Antarctica

Good morning all. I'm off to Antarctica for a fortnight as a guest of Hurtigruten on the Fram (above) and wont be posting again until February 5th. If you want to see what I'm doing go to http://www.hurtigruten.co.uk/ and click on Antarctica then scroll down to The Weddell Sea to watch the video. Take care now.

Pizzeria il Grifone

Birdwatching in Sardinia is becoming increasingly popular with British birders. If for northing else because of the abundance of species not able to be seen in this country and the amazing ease with which you can find them.

Bosa is only 40 minutes for the airport at Algerho but it is well worth going to as Sardinia two remaining colonies of Griffon vultures are found here. You can travel to Bosa by car, from Alghero and you have two choices of road. The inland route on the SP292 via Villanova Monteleone or the SP49 that hugs the coast. The former twists and turns up into the mountains and affords some incredible views back to Alghero. The lower more direct route, has the mountains to one side and a very long drop to the sea on the other. The road is well surfaced and there are lay bys all along the route where you can stop and enjoy the views and scan for species.

Actually finding the vulture colony is as easy as falling off a log as just outside Bosa on the coast road is a pizzeria conveniently called the Grifone, even more conveniently there is large layby just opposite where you can park up and scan the cliffs behind. We managed to get four birds soaring above as we pulled up. Our friends however got nearly into double figures when they took the high road back to Alghero behind the colony. Have a lovely day now.

Tobago Cays

From the second your bare feet first touch the white sand of the Tobago Cays you know you’ve arrived somewhere special. With a 1,400 acre sand-bottom lagoon encompassing four uninhabited islands and a 4km aptly named Horseshoe Reef the Cays are recognized as the "jewel in the crown" for marine tourism in the Southern Grenadines. Although the Cays are uninhabited unfortunately this very uniqueness puts them under threat as they are rapidly becoming one of best known and most popular tourist destinations in the region.

Major visitors to the Cays include cruise ships bringing an estimated 10,000 visitors a year as well as small yachts and day charters from nearby resorts and hotels. The local people are not slow to latch on to this and some have set up stalls with the traditionally mass produced tee shirts and hats that you can see anywhere in the Caribbean whilst others offer restaurants and barbecues with lobsters and fish to the visitors.

Yet despite this the Cays have retained their beauty and wonder. A short walk from the beach across the islands brings you to a different world. Here the shallow lagoon offers peace and solitude with Tropical Mockingbirds fluttering about in the trees and it is possible if you are early enough to image you are marooned alone on a desert island. The emerald colours reflected by the shallow water and the reef are simply stunning and this surely must be one of the most beautiful places on earth.