04 Jul 2019

Sunshine and Seabirds at Kamchatka

We are back in the fog today, but for the last two days on our 'Siberia's Forgotten Coast voyage' we have been basking in glorious sunshine as we explored some of the most scenic bays along the Koryak Coast of Kamchatka. During the afternoon yesterday the thermometer was well above 20°C and walkers were shedding layers rapidly as they headed for the hills.

At the moment the flowers are in full bloom and putting on a spectacular show, the rhododendron and azaleas in particular are especially photogenic with their yellow and pink blooms dotting the hillsides. Out on the water we Zodiac cruised among tens of thousands of seabirds including Kittiwakes, Tufted and Horned Puffins and the star of the show yesterday, which was also the smallest of the seabirds seen, - the Parakeet Auklet.

We have also been continuing our search for Spoon-billed Sandpipers and are looking forward to meeting with some of the researchers working on protecting this critically endangered species in the coming days.

Image (c) A.Russ