Following our arrival at Felixstowe we had time for introductions and a relaxed (non-alcoholic) drink at the Dooley Inn before making our way into the port and on board DFDS ‘Suecia Seaways’. We swiftly made our way up to the drivers mess and were shown to our cabins by the steward for some well needed rest.

When we awoke the ship was already making its way across the North Sea and there was a noticeable swell, which tested our sea legs! As visibility was improving by the minute, we decided to forego breakfast and make our way up to the bridge to make an early start.

A handful of individual Lesser Black-backed Gull kicked off the sightings, but it was not until we approached the Hook of Holland that the drama started. A lone Grey Seal spy-hopping behind a north cardinal marked the start of an avalanche of sightings along the river towards Vlaardingen.

On the south bank hundreds of Cormorant rested, interspersed with large numbers of Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Greater Black-backed Gull and smaller groups of Eider. On the north bank the highlight of the initial sightings was a lone Curlew performing a fly by and before long small formations of aerobatic Sandwich Tern joined the fray with all the usual suspects. Further down the river the majority of sightings shifted to Mute Swan and Greylag Goose patrolling close to the banksides. In what seemed like an intense 10 minutes of recording, close to an hour had passed and we left the bridge whilst the ship performed its last manoeuvres before docking.

During the interval, we stayed aboard and enjoyed a delicious meal in the mess before preparing for the return leg. As soon as we were back on effort the sightings came in thick and fast, with large numbers of Mute Swan feeding alongside Coot. On our way out of the estuary the largest number of birds (predominantly Cormorant) were seen resting on the Maasvlakte, the manmade extension of the Europort stretching into the North Sea.

On our return to the open sea the pace of sightings eased but we were treated to the sight of 50nr Common Scoter flying in an impressive ‘V’ formation and a lone Fulmar skirting majestically close to the waves.

Following a spectacular sunset and with the light fading away, we came off effort and were supplied with another lovely meal made by the chef before disembarking.

Our thanks, as ever, go to Captain Christenson and the crew at DFDS for their warm welcome and generous hospitality on what was an extremely enjoyable and productive trip.

Lee Hornsby and Carol Farmer-Wright, Research Surveyors for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)

Weather Conditions

Outbound: wind 8-15 knots, sea state 2-5, visibility 5, clouds 3-7, swell 0-2

Return: wind 7-15 knots, sea state 2-3, visibility 5, clouds 3-8, swell 0-1, occ. light rain