The Atlantic Isles

 After our cruise around the Baltic, 3 weeks later we were on another cruise with Ambassador, but on their other ship the MV Ambition. Again, not a birding trip - just the good lady and myself going for a bit of early sunshine............ but you know birders, have binochulars will travel, and occasionally I did take the camera ashore.

Our route was from Tilbury down to Leixoes and Lisbon [Portugal] then to Cadiz [Spain] over to Morroco for Cassablanca (very dissapointing); it was then over to the Canary Islands, from here to Funchal [Maderia] then to the  Ponta Delgarda [Azores]. From here it was back over to Vigo [Spain] and because we could not make Horta in the Azores, they subsistuted it with a stop in Zeebrugge [Belgium] before heading back to Tibury, all together 21 nights. 

Immature Black Redsart than was hitching a ride in the Bay of Biscay, but sadly we were going the wrong way.

Going across the Bay of Biscay was  a bit dissapointing Cetacean wise, though we saw loads of common Dolphin but only a few Fin Whales and one probable Humpback Whale. Cory's Shearwater were plentiful throughout the cruise, but the only Manx Shearwater I saw were around the Western Approaches when heading South.

                                                                                  Fin Whale Blow

                                                                          Common Dolphin

When the good lady and myself go ashore, we love visiting the cities botanical gardens if they have one. Below are images I took whilst walking around a few of the cities on our cruise

                                                               Berthelot's Pipit

Black Redstart

Black Redstart

Atlantic Canary

Canary Isle Chiffchaff

Cory's Shearwater

                                                                  Atlantic Canary.

 Little Egret

Azorean Wanderer Crab Grapsus adscensionis in the harbour at Ponta Delgarda

Whimbrel

Turnstone

Spannish Sparrow

Sanderling

Rose-ringed Parakeet

Ringed Plover

Monk Parakeet

Monarch Butterfly

Mediterranean Gull

Kestrel

Jungle Fowl

House Sparrow, this species was abundant in all the places we visited. I wish was so abundant where i lived

Gannet

Perez's Frog Pelophylax perzi in the Parque Garcia Sanabria Tenerife

Grey Wagtail

Common Tern

Bar-tailed Godwit

                                                                     Common Sandpiper

All in all, it was a really great cruise!

I have got some images of stuff that I have taken locally, which once I have sorted out, I will do another post.

As alaways, thanks for stopping by.