of sightings on day 3 either! Weather conditions were still challenging and the introduction of heavy rain showers kept us on our toes. An early sighting of eight BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN hinted at an improved day, but we then had to wait until mid-morning before another small group of three BOTTLENOSE DOLPHIN half-heartedly came into the bow. A very heavy rain shower quickly cleared the decks for a time, but not before we had experienced a dramatic and almost instant drop in temperature of around 5 degrees before the rain hit. My second lecture was perfectly timed to make the most of this break in the weather – it’s always a worry that something unusual will appear outside whilst I am presenting and sure enough, this time we missed the only RED-FOOTED BOOBY of the cruise!

M1902-2212019.Red-footed Booby.RN-0359 — Red-footed Booby

M1902-2112019.Sargasso Weed.ENW-1741 — Sargassum seaweed

A difficult three days in terms of wildlife viewing, but the promise of so much more to come as tomorrow we get our first views of the mighty Amazon River! Do come back to read more……

Amazon River Adventure – Part 1

I’ll be honest with you, it really didn’t take me very long to decide when my wonderful agents, PEEL Talent, offered me a guest speaker slot on Fred Olsen‘s cruise to the Amazon River on their smallest cruiseship, Braemar. I mean, who wouldn’t want to cruise the Amazon in January when it is the depths of winter in Orkney – in fact, who wouldn’t want to cruise the Amazon full stop?

However, before the delights of Brazil, we had the hardship of a visit to the Caribbean where after a long, but comfortable flight we joined Braemar in Bridgetown, Barbados. Straight into wildlife geek mode from the minute we touched down on the runway, Russ and I had a mini sweepstake on which bird would be the first to be seen – the choice was between a GREY KINGBIRD or a feral pigeon. We had both within 5 minutes which were swiftly followed by ZENAIDA DOVE, SHINY COWBIRD and EUROPEAN COLLARED DOVE from the bus transferring us to the port!

After a night reacquainting ourselves with the beautiful Braemar and catching up on sleep, Russ and I decided to head ashore and walk north from the port along Brandon’s beach to Brighton beach ( a little warmer than our UK equivalent right now!) as far as a creek known locally as the Hot Spot. This proved to be a good decision as not only was the beach stunning, we were able to get some good views of some of the local birdlife along the scrub at the back of the beach.

Bridgetown

Brighton Beach

Around the cruise terminal, LESSER ANTILLEAN BULLFINCH were easy to spot – the Barbados subspecies is endemic to the island. Just outside, a very confiding COMMON GROUND-DOVE and ZENAIDA DOVE were present and by the time we were out of the port gate, we had added the first CARIB GRACKLE and BANANAQUIT to the list – we got to know BANANAQUIT very well during the first two days of the trip! A good-sized flock of SHINY COWBIRD were feeding on the grass in a small park along the front.

M1902-18012019.Grey Kingbird.RN-8855 — Grey Kingbird

M1902-18012019.Lesser Antillean Bullfinch.RN-8902 — Lesser Antillean (Barbados) Bullfinch

M1902-18012019.Bananaquit.RN-8887 — Bananaquit

M1902-18012019.Common Ground Dove.RN-8801 — Common Ground-dove

M1902-18012019.Zenaida Dove1.RN-8786 — Zenaida Dove

M1902-18012019.Ghost Crab1.RN-8815 — Atlantic Ghost Crab

On the beach, a good band of thick scrub held plenty of BANANAQUIT, ZENAIDA DOVE and LESSER ANTILLEAN BULLFINCH, Towards the Hot Spot we found CARIBBEAN ELAENIA along the scrub, whilst offshore a small number of ROYAL TERN were feeding, occasionally being harassed by MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD. A flock of around 50 SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER were active along the shore and a single SPOTTED SANDPIPER appeared our of the long grass around the edge of the Hot Spot lagoon. We also found GREEN-THROATED CARIB and ANTILLEAN CRESTED HUMMINGBIRD as we retraced ou steps slowly back towards the ship.

Back on board and we sailed just after sunset bound for Grenada. First light saw us on the approach to the island during which we recorded our first BROWN BOOBY of the trip as well as MAGNIFICENT FRIGATEBIRD, an unexpected BLACK-HEADED GULL as well as a breaching BILLFISH which surprised us all as it leapt out of the water at least three times! On closer inspection of the photograph, we were able to almost certainly identify it as an ATLANTIC BLUE MARLIN.

M1902-1912019.Brown Booby.ENW-1179 — Brown Booby

M1902-19012019.Black-headed Gull.RN-8989 — Black-headed Gull

M1902-19012019.Atlantic Blue Marlin sp.RN-8930 — Atlantic Blue Marlin

As we pulled alongside, we were surprised to see two SOUTHERN LAPWING on the quayside as they weren’t listed as present in the Lesser Antilles in our identification guide. However, after talking to our knowledgeable guide Jerry – we slightly spoilt his surprise by spotting them on the way in – the pair have been present there for a few years now.

M1902-19012019.Southern Lapwing.RN-9003 — Southern Lapwing

As Russ and I have never visited Grenada before, we decided to make the most of our time and booked a local eco-guide, Jerry from Grenada Birding who we found via Birdingpals. If you are ever in Grenada, I highly recommend Jerry as a guide. Our first stop was a beach-front hotel out towards the airport with extensive grounds and freshwater which were a haven for waterbirds including TRICOLOURED HERON, SNOWY EGRET, GREAT WHITE EGRET, CATTLE EGRET and LITTLE BLUE HERON. We were also lucky enough to get excellent views of the incredibly skittish SCALY-NAPPED PIGEON, a species that is still hunted so is very wary. On the way back to the car, Jerry found us a roosting BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON which was grumpily keeping an eye on us from its lofty perch high up a tree as well as both adult and juvenile YELLOW-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON – a new species for both of us.

M1902-19012019.Tri coloured Heron.RN-9032 — Tricoloured Heron

M1902-19012019.Tricoloured Heron.RN-9053 — Tricoloured Heron close-up

M1902-19012019.Black crowned Night Heron.RN-9079 — Black-crowned Night-heron

M1902-19012019.Yellow crowned Night Heron.RN-9074 — Yellow-crowned Night-heron adult

M1902-19012019.Yellow crowned Night Heron.RN-9067 — Yellow-crowned Night-heron juvenile

We then headed straight to Mount Harman for the target species of our visit – the rare, endemic GRENADA DOVE. Straight out of the car, we had BROAD-WINGED HAWK and BLACK-FACED GRASSQUIT. However, we didn’t have to wait long for our first fleeting glimpse of a GRENADA DOVE as it disappeared at speed into the undergrowth in the forest. Elsewhere, BANANAQUITS (including the Grenada black phase), EARED DOVE, SCALY-NAPPED PIGEON and an ANTILLEAN CRESTED HUMMINGBIRD kept us busy. We heard at least two HOOK-BILLED KITE, but frustratingly couldn’t pinpoint their location. A second GRENADA DOVE teased us by flying up from the track in front of us along with a TROPICAL MOCKINGBIRD….. we all followed the wrong bird!

M1902-19012019.Black faced Grassquit.RN-9098 — Black-faced Grassquit

Wading birds were the target next with a brief stop-off at Woburn wetland where we picked up SPOTTED SANDPIPER, SEMI-PALMATED PLOVER, TURNSTONE , SEMI-PALMATED SANDPIPER and a more distant LESSER YELLOWLEGS. A fabulous, close encounter with a GRENADA FLYCATCHER stole the show however, with both Russ and I whispering too close as we frantically tried to change camera settings!

M1902-19012019.Semi palmated Plover.RN-9154 — Semi-palmated Plover

M1902-1912019.Grenada Flycatcher.ENW-1209 — Grenada Flycatcher

Following a stop at one of Grenada’s beautiful beaches where we found BLUE-WINGED TEAL, CARIBBEAN COOT and a lone RING-NECKED DUCK on a large lagoon, Jerry took us to the village where he had grown up and still lived as he had an array of hummingbird feeders. We weren’t disappointed as we were treated to amazing, prolonged views of GREEN-THROATED CARIB, ANTILLEAN CRESTED HUMMINGBIRD and the RUFOUS-BREASTED HUMMINGBIRD whilst our senses were assualted by the wonderful smells from the herbs and spices which grew in the garden.

M19012019.Green throated Carib.RN-9308 — Green-throated Carib

Rufous-breasted Hummingbird

Antillean Crested Hummingbird

After a busy, bird-filled day, it was time to head back to the ship in preparation for sailing. Full of anticipation of 3 full sea-days ahead, we headed out on to deck to wave farewell to Grenada and the Caribbean as the sun started to set. If you have ever heard of a phenomenon called the green flash, the Caribbean is a great place to see it! We were treated to the spectacle two nights running at sunset – a fitting end to a grand day of wildlife watching!

M1902-1912019.Green Flash.ENW-1360 — Blink and you miss it! – A green flash

Part 2 of our Amazon River Adventure will follow soon!

Island Hopping in the Tropics – Part 5

After the action-packed departure from Lanzarote, we spent a day at sea heading towards Lisbon, our final port call. The day started well with a smattering of sightings – the highlight being 4 Cuvier’s Beaked Whale which showed well enough for most people on deck to see them.

M1829-29.11.2018.Cuviers Beaked Whale.ENW-1017 — Cuvier’s Beaked Whale

Unfortunately, weather conditions deteriorated from mirror calm to a good southwesterly force 6 meaning animals were increasingly difficult to find in the blustery conditions. A group of around 25 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin came into the bow mid-morning and otherwise, the only sighting in the afternoon was a small pod of possible Risso’s Dolphin which remained frustratingly elusive in the swell and white water. What a change from the previous day!

Following a day in Lisbon, which was spent sorting through photographs and preparing my final ’round-up’ presentation, we had two days at sea back to Southampton and the promise of some final sightings. Weather conditions again were not kind to us with strong winds creating much white water, but we were treated to some fantastic, acrobatic Common and Striped Dolphin racing in to bow ride Braemar throughout the day as we rounded Cape Finisterre into the Bay of Biscay. Whilst we weren’t able to pick out the animals at distance, they were having to leap high to avoid the spray and gave some spectacular displays as they came close to the ship. Those of us braving it out on deck had marvellous views and it was wonderful hearing the whoops of delight from everyone as the dolphins leapt. Conditions like this don’t make it easy for photography though – I think most of us ended up with many photographs of splashes!

M1829-01122018. SB Common Dolphin.ENW-1086

M1829-01122018. SB Common Dolphin.ENW-1088

M1829-01122018. SB Common Dolphin.ENW-1096

Short-beaked Common Dolphin

Being closer to land meant that seabird numbers increased and we saw good numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gull and Kittiwake throughout the day as well as Mediterranean Gull and Great Skua.

M1829-01122018.kittiwake.RN-0834 — Kittiwake

M1829-01122018.Mediterrranean Gull.RN-0791 — Mediterranean Gull

All too soon it was time for the Captain’s Farewell party and a chance to reminisce with guests about the wonderful sightings we have had on this cruise. A truly memorable trip with some amazing sights. Russ and I would like to thank all the passengers on board who kept us company on the decks, enthusiastically told us about sightings they had during port calls and on previous trips.

I would like to express my grateful thanks to Richard Davison for the generous use of his images for this blog. Thanks also to Cruise Director Michelle and her brilliant Entertainments Team, my cruise speaker agents at Peel Talent for their work in arranging this tour and to all the wonderful staff at Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines for being so helpful during the cruise. We can’t wait to be back on board Braemar on 17th January 2019 for the Amazon River Adventure!

Thank you and happy reading!
Emma

Full List of Sightings:

All Sightings Map — All Cetacean Sightings

Sightings Dolphins — All Dolphin Sightings

Sightings Large toothed — All Toothed whale sightings (minus dolphin species)

Sightings Rorquals — All Rorqual Whale sightings

CETACEAN SIGHTINGS

Species	Total Number
Atlantic Spotted Dolphin	500+
Pan-tropical Spotted Dolphin	150+
Short-Beaked Common Dolphin	389+
Striped Dolphin	207+
Risso’s Dolphin	24
Bottlenose Dolphin	12
Short-finned Pilot Whale	17+
Orca	5
Dwarf Sperm Whale	3
Cuvier’s Beaked Whale	13
Sperm Whale	6
Bryde’s Whale (probable)	1
Sei Whale	4
Unidentified Large Whale Species (Rorqual-type)	4
Unidentified cetacean species	1
Unidentified Dolphin Species	100+
Unidentified ‘Kogia’ species	2
Unidentified ‘Mesoplodont’ Beaked whale species	5
Unidentified Beaked Whale species	3
Unidentified Small Whale species	2

SEABIRD SIGHTINGS

Species	Total	Species	Total
Northern Gannet	54	Bulwer’s Petrel	1
Red-footed Booby	1	Fea’s / Zino’s Petrel	2
Great Skua	20	Leach’s Storm Petrel	59+
Pomarine/Arctic Skua	1	Madeiran Storm Petrel	55+
Great Black-backed Gull	4	White-faced Storm Petrel	2
Lesser Black-backed Gull	214	Common Guillemot	7
Yellow-legged Gull	56+	Puffin	4
Herring Gull	6	Unidentified Large Shearwater species	8
Black-headed Gull	3	Unidentified Storm Petrel species	45+
Mediterranean Gull	11	Unidentified Gull species	1
Black-legged Kittiwake	389+	Unidentified Auk species	16
Cory’s Shearwater	270+	Grey Phalarope	6
Cape Verde Shearwater	2	Common Snipe	1
Great Shearwater	71+	Starling	2
Sooty Shearwater	6	Swift	1
Macaronesian Shearwater	6	Unidentified little brown job!	1

Other Wildlife

Species	Total
Loggerhead Turtle	26
Ocean Sunfish	4
Hammerhead Shark	2
Shark species	3
Manta Ray	2
Tuna Species
Flying Fish
Hummingbird Hawkmoth	1
‘White’ Butterfly	2
Unidentified Butterfly Species	1

Island Hopping in the Tropics – Part 4

Day 11 saw us back in a similar area as day 6, our whale watchers’ dream day (see Island Hopping in the Tropics – Part 2), but the days could not have been more different in terms of sightings. With a northeasterly force 4, weather conditions were reasonably favourable for picking out cetaceans, but there was very little seen. Even the seabirds seemed to have disappeared with just a handful of large shearwaters and storm petrels seen! We had to wait until 5pm for our first and only cetacean sighting of the day when a very large bull Sperm Whale surfaced close to the ship. He showed well as he re-oxygenated at the surface with the photographs showing him to probably have a twisted spine or bone deformity – maybe a birth deformity? This is something I have seen with large whales in the past and has been recorded in Sperm Whale.

M1829-26112018.Sperm Whale.ENW-0460 — Adult male Sperm Whale with a bone or spinal deformity

M1829-26112018. Loggerhead Turtle.RN-9916 — One of three Loggerhead Turtles seen throughout the day

The next day saw Braemar docked in Santa Cruz de Tenerife for the day. With blue skies and very little breeze, it seemed like it had been a good decision to escort the official Fred Olsen whale watching excursion – and it certainly was! A small, but excited band of us travelled down to the tourist town of Playa de las americas at the south of the island to board a catamaran for a few hours of whale watching and relaxing on board. We had hardly left port when I picked up the black, shiny fins of a small pod of Short-finned Pilot Whale ahead of us and a scan around revealed a wide-spread group resting at the surface in various locations. We spent time with one group which had two very small calves with them which could only have been a few days old, they were absolutely tiny! We were treated to some amazing close encounters as the animals got used to us and moved around the vessel. It was an absolute treat to share some time with this small family on a vessel whose Captain knew how to responsibly position the vessel to minimise disturbance – unfortunately, the same can not be said about some of the private vessels in the area.

Research in Tenerife suggests that there are as many as 1,000 Short-Finned Pilot Whales which frequent the water off the South West coast of Tenerife. Out of these, it thought that only about half are resident to the area. During the day (especially the morning) they tend to rest at the surface to recuperate from night-time hunting efforts in shallower, warm water so are fairly easy to find.

M1829-27112018.Short-finned Pilot Whale.RN-0001 — Short-finned Pilot Whale including a very small calf

It was very much a different trip for us in Lanzarote away from the normal wildlife watching. As a geologist by training, I was keen to see the Timanfaya National Park so Russ and I headed out on the official excursion. The park itself is a vast volcanic landscape that covers a quarter of the island and was created over six years of near-continuous volcanic eruptions that took place between 1730 and 1736 giving an almost alien landscape. Never ones to ignore the wildlife however, we were delighted to find the endemic Bertholot’s Pipit hopping round our feet as we disembarked the coach at our first stop.

M1829-28112018.Berthelot's Pipit.RN-0172 — A very friendly Bertholot’s Pipit in the car park

After a fantastic demonstration of the power of the Earth, we were taken on a spectacular 50 minute scenic coach trip around the ‘Ruta de los Volcanes’ – the only way you can see the park – before stopping for the obligatory camel ride (we didn’t!) included in the tour.

We decided to take a closer look at the lava field instead which turned out to be a good decision as we found a small flock of Trumpeter Finch feeding on the ground – a new species for me! An awe-inspiring trip which I highly recommend if you ever visit Lanzarote.

M1829-28112018.Trumpeter Finch.RN-0290 — Trumpeter Finch

M1829-28112018.Timanfaya.ENW-0711 — The distinctive Lanzarote Vineyards near Timanfaya National Park

Luckily, we sailed away from Arrecife, Lanzarote at 2pm giving us the whole afternoon over the very nutrient-rich waters of the continental shelf and slope. Whilst passengers were still gathering on the deck following the sail-away party provided by Braemar’s excellent Entertainments Team, we had our first sighting. Alerted by a large flocking of circling and feeding birds, Russ was able to pick out a group of dolphins feeding underneath. As we got closer, more activity was picked up until eventually we were surround by hundreds of Atlantic Spotted Dolphin of which at least 150 animals came in to bow-ride to the delight of the many passengers on deck.

M1829-28112018.Atlantic Spotted Dolphin.ENW-0779 — Atlantic Spotted Dolphin – the lack of spots indicating younger animals

Two more groups of at least 30 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin came into bowride over a 15 minute period before a brief lull in proceedings. However, with sea conditions excellent, we anticipated the next sighting wouldn’t be far away. Suddenly, I picked up a blow well out towards the horizon ahead of us followed by surges of water… they were feeding. Because conditions were so calm, we were able to pick out the bodies of the two animals as well as their distinctive swept back dorsal fin as they sounded for a deeper dive whilst they were still well ahead of us thus confirming Fin Whale. Now it was the waiting game to see how long they would dive for and where they were going to pop back up. Our attention was momentarily taken by a small pod of Short-finned Pilot Whale which quietly snuck down the starboard side before a passenger suddenly shouted… the Fin Whale had resurfaced and were still lunge feeding! This time we were able to make out the indicative white jaw line on the right hand side as one animal surged through the water whilst a second lunged on its side feeding, the tail breaking the surface. Lunge feeding like this is very typical for Fin Whale as well as some of the other larger rorqual whales and can be the cause of mistaken identity as the tail can look confusingly like an Orca dorsal fin!

M1829-28112018.Fin Whale.ENW-0901 — Blow of a Fin Whale

M1829-28112018.SF Pilot.RN-0442 — Short-finned Pilot Whale

M1829-28112018.Fin Whale.ENW-0951 — Fin Whale

M1829-28112018.Fin Whale.RN-0488 — Lunge-feeding Fin Whale with the tail out of the water

Over the next hour, we were treated to 8 more Fin whale, another active pod of at least 50 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin coming in to bowride and around 50 Striped Dolphin who tried to remain quite, but one animal in particular made some enormous leaps out of the water!

M1829-28112018.Atlantic spotted Dolphin.RN-0419 — Atlantic Spotted Dolphin adult

M1829-28112018.Striped Dolphin.RN-0555 — Acrobatic Striped Dolphin

A bit of a lull for an hour before a distant group of 4 Risso’s Dolphin tested Russ and I’s identification skills followed by 2 Fin Whale closer to the ship and a smaller rorqual whale which at the time I called as different. Analysis of the photographs has shown it as likely to be Bryde’s (pronounced Bru-dess) Whale although without seeing the three diagnostic longitudinal ridges on the top of the rostrum, we can’t be 100% certain.

M1829-28112018.Brydes Whale.ENW-0939 — Probable Bryde’s Whale

Just as the sky started to turn golden, we were treated to our only beaked whale sighting of the afternoon with two Cuvier’s Beaked Whale surfacing around halfway to the horizon before quickly disappearing back into the depths – beaked whales truly are a frustrating group of whales at times! However, this wasn’t the last sighting at all as just as we were walking back from the bow to finish, our last cast of the day (thanks Richard – that phrase will stick with me forever now!) found us a Fin Whale followed by around 40 Short-beaked Common Dolphin racing in to the ship!

M1829-28112018.Common Dolphin.RN-0654 — Short-beaked Common Dolphin racing in to the ship in the half-light

A wonderful afternoon capped by a beautiful sunset – 8 species in 4 hours is not a bad record at all!

Island Hopping in the Tropics – Part 3

After the excitement of yesterday, everybody was hoping for another action-packed day of sightings as we continued our journey south towards the island of Sao Vicente, Cape Verde. However, animals proved elusive despite good conditions although a prolonged spell of rain from mid-morning to early afternoon didn’t help matters as it made viewing difficult. Despite this, things got off to a fabulous start when I spotted a fairly large, dark shape roll out in the 1 o’clock direction which, as I called to get everyone onto the sighting, a huge triangular dorsal fin broke the surface – Orca! Distant, but unmistakable. Always high on everyone’s wish list, this tight group of 5 animals showed well, although remaining distant, before doing the typical Orca disappearing act and diving deep. Actually the largest of the oceanic dolphin family, identifying Orca isn’t as easy as you would think as there are now acknowledged to be 10 different types across the globe. The animals we sighted are likely to be the Eastern North Atlantic ‘Type 2’ variety which grow to approximately 8.5 metres and generally have an eye patch which slants backwards (which certainly seems to be the case with one of the individuals photographed). Type 2 Orca diets are suggested to be highly specialized to other cetaceans.

M1829-22112018.Orca.ENW-0193 — Orca – the slightly slanted white eye patch indicates these are likely to be Eastern North Atlantic ‘Type 2’ Orca

M1829-22112018.Orca.ENW-0198 — There were 5 Orca in the group

A lack of sightings throughout the morning and persistent rain meant that many passengers drifted away from the decks for a leisurely lunch, but soon reappeared once things had dried up. We had been discussing a wishlist of sightings during the quiet morning and one very keen passenger had said she would love to see a Sperm Whale as she’d missed the one on approach to La Palma. Just as it stopped raining, she suddenly spotted a blow…. and again! Self-found Sperm Whale – well done Judith! Although once again distant, the 3 adults and one calf remained on the surface for some time and all passengers on deck were able to get good views of them as the calf spy-hopped and splashed around whilst the females were re-oxygenating on the surface.

M1829-22112018 Sperm Whale.ENW-0225 — A pod of 4 Sperm Whale spotted by a delighted Judith

Whereas yesterday had been very much about cetaceans, the afternoon of 22nd was very much about seabirds and we were treated to some excellent views of various petrels and shearwaters feeding close around the ship including the best views of Macaronesian Shearwater Russ and I have ever had as well as a wonderful view of a White-faced Storm Petrel bouncing distinctly over the sea as if on a pogo stick.

Cory’s Shearwater

Great Shearwater

Cape Verde Shearwater

Macaronesian Shearwater

Moulting Leach’s Storm Petrel

Leach’s Storm Petrel

Maderian Storm Petrel

White-faced Storm Petrel

No turtles were recorded, but at least 3 sharks slipped down the sides of the ship, of which two were confirmed as Hammerhead Shark (exact species unknown).

M1829-22112018.Hammerhead Shark.ENW-0237 — Hammerhead Shark species

Friday 23rd November saw Braemar docked in the town of Mindelo on the island of Sao Vicente, Cape Verde – a place I last visited in 2009!

We decided to spent some time investigating the beach and some scrubland for birds before utilising time on the ship to catch up with notes and edit some of the many photographs taken so far. We very quickly spotted the beautiful little Iago Sparrow which is endemic to Cape Verde and soon after a Collared Dove which flicked up into a tree – having been none here in 2008 or 2009, I wasn’t surprised to see them as we’d brought one in on Swan Hellenic’s MV Minerva last time I was here!

M1829-23112018 Iago Sparrow.RN-9754 — Iago Sparrow male (behind), female (front)

Along the beach, we picked up Whimbrel and four Kentish Plover feeding along the shoreline and then found a good-sized flock of Iago Sparrow in the scrub. Hundreds of Cape Verde Swift were also feeding distantly over the sewage works, but we weren’t able to get closer for a better look.

M1829-23112018. Whimbrel.RN-9699 — Whimbrel on the shoreline in Mindelo

M1829-23112018 Kentish Plover.RN-9705 — Kentish Plover

Saturday 24th November found us heading to the island of Santiago and the capital of Cape Verde, Praia. It was uncharacteristically windy during our visit to the islands so we decided to take a trip into the city and do some sightseeing rather than head out birdwatching. However, whilst the ship was manoeuvering to dock, two or three Brown Booby were seen feeding in the Bay – Santiago is the only place they nest in Cape Verde so we had been hopeful to see them.

M1829-24112018 Brown Booby.RN-9778 — Fairly distant Brown Booby over the bay

A scan of the distant cliffs to the east of Praia and we were able to pick up very distant views of Red-billed Tropicbird – sadly, too far for a photograph that doesn’t look like a smudge on the page! After heading into the city, we happened to bump into some of the guests on the city walking tour who were very excited to show us photographs of the bird they had just seen wanting to know what it was – Grey-headed Kingfisher in the palace gardens! We quickly dashed in that direction and there was no sign of the bird anywhere! After a fruitless search, we decided to head back to the vegetable market for a look. There we got talking to a very friendly young Cape Verdean fisherman called Victor who offered to take us to the local market for a tour. This huge, maze-like covered market gave us a great insight into the vibrant local life in the city and we were delighted to have been able to visit and have a personal tour – somthing we would not have thought of doing ourselves. After this, a walk back towards the bus stop and we bumped into Richard who has been keeping us company on deck and helping spot animals with his sharp eyes – he’d just seen the kingfisher! This time success – this stunning kingfisher was sitting on a wire posing beautifully although we’d left the camera on the ship! Thank you Richard for kindly allowing me to use your photographs – much appreciated.

M1829-24112018.Grey-headed Kingfisher.RD-7553 — Grey-headed Kingfisher in the Palace gardens – photo courtesy of Richard Davison (thank you!)

If 21st November was a whale watcher’s dream, 25th was definitely a whale watcher’s nightmare! A difficult sea state with lots of white water meant a frustrating day with very few sightings. We did have the best view of a beaked whale so far, but both cameras chose that moment to play up so we weren’t able to get any images. My gut reaction was it was a Blainville’s Beaked Whale, but with no images to prove it either way, this has to go down as an unidentified beaked whale. Two dolphin sightings was the sum total throughout the day, both from the stern of the ship with the second group identified as Atlantic Spotted Dolphin from photographs. What a frustrating day!

M1829-25112018. Atlantic Spotted Dolphin.RN-9870 — Atlantic Spotted Dolphin – one of only two dolphin sightings today

Thanks for reading!
Emma

Island Hopping in the Tropics – Part 2

After leaving Madeira in the falling light, we woke the following morning to find La Palma just in sight on the horizon and calm sea conditions. However, despite the excellent viewing conditions, we recorded just one Sperm Whale which surfaced reasonably close off the port side and was still blowing gently as we lost sight of it behind us. Seabirds also appeared to be few and far between with a handful of Cory’s Shearwater, two Great Shearwater and two Madeiran Storm Petrels recorded.

M1829-20.11.2018.Sperm Whale.ENW-9825 — Sperm Whale

On arrival in a very warm and sunny Santa Cruz de La Palma, Russ and I decided to explore the hills around the town as there was apparently a circular walk to follow which would take us along the coast and then up behind the caldera and back into town. This didn’t quite go according to plan due to a lack of signposts, but we had a very enjoyable few hours walking up through banana plantations in to the foothills. The sound of Canary Lizards scuttling through the undergrowth filled the air along with the repetitive calls of Canary Islands Chiffchaff, a species endemic to the islands.

M1829-20.11.208.La Palma.RN-8730 — Canary Lizard

M1829-20.11.208.La Palma.RN-8716 — Canary Islands Chiffchaff

Progress was slowed considerably due to clouds of African Grass Blue butterflies and various dragonflies to divert our attention.

African Grass Blue

Bath White (underside)

African Grass Blue (underside)

Red-veined Darter

Scarlet Darter

Epaulet Skimmer

We were delighted to pick up a pair of Red-billed Chough calling overhead, a species which within Macaronesia breeds exclusively on La Palma. Estimated numbers sit at around 2,800 birds, so the island boasts one of the highest population densities of this species in the Western Palearctic: approximately 4 individuals per square kilometre. There seems to be some dispute amongst ornithologists whether they constitute a separate subspecies or not.

M1829-20.11.208.La Palma.RN-8761 — Red-billed Chough soaring overhead

On the way back down to the town, I suddenly spotted a Canary Gecko which was sunning itself on an old wooden bridge. It ran from sight before Russ had chance to see it, and despite waiting several minutes, failed to reappear.

M1829-20.11.208.La Palma.RN-8856 — Rock Crab

All to soon, it was time to board Braemar in preparation of an evening departure. The Captain’s announcement gave a hint of good weather the next day so we retired for the evening hoping for an excellent day at sea.

We arrived on deck the following morning at sunrise and were greeted with a mirror calm sea and a low swell – a whale watchers dream come true! We certainly didn’t have to wait long either as no sooner had we arrived than a big group of around 150 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin charged into the bow to greet us. We hadn’t even had time to set cameras up! This was followed a few minutes later by another smaller group which stayed around 500m off before another 15 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin raced in to bowride. I already had the feeling it was going to be a good day and I wasn’t disappointed!

M1829-21112018 Atlantic Spotted Dolphin.ENW-0015 — Distant Atlantic Spotted Dolphin

After a brief lull to catch our breath, I spotted a small, dark animal roll quietly at about 1 o’clock (we use the clock face to get passengers on to sightings), a beaked whale? It rolled again showing a squarish head, followed by a second animal and then a third. At this point, with the blood racing, I knew this was something different that I hadn’t seen before. A Kogia species – either Pygmy or Dwarf Sperm Whale! Dastardly things to identify at sea as they are so rarely seen and when they are, they rarely show much at all, so Russ and I rattled off as many photographs as we could whilst trying to ensure all the passengers saw these enigmatic little cetaceans. Later analysis of the images showed crucial features of a short, straight back and relatively large, fairly erect dorsal fin which help distinguish these animals as Dwarf Sperm Whale. Species number 37 for me in my quest to see all the cetacean species in the World, fantastic!

M1829-21112018.Dwarf Sperm Whale.ENW-9907 — The Elusive Dwarf Sperm Whale

No rest for those of us on deck however, as almost immediately a very sleepy pod of Risso’s Dolphin slipped down the starboard side barely showing as they snuck by. A shout from the top deck from one of our eagle-eye and very enthusiastic passengers (thank you Richard!) had us scanning the seas until he shouted again for us to look up just as an immature Red-footed Booby drifted low over our heads! This rare and magnificent seabird delighted us all for at least 15 minutes with close flybys until it drifted off to starboard, attempted a dive and then continued back out to sea. The smallest of the Booby family, this species is infrequently seen in the eastern Atlantic with 4 individuals recorded in 2018 (including this bird).

M1829-21112018.Red-footed Booby.ENW-9985 — Immature Red-footed Booby

A large group of around 150 dolphins mid-morning kept us on our toes as they kept their distance and were silhouetted by the sun making identification difficult. Photo-identification in the evening showed them to be the only group of Pan-tropical Spotted Dolphin seen throughout the day. However, a ripple of excitement around the deck indicated that our next sighting wasn’t going to be quite so frustrating. A tall, diffuse blow, followed by a long, straight back and large, erect dorsal fin surging through the water could be only one thing, Sei Whale! This group of four whales seemingly working together as they fed, were in view for at least 10 minutes as they passed close down the port side delighting passengers with their display.

M1829-21112018.Sei Whale.ENW-0051 — Feeding Sei Whale

We picked up two groups of beaked whales which proved challenging to identify. After watching the second group of four animals for several minutes as we closed on them, we were finally able to identify them as Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, but the first animals remained elusive. Having missed breakfast due to not wanting to leave the deck, Russ and I decided to take a quick break hoping we wouldn’t miss anything….. we did! Passengers were delighted to tell us about the close pod of whales in front of the ship just minutes before we got back! A photograph showed them to be small, ‘mesoplodont’-type beaked whales (likely Sowerby’s, True’s or Gervais Beaked Whale), but sadly didn’t show the needed beak/head shot to clinch the identity…. the ones that got away!

Things quietened down slightly in the afternoon, but we still recorded another single Cuvier’s Beaked Whale as well as 4 distant, but active groups of Striped Dolphin. However, they left their best display to the end as we had a superbly active group of around 40 Striped Dolphin race into the bow in the early evening. Striped Dolphin won’t always bow-ride, but when they do it is something you don’t want to miss, what a sight!

M1829-21112018.Striped Dolphin.ENW-0161 — Leaping Striped Dolphin

Throughout the day, we had a steady stream of Loggerhead Turtle swimming past the ship – as it was so calm, many were distant, but several passengers happily spotted their own turtles along with Flying Fish and had great fun trying to get each other on to them. Bird-wise, we were kept busy with many Cory’s and Great Shearwater, Madeiran and Leach’s Storm Petrel and reasonable views of a Fea’s/Zino’s Petrel.

M1829-21112018 Loggerhead Turtle.RN-9318 — Loggerhead Turtle

M1829-21112018.Flying Fish.ENW-9894 — Flying Fish

What a day! It really was one of those days that whale watchers can only dream of and certainly one of the best days at sea I’ve had in 15 years!

Thanks for reading!
Emma

Island Hopping in the Tropics – part 1

I’ve just spent a wonderful 18 days as a guest speaker on Fred Olsen’s beautiful ship Braemar as she undertook the Island Hopping in the Tropics cruise to Madeira, the Canary Islands and Cape Verde. It was my first time on board this particular ship although I am familiar with the route, so Russ and I were looking forward to several sea days during the cruise and hopefully good sightings of pelagic marine wildlife on the way.

Days One to Three – all at sea
Our first three days at sea en route to Madeira proved frustrating in terms of wildlife watching, thanks to the whims of mother nature and the difficulties in spotting animals in poor sea conditions. However, with the fantastic ‘Bridgecam’ beamed out to cabin TVs around the ship, our first wildlife sighting proved fairly easy as a small group of Short-beaked Common Dolphin raced into the bow whilst we were getting ready to leave the cabin first thing in the morning of 16th! Unfortunately, we were made to work harder for sightings after this with very few seabird sightings and a handful of Common Dolphin throughout the day.

After a reasonably active group of Common Dolphin teased us with an all too brief sighting mid-afternoon, a sudden surge and two large splashes grabbed my attention. A large, dark, but heavily scarred dorsal fin confirmed Risso’s Dolphin. This group of 9 animals passed by Braemar in their characteristic chorus line, before vanishing from sight as quickly as they had been spotted. Just before we were about to call it a day on 16th due to deteriorating light conditions, I suddenly spotted 2 very large rorqual whale blows about 4 nautical miles out to the horizon. Sea conditions meant that we were never able to see the animals, but from the size of the blow, they must have been either very large female Fin or Blue Whale – frustrating stuff!

Unfortunately, weather conditions deteriorated further and there were minimal sightings on 17th and 18th with the dolphin highlights being a quiet group of Striped Dolphin trying to sneak past in the morning and two very active Common Dolphin at lunch time who both got some great air as they leapt in to bow-ride in the rough conditions!

M1829-17112018.Common Dolphin.RN-8403 — Short-beaked Common Dolphin getting some serious air time!

M1829-17112018.Striped Dolphin.RN-8350 — Sneaky Striped Dolphin

However, this gave me ample opportunity to chat to our fellow passengers after my introductory presentation on Spotting Cetaceans at Sea. Those of us braving it out on deck were rewarded with a fabulous fly-past from two juvenile Northern Gannet making their first sorties out to the open ocean after fledging this summer. They passed close enough to really show off their intricate, speckled silver and brown coloration which they will slowly lose as they moult into their striking white and black adult plumage over the coming five years.

M1829-17112018.Gannet.RN-8390 — Juvenile Northern Gannet

Day Four – Madeira
Our first port of call beckoned on day four and we woke at first light with the island of Madeira in sight and vastly improved viewing conditions so breakfast was skipped and Russ and I met a small band of enthusiastic passengers on deck. We were able to point out plenty of Cory’s Shearwater shearing low over the calm sea as well as a fairly close view of a Fea’s/Zino’s Petrel (both species being indistinguishable at sea). As we approached the port, the numbers of Yellow-legged Gull increased giving some great photographic opportunities to those of us with cameras.

M1829-19112018.Yellow-legged Gull.ENW-9695 — Yellow-legged Gull on approach to Funchal

Once in Funchal, Russ and I decided we hadn’t spent enough time at sea yet and promptly booked a RIB trip out with Rota de Cetaceos for the afternoon! Prior to this, we spent some time exploring the seafront and park where we recorded good numbers of Atlantic Canary as well as hundreds of Canary Lizard.

M1829-19112018 Atlantic Canary.RN-8478 — Atlantic Canary in Funchal

M1829-19112018.Canary Lizard.RN-8491 — Canary Lizard in Funchal

Our RIB trip was excellent and after a good introduction to the species we would be looking for and why they made Madeira their home, we set off full of anticipation. The company use land-based lookouts strategically watching from the cliffs around the coast so it wasn’t long at all before the first call came through that there was a large nursery pod of Short-finned Pilot Whale nearby. Over the next little while, we were treated to some excellent views of an extended group of around 40 animals including adults and calves of varying ages.

M1829-19112018 Short-finned Pilot Whale.RN-8538 — Short-finned Pilot Whale off Funchal

Because whale and dolphin watching is monitored in Madeira, we were only able to stay with the group for a short while to minimise disturbance (a great model that other countries looking to set up whale watching should look at) so it was time to move on. However, we didn’t have to wait long for our next sighting as the call came through that a group of Bottlenose Dolphin was close to shore to the east of Funchal.

M1829-19112018.Bottlenose Dolphin.ENW-9765 — Bottlenose Dolphin off Funchal

This is where using a RIB comes into its own as we were able to transit quickly and locate the animals. Everyone on the RIB had fabulous views of these large dolphins watching us and inquisitively coming in close to check us out. A wonderful trip and I highly recommend Rota de Cetaceos as a responsible and good value tour operator. Before long, it was time to rejoin Braemar for the sailaway at dusk, with the promise of good weather over the coming days.

Thanks for reading!
Emma