A Voyage of Exploration Around the World - leg eight: Dakar-Liverpool
- ph87gb
- Jun 1
- 10 min read
Dakar
The strong northerlies we’d been ploughing into for the last couple of days meant the approach to Dakar was a little hazy with dust thrown up by the wind. Still, we had a lovely view of Goree Island as we approached along with its colony of Yellow-billed Kite. There were also quite a few Lesser Crested Tern and Arctic Skua present, the latter doing what skuas do and harassing many of the terns. A tanker anchored outside the port sported an impressive array of White-breasted Cormorant perched on the anchor chains, the feeding is obviously good in this area.
The number of small, local fishing boats working around the port entrance were another sign that there might be plenty of fish around. A pair of boats seemed to have adopted a particularly risky strategy of having their net across the mouth of the port and they seemed most put out that they were having to haul it in as we passed. They were catching plenty of fish, but the size left a little to be desired.
The number of fish around meant that quite a few were sucked through the bow thrusters on Bolette when they were used during docking. This had the brilliant side effect of drawing in a flock of 100 or so Yellow-billed Kite to feed on the dead fish. We were treated to a fantastic display of kites swooping down to pluck fish from the surface and then feeding on them while hanging in the breeze. Many of the kites gave very close passes at eye-level.
Dakar was also another team change port; on this occasion Brian was departing and Julia joined us. Having arrived in Dakar the previous evening Julia was able to join the ship early in the day, but Brian was going to have to wait until just before we sailed before disembarking. With all this going on and wandering around the local area on foot not recommended we decided to stay on board as there were quite a few birds to look at.
The kites moved on shortly after we had docked but there were plenty of other birds to look at. Most numerous were Great Egret, Lesser Crested and Sandwich Tern, and Slender-billed Gull, numbering in the hundreds. Long-tailed Cormorant, Western Reef-Heron, Little Egret and Osprey were notable morning birds. Martin managed a few shots of the Osprey as it circled overhead and amazingly it was wearing a colour-ring and, even better, the ring code was readable from the photos. We know from the colour that it was ringed in Germany, so it will be fascinating to find out more about it.
Late afternoon we bade farewell to Brian but our departure was delayed by the late return of two coach loads of passengers who had been on one of Fred.Olsen’s day trips. So instead of having an hour of daylight at sea we left just as the sun set.
We now had two days at sea to look forward to as we made our way up to La Palma.
Two days at sea
We had two sea days to take us up to La Palma in the Canary Islands and our route would take us over the shelf edge late on the first day. Conditions were not very favourable, the strong northerlies were still with us, perhaps even worse than they had been, resulting in a sea state of six or seven. Despite the less than promising weather (although at least it was sunny) we had an amazing day both for cetaceans and birds.
We ended the day with a total of 57 cetacean sightings, 36 of which were whales, the second highest day total of the cruise. At least 14 of the whales were confirmed as Sei Whale, with one mother and calf coming very close to the Bolette and several others giving very good views. Other species identified included two Fin Whale, one Humpback Whale and one Sperm Whale. The only dolphins we connected with were a small group of 14 Common Dolphin which came into the bow near sunset. They put on quite a performance with some spectacular leaps in the swells with the spray and water trails they left being lit by the setting sun.
The cetacean sightings weren’t the whole story of the day however, because we finally got to witness some bird migration in action. Despite the strong headwinds Black Tern were moving north – in large numbers – two or three flocks of 1-2000 birds were seen as well as numerous smaller flocks and a conservative estimate of 8000 birds was put down in the log. You don’t get to see very many Black Tern in the UK so to see such a huge number was really spectacular.
There were a handful of Arctic Tern on the move to go with the Black Tern as well a 17 Leach’s Storm-Petrel and two Grey Phalarope. Once upon a time any Cory’s Shearwater we saw would have been logged as just that, but with recent splits we now needed to look a little more closely to see if they were Scopoli’s, Cape Verde or Cory’s Shearwater. Photos of a few close birds allowed us to identify seven Cape Verde and three Scopoli’s Shearwater and a few others too far away to identify. Despite the rough seas an Ocean Sunfish, one of only a handful seen on the entire cruise, was a great sighting.
You don’t really want to venture out on deck at dawn to be greeted by 30-35 knots of wind, it doesn’t get the day off to a good start, sadly that’s what we had for the second sea day. The blue skies of yesterday had been replaced with 8/8 cloud cover so the light and visibility wasn’t as good either - at least to start with.
However, all was not lost, Atlantic Spotted Dolphin came to the rescue in the shape of a pod of c.600 animals. The sight of hundreds of dolphins leaping through the 4-5m swells was spectacular and just rewards for the hardy souls who with with us on deck. Some seemed desperate to try and get into to bow ride, but we were just a little to fast and they dropped behind and made do with performing some leaps in the wake.
We were graced by a second pod a short time later, only 150 or so in this one, also charging along as if to try and get to the bow but also failing. Still, the light was better and some of the dolphins were very close in along the port side, giving superb views.
After the migration spectacular yesterday there were relatively few birds today and only seven Black Tern were seen – a bit of a come down on yesterday. We did get very good views of Cory’s Shearwater, Bulwer’s Petrel and Leach’s Storm-Petrel, so not a bad day by any means.
La Palma
We docked in La Palma before sunrise so were alongside when we had our early breakfast. The plan for the day was to hire a car and head a few kilometres up the coast to look for three species of birds endemic to the island – Bolle’s and Laurel Pigeon and Canary Island’s Chaffinch. The Chaffinch is currently treated as the same species as seen on Tenerife and La Gomera but there is evidence to suggest that it may be a different species so it would be good to see it.
With the nearest car rental agency, a mere few hundred metres from where we were docked, we soon had ourselves a car and were heading off along La Palma winding roads towards La Galga. Red-billed Chough was a bit of a surprise sighting, sadly missed by Peter who was driving. The site turned out to have a decent sized car park and a well made path, at least lower down.
The path headed up a steep, narrow valley surrounded by some impressive cliffs, all covered in native forest, a beautiful spot. We managed to see both Bolle’s and Laurel Pigeon within a short distance, although only ever fleeting and at distance. We spent some time trying to get views of a distant Canary Island Chaffinch but needn’t have bothered, we came to a small clearing and we almost stood on them they were so tame. Needless to say, lots of photos taken by Martin, Paul and Peter.
Having seen what we came for we headed back down a now very busy, and noisy path – it was surprisingly popular with the locals given that the path didn’t appear to go anywhere. We were back onboard in time to enjoy a burger, chips and pint from the pool bar before getting ready for the late afternoon sail away.
Shortly after leaving we were treated to some great views of Cory’s Shearwater, local breeding birds which had gathered on the sea just outside the port. A couple of hours north of La Palma some large fins were picked up ahead of Bolette, Killer Whale! Five animals, two males and three females/youngsters, were heading north so we slowly overtook them, and they passed within a few hundred metres of the port side. What a fantastic sight, up there as one of the best of the cruise, there is always something special about seeing Killer Whale.
Funchal
We covered the distance between La Palma and Funchal overnight and were alongside in Funchal just as it was getting light. We had booked a boat trip for late morning, so we had the chance of a leisurely breakfast before heading ashore. With time to spare we had a meander through Santa Catarina park, a lovely quiet space in the middle of the hustle and bustle of Funchal.
The walls in the park were covered in Madeiran Wall Lizard, a species endemic to the island and fantastic to see so many. We also managed to pick out a Moorish Gecko on one bit of wall, an introduced species from the mainland but nice to see in daylight.
Our boat trip turned out to be a little disappointing as we didn’t see any dolphins, just a handful of Cory’s Shearwater and a few Common Tern. We did get a bit closer to some Portuguese Man o’ War while than we have on board Bolette and we stopped below the impressive, towering cliffs of Cabo Girao.
With another late afternoon departure, we’d have several hours of daylight in an area with a lot of potential for cetacean sightings. Unfortunately, luck wasn’t on our side, and the only cetacean encounter was with four Atlantic Spotted Dolphin, which in contrast to the showy animals of a few days ago were almost impossible to get on.
Cory’s Shearwater were again numerous and, as we headed past Porto Santo, there were quite a few Manx Shearwater, and it was good to see a couple of Barolo Shearwater. This species was, for many years, treated as a subspecies of Little Shearwater but now a species in its own right.
We now had three sea days to look forward to before arriving in Southampton.
Three days at sea
We hadn’t had much luck with the weather so far on this leg and it didn’t change for the first day at sea, the wind remained in the north, still at 30-35 knots and a 5m swell. In fact the Captain changed our course to take us much further west to avoid a storm that was heading towards the northwest corner of Spain – exactly where the route from Funchal to Southampton would normally go.
Given the sea conditions it was tough going on deck, there were very few birds to be seen, just a few Arctic Tern and Cory’s Shearwater, and a lone European Storm-Petrel. We did manage a few dolphins, four Common and a single Risso’s along with a whale blow and seven unidentified dolphins.
The second day was a little improved weather-wise, although the wind did freshen again later in the day. There were a few more birds to be seen than yesterday with Arctic Tern again present but also a good flock of 20 Grey Phalarope and seven Long-tailed Skua. A single adult Sabine’s Gull was probably the star of the day.
Cetaceans were thin on the ground, but at least we saw some. A single Fin Whale, four Common Dolphin and two Striped Dolphin were the day’s sightings.
Our last day at sea was also destined to be the first sea day that Martin and Paul didn’t see a cetacean in the six weeks they had been on board during the cruise. It was also the only day in the Atlantic (including the Liverpool-Rio legs at the start of the cruise) without a cetacean sighting, slightly surprising given that we crossed the shelf break during the day.
Cetaceans may have gone AWOL but there were plenty of seabirds. There were hundreds of Manx Shearwater and Gannet during the day and a continuous trickle of Arctic Tern heading north. There was a very nice supporting cast of familiar seabirds such as Fulmar, Kittiwake, Puffin, Guillemot and Razorbill.
Southampton
We were alongside in Southampton by 07:00 and it was time for Peter to disembark, Julia, Paul and Martin would stay on to the end of the line in Liverpool.
The afternoon sail away turned up trumps with a single Minke Whale seen.
Southampton-Liverpool
The final sea day, for passengers disembarking Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines T2502 'A Voyage of Exploration Around the World' in Liverpool tomorrow.
It started with sea conditions best described as 'interesting', as we rounded the Lizard and headed north past Land's End into the Celtic Sea. A Minke Whale was the epitome of 'slinky minke' as it sliced through the surface before submerging, Gannet passed by close to the bow, and the morning was dominated by Manx Shearwater with a conservative estimate of 25000 equalling the highest day count of a single species during the entire cruise.
Early afternoon brought a decrease in wind, swell height, and sea state, and the team's prediction of Common Dolphin came to reality with 40 seen in a few hours up to early evening, and lots of guests on the Southampton-Liverpool mini-cruise enjoying them in the afternoon sunshine.
So, after 32,000 miles and four months that’s it for this round the world cruise, the first time that OWE have had a team on every leg. Our thanks must go to the 20 or so passengers who put in as much effort as the OWE teams but for the whole cruise – extraordinary staying power – you know who you are. Without you it wouldn’t have been as much fun, and we wouldn’t have seen as much either.
The final scores on doors for cetaceans can be downloaded below:
and the seabird tallies are available here:
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