This is a trip report, but as it is a long trip will be divided into a number of parts. The itinerary of the full trip (from 9 January to 22 April 2007) can be found on the www.pocruises.com site under reference R701. Species already on my pitifully short list (covering 1-8 January) will not be numbered.
Day1 – 9 January 2007
[1] Greater Black-backed Gull (Larus Marinus). Spotted from our cabin at Southampton Dock on the good ship Aurora. As we much higher than it, we had a good vantage point to see its back as it flew past.
Day 2 – 10 January 2007
[2] Gannet (Morus bassanus). Again, seen from the cabin. As it flew over the sea the black wingtips were very distinctive.
Day 4 – 12 January 2007 Funchal, Madeira
From a birdwatching point of view this was very disappointing. I have never seen so many birds to the square metre as at Funchal but unfortunately they were pretty well all pigeons. Lots of different plumage patterns (and some very good standard Rock Doves), but all Columba livia.
We took the Teleferique cable car up the mountainside. As we neared the top, soaring overhead were two:
[3] Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo)
At the top we toured the tropical gardens. The only birds were on the ornamental lake. These were a pair of Mute Swans (Cygnus olor), some whitish duck type birds I took to be domesticated Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and a little bird I first took to be a Coot. Closer examination, lots of photographs and a bit of help from BF identified it as a:
[4] Teal (Anas crecca)
Back down again and walking back to the ship I tried to identify some of the Gulls. Most of them were too quick for me but I did find a fairly large group on a bit of open ground by the sea edge. Photography and help from BF identified two more species:
[5] Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)
[6] Lellow-legged Gull (L micahellis)
But the high point for me was almost back at Aurora. Not fifty yards from our boat a group of twenty or thirty very pretty little birds on the harbour edge. I took them for Little Stints but BF showed me the error of my ways. Deginitely:
[7] Turnstone (Arenaria interpres)
I have lots of great photographs of these and put one into my Gallery.
Day 7 – 15 January 2007 Mindelo, Cape Verde Islands
Our only real visit to Africa and a total nonentity. No new species. No Gulls!. Virtually no birds. Just a few Columba livia and Passer domesticus. Hoping for much better in South America. If nothing else, we should see Penguins in the Falklands.
Alan
A world cruise, eh? You lucky sod!!
I see at the cruise-webpage that you'll be in Buenos Aires for 2 days. You could visit there the Costanera Sur reserve in downtown Buenos Aires. For more info send me a PM.