Bird Guide

Ospreys - Linking Communities Worldwide!

2012-01-21T20:46:00.000+01:00

Osprey Migration Foundation

Ospreys are one of the most charismatic and cosmopolitan of all bird species. The species’ global distribution and migratory habits lend it to collaborative projects. As Yossi Leshem has demonstrated through his work in the Middle East, migrating birds like Ospreys cross national, cultural and religious boundaries and have great potential to link communities separated by hundreds if not thousands of miles. We believe Ospreys provide us with a truly unique opportunity to engage and link communities across the world.

For further information please contact us HERE

Osprey Migration

Most northern European Ospreys winter in sub-Saharan Africa. Recent advances in satellite tracking have enhanced our understanding of their migration greatly. GPS transmitters give hourly fixes for tracked birds, providing data on location, altitude, speed and orientation. This has allowed researchers to follow the journey of migratory Ospreys in unprecedented detail.

The work has shown that Ospreys from Western Europe – UK, Germany, France and Sweden – follow a westerly migration route taking them into Spain and across the Mediterranean into Morocco. They then skirt around the Atlas Mountains before crossing the western part of the Sahara. Satellite tracked birds have then wintered at various points along the West Africa coast - from Mauritania south to Guinea. The map below shows a typical migration from England to Senegal.

Birds nesting further east – in Finland and Estonia for example – use a more easterly route. They fly south through Eastern Europe and into the Middle East. From there they head into North Africa across the eastern part of the Sahara before wintering in countries such as Sudan and Cameroon. Others continue further south, with one Finnish-tracked bird wintering on the southern coast of South Africa – a record-breaking migration of 12,500 kilometres.

Linking Schools and Communities

The Osprey Migration Foundation (OMF) has been set-up in order to link schools along Osprey migration flyways. Using satellite-tracked birds as a guide, the OMF has already initiated links between primary schools in England and The Gambia. Children at the schools have exchanged letters and videos diaries. With Ospreys as the common link, this provides them with a unique way to learn about other cultures, religions and languages. It will also greatly enhance their knowledge of bird migration.

The OMF now plan to expand the project to include schools along other major flyways. In Europe this will include both the western and eastern flyways as follows:

Western flyway

Sweden-Scotland-England-France- Spain-Morocco-Senegal-Gambia

Eastern Flyway

Finland-Eastern Europe-Israel-Egypt- Cameroon

Along each flyway we plan to link each school with two others, thereby creating groups of three. The three schools will be from different cultural backgrounds. A link on the western flyway could include various combinations, for example:

Sweden-England-Gambia

Scotland-Spain-Gambia

France-Morocco-Senegal

The link lends itself to children of all ages. The initial links between English and Gambian schools involve seven/eight year olds and thirteen/fourteen year olds.

Schools close to key Osprey breeding/migration sites will be approached by associate partners of OMF who will then visit the school in order to talk about the project and initiate the links.

The OMF will develop educational packs for each school involved in the link. This will provide teachers with sufficient background information on Osprey migration to introduce the concept to the children. It will also include lesson plans and suggested web links to further each school’s migration studies.

Although education packs will be provided for all schools participating in the project, the OMF will provide additional support for education in developing countries where facilities are limited. The Foundation is already providing educational opportunities for children in several Gambian schools through the provision of optics, books and computer equipment. This work is being co-ordinated in The Gambia by Junkung Jadama a local bird guide who is visiting schools to give talks and lead fieldtrips. This model could be repeated in other areas where education facilities are poor. Schools from more affluent areas may wish to hold fund raising events to assist with this education work.

As more schools join the project we hope to organise an international meeting for all of the children involved. The meeting would be held at a well-known migration watch point in the spring or autumn when large numbers of migrant birds, including Ospreys, will be passing through in spectacular numbers. The meeting would enable the children to experience migration at first hand, and at the same time, provide a unique opportunity to bring children and their teachers from many cultural backgrounds together.

Tim Mackrill & Tim Appleton, Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust

Dr Yossi Leshem, Tel Aviv University

Peter Jones, Andalucia Bird Society

Tracking an individual Osprey's migration:

No. 09 (with AW) tracked through Spain and crossing to Morocco 09.09.2011

Arriving to feed off the Moroccan Atlantic Coast on 10.09.2011

Our bird heads inland to roost and then makes its way south near Agadir to roost again 11.09.2011

For further information or to get involved contact us HERE

Botswana Trip Report Part 3 - Species Listing

2012-01-18T10:49:00.000+01:00

WORLDWIDE BIRDING TOURS: Botswana 2011

October 14th to 26th 2011

Species Listings for Birds and Mammals

Tour Leader: Peter Jones

Tour Guide: Kurt McKenzie

Author: Peter Jones

For day to day accounts of our great safari tour, please read the previous 2 blogs i.e. Part One and Two.

The tour trip report is posted in three parts, the first deals with our excursions in and around Maun and the Kalahari Desert, the second our excursions to Khwai, Savuti, Chobi and Victoria Falls, this the third and final part covers bird and mammal species seen.

Bush Fire in the Kalahari

This blog is a supplementary part to the previous day by day tour descriptions and gives a complete list of both Bird and Mammal species seen by the tour group. If you are not a lover of lists there are some great photographs included...

African Darter

STRUTHIONIFORMES: Struthionidae

Common Ostrich Struthio camelus

GALLIFORMES: Numididae

Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris

GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae

Crested Francolin Dendroperdix sephaena

Red-billed Spurfowl Pternistis adspersus

Swainson's Spurfowl Pternistis swainsonii

Harlequin Quail Coturnix delegorguei

ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae

White-faced Whistling Duck Dendrocygna viduata

Fulvous Whistling Duck Dendrocygna bicolor

White-backed Duck Thalassornis leuconotus

Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis

Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos

Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca

African Pygmy Goose Nettapus auritus

Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha

Garganey Anas querquedula

Hottentot Teal Anas hottentota

Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma

PODICIPEDIFORMES: Podicipedidae

Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis

Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis

Open-billed Stork

CICONIIFORMES: Ciconiidae

Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis

African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus

Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus

Saddle-billed Stork Ephippiorhy. senegalensis

Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus

PELECANIFORMES: Threskiornithidae

African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus

Hadada Ibis Bostrychia hagedash

Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus

African Spoonbill Platalea alba

PELECANIFORMES: Ardeidae

Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax

Striated Heron Butorides striata

Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides

Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea

Purple Heron Ardea purpurea

Great Egret Ardea alba

Intermediate Egret Egretta intermedia

Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca

Slaty Egret Egretta vinaceigula

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

PELECANIFORMES: Scopidae

Hamerkop Scopus umbretta

PELECANIFORMES: Pelecanidae

Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus

SULIFORMES: Phalacrocoracidae

Reed Cormorant Microcarbo africanus

SULIFORMES: Anhingidae

African Darter Anhinga rufa

ACCIPITRIFORMES: Sagittariidae

Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius

Bateleur

ACCIPITRIFORMES: Accipitridae

Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus

Black Kite Milvus migrans

Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius

African Fish Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer

Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus

White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus

Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres

Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus

Black-chested Snake Eagle Circaetus pectoralis

Brown Snake Eagle Circaetus cinereus

Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus

African Marsh Harrier Circus ranivorus

Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus

Dark Chanting Goshawk Melierax metabates

Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus

Gabar Goshawk Micronisus gabar

Shikra Accipiter badius

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo

Steppe Buzzard Buteo buteo vulpinus

Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina

Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax

Steppe Eagle Aquila nipalensis

African Hawk-Eagle Aquila spilogaster

Wahlberg's Eagle Hieraaetus wahlbergi

Booted Eagle Hieraaetus pennatus

Ayres's Hawk-Eagle Hieraaetus ayresii

Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus

Long-crested Eagle Lophaetus occipitalis

Tawny Eagle

FALCONIFORMES: Falconidae

Greater Kestrel Falco rupicoloides

Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera

Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus

OTIDIFORMES: Otididae

Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori

Red-crested Korhaan Lophotis ruficrista

Northern Black Korhaan Afrotis afraoides

GRUIFORMES: Rallidae

African Crake Crex egregia

Black Crake Amaurornis flavirostra

African Swamphen Porphyrio madagascariensis

Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus

GRUIFORMES: Gruidae

Wattled Crane Grus carunculata

CHARADRIIFORMES: Turnicidae

Common Buttonquail Turnix sylvaticus

CHARADRIIFORMES: Burhinidae

Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus

Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis

CHARADRIIFORMES: Recurvirostridae

Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus

CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae

Long-toed Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris

Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus

Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus

Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris

CHARADRIIFORMES: Rostratulidae

Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis

CHARADRIIFORMES: Jacanidae

African Jacana Actophilornis africanus

Spotted Thick-knee

CHARADRIIFORMES: Scolopacidae

Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia

Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus

Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos

Little Stint Calidris minuta

Ruff Philomachus pugnax

CHARADRIIFORMES: Glareolidae

Double-banded Courser Rhinoptilus africanus

Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola

Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni

CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae

Grey-hooded Gull Chroicoceph. cirrocephalus

Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica

Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida

White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus

Black Tern Chlidonias niger

PTEROCLIDIFORMES: Pteroclididae

Double-banded Sandgrouse Pterocles bicinctus

Burchell's Sandgrouse Pterocles burchelli

COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae

Common Pigeon Columba livia

Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea

European Turtle Dove Streptopelia turtur

Mourning Collared Dove Streptopelia decipiens

Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata

Ring-necked Dove Streptopelia capicola

Laughing Dove Spilopelia senegalensis

Emerald-spotted Wood Dove Turtur chalcospilos

Namaqua Dove Oena capensis

African Green Pigeon Treron calvus

PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae

Rosy-faced Lovebird Agapornis roseicollis

Meyer's Parrot Poicephalus meyeri

African Fish Eagle

MUSOPHAGIFORMES: Musophagidae

Grey Go-away-bird Corythaixoides concolor

CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae

Senegal

Coucal Centropus senegalensis

Coppery-tailed Coucal Centropus cupreicaudus

Jacobin Cuckoo Clamator jacobinus

Common Cuckoo Cuculus canorus

STRIGIFORMES: Tytonidae

Western Barn Owl Tyto alba

STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae

Verreaux's Eagle-Owl Bubo lacteus

Pearl-spotted Owlet Glaucidium perlatum

CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Caprimulgidae

Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Caprimulgus rufigena

APODIFORMES: Apodidae

African Palm Swift Cypsiurus parvus

Common Swift Apus apus

African Black Swift Apus barbatus

White-rumped Swift Apus caffer

COLIIFORMES: Coliidae

Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus

CORACIIFORMES: Coraciidae

Purple Roller Coracias naevius

Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudatus

Broad-billed Roller Eurystomus glaucurus

CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis

CORACIIFORMES: Meropidae

Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundineus

Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus

White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides

European Bee-eater Merops apiaster

Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides

BUCEROTIFORMES: Upupidae

African Hoopoe Upupa africana

BUCEROTIFORMES: Phoeniculidae

Green Wood Hoopoe Phoeniculus purpureus

Common Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus cyanomelas

Lilac-breasted Roller

BUCEROTIFORMES: Bucerotidae

Bradfield's Hornbill Tockus bradfieldi

African Grey Hornbill Tockus nasutus

Southern Red-billed Hornbill Tockus rufirostris

Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus leucomelas

BUCEROTIFORMES: Bucorvidae

Southern Ground Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri

PICIFORMES: Lybiidae

Acacia Pied Barbet Tricholaema leucomelas

Black-collared Barbet Lybius torquatus

Crested Barbet Trachyphonus vaillantii

PICIFORMES: Indicatoridae

Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator

PICIFORMES: Picidae

Bennett's Woodpecker Campethera bennettii

Golden-tailed Woodpecker Campethera abingoni

Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens

Bearded Woodpecker Dendropicos namaquus

PASSERIFORMES: Platysteiridae

Chinspot Batis Batis molitor

PASSERIFORMES: Prionopidae

White-crested Helmetshrike Prionops plumatus

PASSERIFORMES: Malaconotidae

Brown-crowned Tchagra Tchagra australis

Black-crowned Tchagra Tchagra senegalus

Black-backed Puffback Dryoscopus cubla

Ethiopian Boubou Laniarius aethiopicus

Southern Boubou Laniarius ferrugineus

Swamp Boubou Laniarius bicolor

Crimson-breasted Shrike Laniarius atrococcineus

Brubru Nilaus afer

PASSERIFORMES: Laniidae

Magpie Shrike Urolestes melanoleucus

Southern White-crowned Shrike Eurocephalus anguitimens

Lesser Grey Shrike Lanius minor

Common Fiscal Lanius collaris

PASSERIFORMES: Oriolidae

Black-headed Oriole Oriolus larvatus

Three-banded Plover

PASSERIFORMES: Dicruridae

Fork-tailed Drongo Dicrurus adsimilis

PASSERIFORMES: Monarchidae

African Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone viridis

PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae

Cape Crow Corvus capensis

Pied Crow Corvus albus

PASSERIFORMES: Paridae

Southern Black Tit Parus niger

PASSERIFORMES: Alaudidae

Rufous-naped Lark Mirafra africana

Eastern Clapper Lark Mirafra fasciolata

Fawn-colored Lark Calendulauda africanoides

Sabota Lark Calendulauda sabota

Chestnut-backed Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix leucotis

Grey-backed Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix verticalis

PASSERIFORMES: Pycnonotidae

African Red-eyed Bulbul Pycnonotus nigricans

Common Bulbul Pycnonotus barbatus

Dark-capped Bulbul Pycnonotus tricolor

PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae

Brown-throated Martin Riparia paludicola

Sand Martin Riparia riparia

Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica

Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii

Pearl-breasted Swallow Hirundo dimidiata

Rock Martin Ptyonoprogne fuligula

Common House Martin Delichon urbicum

Greater Striped Swallow Cecropis cucullata

PASSERIFORMES: Macrosphenidae

Long-billed Crombec Sylvietta rufescens

PASSERIFORMES: Phylloscopidae

Willow Warbler Phylloscopus trochilus

PASSERIFORMES: Acrocephalidae

Olive-tree Warbler Hippolais olivetorum

PASSERIFORMES: Locustellidae

Little Rush Warbler Bradypterus baboecala

PASSERIFORMES: Cisticolidae

Chirping Cisticola Cisticola pipiens

Levaillant's Cisticola Cisticola tinniens

Croaking Cisticola Cisticola natalensis

Neddicky Cisticola fulvicapilla

Desert Cisticola Cisticola aridulus

Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava

Black-chested Prinia Prinia flavicans

Barred Wren-Warbler Calamonastes fasciolatus

Green-capped Eremomela Eremomela scotops

Greater Blue-eared Starling

PASSERIFORMES: Leiothrichidae

Arrow-marked Babbler Turdoides jardineii

Hartlaub's Babbler Turdoides hartlaubii

Southern Pied Babbler Turdoides bicolor

PASSERIFORMES: Sylviidae

Chestnut-vented Warbler Sylvia subcaerulea

PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae

Common Starling Sturnus vulgaris

Wattled Starling Creatophora cinerea

Greater Blue-eared Starling Lamprotornis chalybaeus

Meves's Starling Lamprotornis mevesii

Burchell's Starling Lamprotornis australis

Red-winged Starling Onychognathus morio

PASSERIFORMES: Buphagidae

Red-billed Oxpecker Buphagus erythrorhynchus

PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae

Groundscraper Thrush Psophocichla litsitsirupa

PASSERIFORMES: Muscicapidae

White-browed Robin-Chat Cossypha heuglini

Bearded Scrub Robin Erythropygia quadrivirgata

White-browed Scrub Robin Erythropygia leucophrys

Kalahari Scrub Robin Erythropygia paena

Arnot’s Chat Pentholaea arnotti

Capped Wheatear Oenanthe pileata

Familiar Chat Cercomela familiaris

Ant-eating Chat Myrmecocichla formicivora

Southern Black Flycatcher Melaenornis pammelaina

Marico Flycatcher Bradornis mariquensis

PASSERIFORMES: Nectariniidae

Collared Sunbird Hedydipna collaris

Amethyst Sunbird Chalcomitra amethystina

Scarlet-chested Sunbird Chalcomitra senegalensis

Marico Sunbird Cinnyris mariquensis

Purple-banded Sunbird Cinnyris bifasciatus

White-bellied Sunbird Cinnyris talatala

PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae

White-browed Sparrow-Weaver Plocepasser mahali

Great Sparrow Passer motitensis

Southern Grey-headed Sparrow Passer diffusus

PASSERIFORMES: Ploceidae

Red-billed Buffalo Weaver Bubalornis niger

Scaly-feathered Weaver Sporopipes squamifrons

Southern Brown-throated Weaver Ploceus xanthopterus

Southern Masked Weaver Ploceus velatus

Village Weaver Ploceus cucullatus

Red-headed Weaver Anaplectes rubriceps

Red-headed Quelea Quelea erythrops

Red-billed Quelea Quelea quelea

Southern Brown-throated Weaver

PASSERIFORMES: Estrildidae

Green-winged Pytilia Pytilia melba

Red-headed Finch Amadina erythrocephala

Red-billed Firefinch Lagonosticta senegala

Blue Waxbill Uraeginthus angolensis

Violet-eared Waxbill Uraeginthus granatinus

Black-faced Waxbill Estrilda erythronotos

PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae

Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava

African Pied Wagtail Motacilla aguimp

African Pipit Anthus cinnamomeus

Buffy Pipit Anthus vaalensis

Plain-backed Pipit Anthus leucophrys

PASSERIFORMES: Fringillidae

Black-throated Canary Crithagra atrogularis

Yellow-fronted Canary Crithagra mozambica

Yellow Canary Crithagra flaviventris

PASSERIFORMES: Emberizidae

Cinnamon-breasted Bunting Emberiza tahapisi

Golden-breasted Bunting Emberiza flaviventris

And now for the mammals...

Oryx. Showing that it's not always a bed of roses for the winner in a battle of 2 bulls! The bull shown in the top section of the photograph is now carrying the horn of it's rival in the side of his neck, whilst the losing bull takes a rest with his one remaining horn.

Mammal List

Burchell's Zebra

Antelope Roan

Antelope Sable

Baboon Chacma

Badger Honey

Buffalo

Bushbuck

Duiker Common

Elephant African

Fox Bat-eared

Fox Silver

Genet Small-spotted

Giraffe

Hippopotamus

Hyaena Spotted

Impala

Jackal Black-backed

Jackal Side-striped

Kudu

Leopard

Lion

Mongoose Banded

Mongoose Dwarf

Sable

Mongoose Slender

Mongoose Yellow

Monkey Vervet

Oryx

Peter's Epauletted Bat

Porcupine

Red Lechwe

Sitatunga

Springbok

Squirrel Tree

Steenbok

Tsessebe

Warthog

Waterbuck

Wildebeest Blue

Zebra Burchell's

For full tour description and itinerary see Here

Photographs: Jimmy (Drongo) Turner and Spanish Nature

The Crew and a rather aloof tour leader doing his Livingston impression! A big thank you to Kurt McKenzie for his great company and superb guiding, also Annelies and the crew for making everything work, both your friendships are very much appreciated.

2012 Tour Date for the next Botswana Safari - 29th October to 11th November details HERE

Botswana Trip Report Part 2

2012-01-14T10:20:00.001+01:00

WORLDWIDE BIRDING TOURS: Botswana 2011

October 14th to 26th 2011

Brief Daily Account

Tour Leader: Peter Jones

Tour Guide: Kurt McKenzie

Author: Peter Jones

A bird species list wll appear as an appendix to the main tour trip reports, please see Trip Report Part 3.

The tour trip report is posted in three parts this, the second, deals with our excursions to Khwai, Savuti, Chobi and Victoria Falls. It really was a fun packed tour and we used a mobile camp, which travelled ahead of us when we moved sites.

Impala posing for the camera!

Day six to Seven –October 19th ,20th – Khwai, Moremi Game Reserve. (25min Flight & 40km Drive)

Yellow-billed Stork

After an Early morning Start we met everyone at Xakanaxa Airstrip in Moremi Game Reserve (MGR). We did a short transfer down to the boat station where we saw at the elusive Sitatunga Antelope. We did a 3 hour boat cruise looking for birds. The heronry was a little disappointing with only a few Yellow-billed Stork, Marabou Stork, Great Egret, Reed Cormorants and Grey Lourie. We also saw from the boat some Pygmy Geese, Black Tern and fish eagles. After lunch on Lechwe Island we headed back to the vehicle for our 3 hour game drive to camp. Along the way we saw Impala, Elephant, Kudu, Steenbok, Lion, Black-Backed Jackal and a lovely Leopard on the way back to Camp. Birds we saw included Broad-billed Roller, Gabar Goshawk, Arnots Chat, Long Crested Eagle and many other target species. On Day seven we saw plenty of game some of which were Red Lechwe, Impala, Elephant, Warthog, Tsessebe and many great birds including Pale Flycatcher, Spur-winged Goose, Wattled Crane, African Jacana, Swamp Boubou, African Hawk Eagle, African Spoonbill, African Palm Swift, Common Swift, White-rumped Swift, Purple Roller, several woodpecker species, Little Rush Warbler and a host of others.

Day 8 to 9 – October 21st, 22nd – Khwai (MGR) to Savuti (CNP-Chobe National Park) (120km Drive)

African Elephant

After another early start we headed north to Chobe National Park to the Savuti Region. It was a very long hot and tiring day, we saw many Elephants, Impala, Kudu, Blue Wildebeest (Gnu), Giraffe, Lions and Jackals. We also saw Spur winged Geese, White backed Pelicans, Yellow billed storks, Golden Breasted Bunting, Secretarybird, Black and Yellow-billed Kite, African Fish Eagle, Hooded, White-backed and Cape Vulture, Black-chested and Western-banded Snake Eagle, African Marsh Harrier, Pallid Harrier, Common Buzzard, Steppe Eagle, African Hawk Eagle and other raptors, what a day! On Day 9 we saw Elephant, Kudu, Impala, Waterbuck, Giraffe, Tsessebe, and Blue Wildebeest. We also had good sightings of Yellow-billed storks, White-backed Pelicans, Red billed Teal, Hottentot Teal, Wattled Crane, Common Buttonquail, Long-toed Lapwing, Crowned Lapwing, Black-winged and Collared Pratincole, Whiskered and White-winged Tern, Pearl-spotted Owlet, Southern Ground Hornbill, Southern Black Tit, Chestnut-backed Sparrow Lark, Sand Martin, Willow Warbler, Olive-tree Warbler, several species of Cisticola, Arnot’s Chat, Red-headed Quelea, Red-headed Finch and the list just grew and grew......

Day 10 to 11 – October 23rd, 24th – Savuti to Chobe River Front. (130km Drive)

Tawny does battle with an adult Bateleur

We had a very early start and departure to try and beat the heat to get to our next camp. It was a long drive on mostly sandy roads with the short 30km tarred section before getting heavy sand again to our camp. Once at the new camp the trees were only starting to get their new leaves so there wasn’t much shade if any at all. We had our picnic lunch in the shade of the vehicle while we waited for the backup crew to arrive. We headed out in the late afternoon for a short game drive. We saw a big heard of Buffalo and Elephants in the distance, Impala, Lechwe and Kudu. On our way back to camp we had good view of a pride of Lion feeding on a recent baby Elephant kill, good to see the lions, but sad too, adding to the drama the pride were being harried by Spotted Hyena.

Great White Pelican

We had good birds too with African Hawk Eagle, African Fish Eagle, Carmine Bee-Eater 00’s, Helmeted Guinefowl cheekily mobbing a Black-backed Jackal, Yellow-throated Canary, Scarlet-chested Sunbird and another host of new species included an unexpected Lesser-spotted Eagle. Day 11 saw us up bright and early. The area was such a great place for both game and birds, we couldn’t wait to get out and see how the lions had managed against the Spotted Hyena. It wasn’t long before we saw the pride had made a fresh kill, yet again a young Elephant. The old remains of yesterday’s kill was being pecked over by vultures and eagles. We had great views of a confrontation between a Tawny Eagle and an adult Bateleur, the later deciding to head butt the Tawny Eagle at which point the Tawny fell from his perch, superb! We had some good views of Impala, Warthog, Waterbuck, Chacma Baboons, Elephants, Giraffe, Roan Antelope and a good ending to the day with about 2000 Buffalo and large herds of Elephant, all providing a wonderful backdrop as we enjoyed chilled wine, beer and a magnificent sunset. We saw African Spoonbill, large flocks of White-backed Pelican and Open-billed Stork, Grey Herons, Grey Go-away Bird, Reed Cormorant, African Fish Eagle, Burchell’s Sandgrouse, Common Cuckoo, White-fronted Bee eater, Greater Honeyguide, Long-billed Crombec, White-bellied Sunbird, African and Plain-backed Pipit plus a flock of Black-throated Canary, so together with other species it had been another super day!

Yellow-billed Kite

Day 11 – October 25th – Chobe River Front to Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (75km to Border & 80km onto Victoria Falls)

Martial Eagle

Well today was a goodbye day to Botswana and all our friends at the camp, sad but we had to pack our bags and head off to Zimbabwe. We headed up to road to the tar transit road through the park into Kasane, along the way we saw many elephants, Warthogs and some Sable Antelope. We saw a few Ground Hornbills, Bateleur and Kites. Once we arrived at the Border we went through the Botswana Immigration pretty quickly and then took an hour to get our visa’s sorted at the Zimbabwe Border. Once all was done we said our farewells and everyone was transferred to their hotel in Victoria Falls for one night before heading home the following day, of course not before we managed a few more bird species!

Part 3 to follow. For full tour details see HERE

Photographs: Jimmy (Drongo) Turner and Spanish Nature

The boys have a laugh before setting off into the bush!

Our next tour to Botswana is now finalized an will commence 29th October 2012 see HERE for details.

Botswana Trip Report Part 1

2012-01-07T15:16:00.000+01:00

WORLDWIDE BIRDING TOURS: Botswana 2011

October 14th to 26th 2011

Brief Daily Account

Tour Leader: Peter Jones

Tour Guide: Kurt McKenzie

Author: Peter Jones

A bird species list wll appear as an appendix to the main tour trip reports, please see Trip Report Part 3.

The tour trip report is posted in three parts, the first deals with our excursions in and around Maun and the Kalahari Desert. It was a fun packed tour and we used a mobile camp which travelled ahead of us when we moved sites.

Springbok on the Kalahari

Day One – October 14th – Arrival at Maun Airport – Thamalakane Lodge.(20km)

Open-billed Stork

The Group arrived in the midday heat of Maun. We transferred to the Lodge about 20km outside of Maun. After everyone was checked in and settled we travelled to Okavango River Lodge where we did an afternoon Boat cruise on the Thamalakane River. It’s hard to believe that we are on the river so close to town and yet it is so tranquil. Sycamore Figs, Jackal Berries, Large fever Berries and Real Fan Palms were some of the tree’s lining the river. Some of the birds we saw were Open-billed Stork, African Crake, Hamerkop, Lilac-breasted Roller, African Fish Eagle, White-faced Whistling Duck, the beautiful African Pygmy Goose, Southern Pochard, Little Grebe (everywhere on the river), a couple of high flying Woolly-necked Stork, Intermediate Egret and of course many other heron species, Reed Cormorant and African Darter were very common, African Swamphen and wheeling overhead good numbers of Black-winged Pratincole, we saw so many more species and the grounds of the lodge also provided a good mixture of gardens and woodland, so more species were seen here too.

Day two – October 15th – flight to Hainaveld and transfer to CKGR (Central Kalahari Game Reserve).(30min Flight & 80km Drive)

Ground Squirrel

After a short transfer to Maun airport and an air transfer to Hainaveld we had an 80km drive to get to camp. Enroute from Hainaveld we passed through some burnt areas from the recent and current veld fires. With no shade we managed to find a burnt tree which gave a little shade for our lunch stop. Upon arriving at the entrance gate Matswire gate, there was a huge fire coming towards us. We had to leave the bird watching at the little water hole to try and get in front of the fire. On the way into camp we saw a few Gemsbok (ORYX), Springbok, Black Backed Jackal, Impala, Kudu and a male Honey Badger. Some of the birds we saw included Pale Chanting Goshawk, Common Scimitarbill, Bateleur, Marico flycatcher, Tawny Eagle, White Backed Vulture, Chestnut-vented Tit Babbler, common Ostrich, Swallow Tailed Bee eater, African Grey Hornbill, Black-backed Puffback, Black and Brown-crowned Tchagra, Southern Boubou, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Eastern Clapper Lark, Southern Pied Babbler, Chestnut-vented Warbler, Kalahari Scrub Robin, Southern Black Flycatcher, Purple-banded Sunbird and so many other species including several weaver species.

Day Three to four – October 16th,17th – CKGR

Kori Bustard

We had two full days in the CKGR where we spent time driving around Deception Valley, Deception Pan, Sunday Pan and headed towards Leopard Pan. We saw Honey Badger, Bat Eared Fox, Giraffe, Black Backed Jackal, Kudu, Lion, Steenbok, Blue Wildebeest, Oryx, Springbok, Silver Fox and Ground Squirrel. We had a cheeky little Silver Fox who came and visited our kitchen each night, but he didn’t find any food as it was all packed way! Some of the birds seen were Violet-eared waxbill, Barred wren Warbler, Kori Bustard, Northern Black Korhaan (White Quilled Bustard), Red-crested Korhaan, Fork-Tailed Drongo, Ground scraper Thrush, Crimson-Breasted Boubou (Shrike), Double-banded Courser, Martial Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Pale Chanting Goshawk, a single Dark Chanting Goshawk, Spotted Thick-knee and so many weaver species. Around our camp we were kept constant companions by hornbills, Pied Crow, Chinspot Batis, Yellow-billed Kite, Crimson-breasted Shrike, starling species Marco Flycatcher and a host of other super birds.

Day Five – October 18th – Maun, Thamalakane Lodge (80km Drive & 40min Flight)

African Red-eyed Bulbul

After an early start we headed back to the Hainaveld airstrip for the flight back to Maun. We drove through the burned areas again and at one point had a fire burning alongside us. It was also very windy, hot and dry. We all had a good sand blast from the wind and dust. On the way we saw a few Impala, Black Backed Jackal, Kudu, Slender Mongoose and Tree Squirrel. We also saw Red-necked Falcon, Pallid Harrier Helmeted Guinefowl, Pale Chanting Goshawk, Black Kite, Greater Kestrel and of course a mandatory stop so Peter could see ‘yet again’ his beloved wheatear the Capped Wheatear! It was freshen-up time at Thamalakane Lodge so by the afternoon everyone had had a shower or swim and were looking totally refreshed. We did an optional walk outside the Lodge grounds that was a bit disappointing, in one direction there were fenced off fields and in the other direction we saw very little, Green Wood Hoopoe, African Jacana, Jacobin Cuckoo and Bearded Woodpecker so we headed back to the sunset deck and saw a lot more from there including large flights of Open-billed Stork in excess of 100, several heron species and whistling duck.

Part 2 and 3 to follow. For tour details see HERE

Photographs: Jimmy (Drongo) Turner and Spanish Nature

What a backdrop for a chilled wine during our sundowner!

Our next tour to Botswana is now finalized an will commence 29th October 2012 see HERE for details.

The Irresponsibility of Old Age

2012-01-01T12:59:00.000+01:00

As you get older, you can find yourself pondering more and more, and doing rather less. Life is full of defining moments, but as the year’s advance, so it gets harder to remember what they were. For me, the time my grandson was sat on my lap, looking lovingly into my eyes and said “Gransha. Why have you got spiders up your nose?” finally brought it home that I was indeed getting old. Before this, I comforted myself by saying to myself “Yeah, but I am young for a granddad”. Suddenly, and by the way, I had tried without success that wonder innovation the nose trimmer; I was taking a fresh look at myself, accepting a few unpleasant facts! It was true, down to the new hairs growing on my back, which I didn't mind, but for the corresponding reduction of hair where it mattered, namely my head, that yes I was getting old. Time then, to look ahead and together with a calculator, workout what time I might have left! Producing a result of fewer years than I had contemplated, concern soon gave way to that dreaded emotion panic!

I reckon, during a lifetime, I have considered most imponderables of life, but found with the years going by, that I was giving more time to issues like “why do I always find blue fluff in my belly button, when I’ve been wearing red shirts?” It is one of the most infuriating things in my life that others should point out the obvious, before I thought about it. Yet, here I was, wondering where the hell I should be going from now on. Ridiculous, your life becomes a routine and you stick by it without much of a thought! I don’t know, but decisions and conclusions, always seemed easier before.

I guess there had been a kind of brooding discontent building over the years, something I can trace back to the passing into law for the requirement to wear a seat belt whilst driving. It seems to me, that as time passes by, personal liberty and choices are diminished. So okay I thought, time to do something! One of the biggest problems I faced was, well, how to say this without sounding contrite or smug; I really did not know what else I wanted to do in my life. For sure, I had reached a point where I had become fed up with diminishing pension funds, diminishing liberty, increased council tax and increasing taxes in general. It became depressing of thinking of a way forward, because the more concentrated your focus, the more you realised just how much you had accepted about your life, which really was quite intolerable. Somehow though, it seemed right to look at ways of gaining a measure of control and doing things that make you happy. However selfish this may sound, there comes a time, when it is important to consider yourself and those closest to you, in my case, my wife.

I have had, for a great many years, a polypus or is it a polyp? The former sounds friendlier, at about three o’clock to that mysterious place at the rear end called your anus! Now polypus and me have been on good terms for many years, but for no sane reason, getting older has made me pay more attention to the old chap. I wonder if he is getting bigger, or is it just relatives of scale, could I be getting smaller? You see! You find yourself worry over things, that when you were younger, you really never gave a thought to! I digress. Enough was enough; it was time to be positive about our negatives. Time to move forward, do something different. So, out of the blue, I up and say to my wife “What about moving to Spain?” The really shocking bit came, when she answered straight back “Yes, why not?” After picking myself up from the floor, dusting polypus and myself down, I had to feign that confident appearance of someone who knew his partner well, knowing she would have given that exact answer!

Not quite knowing if we were either very brave, or had completely taken leave of our senses, we set off in January 2003 for Spain. Our chosen mode of transport being a 1982 Mercedes Daimler motor home, 6 berths no less! Oh, by the way, we also dragged our dog along, good old Winston, a nine-year-old Black Lab! We aimed for Ronda; far enough away from the main tourist centres, but close enough to the many major services that might be required. Three days later we had arrived. A bonus with Spain, you are only ever a two hour plus flight away from home. I had made a previous visit, making arrangements to rent a two bed roomed villa. I would be lying if I told you that all has been a bed of roses since, but apart from feeling slightly vulnerable for a while, there have been no major problems. It is certainly cheaper to live here; in fact, it made us quite angry, particularly when we saw how much cheaper the basics were i.e. food, water and petrol. The people are friendly, more so if you make the effort to communicate in their language. The location, surrounded as it is by mountains and green, yes green, countryside, is simply stunning. People often ask me why I now lead folk around on wildlife tours worldwide and do wildlife guiding. Well, overall I feel time has treated me kindly and I hope to put back some of the things that I have taken, I've learnt a big truth, one of life's greatest pleasures is in the giving.

Peter is currently Chairman of the Andalucia Bird Society
Senior Guide and Head of Guiding at Worldwide Birding Tours
Senior Tour Leader and Guide for Spanish Nature

Bonelli’s Eagle (Hieraaetus fasciatus)

2011-12-21T22:05:00.000+01:00

If you were to search for an emblematic species which would define the importance of the Serranía de Ronda for wildlife, then the Bonelli’s Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus would be the definitive and unequivocal choice. Among the rarest species of raptor in Europe, the Bonelli’s Eagle has perhaps, for the moment, its highest breeding density in Europe right here in the Serranía!

Juvenile

With a wingspan of up to 1.8 meters the Bonelli is a medium sized eagle and although it is known to very occasionally nest in trees, in the Serranía its preference is for rocky crags and faces. The pairs form lifelong and all year round partnerships staying in or close to their breeding territories throughout the year. Usually nests are re-furbished during late December and early January. During this period pairs can be witnessed indulging in flight-play with one, normally the male, dropping a stick and the other retrieving it before it reaches the ground! Copulation is indulged in by the late autumn and this maintains and strengthens bonds between the pair. The first egg can be laid as early as February and although a clutch of 3 is possible the most usual is for 1 to 2 eggs. Incubation normally takes around 40 days and usually a single young is fledged after a further 60/65 days, exceptions where 2 young are fledged normally relate to older and more experienced adults, these older birds seemed to have learnt to supply more food for the successful rearing of all their offspring. In the area of and surrounding the Serranía de Ronda, it is rare to see the juvenile birds remaining with their parents beyond September, in fact it is rare to observe juvenile or immature birds in the high mountains from late autumn. Many juvenile birds disperse and normally occupy low lying areas throughout the winter.

2nd year immature

These eagles are extremely agile flyers and one of the most aggressive. Protection of the nest site during the breeding season is a spectacle that can provide the fortunate observer with a life time experience. The male will often pursue and sometimes inflict fatal injuries on much larger birds such as Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus who venture too close to the nest. I have often seen unfortunate Griffon Vulture retreat from these areas minus a few feathers! Unlike many other eagle species, the Bonelli’s are capable of flying-down their prey and over long distances. Most large raptors avoid long distance pursuit in order to save energy, but these eagles, once giving chase, will continue to fly-down prey over considerable distances. Hare, Rabbit, Partridge and other large birds form the largest part of their diet, although some reptiles are also taken. Currently, and despite their aggressive protection of nesting sites, there is concern over loss of these sites due to pressures from increasing numbers of Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos and Griffon Vulture.

Adult - breeding season

The current status of this magnificent and spectacular eagle is officially listed as being under danger of extinction. So it is essential we afford them the highest possible protection. Although some of their nesting sites are close to populated areas, they remain intolerant of human disturbance, so close observation should be avoided at all times. Also they tend to have defined hunting routes and are sometimes seen daily on these routes, so not only do their nest sites need urgent protection, but also their feeding areas. Their continued presence in the area depends on us and our willingness to afford them the special protection they need and deserve. Surely our skies would be the poorer without them.

Adult female

It has been estimated that an annual total exceeding 15,000 birdwatchers visit the Serranía and the surrounding areas, without doubt this eagle is a star attraction. So the Bonelli’s Eagle is most definitely important to the local economy! At the time of writing this article, many local people have become aware of the economical benefits of the birdlife in the Serranía, and in particular that associated with this fine eagle. Indeed, many locals now report illegal climbing and approaches to nesting sites here, a really positive and encouraging development. Any unwanted or unsustainable local developments that adversely impact on the numbers of this threatened species of eagle i.e. Los Merinos Golf, will by definition have a very real and negative affect on the area’s tourism, economy and people. The last point is well worth consideration given the present economic climate!

Author’s Note 21st December 2011:

It’s that time of year for me to get around to various territories of Bonelli's Eagle. I am fortunate to live in an area which has the highest density of breeding pairs in Europe, so now is a good time to check on the occupancy of the 'known' sites here.

These wonderfully entertaining and aggressive raptors are now very active in renewing pair bonds, displaying, copulating and jointly defending their chosen nest site against virtually any other large bird crazy enough to venture into their territory. Watching them attack the much larger species such as Griffon Vulture is truly a spectacle and bizarre given the bonelli is half their size!

It is pleasing to report all my sites are occupied again and I am looking forward to another season monitoring the success rate of breeding here. I'll try to keep you posted.

Photographs: Juan Luis Muñoz and Spanish Nature

Why not join Peter on one of his day tours in the Serranía de Ronda and get up close and personal with Bonelli's Eagle see HERE

My mountains in winter

2011-12-11T15:51:00.000+01:00

The Sierra de Grazalema is one of the most scenically stunning areas in the whole of Spain. It is a diverse UNESCO Biosphere Park containing habitats ranging from mixed oak woodlands, pine forest and upland pastures to high mountains where life clings-on in the extremes of seasonal climate change. Temperatures are wide-ranging throughout the park influenced by altitudes from 400m to 1600m above sea level, as well as the eastern areas benefiting from the Mediterranean climate the western facing slopes are affected by the Atlantic climate. Unsurprisingly such a varied habitat and range of altitudes produces a great diversity in flora and fauna. Our ABS Field Meeting for December visited this important area and gave attending members a chance to marvel at the landscape and, as always, enjoy each others company.

I promised members a relaxed day, an amble through the park and a chance to see some of the very best scenery the park has to offer. We started the day by gathering at the pre-arranged meeting point of the Venta Tropezon, where we enjoyed some local hospitality and some warm beverages before setting off on a slow journey towards Zahara. The lake (reservoir) is the largest surface area of standing water in this region, but as many other man-made reservoirs, the gradients of the shoreline are too steep to support marginal vegetation and hence it has a sterile feel to it’s presence in the park. Despite the lack of any large numbers of birds, we did manage to see some of the fish eating specialists that visit the reservoir, what the lake lacks in birds, it certainly makes up for in fish stocks, so it was we had good views of Cormorant, Great-crested Grebe and Grey Heron. Cattle Egret, Mallard and Coot were about the extent of aquatic species, but around the eastern boundary large finch flocks were feeding and amongst those were small numbers of Rock Sparrow and we also observed an Iberian (Southern) Grey Shrike. Cetti’s and Sardinian Warbler gave good views near the shoreline.

Grazalema - one of the area's famous white villages

Skirting the lake we wound our way to the impressive village of Zahara, a striking example of the local white villages to be found throughout the area. I admit to an ulterior motive for a stop here, having been primed by my wife that the ladies in the group might welcome a browse around a local craft market being held on the premises of the premiere restaurant El Largo. It also gave the men an opportunity to tuck-in to homemade mince tarts whilst scanning for birds! Black Redstarts were plentiful and it wasn’t long before we had a large flock of Chough wheeling and playing in the distance, on the slopes below our vantage point we saw Red-legged Partridge, Blue Rock Thrush, Rock Dove and a solitary Mistle Thrush among the olive groves. A contingent of the local Jackdaws passed in front and a few Greenfinch fed on the remains of the year’s crop of thistle plants. The ladies curiosity and the men’s stomachs satiated, we made our way upwards on the mountain road towards Grazalema. A Little Owl graced the journey, while finches and thrushes accompanied our passing. We stopped briefly at a mirador at a halfway point to watch large concentrations of Griffon Vulture floating on thermals and up draughts, I was telling everyone to always look above these gatherings of vultures, as very often eagle species would be circling above them. Within a few seconds there were cries of eagle above the vultures! It was a Bonelli’s Eagle cruising the thermal and in bright sunlight showing the underside markings for all and enabling them to clearly identify this fine raptor.

Although the sun was shining, the wind at higher altitude was biting our ears and any exposed parts, so we were all keen to proceed to the high pass, Puerto de las Palomas and see if we could escape the bitter wind. Pulling into the car park area we were straight the way confronted by a fine male Ring Ouzel, although not all of us were able to get good views. It was a target species for many on the day, so we set about listening, looking and anticipating sightings of this elusive thrush. Next to the car park and slightly below there is a drinking trough for cattle, this was attracting many species of small bird including another scarce winter visitor the Dunnock. With so many species coming to drink we decided to concentrate our efforts on the trough and the slope below. It wasn’t long before we saw Ring Ouzel making their way towards us. Eventually, accustomed to our presence, both males and females gave great views as they perched on nearby trees and even better, on the side of the drinking trough. I’m sure some members will have taken some great close-up photographs of these super birds. Although the winds were still biting and causing eyes to water, everyone was too distracted by the Ring Ouzels to complain. Black Wheatear and Blue Rock Thrush were also seen here and a few members laid claim to another target bird for the day, Alpine Accentor. All of this as Griffon Vulture cruised close overhead, hardly noticed by many in our excitement.

Well, cold winds, exciting birding all conspired to build appetites for our scheduled lunch stop in the village of Grazalema. It was fortuitous we made decisions to take our lunch when we did. It seemed half of Spain had decided to descend on the local ventas and free dining space was at a premium. A few members wandered around the local ‘hole-in-the-wall’ shops for preserves and other goodies, whilst a group of us headed to the favoured lunch stop, La Posadilla, to reserve enough tables and seating. Great food, reasonable prices and lots of chit chat made for a welcome break in our day, before we again headed out to look for some other local birds, well mostly Water Pipit with a few other, as yet not seen species. As a birder, you have to question your sanity sometimes and as you all know, a sewerage farm can be ‘bird’ productive, smelly yes, but capable of producing a bird or two. We were in luck; the first bird to be spotted was the target, Water Pipit. From the pungent scent of the sewerage farm we carried-on further into the valley and a water meadow area next to the source of the Rio Guadalete. We spent time just watching bird activity around bushes next to the river and in the fields either side of the valley. Here we managed Corn Bunting, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Stonechat, Song Thrush, Serin, Chiffchaff, Blackcap and a host of other species. I kept gazing above us as this is a good area for hunting Long-legged Buzzard, but try as I might the effort was unrewarded. Still we managed a very good number of species on our day and had a great time to boot. Now for the serious business of preparing for the Chairman’s Report to be presented at our next meeting, being held in the visitor’s centre at Fuente de Piedra 21st January 2012, I’d rather go birding!

Zahara - a beautiful and scenic village

Birds seen on the day:

Red-legged Partridge, Mallard, Great-crested Grebe, Grey Heron, Cattle Egret, Great Cormorant, Griffon Vulture, Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Bonelli’s Eagle, Common Kestrel, Coot, Rock Dove, Woodpigeon, Collared Dove, Little Owl, Southern Grey Shrike, Jay, Chough, Jackdaw, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Blue Tit, Crested Lark, Woodlark, Cetti’s Warbler, Common Chiffchaff, Eurasian Blackcap, Sardinian Warbler, Spotless Starling, Ring Ouzel, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush, Robin, Black Redstart, Stonechat, Blue Rock Thrush, House Sparrow, Rock Sparrow, Alpine Accentor, Dunnock, White Wagtail, Water Pipit, Chaffinch, Serin, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Linnet, Corn Bunting.

Article by and leader for the day Peter Jones – Chairman of Andalucia Bird Society

Peter is also a wildlife guide and see a link to his services HERE

Photographs: Spanish Nature .com

For more information on birds in this area see HERE

A moment in life!

2011-12-05T23:49:00.000+01:00

I thought I would share the Parable of the Hedgehog, a particularly poingant little ditty for my current situation.

Fable of the hedgehog

Hedgehog - A line drawing by Peter Jones

It was the coldest winter ever. Many animals died because of the cold. The hedgehogs, realizing the situation,

decided to group together to keep warm. This way they covered and protected themselves; but the quills of each one wounded their closest companions.

After awhile, they decided to distance themselves one from the other and they began to die, alone and frozen. So they had to make a choice: either accept the quills of their companions or disappear from the Earth.

Wisely, they decided to go back to being together. They learned to live with the little wounds caused by the close relationship with their companions in order to receive the warmth that came from the others.

This way they were able to survive.

Moral of the story: The best relationship is not the one that brings together perfect people, but when each individual learns to live with the imperfections of others and can admire the other person's good qualities.

BUT - The real moral of the story......

SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO LIVE WITH THE PRICKS IN YOUR LIFE!

A tale that knows no boundaries - Big Blog!

2011-12-04T19:05:00.000+01:00

A bird shall know neither bounds nor confines of man, remaining a free spirit to brighten our lives, a symbol of peace, fostering friendships for those who share in their joy. Peter Jones

We seem to be forever hearing of conflicts throughout our world with doom mongers peddling their political wares and none expected to sit on the fence without making allegiances. I guess we all have opinions on the world’s woes and I have uncertainties of how we can best meet the challenges posed for peace where conflict appears to have no solution. And so it all seemed to me on a recent birding tour in Israel. It was an interesting foray into an area rife with conflict according to and if you believe all media reports. Here birds from three bio-regions converge to reside, migrate or winter, demonstrating a blissful ignorance of political boundaries. Is there any hope peoples of the region can learn from these wonders of nature and each respect the right to their own and their neighbour’s existence? I’m a great believer that there is always hope, so witnessing the close cooperation between Israel and some of its neighbours with the monitoring of birds in the region, I came away with some very positive feelings.

Birders, just like birds, tend to go a wandering no matter the political climate, whether they are made of sterner stuff, self-indulgent or just plain crazy who’s to say? When I was invited to attend the week’s activities promised by the Hula Valley Bird Festival, it must have taken me all of 10 seconds to say yes. The chance to revisit Israel, after an absence of over 25 years, was hard to resist and the lure of such an array of birdlife was impossible to ignore. Did I have any problems? Well yes I did. My tour began with the sound of ‘fools rush in where wise suitcases never go’ ringing in my ears. Good old Iberia Airlines decided it was too much to expect for my suitcase to accompany me on my long journey, so they simply didn’t load it on the plane! After 3 days wear several items of clothing were beginning to protest and I had to weigh down my socks to stop them doing their own tour of Israel. When eventually my suitcase caught up with me I felt strangely grateful, even forgiving towards Iberia Airlines, quite why I’m not sure, it seems perverse on reflection.

My week’s birding began by joining, what was to become, a tight knit group of avid and likeminded nature nuts. Good humour, shared moments, serious discussion and a bonding that grew with each passing day made for a memorable week. Our first day entailed of cranes and yet more cranes as we left very early morning to catch sight of some 30,000 cranes departing from their night time roost at first light. Wow, what an experience and pure spectacle, such beautiful birds creating a scene I will never forget and the deafening calls of so many individuals just added to the amazing atmosphere. Have you ever experienced a personal and almost spiritual moment, when the hairs on your neck stand-up and you are touched by some unseen force sending such a sense of wonder and well being through your body? Well, this was my moment and as humbling as it was spectacular. Of course the Agamon Hula Park and Hula Nature Reserve host an impressive number of wintering and migrant birds during late autumn, but my memory of the first day will forever be dominated by the grace and splendour of 30,000 cranes.

Our group had an extensive programme for 6 days and apart from being based in the area of the Hula Valley, we visited other prime birding locations. The second day was spent in the scenically impressive region of the Golan Heights, where snow covered mountain glistened in contrast to green valleys and painted wonderful vistas against clear blue skies. Birding on our journey to the first port of call Mount Hermon, we soon proved the worth of that age old birding adage of more eyes more birds! Having been a bit of a globe trotter and birder for some fifty years plus, it gets harder to find new species, not that I am any kind of lister harrumph, and one of the first birds sighted was Sombre Tit, a great little bird and one which has eluded me on so many other occasions, so Peter was one very happy bunny. The next trek up to the top of the Golan Heights was breathtaking, quite literally, as we huffed and puffed our way to the high ridge, where a few of us got onto a small group of Crimson-winged Finch, but apart from Woodlark, Fieldfare, Brambling and Northern Wheatear nothing much was doing at the top, mind you we did find a laden apple tree, which I have to tell you harvested one of the best apples I have ever tasted. A very major highlight to the day was seeing a couple of wolf on our descent, a privilege and wonderful sighting.

The third day of my visit saw us head to the seaside on the Carmel Coast and Ma’agan Michael. The area had lush golden sand beaches, calm waters of the Mediterranean lapping its shore, whilst sand dunes separated large manmade fish lagoons from the sea. The mix of fresh water lagoons and the seashore produced a wide variety of bird species and also Egyptian Mongoose were common. Gull species were wheeling overhead in very large numbers, Slender-billed Gull were plentiful with Armenian and Black-headed Gull making-up the bulk of flocks overhead. We did manage Mediterranean and Caspian Gull with waders also present in good numbers. As with the Hula Valley, the 3 kingfisher species presented an added reminder of the strategic position of Israel in terms of birdlife, acting as a bridge for three bioregions; Africa, Asia and Europe. Here you could watch the common Pied Kingfisher hovering over the still and fresh water of the lagoons reminding you of Africa, whilst the Asian White-throated Kingfisher would dash across your path in a blaze of colours as it searched for invertebrates, amphibians as well as a fish meal. Europe’s representative, not to be outdone, could be seen darting from one perch to another, it’s blue mantle vivid in the bright sunlight and showing well in all its glory perching often close to our group. The European Kingfisher is the only winter visitor of the three species with the others breeding here.

Day four and we were off to the Bet Shean Valley via the Sea of Galilee, and as an aside we saw lots of signs warning ‘Swimming not permitted’ although, presumably, it was okay to walk on it? We explored areas around Kfar Rupin and Tirat Zvi with some veritable successes which included 2 lifers for your man here, Dead Sea Sparrow and Pallas’s Gull, superb!! In fact the fish ponds that we visited were incredible for their variety of birds, especially gull species that included Armenian, Baltic, Pallas’s, Caspian and Heuglin’s Gull. In the surrounding area other birds to capture our attention were Desert Finch together with other large flocks of seed eaters. On a sad note, it was distressing to witness various heron species snagged in netting used to cover fish lagoons, although the same netting mesh size was also used at the fish farms in Ma’agan Michael, they at least had patrols to release trapped birds. It was appalling to see on immature Black-crowned Night Heron ensnared by its tarsus and foot whilst still alive, too far for us to reach; we could only look-on as it faced a long and tormented death.

A dilemma, should I attend the conference and lectures being held over the next two days, or should I go a birding. Seems clear enough given the last few days, birding! Actually that’s a little unkind on those speakers at the conference. I would especially have liked to sit-in on Keith Bildstein’s lecture dealing with the geography of raptor migration, a global perspective, but decisions made I accompanied my group, the class of 2011, out into the field. In truth, anyone who knows me will also know I have a deep interest in wheatears, I could not resist the day’s mission of finding Finsch’s Wheatear. In every way this tour was exceeding my expectations, the variety of habitats, the number of bird species and the expert guidance of Jonathan Megrav was proving to be an unbeatable combination, but no Finsch’s Wheatear! We searched the likely and well known Valley of Tears, a terrain of grazed grasslands amidst a rock strewn landscape, looked perfect for my wheatears and yet not a sign, although we managed several other bird species. And so we made our way to the scenic outpost of the Unit 77 memorial site, group photographs, some snacks and at last a Finsch’s Wheatear, in fact 2 males and 2 females! Satiated we made our way to Agmon Park to see our friends the cranes and as a bonus we found a male Namaqua Dove. Another great day in Israel.

After just a smidgeon of self-indulgence during the previous day’s activities, I made the conscious and fortuitous decision to attend some of the lectures on offer for my final day at the festival. It was fortuitous because of the quality of both speakers and subjects available. Just some of the choice lectures included conserving birds and their habitats by Ariel Brunner (Birdlife Europe), tourism and conservation linkage by an old friend Tim Appleton, environmental education program in Palestine by Imad Atrash and so the list went on, informative up to the minute briefs on what’s happening in our natural world from top line experts. The lectures were followed by a group discussion where we could all chip-in and get to talk to various leaders and decision makers, a down point was going for lunch on a last visit to the Haelot Reserve in the upper Galilee and thus arriving too late to listen in on Pete Dunne’s talk on monetary rewards and conservation payback of birding tourism, another day I hope Pete! For me the whole week had been so worthwhile, rewarding and at all times a great pleasure. If you have not visited Israel or considered it as a destination for birding, then I can only say you are missing out, it has top species and pure spectacle to offer, I thoroughly recommend it.

Understand that life should be a source of experience to be lived up to, not survived through.

For further information: http://www.hulabirdfestival.org
A great video of our tour Watch the amazing video

The Class of 2011 (The Wild Bunch).

Tim Appleton, Niklas Aronsson, David Callahan, Pete Dunne, Peder Edvinsson, Daniel Green, Peter Jones, Stephen Menzie, Matt Merritt, Jonathan Meyrav, Bill Oddie, Bobo Olsson, Gert Ottens, Jan Sodersved, Roar Solheim, Sharon Stiteler, Bill Thompson 111, Stuart Winter.

Species seen during our 6 day birding in Northern Israel 21st – 26th November 2011

English name	*Scientific name*
Little Grebe	Tachybaptus ruficollis
Black-necked Grebe	Podiceps nigricollis
Northern Gannet	Morus bassanus
Great White Pelican	Pelecanus onocrotalus
Pygmy Cormorant	Phalacrocorax pygmeus
Great Cormorant	Phalacrocorax carbo
Little Bittern	Ixobrychus minutus
Black-crowned Night-heron	Nycticorax nycticorax
Squacco Heron	Ardeola ralloides
Cattle Egret	Bubulcus ibis
Grey Heron	Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron	Ardea purpurea
Great Egret	Casmerodius albus
Little Egret	Egretta garzetta
Black Stork	Ciconia nigra
White Stork	Ciconia ciconia
Eurasian Spoonbill	Platalea leucorodia
Glossy Ibis	Plegadis falcinellus
Greater Flamingo	Phoenicopterus roseus
Greater White-fronted Goose	Anser albifrons
Ruddy Shelduck	Tadorna ferruginea
Common Shelduck	Tadorna tadorna
Egyptian Goose	Alopechon aegyptius
Gadwall	Anas strepera
Eurasian Wigeon	Anas penelope
Mallard	Anas platyrhynchos
Northern Shoveler	Anas clypeata
Northern Pintail	Anas acuta
Garganey	Anas querquedula
Common Teal	Anas crecca
Marbled Teal	Marmaronetta angustirostris
Red-crested Pochard	Netta rufina
Common Pochard	Aythya ferina
Ferruginous Duck	Aythya nyroca
Tufted Duck	Aythya fuligula
White-headed Duck	Oxyura leucocephala
Griffon Vulture	Gyps fulvus
White-tailed Eagle	Haliaeetus albicilla
Osprey	Pandion haliaetus
Lesser Spotted Eagle	Aquila pomarina
Greater Spotted Eagle	Aquila clanga
Eastern Imperial Eagle	Aquila heliaca
Golden Eagle	Aquila chrysaetos
Bonelli's Eagle	Hieraaetus fasciatus
Booted Eagle	Hieraaetus pennatus
Black-winged Kite	Elanus caeruleus
Black Kite	Milvus migrans
Western Marsh-harrier	Circus aeruginosus
Hen Harrier	Circus cyaneus
Pallid Harrier	Circus macrourus
Common Buzzard	Buteo buteo
Long-legged Buzzard	Buteo rufinus
Eurasian Sparrowhawk	Accipiter nisus
Lesser Kestrel	Falco naumanni
Common Kestrel	Falco tinnunculus
Merlin	Falco columbarius
Lanner Falcon	Falco biarmicus
Saker Falcon	Falco cherrug
Peregrine Falcon	Falco peregrinus
Chukar	Alectoris chukar
Black Francolin	Francolinus francolinus
Water Rail	Rallus aquaticus
Purple Swamphen	Porphyrio porphyrio
Common Moorhen	Gallinula chloropus
Common Coot	Fulica atra
Common Crane	Grus grus
Black-winged Stilt	Himantopus himantopus
Pied Avocet	Recurvirostra avosetta
Northern Lapwing	Vanellus vanellus
Spur-winged Lapwing	Vanellus spinosus
Eurasian Golden Plover	Pluvialis apricaria
Grey Plover	Pluvialis squatarola
Common Ringed Plover	Charadrius hiaticula
Little Ringed Plover	Charadrius dubius
Kentish Plover	Charadrius alexandrinus
Jack Snipe	Lymnocryptes minimus
Common Snipe	Gallinago gallinago
Black-tailed Godwit	Limosa limosa
Bar-tailed Godwit	Limosa lapponica
Eurasian Curlew	Numenius arquata
Spotted Redshank	Tringa erythropus
Common Redshank	Tringa totanus
Marsh Sandpiper	Tringa stagnatilis
Common Greenshank	Tringa nebularia
Green Sandpiper	Tringa ochropus
Wood Sandpiper	Tringa glareola
Common Sandpiper	Actitis hypoleucos
Ruddy Turnstone	Arenaria interpres
Sanderling	Calidris alba
Little Stint	Calidris minuta
Temminck's Stint	Calidris temminckii
Dunlin	Calidris alpina
Curlew Sandpiper	Calidris ferruginea
Ruff	Philomachus pugnax
Armenian Gull	Larus armenicus
Caspian gull	Larus cachinnans
Steppe Gull	Larus (cachinnans) barabensis
Baltic Gull	Larus fuscus fuscus
Heuglin's gull	Larus fuscus heuglini
Pallas's Gull	Larus ichthyaetus
Black-headed Gull	Larus ridibundus
Slender-billed Gull	Larus genei
Mediterranean Gull	Larus melanocephalus
Sandwich Tern	Sterna sandvicensis
Whiskered Tern	Chlidonias hybrida
Rock Pigeon	Columba livia
Common Wood-pigeon	Columba palumbus
European Turtle-dove	Streptopelia turtur
Eurasian Collared-dove	Streptopelia decaocto
Laughing Dove	Stigmatopelia senegalensis
Namaqua Dove	Oena capensis
Barn Owl	Tyto alba
Tawny Owl	Strix aluco
White-throated Kingfisher	Halcyon smyrnensis
Common Kingfisher	Alcedo atthis
Pied Kingfisher	Ceryle rudis
Eurasian Hoopoe	Upupa epops
Rose-ringed Parakeet	Psittacula krameri
Syrian Woodpecker	Dendrocopos syriacus
Calandra Lark	Melanocorypha calandra
Crested Lark	Galerida cristata
Wood Lark	Lullula arborea
Eurasian Skylark	Alauda arvensis
Oriental Skylark	Alauda gulgula
Horned Lark	Eremophila alpestris
Barn Swallow	Hirundo rustica
Red-rumped Swallow	Hirundo daurica
White Wagtail	Motacilla alba
Citrine Wagtail	Motacilla citreola
Yellow Wagtail	Motacilla flava
Grey Wagtail	Motacilla cinerea
Richard's Pipit	Anthus richardi
Long-billed Pipit	Anthus similis
Meadow Pipit	Anthus pratensis
Red-throated Pipit	Anthus cervinus
Water Pipit	Anthus spinoletta
Buff-bellied Pipit	Anthus rubescens japonicus
Winter Wren	Troglodytes troglodytes
White-spectacled Bulbul	Pycnonotus xanthopygos
European Robin	Erithacus rubecula
Bluethroat	Luscinia svecica
White-throated Robin	Irania gutturalis
Rufous-tailed Scrub-robin	Erythropygia galactotes
Black Redstart	Phoenicurus ochruros
Whinchat	Saxicola rubetra
Common Stonechat	Saxicola torquatus
Siberian Stonechat	Saxicola maurus
Northern Wheatear	Oenanthe oenanthe
Finsch's Wheatear	Oenanthe finschii
Blue Rock-thrush	Monticola solitarius
Eurasian Blackbird	Turdus merula
Fieldfare	Turdus pilaris
Song Thrush	Turdus philomelos
Mistle Thrush	Turdus viscivorus
Blackcap	Sylvia atricapilla
Common Whitethroat	Sylvia communis
Sardinian Warbler	Sylvia melanocephala
Zitting Cisticola	Cisticola juncidis
Graceful Prinia	Prinia gracilis
Cetti's Warbler	Cettia cetti
Savi's Warbler	Locustella luscinioides
Moustached Warbler	Acrocephalus melanopogon
Sedge Warbler	Acrocephalus schoenobaenus
Eurasian Reed-warbler	Acrocephalus scirpaceus
Marsh Warbler	Acrocephalus palustris
Great Reed-warbler	Acrocephalus arundinaceus
Clamorous Reed-warbler	Acrocephalus stentoreus
Willow Warbler	Phylloscopus trochilus
Common Chiffchaff	Phylloscopus collybita
Hume's Leaf-warbler	Phylloscopus humei
Sombre Tit	Parus lugubris
Great Tit	Parus major
Eurasian Penduline-tit	Remiz pendulinus
Western Rock-nuthatch	Sitta neumayer
Red-backed Shrike	Lanius collurio
Southern Grey Shrike	Lanius meridionalis
Palestine Sunbird	Nectarinia osea
Eurasian Jay	Garrulus glandarius
Eurasian Jackdaw	Corvus monedula
Rook	Corvus frugilegus
Hooded Crow	Corvus cornix
Common Raven	Corvus corax
Common Starling	Sturnus vulgaris
Common Myna	Acridotheres tristis
House Sparrow	Passer domesticus
Spanish Sparrow	Passer hispaniolensis
Dead Sea Sparrow	Passer moabiticus
Rock Sparrow	Petronia petronia
Eurasian Chaffinch	Fringilla coelebs
Brambling	Fringilla montifringilla
European Serin	Serinus serinus
European Greenfinch	Carduelis chloris
European Goldfinch	Carduelis carduelis
Eurasian Linnet	Carduelis cannabina
Crimson-winged Finch	Rhodopechys sanguineus
Desert Finch	Rhodopechys obsoletus
Common Rosefinch	Carpodacus erythrinus
Hawfinch	Coccothraustes coccothraustes
Corn Bunting	Miliaria calandra
Yellowhammer	Emberiza citrinella
Rock Bunting	Emberiza cia
Reed Bunting	Emberiza schoeniclus

Total species seen 202.

Birding Costa Rica – a brief and personal view

2011-11-18T19:00:00.000+01:00

Such a diverse country as Costa Rica, in terms of habitat, is always likely to produce a dazzling variety of birds. And it is the case that this country, only the size of a small State (or Wales if you are in the UK), has more bird species than all of North America. During a normal Worldwide Birding Tour in this country we are normally able to find over 400 bird species in just 2 weeks, put simply it is staggering! The only complication can be deciding which group of birds are your favourite, Trogons, Motmots, Hummingbirds, Manakins, Parrots or the incredibly coloured and varied family of Tanagers. Aquatic species too provide for some memorable moments, seeing Sunbittern is always special, whilst seeing Skimmers flock on the outlet of the Tarcoles is a true spectacle.

Raptors are well represented here. Whilst White Hawk and King Vulture can provide a highlight to any tour of Central America, for me the elegance and sight of Swallow-tailed Kite will always be a moment to cherish and look forward to. Laughing Falcon, Black Hawk and Red-Tailed Hawk are frequently seen, with Roadside Hawk seen most years. Of course many other raptors will be seen, but I digress. For sheer variety and colours then I have to say Tanagers really do take some beating, a personal view, but you would be hard pressed to find another family of birds so colourful. Tanagers are restricted to the New World and then mostly to the tropics. Several species are localised and even endemic to small areas. Throughout their range there are reckoned to be about 240 species in the Tanager family, but as is the way of current research, certain genera are expected to be reassessed and placed elsewhere under different bird families. And to confuse everybody, a whole lot more species are in line to be added to the tanager family!

By the time this splitting and realigning of species is done, we are expecting the tanager family to grow into one of the largest family groups in the world, possibly well in excess of 400 species. I hope readers might want join me on our February 2012 tour to Costa Rica and experience the joys and amazing diversity of birding in this wonderful country. I hope I might look forward to seeing you there and joining me on this adventure!

If you want to read an interesting account of recent developments on this great looking family, then I thoroughly recommend the following link and article. Read more.

To read more on my tour to Costa Rica and for full tour description including itinerary, please follow this link

A Guide'sTale - no one to lead but himself.

2011-10-02T19:10:00.000+02:00

It’s been a hectic time leading various tours and day trips so far this year, but what to do on those rare occasions when you have some spare time? I mean time truly on your own, no one else at home or anyone demanding your time! I must admit the temptation is to lay back, relax, read a book or simply do nothing at all, but living where I do, between 2 UNESCO Biosphere parks here in the centre of the Serranía de Ronda, the call of the wild constantly rings in your ears. It’s a calling I am unable and unwilling to resist, so spare time is spent taking-in details of nature without constraints or demands, just strolling through wild places stopping to appreciate the comings and goings of late autumn birds in my favourite surroundings. Time too for reflecting on a hectic schedule and experiences gained over an autumn migration of wonders.

It now seems an age since the door to autumn slowly opened, the sounds of Africa escaped and weaved a spell on our summer resident birds here in Europe. The month of July may sound early for the call to return to Africa but here, near the main crossing point over the Strait of Gibraltar, evidence of migration was overhead and through our valleys. The sheer volume of birds involved in the autumn rush to leave for warmer climes was staggering. For the grand spectacle, then the larger migrants perhaps offered the audience a star attraction, but to see thousands of our smaller passerines, such as Bee eater Merops apiaster, forming colourful clouds as they left our shores was, I think, a sight that all should witness at least once in their lifetime. Here in southern Spain, we are so very fortunate to live so close to areas where we can bear witness to one of the natural wonders of our world.

Now there is a keenest to the air and a bite on the strong winds that sweep our valleys, most of our summer visitors have departed and we await the return of wintering birds. It’s a strange time of year, the lull before the storm, an in-between moment where still there are signs of migration with the fall of birds such as Black Redstart, Common Redstart and both Pied and Spotted Flycatcher, but lengthening shadows support the arrival of an ever shortening day and an air of resignation descends upon a landscape anticipating respite from the blistering heat of a long summer. The red haw berries and rosehips are ripening as leaves change colour, fall and drift across a dry landscape, soon these fruits will provide a banquet for visiting thrushes and fallen seed a feast for Alpine Accentors, truly the arrival of large concentrations of Ring Ouzel will herald a beginning to the end of our autumn.

The Alpine Accentor Prunella collaris

2011-10-02T14:35:00.000+02:00

Family: Prunellidae Accentors

English: Accentors

Spanish: Acentores

The Alpine Accentor, Prunella collaris, is a small passerine bird found throughout the mountains of southern temperate Europe and Asia at heights above 2000 m (breeding). It is mainly resident, wintering more widely at lower latitudes, but some birds wander during winter months as rare vagrants even as far as

Great Britain

. This is a small-sized bird at 15-17.5 cm in length, slightly larger than its relative, the Dunnock Prunella modulari. It has a streaked brown back, adults have a grey head and red-brown spotting on the underparts. It has an insectivore's fine pointed bill, but as with all accentors it will also feed on seeds. Sexes are similar, although the male may be more brightly coloured (especially in the spring) in appearance. Young birds have browner heads and underparts.

Outside of the related Dunnock, P.modulari, this species has the most widespread, if somewhat fragmented, distribution of the accentors, although much more limited by available habitat and altitudinal range. These birds are found in mountainous areas, from the Iberian Peninsula and northwest Africa, through France and Italy and Slovenia and into the Balkans, Bulgaria and Greece. They are also found in northern and eastern Turkey, through the Caucasus and Iran and east to Turkmenistan, China, Korea and Japan. They are also found in Taiwan.

During the breeding season it is a bird of bare mountain areas with some low vegetation. It builds a neat nest low in a bush or rock crevice, laying 3-5 unspotted sky-blue eggs. It is Polygyandrous in its relationships and has a very interesting strategy. Home ranges are occupied by breeding groups of 3 or 4 males with 3 or 4 females. These are unrelated birds which have a socially polygynandrous mating system. Males have a dominance hierarchy, with the alpha males being generally older than subordinates. Females seek matings with all the males, although the alpha male may defend her against matings from lower ranking males. In turn, males seek matings with all the females. DNA fingerprinting has been used to show that, within broods, there is often mixed paternity, although the female is always the true mother of the nestlings raised within her nest. Males will provide food to chicks at several nests within the group, depending on whether they have mated with the female or not - males only provide care when they are likely to be the true fathers of the chicks.

Coursing your way through Africa!

2011-05-24T23:03:00.001+02:00

Family: Glareolidae Coursers, pratincoles

English: Coursers, pratincoles
Spanish: Corredores, canasteras
I am writing here just a short note on one of the most attractive of bird families I see on various travels throughout continental Africa. Coursers are wonderfully elegant species and also the variety of plummage adds to their appeal, at least for me! They are also very photogenic as witnessed here in this notation....

Everyone’s favourite? Judging by comments I get on various tours, coursers are certainly extremely popular and appreciated by all. Their habit of running, rather than flying, away makes them easy to observe, more so as most of them tend to live in open and arid areas. Many have cryptic plumage (see photo left Hueglin's Courser) and rely on this for concealment, those with a plain colour, like Cream-coloured Courser (see photo below right), also blend with their desert surroundings. All prefer open ground and feed much like plovers by using short runs and a peck to find insects, although members of the genus Cursorius will also use their curved bill to dig for larvae and sometimes take seeds using this technique.

It is rare for us to miss Cream-coloured Courser (photo right) on any of our main tours to Morocco, where it is most often found in desert areas. The bird’s reluctance to fly and habit of running in short bursts allows close views from our safari 4x4s and can be the day’s birding highlight. During our March safari tours pairs can have very young birds and tend to stay even closer guarding their charges, sometimes finding a small bush to crouch behind and relying on their perfectly coloured plumage to camouflage their whereabouts. On occasions when these birds fly, then their typical wader profile and long pointed wings give a spectacular display of the black wing bar and elegant shape.

In Gambia, we deliberately spend time looking for the elusive and sought after Egyptian Plover (photo left). It is allied and placed together with coursers, although it has been placed in its own family at times i.e. Pluvianidae and even subfamily Plivianinae. It is spectacularly marked and the colours and patterns make it an attractive bird, although the name can be misleading as it no longer occurs in Egypt, causing some concerns that it may be declining in some parts of its range. It is a species found in lowland river deltas with sand and gravel bars. Our own observations tend to suggest it prefers sandbars and small sandy islets on river systems where it can probe and dig soft areas for food. It is exceptional among the coursers as it prefers large tropical river systems with sandbars, whilst the remaining 8 species of this family prefer dry habitats ranging from open dry forest to extreme desert.

On our journeys further south in Africa, we can observe other species in this wonderful family, none more cryptically patterned than Hueglin’s Courser, also known as Three-banded Courser. Although it is not easy to spot, we normally can find Hueglin’s Courser on our tour to Kenya and usually in the Masai Mara reserve. It is a striking bird with large eyes that capture the hearts of fellow travellers and although elusive, once found we often spend time just revelling in their discovery! Together with our tour into Botswana, we will find other and equally appealing members of the courser family including Burchell’s and Temminck’s Courser (photo right), all so attractive in their own right and all adding to the reasons why you should join me on one or all of our tours to Africa!

Why not join Peter on one of his many tours undertaken in Africa?

Main Tour Index for Africa

Botswana

Gambia

Kenya

Morocco

Or why not join Peter on one of his famous day tours in Spain?

Serrania de Ronda - Birding in the high Sierras

Wetlands - From mountains to Lagoons

Steppe - A journey into Steppe country

If you have enjoyed reading this blog, please do leave your comments or reaction below:

The many joys of birding in Andalucia

2011-05-10T18:22:00.000+02:00

Collared Pratincole

"We guess ‘joy’ is a personal expression, but then anyone who knows Peter will appreciate his turn of phrase! Peter takes us on a journey through his beloved and adopted home Andalucia, his enthusiasm for this wonderful area is obvious and his knowledge of the various provinces within the region is remarkable. Many friends of Spanish Nature have been fortunate enough to have been guided by Peter, not just in his own back yard, but in many other countries throughout the world, so we hope his article will appeal to those who know him and enlighten others to the delights that are to be found in Andalucia….."

The many joys of birding in Andalusia

You would be extremely hard pressed to find another area within the whole of Europe as good as Andalucia for birdwatching. Its great diversity of habitats translate into such an array of birds, not to mention other wildlife, that frequent visitors are often surprised how, on each visit, they are able to record more and more species.

Field meeting with ABS

In recent times the province has established its very own birdwatching society, the Andalucia Bird Society, with an ever increasing membership and with monthly field meetings, Andalucia birding is going from strength to strength. The society has introduced an element of serious bird study to the area, not simply casual observation, with both resident and visiting birders encouraged to supply data of their sightings and findings¹. Their website is always worth a visit and probably of equal interest is the well established open and free Forum they operate, a truly great source of information and such a wonderful way to communicate directly with local birders with local knowledge, a real bonus for those birdwatchers intending to visit Andalucia.

Hoopoe

Perhaps the most famous aspect for which birdwatching is renowned in Andalucia is the spectacle of migration. The Strait of Gibraltar provides the perfect short sea crossing for migrants to and from Africa. It is a route used from the early ages and the sheer numbers of raptors, storks and smaller passerines make it an attraction for birders from across the world. It is one of those natural wonders that all should make an effort to witness at least once in their lifetime! A great bonus, in recent times, has been the regular recording of the African species Rüppell's Vulture, seen annually and by many observers in the southern parts of the province.

Spoonbill

Of course so many areas offer excellent birding in southern Spain, just up the Atlantic coast from the Strait of Gibraltar is the wetlands of the Coto Doñana and here it’s possible to witness several mouth watering birding moments! The attractive Azure-winged Magpie is common and widespread in the Doñana and is always a must-see bird whilst visiting the area, but one of the spectacles here is the large colonies of mixed heron species breeding together, with of course the increasing Glossy Ibis present which nests alongside Purple, Black-crowned Night and Squacco Heron, Cattle and Little Egret. Raptors also attract attention and in particular the elusive Spanish Imperial Eagle. It is also possible to find odd breeding pairs of local water birds such as White-headed Duck, Marbled Teal and Crested Coot.

Bonelli's Eagle

Making your way back inland and heading southeast the areas Sierra de Grazalema and the Serranía de Ronda will not only provide a range of typical mountain birds, but scenically it probably has the most to offer in all of Spain. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty with the fauna and flora of particular interest. Here Bonelli’s Eagle has one of its highest densities in the world and this resident eagle is joined by Booted and Short-toed Eagle in the summer months. The resident Golden Eagle are increasing in this part of Andalucia and vie for breeding sites with Bonelli’s. The higher mountains hold one of the largest concentrations of Griffon Vulture in Europe and these can sometimes be joined by Black and Egyptian Vulture with Rüppell's Vulture becoming more frequent in the area. Long-legged Buzzard has a toe-hold in these parts and just adds to the wonderful array of raptors seen hereabouts! Better mention it whilst I’m here, before I forget, the area is known for its rarities and the most recent to have been sighted is Red-flanked Bluetail!

Greater Flamingo

Not too far away and going in a northerly direction from the Ronda Mountains, brings you to an area that is dotted with lagoons, the most famous of these being Fuente de Piedra. The region here is rich in agriculture and much of the land is given over to Olive production, interspersed with cereal crops. In the cultivated areas we can still find birds typical of open habitats and there remain good populations of Montagu’s Harrier, Little Bustard and lark species such as Calandra Lark. A small lagoon, the Laguna Dulce, is always worth a visit and can sometimes hold large numbers of White-headed Duck as well as the odd Crested Coot, but the real star site of this region is Fuente de Piedra with the largest breeding colony of Greater Flamingo in Europe. Most years this large lagoon holds staggering numbers of Greater Flamingo, normally in excess of 30,000 individuals during the springtime, with large areas painted pink as these large birds congregate and indulge in group courtship and displays. Gull-billed Terns have a large breeding colony here and other tern species are frequently seen in good numbers including Whiskered and Black Tern. Waders also use this lagoon during periods of migration and often rarities are reported.

Roller

Onwards and upwards we travel into the province of Granada, an area dominated by the Sierra Nevada, which has the highest mountain peak (3,482 metres) in all of mainland Spain. The higher areas of the province hold breeding Alpine Accentor and within the Sierra we can find Ortolan Bunting and Citril Finch, three much sought after species. Despite the high mountainous terrain of central Granada, it is a disappointment not to find higher numbers of raptor species, but on the plains Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Little Bustard make a journey here worthwhile, with Dupont’s Lark still remaining, if only tenuously, within the province as a resident bird. From Granada province we are spoilt for choice, continuing northwards to Jaén or southwards to Almería, both excellent areas for the exploring naturalist. For the sake of a more rounded journey, assuming the visitor’s main point of entry and departure is the central airport at Málaga, it is perhaps better to first proceed to Jaén province. If the main disappointment in the Granada area is the lack of good numbers of raptors, then this area provides instant relief with Black Vulture, Spanish Imperial and Golden Eagle widespread. In fact the raptors of the area, which also include Black-winged Kite, Goshawk and Lammergeier, make a visit an absolute must for the serious birdwatcher! Whilst large areas of the province is carpeted beneath swathes of Olive plantations, the areas Parque Natural de la Sierra de Andújar and the Sierra de Cazorla are very noteworthy for their birdlife, the former is probably the best in Spain for a chance to see the rare and elusive Pardel Lynx.

Slender-billed Gull

After visiting the other main regions of Andalucia, it is appropriate to finish the route in the very distinct landscape presented by Almería. The province has Europe’s only true desert area and is the driest of all the provinces in Andalucia. Here you can find Trumpeter Finch in arid habitats and of course the area of Gabo de Gata is in stark contrast with wetland species including Greater Flamingo. The coastal site and inlets of Gabo de Gata can be good areas to search for Slender-billed Gull as well as wader and duck species. Scrub areas near to this site can be worthwhile and Dupont’s Lark has often been sighted here. Inland mountain ranges are good for Great-spotted Cuckoo and on the higher and more sparsely vegetated areas Tawny Pipit and Northern Wheatear are common. Bonelli’s Eagle is frequent in the area and the recent breeding attempts by Cream-coloured Courser just add to the attraction of the region.

Whatever your pleasure as a birder and birdwatcher, a visit to the wonderfully colourful region of Andalucia will more than reward your efforts.

Why not join Peter on a tour in Spain or his 'special' Day Tours?

Some of the Day Tours available with Peter

Serrania de Ronda - Great day in the mountains

Steppe Country - Great Bustard land with Peter

Lagoons and Steppe - Flamingo Paradise

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India Birding - Trip Report Supplement - Species List

2010-12-18T09:55:00.000+01:00

SPANISH NATURE TOUR: India 2010
November 15th to December 4th 2010

Bird Species Listing
Number of species: c.350

Tour Leader: Peter Jones
Tour Guide: Gajendra Singh
Author: Peter Jones

The bird species list is an appendix to the main tour trip reports, please see the 2 previous blogs.

The tour was in two parts, the first in the north of the continent and the second in central India. We visited many National Parks including Corbett, Kanha, Pench and Keoladeo. The tour included a visit to the Himalayan area near to Naini Tal.

Main Bird Species Listing.

GALLIFORMES: Phasianidae

Black Francolin Francolinus francolinus

Grey Francolin Francolinus pondicerianus
Red Junglefowl Gallus gallus
Indian Peafowl Pavo cristatus

ANSERIFORMES: Anatidae
Lesser Whistling Duck Dendrocygna javanica
Greylag Goose Anser anser
Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus
Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos
Ruddy Shelduck Tadorna ferruginea
Cotton Pygmy Goose Nettapus coromandelianus
Gadwall Anas strepera
Eurasian Wigeon Anas penelope
Mallard Anas platyrhynchos
Indian Spot-billed Duck Anas poecilorhyncha
Northern Shoveler Anas clypeata
Northern Pintail Anas acuta
Garganey Anas querquedula
Eurasian Teal Anas crecca
Red-crested Pochard Netta rufina
Common Pochard Aythya ferina
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca
Tufted Duck Aythya fuligula
White-headed Duck Oxyura leucocephala

PODICIPEDIFORMES: Podicipedidae
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis
Red-necked Grebe Podiceps grisegena

CICONIIFORMES: Ciconiidae
Painted Stork Mycteria leucocephala
Asian Openbill Anastomus oscitans
Black Stork Ciconia nigra
Woolly-necked Stork Ciconia episcopus
Black-necked Stork Ephippiorhynchus asiaticus

CICONIIFORMES: Threskiornithidae
Black-headed Ibis Threskiornis melanocephalus
Red-naped Ibis Pseudibis papillosa
Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus
Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia

CICONIIFORMES: Ardeidae
Black Bittern Dupetor flavicollis
Black-crowned Night Heron Nycticorax nycticorax
Striated Heron Butorides striata
Indian Pond Heron Ardeola grayii
Western Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis
Eastern Cattle Egret Bubulcus coromandus
Grey Heron Ardea cinerea
Purple Heron Ardea purpurea
Eastern Great Egret Ardea modesta
Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia

Little Egret Egretta garzetta

PELECANIFORMES: Phalacrocoracidae
Little Cormorant Phalacrocorax niger
Indian Cormorant Phalacrocorax fuscicollis
Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo

PELECANIFORMES: Anhingidae
Oriental Darter Anhinga melanogaster

FALCONIFORMES: Falconidae
Collared Falconet Microhierax caerulescens
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus

FALCONIFORMES: Accipitridae
Western Osprey Pandion haliaetus
Crested Honey Buzzard Pernis ptilorhynchus
Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus
Black Kite Milvus migrans
Pallas's Fish Eagle Haliaeetus leucoryphus
Grey-headed Fish Eagle Ichthyophaga ichthyaetus
Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus
Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus
White-rumped Vulture Gyps bengalensis
Slender-billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris

Himalayan Vulture Gyps himalayensis

Red-headed Vulture Sarcogyps calvus

Cinereous Vulture Aegypius monachus

Short-toed Snake Eagle Circaetus gallicus

Crested Serpent Eagle Spilornis cheela
Western Marsh Harrier Circus aeruginosus
Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus
Shikra Accipiter badius
Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus
Common Buzzard Buteo buteo
Long-legged Buzzard Buteo rufinus
Black Eagle Ictinaetus malayensis
Lesser Spotted Eagle Aquila pomarina
Greater Spotted Eagle Aquila clanga
Asian Imperial Eagle Aquila heliaca
Bonelli's Eagle Hieraaetus fasciatus
Changeable Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus limnaeetus
Mountain Hawk-Eagle Spizaetus nipalensis

GRUIFORMES: Rallidae
White-breasted Waterhen Amaurornis phoenicurus
Purple Swamphen Porphyrio porphyrio
Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus
Eurasian Coot Fulica atra

GRUIFORMES: Gruidae

Sarus Crane Grus antigone

CHARADRIIFORMES: Burhinidae
Indian Stone-curlew Burhinus indicus
Great Stone-curlew Esacus recurvirostris

CHARADRIIFORMES: Ibidorhynchidae
Ibisbill Ibidorhyncha struthersii

CHARADRIIFORMES: Recurvirostridae
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta

CHARADRIIFORMES: Charadriidae
River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii
Yellow-wattled Lapwing Vanellus malabaricus
Red-wattled Lapwing Vanellus indicus
White-tailed Lapwing Vanellus leucurus
Little Ringed Plover Charadrius dubius
Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus

CHARADRIIFORMES: Rostratulidae
Greater Painted Snipe Rostratula benghalensis

CHARADRIIFORMES: Jacanidae

Pheasant-tailed Jacana Hydrophasianus chirurgus

Bronze-winged Jacana Metopidius indicus

CHARADRIIFORMES: Scolopacidae
Jack Snipe Lymnocryptes minimus
Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago
Common Redshank Tringa totanus
Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis
Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia
Green Sandpiper Tringa ochropus
Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos
Red Knot Calidris canutus
Temminck's Stint Calidris temminckii
Ruff Philomachus pugnax

CHARADRIIFORMES: Laridae
Brown-headed Gull Larus brunnicephalus
Gull-billed Tern Sterna nilotica
River Tern Sterna aurantia
Black-bellied Tern Sterna acuticauda
Indian Skimmer Rynchops albicollis

CHARADRIIFORMES: Pteroclididae
Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse Pterocles exustus

COLUMBIFORMES: Columbidae
Common Pigeon Columba livia
Oriental Turtle Dove Streptopelia orientalis
Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto
Red Turtle Dove Streptopelia tranquebarica
Spotted Dove Streptopelia chinensis
Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis
Common Emerald Dove Chalcophaps indica
Yellow-footed Green Pigeon Treron phoenicopterus
Pin-tailed Green Pigeon Treron apicauda

PSITTACIFORMES: Psittacidae
Alexandrine Parakeet Psittacula eupatria
Rose-ringed Parakeet Psittacula krameri
Slaty-headed Parakeet Psittacula himalayana
Plum-headed Parakeet Psittacula cyanocephala
Red-breasted Parakeet Psittacula alexandri

CUCULIFORMES: Cuculidae
Greater Coucal Centropus sinensis
Asian Koel Eudynamys scolopaceus
Common Hawk-Cuckoo Hierococcyx varius

STRIGIFORMES: Strigidae
Collared Scops Owl Otus lettia
Oriental Scops Owl Otus sunia
Indian Eagle-Owl Bubo bengalensis
Dusky Eagle-Owl Bubo coromandus
Brown Fish Owl Ketupa zeylonensis
Tawny Fish Owl Ketupa flavipes
Mottled Wood Owl Strix ocellata
Brown Wood Owl Strix leptogrammica
Jungle Owlet Glaucidium radiatum
Spotted Owlet Athene brama
Hume's Hawk-Owl Ninox obscura

CAPRIMULGIFORMES: Caprimulgidae
Grey Nightjar Caprimulgus jotaka

APODIFORMES: Hemiprocnidae
Crested Treeswift Hemiprocne coronata

APODIFORMES: Apodidae
Asian Palm Swift Cypsiurus balasiensis
Common Swift Apus apus
Fork-tailed Swift Apus pacificus
House Swift Apus nipalensis

CORACIIFORMES: Coraciidae
Indian Roller Coracias benghalensis
European Roller Coracias garrulus

CORACIIFORMES: Alcedinidae
White-throated Kingfisher Halcyon smyrnensis
Common Kingfisher Alcedo atthis
Crested Kingfisher Megaceryle lugubris
Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis

CORACIIFORMES: Meropidae
Blue-bearded Bee-eater Nyctyornis athertoni
Green Bee-eater Merops orientalis
European Bee-eater Merops apiaster

CORACIIFORMES: Upupidae
Eurasian Hoopoe Upupa epops

CORACIIFORMES: Bucerotidae
Indian Grey Hornbill Ocyceros birostris
Malabar Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros coronatus
Oriental Pied Hornbill Anthracoceros albirostris
Great Hornbill Buceros bicornis

PICIFORMES: Ramphastidae
Brown-headed Barbet Megalaima zeylanica
Lineated Barbet Megalaima lineata
Blue-throated Barbet Megalaima asiatica

Coppersmith Barbet Megalaima haemacephala

PICIFORMES: Picidae
Eurasian Wryneck Jynx torquilla
Rufous-bellied Woodpecker Dendrocopos hyperythrus
Brown-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos nanus
Grey-capped Pygmy Woodpecker Dendrocopos canicapillus
Fulvous-breasted Woodpecker Dendrocopos macei
Brown-fronted Woodpecker Dendrocopos auriceps
Yellow-crowned Woodpecker Dendrocopos mahrattensis
Himalayan Woodpecker Dendrocopos himalayensis
Greater Yellownape Picus flavinucha
Streak-throated Woodpecker Picus xanthopygaeus
Grey-headed Woodpecker Picus canus
Himalayan Goldenback Dinopium shorii
Lesser Goldenback Dinopium benghalense
Great Slaty Woodpecker Mulleripicus pulverulentus

PASSERIFORMES: Incertae sedis
Large Woodshrike Tephrodornis virgatus
Common Woodshrike Tephrodornis pondicerianus

PASSERIFORMES: Aegithinidae
Common Iora Aegithina tiphia

PASSERIFORMES: Campephagidae

Large Cuckooshrike Coracina macei
Small Minivet Pericrocotus cinnamomeus
Long-tailed Minivet Pericrocotus ethologus
Scarlet Minivet Pericrocotus speciosus
Bar-winged Flycatcher-shrike Hemipus picatus

PASSERIFORMES: Laniidae
Bay-backed Shrike Lanius vittatus
Long-tailed Shrike Lanius schach
Grey-backed Shrike Lanius tephronotus
Southern Grey Shrike Lanius meridionalis

PASSERIFORMES: Oriolidae
Eurasian Golden Oriole Oriolus oriolus
Black-hooded Oriole Oriolus xanthornus
Maroon Oriole Oriolus traillii

PASSERIFORMES: Dicruridae
Black Drongo Dicrurus macrocercus
Ashy Drongo Dicrurus leucophaeus
White-bellied Drongo Dicrurus caerulescens
Bronzed Drongo Dicrurus aeneus
Lesser Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus remifer
Hair-crested Drongo Dicrurus hottentottus
Greater Racket-tailed Drongo Dicrurus paradiseus

PASSERIFORMES: Rhipiduridae
Yellow-bellied Fantail Rhipidura hypoxantha
White-throated Fantail Rhipidura albicollis
White-browed Fantail Rhipidura aureola

PASSERIFORMES: Monarchidae
Black-naped Monarch Hypothymis azurea
Asian Paradise Flycatcher Terpsiphone paradisi

PASSERIFORMES: Corvidae
Black-headed Jay Garrulus lanceolatus
Red-billed Blue Magpie Urocissa erythrorhyncha
Common Green Magpie Cissa chinensis
Rufous Treepie Dendrocitta vagabunda
House Crow Corvus splendens
Large-billed Crow Corvus macrorhynchos
Northern Raven Corvus corax

PASSERIFORMES: Paridae
Spot-winged Tit Periparus melanolophus
Coal Tit Periparus ater
Great Tit Parus major
Green-backed Tit Parus monticolus
Himalayan Black-lored Tit Parus xanthogenys
Yellow-browed Tit Sylviparus modestus

PASSERIFORMES: Hirundinidae
Sand Martin Riparia riparia
Pale Martin Riparia diluta
Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica
Wire-tailed Swallow Hirundo smithii
Eurasian Crag Martin Ptyonoprogne rupestris
Asian House Martin Delichon dasypus
Red-rumped Swallow Cecropis daurica
Streak-throated Swallow Petrochelidon fluvicola

PASSERIFORMES: Aegithalidae
Black-throated Bushtit Aegithalos concinnus

PASSERIFORMES: Alaudidae
Singing Bush Lark Mirafra cantillans
Indian Bush Lark Mirafra erythroptera
Sand Lark Calandrella raytal
Lesser Short-toed Lark Calandrella rufescens
Crested Lark Galerida cristata
Oriental Skylark Alauda gulgula
Ashy-crowned Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix griseus

PASSERIFORMES: Cisticolidae
Zitting Cisticola Cisticola juncidis
Striated Prinia Prinia crinigera
Grey-breasted Prinia Prinia hodgsonii
Yellow-bellied Prinia Prinia flaviventris
Ashy Prinia Prinia socialis
Tawny-flanked Prinia Prinia subflava
Plain Prinia Prinia inornata

PASSERIFORMES: Incertae sedis
Common Tailorbird Orthotomus sutorius

PASSERIFORMES: Pycnonotidae
Black-headed Bulbul Pycnonotus atriceps
Red-whiskered Bulbul Pycnonotus jocosus
Himalayan Bulbul Pycnonotus leucogenys
White-eared Bulbul Pycnonotus leucotis
Red-vented Bulbul Pycnonotus cafer
Ashy Bulbul Hemixos flavala

PASSERIFORMES: Sylviidae
Clamorous Reed Warbler Acrocephalus stentoreus
Black-browed Reed Warbler Acrocephalus bistrigiceps
Blyth's Reed Warbler Acrocephalus dumetorum
Common Chiffchaff Phylloscopus collybita
Hume's Leaf Warbler Phylloscopus humei
Greenish Warbler Phylloscopus trochiloides
Grey-hooded Warbler Phylloscopus xanthoschistos
Lesser Whitethroat Sylvia curruca
Asian Desert Warbler Sylvia nana

PASSERIFORMES: Timaliidae
Black-chinned Babbler Stachyris pyrrhops
Yellow-eyed Babbler Chrysomma sinense
Jerdon's Babbler Moupinia altirostris
Common Babbler Turdoides caudata
Striated Babbler Turdoides earlei
Large Grey Babbler Turdoides malcolmi
Jungle Babbler Turdoides striata
White-throated Laughingthrush Garrulax albogularis
White-crested Laughingthrush Garrulax leucolophus
Striated Laughingthrush Garrulax striatus
Streaked Laughingthrush Garrulax lineatus
Blue-winged Laughingthrush Garrulax squamatus
Rufous Sibia Heterophasia capistrata

PASSERIFORMES: Zosteropidae
Oriental White-eye Zosterops palpebrosus

PASSERIFORMES: Sittidae
Chestnut-bellied Nuthatch Sitta cinnamoventris
White-tailed Nuthatch Sitta himalayensis
Velvet-fronted Nuthatch Sitta frontalis

PASSERIFORMES: Certhiidae

Eurasian Treecreeper Certhia familiaris

Bar-tailed Treecreeper Certhia himalayana

PASSERIFORMES: Sturnidae
Common Hill Myna Gracula religiosa
Bank Myna Acridotheres ginginianus
Common Myna Acridotheres tristis
Pied Myna Sturnus contra
Brahminy Starling Sturnus pagodarum

PASSERIFORMES: Turdidae
Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caeruleus
Orange-headed Thrush Zoothera citrina
Grey-winged Blackbird Turdus boulboul
Common Blackbird Turdus merula
Mistle Thrush Turdus viscivorus

PASSERIFORMES: Muscicapidae
Bluethroat Luscinia svecica
Oriental Magpie-Robin Copsychus saularis
White-rumped Shama Copsychus malabaricus
Indian Robin Saxicoloides fulicatus
Blue-capped Redstart Phoenicurus caeruleocephala
Black Redstart Phoenicurus ochruros
Plumbeous Water Redstart Rhyacornis fuliginosa
White-capped Redstart Chaimarrornis leucocephalus
Spotted Forktail Enicurus maculatus
Common Stonechat Saxicola torquata
Pied Bush Chat Saxicola caprata

Grey Bush Chat Saxicola ferreus
Isabelline Wheatear Oenanthe isabellina
Desert Wheatear Oenanthe deserti
Variable Wheatear Oenanthe picata
Brown Rock Chat Cercomela fusca
Blue Rock Thrush Monticola solitarius
Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush Monticola rufiventris
Asian Brown Flycatcher Muscicapa dauurica
Red-breasted Flycatcher Ficedula parva
Ultramarine Flycatcher Ficedula superciliaris
Tickell's Blue Flycatcher Cyornis tickelliae
Rufous-bellied Niltava Niltava sundara
Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher Culicicapa ceylonensis

PASSERIFORMES: Chloropseidae
Golden-fronted Leafbird Chloropsis aurifrons

PASSERIFORMES: Dicaeidae
Thick-billed Flowerpecker Dicaeum agile

PASSERIFORMES: Nectariniidae
Purple-rumped Sunbird Leptocoma zeylonica
Purple Sunbird Cinnyris asiaticus
Crimson Sunbird Aethopyga siparaja

PASSERIFORMES: Passeridae
House Sparrow Passer domesticus
Russet Sparrow Passer rutilans
Yellow-throated Sparrow Gymnoris xanthocollis

PASSERIFORMES: Ploceidae
Black-breasted Weaver Ploceus benghalensis
Streaked Weaver Ploceus manyar
Baya Weaver Ploceus philippinus

PASSERIFORMES: Estrildidae

Red Avadavat Amandava amandava
Indian Silverbill Lonchura malabarica
White-rumped Munia Lonchura striata
Scaly-breasted Munia Lonchura punctulata

PASSERIFORMES: Prunellidae
Altai Accentor Prunella himalayana

PASSERIFORMES: Motacillidae
Western Yellow Wagtail Motacilla flava
Citrine Wagtail Motacilla citreola
Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea
White Wagtail Motacilla alba
White-browed Wagtail Motacilla madaraspatensis
Richards's Pipit Anthus richardi
Paddyfield Pipit Anthus rufulus
Tawny Pipit Anthus campestris
Tree Pipit Anthus trivialis
Olive-backed Pipit Anthus hodgsoni
Rosy Pipit Anthus roseatus
Water Pipit Anthus spinoletta
Upland Pipit Anthus sylvanus

PASSERIFORMES: Fringillidae
Yellow-breasted Greenfinch Carduelis spinoides
Dark-breasted Rosefinch Carpodacus nipalensis
Common Rosefinch Carpodacus erythrinus

PASSERIFORMES: Emberizidae
Crested Bunting Melophus lathami
Rock Bunting Emberiza cia
Chestnut-eared Bunting Emberiza fucata
Red-headed Bunting Emberiza bruniceps

India Wildlife Adventure Tour 1: 14th November to 23rd November 2011

India Wildlife Adventure Tour 2: 24th November to 6th December 2011

Wildlife Tours to Asia: Nature Tours in Asia

Wildlife Tours to Africa: Nature Tours in Africa

Wildlife Tours to the Americas: Nature Tours in the Americas

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India Birding - Trip Report Part 2

2010-12-16T09:50:00.000+01:00

Spanish Nature – India Tour part two
November 15th to December 4th 2010

Tour Leader – Peter Jones

Tour Guide – Gajendra Singh

Author – Peter Jones

Note: The account is a daily summary only and the full bird species listing will appear in a seperate post.

Free Day (day 10). Well if you ever wondered what a bird guide does in his spare time, it’s to go birding with all the friends who came on tour! We set off early in the morning and visited Okhla Bird Sanctuary in Delhi. The reserve covers some 400 hectares and is a real jewel in the crown of India’s bustling capital. 319 species of bird have been recorded here, with over 50% coming as migrants from such far flung places as Tibet, Europe and Siberia. We were soon watching rafts of waterfowl and these included Northern Shoveler, Indian Spot-billed Duck and Ruddy Shelduck, with the vegetation around the lagoon holding good numbers of smaller birds such as Red-breasted Flycatcher, Bluethroat and Blyth’s Reed Warbler, whilst the shallows and scrapes gave us good views of some waders including White-tailed Lapwing, Ruff, Wood Sandpiper and many more. Overhead Painted Storks flew pass and there seemed to be a constant stream of both Great and Little Cormorant, with the usual suspect Black Kite abundant. The group visited Delhi during the afternoon and came back laden with shopping!

Day Eleven. To reduce our time travelling by road and in particular clearing the metropolis of Delhi, we flew in the morning from Delhi to Jabalpur and then drove the 160kms by road to Kanha National Park. The drive was punctuated by the large numbers of Indian Roller sitting on various perches over open fields and these were put into the dark by the sighting of a European Roller, a rarity in these parts. We also managed to see Asian House Martin and Streak-throated Swallow along with a few waders and raptors. Once we had arrived in our accommodation we had time for a lunch and clean-up before going on our first game drive in the park. No luck this time with a Tiger sighting, but we saw great views of a pack of Indian Wild Dog and also many other mammal species including Jackal. Birds seen within the park included White-rumped Vulture, Crested Honey Buzzard and Hume’s Leaf Warbler with several other species finding their way onto our growing tour list. Around our hotel and in the gardens Greater Coucal and Spotted Owlet gave folk an interest to further explore the area.

Day Twelve. Today was game drive day with tours inside the park, both in the morning and afternoon. The park authorities, understandably, assign routes each day and in a quest to control disturbance enforce these with the accompaniment of a park guide. The park promised much, with large open meadows and high canopy woodland. Certainly the early morning mist and large number of deer species lent a wilderness feel to these drives. Once inside the park we saw surprisingly few species of bird, but did manage Lesser Whistling Duck, Black Stork, an Eastern Cattle Egret, White-rumped Vulture and several others, but always difficult to find and never in abundance. One problem for me was the obsession of the accompanying park guide with the finding of Tiger. Of course it is everyone’s dream to see this most noble of cats, but not at the expense of virtually everything else. Fortunately we were able to deflect the attention of our park guide and managed a few extra species of birds including Collared Scops Owl (photo above), Oriental Scops Owl and both Jungle and Spotted Owlet.

Day Thirteen. Game drives are a hit or miss affair and today was to underline the uncertainty with half of us having superb views of a male Tiger, within just a few metres, and the other half of the group, travelling in a different jeep, not able to enjoy a sighting. Again, we all found the lack of variety and numbers of birds surprising given the range of habitat. Despite the success of half our group seeing Tiger, we discussed skipping scheduled game drives for the afternoon and opted to take our jeeps outside the boundaries of the main park. It was an inspired choice; we had a wonderful afternoon with birds and scenery appreciated by us all. Yet again we were to turn-up a local rarity, this time a Red-necked Grebe and also many other first sightings of species such as Wryneck, Lesser Short-toed Lark and Wire-tailed Swallow. Perhaps the most enjoyable was the invitation by our driver to visit his village and home. It was a gesture and experience we all appreciated, giving us an insight into local life and being able to enjoy the hospitality of the family within the confines of their own home. Spontaneous and fun!

Day Fourteen. We again opted to explore the areas outside the park boundary in the morning. Our time was limited due to the need for us to journey to Pench National Park later in the day, so we set-off on more or less the same route as the previous afternoon. It wasn’t long before we saw a few new species including Ashy-crowned Sparrow Lark, Greater Racket-tailed Drongo, Common Woodshrike and a host of other species. It seemed most rivers and standing water were patrolled by the beautiful Pied Kingfisher (photo right) and in a small woodland area we found Yellow-crowned Woodpecker. Our journey to Pench was highlighted by the number of raptors seen in the more open areas and these included Marsh Harrier, Common and Long-legged Buzzard, Black-winged Kite and Lesser Kestrel. We had a packed lunch and relaxed with our food in the peaceful surrounding of woodland before heading off again on our journey. It seemed our road was lined by Rhesus Macaque as family troops made dangerous forays onto the road to pick-up scraps of food, before eventually we arrived at Pench.

Day Fifteen. Our early morning game drive started well with superb views of a perched Crested Serpent Eagle (photo left) just a short way into the drive. A short distance into the park we stopped by a flooded area and saw many birds, including another rarity, at least for this area, the European Bee-eater. Oriental Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Drongo, Lesser Whitethroat and Isabelline Wheatear featured in the morning session. Over lunch we all discussed whether or not to repeat the game drive during the afternoon. I think a major difference with the Spanish Nature tour set-up, compared to many other tour operators, is the ability to remain flexible and cater for the wishes of the tour party. It was soon agreed that we repeat the option to visit outside the main park boundary and explore the more open habitat for birds. We soon felt vindicated in our choice, finding a few new species such as Chestnut-bellied Rock Thrush (another rare bird to this area), Yellow-throated Sparrow, Red-headed Bunting and the first real good views of the Brahminy Starling. It was also good to see something of the area and villages.

Day Sixteen. A bit of a travel day today, departing for Nagpur airport, onwards to Delhi and then by road to our next destination Chambal, via the city of Agra. As well as the flight went, we needed to make good time in order to leave Delhi by road avoiding heavy traffic. As it turned out it was a forlorn hope, maybe even wishful thinking as far as Delhi is concerned. Leaving a seemingly never ending built-up area was frustrating, but then again watching unorganised chaos has a kind of fascination for those who could stay awake! We had a reasonable lunch stop, the site was surrounded by wetlands and these offered good sightings of various water loving birds such as Great and Intermediate Egrets (photo right), Painted and Woolly-necked Stork plus several wildfowl, waders were also around so we did at least manage some birding. Passing through Agra was much less of a trial than expected, but still the volume of vehicles on virtually all of our journey made getting to our hotel a longer than planned day on the road. It was with much relief when we finally arrived and were able to relax with drinks and food.

Day Seventeen. I have to admit the Chambal, a river playing host to a rich diversity of life, is a favourite place for me in India. The day was in stark contrast to our long travels of yesterday, starting as it did with a leisurely cruise on the calm waters of the long and wide river. Even before we boarded the boat we saw many birds of interest, Temminck’s Stint, Kentish Plover, Sand Lark, Desert and Isabelline Wheatear plus the strange looking Great Stone Curlew. As soon as we set-off on our river journey we spotted both River and Black-bellied Tern with flocks of Chestnut-bellied Sandgrouse busy coming and going at the water’s edge in order to satiate their thirst. Indian Eagle Owl was seen resting in a shady nook on a riverside cliff, whilst Bonelli’s Eagle attracted the unwanted attention of mobbing Raven. Bar-headed Goose flocked as Osprey circled above with both Jungle Cat and Jackal seen strolling the shoreline. Soon we spotted some resting Indian Skimmer and yours truly got his 2nd lifer of the tour! We saw so many birds during the morning with another, the Variable Wheatear, making my day. A great day’s birding.

Day Eighteen. Today was options day and the group had pre-determined to visit Agra and the Taj Mahal. It is such a wonderful site and to come to India, to be so close, and not visit would be such a pity, so off the group went and returned having enjoyed their excursion. In the absence of the group, I wanted to visit one or two birding sites and do a recce for future tours. Along with a friend I ventured out to visit the Sarus Crane conservation area. We took around an hour to reach this wetland with cultivated areas and were soon seeing very large flocks of Red-headed Bunting (photo right) and Black-breasted Weaver, with Bluethroat also being common. Lots of small passerines were observed and the heron family including Purple Heron were in abundance, as of course were Sarus Crane. Visiting a lagoon we found many wildfowl and these included the ornate Cotton Pygmy Goose as well as many Black-headed Ibis feeding in the surrounding rice paddies. Yellow and Citrine Wagtail, Wood Sandpiper, Common and Jack Snipe plus a host of other species made this an area I will definitely visit again, in fact I took the group there late the same afternoon!

Day Nineteen. We left our hotel at Chambal in a fairly relaxed fashion and drove via Agra towards our next destination, the famous bird sanctuary at Bharatpur, known as Keoladeo National Park. The journey had been planned to be relaxed and so we had allowed a stop at a famous sweet and nut shop on the outskirts of Agra (where most stockpiled delicious goodies) and a drinks break nearer to Bharatpur. Before arriving at our hotel, we visited our guide’s home and village, where Gajendra spoilt us with drinks and savouries, again it was a privilege for us to be entertained and get a feel for ‘real’ India, and we also seemed to cause amusement for the local children and women, so perhaps we all benefited from the occasion. In the afternoon we visited a river habitat and wetland area on the northeast of the city, where we knew from previous visits we could get views of Great Painted Snipe (photo left) and other waders. We were not to be disappointed with great views of our target snipe and others such as Wood Sandpiper, Temminck’s Stint and Ruff plus usual suspects like Black-winged Stilt.

Day Twenty. And so we ventured into Keoladeo Park and bore witness to the spectacle of so many nesting herons, storks, cormorants and other water birds. It really is worth visiting this amazing area if only for seeing the large number of birds nesting in mixed colonies. However, before going into the wetland area, Gajendra had a thing or two up his sleeve to show us and I think we all very much appreciated him showing us the nesting Dusky Eagle Owl. We saw many raptors and among those showing really well were Imperial Eagle plus Lesser and Greater Spotted Eagle. Common Hawk Cuckoo, along with Asian Koel gave really close views whilst smaller birds to make an appearance were Purple Sunbird, Hoopoe, Long-tailed Minivet, Bay-backed Shrike, Clamorous and Blyth’s Reed Warbler with good views of the beautiful Orange-headed Thrush. Later in the day we again visited the park and soon saw Grey-headed Canary Flycatcher and lots of waterfowl, at last members of the group got good views of Pheasant-tailed Jacana and we also saw the secretive Black Bittern. Another memorable day!

Day Twenty One. Our last tour day and rather than go into the park during the morning, we decided to bird on our way back to Delhi. I knew of a site which, if there was enough water, normally gives good opportunities to see various waterfowl and waders. The area was not to let us down, there were hundreds of duck on the lagoon including Red-crested Pochard, Ferruginous Duck in high numbers, normally a scarce bird, Knob-billed or Comb Duck, Pintail, N.Shoveler, Eurasian Teal, Pochard and Wigeon, these were joined by Cotton Pygmy Goose and overhead we saw several Marsh Harriers as well as Greater Spotted Eagle. Many waders fed in the lagoon, but perhaps the greatest surprise was a flock that flew continuously not finding space that invited them to settle, they were Red Knot, just what were they doing in central India!! Sarus Crane were dancing, despite having a young bird with them and smaller birds were well represented too with Bluethroat giving good views again. It was a fitting finally to our birding, but having said that, we also managed lots of other species on our drive back!

Tour overview. For me it was such a pleasure to again visit this incredible destination. India always has the ability to surprise and delight the visitor and this tour was no exception for me. Of course my job was made easier and enjoyable by having such good friends as travelling companions, I really hope they took home great memories and enjoyed the diversity of the country as much as me. Although focused on birdlife, the tour also, almost inevitably, found other wildlife, both in abundance and great to witness. With around 350 species of birds seen, then you have to say it was a successful tour! I very much look forward to returning during 2011.

Why not join Peter and Spanish Nature on a wildlife adventure tour to India?

The above itinerary will be repeated in 2011, if you would like to find out more, please see the links below:

India Wildlife Adventure Tour 1: 14th November to 23rd November 2011

India Wildlife Adventure Tour 2: 24th November to 6th December 2011

Wildlife Tours to Asia: Nature Tours in Asia

Wildlife Tours to Africa: Nature Tours in Africa

Wildlife Tours to the Americas: Nature Tours in the Americas

To contact Peter directly please use this link: Contact us

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