**First Draft***- 

 

                                            14-Day Cruise Ship Birding Adventure 

                                            Viking Trails and Celtic Origins

                                          August 10 through August 24, 2025

     Rotterdam- the Netherlands, Alesund-Norway, Djupivogur-Iceland, Scenic cruising

            Berufjordur-Iceland, Akureyri-Iceland, scenic cruising Jafjordur-Iceland,

            Isafjordur Western Fjords-Iceland, scenic cruising Isafjardurdjur-Iceland, 

                                Reykjavik-Iceland, Heimaey, Westman Islands-Iceland, 

                      Stornoway, Isle of Lewis-Scotland, Portee (Isle of Skye)- Scotland, 

                                  Dover-England UK, Rotterdam-the Netherlands

    

       With the unbelievable  and absolutely amazing Alaska trip we enjoyed last year, Jen and I really wanted to make sure that this cruise was every bit as enjoyable and exciting! Iceland, Norway and the Hebrides were always on our wish list of the places we wanted to visit and experience. So as it turns out, our travel agent found for us the perfect cruise......a cruise that covers all of the areas we wanted,  but the main focus being Iceland. We had always seen the images and videos of the absolute breathtaking and pristine land and sea of Iceland, and experiencing its culture and its unspoiled beauty was a dream vacation coming true. This would be two weeks of a much needed vacation for Jen and me......and just as with the Alaska trip, a sea birding adventure for us (mostly for me)!! :^) For me as an avian artist, its another great opportunity for important field research and study to augment my bird reference files. 

     As far as the birdwatching part of this cruise, I had a few birds in mind that I was most focused on and to experience as well as all the seabirds and Alcids as possible! The main and most important being two of the seven ssp. of Common Eider...... Icelandic (S m islandica), and the nominate European species, (S m mollissima). The only other ssp. I haven't experienced is the Faroe Island (S m faeroeensis)...... hopefully for that one will be in the future. Great Skua is another I am excited about and feel positive about my chances. Another hopeful is a very common species, but one that Jen and I have a warm spot in our hearts for; the Atlantic Puffin! I know..... you are going to Iceland, they are like mosquitos!! Yes the are (or should be) although being mid-August there is a chance that most of the astronomical numbers of them may have already left the Seabird cliffs to start their winter life at sea! Puffins here in New England are quite common in summer breeding on a few Islands of the coast of Maine, and relatively uncommon at sea in the winter offshore from Rhode Island to Mass. I have seen a few while cod fishing offshore in January over the years with favorable winds. We have also enjoyed experiencing the Pacific species of Puffins in 2024 on our Alaska cruise. But for me, I wanted to see Puffins on our cruise in Norway, Iceland and Scotland. 

    I was also looking forward to this trip to honor and reflect on a very special bird species.  I wanted to experience the areas where the Great Auk once lived and swam in the great north Atlantic Ocean before it was taken from us! The cruise would be sailing close to some of the islands where the majestic Great Auk came ashore to raise its young before leaving dry land for its life on the sea! The Islands were in Norway, the west coast of Iceland (Eldy Island), and near the Outer Hebrides of Scotland (St. Kilda Island). Even though the ship would be cruising near these islands at night, I could still feel their spirits..... just emotionally happy to be in the areas!

     As always, I made a couple of decoys to bring along on the trip. I wanted to float them in the sea in Norway, Iceland and Scotland! I brought with me a winter, non breeding adult Atlantic Puffin decoy, and a very special "just fledged" young Great Auk which was carved to resemble a fledgling Great Auk's first contact with the sea! I have carved and painted many Great Auk sculptures (and have more in the works) and painted several Great Auk illustrations. Through my art..... it is my way of paying tribute to this incredible bird that will never experience.... to honor it's memory! 

     There are conflicting hypothesis about the development stages of the young Great Auks. One theory is that the Great Auk chicks were "precocial" meaning the young Great Auk hatch in an advanced state and left the nesting colony after only four or five days joining the male parent and would grow and develop at sea. The Great Auk chick decoy carving I made was a precocial chick. The other theory is that the Great Auk chicks were "semi-precocial" which means they are dependent and rely on the parents for a period of time before they fledge. This period of development is thought to be eighteen to twenty days.....similar time to its closest living cousin the Razorbill. 

       For this amazing cruise, we booked with Holland America, and the ship was the Nieuw Statendam.

The ship was a big one, 980 feet long. We wanted to make sure that this trip was the most memorable, and comfortable so we booked a custom suite which had many amenities and privileges. The suite was large and very comfortable. It was located on the tenth deck (two decks down from the top deck), starboard side fore. It was the last room on the deck right up against the bow.... and very private. On the Viking Orion, we had a similar suite, which was next to the outside sundeck and was accessible (when the weather and wind cooperated). However, on this ship, there was no outside access to the sundeck area, it was closed off. At first, I was a little disappointed, but when we entered our suite, we found the outside viewing to be quite exceptional! Our suite had a spacious outside deck and also a large window overlooking the bow. And......as I found out, the large screen TV had was able to access the bow and stern cameras that ran 24 hours a day! I could literally see birds all around the ship. And even better, a short walk back towards the stern in the corridor passageways I was able to gain outside access for both the starboard and port decks of the ship. For birding, it couldn't get any better!

  

     The flight- Since it was an eleven hour flight from JFK, the thought of sitting in an uncomfortable seat for that long period of time was not appealing to us. I had never flown overseas before, Jen has many times, so we decided to go United business class. The business class cubicles on this flight were .... amazing! Besides being comfortable, you had all the amenities,  our own personal space including the comfortable seats that extend flat like a bed including pillows and blankets. We ended up comfortably sleeping through most of the flight waking up to hot coffee and a hot breakfast! Was it worth the extra $$$...... absolutely!     

     August 07, 2025- Flight nightmares!! Our United flight departure time was 9:00 pm and our boarding time was 8:15 pm. We decided to leave a little bit earlier from home..... just had one of those feelings that we were gonna hit the Friday afternoon traffic horror show into N Y!  Our driver picked us up at 3:00 in the afternoon for the (usual) 2 1/2 hour drive to JFK..... or at least under normal times it would have been. As expected, we hit EVERY and ALL the traffic congestion problems possible (and then some)!! In a word: NIGHTMARE!! Every time the driver (who said she knew the roads in that area like the back of her hand) tried to detour around the rush hour traffic jams and accidents, we ended up in a bigger mess! Long story short.......I was looking like we were not going to make it!! Maybe we should have left at noon! Like a miracle happened, we finally made it to the departure area of the airport at 7:15 pm..... one hour before our flight was ready to board! And to top it all off, the airport was MOBBED!!! More walking traffic jams and congestion inside the airport terminals! This was not looking good!! What turned out to be an amazing turn of events..... because we did the TSA pre-flight check-in ahead of time, and booking preferred status business class we were actually escorted to the check-in line and were first to be serviced! We passed through that in about two minutes, and within ten minutes, we were at our gate with enough time for a personal break and a cup of coffee with enough time left over to calm down and relax! Although it didn't look good a few hours earlier, we were here with a little time to spare. Was this worth all the extra flight preparation and added expense.......absolutely!!!  

     August 08, 2025, 10:35 am (Amsterdam time)- Arriving in Amsterdam, the Netherlands- After a great night's sleep warm and friendly wake-up greeting and a hot gourmet breakfast, we landed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. We couldn't believe that we had made it after the highly stressful ride to the airport. But we were here and now its time to enjoy our vacation. We made it through customs and baggage pick-up in just under an hour including the llooonnnggg walk from the gate to the baggage claim area, than another long walk to go through customs. We had arranged a private driver to pick us up from the airport in Amsterdam and drive us to our Hotel in Rotterdam, which would be about an hour and a half ride. We had a little mx-up with the tour company, but it got straightened out and the driver arrived about an hour later. Not a problem, we had time to relax a bit in a small café' in the airport terminal and have a cold Sprite and some bottled water. 

     When we planned our trip, we decided to go a few days earlier so we could relax a bit without all the stress of shuffling around from the airport to the ship with little time for ourselves free from customs, registering, more customs, hurry, hurry, hurry! Jen and I wanted to take in the beautiful Netherlands. Jen had been there a few times already when she was younger, and I as I mentioned, this was my first time. We would only be in Rotterdam for a a couple of nights before we would register on the Nieuw Statendam. The driver met us at the adjusted time and we were loaded in his van and off we went. He was a warm and friendly man and quite knowledgeable about the landmarks, culture and traditions of the area. For me, cruises are great for birding from the ship and the various location day trips and excursions that you arrange ahead of time. 

     There are the times when you are traveling from one location to another by bus or private van that pass through unbelievable and prime birding locations. And that is what happened on the ride from the airport to the hotel. The Dutch landscape was amazing, breathtaking! It was actually fun seeing all the original windmills, something that stuck with us since childhood. The entire ride to the hotel was surrounded by farms, and waterways and canals, and the birds were so numerous!! I just sat back and looked around and enjoyed all the birds we were seeing. There were so many places I wished we could have stopped for just a few minutes with my camera. Every where you looked in all the farm fields were Geese..... hundreds and hundreds of them! Canada- geese, Graylag geese, White-fronted geese, and other species I just couldn't identify as we drove by on the turnpike. Jen even pointed out a small flock of Snow Geese that were landing.... where did they come from?? Also many Storks in the fields, and ducks (which I assume were Mallards)? Red Kite were buzzing the fields as well as Sparrowhawks, and a few very large Falcons similar to Peregrine which I couldn't identify. Crows and Hooded Crows in the fields as well as numerous Songbirds. This was a birding paradise and I could only see it from a speeding van on the highway. Then there were the canals and waterways (which were everywhere). Everywhere I looked in the waterways, ducks and geese. Mallards, Gadwall, European Wigeon, Teal, Pochards, Tufted Ducks, and European Coot! I would love to have burned up some space on my camera cards!

     Jen and I had pre-arranged a little tour that was on the way to the Hotel. The tour stopped at a small farm that was famous for their Gouda cheese. Jen and I both love cheese, and although we have only had good "imported" Gouda (which is one of our favorites cheeses), trying it fresh on the farm where it is made would be incredible. To add to the excitement of this farm stop is the fact the at they also make Netherlands famous wooden shoes (clogs)!!  This would be a really fun stop to break up the ride to the Hotel and to experience first hand wonderful Dutch culture! Watching the farmer (and cheese master/fromager) work on the machines carving the shoes was very interesting. Within a few minutes he had a pair of shoes made for one of the people who stopped from a different tour. Being a woodcarver all my life, I really enjoyed the carving process that goes into making these shoes. I learned something else that is very interesting.... there are different design types of clogs. The clogs that are made for farmers have a rounded, somewhat blunted tip. The blunted tip is made to help when walking and working in muddy conditions. The tip design doesn't sink into the mud, so the farmer can walk easily in muddy and soft ground. The shoes made for fisherman have a pointed tip. This pointed tip will help the fisherman grab the nets with their shoes. That is interesting!!   

     

     And the Gouda? By far, it was more delicious and savoring, so much higher than our expectations! This was a cheese experience worthy of any ones bucket list if you enjoy cheese! And yes, we brought some home with us!!

     Checking in to the Rotterdam Hilton. It was a a long day starting at JFK the day before. Although we did get a good night's sleep on the flight, time to go to our room and kick back a bit! Of course, I was anxious to go birdwatching, but being in h heart of the city, birds may not be so accommodating. We were on the twelfth floor and as soon as I opened the curtains to let some light in, a Lesser Black-backed Gull flew right past the window. In fact, there were quite a few Gulls buzzing around the city and many landing below on the streets and small grassy areas. Looks like I will have a little Hotel window city birdwatching after all. 

 

     In a short period of time, I watched quite a few Lesser Black-backed, European Herring, and a few Common Gulls flying around outside our window!

     Even a few Crows joined the window party!

      

     After an hour of what Jen calls "desperate birding" (which of course she is correct)......  time for a nice long hot shower, unpack a little and then go downstairs to the restaurant for a nice relaxing, casual dinner which we thoroughly enjoyed!! Both of us wanted to enjoy the local Dutch fare. I saw on the menu something called "Bitterballen" a local favorite listed under the appetizers on the menu. We never had them, but they sounded delicious. Essentially they are little balls of beef stew and mashed potatoes rolled in a ball, breaded with panko, and deep fried. They are served with fine Dutch mustard.... sound fantastic to me!! Yup, as expected, they were absolutely delicious!!! 

      For our entrées', Jen had Dutch Oxtail Soup, and I had Dutch-style Fish and Chips with Sweet Potato chips. Just delicious!

     After this wonderful meal, Jen and I took a little walk around the city nearby the Hotel. We stopped in a few stores and shops and decided it was a long day, head back to our rooms for a good night sleep. Tomorrow (August 9) is another day off in Rotterdam, we will be heading over to the ship port to register on the Nieuw Statendam at noon Sunday, August 10. The ship departs Rotterdam at 4:00 pm on Sunday. 

     But tomorrow will be a very exciting day for me, and for Jen. I will finally get to meet in person a local Dutch man who is a fellow artist whom I have been having conversations with on FB since 2017. Jen and I finally get to meet him and his lovely wife Aranka in the Netherlands. I have been waiting for this for years. His name is Ton Visser, and he is a renowned Dutch bird artist, sculptor who is also a naturalist, and game officer. He has a profound love for birds and birdcarving just like me! One of his pieces that I have absolutely fell in love with and I regard as one of my most favorite bird sculptures made by anyone. His sculpture that captured my heart is this piece depicting a Common Murre (know as a Guillemot in Europe). Ton recreated the drama of a Common Murre that had unfortunately interacted with an oil spill and became oiled. He captured the stress and desperation of the Alcid in this profoundly unfortunate event, an unfortunate sign of the times! I could feel the power of this composition as the Murre crawled out of the water onto a slipper harbor side rock hopelessly looking for some solution to this awful encounter. What a powerful piece! Thank you Ton for letting me post the image of your Murre. Such a great piece of art and sculpture with a very powerful message!

     Saturday, August 9- Ton and Aranka were scheduled to arrive at the Hotel around 11;00 am. I was really excited and anxious. At a few minutes after 11;00 the phone rang. It was the front desk letting me know that they had arrived. It was a wonderful meeting..... so warm and friendly! Ton and Aranka presented Jen and I with a welcoming basket. The basket was full of Dutch "goodies" and specialties, everything from cookies, crackers, chocolates, a couple wedges of that awesome Dutch Gouda, and a couple bottles of Dutch "adult beverages"!! What a very kind and generous gift they gave us! We sat for an hour or so and talked and we really discovered how much we were very much alike and had in common. The conversations and story-telling continued into the restaurant over lunch and a couple orders of Bitterballen!! I showed Ton and Aranka the two decoys I carved and brought with me (the non-breeding Puffin and the fledgling Great Auk chick) and they admired them. In fact they held the Puffin and Auk while we posed for a picture or two (Ton is the handsome guy holding my Puffin :^) and Aranka holding my Great Auk chick decoy.  

     At 4:00 pm, the day ended way too soon! It was hard saying good-bye to Ton and Aranka, but Jen and I were so happy and thrilled that we finally got to meet them in person! It is one of those days we will never forget! This made the whole trip to the Netherlands! See you again!!

     Jen and I decided to head back to our room and rest the day away. Tomorrow will be a big day! We didn't even go down for a late dinner..... instead we enjoyed the very kind and generous gift basket that Ton and Aranka gave us. Thank you again Ton and Aranka...... we really enjoyed your basket, especially the cheese and crackers and the adult beverages!! And.... we had a lot of goodies to take with us to our suite on the ship! 

     Sunday, August 10- Check-out time. our stay in Rotterdam was over.  The time we had dreamed about all year was here. The shuttle bus that was supposed to be taking us to the ship from the Hotel was having a few problems. Here we go again! But, I grabbed a taxi driver that was standing outside the doors of the Hotel, he was happy to drive Jen and I to the Cruise Ship terminals. The docks were about ten city blocks away from the Hotel. In all about 7 minutes in the taxi...... 35 Euros (aka $41.00 USD), worth every penny!! When we got to the terminal, you guessed it, congestion and more people traffic jams! The Nieuw Statendam holds over 2,600 passengers.... and many of them where already at the terminal trying to assemble in orderly lines, but the chaos was unbelievable. How were they going to get all these people registered and on board in just a few hours!? Oh brother, here we go again!! 

    Jen looked over to an area that was roped off with a guard near the small gate. It stated that this gate was for priority passengers only which had booked the stateroom suite packages. And because we did opt for the upgraded suite package, this empty gate was ours! We were waved through all the areas to register, and within a half hour, we were led to our suite by one of our room stewards. Phew..... that went so smooth and stress-free it was hard to believe. We were comfortable in our suite while thousands of people were still standing in lines in all the mass confusion and chaos! Yes, the added costs of all these priorities were modest, but in reality well worth the extra expenses.... without question! 

   At 4:00 pm, the Statendam would leave its dock and head out the river/canal towards he open North Sea headed for its first stop early in the morning; Alesund, Norway.

    It was a beautiful afternoon in the Netherlands. Jen and I headed up top the upper level observation decks for a little relaxing sightseeing of the Rotterdam harbor area. 

     What turned into an unplanned bit of fun for Jen and I..... we decided to document the journey of my Puffin decoy by taking a picture of the decoy in every location we visited on the cruise! First destination picture, Rotterdam harbor.

     At 4:00 pm, right on time, the ships horn sounded, and the Statendam pulled away from the docks! 

It would take about an hour's time to steam down the canal to the open North Sea. We had a perfect spot to sightsee and enjoy the area..........  

      ......and of course, birdwatching!! Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Common Gulls, Herring Gulls and Black-headed Gulls were constant all along the passage through the canal towards the sea.

     The canal trip was quite birdy along the way with steady bird activity. Mute Swans were quite common in he canal.

      Along the starboard side of the shop, the shoreline along he canal did have periodic concentrations of waterfowl made up of Swans, some Canada-type Geese, Mallards, Gadwall and European Coot.

       There were scattered concentrations of Gulls also which warranted a closer look. An Egyptian Goose was hiding in this Gull flock on a dock. 

         European Collared-Doves were constantly trading back and forth across the canal- 

               

                And quite surprising to me....... very few Cormorants in the canal. I only saw a few.

      It took about an hour to reach the the mouth of the canal where it joins the North Sea. Again, surprisingly few numbers of birds here...... just a few Cormorants, Ruddy Turnstones and Common Terns. 

     

                                                Heading out into the open North Sea- 

     

     Having reached the Sea, Jen and I headed back to our suite to relax a bit and get ready for dinner. After almost an hour sailing north towards Norway, the only birds I am seeing at this point continue to be mostly Lesser Black-backed (not sure which ssp.) and Herring Gulls.

     Soon after, the Gull numbers diminished, they seemed to be concentrated around the wind turbine farms and the oil platforms. As the turbines and platforms faded into the distance, the first Seabirds appeared..... Gannets of all ages and plumage configurations! 

     I went out on our deck with my camera for a little while before dinner. And within minutes, there were Gannets everywhere, including buzzing the ship. Since our room was as close to the bow as you can get, the birds crossed by just in front of me..... I could almost touch some! 

       The Gannet numbers slowly faded to the point I didn't see them any longer. Then, the first Northern Fulmars appeared following the ship, and right below our deck. They started as singles, and then pairs, until one point, they were just about anywhere you looked. The sea was full of them! And as it turned out, I really wanted to call this cruise "The Flight of the Fulmar". From this point on, every minute and every nautical mile of the cruise there were Fulmars constantly present. In fact, I would say that not more than a five minute span of time would not go by without seeing a Fulmar! The sea was covered with them in all directions! 

       The day grew long. As the light began to fade into the early evening, Jen and I decided to take a walk around the ship and get acquainted with as much of the ship as we could. It would be our home for the next two weeks.  

       For dinner and a wonderful way to end the day..... Jen had a seafood pasta dish, and I had the roast Grouper. Both were absolutely delicious! 

     Tomorrow morning, Monday, August 11, we would be at sea all day. On Tuesday morning, August 12, we will be landing in Alesund, Norway at 10:00 am. 

     August 11, at sea- the Southern tip of Norway in the distance- 

     

                               The Puffin decoy at sea for the day on August 11- 

    

                   And yes...... the "Flight of the Fulmar" continued throughout the day at sea! In fact, Fulmars were all I saw at sea!

               I am continuing the writing of this blog.......when I have the next destination of the trip completed,, I will post them! Please keep checking back!