**Draft**

                  Friday, August 22, 2026- At Sea headed to Dover, England, UK-

                        Saturday, August 23, 2026, Arriving Dover, England, UK- 

    After a good nights sleep, we woke up refreshed and greeted another overcast morning. We will be at sea all day and tonight headed for our last stop in Dover tomorrow. The cruise was a bounty of seabirds, more than I could have ever hoped for....actually I was at that "birded-out" stage! Any birdwatching today or tomorrow would be casual at best. I am not really sure what new bird species I would see, the Atlantic species were well-covered to this point. Today was a day to relax and enjoy the ship.

     And it was a good thing that Jen and I spent our last couple of days on the ship relaxing and kicking back. Even with a little bit if informal birding now and then.....I saw very few birds at sea. A few Gulls, a Gannet or Two and maybe a distant Fulmar was all I saw. It was a very quiet day for the birds which was so different than the past week and a half! 

      Saturday, August 23, 2026, Arriving Dover, England, UK. Around 6:30 am, the famous White CLiffs came into view in the distance. For me, another first. Growing up we always heard of the cliffs. Now after all these years, I get to experience them..... wonderful!

                          Puffin Decoy arrives at the White Cliffs of Dover- 

     The Nieuw Statendam was scheduled to sock at the cruise ship pier at 7:00 am. We had just entered the mouth of the harbor between the breakwaters and I immediately went into bird mode. Actually, I was in European Eider mode! On the entire trip, I only saw European Eiders in the one stop in Norway. I struck out in the Hebrides, and Dover would be my last opportunity. Looking around the harbor, it didn't look too promising. It didn't strike me as a type of harbor that Eiders would frequent. And being late August, I was certain of a no-show. Well, no Eiders....strike three! Thankfully, Alesund, Norway was generous! 

      One thing was certain, the harbor and the sea wall and breakwater construction was very interesting! 

                           The PIlot Boat comes to guide to massive ship into the harbor- 

                                                     Harbor Patrol boat- 

          There was a little time to look for the usual harbor birds before breakfast and out tour for the day. First summer Euro Herring Gulls-

           Not sure about these.... small bills, rounded heads, maybe Mediterranean Gulls? 

           There were plenty of Black-headed Gulls in the harbor....I enjoy that species.

                                          First summer Black-headed Gull- 

                                  Beautiful adult Black-headed Gull- 

                   And as expected.......the harbor was full of Great Cormorant- 

                                            Adult Great Black-backed Gull- 

                                               European Herring Gull- 

                   One of my favorite Gulls- first summer Great Black-backed Gull-

                                               Adult Great Cormorant-

            And out of nowhere, a single adult Mediterranean Gull flew into view! This was an unexpected pleasure. I had never expected to see one, and this one was the first one I have ever seen. What a beauty! 

       And following the adult.....the second gift; a first summer Mediterranean Gull- 

                     The two Mediterranean Gulls made my day....and added to the whole trip!

                                                           More Cormorants- 

        Identifying Gulls is often challenging, especially first summer birds. I have a general understanding of Gulls, so, I am probably incorrect here, but I am thinking first summer Lesser Black-backed Gull for this one- 

                                        Striking adult Great Cormorant- 

           Alas! Finally a Fulmar! This one Fulmar cruised the sea wall and then out to sea! 

                                  Cormorants continued patrolling the harbor- 

                                Second summer Euro Herring Gull-

                                               Adult Euro Herring Gull- 

      Yup, more Cormorants! Actually, I like Cormorants.....fun to observe, and I enjoy using them for art subjects and carvings. 

             A few of my Cormorant decoys I have made. Double-crested Cormorants- 

                                                       Great Cormorant- 

Double-crested Cormorant, ready to be painted- 

   

           There were no nature tours listed for this stop in Dover, just sightseeing tours. The tours focused on trips to London and other cities. Some of these trips were long with six hours or more on a bus traveling back and forth! Since it was really a day to relax and cap off the cruise trip, Jen and I decided on the one tour with the least amount of time on an uncomfortable bus. We chose the tour that visited the classic medieval city of Rye. The trip overall would be six hours in duration....two hours by bus each way. Actually, it sounded quite interesting! Unfortunately, the immense and never ending traffic jam coming into and out of the port of Dover added another hour travel time to the trip. That means we would only have a short time to explore the city.....once we got there! For now, we would just sit back in our seats and try to enjoy the countryside and scenery. We passed through small congested towns that were bordered by large farms and also suburban developments. Not many birds did we see through the bus windows which was amazing to me given the large open farm areas. 

      Finally, after a long two and a half hour ride, we arrived in Rye. They dropped us off at the Rye Historical Museum, and we were greeted by a hungry first summer Euro Herring Gull that was obviously looking for handouts! 

      Our group gathered at the front door of the Museum with our ship's tour leaders to check in for the tour. The tour began in the Museum with a theater show..... a show like Jen and I have never experienced! The show was a historical account of the Medieval city of Rye from its origin shown through a miniature model city complete with lighting, narration and special effects. The show was outstanding! We really enjoyed it! 

             The miniature city was recreated with meticulously constructed buildings reproduced in perfect scale and accurate details including a synchronized lighting special effects following the spellbinding narration. Just amazing! The show lasted about twenty minutes. 

            After the show was over, we were all told to gather and meet outside by the Museum's front door. We were all handed a map of the city highlighting all of the buildings of interest that we had just experienced in the theater show. They pointed on the map where we were standing, and where the bus would be located to take us back to the ship. Don't miss that bus we were cautioned! If you miss it, there are no others..... you will have to find your own way back to the ship!! And........ to compound the stress.....we only had ONE HOUR to explore the city before the bus left! Good Luck..... you are now on your own! Jen and I looked at each other.....one hour?? Only one hour to walk around this fairly large city and see the sights? Really? Not happening!! 

        I suggested to Jen to Jen that we just find a Tavern or Pub close to where the bus would be and maybe have lunch and relax. Being on that bus in time far exceeded our desire to run around the city looking at the sights in a blurr! Good idea Jen said! And that's just what we did. Each street we went down was literally packed with tourists enjoying the city......hopefully with more time than an hour! 

       And on the corner of the streets, in short view of our bus, an English Pub! And since we were in the UK and it was lunch time......Fish and Chips!! What other choice is there! Lunch was a good choice and perfect way to spend our gradually diminishing hour. When the bus left, it would still be at least a tow hour drive give or take depending on the traffic to get back to the ship. Too late for lunch, too early for dinner. 

                  We ordered F & C tow ways: the classic battered style and the breaded style.

                          Of course, you need the classic malt vinegar and a Coke! Now we both have experienced classic UK Fish & Chips in both northern Scotland, and here in southern England. How was the Fish and Chips? To compare, they used fresh Haddock and I watched the cook batter it and fry it in fresh oil on the Isle of Skye. I have no idea here in Rye. The menu stated that they used Cod. By far, the Isle of Skye F & C was superior by a huge margin! Not knowing what actual English F & C is supposed to taste like, I can't offer a realistic critique. Sorry, but this F & C tasted pre-prepared frozen, similar to the "supposed" authentic Fish and Chips here at home. It was disappointing! 

     Finally, we got back on the bus before anyone else.....we wanted to make sure we were on it! All the others from the group started boarding the bus returning after their short whirlwind visit of the city. Most commented that they enjoyed what they could see of the city in a rush....just wanted more time to explore! 

     On the two hour ride back to the port, the only birds that I could see through the window were very few.... a few Gulls perched on roof tops........

      ........ I believe this is a Rook, the only one I saw. It was in a farmers field close to the road. A new bird species for the trip.....

                              

                           European Herring Gulls were the most common species of Gulls.......       

                            ....... and yet another new species; a Collared Dove.

                                                Only Hooded Crow I saw- 

                                      ...... the only two Jackdaw I spotted- 

                                                 Another new species; Band-tailed Pigeon

       Finally, after a long two hour plus bus ride and a long day, we made it back to the harbor, and boarded the Ship! Time to take a shower, relax and enjoy the rest of the day in our suite and maybe a short nap! 

              The sun was trying to break through a little, but it wasn't successful! 

          Back to the veranda for the last opportunity for birds, and maybe by luck, a European Eider! Unfortunately, that didn't happen! We would leave Dover tonight at dinner time, and we would arrive in Rotterdam early Sunday morning where we would leave as soon as we disembarked the ship to head to the airport. Any birds left to be seen need to be in the next hour or so. 

         At 6:00 pm promptly, the ship horn sounded and the dock crew began their routine of pulling the ships ropes. Time to head home! 

      I enjoy the moment when the ship tests its thrusters and then casts off from the pier.....the Gulls get all worked up looking for the possibility of a meal! 

          I still enjoy watching the Black-headed Gulls.... they are an interesting species! 

                          ....... and the Cormorants are interesting as well- 

                                        Same Pilot Boat as this morning- 

                                    A shot sail later......Dover retreats into the horizon! 

       Our last night on the ship, and our last dinner. We said our melancholy Good-Byes to all the restaurant staff in the restaurant. They were so warm and friendly, professional, kind, funny, personable and generous.....we will miss everyone of them. They took such great care of us, it was like being with family! They made our cruise exceptionally special, thank you all! Hopefully, we will meet again! 

        And a special and heartfelt Thank You to our room stewards Fatkhu and Henri. They were amazing, just so warm, friendly, personable, professional, and they always made us laugh.....the tow of them also felt like family. They took such great care of us and were always there if we needed them! We will miss you both! 

          This cruise (like the Alaskan cruise) was absolutely amazing. There are comparable differences between both cruises and each ship, but the balanced out. Norway and Iceland were beyond words amazing, incredible, stunning, and more! The Hebrides were just as we had envisioned them, so peaceful and calming. I wish we had more time to explore the Netherlands....something for another time! 

     Early Sunday morning the Nieuw Statendam docked in Rotterdam. Jen and I had all night to pack and be ready to disembark the ship. We had arranged a private driver ahead of time to pick us up at the Cruise Ship Dock and Transportation Terminal so we could get to the Amsterdam Airport n plenty of time. Because we had booked the Executive Suite Package with Holland America, we were able to disembark the ship first with quicker passage through the terminal check points.Well worth the extra fees to make sure we made it to the reserved driver and then to the airport with extra time! 

     The flight home was smooth and easy. It certainly gave us time to catch up from the hurried pace getting off the ship and then to the airport. Relaxing was in order for the ten hour flight home. One thing that was just a bit hard to deal with on the flight home.......the air was freezing in business class..... it was really cold! Maybe raise the temps about fifteen degrees? 

Final Bird LIst, Dover, England, UK: European Eider (a very disappointing no), Alcids (no), Waterfowl species (also a very disappointing no), Fulmar (1), Black-legged Kittiwake (no), European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Great Black-backed Gull, Common Mew Gull, Black-headed Gull, MEDITERANIAN GULL (yes), Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Rook (most likely), Jackdaw, Hooded Crow, Great Cormorant.