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News in Brief: Antarctica, the Maldives, Iceland, Spain and the UK
‘Our eagerly anticipated expedition to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica – our first since 2019 – certainly lived up to expectations,’ writes tour leader Richard Bashford.
‘After boarding the MV Ortelius and navigating the Beagle Channel, we sailed towards the Falklands. Arriving at West Point Island at dawn, we enjoyed sightings of several Sei Whales while hundreds of Black-browed Albatrosses – many from the colony they shared with Southern Rockhopper Penguins – soared from the cliffs. What a spectacular start! During our time in the Falklands, we visited the stunningly beautiful Saunders Island and the famous predator-free Carcass Island with its endemic Cobb’s Wren, while enjoying wonderful views of Magellanic and Gentoo Penguins, and beautiful Commerson’s Dolphins.
At sea we were treated to an exciting range of seabirds, from the tiny Wilson’s Petrel to the far bigger Southern Royal and the mighty Wandering Albatross.
Our arrival at South Georgia was astounding – jagged peaks and glaciers, Humpback Whales and, as we neared land, the evocative song of Antarctic Fur Seals. The rest of our stay here proved equally as remarkable! The vast King Penguin colonies were incredible and left us with lasting memories. Who will ever forget walking amongst these iconic creatures, interspersed with crowds of Elephant and Fur Seals? At St Andrew’s Bay, great columns of King Penguins lined the river under blue skies and the surrounding snow-capped peaks, the idyllic picture completed by soaring Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses!
Cruising south to the Antarctica Peninsula, we were delighted by its spectacular icebergs, Chinstrap Penguins and Snow Petrels. But perhaps, after so many incredible sightings throughout our adventure, it was the immense Adélie Penguin colonies here which proved the highlight for many. These inquisitive and characterful penguins stole the hearts of us all.’
‘Our group of six adventurous clients arrived in Iceland, all hopeful for a showing of the Northern Lights and a supporting cast of birds,’ writes tour leader Dave Jackson.
‘We began by exploring the south-west corner of the Reykjanes Peninsula around Grindavik, where Iceland and Glaucous Gulls battled against the wind while Great Northern Divers and Common Eider sheltered by the harbour wall. Most surprising was the unseasonal Atlantic Puffin that zoomed over our heads in the strong wind – perplexing indeed!
We visited the gleaming Sun Voyager sculpture with its wonderful snowy mountain backdrop before our re-scheduled morning flight to Akureyri. A late lunch at Goðafoss gave us spectacular views of the waterfall with its thundering water cascading over vast icicles that looked as though they had been in this frozen landscape forever. Later, the sight of displaying Barrow’s Goldeneye on the Laxá River was a thrill to watch.
The Northern Lights on our first night at Mývatn fulfilled many bucket-list ambitions and visits to Grjótagjá, a small lava cave and hot spring, and the ‘black castles’ lava formations of Dimmuborgir brought out the child in us all as we scrambled over the snow and ice.
Although the weather at times was extreme, it didn’t stop us from venturing out and enjoying the incredible wintery landscape and the birds that survive here. While Gyrfalcon eluded us, a magnificent White-tailed Eagle gave prolonged views as it hunted over the frozen lake.
An incredible experience regardless of, or perhaps because of, the weather!’
‘This 7-day festive adventure across the stunning landscapes of Extremadura brought the group avian Christmas gifts galore!’ writes tour leader Niki Williamson.
‘On the plains, our sightings of Great and Little Bustards, Pin-tailed and Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Spanish Imperial Eagle came alongside plenty of lovely stocking fillers such as Iberian Grey Shrike, Thekla´s and Calandra Lark, Eurasian Hoopoe, Little Owl and huge mixed flocks of Spanish Sparrow, Corn Bunting and Rock Petronia. If Extremadura is a delicious chocolate truffle, then Monfragüe National Park is surely its crunchy centre, and the sights of hundreds of Griffon and Cinerous Vultures circling overhead on Christmas Eve certainly left us feeling sweet! Iberian Magpie, Blue Rock Thrush, Black Redstart, Rock Bunting and European Otter were extra treats! Exploring the rice fields and reservoirs, we enjoyed Bonelli´s Eagle, Black-winged Kite, Hen Harrier, Black-necked Grebe, Red-crested Pochard, Black Stork and thousands of carolling Common Cranes. Superb wildlife encounters, all celebrated with warm hospitality from our hosts and hearty meals featuring traditional dishes, local cheeses and plenty of bubbly!’
‘Our first Maldives cruise of 2023 headed north out of Malé, through North Malé Atoll and around Baa and Raa Atolls, in search of cetaceans and other marine-life,’ writes tour leader Alison Steel. ‘During our tour, we enjoyed encounters with hundreds of individual cetaceans from five species – Spinner, Pantropical Spotted, Risso’s and Indopacific Bottlenose Dolphins, as well as several pods of Short-finned Pilot Whales. Some of the family groups included small calves, and it was amazing to appreciate how fast the little ones could travel and how they survive in such a vast ocean.
We obtained some excellent sightings of birds feeding on the small fish pushed to the surface by the dolphins below, with species such as Lesser and Brown Noddy, Saunder’s, Common, Black-naped and Greater Crested Terns joining the feast. On the islands, Asian Koel could be seen and heard, along with Grey Heron, Striated Heron and White-breasted Waterhen, together with numerous fruit bats. Under the waves we found Hawksbill Turtle, sharks including Tawny Nurse, Guitar, Black-tipped and White-tipped, and a dazzling variety of colourful fish, starfish, nudibranchs, squid and octopus, sea cucumbers, corals and sponges. However, for many, one of the highlights was undoubtedly the opportunity to snorkel with the huge, but incredibly graceful, Manta Ray.’
‘We met at 09.30 and, after brief introductions, the group set off,’ writes leader Jonathan Mycock. ‘We soon got our first views of the wintering wildfowl – Mallard, Teal and Wigeon, the latter making their musical whistling calls. At the far end of Siddlesham Pool, three Jack Snipe were identified by their different feeding behaviour to the ‘sewing machine’ action of Common Snipe.
Long Pool revealed two female Reed Buntings, while several Skylarks and Meadow Pipits flew over the arable fields, and a female Stonechat was perched on a thistle stem.
The middle shore of the estuary treated us to 30 Avocets foraging alongside Oystercatchers, Curlew and Shelduck. As the tide was very high at this point, there were many birds on the wing, displaced by the rising water. The hundreds of Brent Geese were impressive, whilst close by a flock of Pintail hurried past. On the saltmarsh, noisy Redshank were feeding, and a single Greenshank was found roosting.
Further along, a small hovering bird turned out to be a Kingfisher, as its brilliant blue rump was clear for all to see. As the tide started to turn, flocks of Dunlin and Grey Plover flew back and forth. Ringed Plovers were then spotted feeding along the sandy shore, while on the islands Cormorants were drying in their ‘horaltic pose’.
Our bracing walk to the shingle beach was rewarded with a flock of Turnstones, together with two adult winter Mediterranean Gulls flying past, allowing comparison with the numerous Black-headed Gulls. Returning to the visitor centre, the arable fields held several Lapwing and one or two Common Snipe, and a Little Egret was flushed from a nearby ditch.
In total we saw/heard 63 bird species – a good day out!’
