S2603 Exploration of South America and the Antarctic - Leg 5 St John's, Antigua-Southampton
- martin1863
- Apr 20
- 8 min read
St John’s, Antigua
St John’s was the final change-over port for the OWE teams. Mark and Martin arrived around mid-day just in time to meet with Jeff and Pete as they left the ship. The hot sunshine was a far cry from the cold of the UK they had just left behind; time to unpack and get a cold drink! A few familiar faces from previous cruises also greeted us, but I think we rather stood out as the new wildlife guides; binoculars and a pasty British complexion betraying us as the ‘new kids on the ship’.
There was enough time in the afternoon for an exploration of St Johns. The Magnificent Frigatebirds made a change from British ‘seagulls’, Laughing Gulls surrounded the ship, while an impressive evening roost of several hundred Cattle Egrets in trees nearby attracted a few more exotic herons, such as Tricoloured Heron, Snowy Egret and Black-crowned Night-heron. The local park produced Green-throated Carib (a hummingbird) as well as a good selection of Caribbean pigeon species and the ubiquitous Bananaquit. After a Peregrine soaring over the ship, brief (but warm!) showers brought down a swirling flock of Caribbean Martins. Welcome to the Caribbean!
Philipsburg, St Martin
After dawn the next day, we had a couple of hours at sea before reaching St Martin. We sadly failed in our quest for the first cetacean of the leg, but our arrival was greeted by Brown Boobys, Royal Terns, and a pair of Ospreys on the quayside. Some lucky guests even saw a sea turtle swimming under the jetty. An exploration of Philipsburg beckoned, especially the ‘Great Salt Pond’ and surrounding wetlands. The bird hide at Little Bay Pond was the first stop, although we were greeted by an impenetrable wall of mangrove and failed to see the pond! Still, Northern Waterthrush, Mangrove Yellow Warbler and Pearly-eyed Thrasher made the visit worthwhile. The east corner of the main wetland was much more enjoyable; stunning close views of Green Heron and Black-crowned Night-heron, Glossy Ibis, Belted Kingfisher, Greater Yellowlegs, Solitary Sandpiper… Luckily a few guests also found the floating bird-watching pontoon, and we enjoyed a wonderful hour here, even accompanied by a stunning baby Green Iguana!
Sea day number 1 towards the Azores
The following morning, we were already heading away from the continental shelf which runs along the Lesser Antilles and out into deep water. Expectations were high, results were low, but we had a great day trying to find cetaceans. The lack of whales and dolphins and scarcity of seabirds kept prompting guests to remind us, “you should have done the Antarctica leg…” We smiled through gritted teeth and listened to the amazing stories of hundreds of Humpbacks and seas boiling with Common Dolphins – it was clear the guests had had an amazing cruise so far! We tried our best to add to the excitement with a few groups of Sooty Terns, close Manx Shearwaters, a handful of Leach’s Storm-petrels and two Tropicbird species, but it was clear the North Atlantic was no Humboldt Current.
Sea day number 2
The next day, more open ocean at depths of up to 4,500 metres! Flyingfish everywhere were accompanied by several groups of Neon Flying Squid. Who ever thought that a squid could fly?! A Trindade Petrel late in the day was a much anticipated new species for both Mark and Martin. Only 23 seabirds of 7 species were seen during the day, a meagre return for the long hours, but Grey Phalarope, more Leach’s Strom-petrels and a couple of adult Long-tailed Skuas felt as if there was some quality out there. And there was a cetacean! Sadly, the beaked whale which surfaced briefly close to the ship evaded specific ID.
Sea day number 3
Almost a repeat of the previous day. Big waves and flyingfish kept Martin busy with his camera, flying squid amazed the guests, and the 15 seabirds were almost the same range of species as the day before. Two Trindade Petrels (both dark morphs again) were by far the pick of the bunch, enjoyed without the mad panic of the initial ‘lifer’.
Sea day number 4
Here we go again! 27 seabirds, 7 species, an unidentified distant whale species… The abyssal (abysmal) plain of the North Atlantic was proving to be a bit of a desert for wildlife, especially after the abundant wildlife of South America. Guests enjoyed the sunshine, waves and flyingfish (again), as well as having time for editing photos and attending to laundry. As OWE guides, we battled the boredom and had a few nice sightings. Yet another Trindade Petrel was the highlight, a species whose sole Atlantic breeding site is the Trindade islands off the coast of Brazil. A Scopoli’s Shearwater was also photographed, a Mediterranean breeding species which winters in temperate Atlantic waters. We were all consulting maps to see how far it was to the Azores, when would we pass the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, would we magically find cetaceans once we reached the underwater canyons..? The anticipation was building.
Sea day number 5
Whales and dolphins, at last! The Mid-Atlantic Ridge eventually produced a few sightings, and luckily quite a guests were on deck to enjoy. A Humpback Whale in the early afternoon was accompanied by a calf, eventually diving half way down port side, flukes in the air! Shortly afterwards, another whale resting and blowing ahead of the ship proved to be an adult Sperm Whale. Only when reviewing photos later did we see a tiny calf close by its side. Wow, so small and still able to almost hug the side of its mother in the choppy seas.
Seabirds were limited, but included a Brown Booby hanging around the front of the ship for a while and a wonderful close adult Pomarine Skua, complete with full tail ‘spoons’. We also had a surprise guest arrival on deck 8. A Eurasian Whimbrel! After arriving from the south, it settled on the deck, often hiding under sunbeds, and became a bit of a celebrity with the guests. Many were a understandably concerned over its welfare, but wading birds are long distant migrants and highly resilient. Spending the winter as far south as South Africa, they migrate northwards every spring to their breeding grounds in Iceland and northern Scandinavia. Long migrations over water is the norm, and Whimbrels are actually fairly regular visitors to the Azores. Trying to reassure guests and staff that it just needed peace and quiet and that it would depart in the Azores turned into an ongoing day-long conversation, and we tried to explain that Parma ham, bread buns and a mixed berry compote wasn’t the right thing for it to eat… More on our avian guest later!
Sea day number 6
A great day at sea as we got to within 150 miles of the Azores. By far the highlight was a magnificent Blue Whale mid-afternoon, just as the observation deck was full and lots of guests were in position in the sunshine on deck 3. Initially seen ahead of the ship, it surfaced several times about 300 metres off starboard and gave everyone incredible views straight into its blow hole! An amazing sight, and we felt very privileged when some guests said it was their ‘best sighting of the whole cruise’. More cetaceans were spotted; brief Fin Whale and Blainville’s Beaked Whale, three more Sperm Whales, numerous active groups of Common Dolphins, a small pod of Striped Dolphins… All seen in seas which were calming by the hour. Birds too didn’t disappoint. Petrels including regular Leach’s, a couple of Bulwer’s and a single European Storm-petrel, Cory’s Shearwater were building in number, a few Grey Phalaropes were zipping around the bow. And our Whimbrel stayed to enjoy the facilities of the Fresco bar on deck 8!
Ponta Delgada, Azores
We arrived in port before first light. First job of the day was to check on our Whimbrel. Yep, still enjoying the facilities on deck 8, perhaps as it wasn’t tall enough to see over the deck edge to appreciate that we were in port. We gave it a little encouragement, and it quickly glided down from the ship and sat on top of the quayside buildings. A short while later, it had descended into the harbour, where plentiful (and more appropriate) food was awaiting. We were sure that after a few days of feeding and resting, it would be on its way north once more.
Many of the guests were booked on whale watching excursions in the morning, as if they hadn’t seen enough whales already on this cruise! But what a decision that was – a magnificent pod of seven Orcas spent a while close to the boat. Unfortunately, this wasn’t repeated for the afternoon boats.
We had booked a day out with resident wildlife guide, Gerby Michelson. The cloud forest in the east of the island beckoned, complete with the endemic Azores Bullfinch. In an amazing damp, moss and fern covered habitat above 400m asl, we had fantastic close views of this shy species. With an estimated population of under 1,300 individuals, this is the only place in the world to see this attractive bird, and was a fascinating insight into evolution and endemism.
Gerby gave us a short tour of the north coast in the short time available. Endemic Azorean subspecies of common bird species were fascinating, whilst American influence was noted with a fine summer plumaged Spotted Sandpiper and a Ring-billed Gull in the harbour. A flock of Cattle Egrets in the harbour was also a reminder that nowhere was too remote for these pioneering wanderers.
Sail away from Ponta Delgada
The last few hours of the day were spent heading east around the coast of São Miguel. Many Cory’s Shearwaters accompanied the ship, providing superb close views in the evening light. At least four Barolo Shearwaters were also seen, the most prolonged and closest views we had ever had of this diminutive and declining shearwater. A small pod of Common Dolphins late in the evening completed a wonderful visit to these remote Atlantic islands.
Back towards Southampton!
The next two days saw a lumpy sea with swell up to 7 metres. Guests were understandably less than enthusiastic about standing in the cold looking at big waves and little else. However, rewards were there for the dedicated few who toughed it out on deck 3 with us. All four regular species of skua put in an appearance, Manx Shearwaters started passing more frequently, even Kittiwakes and Razorbills battled past the bows.
The sea calmed for the last sea day as we left Biscay and entered the English Channel, and deck 6 was back open. Hooray! You could now stand there in the sunshine without being blown from one side to the other! A pod of over 120 Common Dolphins just after breakfast gave some encouragement for the day, and Manx Shearwaters were a constant feature. Regular UK species like Gannet, Guillemot, Fulmar and Great Skua assured us that we were no longer in tropical waters, whilst a Wheatear bounding over the ship and a Chiffchaff resting briefly on deck 8 reminded us that spring migration was happening on our shores.
Martin delivered the final round-up talk of the cruise, Mark posted the final sightings sheet of the adventure. That was it, all over… But it was fantastic to hear everyone already reliving the memories of the cruise, no doubt family and friends will be also hearing the stories and seeing the many hundreds of photos in a few days’ time.
Despite the flattening seas of the English Channel, Harbour Porpoise eluded us. And we tried right up until the final hours of the final day! Borealis had sailed 20,515 nautical miles around South America and to the Antarctic, yet we failed to see one of the commonest species in UK waters. There’s always next time…
Acknowledgements
The Ocean Wildlife Encounters team would like to thank Fred. Olsen Cruise Lines, and the Captain and crew of MS Borealis for their support and looking after us so well. All the OWE teams felt it was a real privilege to share this incredible journey with crew and guests alike.
We would also like to thank the many friends, old and new, who took the time to share the incredible wildlife that helped make for such a memorable cruise. Hopefully we’ll see a few of our fellow ocean wildlife enthusiasts on forthcoming cruises with Fred. Olsen.
You can see the cetacean and seabird totals for the entire cruise by clicking here :-)
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