At sea: crossing the Equator.

 To be continued.

Ascension Island

 To be completed.

Sailing the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

 To be completed.

Subtropical seas & Saint Helena

 To be completed.

Tristan da Cunha

 To be completed.

Gough Island

 To be completed.

At sea

 To be completed.

South Georgia

 To be completed.

Sea route to South Georgia

 To be completed.

The Return.

 

Day 12:

 

Rough seas throughout the night didn’t make for a good nights sleep! Birding at 8 am but nothing to be seen. A hour later Blue Petrels started to appear & I counted 115 passing directly south in a couple of hours. Three Soft-Plumaged & a Kergulen Petrel were also seen. Four Common Diving Petrels were as usual very skittish of the ship & didn’t let me get a photo. A couple of Grey-headed & a lone Black-browed Albatross were also seen. Conditions for viewing were challenging to say the least with mountainous seas.

 

Nothing of note in the afternoon, just very high seas made life difficult!

 

 

 

 

Day 13:

 

If anything the night was rougher than the night before! Difficult conditions to have breakfast! Sea watching produced several Wandering & Black-browed Albatross & a Southern Royal Albatross, with 2 White-chinned Petrels & 2 Sooty Shearwaters.

 

The afternoon was quiet with lots of Black-browed Albatross & Southern Giant Petrels & a scattering of White-chinned Petrel & Sooty Shearwaters.

 

Then the trip was over! A nice trip with stunning scenery & some great mammal sightings but pretty disappointing for birding, with many species either being totally absent or in very low numbers.

Ushuaia 27th March

Up before dawn to find ourselves anchored in port. Delana managed to get connected & had a long work meeting with colleagues in South Africa. 

We then went shopping for booze for the next month! It started to rain heavily but we once again walked to the small bird reserve along the coast. Many of the same birds present from two weeks ago. But it was difficult birding in the torrential rain. This time walked a little further & found a tiny freshwater marsh, just perfect for Magellanic Snipe! I walked down the banking for a closer look & flushed a Snipe but didn't see it! Thankfully Delana did & guided me expertly right on to the bird for some good close up views. We were amazed at how bulky it was & very dark plumage, well defined stripes & a large thick based long bill. It was a wet walk back but both of us very happy to see the Magellanic Snipe!

Back in our cabin to dry out & at 4.30pm we were off again on our next leg of this mammoth trip!

Exploring the western side of the Antarctic Penninsula.

 

Day 7:

 

As had become the norm in the past few days, beautiful early morning light turned overcast & then the wind picked up on the morning of 20^th March. The weather deteriorated so much in a short space of time that we had to abort our trip to a nearby island, as the swell was too great to get off the ship & into the zodiacs safely.

 

So we carried on south taking in the scenery, very few birds were in evidence.

 

Everything changed for the better in the afternoon. We enjoyed a wonderful zodiac ride in the bay, highlights being superb scenery; Leopard Seal resting on ice & a plethora of Antarctic Terns giving excellent views.

 

Then we landed at Mickleson Harbour & what a delight it was! There was a large Gentoo Penguin colony, complete with its hangers on of Southern Giant Petrels; both large Skuas & lots of Snowy Sheathbills. We managed to pick out a lone Chinstrap Penguin among the throng.

 

Then we watched as a Leopard Seal caught a Penguin in the sea. It threw it around a fair bit, with lots of pieces of the penguin flying everywhere. What was surprising to me was the seven Wilson’s Storm Petrels that flew in, picking up tiny morsels from the water.

 

Slightly later we found five Weddell Seals resting on the snow & they started to sing! It sounded like an old radio being turned in. It was an amazing experience enjoyed by all.

 

Back on the ship just getting all our gear sorted out when five Humpback  & two Southern Right Whales appeared & gave us a bit of a show. A great ending to the day.

 

Day 8:

 

Up before dawn on 21^st March as we were entering the very scenic La Mare Channel. One has to be up early in order to get all your cold weather gear on to brave the elements out on deck. Today is also my daughter Clare’s birthday! Managed to send her a SMS when we had a signal for a nano-second!

 

The channel did not disappoint. It really was something special. A Humpbacked Whale paid us a brief visit as well. Birds were thin on the ground apart from the many Antarctic Terns fishing.

Then it was time to land at Port Chalot. This is a desolate spot on the map! We landed without incident but the rocks were covered in ice & snow, too treacherous for me to walk easily. So I stayed put in the cold & Delana went along the shore & found an Adele penguin in among the numerous Gentoos.

 

As the wind picked up it was time to get off this rock! Into the zodiacs we went & we got soaked all the way across! Freezing waves continually hitting us in the face & flooding the boat. By the time we arrived at the ship everyone was numb with cold. Time to strip off, get a hot shower & try & dry all our clothes.

 

As we headed out to the open ocean the weather really deteriorated, gale force winds, huge waves & even ice falling from the ship as we shuddered into the next wave. In the entire afternoon we saw two species of bird, but was of them was very special a Snow Petrel!  Time to enjoy an early night tucked up in bed! Let us see what the morrow brings!

 

Day 9:

 

The 22^nd March was all about crossing the Polar Circle. Very few ships get this far south, so this was a first time event for even some of the Oceanwide staff. Of course being so far south it gets light much later here, so when we crossed the imaginary line it was still dark. The weather wasn’t too good either, gale force winds with driving sleet & snow flurries.

 

Birds & mammals were in short supply as well, so it was time to watch the scenery go by through the window of our cabin.

 

All activities were cancelled for the day & we headed out to sea for the safety of the open ocean. There it really got rough! Huge swells ruled & as we entered the open ocean I spotted a Snow Petrel but due to the rolling waves only managed a shot of the cabin ceiling!

 

To mark the crossing of the Polar (Antarctic) Circle we enjoyed free drinks over dinner in the evening.

 

Day 10:

 

It was a rough night out at sea & I managed only intermittent sleep. However, as dawn broke we found ourselves anchored in the apparent calm (er) waters of the Magellan Straits .& throughout the morning we sailed steadily northwards.

 

The scenery was once again quite stunning but little wildlife was seen. I saw a distant Snow Petrel which was too far to get a photo of.

 

The wonderful weather & scenery continued into the afternoon & we did a zodiac cruise around the bay close to the Garlish Striats. (between Anvers & Brabent Islands). Just before we got on the water a pack of five Orcas were spotted & we had great views from the ship. They stayed around & we powered across to them in the zodiacs. They had killed a seal & were sharing the meat between the group. In total at least seven Orcas were in the pack. Ten Wilson’s Storm-Petrels were scavenging the morsels around the whales.

 

We then discovered a Leopard Seal on a small iceberg, which gave phenomenal views. On motoring further around the sound we saw four Crabeater Seals hauled up on an ice flow & to the left of them was another Leopard Seal. Both species gave awesome views. We arrived back on board the ship dry! Which is a rare event in these waters!

 

Evening was spent sailing northwards amid spectacular scenery. Think snow covered mountains & lots of icebergs of all shapes & sizes. The only wildlife of note were seven Humpback Whales seen while enjoying dinner.

 

Day 11:

 

24^th March saw us at sea just off Deception Island. We then went through Neptune’s Bellows (a narrow, dramatic entrance) into the flooded caldera beyond. Once through the sea was calm & we could see around 80+ Imperial Cormorants & lots of Kelp Gulls sat on the nearby cliffs. Unfortunately, yet again the weather turned against us. With low cloud, dark skies & constant rain.  We jumped into the zodiacs & quickly made it to shore, landing on a fine ash lava beach.

 

We landed close to the old whaling station & quickly made our way to the site of the abandoned British Antarctic Research Station. All the buildings were in a dilapidated condition & it looked a forlorn scene.

 

We walked parallel to the beach seeing patches of green vegetation dotted with Antarctic Fur Seals & the odd Gentoo Penguin. The fur seals were all young ones, with the adults already back at sea this late in the season. Some young males were sparring half-heartedly on the beach. It could have ben a nice walk, but it was spoiled by the poor conditions: persistent rain keeping my camera firmly in its bag.

 

Then we were back on board & before long sailing northwards in the lee of Livingston Island. Both Black-browed & Grey-headed Albatross were seen as were Southern Giant Petrels.

 

Just before dark we had around 32 Wilson’s Storm Petrels purposefully flying north low over the ocean. As we headed out into the Drake Passage the sea became very rough!

Elephant Island to the Weddell Sea

 

Day 4:

 

We awoke by looking through our cabin window to awe-inspiring scenery: snow capped mountains rising straight out of the sea! We were anchored just off Elephant Island. However, it soon became apparent that the sea state was too rough to attempt a zodiac landing. This was very disappointing.

 

While eating breakfast we could see thousands of distant Chinstrap Penguins sat on the rocks. There is a huge colony here, but they were too distant to get a good view. I set up my scope, but the wind was just too strong & closer viewing wasn’t possible.

 

We upped anchor and began a slow cruise around the island. Soon we spotted Fin Whales feeding & there were at least fifty of them! Birds were everywhere trying to cash in on the banquet as well. It was quite a sight & it lasted for over an hour. There were thousands of Chinstrap Penguins in the water, with hundreds of Black-browed Albatross. A few Gentoo Penguins were also spotted among the throng. This is exactly the kind of thing one comes on a voyage like this for! It really was an amazing experience.

 

Cold eventually drove us to our cabin to warm up a bit, but the show continued from there & we saw a lot of Southern Fulmars & both Black-bellied & Wilson’s Storm Petrels pattering over the sea.

 

Eventually the ship turned south & we sea-watched intermittently throughout the day. A couple of Cape Petrels kept us company   as well as the odd Black-browed & grey-headed Albatross. But the afternoon belonged to the Southern Fulmars which increased in numbers as we slowly ploughed ever southwards.

 

We ended the day by viewing distant icebergs, our first of the trip.

 

Day 5:

 

Up just as dawn was breaking on 18^th March. And what a view it was! We were anchored in calm waters surrounded by a series of dormant/extinct volcanoes. In fact, we were anchored in a caldera, just off the aptly named Devil’s Island. Blue skies & a calm sea saw us in the zodiacs, speeding off to the nearby shore. The whole area was dotted with miniature icebergs & there was a fair bit of crushed ice onshore as well, pushed there by the prevailing winds. The whole area was starkly beautiful, but barren.

 

As we walked along the shore through the crushed ice there were a couple of Atlantic Fur Seals having a bit of downtime. Once passed them we came across five Adelie Penguins, who all walked past us in a line! As we climbed higher we saw that we were walking across an Adelie Penguin breeding colony, but this late in the season the birds had long gone. We did see the carefully collected pebbles which make up their nests though.

 

We climbed higher with only Sub-Antarctic Skuas for company, then I spotted a couple of South Polar Skuas in the distance. A welcome find.

 

As we walked a little further, a beautiful bay came into view & we could see for quite a distance. We made our way back to the shore but the wind picked up & the weather changed dramatically. In a few minutes we had gone from ideal weather to a raging gale with high seas making it impossible for us to reach the ship in our zodiacs. So we bobbed around in the sea, getting colder & colder, finally making a dash for the ship. The waves continually came over the side soaking us all & making for a very unpleasant journey. We arrived on board soaking wet & freezing cold. Antarctica had just taught us a valuable lesson!

 

In the afternoon we moved a few nautical miles to the south in grey, somber conditions. It didn’t look nice out there! We anchored just off James Ross Island but there were no birds or sea mammals to be seen. Early evening the weather changed & Delana & I enjoyed a magical sunset on our balcony.

 

Day 6:

 

Bright sunlight awakened us on 19^th March. The scenery was stunning but as we readied ourselves for the zodiac ride the clouds came over. We enjoyed a nice zodiac cruise off Brown Bluff, which is on the Antarctic mainland. The highlight were the numerous icebergs although a couple of Wilson’s Storm- Petrels flitted about over the ocean surface.

 

Then we landed on shore & were greeted by a large colony of around 1,000 Gentoo Penguins. This is late in the season so many birds had left for the open ocean, but still some birds were present, many in moult so they cannot go into the ocean. It was a real treat to walk among them & view them up close.

 

Snowy Sheathbills were also an ever present & a few Sub-Antarctic Skuas were loitering with intent.

 

A couple of Weddell Seals were snoozing along the beach, they are huge mottled grey beasts, which didn’t move as we passed by. Antarctic Fur Seals were also around in good numbers.

 

It was a terrific morning, with all the elements of scenery combined with abundant wildlife coming into play.

 

Back on board our lunch was interrupted by a group of five Type B Orcas close to the ship. I managed to get a few photos but they were incredibly mobile. Also, a Fin Whale suddenly emerged in the middle of them! One of those unforgettable sightings!

 

We slowly motored out of the Weddell Sea throughout the afternoon encountering 13 more Fin Whales & a Humpbacked Whale. However, all were a little distant for photography. In the late afternoon a few Southern Fulmars put in an appearance & we noted 29 Wilson’s Storm-Petrels. The highlight though was seeing around 350 Gentoo Penguins sat on a huge iceberg in the evening light.

Crossing the Drake Passage.

 

Day 1:

Finally, the 14^th March arrived! The big day, when we board our ship the Hondius to take us to the Antarctic! Up early in the hotel & packing! With all our stuff, this takes some time.

Then we drove into town & birded the nature reserve close to the port. It was an overcast & thoroughly miserable morning, as it was raining heavily, which later turned to sleet. We got soaked!

 

However, the birding was quite good. Both Upland & Kelp Geese were present, as were 95 Crested Duck;  24 Red Shoveler; 4 Chiloe Wigeon; 25 Yellow-billed Pintail; 28 Yellow-billed teal; 75 Southern Lapwing; 105 Brown-hooded Gull; 90 Dolphin Gull; 6 Kelp Gull; 1 Southern Giant Petrel; 7 Imperial Cormorant; 1 Ringed Kingfisher & 2 Dark-faced Ground-Tyrants.

 

We then dropped the rental car off at the airport & caught a taxi back into town to board the ship at 4pm. Our cabin was nice & well equipped, so once more unpacking, this time we wouldn’t have to pack again for 45 more nights! Hurrah! Then mandatory briefings, so it was late when we could do birding on deck & the weather was poor.

 

As we sailed down the Beagle Channel we saw around 180 Black-browed Albatross; 70+ Southern Giant Petrel; 2 Northern Giant Petrel; 290 Sooty Shearwater; 45 Chilean Skua. Best of all was a Fuegian Wilson’s Storm Petrel, just before dark which was new for me.

 

Both Delana & I had a fitful first night’s sleep. It always takes a while to get used to sleeping on a ship, particularly when we hit the open ocean just before midnight!

 

Day 2:

 

I was up on deck early on 15^th March. Delana felt a little lethargic, so didn’t join me. 3 Wandering Albatross ; 1 Black-browed & a Grey-headed Albatross were noted. Another Fuegian Wilson’s was briefly seen, as was at least 33 Soft-plumaged Petrels. Later in the morning I saw 2 more Wandering & 5 Black-browed Albatross; the first Black-bellied Storm Petrel; a Southern Fulmar & at least 40+ Soft-plumaged Petrels. Prions started to appear but too far for specific identification.

 

Delana wasn’t feeling too well, so I went out on deck late afternoon: 1 Grey-headed Albatross; 10 Black-browed Albatross; 4 Southern Giant Petrel; 50+ Soft-plumaged Petrel; 1 White-chinned Petrel; 2 Common Diving Petrel; 5 Slender-billed prion & 60+ Prion sp. Probably all Slender-billed.

 

Delana was feeling a little better in the evening, so we enjoyed a nice dinner, followed by a movie. Tomorrow is another sea day, as we head relentlessly south towards our ice bound destination.

 

Day 3:

 

A pre-breakfast sea-watch produced both Grey-headed & Black-browed Albatrosses; 9 Black-bellied Storm-Petrels; a surprising Sooty Shearwater & 2 Common Diving Petrels. Later on in the morning produced 4 Kerguelen Petrels; 9 Soft-Plumaged Petrels; a Slender-billed Prion & Wilson’s Storm Petrel.

 

As we got closer to Elephant Island the diversity increased & we saw our first Chinstrap Penguins; Light-mantled Sooty Albatross; 2 Grey-headed & 4 Black-browed Albatross; 3 Southern & a Northern Giant Petrel; 2 White-chinned petrel;5 Southern Fulmar; 2 Cape Petrel; 6 Kerguelen Petrel; 16 Soft-Plumaged Petrel; 4 Slender-billed Prion & 15 Antarctic Prion. 3 Wilson’s & 11 Black-bellied Storm Petrels + a Subantarctic Skua, which will probably be the first of many.

Ushuaia

9th March was a long travelling day, finally arriving in Ushuaia at 9pm. We quickly caught a taxi to our hotel & went straight to bed. The next day was spent in town, with little birding done. Plenty of Black browed Albatross & Southern Giant Petrels were in the harbour & just offshore.

On the 11th March we had booked a four hour boat trip visiting a couple of islands in the Beagle Channel. The weather was excellent & it wasn't long before we came across at least five Humpbacked Whales which gave us close up views.

Both Black browed Albatross & Southern Giant Petrels were constantly in view along with Chilean Skuas. A smattering of distant Sooty Shearwaters were also noted. The first island visited held several hundred pairs of Imperial Cormorants, with a few Magellanic Cormorants as well. Around 50 pairs of South American Terns were breeding at one end of the island.

The next small island produced a colony of South American Sea Lions, which were entertaining. Fleeting views were obtained of Fuegian ( Blackish) Cinclodes & a more obliging pair of Grey-flanked Cinclodes.

Then it was time to return to port, with yet more close up views of seabirds along the way. It had been an excellent outing, with great views of nearly everything we saw.

In the evening we visited the area around the Tolkyen Hotel. I has stayed here ten years ago & found it good for birding. A river empties into the sea & the surrounding area was alive with wildfowl feeding on the sea. The highlight though was a confiding Red-chested Dotterel sat on rocks along the shore.

The next day (12th) we drove out of the town up to the Garibaldi Pass, with spectacular scenery all around. It was a nice day out but virtually bird less.

We visited the Tierra del Fuego National Park on 13th March. A spectacular spot just out of town. As soon as we entered Delana spotted five Magellanic Woodpeckers feeding close to the road. We enjoyed unbelievably close views for the next thirty minutes as they went about their business totally unconcerned by our presence. 

We explored the park further & came across a bird party containing Fire-eyed Diucon, which was a nice addition to the list. Later we found Patagonian Tyrant close to the headquarters of the park. 

We finished on a creditable 26 species for the day. 

On 14th March we dropped our luggage off in town had a quick bird watch along the shore & then boarded our ship which was to be our home for the next six weeks! Ushuaia is a great place to spend some time but finding the birds was difficult.

Iguazu

 We arrived at Surucua Lodge just after mid-day on 5th March. It is a very small, but comfortable & well run lodge around 50 kms from Iguazu. Most importantly it has some really nice well maintained trails through excellent lowland forest. We set out to explore the area late afternoon.

Spot-billed Toucanet

Spot-backed Antshrike

Ochre-breasted Foilage-Gleaner

Brown Capuchin

Toco Toucan

Masked Tityra

Crested Becard

Plain Xenops

Sepia-capped Flycatcher

Large-headed Flatbill

Cream-bellied Gnatcatcher

Streak-capped Antwren

White-bearded Manikin

Unfortunately we had to leave the lodge just after lunch. We both could have done with another days birding here, as everything was excellent & conducive to a longer stay.

Bananaquit

Versicolored Emerald

Violet-capped Woodnymph

Male Black-throated Mango

This is a very aggressive species, 

driving many other species from the feeders.

Female

Swallow-tailed Hummingbird

Planalto Hermit

Black Jacobin

We then went to our hotel & enjoyed a quiet evening there. Early night ready for the big day at the falls in the morning!

7th March & we arrived at Iguazu Falls National Park just before they opened at 8am. First we birded the more open scrubby areas close to the former airstrip, before moving on to one of the long trails through the forest. The park is vast & despite the huge numbers of daily visitors, there are places which seem remote & pristine. The forest trails are good & the birding is even better!

We then drove into Iguazu & visited the famous Hummingbird Garden. The place is quite small but full of feeders & hummingbirds! They have been feeding them for over thirty years! It is a delightful place to spend some time & we saw all the expected species for this time of year.

We were up early & birding the trails at dawn on 6th March. As the light was poor we first birded the edge of the forest, which proved to be a good move.