Odyan Bay trip.
Day 1.
We have started from the Ola village lagoon on July 22 immediately after the high tide time. We were accompanied by another boat manned by my close friends who wanted to go out of town for few days. Our plan was to reach the Naydenaya bay, and set a camp there. From the camp we planned to make few trips to cover the Odyan Bay up to the Umara Island.
The weather was perfect: calm sea, sun chining and superb visibility in all directions since the sun did not warm up the air to the haze point.
We went slowly, as my companion in this trip was Dr. Larisa Zelenskaya, who wanted to count all shore-bird colonies along the coast. Immediately we bumped into a huge cormorant/Slaty-backed gull colony at the Habriz Cape, some 20 min of drive from the lagoon, and stuck there for some time.
Slowly going along the shore-line we found a new (and rather unusual) nest of the Steller's Sea Eagle. It was on a 5 m high pinnacle in the mountain tundra, some 150 m above the sea level. One chick was looking at us from the heights of the nest together with an adult.
Next occupied nest was on a larch tree at the Rechnoy Bay. This nest is known for its steady productivity. This year it has 2 chicks ready to fledge soon.
Close to the evening we were approaching the Naydenaya Bay in anticipation to set up a camp in a view of the Steller's Sea Eagle nest. Unfortunately, this pair did not breed: both nests within their territory were not refurbished, but both adults were present at the nest.
So, out of 5 territories, 4 were occupied and only 2 had chicks.
We set the camp in a comfortable bay of Naydenaya at very low tide. The shore was full of starfish and mussels exposed by this low tide so we had an opportunity to get enough mollusks for supper.
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