09 Jun 2014
Thermal Sojurn
This expedition finishes tomorrow in the Port of Korsakov, but it seems like only yesterday that we sailed from Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy. We have achieved a lot and the weather continues to be kind to us. Yesterday was spent on Iturup Island and instead of exploring the coastline as we had done on most other landings, we travelled by truck up a nearby volcano to a geothermal area. This gave us a great altitudinal transect through the various vegetation types and also the opportunity to look for birds which prefer this type of habitat. Many folk also took time out from botanizing and birding for a relaxing soak in the natural hot pools.
This morning we had a wake up call at 0445 for an early birding excursion in the Kurilsky Reserve on Kunashir Island. This afternoon there will be a chance to reflect as the team presents an expedition recap and announces plans for disembarkation tomorrow.
It has been a few days since I reported on the progress of our expedition along 'Russia’s Ring of Fire'. Right now we are cruising in the Kuril Islan…READ MORE
The weather hadn’t improved a lot overnight but we were able to make a very successful landing in the sheltered waters of Peschanya Bay on Medney Isl…READ MORE
We spent the day at sea yesterday birding and watching passing whales as we headed towards the Commander Islands. This morning we landed at the only …READ MORE