Pronouncing the Unpronounceable… “Give me this glorious ocean life, this salt-sea life, this briny, foamy life, when the sea neighs and snorts, and you breathe the very breath that the great whales respire! Let me roll around the globe, let me rock upon the sea, let me race and pant out my life with an eternal breeze astern and an endless sea before.” Herman Melville (1819-1891) Apparently, when you go to Greenland by ship, there are a couple of things you have to do! First you have to kiss a fish, which involves kissing a freshly caught arctic char whilst everyone chants ‘Kiss-the-fish-kiss-the-fish-kiss-the-fish.’ This, allegedly, brings the seafarer good fortune and fair weather! It seemed to work for us. Secondly, you have to wear something green because you are travelling in King Neptune’s water, and upsetting ... read more

Happy summertime everyone! Things are all going well up here on the shore of Hudson Bay, we are both back at work, and the summer vibe is in the air. I sometimes feel, however, that I cannot differentiate between work and play! They can be almost as one - they can merge together. I have just been on a 12 day camping trip in Wapusk National Park as part of the Manitoba Breeding Bird Atlas program. We (Ken and I) started our days at 0230 and conducted point counts in as many grid squares as we could feasibly manage. During the 12 days, we counted 92 species of birds, which I've listed at the bottom of the page for all of our birder blog-followers. It was a great trip and we had 12 days of mainly ... read more

Hola nuestra amiguitos! We will open this blog with the first page of a book about Paraguay... A remarkable book about a remarkable country! ‘An island surrounded by land’ said Boa Bastos of his country, Paraguay. ‘It’s a remarkable observation, not so much because it is true, but because it comes from a Paraguayan. I have met few Paraguayans who saw their country in relative terms, quite simply, for most, there was, quite simply, no other world than their own. As I travelled around Paraguay, I began to appreciate the scale of its insularity. It sits at the heart of a continent but not on the way to anywhere else. Bounded by three other nations, it is a country nearly twice the size of the United Kingdom but with only a tenth of the ... read more

Hola Amigos! In the far northeast corner of an odd finger-like part of Argentina is a series of pretty cascades! We based ourselves in a nice hotel in the hot and humid border town of Puerto Iguazu as we explored the amazing sites in the area... The rainforest setting was beautiful and the wildlife was great, but the spectacular Iguazu Falls stole the show! Iguazu Falls are one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world. Wow! The mighty Rio Iguazu abruptly plummets over 80 metres in a series of colossal cascades that stretch about 3 kilometres across! The sight of these falls is mind-blowing! The sound of billions of gallons of water smashing to the river below in a lush green jungle setting with chirping birds and frolicking mammals... We spent two full days in ... read more

I guess I’ll head north now… I stood on the back deck and watched as Ushuaia vanished into the drizzle. The mountains were gleaming with fresh snow and the greenery was shining in the early evening light. The Beagle Channel was lumpy and strong winds howled across the decks. Gulls followed in the wake of the ship as we headed towards the open ocean of the ever–grumpy South Atlantic... It was eerie being on a ship with no guests! Empty rooms, quiet hallways and decks, no restaurant, no bar, no lectures – nothing! It’s ideal for getting stuff done though! I’m on the ship with Niki, my work colleague, for stage one of the repositioning phase of the ship - a four day stint up the coast from Ushuaia, Argentina to Montevideo, Uruguay. ... read more