3rd May 2008 At sea off the Aleutians

Passed an Aleutian peninsula mid-morning with six large Whales seen breaching

Black-footed Albatross 7
Laysan Albatross 1
Fulmar 500
Short-tailed Shearwater 1,000
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 30
Pelagic Cormorant 1
Long-tailed Duck 4
American White-winged Scoter 2
Pomarine Skua 2
Arctic Skua 1
Sabine's Gull 2
Glaucous-winged Gull 20
Kittiwake 100
Arctic Tern 4
Guillemot 100
Brunnich's Guillemot 1
Ancient Murrelet 100
Parakeet Auklet 30
Tufted Puffin 15
Black-backed Wagtail 2
Lapland Bunting 5

Tufted Puffin off the Aleutians



2nd May 2008 At sea north of Dutch Harbour NE3

Crossed the date line so we enjoy another 2nd May!

Fulmar 800
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 1,000
Leach's Storm-Petrel 2
Pomarine Skua 1
Arctic Skua 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 12
Glaucous Gull 4
Kittiwake 150
Brunnich's Guillemot 50
Ancient Murrelet 2
Crested Auklet 10
Parakeet Auklet 7
Tufted Puffin 25
Black-backed Wagtail 3
Brambling 1
Lapland Bunting 5

2nd May 2008 At sea north of the Aleutians, USA. SE2

White-billed Diver 1
Laysan Albatross 250
Fulmar 300
Mottled Petrel 5 ex.
Sooty Shearwater 8
Short-tailed Shearwater 500
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 60
Red-breasted Merganser 2
Pomarine Skua 10
Arctic Skua 1
Glaucous-winged Gull 4
Kittiwake 1
Ancient Murrelet 8
Least Auklet 10
Parakeet Auklet 5 ex.
Tufted Puffin 40
Skylark 3 on deck
Black-backed Wagtail 5
Mealy Redpoll 1 on deck
Brambling 20 on deck
Lapland Bunting 15 on deck

Pomarine Skua north of the Aleutians

1st May 2008 At sea north of the Commander Islands being our last day in Asia E2

Laysan Albatross 250
Fulmar 1,000
Short-tailed Shearwater 1,000
Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel 100
Stejneger's Scoter 1
Pomarine Skua 12
Arctic Skua 3
Long-tailed Skua 25 ex.
Kamchatka Gull 3
Vega Gull 5
Slaty-backed Gull 10
Glaucous-winged Gull 8
Kittiwake 10
Brunnich's Guillemot 50
Crested Auklet 20
Least Auklet 10
Tufted Puffin 20
Short-eared Owl 2 at sea
Skylark 10 on deck
Black-backed Wagtail 8 on deck
Mealy Redpoll 1 on deck
Brambling 35 on deck
Lapland Bunting 25 on deck

Tufted Puffins north of the Commander Islands



Pomarine Skua north of the Commander Islands

Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel north of the Commander Islands

Passerines aboard the MS Statendam north of the Commander Islands

Whilst we were anticipating it being a day spent sea-watching it soon became apparent that a number of Old World Passerines were soon to become ship-assisted vagrants in the New World...

Black-backed Wagtails aboard the MS Statendam north of the Commander Islands

Alaskan Kodiak birders were getting ready to provide the red carpet treatment for a couple of these ship-assisted individuals that proved the first records for the island

Bramblings alongside the MS Statendam north of the Commander Islands

Bramblings seemed content to join the ship to be displaced to the New World

Bramblings aboard the MS Statendam north of the Commander Islands

Mealy Redpoll aboard the MS Statendam north of the Commander Islands

Lapland Buntings aboard the MS Statendam north of the Commander Islands

Skylarks aboard the MS Statendam north of the Commander Islands

Short-eared Owl checking-out the ship mid-Ocean north of the Commander Islands