Draft ** 

 NOTE- Since I am currently in the process of writing this blog report it is out of sequence. To begin viewing this blog post from the start Day 1 and 2- click on "Older Posts" on the bottom right of this page)- As I write and finish subsequent continuing days for this trip report, I will post them. Keep checking back every few days for updated reports.  

                    Day 3, Tuesday, August 12, 2025,  (Part 1 of 2)   

                       Second Port- Alesund, Norway

     I was up before dawn...... which is usual on these cruises! Who wouldn't be very anxious and excited to greet the day, and get an early start looking for birds? Jen and I were really looking forward to arriving in Norway, we wanted to go here for many years. Even though this was the only Norwegian stop on the cruise, only for about seven hours, but it was very exciting! Our stop was in Alesund, a small city nestled deep within the endless fjords. 

    As the light slowly filled the horizon, you could start to see  the distant shoreline shapes created by the steep mountainous slopes framing the fjords.... and even at the distance form shore, they were profoundly     awe-inspiring!       

                                           Puffin decoy arrives in Norway-

     The morning light began to overtake the soft gray sky, hopefully the birds would be waking up to start their morning rituals. Even though it was August with temperatures during the day in the mid-60's F, the mornings were quite cool. In fact actually, they were cold, augmented by the sea and a brisk head wind. Wearing a heavy Scottish wool  sweater and a wind parka seemed a bit excessive for August, but it was the perfect combination.  It was time to search intently for my three target birds: European Eider, Great Skua, and Atlantic Puffins (in Norway).  For Puffins, the ship was passing through the perfect location. We were in the area of Runde Island which is also known as "Bird Island" and one of Norway's premier islands for breeding Puffins. The population of the nesting Puffins is estimated to be 100,000. This will be my best chance to see Puffins in the only stop we will be making in Norway. Surely, I should get a look at Puffins here!? . 

     Well, with my binoculars in my hands, I was ready......probably a little over-anxious, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited! We were still quite a few nautical miles out from the mouth of the massive fjords, and we weren't going to dock until 7:00 am. We still had an hour and a half to look for birds. Where were the Puffins?? In fact, where were the birds? It was inconceivable to me that I was not seeing any birds at this point; the sea was quiet! Maybe the birds were sleeping in, or just late getting started?  And almost like magic, as if a switch was turned on, birds in all directions on all sides of the boat. From our room veranda, I had a perfect view on the starboard side looking south. The first birds to show up were Gannets, and lots of them. Maybe they were all heading out to their feeding grounds for the day? But whatever the reason, Gannets were plentiful......

      The only other birds I saw besides the Gannets at this point were distant mostly Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. I was still looking intently for Puffins, and Great Skua, but no luck. Out of nowhere came a flock of dark brown medium-sized birds that would get lost occasionally in the troughs of the waves. My original thought was a flock of Jaegers! Between the tearing eyes due to the cold wind in my face, and the slight pitch and yaw of the ship, I couldn't ID the birds. I grabbed my camera and took a few shots and hopefully I could identify the birds. I was still thinking Parasitic Jaegers..... they just gave me the Jaeger vibe. Unfortunately, they were too far off and enlarging the birds in my camera viewfinder screen didn't reveal their identities! It wasn't until later when I was home downloading and reviewing the images on my home computer, I was way off!! The birds were a flock of European Whimbrel! I would never have expected Whimbrels. But in the end, they were the first European Whimbrel I have ever seen! 

     The Statendam steamed closer to the mouth of the fjords..... their enormous height and steep slopes became more revealing with details and clarity. Just amazing!  There was a flock of Gulls moving towards a distant opening in the mighty fjords which I assumed was a harbor area of some kind. I watched closely still hoping for Puffins, but instead was treated to a very large dark brown bird with white patches on the tips of its wings....Skua!! I am looking at a Great Skua about a half mile away. I tried getting at least one distant documenting shot, but was unsuccessful. My camera kept focusing on the far away background. The distant dark brown dot became a big blur on my sd card. Well, at least I saw he Skua albeit at a great distance.

     Inside the mouth of the fjords, the wind was calmed a bit due to the giant wind blocks from the towering cliffs. This area is where the concentrations of Black-legged Kittiwake began to show. I had only seen a few so far on the crossing from the Netherlands to here. Always enjoyable to watch! 

                        Just spectacular the mountainous cliffs that frame the stunning fjords! 

      Plenty of Gulls flying around, many following the ship as these Common (Canus) Gull.......

     ......... and plenty of European Herring and Lesser Black-backed Gulls to look through and enjoy! 

                                                           Crows and Ravens too.

                                                                      

                                                                      Alesund-- 

              As the ship entered the harbor area, there were Gulls just about everywhere you looked. Also a handful of Red-throated Loons were spread out swimming and diving. Too far for pictures, but they were still in their beautiful breeding plumages. The Gulls were mostly Euro Herring, Lesser Black-backed, and Common Gulls with a few Kittiwake mixed in. 

        I spotted a large Shorebird on the tip of an outcropping about 300 yards away. Turns out to be an European Oystercatcher..... also the first one I had ever seen! 

     Right on time, that massive ship pulled up to the cruise ship dock a few minutes before 7:00 am. We were greeted with the loud calls of  mostly Euro Herring Gulls. They flew around the boat in big circles looking for anything that resembled food being churned up from the massive thrusters as the ship maneuvered alongside the dock ready to be securely tied up. 

     Well, no Puffins or Eiders so far! I did see my Skua, but I am sure I will have better and more opportunities to see and experience them on this cruise. The ship was secured at the dock so Jen and I decided to go have a nice breakfast and then take a walk around the ship and do more exploring. We were scheduled to go on an excursion trip at 11:00 am that we were looking forward to. The excursion was scheduled for four hours, a boat ride to experience all the inner fjords. The remoteness and the splendor of these isolated fjords was something Jen and I would only see and experience once in our lives. Besides the magnificent splendor we will be absorbing, I (of course) see this as an opportunity for some great bird watching!  

      Birdwatching in port and on these excursions- On these cruises I was always hopeful that I could access the harbor areas where the cruise ships dock. Unfortunately, most of the cruise ship docks are located on the main waterfront areas where industry is located. That means that access to the land around the harbors are usually restricted and unavailable to what I like to do,,,,,, investigate the harbor areas searching for birds. And to add to that, most cruise ship docks are secure areas complete with fencing, cameras, and guards, and....... no possible access to the water and docks. This is usually the case, but not always. In Iceland most of these harbor areas were easily accessible to walk around and search for birds. Most of the excursion trips that you sign up for are usually in a different location away form the secure ship pier. They pick you up in a bus and bring you to sights whether on a boat or a walking tour. Others shuttle you to shore in the tender boats when the ships anchor off shore due to shallow harbors and/or docks and piers that cannot accommodate these very large cruise ships. . Some, as in the case of this excursion is literally on the same dock. You disembark the ship and then board the excursion boat. 

    The deceiving part is that in some cases you have very limited access to the areas. You are sometimes limited to birdwatching and photography through the windows of a tour bus or tender boats. This is one of the reasons that Jen and I book boat excursions......it gives us hours of time outside and unrestricted as best as it can be under the circumstances. You birdwatch and sightsee where the boat or bus takes you. Even though its only for a few hours, its well worth it!  

     Jen and I were first in line to disembark the Statendam and board our excursion/tour boat. We found the perfect spot on the port side bow next to the cabin. This position gave us a (little) break from the wind (sometimes). The tour boat pulled away from the dock and our four hour tour began. This tour was designed  for sightseeing around the area...... and to learn about their life and cultures in these hidden fjords. And I will say this..... the area was beyond words, it really did take our breaths away!! And...... the birds were packed into little sporadic sections of fantastic!! With the four-hour time duration on this tour boat, it was well balanced between, culture, magnificent landscapes and mountains, and birds! 

     Just after getting underway, every little outcropping was covered with roosting Euro Herring, Common, and Lesser Black-backed Gulls. But the big surprise and a little warmth of home were the numbers of Great Black-backed Gulls. I had expected to see a few around, but this area had a nice concentration of them. And to add to the list, the first Cormorant I have seen in Norway.

 

  

                                                         Great Black-backed Gulls

         .....and always hidden among the Gulls and Cormorants, a few more Euro Oystercatchers.

      The boat was underway for about fifteen minutes, when Jen tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to a swimming bird about sixty yards out...... she said "cinnamon stick" which is her fond name for a hen Eider. Jen had found the first European Eider for me, that made my whole day!!! Thank You Sweetheart!! Even though I could relax a bit having added a bird to my wish list, that was only an appetizer. I really wanted more opportunities with them to see in numbers and close enough for good photography. Being August, the drake Eiders are out to sea molting, and the hens and foster hens are also molting, but now have parental duties taking care of their ducklings. I was aware that my chances to experience these magnificent birds this time of year would be through luck and being in the right place at the right time. This was my only chance in Europe to see Euro Eiders so I was crossing my fingers. Even if this was my only chance, it was a great moment! 

                  Traveling deeper  into the fjords, I started seeing more Cormorants- 

           Fifteen minutes later, the next pocket of birds mostly Gulls roosting on outcroppings.....

        This small pocket area of birds that the boat was passing by also held a small group of Gray Herons, the counterpart to our American Great Blue Heron. At this point the boat was passing close along the shoreline. This was perfect to get closer looks at the birds.

        This was interesting...... the tour boat added this sign to its sightseeing stops! The ship's narrator  pointed it out as we passed by on the port side. What's so funny about a sign that reads "Slow Down" anyway?? :^) 

       In the same cove where the "Slow Down" tourist sign was located was a small island tucked back farther up into the cove. On the island were a small group of birds........ Canada-type Geese. I wasn't expecting that species here. I didn't realize that Canada Geese were introduced into southern Norway in the 1930's and they hold the highest population of them in Europe. They were originally introduced for hunting purposes, but now are considered an invasive species causing damage to agricultural issues and possible avian hazards.

     ........ and to the left of the small island with the geese, a small group of Eiders! It's getting better! 

           Steaming onward farther into the fjords, another small group of very close Gray Herons! 

        And mixed in with the Gray Herons, the third species of Shorebirds: Common Sandpiper. Being very unfamiliar with non-North American species of Shorebirds, I thought that they were Spotted Sandpipers. But a quick onboard google search confirmed their identity, and also mentioned that the two species were similar with a few slight anatomical and plumage differences. Common Sandpiper-

  Part 2 of this Norwegian culture and sightseeing fjord tour continues......

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