This was to be the last survey on this route for 2025, the reduced daylight hours on the scheduled sailing making this route impractical in December and January. My journey down to Felixstowe on Guy Fawkes night resulted in the occasional firework display puncturing the night with splashes of colour. The trip was made more notable by the Beaver supermoon; an historical reference to when Indigenous peoples and early European settlers observed the natural behaviour of beavers gathering food and preparing their winter lodges in November. I arrived in Felixstowe and obtained my port pass and made my way to DFDS Dooley Terminal to wait to board the ship. I was able to board before midnight and was welcomed by one of the officers and went to my cabin to sleep.

By 07:00 UK time I was on the bridge, ready to start recording for the day. The ship was thirty nautical miles away from the Maas river on the Dutch coast and the low, autumn/winter sun was causing some difficulty in identifying birds in silhouette. Migration was still in evidence and small groups of Starling, small waders, and passerines such as pipits were seen hugging the coastline. The sea was calm, and I was hopeful in seeing a marine mammal or two. I was not to be disappointed. Before the first hour was up, a single Harbour Porpoise was recorded, swimming slowly southwards parallel to the Dutch Coast, followed an hour later by a Harbour Seal.

On the approach to Vlaardingen, a suburb of Rotterdam, the ship navigates the Niew Maas Waterweg. The bird life on the river varies dramatically over the year. The summer sees the river busy with many Mute Swan, they were no longer evident as Greylag Geese, Gadwall and other duck species become dominant in the area over winter. The tide was low, and many birds were scouring the exposed silt looking for food.

We docked in Vlaardingen and awaited the turnaround that takes a few hours. By the time we turned back into the river, the tide had risen and many of the birds were now resting at the water’s edge or feeding in the remaining shallows. By the time the vessel had returned to the North Sea, there was only half an hour of daylight left. Despite the brevity, several skeins of geese comprising of over 500 birds were seen, flying southward in v-formations. The last unusual sighting of the day was a Goldcrest, trying to fly onto the bridge to rest.

With the daylight vanquished, I thanked Captain Horsted for his hospitality and retired downstairs to start compiling my sightings and prepare for disembarkation.

My thanks go to Captain Horsted, the officers and crew of the Botnia Seaways, who made me feel so welcome and the staff at Dooley Terminal for making me comfortable whist awaiting embarkation.

Carol Farmer-Wright, Research Surveyor for MARINElife (Registered Charity No. 1110884; Registered Company No. 5057367)

Weather
Outward: wind SE-E force 3, partially cloudy with glare, good visibility
Return: wind SSE force 3, cloudier, good visibility