21 Jun 2017

Whales, Seals and Brown Bears at the Shantar Islands

They say time flies when you are having fun… it is certainly true of this expedition. It is hard to believe that it is nearly over, it seems like it only just started.

Our two days at the Shantar Islands were simply amazing… off the scale of incredible. With great sightings of Bowhead whales and Ribbon Seals (as reported in last blog), our landings were equally exciting with outstanding views of a couple of Brown Bears and some great habitats for birding. Our early morning zodiac cruise at Mal’minskie Islands, allowed the birders and photographers really close encounters with Spectacled Guillemots and both Tufted and Horned Puffin.

We took a break from our Natural History focus on Monday and visited the small (but historically significant) town of Okhotsk where we were entertained and introduced to the culture and history of the region. One of the highlights of our visit to Talan Island yesterday was the  encounters with Ancient Murrelett and Rhinoceros Auklets. After a late night it was a slow start this morning as we make our way to Yamskiye Islands.