March 1 st March 17 th 2018

Transcription

1 Northern Lights March 1 st March 17 th 2018 Thursday 1 st March 2018: Embarkation from Portsmouth The week began with Met Office amber warnings. The 'Beast from the East' they said. Large amounts of snow did indeed fall all over the UK. Therefore, getting to the lovely Saga Pearl II was a mission in itself; a minefield of cancelled trains and closed roads. Our departure was delayed from Portsmouth until 6 am on Friday to let the 'Beast' move beyond our intended course. Meaning I gave my 1 st presentation that night to a packed out discovery lounge. Friday 2 nd March 2018: The North Sea avec 'The Beast'. We were on our way! The ORCA team were very eager to spot and collect data on cetaceans, so out on deck we ventured: into a snowstorm. The winds were strong enough to take the sea state too high to collect data. On top of this, the low cloud meant our visibility was less than 2 KM. When it gets too rough and the visibility decreases, the validity of a sighting of a cetacean (whales, dolphins and porpoise) comes into question and reduces the quality of the data and so surveying in rough seas is avoided. However, we can record species incidentally meaning we change our methodology slightly so we can make a note of species if they are encountered, however we will not attempt to determine their position and behaviour. This is still useful information and of course we wanted to try and spot something to enthuse our fellow passengers. We wrapped up and headed up to face the wilds of the weather for a bit when the sea looked a little less angry. We unfortunately didn t see any cetaceans, but as always, there were a few birds dancing about above the waves. Through the driving snow, we spotted: Fulmars The fulmar flies fast with quick wingbeats and stiff-winged glides, wheeling effortlessly in strong winds, often swinging up in high arcs over the waves. They have a tubenose; where the nostrils are enclosed in a tube on the bill and this has an olfactory role (sense of smell) in foraging.

2 Gannets These beautiful birds wheel around looking down at the sea on the hunt for prey. They perform spectacular dives from over 30 metres, hitting the water at 60mph diving deep into the water. They can also swim even deeper if necessary. They are able to withstand the trauma of the impact due to their streamlined head shape, the presence of air sacs in the skull and by contracting their neck muscles to straighten the neck and reduced water resistance. Greater black-backed gull A very large and mean looking gull. They can be kleptoparasites, meaning they steal the food caught by other bird species by harassing them like pirates! Kittiwake In the summer these pretty birds call continuously and it sounds like they are saying kittiwake, kittiwake and this has given them their name. Kittiwake photographs by ORCA surveyor Sam Guillemot Guillemots are in the same family as the puffin, the Auk family. They are excellent swimmers and able to dive deep to 10s of metres to catch small shoaling fish.

3 Saturday 3 rd March 2018: The North Sea Due to the rough weather, we were unable to survey. We however did spend some time at the stern of the ship where it is more sheltered and managed to spot a few kittiwakes flitting between the swells and a juvenile common gull. Sunday 4 th March 2018 A great day in Bergen where we saw some local sites and spotted some birds too, including Sparrows, blackbird, fieldfare, great tit, eider ducks, magpie, hooded crow and cormorant. Passengers informed us they had seen redpoll, redwing and 3 red squirrels! On the afternoon cruise leaving Bergen we manage to spot 4 harbour porpoise and a white-tailed eagle; a great success! Some passengers, who were up deck with us spotted these too. Harbour Porpoise by ORCA Surveyor, Sam Harbour porpoise are small, shy animals and so can only be spotted in calm seas like those that we had as we left port. They have a small triangular dorsal fin, no beak (like a dolphin has) and spade shaped teeth. They rarely jump out of the water or create many splashes, so one really just sees a small back and fin rolling briefly out of the water. This is deceptive as under the water in-between surfaces they are very active and busy and need to forage constantly to find enough food to keep warm in the cold water. Monday March 5 th 2018: Molde Whilst some of our team were escorting tours the rest of us headed up the hill to a viewpoint in the morning to look out over the spectacular fjord and view of 222 peaks (so I was told!). Along the way, we picked up sightings of redpoll, siskin, coal tit and a great spotted woodpecker. Once a good way up we spotted a white-tailed eagle, flying over the island that bisects the fjord behind where the cruise ship was docked. White-tailed eagle by ORCA Team Leader, Phill

4 Then behind this island, at quite a distance we spotted orca or killer whales as they are also known. They were in a large spread-out group, heading east, approximately 10 in number and quite hard to ID at that distance despite the adult males having a very large 2-metre-tall dorsal fin! We began to move down the hill closer, where we were able to spot them once again, and this time heading west. We could now clearly see the huge dorsal fin of the male and could confirmed the species as orca. They were too far to get a picture of, sadly. We made our way down to the Pearl II but as we feared the ship was too low to see over the Island. We spent the rest of the afternoon looking out for more killer whales in case they came near the ship so we could alert people. Sadly, they did not appear again but four white-tailed eagles were spotted, a heron and lots of eider ducks. We also briefly saw two harbour porpoise. Passengers reported that on the trips they saw lots of whooper swans and nesting kittiwakes, so all in all a great day for nature spotting! View of Fjord in Molde with Pearl II just visible in bottom left and the island behind which the orca were spotted below the mountains on the right. View of the mountains and Fjord from Molde

5 An insight of some of the beautiful traditional houses in Molde. Tuesday 6 th March: Crossing the Arctic Circle 'And now there came both mist and snow, and it grew wondrous cold. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. (I know this is set in the Southern Ocean but it did get wondrous cold that day.) We were up and out at dawn to begin a full day s survey at sea. We had contacted some colleagues that study killer whales in Iceland and Norway to see what places they might be expected to be this time of year. As with all studies of the natural world not much can be assumed or predicted and so the information we received was only a tentative suggestion based on possible movements of herring. One of the places that might have been promising was the Lofoten Islands and we approached them on this day. In the morning, the seas were rough and the visibility low. As the day progressed the wind dropped and the snow showers receded and we enjoyed better conditions until sunset. Despite our efforts we did not encounter any cetaceans but remained positive for the days ahead. We spotted the usual cohort of birds with gull species, kittiwakes and gannets. Sam also saw a puffin! Note that at this time of year puffins won t look so iconic and clown like so could be overlooked. Puffin in winter with dull beak and blackened eyes

6 Wesnesday 7 th & Thursday 8 th March 2018 Tromso We were out in the pre-sunrise gloaming to take as much advantage of the remaining sea time as we approached the beautiful city of Tromso. We encountered no cetaceans from our early survey and then none from our mooring in port, despite keeping a keen look out. We did have lots of nice bird sightings by our team and the as ever, enthusiastic passengers on board: Grey Heron A report of an Iceland gull. Mallard Bull finch Huge rafts of eider duck including two king eider ducks. Good views of sea eagles swooping down on prey and being forever mobbed by hooded Common, herring, kittiwakes, lesser and crows and gull greater black blacked gulls. There where most likely some glaucous gulls mixed in too! Beautiful long tailed ducks Long-tailed duck (7 individuals) seen off the quay, Tromsø. Rear and side views of a male in winter-spring plumage showing long tail feathers, pink bill patch and pale brown eye surround, by Team Leader, Phill. View of a female showing off-white head, no elongated tail feathers.

7 Tromso was such a great city, and things were starting to feel like we were approaching a frontier. The history and feel of the city seemed to be grounded in a culture that looked further north still, toward the Pole for a sense of identity. And as if on cue, on our first evening in Tromso as we enjoyed our evening meal the captain announced that the Northern Lights were beginning to show in the skies above the ship. The restaurants almost emptied before the discarded napkins had floated down to the floor! A Sami reindeer sleigh trip by ORCA surveyor Kathleen. Friday 9 th March & Saturday 10 th March 2018 Alta We were up and out early, to make the most of the approach to Alta. It was really cold: - 22 not considering the wind chill of the combined head wind and movement of ship. It was actually very windy and hard to see and stand without bracing oneself firmly. Steam like vapour rising of the freezing sea at dawn in AltaFjord by Phil Once on land it seemed a little strange to see birds that we see regularly in Britain flitting around in the sub-zero temperatures. It is in fact normal but it still feels surprising to see magpies in 20! We did also spot waxwings, a bird that is a typically northern species with a circumpolar range: a right looker! This bird can sometimes visit the UK in the winter when food such as berries, are scarce. Sometimes in cold winters, flocks visit us right down in the South West. A waxwing by Sam

8 Alta truly felt like a frontier town. This was made all the more visceral by the extreme temperature and the fact that there was a husky sled race being held, that started in Alta and carved its way 100s of kilometres through the wilderness, into Russia and back again. A festival was in progress to mark this occasion and huge ice carvings littered the town (including a little one of ours!). Then that evening, just in case it didn't feel magical enough in this northern wilderness we witnessed the Northern Lights dancing in between breaks in the cloud. The Northern Lights cathedral surrounded by sculptures On the 10 th, we left Alta. In the fjord we had a report of 4 very small cetaceans, most likely porpoise from a keen eyed passenger. Then as we entered the open ocean we moved into deeper water, with interesting bathymetry. There were adjacent areas of deep 300m water and then areas of much shallower water. This is good for cetaceans as often these areas have lots of upwelling of nutrient rich water. Just before it got dark, as the snow was falling we spotted 3 large whales off the bow at quite a distance. They came close to the vessel, which can be a big problem for whales. ORCA is continuing to work to prevent Ship Strike to large whales one of the main threats they face in the North East Atlantic, and is continuing to build upon research conducted in The whales were swimming at quite a rate and creating a lot of white water, only slowing once in our wake. The encounter was over in about 3 minutes and it s very hard to conclusively state what species they were due to the distance and amount of spray. They were large rorqual whales (Balenopteridae) most likely fin whales.

9 A fin whale s dorsal fin is obvious in this picture and it s situated two thirds of the way down the body toward the tail and can aid in gauging the scale of these animals. The length of the body is usually concealed under the water. Fin whales are the second largest cetacean after the blue whale. They attain lengths of over 26 metres and weigh up to and potentially over 75 tonnes Sunday 11 th & Monday 12 th March 2018: Harstad and South across the Arctic Circle. Our dawn survey into Harstad had amazing views of the fjord but unfortunately, no cetaceans. We did however have an eagle fly right over the deck but in the low light, it was very hard to ID, the long tail suggests golden eagle but the heavy head and beak suggest white tailed eagle. While in the town, we had a great fly over from a white-tailed eagle, which is useful for comparison. Also, around the ship at the dock Sam spent some time photographing a flock of waxwing that were feeding there and got some great shots! Golden eagle / white tailed eagle in Fjord at 7 am White tailed sea eagle Waxwing at Harstad harbour by Sam

10 On the 12 th, we were out at pre-sunrise all day to 7 pm to survey in great conditions as we crossed the Arctic Circle again. There were many seabirds, especially as we approached areas of dynamic bathymetry, with fishing vessels trawling over banks. However, there were no cetaceans. Nevertheless, absence data is good data. We now have two very large transects, covering a very similar area, in good conditions within a week of each other. It s important to know where cetaceans are not present, as well as where they are. Repeating these routes in the future and sample routes from previous cruises improve the quality and reliability of the data and depending on the season, it can provide temporal insight into distribution. It was a great day and we were so much warmer! Tuesday 13 th March: Alesund A few weeks prior to this, the herring were around this area and that would mean a whole cohort of predators would be with them, including killer whales. When we docked, we decided to climb the hill to a near 360-degree panorama and searched some more. We searched until it became dark, but sadly no signs of herring or killer whales this time. The view of the Pearl II on the way up to our look spot with beautiful near 360 views.

11 We were treated with some lovely views of birds as dawn approached, including some great views of goosander. Such as the very pretty sawbill duck. We also had a very close encounter with a whitetailed eagle as we got to the top of 418 steps that ascend the hill lookout. Passengers that went further afield on trips managed some great sightings with beautiful photos of golden eagles from the fjord cruise and whooper swans and great northern diver on the islands tour. A male goosander Wednesday 14 th March 2018: Flam Our last stop in Norway and what a location; Flam was a spectacular place. Although not a great habitat for cetaceans, there was plenty of incredible sights and wildlife. We spotted: Red Breasted Mergansers - a saw bill duck very similar to a Goosander A Marsh tit similar to a Willow tit making it hard to identify but the call made by this species confirmed it was a Marsh tit. Vole spotted on a walk to a frozen waterfall. Nuthatch Redpoll Ravens calling along the high cliffs Gyrfalcon spotted by passengers on the Flam railway, this is a number one sighting for bird lovers as it is like a giant white peregrine falcon. On the way out of the Fjord, we also saw a small and very relaxed seal, most likely a common or harbour seal.

12 The Fjord near Flam and one of many frozen waterfalls. The team as the Pearl II set of into the Fjord at Flam in the evening

13 Thursday 15 th and Friday 16 th March 2018: Crossing the North Sea. March 15 th Well it seems the 'Beast from the East' wanted to wave us off and so sent a relative 'The Beast from the East 2' to bookend the beginning and the end of our story. It was much too rough to survey unfortunately. March 16 th In the morning, it was still quite rough and the visibility was very low, due to fog. We gave it a go and although we couldn t really see far enough to spot whales, we saw a diver species that could have been the red throated or great northern diver but it was gone into the fog as quickly as it came. There were the usual gulls and gannets as well as a black-headed gull in summer plumage, a nice sight after the frozen north. There were a few guillemots sitting on the surface too. We were joined on deck by a bedraggled meadow pipit that had been fighting the wind. A land bird that may have been blown out to sea or was caught out whilst making a longer distance movement. Similarly, we were joined by a starling also, frantically flying east into the strong head wind. A large percentage of the starlings that form the huge murmurations in places like the Somerset levels in winter are birds that have moved south from Scandinavia and Russia in Autumn and move back North around March. These birds acquire the lovely sparkling summer starling plumage earlier than the native British ones and this can be a good way to pick out the continental birds. However, it is hard to know still, as it could just be a bit lost and often, migrating birds wait for more favourable tail wind conditions. I did my round-up talk in the morning and many of the guests we had chatted to and made friends with throughout the cruise attended this. As always, there was lots of enthusiasm and interest in the work of ORCA and lots of people shared their wonderful wildlife experiences with us. That afternoon we took a break and attended the performance by the SAGA passenger choir and that was fantastic. Then we rounded the cruise off with a quiz. Thanks to all that attended, the end scores where very high. Overall despite the weather being very bad on most sea days, we actually managed 34 hours of survey effort, covering 860 nautical miles, when all the early mornings and late evenings before and after docking are included. On top of these are the many hours spent surveying 'off effort' recording 'incidental' sightings. So, a very useful chunk of data with porpoise, killer whales and fin whales. We would like to extend our thanks to all the guests, the Captain and his crew on board the Saga Pear II. We may not have seen many cetaceans during our voyage, but this is still very important data for conservation and we did experience mother nature in all her glory.