2 May 18 - West African Pelagic - Day Two: At Sea Between Cape Verde & The Canary Islands

The wind speed had dropped a few knots overnight, but it was still blowing around 25 knots from the North East & it was cool on deck, if you couldn't get out of the wind. On relatively calm days, I would try to stand on the bridge wing with the best light & generally swap sides at lunchtime, as the sun moved round. But on the windy days, it was sometimes better to accept poorer light, if the side with the better light was wind-blasted & it wasn't possible to find a position to look forward, whilst keeping out of the wind.

The seas were still choppy: Which made it harder to pick up Seabirds & Cetaceans

We were over the deep seas with sea depths between four to five kms. In these deep seas, the numbers of Seabirds drop off considerably in Tropical & Subtropical waters. In total, I only saw just over forty Birds during the day, with a few Bulwer's Petrels, singles of Cape Verde Shearwater & Cory's Shearwater, a Red-billed Tropicbird & a couple of Arctic Terns. I also saw a couple of unexpected species: a lone Swallow & 3 distant small Waders which were probably Phalaropes. At least twenty five Leach's Storm-petrels made up the bulk of the numbers seen during the day. I photographed as many of the Storm-petrels as I could & all turned out to be Leach's Storm-petrels. I did see a couple of others that I didn't get to photograph which ended up in the notes as unidentified Storm-petrels.

Leach's Storm-petrel

Leach's Storm-petrel: Another photo of the same individual

Leach's Storm-petrel Another photo of the same individual

Leach's Storm-petrel: A second individual showing the variation in the rump markings

Red-billed Tropicbird: I never tire of seeing Tropicbirds

The Cetaceans proved to be the highlights of the day with a couple of distant Short-finned Pilot Whales & around fifteen Striped Dolphins. The Striped Dolphins didn't hang around, but did perform well as they moved past the Plancius.

Striped Dolphin

Striped Dolphin: I like the way the middle individual emerges upside down

Striped Dolphin

Striped Dolphin

1 May 18 - West African Pelagic - Day One: Razo From The Sea

Our first morning at sea was the final approach to Razo Island: home of our last endemic landbird, Razo Lark. This was planned to be our only planned zodiac cruise of the West African Pelagic. The island is a strict nature reserve & we wouldn't get the chance to land, but we had a chance of seeing them from the zodiacs. As I woke up, it was clear that there was a significant wind blowing & the Plancius was pitching & rolling. We had been told that it was likely to up to 30 knots of wind & it felt it. A number of the new passengers were absent from breakfast & that number had increased by the evening meal: they were clearly not enjoying the movement. I was also feeling uneasy about the morning. Not due to the weather, as my sea legs were now well-trained, although I had hit the seasickness tablets just in case. But I wasn't confident we would get the go ahead to put the zodiacs in the sea in these conditions. Especially, with a new Expedition staff team on board.

The sea was pretty choppy as we made the final approach to Razo: I wasn't confident the zodiacs would be launched

It was a nervous few hours waiting for news on the zodiacs. It didn't help by being told, that we didn't have the time in the schedule to hang around & wait for the wind & seas to calm down. Not that the forecast was expecting that the wind was likely to drop & it would take even longer for the seas to calm down.

Razo is a fair low, flat island: We were now fairly close & the sea was still looking choppy

Still there were potential Seabird Ticks to look for as I hadn't seen any of the few Cape Verde Storm-petrels or Boyd's Little Shearwater seen on the day before we arrived into Cape Verde. Nobody has seen a Fea's Petrel from the Plancius so far. Additionally, there were still a few other potential Western Palearctic Seabird Ticks we could see. Armed with coffee & early morning biscuits, I headed up to the bridge wing for some pre-breakfast Birding (obviously the biscuits didn't count as breakfast).

Cape Verde Shearwater: This species was formally considered to be a subspecies of Cory's Shearwater, but has now been split as an endemic species which is restricted to Cape Verde

Cape Verde Shearwater: They are smaller & short-winged that Cory's Shearwater & don't have the lazy bow-winged appearance that Cory's Shearwaters can show. The dull pale pinkish bill with a black subterminal band differs from the heavier, pale yellow bill with a black subterminal band of Cory's Shearwaters

Cape Verde Shearwater

Cape Verde Shearwater

Cape Verde Shearwater: The hand of the underwing is dark which is similar to Cory's Shearwater, whereas, the Mediterranean breeding Scopoli's subspecies of Cory's Shearwater has the white extending further into the centre of the hand

Cape Verde Shearwater

Cape Verde Shearwater: They have pale pink legs which is similar to Cory's Shearwaters

Red-billed Tropicbird: This Red-billed Tropicbird flew past the Plancius just before breakfast

Red-billed Tropicbird: This is the mesonauta subspecies which occurs in the Subtropical & Tropical East Pacific, Caribbean & East Atlantic. It is a different subspecies to the nominate aetheneus subspecies that we saw around St Helena & Ascension Island

Finally, the news came over the tannoy that the Plancius were going to put a couple of zodiacs in the water to see if it was OK. It was & we got told to get ready for our trip. We had asked if all the Wildwings party could stay in one group & when they tossed a coin the previous evening, we were in the first group of zodiacs. We would get around 75 minutes in the zodiacs to look for the Razo Larks, including a cruise along the coast to a cliff with some nesting Red-billed Tropicbirds.

Razo Island: It was a bit more sheltered as we reached this corner of the island

Razo Island: It looks an unforgiving island. But not having had people living on it, Razo had become a final sanctuary for the endemic Razo Lark. In 2018, a small population of thirty Razo Larks were moved to nearby Santa Luzia island to hopefully set up a second breeding population. At the time of writing this Post (Nov 18), twenty Razo Larks are pairing up & singing. Hopefully some will breed during the breeding season (Oct/Nov)

Razo Island: There were a couple of basic camps on the island. Initially, I thought they may be local fishermen's camps, but more likely there are associated with SPEA (Birdlife Portugal), Bisosfera (a Cape Verde NGO) & their colleagues who are studying the Razo Larks

I got into one of the zodiacs with a number of the Wildwings group who had come up from Ushuaia. We figured that we were used to the zodiacs & didn't want to be in a zodiac with others who potentially weren't used to zodiacs. It would also be more fun as all the Wildwings punters who stayed on were good friends after a month at sea. We cruised up & down the edge of the barren volcanic edge of the island, but were struggling to see much. We did see a potential Razo Lark candidate in flight over the flat plain behind: realistically it wasn't identifiable on the brief view, but probably was one. There was a shout over the radio, that one of the other zodiacs had seen some around the rough camp. We quickly headed that way & confirmed that it was a party of at least 25 Cape Verde Sparrows. Not a good start.

Cape Verde Sparrows: This party were perching on one of the ledges near the camp

These Cape Verde Sparrows were claimed on several occasions to be Razo Larks by inexperienced punters & Expedition staff. A bit later, there was a second report of a single Razo Lark on the rocks near the camp, but it flew off before we got there. We hung around this time, as this individual was nearby, but not with the Cape Verde Sparrows. Fortunately, it flew down again & looked promising. I still couldn't be certain with the bins, so I blasted off some photos & a quick check on the back of the camera confirmed it was a Razo Lark. Directions continued to be given in our zodiac, but it was only when it flew off that we realised Lorraine hadn't seen it. Not good news.

Razo Lark: The Razo Lark was standing on one of the coastal rocks & just a bit too far to be be sure of the identification with the bins on a pitching & rolling zodiac. The harsh light didn't help

Razo Lark: Fortunately, the camera helped in confirming the identification

Razo Lark: Two hours earlier, I didn't think we would get the zodiacs launched, so I won't complain too much about the quality of these pictures

Razo Lark: Many of the Razo Larks are colour ringed

Razo Lark: This was probably the sharpest picture, so it is a pity it is looking away

Razo Lark: Soon after taking this final photo, it flew back to the plain above the rocky shoreline & we didn't see it again. This was our final endemic Passerine

Eventually, all the zodiacs left for the Red-billed Tropicbird cliff. The Razo Lark hadn't reappeared & we took a quick vote on what we should do. Only one of the zodiac, new Wildwings punter, Neil Bowman voted to head off for the cliff for some photos for the day. He had seen & photographed them in the past and was outvoted as the rest of us agreed to stay to give Lorraine more time to see the Razo Lark.

Morten: Our Expedition leader returns with his zodiac

We returned to the Plancius, where Lorraine was told she could go out again if she wanted. She did & saw at least one Razo Lark. Neil was also given the opportunity to go out again & he declined. So he can't have been too upset at missing the Red-billed Tropicbird cliff. I heard later that the views from the other zodiacs weren't brilliant & not as good as the views we had enjoyed of passing individuals on the Plancius. Razo ended well for us. We now had the afternoon to carry on seawatching for the remaining Seabird Ticks.

The nearby island of Branco: An inhospitable looking island

A close up of the rock slide on Branco

Another Cape Verde island: I'm guessing this is Sao Nicolau

There was time for lunch today as we remained off Razo Island during lunch while the zodiacs were being loaded back onboard the Plancius. I was back on deck for our departure from Razo Island. There were still a number of new Seabirds to see.

29 Apr 18 - Atlantic Odyssey - Day Thirty One: Entering Western Palearctic Waters

Today was a day of mixed emotions as it was our last day at sea on the Atlantic Odyssey as tomorrow we would be just offshore from Praia at first light: Praia is on Santiago Island & is the capital of the Cape Verde Islands. Most of the passengers would be departing, including a number of good friends I had made over the last month. However, some of the Wildwings punters were staying on for the follow-on West African Pelagic, so I would still have some good company for the following two weeks. As a result of it being the last day, then there were a number of tedious admin tasks to complete such as settling bills with the Plancius & finalising the plans for our run ashore the following day. There was also the pleasant task of saying goodbyes to all the friends who were leaving. There was also the important discussion with Mike & Glenn of the top three annoying passengers over the last month, but we agreed to give awards to five passengers as there was such strong competition. Just one candidate failed to get into the top five passengers, along with a couple of others who put in a good effort. Thus, around a hundred had been pleasant to excellent company. I guess that is pretty good going after a month together. In addition, we were losing nearly all the Expedition staff & Doc Laura, the ship's medic: all of which had been excellent company & had been essential to making the trip a success. Only Marijke was staying on for the follow-on West African Pelagic. For the passengers, it had been a month at sea, but most if not all of the Expedition staff had been in Antarctica before we joined the Plancius. For some this final day was a chance to wind down as it was all over.

Belgium Birder Filiep was caught being a bit more relaxed that about his last day of Birding

Argentinian Seba & Christophe (right) sharing a mug of the South American drink mate: Seba had been the Expedition Leader and had done a sterling job behind the scenes to make the trip a success. Both were probably looking forward to the chance to return to their respective families

However, for many of the British & European Birders we crossed the two hundred nautical miles line to the Cape Verde Islands & thus we were in the WESTERN PALEARCTIC at first light. Around Cape Verde we were now in range of the next batch of Seabird Ticks: Cape Verde Shearwater, Boyd's Little Shearwater, Fea's Petrel & Cape Verde Storm-petrel. Additionally, a number of other Seabirds we had been watching for the last few days were now potential Western Palearctic Ticks. So, the keen Birders were aiming to make the most of the last day running into the Cape Verde Islands, albeit we would still be around ninety nautical miles from Praia at dusk. I take my Western Palearctic List semi-seriously and so the next couple of weeks had potential to add between fifteen & twenty Ticks including a number of far more serious World Ticks.

Cory's Shearwater: This is the borealis subspecies of Cory's Shearwater which is the Atlantic breeding subspecies. They have more extensive grey in the hand of the underwing. They are larger and heavier than Cape Verde Shearwaters & have a pale yellow bill with a dark subterminal band

Cory's Shearwater: Another view of the same individual

Cory's Shearwater: Another view of the same individual. They have paler secondaries compared to the primaries

Red-billed Tropicbird: This & Bulwer's Petrel were the two Western Palearctic Ticks seen during the day. I also saw my first Cape Verde Shearwater, but didn't manage to get any presentable photos

Frustratingly, the sea, which had been calm since leaving Ascension Island, had changed & the sea was distinctly choppy. This didn't help with trying to pick up Cetaceans on this final day at sea. I was also looking hard for Seabirds given the potential Ticks. I only managed to see & photograph Leach's Storm-petrels, but without good photos I would have been reluctant to identify a Cape Verde Storm-petrel this far out from Cape Verde from a Band-rumped Storm-petrel.

Short-finned Pilot Whale

Close to lunchtime we ran into a large pod of Short-finned Pilot Whales. We carried on as we had had a number of excellent encounters with Short-finned Pilot Whales over the previous few days. But there was time to grab a few photos before we were past the pod.

Short-finned Pilot Whale: A tail flipper of this diving individual

Short-finned Pilot Whale: This individual's tail flippers looked much thinner (but it is just the wrong angle to the camera)

Short-finned Pilot Whale: A spyhopping individual

The Short-finned Pilot Whales were accompanied by a small pod of Bottlenose Dolphins. Both the Pilot Whales species tend to be messy eaters, so perhaps the Bottlenose Dolphins were sticking with them for scraps.

Bottlenose Dolphin: A mere beginner compared to the Spinner Dolphins & Clymene Dolphins seen on recent days

I had the most frustrating near sighting of the Odyssey in the late morning. There was a Cetacean shout from the starboard side when I was on the port side. I quickly got across to the other deck & got put onto a distant breaching Beaked Whale. Several times I saw the splash, but I didn't see the Beaked Whale itself. Hans & Glenn did & their photos confirmed it was a True's Beaked Whale. This is one of the rarer Beaked Whales & it was very annoying to scrutinise my photos later & confirm I had missed it.

True's Beaked Whale splash: Given its rarity, then there is a fairly good chance this will be as close as I every get to a True's Beaked Whale

One of the main highlights of the day was seeing another Loggerhead Turtle.

Loggerhead Turtle: The initial view didn't give away too many identification features

Loggerhead Turtle: Flippers out, but no great help with identification

Loggerhead Turtle: Coming up for air

Loggerhead Turtle: A close up of the head pattern. There are two pairs of scales at the front of the head. This rules out Green Turtle which only has one long pair of scales. The head shape would be more pointed & thinner if it was a Hawksbill Turtle. The overall colouration makes it a Loggerhead Turtle & rules out Olive Ridley Turtle

Loggerhead Turtle: It's caught its breath & is off. Unfortunately, I failed to get any good photos of the scales on the shell

We also saw the first Jellyfish species.

Apparently this is a Medusa Jellyfish

This flag & buoys may indicate that a long liner fishing vessel has deployed miles of fishing lines in this area

There was a final farewell from the Captain & some celebratory drinks in the Observation lounge in late afternoon. But like a few other keen Birders, I skipped the offer so I could spend a bit more time on deck on the final afternoon. It had been a fantastic trip with 5 species of Penguins, 8 species of Albatross, 25 species of Shearwaters & Petrels, 6 species of Storm-petrels, 2 species of Tropicbirds, my final species of Frigatebird & 3 species of Boobies. Additionally, there were a number of other endemic species seen on the various islands we visited. The only landing or zodic cruise that we had hoped to make & didn't was to Nightingale Island in the Tristan da Cunha group. Very few people ever get the chance to land on or zodiac alongside Inaccessible Island, so I never expected that to be a possibility. Many Birders I know think that being away for a month on an expensive trip & coming back with only 22 World Ticks is not cost effective. However, this for me trip was more than just a chance to see a few Ticks. It was the overall experience of a Seabird extravaganza, along with 22 species of Cetaceans (nearly 25% of the total species), 4 of the 7 species of Sea Turtles, excellent memories of Whale Sharks, the days of Flying Fish & many other sealife. Additionally, there was the opportunity to spend some time visiting some of the most remote British Overseas Territories. All this with some great company & experienced Expedition staff. Overall, it was one of the best trips I have ever been on. I was not ready to come home yet. Fortunately, I wouldn't have to as I had another two weeks on the Plancius after we left Praia as we sailed back to Holland on the follow-on West African Pelagic.