Geysers, Glaciers and Waterfalls
- jeff0198
- Jun 27
- 13 min read
All images used in this blog were taken during the cruise. Click on the images to view them at full size
13th – 23rd June 2025
The Ocean Wildlife Encounters (OWE) team, comprised of Jeff Clarke, Laura Dennis, Paul Hill and Julia Mottishaw, joined Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines MS Bolette and her contingent of passengers, on the 13th June 2025, in the fabulous city of Liverpool. The anticipation was high for a nature-filled circumnavigation of Iceland. We would not be disappointed.
Soon after setting sail we recorded our first marine mammals, Atlantic Grey Seal and Harbour Porpoise at the mouth of the Mersey estuary. As we transitioned into the Irish Sea our retinue of coastal gulls: Herring, Lesser Black-backed, Great Black-backed and Black-headed, dwindled, and were replaced by the more pelagic Black-legged Kittiwakes and a placid sea dotted with auks. This would set us up nicely for a rather spectacular two-day passage to the Icelandic capital of Reykjavík.
Blissfully calm seas greeted us on the 14th as we cruised through the Sea of Hebrides and most of Bolette’s guests were still at breakfast (including two of our team) when the Scottish waters exploded with a frenzy of cetaceans, seabirds and what must have been a monumental shoal of small fish.
Frantic radio messages soon conveyed the scale of the frenzy giving Paul and Julia the opportunity to alert most of the guests at the port-side breakfast tables so that they could witness the melee. It was complete mayhem. We’ve travelled thousands of miles across some of the oceans’ most productive areas and none of the team could recall such a massive feeding frenzy outside of Antarctica. Our estimates of the total numbers of whales and dolphins present are probably significant under-counts. There were dozens of huge wheeling flocks of Kittiwakes and each had their own contingents of whales and dolphins associated with them. The total of six Humpback Whales is very conservative as there seemed to be piston blows going off throughout the crowds of birds. Minke Whales seemed to surge through our binocular views in all directions, sometimes several at once, Common Dolphins were everywhere, hundreds of them and there were also at least 40 Bottlenose Dolphins. There was also a mass of activity going on simultaneously on the starboard side and we didn’t even get the chance to record that!
What a privilege to have witnessed such an event in UK waters. There is a much over-used adjective that on this occasion is genuinely justified. It was truly awesome.
Wonderful cetacean sightings would occur regularly for the rest of the day, but none would match the thrill of the breakfast time frenzy.
Our first presentation later that day was incredibly well attended and people were still buzzing from the morning’s sightings. It was great to see so many people so clearly enthused and excited.
Bolette also gained a stowaway that morning when a Collared Dove joined the ship. It stayed with the ship all the way to Iceland.
We would spend most of the 15th in deep water. This usually means fewer sightings of seabirds and cetaceans, but we were entering cooler waters, which are often quite productive and this allied to a mirror calm sea had our ‘spidey-senses’ tingling. On cue the surface tension was broken by a pod of Long-finned Pilot Whales. These were just the warm-up act, it wasn’t long before the ‘stars’ of the day would make their first appearance. A slow roll and a small triangular dorsal set far along the back, heralded the presence of two beaked whales, the second time they surfaced up went the shout “Sowerby’s Beaked Whales”! ‘Beakies’ (of which there are many species) are the cetacean spotters Holy Grail. The key identifying features can be notoriously difficult to spot, but on this occasion the long beaks erupting out of the surface at a steep angle made identification straightforward. We had three encounters throughout the day with this normally elusive species, with the final pod, including adult males, females and calves, passing close on Bolette’s port side.
The supporting cast was also impressive with a total of 40+ Long-finned Pilot Whale, two Sperm Whales, two, (presumably migrating) Humpback Whales, a pod of 16 White-beaked Dolphin and our only encounter with Atlantic White-sided Dolphins, the latter species sticking to its usual script of being almost impossible to photograph.
A surprisingly diverse number of bird species were recorded, a few of which were clearly migrating. This included a pair of Great Northern Divers, making a high-speed beeline for Iceland, and also two Long-tailed Skuas. Northern Fulmar would be our almost constant seabird companion of the trip. However, the most abundant seabird of the day was the Atlantic Puffin; over 300 miles from the nearest land probably meant these were none-breeding birds, though some may have been birds foraging for themselves before returning to their brooding mates.
The total of 10 Sooty Shearwaters had journeyed up from Tristan de Cunha, post-breeding, while the Manx Shearwaters were locally breeding birds.
Our sail into Reykjavík on the 16th would see the auk numbers explode with thousands of Common Guillemots and Atlantic Puffins. There were also masses of Black-legged Kittiwakes, we also sighted our first Glaucous Gull of the trip.
The pre-breakfast watch was similarly productive for cetaceans, with our closest sightings being of Minke Whale, while most other marine mammals were being very quiet in the water, including a pod of White-beaked Dolphin and a total of 20+ Harbour Porpoises.
The cruise terminal provided easy access to the Bakkatjörn nature reserve, via a shoreline walk, and this area was visited by many of Bolette’s passengers. The OWE team walked out to the reserve having been dropped off by the shuttle bus at the Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre. One of many fabulous examples of modern architecture in this delightful city.
The shoreline walk provided the opportunity to get close to the Common Eider ducks, many of which had recently hatched ducklings, some of the less successful drakes were already showing signs that they were entering eclipse plumage.
A sudden commotion among the ducks brought our attention to an unwelcome guest. A female American Mink was hunting for ducklings; this species escaped from Fur Farms established in Iceland during the 1930’s and this has resulted in serious negative impacts on Iceland’s native wildlife. It wasn’t long before it snaffled an eider duckling and returned to its den to feed its own young.
Undoubtedly the big birding highlight of Iceland had to be the abundance of breeding waders (shorebirds). The place was alive with “kleeping” Oystercatchers, yelping Common Redshanks, drumming Common Snipe and singing Black-tailed Godwit. This sonic backdrop was most intense at Bakkatjörn, where they were accompanied by a cacophony of Arctic Terns.
It was here that we first encountered a little jewel of a bird, the daintily proportioned, Red-necked Phalarope. After initial distant sightings, we were quickly in intimate proximity to a male bird escorting his chick. As UK based birdwatchers we are used to an occasional, distant view of a spinning phalarope on a nature reserve waterbody during their spring or autumn migration. The members of the OWE team are also used to seeing them, sometimes in their hundreds, at sea during winter. This, however, was a new and captivating experience. One worth depositing in the lifetime memory bank.
On the evening of the 17th we sailed out of Reykjavík and before long we encountered groups of feeding Humpback Whales with at least 30 noted by the end of play. The highlight was provided by cavorting White-beaked Dolphins, many pods indulged in breaching displays and over 300 were recorded. These chunky cold-water dolphins make quite a splash when they re-enter the water. Their name is a little misleading as many individuals don’t possess a white beak.
The 18th June found us in Ísafjörður. Some of Bolette’s passengers went on whale watching trips, encountering three Humpback Whales, one Minke Whale and a Harbour Porpoise. Others, including the OWE team, wandered the wildlife rich areas surrounding the bay. Once again, we were assailed by complaining waders, even though we stuck to public footpaths and tracks. They are so abundant that many nest right next to any regularly used path.
The bay itself held Great Northern Divers in the full regalia of their breeding plumage. Sumptuous looking birds, and Julia managed to get a close-up that does this fabulous bird justice.
Once again, Red-necked Phalaropes obliged, displaying total disregard for our presence. They don’t seem to perceive humans as a threat.
Several fast-flowing rivers and streams entered the bay along our route and they were carefully checked for Harlequin Duck, but initially our luck was out. The terminus of our trek outward was a small waterbody at the end of the fjord. A piece of abandoned farm machinery adjacent to it was hosting a family of White Wagtails.
The pond itself was packed with birds, but our primary focus was trained on some Red-throated Diver families. We kept a reasonable distance so as not to cause any disturbance.
The lake was constantly over-flown by Arctic Terns. Whilst scanning the lake, Paul’s search image locked on to another tern and he immediately blurted out White-winged Black Tern. Later research with Birding Iceland revealed it to be either the 21st or 22nd occurrence for Iceland. The OWE teams do have an uncanny habit of turning up local rarities and scarcities.
As we retraced our steps, we once again checked the river outflows and this time our luck was in, three drake and one duck Harlequin sat in full view on a shingly bank. We manoeuvred ourselves into a better position and got some lovely images of the birds, including one of the drakes playing in the torrent. There is no getting around it, the drake Harlequin has superstar looks. As a bonus we also managed some images of the slightly more subtle, but equally delightful, Long-tailed Duck.
By the time we returned to Bolette we had walked 19km, but there was so much to see and enjoy that it didn’t feel like any distance at all.
In our absence from the ship a few passengers had been on deck when four White-tailed Eagles dropped below the cloud base directly above Bolette’s berth. The ship itself was surrounded by Northern Fulmar taking advantage of fish discards from a nearby outflow.
Later, as Bolette cruised back out into the open sea we connected with 1000s of auks, among the Common Guillemots, Black Guillemots and Razorbills we found at least 50 of their Arctic cousins, Brunnich’s Guillemot (also known as Thick-billed Murre). This species is in retreat due to climate change and its natural range is likely to continue to contract northwards.
The 19th June saw Bolette berthed in Akureyri' on Iceland’s north coast. Many passengers took advantage of the whale watching opportunities available at this location and many returned delighted with their encounters of the local Humpback Whales.
A relatively short walk along the coast from the port gave access to some small lakes situated close to the airport. The lakes had a rich array of water birds, including several pairs of Slavonian Grebe, known as the Horned Grebe in North America. Several pairs had chicks and we spent some time attempting to photograph them.
Iceland sits almost equidistant between North America and Mainland Europe, so it is not surprising that it hosts representatives from both continents. These waterbodies held a perfect example. The Eurasian Wigeon were probably the most abundant duck species present but nestled among them we found both a male and a female American Wigeon.
As Bolette had cruised into Akureyri' we had seen distant flocks of Whooper Swan, here though we found two pairs, one on each lake. Alongside them were true Icelandic Greylag Geese. Both species migrate to the north-west of the UK in September and October.
The walk back along the coast produced a fine selection of ducks, including more Long-tailed and Harlequin Ducks among the Common Eiders, but the Arctic Skuas, were probably the most eye-catching species, either aggressively chasing off Glaucous Gulls, or targeting the local Arctic Terns to steal an easy meal.
The sail out crossed a geothermally active area of seabed, with potential for some of the largest whales on the planet. On this occasion we failed to find them, but we did have many Humpback Whales to keep us entertained.
On the 20th June we docked in Seyðisfjörður, which lies on Iceland’s east coast. Yet again it proved to be a place full of wildlife interest.
First the bad news, in the dock area floated the body of a Humpback Whale, the unfortunate victim of ship-strike; it had been accidentally broadsided by the regional ferry as it crossed the local waters at 20kts during the previous day. Hopefully a specialist team would arrive soon, to undertake a necropsy, so that some scientific value may be gained from its unfortunate demise.
Many passengers from Bolette made excursions to the local waterfalls that cascaded down the valley. The higher you walked up the valley the more alpine the vegetation, near the top it was essentially tundra, down in the village the vegetation was lush, all these zones were squished into a very moderate altitudinal differential, due to the proximity of the Arctic Circle. It was an illuminating walk for any botanist. With everything from orchids to geraniums, club-mosses and butterworts to be enjoyed.
Yet again the birdlife soundscape was dominated by wading birds, all the usual and seemingly ever-present suspects, plus the addition of Eurasian Whimbrel which was witnessed exhibiting an interesting behaviour. The bird delicately picked ants off a plant and placed them on various parts of its plumage. The formic acid produced by the ants serves as a natural pesticide, helping to rid the bird of unwanted feather lice and other ‘hangers-on’. The various OWE team have, between them, seen many species of bird ‘anting’ over the years, but seeing a whimbrel do it was undoubtedly a first for them.
One of the features of Icelandic birdlife is the general dearth of passerines, with just a handful of regularly breeding species. One of the commonest, and certainly the noisiest one in Seyðisfjörður is the Redwing, a truly beautiful thrush, only slightly smaller than the more familiar (from a UK perspective) Song Thrush. The sub-species found here Turdus iliacus coburni occurs only in Iceland during the summer months but come the autumn it makes landfall in the UK, along with White Wagtails, Meadow Pipits and Fieldfares.
The port area also had wildlife interest and to the stern of Bolette could be found Common Eider, Red-breasted Merganser and even Harlequin Duck, giving even the least adventurous passengers a chance to see this exotic looking duck.
It was now time to head back to Liverpool and there were two sea-days to look forward to. A gale on day one would limit our sightings, but we had better conditions for our final sea day, with most of the cetacean action occurring in the southern Sea of Hebrides and the North Channel area. There would be no mega-frenzy this time, but we did see five species of cetacean, including yet another Humpback Whale, as we approached the Isle of Man.
Our final day was also one where we managed to show a number of passengers European Storm-petrels, as up to 100 put in an appearance close to Bolette’s bow. These tiny seabirds are a real challenge to spot. Thankfully, almost anyone who wanted to could see the many Manx Shearwater that also careened past during our final day.
Yet again, as on every other sea day, Northern Fulmars, our constant companions, accompanied Bolette, often skimming along effortlessly on the windward side of the ship. Fittingly, even as the sun finally set on our wonderful journey, they could be seen to the very last, gliding over the waves of the Irish Sea.
Acknowledgements:
The Ocean Wildlife Encounters team would like to thank Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, and the crew of MS Bolette for their support. Most of all we would like to thank the fabulous passengers for taking the time to share the incredible wildlife that helped make for such a memorable cruise. We hope to see you again on another cruise sometime soon.
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