16 Jun 2014

Okhotsk Wildlife

Our voyage in the Sea of Okhotsk continues to offer some excellent wildlife sightings. Even at Pul’tun Bay, the site of the Sakhalin offshore oil and gas fields, we saw at least three Western Gray Whales which had come to feed in the shallow waters. There is some debate over whether they are a sub species but that didn’t detract from our delight in watching them from the Zodiacs. We were also pleased to see a large flock of Aleutian Terns there as recent surveys suggest that this population has plummeted.

On Saturday we were at tiny Iony Island. Despite its diminutive size, this small speck of rock in the middle of the Sea of Okhotsk, supports an impressive population of Steller Sea Lions and many thousands of nesting seabirds. We had great views of four Auklet species including Least, Parakeet, Whiskered and Crested.

We are now in the Shanter Islands where we have encountered exceptionally light ice this year enabling the ship to venture much further into the archipelago than has previously been possible. As I write, all eyes are scanning the sea surface as we search through the heavy fog for the elusive and distinctively marked Ribbon Seal.