WildWings pioneered expedition cruises to this region in the mid-nineties but our original ship is no longer operating. We are therefore delighted to offer this new itinerary, to be operated by our good friend Rodney Russ and his team, on the expedition vessel ‘Spirit of Enderby’ (48 passengers). This Russian operated ship will be able to visit sites previously not allowed by Western vessels. We had staff and clients on their first voyages in 2007 plus a group in spring 2009, trip reports are available on our website or from us.

The potential species list is mouth-watering, set in a region of spectacular scenery which has only been accessible since 1994. Headed by one of the ultimate raptors, Steller’s Sea Eagle, the list of expected special seabirds includes Spectacled, Brunnich’s and Pigeon Guillemots, Whiskered, Rhinoceros, Crested, Parakeet and a chance of Least Auklets, Tufted and Horned Puffins, Ancient and Long-billed Murrelets, Black-tailed, Glaucous-winged and Slaty-backed Gulls, Red-legged Kittiwake, Temminck’s and Red-faced Cormorants, Harlequin Duck, Black and Stejneger’s Scotors plus White-billed and Pacific Divers. A number of tubenoses should include Laysan and Black-footed Albatross (plus four Short-tailed Albatross were seen in 2009!), Mottled Petrel, Fork-tailed Storm-Petrel, Short-tailed and Sooty Shearwaters and thousands of Northern Fulmars (brown and blue morphs). White-tailed Eagles also patrol the skies of this region. Shorebirds could include tattlers, stints, Long-billed Plover, Latham’s Snipe, Rock Sandpiper and phalaropes. Our landings will add many more birds including Siberian Rubythroats singing from the top of almost every tree at some sites, and many more highly desired eastern passerines as spring migration will still be very much in progress. 2007 and 2009 yielded a selection of other species such as Oriental Turtle Dove, White-throated Needletail, Three-toed and Pygmy Woodpeckers, Buff-bellied and Pechora Pipits, Brown-headed, Eye-browed and Siberian Thrushes, Lanceolated, Middendorff’s, Gray’s/Sakhalin, Black-browed Reed, Radde’s, Arctic, Eastern Crowned and Sakhalin Leaf Warblers, Grey-streaked, Siberian, Asian Brown, Narcissus and Red-throated Flycatchers, Rufous-tailed Robin, Red-flanked Bluetail, Nutcracker, Pine Grosbeak, Long-tailed Rosefinch, Rustic, Black-faced, Japanese Grey and Snow Buntings to name a few! Our planned islands visit will also give us the opportunity for some of Japan’s special birds including Japanese Robin and Japanese Bush Warbler, both seen in 2007 and 2009. We can expect a few surprises too. Mammals should also be in good supply, Arctic (Blue) Fox, Asian Brown Bears, Largha Seal, Northern Fur Seal, Reindeer, Sea Otter and Steller’s Sea Lions. Cetaceans in the past have included Orcas, Blue (2007 & 2009), Sperm, Northern Minke, Gray, Humpback and Fin Whales plus Baird’s Beaked Whales at least three times over the years (including 2009), Harbour Porpoise and one of our favourites, the seemingly turbo-charged Dall’s Porpoise. The opportunities for photography will be generally superb throughout. 

This breathtaking expedition offers an opportunity to explore one of the most geologically active and biologically rich parts of the planet. The large number of live volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula and Kuril Islands has earned this region the reputation of the Pacific’s ‘Ring of Fire’. The Kamchatka Peninsula is a land of stunning bays and snow-capped volcanoes whose alpine meadows and lowland forests support a great diversity of wildlife. The Kuril Island chain is made up of 32 islands that stretch between Russia and Japan across the Bering Sea. The Kurils are all formed by volcanoes that rise from the sea floor. The larger of the Kuril Islands are inhabited, and most people make their living from the sea, as they have for generations. The voyage also takes in the Commander Islands. These remote islands are also rich in bird and sea mammal life and they are the final resting place of the famed Danish explorer Vitus Bering.

Depending on your flight arrangements, you may have time to stay in Sakhalin and/or Petropavlovsk pre and/or post cruise, we can book hotels in both. The vessel will have a full expedition team onboard for this voyage including a ship’s ornithologist. We will operate some land-based birding excursions around Sakhalin and Petropavlovsk and to a site near Moscow Airport on the way home, subject to demand.