Arguably the hottest ticket in the pelagic birding world is a berth aboard the
Spirit of Enderby, operated by Heritage Expeditions (NZ) for its new Western Pacific Odyssey cruise. The month-long voyage begins in Auckland (
-36.85°, 174.78°), traversing the Hauraki Gulf (
-36.35°, 175.03°) before sailing for Norfolk Island (-29.03°, 167.95°) and New Caledonia (
-21.5°, 165.5°). Landfalls are made in the Solomon Islands with a crossing of deep waters in the New Britain Trench. After landing at Truk (
7.42°, 151.84°) in the Caroline group, the ship sails north to the Japanese Ogasawara Islands (27.08°, 142.19°) and docks in Yokohama (
35.45°, 139.63°). In addition to numerous endemic landbirds, the cruise expects to log an amazing list of tropical Pacific sea birds and cetaceans, with special attention been given to much sought-after species such as
Heinroth’s Shearwater, Polynesian Storm-Petrel and newly-rediscovered Beck’s Petrel. This is a MUST for world birders, seabird enthusiasts and travelers of any sort with a passion for remote places of the world.In a recent posting to
Seabird-News, John Brodie-Good relayed a message from leader Chris Collins with highlights of the first few days at sea, including at least 7 New Zealand Storm-Petrel and a fine assortment of pelagic gadfly petrels including Kermadec, Gould’s, White-necked, Black-winged and Grey-faced Petrels. Bristol (UK)-based offshore travel specialist
WildWings has a very few places left for the
2009 voyage, some availability for 2010 and are now taking registrations for 2011! With such demand, one wonders how long before the first pelagic ticket scalper appears? Has anyone checked E-bay?
