Bergen and home
9. maj 2025, Skotland ⋅ 🌙 10 °C
A lovely day spent exploring Bergen on foot and needing to buy something small for the odd family member. Prices so high compared to what we are used to at home that nothing seemed good or best value.Læs mere
A bit of bother in Bergen
8. maj 2025, Norge ⋅ ⛅ 15 °C
On berthing at Bergen we found a “hop on hop off” city tour bus which we took to our air B and B in a beautiful part of the city close to the shore. Unfortunately the place was coated in more dustLæs mere
Kristiansund and beyond
8. maj 2025, Norge ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Kristiansund was apparently the Clipfisk or Stockfish capital of Norway and has a statue of a woman holding one such fish. She seems to be the emblem of the place too, as I saw her on a rather niceLæs mere
Trondheim south to Kristiansund
7. maj 2025, Norge ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
After a superb 9-course meal with some excellent wine in the fine dining restaurant last night we slept a little fitfully and awoke to Beverly’s significant birthday as we berthed in Trondheim. ALæs mere
Crossing the Arctic Circle
6. maj 2025, Norge ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C
A quiet day for us without formal expeditions. A smooth journey in lovely weather where absolutely no movement of the boat could be detected with eyes closed. We crossed the latitude of the ArcticLæs mere
Tromso and the Lofotens
5. maj 2025, Norge ⋅ 🌙 4 °C
A very beautifully sung (tenor) and played (flute, piano and organ) midnight concert in Tromso last night but in the Old Cathedral and not the famous new one.
Today we awoke in Harstad and threadedLæs mere
Hammerfest to Tromso
4. maj 2025, Norge ⋅ ☁️ -1 °C
Hammerfest is Norway’s most northerly town,almost totally destroyed during WWII. Great to leave the boat here for an hour of fresh air with Snow Buntings thronging the houses like sparrows.Læs mere
Kirkenes to Hammerfest
4. maj 2025, Norge ⋅ ☁️ 0 °C
First leg of the journey north and west via seven small ports including Vardo, Norway’s easternmost town. NW Russia visible as we went. A few whale blows seen ahead of the vessel and one good viewLæs mere
Aberdeen to Kirkenes
2. maj 2025, Norge ⋅ 🌧 3 °C
Three flights with Wideroe via Bergen and Tromso. It’s still winter up here at the top of Norway. Much snow still present with sparse birch forest. Everything (food, alcohol and taxi) as expensiveLæs mere
Overview
2. maj 2024, England ⋅ ☁️ 12 °C
Find Penguins not a great success this time owing the the remoteness of our destinations (Northern Assam, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur) and lack of signal. Given that each day began wellLæs mere
Expedition nearly over!
25. april 2024, Indien ⋅ ☀️ 26 °C
At last enough of a signal to send a post written near the start of the trip! Now too tired to send detail of days missed but suffice to say that I’ve about 300 new species on my bird list and haveLæs mere
Manipur to Nagaland to Assam
14. april 2024, Indien ⋅ 🌙 29 °C
An update after a few days without internet. Two incredibly exciting long road journeys, first to the village of Khonoma in Nagaland where we stayed in a home stay run by incredibly friendly people.Læs mere
A second stab at Indian Grass-bird
11. april 2024, Indien ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C
Birdwise, enough to say for most followers that I added another 30 or so to my list and had fabulous views of the very hard to nail down Indian Grass-bird. But perhaps an equally life-enhancingLæs mere
Thirty-something new birds before 8am.
11. april 2024, Indien ⋅ ☁️ 15 °C
A grassland and wetland morning, out by 4am in the cool when birds are most active. Extremely rural area with many people working in the fields, including cutting reeds and similar for cattle feed.Læs mere
Imphal, Yellow-throated Laughing Thrush
10. april 2024, Indien ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C
One of our main target species under our belts and so rare it thrilled all our group members. But, given that every bird here is new for me they all have more or less equal value to me, so Long-tailedLæs mere
It starts.
9. april 2024, England ⋅ 🌬 11 °C
Easy travel from Doune to Edinburgh; Edinburgh to Heathrow and now waiting to board the Virgin Atlantic aircraft “Fearless Lady” for Delhi. There will be a 10 hour or so wait there for ourLæs mere
Always hopeful
5. april 2024, Skotland ⋅ 🌫 5 °C
Four days to go and I’m obviously far too keen! Packed already, including with things I still need here - like wellies and other waterproofs, not to mention bins and scope.
Fantasising about allLæs mere
One week to go
2. april 2024, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C
Thinking about packing now - for comfortable birding in varied weather conditions. What to include? What to leave out? Wellies? Imodium? Mozzie net? Lightweight stool? Umbrella? Crocs?
Homeward bound
20. marts 2024, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 8 °C
A two hour “navigation”, as they’d call it in Galapagos, from Port Ellen to Kennacraig. Flat calm and parties of auks feeding all over the place relatively close to Islay. Also more divers thanLæs mere
Too much whisky
19. marts 2024, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Not a birding day in spite of the best weather yet. A tour of the Bruichladdich distillery was much more engaging than I expected and at daughter’s long-distance insistence I spent more on a bottleLæs mere
Ardnave Point for Choughs
18. marts 2024, Skotland ⋅ 🌧 9 °C
After a fine walk to the west on Machir beach and a highly recommended visit for coffee, lunch and the purchase of some very fine whisky at the Kilchoman distillery for an upcoming ‘brothers longLæs mere
A day on the Oa
18. marts 2024, Skotland ⋅ ⛅ 8 °C
A party of five drove to the Oa - a cliffs bulbous peninsular, good for raptor species. Fog was a problem for much of the time and no eagles performed for us. We did see a female Hen Harrier and had aLæs mere
A wet and windy one
17. marts 2024, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C
Very little birding done because of the weather. Best Cullen Skink ever in a bistro in Port Ellen though. No photos.
Loch Gruinart
15. marts 2024, Skotland ⋅ 🌬 8 °C
A windy but sunny day in the Loch Gruinart area. Barnacle Geese in their hundreds and also many lovely Greater White-fronted Geese of the Greenland subspecies feeding in the rougher grasslands. A notLæs mere
Queuing at Kennacraig
14. marts 2024, Skotland ⋅ 🌧 8 °C
A drive with the caravan from near Stirling. Pretty wet and pelting with rain as we wait for the ferry, the timing of which has been put back and put back several times. Due to land on Islay aroundLæs mere



































































































































































Michael and Helen CookWelcome home
RejsendeWelcome home - we leave from home tomorrow at 03.00hrs follow on Facebook