This is a painting of a Manx Shearwater a hard bird to get a photo of. (Well actually most moving objects are hard for me to photograph!)

It was early morning on the return from Amsterdam, and as we cruised 
up the British coast line passing places such as Scarborough and 
Middlesbrough.

I had spotted the usual birds such as the Gannets, Fulmars, Guillemots 
and puffins, when I noticed a bird that looked very similar to the 
Guillemot and the puffin.

Managing to catch it in my binoculars I noticed that the flight 
pattern was very different to that of the Auk family, it didn’t have a 
very rapid wing beat but it had stiff wings and very few wing 
beats as it dipped from side to side flying low to the water.

  Its flight pattern gave me views of its dark back and white 
underside. I was unable to identify the bird there and then, but after 
looking up the flight pattern and the colour of the bird I realised it 
was a Manx Shearwater.

Rosie
Wildlife Officer

This picture shows the body features of toothed Whales

This picture shows the body freatures of Baleen Whales

I’ve always found it pretty cool how Cetaceans manage to live in such 
extreme conditions and still be so similar to us.

Whales and Dolphins have specially adapted their whole bodies to 
survive in waters all around the world. Ranging from, the freezing 
cold waters of the Artic and the Antarctic regions to the warm waters 
of the Indian oceans and even reaching into some rivers.

One of the ways in which they have adapted their bodies is by moving 
their blow hole (our nose). It is no longer on the front of their face 
but can be found on the top of their heads; this makes breathing a lot 
easier for them as they don’t have to keep stretching their heads up 
out of the water. Most Cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises) have 
fused neck bones meaning they can’t move their necks up or down.

Another thing about the areas in which they live is the temperature 
of the water, it can get extremely cold to combat. As such, they have gained 
an extra layer this is known as blubber and this helps them keep their 
body temperature constant. Unlike us who put on dry suits to keep warm 
the blubber acts in this way. Certain species of Cetaceans such as the 
Beluga Whale has 18 inches of blubber all over its body.

This is just a brief introduction to a huge amount of adaptations that these 
animals have gone through to survive, why not find out more by joining 
myself or Beth on one of our crossings? Or leave a question on the blog.

Rosie
Wildlife officer

Beth – King of Scandinavia

Its surprising what you can miss when you are not looking for it.  For instance, I have lost count of the number of times that I have sailed through the breakwater into the Tyne.  It was only today however that I actually noticed the rollercoaster and what appears to be a funfair at South Shields.  A roller coaster!  How does someone who makes a living out of having a keen eye miss that?  I would like to re-assure you that it is because I have my eyes fixed firmly on the animal life that I managed to miss this rather large inanimate object.

My new discovery enticed me to find out a little bit more about one of the sights that I ‘don’t see’ because I have seen it so much I take it for granted.

Priory ruins

I am talking about the priory ruins that are there to greet travellers as they enter the Tyne from the North Sea.  After a little bit of research I found out that three kings were buried on the site of Tynemouth Priory, Oswin in 651 A.D., Osred in 792 A.D. and Malcolm in 1093 A.D.  The original Anglo-Saxon Monastry was pillaged and left to ruin by the Vikings and it wasn’t until early in the 11^th Century that rebuilding started.  It is the ruins of this ‘newer’ priory that we see today.

If you look at the Tynemouth Coat of Arms you will see three crowns on the shield, each one representing one of the three kings buried at the Tynemouth Priory site.  And you all thought I was just about the biology!

Beth – King of Scandinavia

Guillemots on a nest site

We see lots of guillemots out on the North Sea.  They are birds that are penguin like in appearance but are able to fly, quite franticly too with whirring wingbeats.  When we see them at the moment though why are we hailing them with lots of gushing oooh’ing and ahhh’ing?  Well it’s because it is early summer and the chicks are fledging.

Striking little birds, sometimes called the penguins of the northern hemisphere (although these birds can fly).

Guillemots nest on cliffs in quite dense colonies and one of the first challenges in any young guillemots life is the first time they leave the nest.  They do this by launching themselves off from the cliff into the water below, spurred on by the calling parent.

It looks like a long way down! Unlike the adult guillemots in this picture, fledglings are unable to fly when they make the jump.

When they make this leap they aren’t actually able to fly which is why guillemot chicks are sometimes referred to as ‘jumplings’.  Now both parents would have looked after their chick but after fledging it becomes the duty of the father.

For the next two months or so dad will teach his chick how to dive and catch fish.  So, what we are witnessing are real father and child moments.  As the ship approaches we can hear them calling to each other, a high pitched call being answered by the deeper call of the adult.  They are often looking at each other and bobbing about side by side.  I know you are not supposed to put emotions onto animals but I’m sure anyone would find it hard not to when you find yourself fortunate enough to get a brief peek into this caring behaviour as the male prepares its offspring for life out on the North Sea.  Aaahh.

Photos courtesy of HJ & M Luiten

Beth – King of Scandinavia

At the entrance to most ports you will find a statue, some symbolic, some of a dignitary or of a seafaring hero.  The DFDS Seaways ports are no exception.

Man meets the sea at Esbjerg

Esbjerg has the big sculpture of four seated men called ‘Man meets the Sea’ which look out across the harbour.

Newcastle has Admiral Collingwood, a naval hero who rose to the highest rank within the Royal Navy and was friends with Admiral Nelson.

Lord Admiral Collingwood, ready to greet you as you enter through the breakwater at Newcastle

My favourite by far however is the statue on the dock in IJmuiden.  It’s of a fisherman standing tall in his fishing boots with his oil wax coat blowing in the wind that is always present in Ijmuiden.  He overlooks the sea day and night, year in and year out.

I love this statue because it makes me smile every time I see it due to its gull companion that regularly sits on top of it.  It reminds me of one of my favourite jokes from when I was small.  What do you call a man with a seagull on his head? ….Cliff.

'Cliff' standing tall.

There are lots of things to look out for whilst making you’re crossing from Newcastle to Amsterdam.

Not only is it the wonderful wildlife from Gannets to Guillemots to Bottlednosed Dolphins.
Keep your eyes open for the oil and gas rigs which can be seen from the ship as the sun goes down.

The North Sea is very productive and is still a relatively new ecosystem around 20,000 years old formed by the flooding of land mass.

As we get closer to Amsterdam and the Port of IJmuiden, we travel past two wind farms on the Starboard (right) side of the ship.
One of them is made up of 62 turbines built in 2008 and the furthest away on arrival is made up of 36 and was built in 2006.

One of the wind farm off Jmuiden

Why not join us on a crossing to find out more.
Rosie
Wildlife officer

Summer is really setting in now the nights are getting longer and the sunsets are getting better.

On the evening of the 14th June I had a feeling the sightings were going to be good. Around 6.30 pm, I had my first sighting of a Harbour Porpoise just off the starboard (right) side of the ship.

Once I had opened the Wildlife Centre, I kept one eye on the window, this paid off as I had sightings of Bottlenosed Dolphins, Common Dolphins and even more Harbour Porpoises.

Because the sightings were so regular I took the passengers from the Wildlife Centre and carried out a small deck watch with them.

The evening was so clear that I kept seeing them until 11pm.
Come and join us and discover the wonders of the North Sea.

We also had fantastic views of Gannets.

It amazes me how the depth of the North Sea barely reaches more than 40 metres on average where we cross with the King of Scandinavia to get to Amsterdam (IJmuiden). The ship is rather large with a height of approximately 44 m above water and a depth of 6 m under the water.

The water that we sail as we pass the break water to IJmuiden is only 16m deep and needs to be constantly dredged.

The River Rhine is very productive and brings lots of sediment as it moves to the mouth and out into the open sea. The port at IJmuiden is very busy and on a daily basis there are big cargo ships and other ships that use this area to load and off load their cargo.

It is pretty amazing to see these large ships with the knowledge that they are only a couple of meters off the bottom on the water.

Rosie
Wildlife Officer.

This is a picture of the dredger as we approach the dock in IJmuiden

[caption id="attachment_338" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="One of the many large cargo ships."][/caption]

6th – 8th June, King of Scandinavia

Getting to your holiday destination by a DFDS Seaways cruise ferry is a great and relaxing way to start your trip.  A lot of passengers from Holland or Germany are often en route to Scotland and I love it when we get together to enthuse about the wildlife that lives there and the species that they should be on the lookout for.  It is even better if I am onboard when they make their return journey so I can hear about the experiences they have had.

This happened recently with a lovely Dutch couple whom I had met on their outward journey.  They were really enthusiastic about bird watching and were going to Scotland to see some species that they had never seen before.  Well, I was able to catch up with them as their holiday was finishing and we were all sailing back to Amsterdam (Ijmuiden).  They got some amazing photos of puffins, razorbills, fulmars, shags, eider ducks, I could go on but to be honest, in this blog I just wanted to share some of their gorgeous shots with you.

So sit back, relax and take in the detail.  I would just like to say thanks to them for letting me take copies of their photos.  Thanks guys (HJ & M Luiten).

Beth

Now that's what I call a headshot!

My favourite shot I think. A fulmar in amongst the bluebells, how idyllic.

Great shot of the razorbill

Tern flying high

Looking out over IJmuiden

That’s what I have and it’s not just me that thinks so, passengers agree!  So does the Chief Officer, who caught me working outside on the top deck of the ms. King of Scandinavia whilst we were docked in Newcastle on the hottest day of the year so far.

The crew barbecue had just finished and I was working away, sunglasses on, an ice cold drink on the go watching a big group of gulls.  The lead gull had been lucky enough to catch a crab dinner but boy was it having to work hard to keep it, reeling and swooping trying to evade the chasing birds who quite clearly thought they were entitled to the catch.

Anyway enough of that, when you do have the best office in the world it is very easy to get distracted.  We don’t just work when passengers are onboard we pretty much work all the time when we are on our two week shift, there is always something to be done.

Can you spot the heron, mallards and Ms King of Scandinavia peeking through the trees? The tufted duck appears to have evaded being caught on camera however.

Sometimes, when in Newcastle, I take my office off ship and go to a wonderfully pleasant park area very close to the docks.  I can work away quite merrily writing blogs and things listening to the birds, watching the ducks, and the odd slightly waylaid tern hovering over the little lake in the centre of the park.  Sorry, like I said it’s easy to get distracted.  Still I get things done…eventually.

So like me take your office outside.  There is nothing you can’t do if you have your mobile phone, laptop and a dongle.  Mind you if you are someone that talks loudly on the phone or yells at the computer when it doesn’t do as requested remember 1) keep the noise below a sparrows twitter and 2) don’t sit next to me.  Thank you.

Beth