Hello all,
Here is a belated report on my trip to Kamchatka from which I
returned about 3 and a half weeks ago. Thanks so much to all of you who
responded to my request for info before I left..

I was in the Russian Far East from April 4 to April 13. We spent 3
days in Khabarovsk on the Amur River and 6 days in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky
on the southeast side of the peninsula. This was a working trip (I was
interpreting for some attorneys involved in a law suit over a gold mine) so
I didn't have a lot of time to explore, but I did get out a bit.
First, let me say, in general, that the scenery in Kamchatka was
the most spectacular that I've ever encountered. We flew in to PK from
Khabarovsk on a Sunday with perfect visibility. As we approached the PK
airport we flew over several Mt.-St.- Helens-like volcanoes. It was
possible to see a 100 miles or more up the coast--more volcanoes as far as
the eye could see, covered with snow and extending nearly down to the
ocean's edge. We could see 3 of the 29 active volcanoes on the peninsula
from our hotel lobby, and a fourth from the beach looking across PK's
sheltered harbor.
I'm definitely going to return, probably in the fall sometime as
that is what all the locals that I talked to recommended. That's the best
time to take helicopter trips to the geysers, the volcanoes and a river
that runs with water the temperature of a hot tub.

What follows is a list of the birds that I was able to see in the small
amount of free time that I had.
In Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky

Long-tailed Duck (about 200 hundred)
White-tailed Sea-Eagle
Whooper Swan (8)

In Khabarovsk

Gray-headed Green Woodpecker
White-backed Woodpecker
Tree Sparrow
Little Gull
Siberian Blue Robin
Naumann's Thrush
Great Tit
Black-billed Magpie (they were everyone)
Yellow-throated Bunting
Steven Kimball
Federal Way, Washington
USA
kimball at halcyon.com