10 Jun 2016
Kuril Islands ends & Sea of Okhotsk begins
Our Expedition through the Kuril Islands finished a couple days ago with visits to the Iturup and Kunashir Islands - two of the largest Islands in the Kuril chain and the closest to Japan. On Iturup we chartered several Ural Trucks (Russian 'go-anywhere' trucks) and spent the day exploring the interior of the Island, including some hot springs. On Kunashir we spent a morning with Rangers from the Kurilskiy Zapovennik (Reserve or National Park) in a remote part of the Park birding and watching bears and foxes. The weather was near perfect for both these days.
We are now underway into the Sea of Okhotsk, our planned landing yesterday at Tyuleniy Island was thwarted by bad weather, a scout boat made it ashore but sea conditions meant it was impossible to land everybody. As I write this we are approaching Pil’tun Bay, home of the western Gray whale, we hope to launch zodiacs and have a closer look at this little know population of whales which have had to contend with large scale oil and gas development in the region.
Photo: Sunrise over Kurilskiy Zapovennik and Tyatya Volcano.
©Heritage Expeditions.
05 Jun 2016
There were storm warnings out, but nothing of the magnitude that we experienced. At Onekotan Island, the winds were predicted to be 25-30 knots but …READ MORE
04 Jun 2016
We are travelling through the most productive areas for cetaceans and it is reflected in the number of species we see. The last ones to make an appea…READ MORE
03 Jun 2016
Today was a landmark day for the birders on 'Russia's Ring of Fire' when we discovered a Red-billed Starling on Atlasova Island. This attractive bir…READ MORE
