tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-72067839937162475072024-03-13T13:50:52.831-04:00Nomadic BirderTrip reports, photos, scientific resarch and other bird related topicsNomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.comBlogger70125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-10879265238935084972013-01-29T20:23:00.001-05:002013-01-29T20:23:38.410-05:00Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), Belize & Guatemala (Part 4)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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After an incredible day birding the Caracol ruins deep in
the Chiquibul Rainforest, we made our way back to the Mountain Pine Ridge
Forest Reserve. Taking advantage of our high clearance vehicle, we drove down a
horrible track to an area known as Big Rock Falls – an ideal place to set up
camp for the night<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rio Frio Cave - en-route to Big Rock Falls</td></tr>
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The following morning we rose just before sunrise, broke down
camp, and birded the immediate area on foot. A sharp contrast from yesterday’s
tropical rainforest, the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve was predominately
pine forest (Honduras Pine) with a significant amount of mixed broadleaf
forests. As flocks of Mealy Parrots screeched overhead, we walk around some prime
open habitat which proved to be quite birdy. Acorn Woodpeckers and
Yellow-tailed Orioles were joined by our first Yellow-bellied Sapsuckers and
Baltimore Oriole of the trip, Azure-crowned Hummingbirds zipped by and both
Brown and Green Jays called ahead of us in the distance. This area was
particularly scrubby yielding a nice variety of warblers and sparrows including
Rufous-capped Warblers, Rusty Sparrows and the distinctive call of a Gray-crowned
Yellowthroat which was soon followed by a rewarding view. When we got back to
the 4x4, we set off for Thousand Foot Falls.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thousand Foot Falls</td></tr>
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If you’re thinking it looks a bit taller than a thousand
feet, you’re absolutely correct – it actually measures 1,600 ft and is Central
America’s tallest waterfall! Although the view is worth the trip alone, we were
also here for a specific bird – the Orange-breasted Falcon. We parked ourselves
at the overlooked waiting for the falcon but it never showed. We passed some
time and birded the surrounding area – it was mid-day, getting hot and birds
were inactive. Two Hepatic Tanagers were the most interesting. We headed back
to the overlook and asked the gate keeper if he knew when the falcon would be
around. We didn’t expect him to know but sure enough, he told us wait 15
minutes. He called it – soon enough we were watching one make several passes
across the valley and in front of the waterfall and it was soon followed by a second
individual!</div>
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The rest of the day was spent driving the gravel roads
back to San Ignacio periodically stopping along the way to get out and explore
the surrounding area. Arriving back at the main junction in the reserve, we ran
into a nice feeding flock consisting of the typical species along with two new trip
birds – Plumbeous Vireo and Grace’s Warbler. Interestingly, it’s not that often
you get to see a Yellow-throated and Grace’s Warbler in the same tree!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">4x4 came in handy</td></tr>
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Continuing on we made several more stops in broadleaf
forested patches picking up a an interesting trio of Plain Xenops, Northern
Royal Flycatcher, and Worm-eating Warbler in one flock and several
Golden-hooded Tanagers further up the road. Upon arriving in town, we settled
down in a hostel for the night and prepared for our trip into Guatemala the
following morning.</div>
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Once again, sorry for the lack of bird photos – the
others in the group focused more on the photography! Some of the next posts
will certainly have more bird photos as I start talking about Rio Lagartos and
all of the birds of the mangroves.</div>
Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-71359236633241251092013-01-07T17:28:00.000-05:002013-01-14T14:11:54.686-05:00Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), Belize & Guatemala (Part 3)After a successful day birding along Vigia Chico Road, we spent the entire following day traveling. Our first bus took us from Felipe Carrillo Puerto to the border town of Chetumal. After a quick, uneventful border crossing into Belize, we hopped on a second bus towards Belize City. Unlike Mexico’s clean modern buses, Belize uses retired school buses from the U.S., which remind me of Panama’s ‘Red Devils’, though a lot more modest.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Belizean buses</td></tr>
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Although it was great to be able to practice my fading Spanish in Mexico, it felt even better to be back in an English speaking country, which really makes logistics a whole lot easier. Unlike the rest of Central America, the official language of Belize, a former British colony, is English. Only 4% or so speak English at home though as the majority speak Spanish or Kriol. <br />
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Eventually we started seeing Magnificent Frigatebirds circling overhead - a good indication that we were arriving in Belize City. Due to the notoriously high crime, we were glad to spend very little time here and quickly boarded our next bus. The trip west towards San Ignacio offered quite a different setting than the tropical broadleaf forests of the Yucatan. Leaving the mangroves of the coast behind, we entered extensive savannah-wetlands which provided a different array of birds including Vermilion Flycatchers. <br />
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By late evening we arrived in San Ignacio – the base point for exploring some of the top birding spots in Belize. There were two focal areas that we wanted to check out – the isolated, infrequently visited Caracol Ruins and the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. In order to get to these areas, our only option was to rent a car. For those who know me, I enjoy the challenge of spending practically nothing at the same time as seeing incredible birds. I thought about it for a good two seconds and deciding that renting a car is a must. There was no way I wanted to pass up the chance. We picked up our 4x4 in town and drove into the night along terrible mountain roads into the heart of the Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve. Before setting up camp, we made a quick stop at a nearby lodge known for hosting Stygian Owls. Sure enough, we heard a single Stygian call a couple times from the parking lot – not a bad start! We never did get a view of one for the duration of the trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfRS1CA0OacA_uHYkk2P74_zkXr7qFtRiLVspDej1fjtrw0_L5BCSIiH4XBbN1hGgzaT_KMbm5m8sao_76fPwz_2iIiZNFTz1GWoyPnq17cf64qsYmvdVtl6_lRw2EtC5pcajnPyBtnfA/s1600/IMG_9920.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYfRS1CA0OacA_uHYkk2P74_zkXr7qFtRiLVspDej1fjtrw0_L5BCSIiH4XBbN1hGgzaT_KMbm5m8sao_76fPwz_2iIiZNFTz1GWoyPnq17cf64qsYmvdVtl6_lRw2EtC5pcajnPyBtnfA/s320/IMG_9920.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rental car</td></tr>
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The following morning we got up at first light and birded the area around D’Silva Forest Station as we waited for the guards to wake up. In order to drive the 60kms to the isolated Caracol Ruins, you need to be escorted by armed military personnel due to past issues of birders/tourists being robbed by Guatemalan thieves. Seeing that they only escort people once – 8am, we had to wait. It was lightly raining and unproductive around camp. Amongst the obnoxious Brown Jays and Melodious Blackbirds, we picked up several Azure-crowned Hummingbirds, Acorn Woodpeckers, Swainson’s and Wood Thrushes, and a half-dozen species of warblers among others. <br />
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We didn’t feel like waiting any longer so after a quick chat with the guards, we had permission to go early on our own. Never hurts to ask! Seeing that it was a two hour drive, we ‘tried’ to make good time to get to the ruins early but driving along a deserted road through pristine rainforest proved to be a difficult task. Flocks of Mealy Parrots screeched overhead, Gartered Trogon, Keel-billed Toucan, Stripe-throated Hermit, Violet Saberwing, Crimson-collared Tanagers…then we came to a sudden halt. A bird we didn’t expect to get on this trip – Scarlet Macaw! Four individuals teed up across the forested valley in a tall tree offering excellent looks. Although not a lifer, it was great to see them again!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Along the way to Caracol</td></tr>
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We continued onwards ticking more trip birds including our first (of many!) Ocellated Turkey of the trip as it ran across the road into the thick vegetation. We came around another bend and came to another halt – sitting right in front of us in top of a tall tree were two King Vultures!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two King Vultures</td></tr>
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Eventually we made it to Caracol and aside for a few workers, we had the entire place to ourselves. Before even leaving the parking lot, we started picking up several trip birds including two Red-lored Parrots that were sitting out on an exposed branch. After sifting through a decent sized mixed flock working the edge of the parking lot, we headed down the trail to the ruins.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Main structures at Caracol</td></tr>
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What a sight…this was our first (of three) Mayan sites that we visited during the trip and certainly my favorite. It offered an excellent combination of good birds, lack of people, and isolation. Most of our time was spent sitting on top of the largest structure enjoying distant views of a Great Curassow and a couple mixed flocks conveniently moving through at eye level. These flocks contained countless birds including Squirrel Cuckoo, Blue-crowned Motmot, White-whiskered Puffbird, Emerald Toucanet, Black-cheeked and Golden-fronted Woodpeckers, Wedge-billed and Streak-headed Woodcreepers, Slate-headed Tody-Flycatchers, Yellow-olive, Least, and Brown-crested Flycatchers, Black-crowned and Masked Tityras, White-eyed and Yellow-throated Vireos, numerous Lesser Greenlets, the attractive Band-backed Wrens, Tropical Gnatcatchers, several species of warblers, Crimson-collared and Yellow-winged Tanagers, Yellow-throated and Olive-backed Euphonias and so many more. On our way back to the car, it was great to watch a Kentucky Warbler skulking in the undergrowth – a different perspective than watching them in Southern Ohio!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sclbswDMWnjvVx4VuzWM0eU6kWvIprr8FnbyuTOjkW3OouvyhL1Mz2QP7ed_mq8-xI_YtnLENH4ZuJbhMvJkpLxv96JiQ304XAd7o1kbC9UPhciv7Q0Fw_ky7XIlouHnfk6Nryq1o2Ec/s1600/IMG_9838.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9sclbswDMWnjvVx4VuzWM0eU6kWvIprr8FnbyuTOjkW3OouvyhL1Mz2QP7ed_mq8-xI_YtnLENH4ZuJbhMvJkpLxv96JiQ304XAd7o1kbC9UPhciv7Q0Fw_ky7XIlouHnfk6Nryq1o2Ec/s320/IMG_9838.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from the tallest structure</td></tr>
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I think it's safe to say that Caracol was my favorite part of the entire two weeks. Seeing that I didn’t expect this blog post to be so long, it looks like I will finish Belize in another post.Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-34489550688186724822012-12-30T18:40:00.001-05:002012-12-30T18:49:46.623-05:00Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), Belize & Guatemala (Part 2)Back on the mainland, we took a bus 2.5 hours south (picking
up a Jabiru along the way) arriving in Felipe Carrillo Puerto a couple hours
before sunset. Originally the plan was to make a quick stop at a supermarket,
stock up on foods, and head straight to the famed Vigia Chico Road. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, we were stalled for nearly two hours
as we huddled under the supermarket overhang as it poured. The rain eventually ceased,
we caught a taxi to the road and continued walking a couple kilometers in the
dark. With our headlamps, we examined several milpas until we found one that
looked good and set up camp.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpi2AWyJ_IqYraXQtgrqTfod-ZEymdjXnL8SmSPd6C4vyqRfTFBxHm_hancK-j3ZsYXn3jpPGxA_QxAWQvFjRWkPEvWs68QUm7y8gvYr6-43Suf5xckKjxoVNqxpsy4hn2XgxCJQIy77jx/s1600/IMG-20121212-00456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpi2AWyJ_IqYraXQtgrqTfod-ZEymdjXnL8SmSPd6C4vyqRfTFBxHm_hancK-j3ZsYXn3jpPGxA_QxAWQvFjRWkPEvWs68QUm7y8gvYr6-43Suf5xckKjxoVNqxpsy4hn2XgxCJQIy77jx/s320/IMG-20121212-00456.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Rain in Felipe Carrillo Puerto</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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At first light we headed back down the footpath towards
the gravel road – the morning chorus was dominated by Yucatan Jays and the
screeches of Olive-throated Parakeets and White-fronted Parrots overhead. Vigia
Chico Road was by far one of the best areas we visited. We spent the entire day
birding along the road and various paths leading into milpas and prime forests. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO05P7dSg4o04H-Zws-Yf328jh4SAEu_qJPxkPEJC0c8zDrVoN6yGTExLQf01-8E8_nvEp0ykATJbCtp5_z8jw8w_eUdZYiAwqbbz0FS6EKiur8lyk-Y07JiQCQRW_O1kREUcvXbh2-wP/s1600/IMG_9776.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiO05P7dSg4o04H-Zws-Yf328jh4SAEu_qJPxkPEJC0c8zDrVoN6yGTExLQf01-8E8_nvEp0ykATJbCtp5_z8jw8w_eUdZYiAwqbbz0FS6EKiur8lyk-Y07JiQCQRW_O1kREUcvXbh2-wP/s320/IMG_9776.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Track off Vigia Chico Road</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I don’t even know where to begin on describing all of the
highlights. With roughly 90 species, there’s just not enough time to type
everything out! For those interested, you can find our counts for the day on
eBird here (<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12366328">http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist?subID=S12366328</a>).
Some of the highlights include: Keel-billed Toucans, Long-billed Gnatwrens,
Rose-throated Tanagers, Gray-throated Chats, and five species of orioles. Of
course, there were all of the peninsular endemics such as Yucatan Woodpecker,
Yucatan Flycatcher, Yucatan Vireo, Yucatan Jays (everywhere) and without a
doubt – the best bird of the trip, Yucatan Poorwill (SEEN!). </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3vLk3eysF8LJ3JlPuUrjPOrWZ2hyphenhyphenXsjq4s7D987tLwzARXRZi3nh_wZoNj-G9oaMJu6RfPCdfqjCQj-uTitAvupPZBcj8TrE61lD4sDriFweCXS9GlllcS9-vXRzaPfYapnkIYIBF4lH/s1600/IMG_9810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQP3FBAvY0aMNmrCknYCv_cutkNWV3PjfLZKOVlcA0R0s0mYsZTWYyfn9mWXIVgfg98Hu_AqjZGBHwf9744IOoGJcnqmMGHvzUcCFjb9q5hX-NmE5hhyphenhyphen5l4LP1Z17P_BRrn6HVpgDaVW_/s1600/IMG_9796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIQP3FBAvY0aMNmrCknYCv_cutkNWV3PjfLZKOVlcA0R0s0mYsZTWYyfn9mWXIVgfg98Hu_AqjZGBHwf9744IOoGJcnqmMGHvzUcCFjb9q5hX-NmE5hhyphenhyphen5l4LP1Z17P_BRrn6HVpgDaVW_/s320/IMG_9796.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yucatan Poorwill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3vLk3eysF8LJ3JlPuUrjPOrWZ2hyphenhyphenXsjq4s7D987tLwzARXRZi3nh_wZoNj-G9oaMJu6RfPCdfqjCQj-uTitAvupPZBcj8TrE61lD4sDriFweCXS9GlllcS9-vXRzaPfYapnkIYIBF4lH/s1600/IMG_9810.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR3vLk3eysF8LJ3JlPuUrjPOrWZ2hyphenhyphenXsjq4s7D987tLwzARXRZi3nh_wZoNj-G9oaMJu6RfPCdfqjCQj-uTitAvupPZBcj8TrE61lD4sDriFweCXS9GlllcS9-vXRzaPfYapnkIYIBF4lH/s320/IMG_9810.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yucatan Jay</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Stumbling upon a Yucatan Poorwill was out of pure
chance. Behind our camp, we heard this odd noise…perhaps a frog or insect. I
was creeping around very slowly in thick vegetation trying to track down the culprit. Just before turning
around and giving up, I noticed two eyes staring at me – Yucatan Poorwill! I could
care less what that thing was making that noise, it led me straight to the
poorwill! Not many birders get a good view of one in the middle of the day…let
alone, get a photo.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After a successful day, we laid down in our tents and listened
to Thicket Tinamous and a Collared Forest-Falcon calling not too far away. In
the morning we’d bird the road back into town and head into Belize.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I also wanted to apologize for the lack of photos. My camera
isn’t that great and since the others had good camera equipment, I decided to
focus on audio recording instead.</div>
Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-81971080110317361292012-12-27T18:45:00.000-05:002012-12-27T18:54:21.655-05:00Yucatán Peninsula (Mexico), Belize & Guatemala (Part 1)What a fantastic trip! It’s been an incredibly busy
couple weeks – after backpacking around the Yucatán, Belize, and Guatemala, I
returned on Christmas Eve and jumped immediately into the hustle and bustle of
the holidays. I still haven’t had much time to take a break yet as I prepare
for a local Christmas Bird Count that I’m compiling, but I decided I must post
something on the trip. In all, we recorded 315 species - quite a bit more than
expected!<br />
<br />
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The afternoon of December 10<sup>th</sup> I stepped out
of the Cancun Airport and met up with the two other birders joining me for the
trip. After withdrawing pesos from the ATM, we didn’t waste time and boarded an
ADO bus to Playa Del Carmen to catch a ferry to Cozumel Island. It was a nice
change to be back in the tropics leaving the gray Midwest behind. Waiting for
the ferry, we watched Magnificent Frigatebirds circling overhead, Ruddy
Turnstones and Sanderlings working the beach the occasional Sandwich Tern
amongst the hoards of Laughing Gulls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After
hearing horror stories of rough seas and sick people during the 10 mile ferry
ride, we were pleased to experience very calm seas which allowed us to sit back
and enjoy the 40min ride.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Cozumel Island is renowned for its beaches, diving, water
sports, shopping, etc. and is a popular stop for cruise ships. Normally I would
avoid touristy areas like this but Cozumel is home to several endemic species
and there’s no way I was going to pass them up. Luckily, the tourists stay near
the boat dock so the three of us ventured to the outskirts of town to our Couch
Surfing host who agreed to put us up for two nights. To our advantage, his
neighborhood was surrounded by prime island scrub. Since darkness had already
fallen, we had to wait until the morning so we enjoyed a nice local dinner
consisting of Chicharrón (fried pork skin), refried beans, and tortillas.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The following morning, we ventured out at first light walking
down the road to an overgrown track. Black Catbirds were calling from every
direction and Blue-gray Gnatcatchers, Tropical Mockingbirds, and the endemic
subspecies of Bananaquit were just as numerous. Soon we started picking up
specialties including a half dozen Cozumel Vireos amongst flocks of warblers,
Yucatan Woodpecker, Mangrove Cuckoo, and the endemic subspecies of
Rufous-browned Peppershrike. We reached the end of the track and ran into a
nice party of birds including a cooperative female Cozumel Emerald (we did see
a couple males later).</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkU_LwkfEBHdCHeXSRcNGDoypfiby7k2b-2vjM4Bw8Ci43XGFvwYrgA5jl3J9XryhovuTmv79jnFtJxlh5pZQFwUbdV4DLrXIUlUDvMjKw3EpGk6fLJILPUtpwUheD-DUnAn51-qOVc4E/s1600/IMG_9732.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijkU_LwkfEBHdCHeXSRcNGDoypfiby7k2b-2vjM4Bw8Ci43XGFvwYrgA5jl3J9XryhovuTmv79jnFtJxlh5pZQFwUbdV4DLrXIUlUDvMjKw3EpGk6fLJILPUtpwUheD-DUnAn51-qOVc4E/s320/IMG_9732.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Birdy Track</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHt66TvGtSsmsBrPqW2VJf2MgbrX7AHXGpcrUDF79cretxobAA_pVKYzKhuO5FnOriZV8CSl5q4nr3tYr2C0ql342UY2t1vsZZczI4GlnrhKyhbYVS9e4id13NxcFFariuacWhmvy1XMMI/s1600/IMG_9751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHt66TvGtSsmsBrPqW2VJf2MgbrX7AHXGpcrUDF79cretxobAA_pVKYzKhuO5FnOriZV8CSl5q4nr3tYr2C0ql342UY2t1vsZZczI4GlnrhKyhbYVS9e4id13NxcFFariuacWhmvy1XMMI/s320/IMG_9751.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black Catbird</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWGq8Pn2zXhWp8aEawGEZtbd4vdOTbfHR8ebTYIKCtHs8zg2GiacSC5tY9rJ6uvmRxvEF5bb281SXWfLBd0b870Zy2kTrG4u8uAqoEVhIr0sm55F2TAPKRq35Ff59CXKUL8fh2AlzrqAn/s1600/IMG_9749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWGq8Pn2zXhWp8aEawGEZtbd4vdOTbfHR8ebTYIKCtHs8zg2GiacSC5tY9rJ6uvmRxvEF5bb281SXWfLBd0b870Zy2kTrG4u8uAqoEVhIr0sm55F2TAPKRq35Ff59CXKUL8fh2AlzrqAn/s320/IMG_9749.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cozumel Emerald (female)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After a quick break, we headed out to another promising
patch of habitat picking up a half-dozen more Cozumel Vireos and finally…a
Cozumel Wren! This proved to be the most difficult endemic to get (aside from Cozumel
Thrasher which is presumably extinct). Too bad Cozumel Wren is currently lumped
with House Wren, but still a great pick up!<br />
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaV17KAKCG4YUpJ7-xwWNz3UwW6vyh6Xvv011j2XqRHlZ6jLntrURysk3ZZg_aCOvB3RCcrhY5K2WL3Qstoj0RajFJEXTBnPDvCdVqGlL-Smtb6PkaUoRRWXU8yA1OPZMV6gz3ATVYCwK/s1600/IMG_9742.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUaV17KAKCG4YUpJ7-xwWNz3UwW6vyh6Xvv011j2XqRHlZ6jLntrURysk3ZZg_aCOvB3RCcrhY5K2WL3Qstoj0RajFJEXTBnPDvCdVqGlL-Smtb6PkaUoRRWXU8yA1OPZMV6gz3ATVYCwK/s320/IMG_9742.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cozumel Vireo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
That evening, we ventured back to this track in search of
owls and nightjars. We only had a couple Common Pauraques, which called consistently
within close proximity. This provided me some of the best audio recordings I
recorded this trip.</div>
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
The following morning before taking the ferry back to the
mainland, we check the previous track once more picking up a few more new trip
birds including Blue-winged Warbler, Green-breasted Mango and the endemic
subspecies of Western Spindalis (aka Stripe-headed Tanager). We left the island with only 50+ species, but
that was entirely expected for an island. Next post will be on the renowned
birding location – Vigia Chico Road, which certainly gave the trip list a
boost!</div>
Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-26913948895811147352012-12-09T13:07:00.002-05:002013-01-28T00:25:13.185-05:00Mexico is calling!Several weeks ago it occurred to me that this has been the longest period of time in probably a decade that I haven’t traveled somewhere outside of the Great Lakes. Contrary to this year, in 2011 I found myself in a dozen countries…not just five states. This is blatantly unacceptable. Where have I not been yet? What can be done on a budget? Cancun, Mexico is probably one of the cheapest places to fly to south of the U.S. border – ok, let’s go to the Yucatán Peninsula! I created a quick itinerary and within a few hours of my initial idea, I started throwing out open invitations on Facebook. While most were too busy with university exams, visiting family and other preplanned trips, two birders eventually jumped on board including Eric Ripma from Indiana.<br />
<br />
For the past couple weeks I’ve been working on the ultimate itinerary - to see as much as we can in a two week period. I also enjoy the challenge of seeing how far one can go by spending as little as possible. With that said, we are not renting a car relying on the Mexican bus system and will camp for most of the trip. Here’s our route:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyuyB1m3k9EULkx25RR2MnTCvQqj7vJ32kLcS2k9OTYEogCLkYx6k-PAD_bRPbXcoQWLXQbOWPdQECaLrdknJI-sX-hX6hu1UxU80l45bUDAkQfKt0srO5dGQKCHIs4J3ZUXtZX5t-68b/s1600/Map.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQyuyB1m3k9EULkx25RR2MnTCvQqj7vJ32kLcS2k9OTYEogCLkYx6k-PAD_bRPbXcoQWLXQbOWPdQECaLrdknJI-sX-hX6hu1UxU80l45bUDAkQfKt0srO5dGQKCHIs4J3ZUXtZX5t-68b/s320/Map.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
We’ll land in Cancun and proceed doing a big loop starting off on Cozumel for island endemics. We’ll then head south spending a couple nights outside Felipe Carrillo Puerto birding along the famous Vigia Chica Road before heading further south into Belize. When planning trips, I like to include bordering countries – especially when they have a lot of potential. In Belize we’ll bird the Mountain Pine Ridge (Stygian Owl!) and the Caracol ruins. Seeing that the famous Tikal Ruins are just on the other side of the border with Guatemala, we’ll also bird there for a day before heading back into the Yucatán. From here we’ll head west to the incredible Calakmul Ruins and finish the trip at the northern tip of the peninsula at Ria Lagartos.<br />
<br />
I find it interesting to also include photos of items packed. Being a
backpacking trip, we can’t carry much. Here’s what I’m taking.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xM0i-nf8xDt-h6K78jzji6W0YG9gMvmBnBlitlRMt-HzM6dsdF-VAvBVOzvyxyMAADVf7_-HcWV-UCVQV9S5jubUQxI3jNpEPb_qrOFeBNUFkbkfQTBrd5WTkNW8aKeDNGiSo9mXpQBG/s1600/IMG_9727.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1xM0i-nf8xDt-h6K78jzji6W0YG9gMvmBnBlitlRMt-HzM6dsdF-VAvBVOzvyxyMAADVf7_-HcWV-UCVQV9S5jubUQxI3jNpEPb_qrOFeBNUFkbkfQTBrd5WTkNW8aKeDNGiSo9mXpQBG/s320/IMG_9727.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From left to right: sleeping bag (2lbs 12oz.), solo backpackers tent,<br />
camera gear, acoustic recording equipment (from the Cornell Lab of<br />
Ornithology to record songs/calls), dry bags, passport, binoculars,<br />
extra clothes and a few toiletries and essentials. Surprisingly enough,<br />
on my 4-month, nine county backpacking trip around Southern<br />
Africa, I
packed even lighter than this!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkb27xW0qKGq4ePuI6wM62eiXGzvcTqVwgecgRMT_f-w3CzQ7fvUo0l_D89jHsG869APn5KB2Kxbkkjzfj74W-mXsl4VIqgdmqX0YqJjBTyNEo88FfJza0kfCQsYN2lz6pdXyqpDNq7V9p/s1600/IMG_9730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkb27xW0qKGq4ePuI6wM62eiXGzvcTqVwgecgRMT_f-w3CzQ7fvUo0l_D89jHsG869APn5KB2Kxbkkjzfj74W-mXsl4VIqgdmqX0YqJjBTyNEo88FfJza0kfCQsYN2lz6pdXyqpDNq7V9p/s320/IMG_9730.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> All of these items fit perfectly into a camelback backpack and dry sac. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
My flight leaves early tomorrow morning (Dec 10th) at 5:25am and I won’t return until Christmas Eve. Even though I have birded much of the southern U.S. border, Panama and Ecuador, this trip should still put my world list over the 2,000 milestone! In the meantime, enjoy the holidays and check back after Christmas for a trip report!Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-11787998502035974362012-12-07T21:56:00.002-05:002012-12-07T21:56:39.797-05:00Taughannock Loon Watch (part two)<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1y5xFzB2Ap9_5PO_bS56iyXVG3-WmptSat17igfFwtLBUa26gwSh4Bpbor5-GHJFDxhulEV8J0Dzv77aoA18hUMn54MRwrCFxEVXyWsR3JbZZAuaSVDBf1ZojesNu1Fu81cH6DOxOY2f/s1600/Taughannock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1y5xFzB2Ap9_5PO_bS56iyXVG3-WmptSat17igfFwtLBUa26gwSh4Bpbor5-GHJFDxhulEV8J0Dzv77aoA18hUMn54MRwrCFxEVXyWsR3JbZZAuaSVDBf1ZojesNu1Fu81cH6DOxOY2f/s320/Taughannock.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taughannock Loon Watch - picnic table wind breaker<br />(Photo by Bill Evans)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Today marked the end of the season counting southbound loons over Cayuga Lake. Altogether, a little over 6,000 Common Loons were counted in addition to a half-dozen or so Red-throated Loons. This appears to be quite an impressive number, but looking at the years 1993 through 1997, the average was over 10,000 loons! This fall actually fell well short (~600) than the lowest count between that period (6,703 in 1994). It’s hard to say if their numbers are considerably lower than 15-20 years ago after only one season. Idealy the count should be conducted for another couple seasons to establish an average. If the numbers like this persists, then we should start looking into factors such as avian botulism, which has affected large numbers of loons in the past.<br />
<br />
Even on slow days, it’s never a dull moment on the lake. Stationary counts from Taughannock every morning, you’re bound to see other birds as well. During the five week period, I recorded over 70 other species– mostly waterfowl as you would expect. Some of the highlights include: Brant, 4,000+ Snow Geese, all three scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Merlin, Peregrine Falcons, a Golden Eagle, Snow Buntings on a daily basis, and of course, the occasional winter finch - White-winged & Red Crossbills and Common Redpoll all making an appearance.<br />
<br />
I’m really going to miss it out there. This evening I drove back home (Ohio) so that I can start packing for my trip to Mexico, Belize and Guatemala this Monday. I'll post a little more on that this weekend! Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-28213197106990426552012-11-11T18:36:00.000-05:002012-11-28T18:15:58.116-05:00Taughannock Loon Watch Bill Evans, creator of Old Bird (a nonprofit which
facilitates acoustic monitoring of avian flight calls), discovered back in
1992 that Common Loons had a significant southbound migration route over
Cayuga Lake. For those geographically challenged, Cayuga Lake is the longest of
the glacial Finger Lakes in central New York, stretching 40 miles north of Ithaca.
In the fall, Common Loons congregate on Lake Ontario and when winds are
favorable from the NW, they head south following Cayuga Lake and eventually over land towards the Atlantic coast.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Common Loon fall migration route</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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Between 1993 and the mid 2000’s, dedicated loon counters position
themselves at Taughannock (a prominent point along Cayuga Lake) every morning for two hours from late
October through early December. Thousands of loons were
counted annually with the highest seasonal total of 13,250 in 1995.<br />
<br /></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taughannock Falls State Park - point</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaBlvj4ZG_W0fK08AZSP0PKwFZaWBc-dNPIs2TqU8_In50s8-3bd-i3nq18fL5UZe1J9Gl3UKlZ6kAWHEPwDNM7c92G-jOPuw0LdygDjRPD0Jh4051a4rz1Me741_FAB4SKZx2tuCP4i6/s1600/IMG_9713.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiaBlvj4ZG_W0fK08AZSP0PKwFZaWBc-dNPIs2TqU8_In50s8-3bd-i3nq18fL5UZe1J9Gl3UKlZ6kAWHEPwDNM7c92G-jOPuw0LdygDjRPD0Jh4051a4rz1Me741_FAB4SKZx2tuCP4i6/s320/IMG_9713.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taughannock pier where the loon watch is conducted</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Seeing that the count hasn’t been conducted for several
years and this fall marks the 20<sup>th</sup> anniversary, Bill Evens invited
me to be the chief counter at Taughannock and I gladly accepted the position. I have now been counting for 13 days and the current total is 4,254 Common Loons (and 4 Red-throated Loons).<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yours truly at the loon watch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The counts are conducted for two hours every morning starting 15 minutes before sunrise and split into eight 15 min periods. The first several periods make up the first 'wave' of loons - those lifting off Cayuga Lake further north. Halfway through the two hours, there's a break and then the second 'wave' arrives, those from Lake Ontario. Unlike the first wave, these birds have already gained altitude and are sometimes only specks in the sky. Depending on weather, either wave can be exceptionally larger than the other. On November 3rd, I had well over 500 loons in the last 15 min period. By the end of that period, the loons have ceased. Apparently they were stalled, probably due to weather, and then came through all at once.<br />
<br />
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When you have big days such as November 3rd, you'll also have slow days. Fortunately, Cayuga Lake is also the migratory route for a lot of other species including all three scoters, Long-tailed Ducks and thousands of Brant. With Ithaca, Cornell University and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology right at the southern end, rarities are reported regularly so it's never a dull moment on the lake. Over the past couple weeks I've had Purple Sandpiper, Parasitic Jaeger, Red Phalarope, and finches galore. Today a Northern Gannet was reported just north of Taughannock so who knows what might fly by during one of my counts!<br />
<br />
Be sure to check back for another update...Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-33568961563260317952012-06-24T22:39:00.000-04:002012-11-11T19:00:09.324-05:00Turkey Vulture nestlingsOf the 196 species of birds confirmed breeding during the latest
Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas (2006-11, <a href="http://www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/">http://www.ohiobirds.org/obba2/</a>),
it is probably safe to say that Turkey Vultures have one of the lowest nest
confirmation rates out of all common species. Perhaps this is due to the fact that they prefer
to nest concealed away in old, abandoned barns, hollowed out logs and rocky niches.
Using data from the breeding bird atlas, the comparable Red-tailed Hawk clearly
shows the difference between confirmation frequencies. (Note: black represent
confirmed).<br />
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<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHs-6q0gKv1wblwHr7DCcnyRuZskS09BNGwEcjAIqr8I8uwtbiebUSpGy_o-RNOn6Py4cAhyphenhyphenM8Gp_B3x0_thwG_nzFAir1sB9pB1x6UNP24IcxKlI7eeusowmwCSNKVpH9_EPPmbxR-9g/s1600/RTHA+nesting.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwHs-6q0gKv1wblwHr7DCcnyRuZskS09BNGwEcjAIqr8I8uwtbiebUSpGy_o-RNOn6Py4cAhyphenhyphenM8Gp_B3x0_thwG_nzFAir1sB9pB1x6UNP24IcxKlI7eeusowmwCSNKVpH9_EPPmbxR-9g/s320/RTHA+nesting.jpg" width="290" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red-tailed Hawk - Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II results</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey Vulture - Ohio Breeding Bird Atlas II results</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Interesting enough, using <a href="http://ebird.org/" target="_blank">eBird</a> data for Ohio, during the past 10
years for the months of June-July, Red-tailed Hawk had a report rate
frequency of roughly 11% of all checklists, while Turkey Vulture hovered around
17%. With that said, you can imagine my excitement being able to monitor a nest
right down the road.</div>
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For the past three and a half weeks I’ve been in
west-central Ohio doing some non-bird related work in the agriculturally dominated
Darke County. Upon arriving, a local birder and I checked an old barn
that has had Turkey Vultures nesting there for several years and sure enough,
here is what we found…</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9EA3mh0yYYFxGuFtuKqFq7DvP-QwP2u0XASRY7Sw7fphNIrU0AembPSNtvEXvONvt3_ONJSmOvGOT-xdvkDJZSbixbHxn1-5iqaDjVbCrNhE6fXn7WVnOHLuq1yB6A945T_m3IYtwJ_1/s1600/tuvunestlings.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb9EA3mh0yYYFxGuFtuKqFq7DvP-QwP2u0XASRY7Sw7fphNIrU0AembPSNtvEXvONvt3_ONJSmOvGOT-xdvkDJZSbixbHxn1-5iqaDjVbCrNhE6fXn7WVnOHLuq1yB6A945T_m3IYtwJ_1/s320/tuvunestlings.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Turkey Vulture young</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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As we climbed the ladder, their raucous hissing immediately caught our
attention. A simple
impression in the hay tucked in the corner of the loft is all these prehistorically-looking
fuzz balls need. </div>
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After a couple weeks, we ventured back and discovered our ugly
friends have doubled in size. I took this quick video before leaving them be.
No, that’s not my cell phone having sound issues, that is the sound of two
angry vulture nestlings. Some say it has the distinctive sounds of whip cream coming out of an aerosol can. </div>
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<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzLvKYESGpnJcbhNAcuZ8xNwUSRexUW_FBZx2vkTxLP-NXvYqL7yyp36-ipxKI_MAllUf8Eve-qz6etCGV-HQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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I've always had a keen interest in bird ecology and behavior so having the opportunity to observe the nesting habits of vultures has been quite educational. In a few weeks they’ll make their first flight attempts
and eventually leave the nest.</div>
Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-47302317308785518952012-06-15T22:21:00.000-04:002012-06-15T22:30:24.351-04:00Local Patch Big YearMost birders have a local patch – either a county, backyard,
neighborhood park, or a defined radius surrounding their home and will keep a
running tally on all of species seen or heard within this boundary. Some
birders will go one step further – commit to a local patch big year to see as
many species as they can in a single year – and I did just that.<br />
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<br /></div>
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Back in mid-January, I moved to northwest Ohio to join the team at Black Swamp Bird
Observatory as the new Education and Outreach Specialist. Of the many perks,
one that clearly stood out was the fact that I was now living less than three
miles from the famed migrant trap – Magee Marsh. Combined with the nearby
Ottawa and Cedar Point National Wildlife Refuges, Metzger Marsh and Mallard Club
Marsh Wildlife Areas and Maumee Bay State Park – the Magee region is clearly an
incredible area that offers a lot migrant stop-over habitat, wintering grounds for
tens of thousands of waterfowl and prime coastal habitat along Lake Erie. I was
set.</div>
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<br />
When planning a local patch big year, or any kind of big
year for that matter, a boundary must be created. As with several other birders
in Ohio who are doing local patch big years, I wanted to set a county as the
boundary – however, my ‘local patch’ is basically split right in half by two
counties, Ottawa and Lucas. Seeing that I already have quite an advantage with
one of Ohio’s birdiest regions, I opted out doing an entire county and set the
boundary below - approximately 18 miles by 4 miles. <br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJXvw71ZHQ08KXgRjd1JPWz5QCl_CSxm79gnAYrLloxXTJEKoDTelpRFrofyMmUikWtX0DnTTT_PA18FzlR2EnfhVuQXB4MyJIOsRcAbeOn09t3ci4gHEL2XDxWN89Y-1697aoEZAj1gm/s1600/LOCAL+PATCH+FINAL.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguJXvw71ZHQ08KXgRjd1JPWz5QCl_CSxm79gnAYrLloxXTJEKoDTelpRFrofyMmUikWtX0DnTTT_PA18FzlR2EnfhVuQXB4MyJIOsRcAbeOn09t3ci4gHEL2XDxWN89Y-1697aoEZAj1gm/s320/LOCAL+PATCH+FINAL.bmp" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Local Patch Big Year boundary</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
From the beginning, I set my goal at 250 species – the bar was set high but
still reachable. By the end of May, my patch list was already sitting at 229
with some ridiculous misses (i.e. Greater Scaup, Common Loon, Black Tern, Grasshopper
Sparrow, and Pine Siskin). But there’s still plenty of time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Starting in mid-February, which is when I initially started
my local patch big year, I quickly checked off the more uncommon winter species
– Long-eared and Short-eared Owls, Lesser Black-backed Gull, Northern Shrike, White-winged
Crossbill and Common Redpoll. Thanks to
the invasion of Snowy Owls this past winter, two appeared within my patch.
Normally, Snowy Owl would go under the list of unlikely patch birds so it was
good to get that one right away.</div>
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<br /></div>
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February and March yielded good numbers of waterfowl – 27 species
to be exact. Ottawa NWR holds impressive numbers of waterfowl including upwards
to ten thousand Tundra Swans. Late March through April provided decent
shorebirding, especially south of Magee Marsh off Benton-Carroll Road and at
several of the units in Ottawa NWR. Twenty-one species of shorebirds is nothing
to complain about seeing that fall is yet to come! Highlights include American
Avocets, Upland Sandpipers, and a Wilson’s Phalarope.<br />
<br /></div>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj72u2B6O2xetxdsgxVlP9aMW_IR4CrqkJgvu9fV40tye_a6aTscm_3Bg29vQQXqOBV2o-34e2z7k9N-wktQg2sLlpjgEznKNU5fDIoC09RDGFhB1OlYjlfDPDN5WIZ-_k8Y0o3jzA6hmyE/s320/AMAV.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="320" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">American Avocets - Maumee Bay (Photo by Sherrie Duris)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Then May came around – what can I say? April 20<sup>th</sup>
I was sitting somewhere in the 140’s. By the end of May I added 80-90 species. For
those not familiar with the incredible birding in the area – Magee Marsh is one
of the top migrant stopover spots in the United States. Tens of thousands of
birders flock to Magee every spring to see warblers and other migrants literally
dripping out of the trees. I ended with 35 species of warblers including two
Kirtland’s and several Connecticut’s. Swainson’s and Worm-eating are the only
eastern warblers I still need for my patch. Other highlights for the month of
May include American White Pelicans, Glossy and White-faced Ibis, Eastern
Whip-poor-wills, several Clay-colored Sparrows and the greatest highlight yet –
Least Tern! Thanks to Ohio birder, Sherrie Duris, on May 16<sup>th</sup>, she
called me stating that she was sitting there looking at a Least Tern at Maumee
Bay State Park. Even today, I have no idea how I got there so quickly but was
able to observe it for the rest of the evening as it roosted on the beach and
took several passes along the shore. It ended up sticking around for several
days offering great views to a lot of birders. It’s not every day you get a
state bird in your local patch!<br />
<br />
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9VJQ_3Vmt-yFmPKVasgTb9GpyRjuQZRCjT_IU4BS-UWGZBDh6RDtfDNeJqZxrcdk1Ih6AgLWXUGVRGTR0CSblpR2LfYb1IDvQLI9EmQe-fhRpG6epkXr1mUEZt_2j53PmWiSFaYSJv5Q/s1600/Jerusalem-20120509-00304.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp9VJQ_3Vmt-yFmPKVasgTb9GpyRjuQZRCjT_IU4BS-UWGZBDh6RDtfDNeJqZxrcdk1Ih6AgLWXUGVRGTR0CSblpR2LfYb1IDvQLI9EmQe-fhRpG6epkXr1mUEZt_2j53PmWiSFaYSJv5Q/s320/Jerusalem-20120509-00304.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Biggest Week in American Birding crowd <br />
looking at a Kirtland's Warbler</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJRjaJrRA8womM7E3AveNBh7Ykm69KDNxwHEB9I10HMRBMCdD77j8L_ImA7RM9HoCUMvnHLjJP08SaTrg9o5F_tkCKuj8fjVMyYfKTKCkHpqgsJJsZUTVe707SvyS7NBcfbdntAmNuV_3/s1600/Least_Tern.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFJRjaJrRA8womM7E3AveNBh7Ykm69KDNxwHEB9I10HMRBMCdD77j8L_ImA7RM9HoCUMvnHLjJP08SaTrg9o5F_tkCKuj8fjVMyYfKTKCkHpqgsJJsZUTVe707SvyS7NBcfbdntAmNuV_3/s320/Least_Tern.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Least Tern - Maumee Bay (Photo by Sherrie Duris)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
Now that its mid-June, the birding has slowed down
considerably and most of my time is being spent elsewhere. It’s been over two
weeks since I’ve birded my patch and I don’t have any plans to do so for
another couple weeks. Before the end of summer I will have to find some time to
target some of the breeders including King Rail, American Bittern, Black Tern,
and Yellow-headed Blackbird. Then fall will come around and the possibilities
are endless – more shorebirds, migrants and vagrants.</div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-17234718299500334902012-02-14T19:49:00.004-05:002012-02-15T08:26:05.786-05:00Book Review: Birds of India (2nd Edition)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-zVj7c5dYGl3_dsk_OyhqzVFmfwaHiQPBXgGe9IF6IweHx21UIXpg6il1fBaS8e_oaIWp_msabHHNyIvtZ7xpIyZmEpHMtK-wNxag-GqGHBmsvLlnMPlIt_O6vFypxN9AP_Prq8_KIF8/s1600/IMG_9239.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-zVj7c5dYGl3_dsk_OyhqzVFmfwaHiQPBXgGe9IF6IweHx21UIXpg6il1fBaS8e_oaIWp_msabHHNyIvtZ7xpIyZmEpHMtK-wNxag-GqGHBmsvLlnMPlIt_O6vFypxN9AP_Prq8_KIF8/s320/IMG_9239.png" width="238" /></a></div><br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I recently received my Birds of India: Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and The Maldives (second edition) in the mail and haven’t been able to get any work done since. For those familiar with the first edition, the authors have put in an exceptional amount of work creating an even better, up to date resource and the most comprehensive field guide for the Indian subcontinent. The 226 plates (72 more than the 1<sup>st</sup> edition) covers all 1,375 species of residents, migrants and vagrants – and better yet, the range maps and text now mirrors the plates eliminating the hassle of relentlessly flipping through pages. It also includes taxonomical name changes as well as accurate, updated range maps. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As with all field guides, there will always be cons and with this guide there was one that caught my attention. A few of the plates appear to be moderately dark (i.e. shorebirds) – this can either be the artist that covered that section or simply the printers. However, the vast majority of the plates are exceptional and precise.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqr6SK2WLUCElxhJY8A891UglQScXhHk5QfI1A7aTznO8E3krgXkwYmBPv-jDoKNnY8YHvdxnwaOvQDgbM4_ssIsYgn8lSEYbJvKm55eKNRrkLDldI9Ro0CSzpxVdxQzadrJaB_DI-hoqn/s1600/IMG_9245.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqr6SK2WLUCElxhJY8A891UglQScXhHk5QfI1A7aTznO8E3krgXkwYmBPv-jDoKNnY8YHvdxnwaOvQDgbM4_ssIsYgn8lSEYbJvKm55eKNRrkLDldI9Ro0CSzpxVdxQzadrJaB_DI-hoqn/s320/IMG_9245.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plate 82: Parakeets</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp-zKgABhVwBdDufT-afef1xYR1bvnivtiP1NfFZjU1jigRlAK4FkTsakuhqWAejAjIF9omh2q_1L18r4LJB6_nliVRmTZAxPvWvW6mjWM4WSpavJ1x0P5g7poOSTys0VPkD7kftBNJe6/s1600/IMG_9244.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqp-zKgABhVwBdDufT-afef1xYR1bvnivtiP1NfFZjU1jigRlAK4FkTsakuhqWAejAjIF9omh2q_1L18r4LJB6_nliVRmTZAxPvWvW6mjWM4WSpavJ1x0P5g7poOSTys0VPkD7kftBNJe6/s320/IMG_9244.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Plate 124: Jays and Magpies</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Without a doubt, this user-friendly guide is a must for anyone heading to the Indian subcontinent or for those who simply want to add another remarkable field guide to their library. My next backpacking trip will hopefully be the Indian subcontinent and the Birds of India will certainly be the first item packed.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Note: this advanced copy of the Birds of India was sent to me by Princeton Press for review. The paperback publishes on March 7, 2012.</div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-51385734612841034602012-02-06T09:21:00.004-05:002012-02-06T14:49:14.512-05:00Possible Hoary Redpoll<div style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yesterday, Cleveland birders Paula Lozano and Bob Finkelstein joined me on a quick jaunt into the heart of Toledo in search of finches. Woodlawn Cemetery, our destination, has been hosting White-winged Crossbills and Common Redpolls for most of the winter. To cut to the chase, it didn’t take long before we were watching roughly 70 Common Redpolls and 45 White-winged Crossbills – not bad for a non-irruption year!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As I reported elsewhere, amongst the Common Redpolls was a good candidate for a female Hoary. A shorter, stubbier bill, clean rump and undertail coverts, thin streaking on its flanks and a generally frostier appearance is what caught my attention. I wasn’t able to get the greatest photos that would clinch its identification but would like to hear from others what they think. So far I’ve privately sent these photos to a few other birders and the general consensus is leaning towards Hoary.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHafgvaeBoSrvtthoM222dVAGZ0N-zDspthFhKIU0dlQLPcEI_vPhbOdCyC_3HxzNY99HsYs9Ism4ytbJliOIBUzU18XvgullojifdgtAVIVQ0Ic2t7tuSd7Nnr_c7ZT3teAuTagXM25LP/s1600/Redpoll.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHafgvaeBoSrvtthoM222dVAGZ0N-zDspthFhKIU0dlQLPcEI_vPhbOdCyC_3HxzNY99HsYs9Ism4ytbJliOIBUzU18XvgullojifdgtAVIVQ0Ic2t7tuSd7Nnr_c7ZT3teAuTagXM25LP/s320/Redpoll.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Note pale rump and undertail coverts, thin streaking<br />
on flanks and general frostier appearance</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcE8qZv4DlYrkfcqq8FifMcMcIF0o4aXzKXhe7D5JfJU9AK97ZO_wfY9f6hmVzdzg4fbojZpEIK5q52ilEpQK_BN-IvyUzifVZNw9ZTc05snhS4JhrkeeAzEJmF1dorn3WC4yaPBsYWjP/s1600/redpoll2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRcE8qZv4DlYrkfcqq8FifMcMcIF0o4aXzKXhe7D5JfJU9AK97ZO_wfY9f6hmVzdzg4fbojZpEIK5q52ilEpQK_BN-IvyUzifVZNw9ZTc05snhS4JhrkeeAzEJmF1dorn3WC4yaPBsYWjP/s320/redpoll2.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unfortunately, none of my photos showed<br />
the short, stubby bill</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulyNAjLRWTOh81F4p0BVSdeW2RQEM4NWQhYht9FO00y21PTHMgKg3obfZLM4Tw7wUTWxkcdgBebm7QQ2rTb8kLIWr4GdZJoMgr_XAZQSJuwyr0aF1yZjRtA5q8w8UJ8v5wvN3sUhRxOvC/s1600/redpoll3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulyNAjLRWTOh81F4p0BVSdeW2RQEM4NWQhYht9FO00y21PTHMgKg3obfZLM4Tw7wUTWxkcdgBebm7QQ2rTb8kLIWr4GdZJoMgr_XAZQSJuwyr0aF1yZjRtA5q8w8UJ8v5wvN3sUhRxOvC/s320/redpoll3.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angle showing frostier appearance</td></tr>
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeA-av0wFrSk-j9FX7t21jyuBFsyx1PGA5CEN95zALgKcHGICty9LJtt0uBq9v3ozjniEg79uxU7aoh1OPDD7nQAafIDYLlP1FJbbUFPWTLQFFzGeh5aCMbWMP2Ql-UpVqie0UJ87vMqMC/s1600/redpoll4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeA-av0wFrSk-j9FX7t21jyuBFsyx1PGA5CEN95zALgKcHGICty9LJtt0uBq9v3ozjniEg79uxU7aoh1OPDD7nQAafIDYLlP1FJbbUFPWTLQFFzGeh5aCMbWMP2Ql-UpVqie0UJ87vMqMC/s320/redpoll4.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />
</div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-87359569387434201412012-01-07T23:38:00.004-05:002012-01-18T19:38:28.702-05:00Black-tailed Gull in Ohio<div class="MsoNoSpacing">Back on November 16<sup>th</sup> last year, while backpacking somewhere in Tanzania, I remember checking my phone and learning that a Black-tailed Gull was discovered in Ashtabula, Ohio – a first state record and 20<sup>th</sup> species of gull for Ohio (if accepted). Being 8,000 miles away, I had to accept that fact that I’m just not going to get that bird. OK, not just ‘that bird’, but an ABA Code-4 vagrant from East Asia! Fast-forward to today, the gull remains after nearly two months! Incredible and probably one of, if not the longest, staying Black-tailed Gull in North American history. It will be interesting to see just how long it decides to stick around.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Obviously this is a state bird, well ABA bird, ok a lifer to be exact so I was pleased to return to Ohio a few days ago and see that the gull was still being regularly reported. This morning, Ryan Steiner and I ventured up there and after two hours, the gull was found. What a great bird to return to Ohio for!</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWJ4UTczPlbhR33Dz3LAoeMw6NxdHcmzVyWzUa5A2DvFuwL2Q-P0eFT6ir5PmdoEal7bzaAWYRibQrygphHIq3UFcg4H2yF6T9AXpG70FXdfGoyiVc3e_y1PJjUPu_tGTV3Kb4MGkitAR/s1600/screen-shot-2011-11-25-at-1-22-44-am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWJ4UTczPlbhR33Dz3LAoeMw6NxdHcmzVyWzUa5A2DvFuwL2Q-P0eFT6ir5PmdoEal7bzaAWYRibQrygphHIq3UFcg4H2yF6T9AXpG70FXdfGoyiVc3e_y1PJjUPu_tGTV3Kb4MGkitAR/s320/screen-shot-2011-11-25-at-1-22-44-am.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Showing obvious black sub-terminal tail band (c) Chris West</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog8QVssJbsiNrfvNkQ65_Y9tSsfImE8CBN3-xOnArLgcc0t5KTN-ZU61PAF7y6Qv8-YLSzyZ3IXKx_3iSjiy1PFxUV3ujff9eAHfu7fYDwoM9k885wu348y3BYbce233gfIkhXYydHa6Z/s1600/screen-shot-2011-11-25-at-1-22-57-am.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhog8QVssJbsiNrfvNkQ65_Y9tSsfImE8CBN3-xOnArLgcc0t5KTN-ZU61PAF7y6Qv8-YLSzyZ3IXKx_3iSjiy1PFxUV3ujff9eAHfu7fYDwoM9k885wu348y3BYbce233gfIkhXYydHa6Z/s320/screen-shot-2011-11-25-at-1-22-57-am.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BTGU resting (c) Chris West</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Jen Brumfield has been tracking its sightings, movements, habits etc on her website at (<a href="http://northnw.wordpress.com/bt-gull/">http://northnw.wordpress.com/bt-gull/</a>) so be sure to check it out for up to date information and maps if you’re heading that way. </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">What will be next?</div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-68554067362725556772012-01-05T09:15:00.005-05:002012-11-28T17:42:59.129-05:00Final report from Africa<span style="font-size: small;">Peering out the window there’s a thin coating of snow and a wind chill of 21˚F – as you have probably guessed, I’m no longer in Africa. After my previous blog post two and a half weeks ago, fellow Ohio birding friend Brad Wilkinson joined me on a quick Cape to Kruger spree concluding in Johannesburg, where I boarded a flight back to the states…indefinitely. After an incredible two years living in Cape Town, South Africa, I’m now back in Ohio where I will be busy as the new Education and Outreach Specialist for Black Swamp Bird Observatory along with several other projects.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"> <span style="line-height: 115%;">I’ve learned that traveling and maintaining a blog concurrently is a difficult task. Preferring to blog about present day topics, I will regretfully delay concluding my write-ups on my four month backpacking trip until a further date and instead wrap up 2011 with some photos from my recent Cape to Kruger trip.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Cyz9fFaN2s/TwWtVRE4rAI/AAAAAAAAApg/m4N3UlQHAE8/s1600/IMG_8823.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_Cyz9fFaN2s/TwWtVRE4rAI/AAAAAAAAApg/m4N3UlQHAE8/s320/IMG_8823.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This shy African Penguin is part of a much larger<br />
colony at Boulder's Beach, Cape Town - one of<br />
only two populations on the mainland</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mFncS8iSS2I/TwWpPHYOBMI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/HWWHsDUwcNc/s1600/IMG_8835.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-mFncS8iSS2I/TwWpPHYOBMI/AAAAAAAAAoQ/HWWHsDUwcNc/s320/IMG_8835.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">While looking for endemic larks in the Agulhas Plains,<br />
this African Pipit hopped into view with some nesting material</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fvDQOOZPKAc/TwWpW-MkOqI/AAAAAAAAAoY/nHdQHvftRF0/s1600/IMG_8853.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-fvDQOOZPKAc/TwWpW-MkOqI/AAAAAAAAAoY/nHdQHvftRF0/s320/IMG_8853.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The national bird of South Africa, these Blue Cranes<br />
are common in the Agulhas Plains</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-klVrTtnkugU/TwWpguPpm1I/AAAAAAAAAog/DJyTXnnp2iQ/s1600/IMG_8890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-klVrTtnkugU/TwWpguPpm1I/AAAAAAAAAog/DJyTXnnp2iQ/s320/IMG_8890.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Many great birds were found at Mkuze Game Reserve<br />
but the more widespread Lesser Masked-Weaver<br />
allowed the best photography</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NMBPauWasHE/TwWsVYwzTII/AAAAAAAAApU/kAcnAAdA7S8/s1600/IMG_8927.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NMBPauWasHE/TwWsVYwzTII/AAAAAAAAApU/kAcnAAdA7S8/s320/IMG_8927.png" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Countless mammals were recorded on the trip including<br />
Leopard, Spotted Hyenas, Sable Antelope and this White Rhino</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pOUj-VCqK7A/TwWpvb3gmuI/AAAAAAAAAow/Rxi9N69RweU/s1600/IMG_8959.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-pOUj-VCqK7A/TwWpvb3gmuI/AAAAAAAAAow/Rxi9N69RweU/s320/IMG_8959.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wakkerstroom is a must if you bird South Africa<br />
offering a lot of range-restricted species including<br />
Botha's and Rudd's Larks. However, the more<br />
common Long-tailed Widowbird is always a sight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ctFChpyppzo/TwWpxoGifEI/AAAAAAAAAo4/lAzZv-GNj0o/s1600/IMG_8997.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ctFChpyppzo/TwWpxoGifEI/AAAAAAAAAo4/lAzZv-GNj0o/s320/IMG_8997.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eastern Long-billed Lark is also found around<br />
Wakkerstroom on rock-covered slopes</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-63V7FV3pd6U/TwWp7YUt35I/AAAAAAAAApA/346ykMIlSbw/s1600/IMG_9026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-63V7FV3pd6U/TwWp7YUt35I/AAAAAAAAApA/346ykMIlSbw/s320/IMG_9026.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kruger National Park is the size of Switzerland<br />
yet traffic jams still occur</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BcGCBK4y-ZQ/TwWqEyWM4QI/AAAAAAAAApI/z84_B-4H-_c/s1600/IMG_9117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BcGCBK4y-ZQ/TwWqEyWM4QI/AAAAAAAAApI/z84_B-4H-_c/s320/IMG_9117.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The vulnerable Southern Ground Hornbill is<br />
the largest species of hornbill in the<br />
world weighing between 5-10lbs</td></tr>
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Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-84646651121438889662011-12-18T18:14:00.002-05:002012-06-14T09:15:23.021-04:00Tanzania – the heart of East Africa (Part 3)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Extending from the Taita Hills of Kenya south to the Udzungwa Mountains of southern Tanzania lies the endemic-rich Eastern Arc Mountains. Nicknamed the Galapagos of Africa, several of the ranges such as the Udzungwa, Uluguru and Usambara Mountains hold scores of endemics and some of the best birding in East Africa. Due to the lack of glaciations and relatively steady climate, the flora and fauna of these tropical forests had plenty of time to evolve becoming a very unique ecosystem. </div>
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After having to pass up the Udzungwa and Uluguru Mountains, I was eager to spend four days birding the East Usambara Mountains. Upon arriving back to the mainland, I met up with the owners of Emau Hill Forest Camp who offered to give me a lift to camp – a three hour journey up a terrible mountain road. Emau Hill offers a great base point for exploring Amani Nature Reserve and the rest of the Usamabaras.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI97MeQ74lgzmR9lIVWV-XUZLbuMXUe99edI05VR7yPRXuUUgX09D4lmoR93WBGLx60d3xN1L8QU0c_9se88WzhcEv9j4qhCHsRST-7jKpN4Vwkv8WqOgAgfSHIrvwxoSs8_Nw2odP-AQJ/s1600/IMG-20111117-00163.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI97MeQ74lgzmR9lIVWV-XUZLbuMXUe99edI05VR7yPRXuUUgX09D4lmoR93WBGLx60d3xN1L8QU0c_9se88WzhcEv9j4qhCHsRST-7jKpN4Vwkv8WqOgAgfSHIrvwxoSs8_Nw2odP-AQJ/s320/IMG-20111117-00163.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emau Hill Forest Camp</td></tr>
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The first three days were spent birding around camp and nearby trails; you don’t have to go very far to find great birds. On my first morning I woke to the loud calls of Silvery-cheeked Hornbills and Fischer’s Turacos – no need for an alarm clock! Leaving my tent I explored around the garden adding countless birds to my trip list – Olive and Uluguru Violet-backed Sunbirds, Montane White-eye, Southern Citril, Red-backed Manikin, Yellow-bellied Waxbill, Black-throated Wattle-eye and several species of Greenbuls mostly restricted to the Eastern Arcs. This place was phenomenal! </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi107K-LxJxIVAVfISBJcwNIUhwceat8Lj2MYh5xVkU2LFErFvDYCEsvfDYRUP99GuJ08lESJqqQ_1JTDnj_nXswrl1iW_NR2iZVSogSsafcPTVU6mXu4xXCiwjE3oJThGbHmvMM418SeiM/s1600/375500_10150452768492922_673607921_10226787_360330177_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi107K-LxJxIVAVfISBJcwNIUhwceat8Lj2MYh5xVkU2LFErFvDYCEsvfDYRUP99GuJ08lESJqqQ_1JTDnj_nXswrl1iW_NR2iZVSogSsafcPTVU6mXu4xXCiwjE3oJThGbHmvMM418SeiM/s320/375500_10150452768492922_673607921_10226787_360330177_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">East Usambaras near Emau</td></tr>
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Day by day I was adding endless trip birds – Mountain and Gray Wagtails, Evergreen Forest-Warbler, Kenrick’s and Waller’s Starlings, Cabanis’s Bunting, Baglafecht Weaver, White-browed Barbet, Long-crested Eagle – my list was getting an enormous boost. The ultimate highlight though was an Usambara Eagle-Owl - one of the most difficult endemics – that I had early on the second morning calling from the opposite side of the valley. </div>
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Following a successful three days around camp I hitched a ride back down the mountain with one of the tour groups that were present during my stay. Obviously you don’t stop birding once you enter a vehicle so on our way down we were adding several more good birds including Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird, Mombasa Woodpecker, Red-tailed Rufous-Thrush, Red-capped Robin-Chat, Black-and-white Flycatcher, Little Yellow Flycatcher and the highlight of the day – Usambara Hyliota! This little known, minute, endemic is mainly recorded from the foothills of the East Usambaras. It is listed on the endangered list as its entire population is roughly 1,000 – 2,500 individuals, according to Birdlife International, and its habitat is disappearing at a rapid pace. </div>
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It was hard to leave what I would consider my favorite region of Africa yet, but there was still more birding to be done. After returning to civilization, I took a bus 8-9 hours to Arusha and settled down at a backpackers for the night. </div>
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About an hour north of town lie the Angyata Osugat Plains, east of the village Engikaret in the rain shadows of Mt. Kilimanjaro and Mt. Meru. These Massai lands are well-known for one of the rarest birds on the African continent – the Beesley’s Lark. A recent split from the more common Spike-heeled Lark, these birds number no more than 100 individuals. After a much needed goodnights rest, I headed north in search of these rarities. With tips from local birding legend, James Wolstencroft, I was able to find two Beesley’s after about three hours of searching! I can’t even explain the rush that went through me as I watched one of the rarest birds in Africa with Mt. Kilimanjaro in the distance. Other birds of note include Montague’s Harrier, Kori Bustard, Temminck’s Courser, Athi Short-toed Lark and Fischer’s Sparrowlark.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6H91Am91TLuvVcSfHGaV8VcCknIQj4_9ejRYMp__hxEcjZGBQbBDu42KpWvHg5wTinctv4OKElzpSIVk-c7_a4mZ1RH9WApnEFO9ihWKM3MlWkr2Sn7FJOW56HzGsemKeR5v1Qp6LOro/s1600/IMG_8731.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjC6H91Am91TLuvVcSfHGaV8VcCknIQj4_9ejRYMp__hxEcjZGBQbBDu42KpWvHg5wTinctv4OKElzpSIVk-c7_a4mZ1RH9WApnEFO9ihWKM3MlWkr2Sn7FJOW56HzGsemKeR5v1Qp6LOro/s320/IMG_8731.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angyata Osugat Plains</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpQOPXdjjqLiiwpHu0oifitd_sA6YBpPQpnGQgPkIUHXXFIbiQ9gX-30wa_p5WG8W7oEIRNO5brMZl9oMv4ykpz3NrLSr38jxL5V1Dmba-rmnvxRWA7_AX0I7pnI_EC-2whgn3y9EcO5o/s1600/IMG_8736.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpQOPXdjjqLiiwpHu0oifitd_sA6YBpPQpnGQgPkIUHXXFIbiQ9gX-30wa_p5WG8W7oEIRNO5brMZl9oMv4ykpz3NrLSr38jxL5V1Dmba-rmnvxRWA7_AX0I7pnI_EC-2whgn3y9EcO5o/s320/IMG_8736.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beesley's Lark</td></tr>
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Although nothing could come close to topping the Beesley’s, I continued birding the final hour of daylight in the nearby Acacia-commiphera woodlands. Being a new area I haven’t birded, I was able to pick up quite a few new birds including White-bellied Go-Away Bird, Von Der Decken’s Hornbill, Red-tailed Shrike, Superb and Hildebrandt’s Starlings, Beautiful Sunbird, Kenya Rufous Sparrow and White-bellied Canary. Before I knew it, it was dark and I headed back to Arusha.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVB-ATbya7BGU-P36-RshhwvbqzAxar4EVK9FAZl1TYJd4qy_oT08hwTdn1O_-ylRaRkhuzxVFj5Y9qDySradBpmrEQ1LjU4dPZG3Z4Fzqh-pMxSHi8EtyyFhESAlVi8rEN8ItvsDOsdVX/s1600/IMG-20111120-00166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVB-ATbya7BGU-P36-RshhwvbqzAxar4EVK9FAZl1TYJd4qy_oT08hwTdn1O_-ylRaRkhuzxVFj5Y9qDySradBpmrEQ1LjU4dPZG3Z4Fzqh-pMxSHi8EtyyFhESAlVi8rEN8ItvsDOsdVX/s320/IMG-20111120-00166.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Drive back to Arusha</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqzjpHtWNd_xrSo-rnc6nQB8P0qXpXBQN3Vok9zxoYs4vVhnF1aB92bSOCXFwqet9CArFaFu7VClR08Kog3x8ZeIzObhEXXUlo89tuzFpBeMnyxnpSUk4FWnCNe99h6FLmYqvpEK1nCfJ/s1600/IMG_8749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEqzjpHtWNd_xrSo-rnc6nQB8P0qXpXBQN3Vok9zxoYs4vVhnF1aB92bSOCXFwqet9CArFaFu7VClR08Kog3x8ZeIzObhEXXUlo89tuzFpBeMnyxnpSUk4FWnCNe99h6FLmYqvpEK1nCfJ/s320/IMG_8749.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Kilimanjaro</td></tr>
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Unfortunately, this ended my last day of birding in Tanzania as it was time for me to start heading back south - I needed to be in Cape Town by December 10th (20 days away) and I still needed to travel through Malawi, Mozambique and across South Africa.<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-84582633619209306932011-12-17T09:06:00.007-05:002011-12-17T09:27:56.602-05:00Tanzania - the heart of East Africa (Part 2)Off the coast of Tanzania lies Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous archipelago consisting of two main islands and numerous smaller islets. The larger and more populated Unguja Island, informally known as Zanzibar, is a popular tourist destination offering white sandy beaches, shop browsing in Stone Town, and some of the best scuba diving off the coast of Africa. The smaller, less frequently visited Pemba Island to the north is less developed and more appealing to naturalists. If this wasn’t a bird/nature orientated blog, I would go on forever talking about the fascinating, rich Muslim culture of the islands but for the meantime, I will try to keep it bird related.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1FgdSt0ycM2cx_ZC6G1jBmdwRpImMpylu2aBYNARa-V95snoE2nMjSfZJZka9ESNtWIkSXsuRV_fuGHzPpqhGuGMVYb1fGj8xe6v6Y9W_akT1Jo8SjJAzXRW1gBM59iY_QjLK0h_kH0K/s1600/IMG_8666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho1FgdSt0ycM2cx_ZC6G1jBmdwRpImMpylu2aBYNARa-V95snoE2nMjSfZJZka9ESNtWIkSXsuRV_fuGHzPpqhGuGMVYb1fGj8xe6v6Y9W_akT1Jo8SjJAzXRW1gBM59iY_QjLK0h_kH0K/s320/IMG_8666.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stone Town</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> From Dar es Salaam, I hopped on a ferry to Stone Town, the largest city in the archipelago where I spent three nights exploring the historical town and the rest of Unguja Island. Although bird-wise it’s not that exceptional, there are two endemic mammals – the endangered Zanzibar Red Colobus (Monkey) numbering around 1,000-1,500 individuals and the presumably extinct Zanzibar Leopard. The local belief that the leopards were kept by witches to wreck havoc on the villagers combined with habitat encroachment caused their decline. Unguja is also home to an endemic subspecies of the Servaline Genet.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfu7XGW3JiHNahyphenhyphenGv6ldYQ5xrhoYvYBipOmSohkN4J50T_N-_CJqFzC_JlItr5BdCLFJMAbJu1P9cSyqOlu6KR1tg2awpMGtVEgd4WyW9QdULH8xImyPoD4RRXP1NsbVp3uKPkANRTWvtP/s1600/IMG_8696.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfu7XGW3JiHNahyphenhyphenGv6ldYQ5xrhoYvYBipOmSohkN4J50T_N-_CJqFzC_JlItr5BdCLFJMAbJu1P9cSyqOlu6KR1tg2awpMGtVEgd4WyW9QdULH8xImyPoD4RRXP1NsbVp3uKPkANRTWvtP/s320/IMG_8696.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paja Beach</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Besides observing a few shorebirds on the beaches, the only real birding I did on the island was an hour at Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park, particularly to see the Zanzibar Red Colobus, being at their stronghold in this 19 sq mile park. It took no effort to find them as they were hanging along the main road and around the parking lot. Birding was considerable slow but Black-bellied Starling, East Coast Boubou and Dark-backed Weaver made a showing.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UKLRNaz0sYdmbdcXo4Jmk21nrOJjXxxLbfnTO3pGl5OqlH7IrtKiI5-xubRKnEoTAe1PjmPOVD9qhobQaV4EYlagflsoAINMp3mfLS2lGnIN4IPEUCFLAfqUVAdkePCseJ_2sy4ka98u/s1600/IMG_8694.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_UKLRNaz0sYdmbdcXo4Jmk21nrOJjXxxLbfnTO3pGl5OqlH7IrtKiI5-xubRKnEoTAe1PjmPOVD9qhobQaV4EYlagflsoAINMp3mfLS2lGnIN4IPEUCFLAfqUVAdkePCseJ_2sy4ka98u/s320/IMG_8694.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jozani Forest</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFcBlj3NragGNhfXr9lpLsX6EUKO_jhkH7DPMq5_gNHoa9JItx_AiqBApoLIi1nzRK7xOivapnPLmlJmgHqkoYYTHMqgGaNWESYmKBLVo6QyYANkLO6WilfVlV5Z_fq6oDEN2MUcqprc8/s1600/IMG_8690.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrFcBlj3NragGNhfXr9lpLsX6EUKO_jhkH7DPMq5_gNHoa9JItx_AiqBApoLIi1nzRK7xOivapnPLmlJmgHqkoYYTHMqgGaNWESYmKBLVo6QyYANkLO6WilfVlV5Z_fq6oDEN2MUcqprc8/s320/IMG_8690.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zanzibar Red Colobus</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> On the fourth day I hopped on another ferry to Pemba, an island off the tourist route, which still holds on to its very traditional Muslim heritage. During my four night stay, I only saw 3-4 other ‘westerners’. Based out of Wete, the largest town on the island, my goal was to see all four endemics: Pemba Scops-owl, Pemba Green-Pigeon, Pemba White-eye and Pemba Sunbird as well as the incredibly massive Pemba Flying Fox – a species of bat that went nearly went extinct but now numbers around 20,000. To see what they look like, check out (<a href="http://tinyurl.com/892m4ut">http://tinyurl.com/892m4ut</a>)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Upon arriving to Wete in the evening, I watched as thousands of the crow-sized Pemba Flying Foxes were leaving their roost to forage for fruit and later that night heard my first of the endemics – a Pemba Scops-owl. The following two days I easily picked up the more common of the endemics, the sunbird and white-eye just around town leaving the Pigeon – the most difficult of the four. North of Wete is the Ngezi Forest Reserve – one of the most reliable areas to find them. Due to the lack of a vehicle and dalla dallas (local transportation) I decided to chat to the locals instead as they usually know more about the local birdlife than anyone else. Shortly later I was watching three Pemba Green-Pigeons, or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">ninga</i> as the locals call them, in a known roost tree. No need heading all the way to Ngezi when you have help from the locals! Other interesting birds I had on the island include Brown-headed Parrot, Mangrove Kingfisher, Broad-billed Roller and Palm-nut Vulture.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ98geE6-Wm4Cu5d7IO3TvuXEE_Ly-lrk9HVRsIKs6VyFcD02QoGj7HZH2PhaWdhsr9M7iOyQqiwJUAjyKAa6tOGJzmPqfnRanm37JwXQNP7V3VZ01Aynl6gk2xWK310CH4fAxPH23zsyp/s1600/IMG_8708.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZ98geE6-Wm4Cu5d7IO3TvuXEE_Ly-lrk9HVRsIKs6VyFcD02QoGj7HZH2PhaWdhsr9M7iOyQqiwJUAjyKAa6tOGJzmPqfnRanm37JwXQNP7V3VZ01Aynl6gk2xWK310CH4fAxPH23zsyp/s320/IMG_8708.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mangroves on Pemba</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"> Before I knew it, I was on a flight back to the mainland ending my week on the Zanzibar archipelago. It was time to head to the endemic-rich East Usambara Mountains and Mt. Kilimanjaro! (End of part 2)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">(Note: sorry for the lack of bird photos, after nearly 3 months, my photo taking became lazy)</div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-80747976211516136582011-12-13T15:51:00.007-05:002011-12-13T17:19:32.670-05:00Tanzania – the heart of East Africa (Part 1)<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">H</span>ome to some of the oldest human fossils on earth, the vast Serengeti where the great wildebeest migration occurs, Mt. Kilimanjaro – Africa’s tallest mountain, Zanzibar and it’s incredible beaches, and some of the most fascinating cultures, Tanzania should be on the top of everyone lists of places to visit. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCw3S00N_Cbfm3Ce9ti1LdFLFuhT3L8rTrS2eojlLVy7lGP5zNesFBuJLliijIosdxS5Rohnwa27bq1P_Ayd7Jeprg51n9qIpxO03xDnKG_uUGhrtLvOfbKJisbfEcNNPOdPJHT_62TnVP/s1600/IMG_8749.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCw3S00N_Cbfm3Ce9ti1LdFLFuhT3L8rTrS2eojlLVy7lGP5zNesFBuJLliijIosdxS5Rohnwa27bq1P_Ayd7Jeprg51n9qIpxO03xDnKG_uUGhrtLvOfbKJisbfEcNNPOdPJHT_62TnVP/s320/IMG_8749.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mt. Kilimanjaro</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This geographically diverse country has everything from montane forests, tropical coast, deserts, savannah grasslands, scrub and the largest freshwater lake in the world – it’s no wonder the bird list surpasses 1,000 species! Not only that, the endemic-rich Eastern Arc Mountains and the coastal forests are part of two major Biodiversity Hotspots in eastern Africa. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The idea of going to Tanzania was on the spur of the moment. My three month travel visa for Namibia was about to expire and I was planning my route back to Cape Town via Botswana. I really did not want my trip to come to an end so after getting word of a train that takes you from central Zambia all the way to the coast of East Africa; I was on that train within a couple days! You must understand, I had no knowledge on Tanzania, the birds, the culture, nothing - I was headed to foreign lands. I did some quick research on the internet creating a basic itinerary and picked up the Birds of Africa south of the Sahara (which includes East Africa) in Lusaka before boarding the train.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGScETkuA-PHLLeEk3yu5t82EwnoQQsALis7IaKGu__PxEerAt98HEl_l6GlJKioykuAejZCAIX5mRC46k4ys-aNrbYqtgixrZDIS7KYzpPTcLQDFC-a7dyFAwMmijpIcbeaPF9KuTNb32/s1600/IMG_8601.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGScETkuA-PHLLeEk3yu5t82EwnoQQsALis7IaKGu__PxEerAt98HEl_l6GlJKioykuAejZCAIX5mRC46k4ys-aNrbYqtgixrZDIS7KYzpPTcLQDFC-a7dyFAwMmijpIcbeaPF9KuTNb32/s320/IMG_8601.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waiting for the train at Kapiri Mposhi</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">There’s no doubt, the train ride was one of the top highlights of my four month trip. If you want to experience Africa off the tourist route and into the heart of the countryside – take the Tazara. Connecting Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, the railway was originally built by the Chinese in the 1970’s to encourage trade. Little maintenance has occurred in the past four decades leaving the train far from Western standards but it was still an enjoyable trip. November 4<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup> at 6pm I set off on the train with two fellow travelers I just met – a South Korean and a Zambian. We passed time by chatting, playing guitar, looking out the window and birding. The train stops every couple hours at rural train stations, which allowed us to interact with the locals, buy goods and practice our limited Swahili with the children.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnzaQ6G0w68vtzECL7YHqgjbUljveZ5xcKGzkA-IwxPd5KWf1UXYNtq_p1nXBemo9ju2WJTfavh0d2EpgCf4evEijroeAh7Sikum5eJTTGTpu05KsAgPOYvlKb3wsH5Qk74VZPWyX_-nu/s1600/IMG_8645.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGnzaQ6G0w68vtzECL7YHqgjbUljveZ5xcKGzkA-IwxPd5KWf1UXYNtq_p1nXBemo9ju2WJTfavh0d2EpgCf4evEijroeAh7Sikum5eJTTGTpu05KsAgPOYvlKb3wsH5Qk74VZPWyX_-nu/s320/IMG_8645.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bananas for sale</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV2w6XVzId1HcsIfaWvhSC8hKfZ9PTI69sRC-m1LNVn0em0uNJr1HTSEE9TM2-JQ_tilVl2YIV2LGkz-EiEZH3bxqBMRWyTFkh3KLOEQtf0BBCDJYZZLn2vCOGXg7wmdUO8bUC8foaEYH/s1600/IMG_8625.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglV2w6XVzId1HcsIfaWvhSC8hKfZ9PTI69sRC-m1LNVn0em0uNJr1HTSEE9TM2-JQ_tilVl2YIV2LGkz-EiEZH3bxqBMRWyTFkh3KLOEQtf0BBCDJYZZLn2vCOGXg7wmdUO8bUC8foaEYH/s320/IMG_8625.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Village kids having fun</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Meals were surprisingly good, believe it or not, which is probably due to that fact that everything we were eating was just bought a few minutes before from the villagers and cooked by the chefs on board. It was interesting watching the live chickens be carried onboard and shortly later, a plate of chicken, nshima (ground maize flour), soup and vegetables served for only $3. About a day later we arrived at the Tanzania border where the customs agents boarded as well as money changers. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The second full day we traveled through Tanzania passing the Eastern Arc Mountains including the Udzungwa Mountain Range (home to over 600 endemic plants, 5 endemic primates and several endemic birds including the unique Udzungwa Forest Partridge) and the Uluguru Mountain Range (also home to numerous endemics including the Uluguru Bush-shrike which was only just rediscovered in 2007). Unfortunately for me, I only had a total of two weeks to spend in Tanzania before I had to start heading back south so I had to skip these incredible mountains for now. I’m already planning a return trip to be able to explore these areas along with the nearby Kilombero Swamp, which holds a few endemics itself. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI6lDqa2HcjW7VUcEiieHFVyML4O88L-9mhUPyJFunrpHSmXF7oEfVSm-6IIVOVyqmuPUT0sHZGSV64zvhyphenhyphenUF81JJFE1CqosRTijZ0Yu4nr7hZ8AoTKXKx4PQ9HGLpDlK9dXXvpKwbAJU/s1600/IMG_8654.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNI6lDqa2HcjW7VUcEiieHFVyML4O88L-9mhUPyJFunrpHSmXF7oEfVSm-6IIVOVyqmuPUT0sHZGSV64zvhyphenhyphenUF81JJFE1CqosRTijZ0Yu4nr7hZ8AoTKXKx4PQ9HGLpDlK9dXXvpKwbAJU/s320/IMG_8654.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Udzungwa Mountains</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">F</span><span style="font-family: Calibri;">ifty-five hours later after we left, the train arrived at the Dar es Salaam train station at 1am. Due to the high crime in the area, the security guards locked all ‘hundreds’ of people in the station where we all shared the hard floor for the night. (End of part 1)</span>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-82342005077516425702011-12-11T17:07:00.007-05:002011-12-13T11:12:27.816-05:00Namibia Wrap-up It’s been another lengthy gap since my last update two months ago and a lot has transpired. Backpacking in Africa without a laptop, regular internet, and time makes it incredibly difficult to maintain a blog. It’s safe to say that from today on forward, I won’t be able to use that excuse anymore as I have returned to Cape Town with regular internet and will be back to the states in three weeks.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitF5xICR1Awx5bBK_pxRoBNFt66mbZn6JH892-wXBpshfKz6rVGXgbyFKEoSkA_9NPkOyWAer2dcMgQAeGCGpAXlS_l7LLvFXUH6DHo3OR8RRE32ngrq4xX5Pu1uvszcRYsjingoNe0yPR/s1600/IMG_8490.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitF5xICR1Awx5bBK_pxRoBNFt66mbZn6JH892-wXBpshfKz6rVGXgbyFKEoSkA_9NPkOyWAer2dcMgQAeGCGpAXlS_l7LLvFXUH6DHo3OR8RRE32ngrq4xX5Pu1uvszcRYsjingoNe0yPR/s320/IMG_8490.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">African Jacana</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody></tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: 0.5in;"> Starting where I left off on October 12<sup>th</sup>, I remained in the Caprivi through the end of the month filling in those gaps on my Namibia list with help from returning summer migrants. Various highlights in those remaining weeks include Hooded Vulture, Lizard Buzzard, Long-toed Lapwing, six species of cuckoos, Rosy-throated Longclaw, and two Northern Grey-headed Sparrows at their most southern limit. Finally having time to tally up my Namibia list – I can now say that I’ve finished at 362 species (10 out of 14 endemics/near-endemics) putting me in first place on eBird for Namibia. Quite impressive for relying on hitchhiking and public transportation only! With a car, I probably could have surpassed 400 with some effort. Other highlights include the dozens of mammals such as Lions, Black Rhinos, Sitatungas, Hippos, various buck species and my favorite – Leopard.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyyWKeAoSVFwZps_XW7ZUqQSCGt4o4qhpFruwS7R8z0AnwLOlDjIoJiIgb9ZjDxFmwEsn6qhZZD-_M9tscgiW3J8T3eLqMmbje4i-3HlUhk6n6g5BWF36D_KYc4lYBeaqy43XchsJUWtC/s1600/IMG_7975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyyWKeAoSVFwZps_XW7ZUqQSCGt4o4qhpFruwS7R8z0AnwLOlDjIoJiIgb9ZjDxFmwEsn6qhZZD-_M9tscgiW3J8T3eLqMmbje4i-3HlUhk6n6g5BWF36D_KYc4lYBeaqy43XchsJUWtC/s320/IMG_7975.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avis Dam - Windhoek</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="text-indent: .5in;"> While staying in Katima Mulilo preparing to head back to South Africa via Botswana, I caught word of a local train that connects Zambia to Dar es Salaam on the coast of Tanzania. Within a couple days I was eastward bound - my trip just took a new direction…<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOdm441DDDasupDu_I8O36GRzgPb0H5cuhWxh2Vu04Svhljt23zWViNfpxIuj1jNKXTlgK9_2TeZqKY4Yp_sqNlJU_nvDBpaV9JW9zG1EKmHBeGRLt0r4EcoNBby6LC03gUm4Y1ZBmH0O/s1600/IMG_8237.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyOdm441DDDasupDu_I8O36GRzgPb0H5cuhWxh2Vu04Svhljt23zWViNfpxIuj1jNKXTlgK9_2TeZqKY4Yp_sqNlJU_nvDBpaV9JW9zG1EKmHBeGRLt0r4EcoNBby6LC03gUm4Y1ZBmH0O/s320/IMG_8237.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dunes near Walvis Bay</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-76308009445689179872011-10-12T05:13:00.006-04:002011-12-14T03:49:27.205-05:00Namibia Update (Shamvura, Caprivi, Big Sit results)<span style="font-family: inherit;">A lot has occurred since my last update two weeks ago. After completing my volunteering stint at Shamvura Camp I travelled a few hours east into the heart of the Caprivi region of Namibia. For the next couple weeks I will be volunteering for the IRDNC (Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation) training local birding guides, producing area checklists and translating local bird names into English among other activities. Currently I’m staying deep in the bush at the Sijwa Training Centre – a rustic field camp shared among other field workers with the IRDNC, WWF etc. As with a lot of my previous blog write-ups, I’m going to backtrack through the past couple weeks.</span><br />
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The final week at Shamvura was quite exciting with a couple more boat trips down the Okavango River and various birding jaunts in the surrounding broad-leaved woodlands. Although nothing out of ordinary was recorded, almost daily I was adding another country tick<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4GLoN3_S6Q6V2FSOfJHFqWxPq3RYK4MiSMQKnlt5JHDNOqDhY8mVAtc0ZO10vKYIX4oQFr9CO4sQk1dvmVBHm0o2m5Qy7Xqs-leQQm9Px2ez1yCBBTzIEZDeAOYjpGpgChdjVcJ3jdig/s1600/IMG_8444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4GLoN3_S6Q6V2FSOfJHFqWxPq3RYK4MiSMQKnlt5JHDNOqDhY8mVAtc0ZO10vKYIX4oQFr9CO4sQk1dvmVBHm0o2m5Qy7Xqs-leQQm9Px2ez1yCBBTzIEZDeAOYjpGpgChdjVcJ3jdig/s320/IMG_8444.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">African Openbills - Okavango River</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrpzMWfk9sotTDjr5OOgY_NS4g1GVOymR2N_Jc9Jc50iaKjnO_3hNsgH5TqXNPTlODP6zNT-dYmRrnZFZTy2Di41EAFCBP5B53a3Z0LqmSQfdaZPbyeieTL0A1BkZAicsLhGnaGq_lipR/s1600/IMG_8447.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjrpzMWfk9sotTDjr5OOgY_NS4g1GVOymR2N_Jc9Jc50iaKjnO_3hNsgH5TqXNPTlODP6zNT-dYmRrnZFZTy2Di41EAFCBP5B53a3Z0LqmSQfdaZPbyeieTL0A1BkZAicsLhGnaGq_lipR/s320/IMG_8447.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">African Skimmer - Okavango River</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55o7gRW8Y9I2PTM3Y9FXnntVGaQWHZfiCmYLybMr_Uv15O-7MCncKdVluQRZXiwMwpDhyphenhyphenpEk57QWCQiCV6XAyNMctwU1C-2toJSkfPn0yZTNDX4j9gn3ZwQ7xtKHZ-WdBmigg62lzhydz/s1600/IMG_8544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi55o7gRW8Y9I2PTM3Y9FXnntVGaQWHZfiCmYLybMr_Uv15O-7MCncKdVluQRZXiwMwpDhyphenhyphenpEk57QWCQiCV6XAyNMctwU1C-2toJSkfPn0yZTNDX4j9gn3ZwQ7xtKHZ-WdBmigg62lzhydz/s320/IMG_8544.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Southern Carmine Bee-Eater colony</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4A8IckXlBOVo8Hb-Bvyj2FcooNKPjiZuBsf9NbMrCQzOxGuQIt1tldkF7710hUrptuBDA1CpwnBnTqb26dWt5VC__zfMIfwxgfO51ycDgFbXhmbH9tDXvtz-jH1iMDT9WE2Vjg1DD_gB/s1600/IMG_8486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG4A8IckXlBOVo8Hb-Bvyj2FcooNKPjiZuBsf9NbMrCQzOxGuQIt1tldkF7710hUrptuBDA1CpwnBnTqb26dWt5VC__zfMIfwxgfO51ycDgFbXhmbH9tDXvtz-jH1iMDT9WE2Vjg1DD_gB/s320/IMG_8486.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hippos - Okavango River</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Leaving Shamvura Camp last Thursday, I travelled 300km east to the village, Kongola, where I was transported south to the Sijwa Training Centre along the Kwando River. This rustic, but developed camp is quite exceptional with electricity, internet, kitchen and a viewing platform over the Kwando River. For those familiar with the novel, The Beach, there’s quite a lot of resemblances with life here at camp.</span></div></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Birding has been excellent as one would expect with several more country ticks including African Paradise-Flycatcher, Swamp Nightjar and summer arrivals such as Common House-Martin, Barn Swallow, Spotted Flycatcher and Willow Warbler. Last Sunday was the annual Bird Watcher’s Digest Big Sit and I registered a team calling us the Sijwa Sitting Cisticolas. Despite lacking an important habitat (Acacia scrub) and a scope, the final tally of 80 species isn’t too bad. Several mammals were also recorded including Hippo, Red Lechwe and African Clawless Otter.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0d_TmtnviuDZiAPH7Sycjf_nPalAUmHLWeQJDw2KYqLz-zaD-CK9YzQoFaGLFIjzeETdNuXm02Gj-M632n-Kem8t_dDMgg5SD02uQlFNy8r8e9S10j_7IMuZDAQKZHbSlUoWCUQrXjHV/s1600/IMG_8577.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEio0d_TmtnviuDZiAPH7Sycjf_nPalAUmHLWeQJDw2KYqLz-zaD-CK9YzQoFaGLFIjzeETdNuXm02Gj-M632n-Kem8t_dDMgg5SD02uQlFNy8r8e9S10j_7IMuZDAQKZHbSlUoWCUQrXjHV/s320/IMG_8577.JPG" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Sijwa from Big Sit platform</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1KU0LwxtA_57Dogqcb1cdiy3IG-10j0vP3TLZ-k-XA-Ge5MdLS0i4U5M9O1qg9mxDBIz3IEIlkj17N8Qj17tkcBFZVOmxSYMMT5EkVDLnmP5iu_PLf_-hZYafYrN8-00xJv1IkRNnxFo/s1600/IMG_8578.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" oda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1KU0LwxtA_57Dogqcb1cdiy3IG-10j0vP3TLZ-k-XA-Ge5MdLS0i4U5M9O1qg9mxDBIz3IEIlkj17N8Qj17tkcBFZVOmxSYMMT5EkVDLnmP5iu_PLf_-hZYafYrN8-00xJv1IkRNnxFo/s320/IMG_8578.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Kwando River from Big Sit platform</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Now that I’m caught up with my blog, hopefully my posts will be published in real-time so keep checking back for updates.</span></div></div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-86128955583509026892011-09-27T10:04:00.004-04:002011-12-14T03:59:51.111-05:00Shamvura update<div class="MsoNoSpacing">The past couple days have yielded a dozen or so new birds for my Namibia list. Tropical Birding guides Charles Hesse and Jerry Connolly brought a tour through the past two nights and I tagged along while they birded the area. I knew it was going to be an excellent couple days when I stumbled upon my first Thick-billed Weaver on my way to greet everyone – a common resident to the region but one that has eluded me.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhQiXK-V2lfJEm3CyHtILF4QkBl6cJj8o_9AEOx0YUzJsAdAHstMO9nk5FpuR3McbPO-p-gfHpapJE6iJJkUiwgnZhSoSA-HmjSZcetc6eWx4XGoZhPJ5O7fd42OQ1JiEZA4YgwULTHFo/s1600/IMG_8413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhQiXK-V2lfJEm3CyHtILF4QkBl6cJj8o_9AEOx0YUzJsAdAHstMO9nk5FpuR3McbPO-p-gfHpapJE6iJJkUiwgnZhSoSA-HmjSZcetc6eWx4XGoZhPJ5O7fd42OQ1JiEZA4YgwULTHFo/s320/IMG_8413.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tropical Birding group</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">The following morning we headed off to explore the surrounding forests near Shamvura. Our first stop was the nearby quarantine station where cattle are held for a period of time to prevent the threat of foot and mouth disease. A couple small feeding flocks were present but nothing of interest and the area was fairly quiet. However, upon returning to the van, we discovered at least 20 Sharp-tailed Starlings drinking from a leaking pipe – a highly sought after specialty and a lifer for the whole group. Also present was a pair of Southern Black Flycatchers, a species I’m amazed I haven’t run into yet. As the starlings moved on, we worked our way east along the B8 birding a couple locations where the habitat was still rather intact. Despite the increasing heat, we wondered around the broad-leaved forests in search of more feeding flocks. We found a few including one consisting of a half-dozen Green-capped Eremomelas – an uncommon and localized target bird. Other birds of interest include Purple Roller, Black-crowned Tchagra and a Dark Chanting Goshawk on our drive back to Shamvura. Around the garden I finally found a Purple-banded Sunbird in a good sized feeding flock – another bird that has eluded me this trip.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPC4x2gPiY1ZnIyjHK0ysdc6n7m7ZfcFnI_09817IKqp2aZzopDHfMTTYY1wpp7bzd4HhoMKqt9QQMOSS6h1wYR-acI0bpFW2eRtwUX2zbZ-c8gfkSydGeloHlGjgWaBgTC0UX1PllRVAr/s1600/IMG_8405.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPC4x2gPiY1ZnIyjHK0ysdc6n7m7ZfcFnI_09817IKqp2aZzopDHfMTTYY1wpp7bzd4HhoMKqt9QQMOSS6h1wYR-acI0bpFW2eRtwUX2zbZ-c8gfkSydGeloHlGjgWaBgTC0UX1PllRVAr/s320/IMG_8405.bmp" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Observing a feeding flock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSwKrDtY-Mgihnwqw7xv_joAobBc2fFu3N-SIDU4-6pzS8Re5IS3uAfSOZZLoPHpGasHrKGWJuJSCK0nMRXR6hp0-KUh_YVZ10tEVbeEAbzPJiTOegHUJEanmg3whk5sFp9xKtlIGf8LU/s1600/IMG_8421.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaSwKrDtY-Mgihnwqw7xv_joAobBc2fFu3N-SIDU4-6pzS8Re5IS3uAfSOZZLoPHpGasHrKGWJuJSCK0nMRXR6hp0-KUh_YVZ10tEVbeEAbzPJiTOegHUJEanmg3whk5sFp9xKtlIGf8LU/s320/IMG_8421.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dark Chanting Goshawk</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Following lunch and an afternoon swim, the group reassembled and loaded a boat for a 3 hour trip down the Okavango River. As we drifted downstream, we counted numerous species of herons, egrets, bitterns among other waterbirds as well as Fan-tailed Widowbirds patrolling the floodplains. Plenty of great birds were recorded including Comb Ducks, African Skimmers, Collared and Rock Pratincoles as well as trip birds for me such as Wood Sandpiper, Gray-rumped Swallow and an unexpected White-winged Tern flying around the oxbow lake </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">From here on forward, it’s all target birding for me. My trip list has reached 320 and I hope to achieve 350 before returning to Cape Town. I’m very doubtful but if I remain up here into summer (southern hemisphere), I should be able to pick up quite a few birds including cuckoos and old world warblers.</div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-8397705806900547442011-09-25T05:14:00.005-04:002011-09-25T07:04:05.893-04:00Namibia Days 12-16 (Ovamboland, Ruacana Falls)<div class="MsoNoSpacing">It’s been a month since my last update and during that time I have traveled all along the Kunene, Okavango and Zambezi Rivers in four countries. After reaching my final destination, the incredible Victoria Falls, I have since then backtracked to Shamvura Camp where I’m currently volunteering. Located roughly 110km east of Rundu, Shamvura Camp is well known among birders and has a list exceeding 430 species. In the next couple weeks I’m going to make an effort to finish writing up my trip reports as well as send out updates from Shamvura Camp. I also want to apologize for the lack of bird photos – I’ve been lazy at taking photos in general and have been spending most of my time just observing. Now that I have settled down for a bit, I’ll make a greater effort to do some bird photography. Starting where I left off… </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Day 12 (August 25, 2011)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Leaving the vast Namib Desert behind, I took a combi (informal minibus taxi) to Tsumeb the “gateway to the north”. This small mining town of roughly 45,000 residents is world-renown for its productive mineralogical sites where nearly 40 minerals were first discovered. I have little knowledge on minerals but from what I have read, this area is quite exceptional. Tsumeb is also notorious for being the site of the biggest meteorite in the world, known as Hoba, which weights roughly 60-tons! Being a travel day however, I didn’t have enough time for any birding so I met up with my Couch Surfing hosts for the night, a group of Peace Corp volunteers - Quinn (Texas), Gretchen (Oregon) and Rob (Florida).</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Day 13 (August 26, 2011)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Starting early in the morning Rob and I hitched out of town heading northwest towards Ondongwa – the heart of Owamboland - far from your typical tourist routes. This region is home to over half the population of Namibia on just 6% of the land and as you can imagine, the environmental degradation proves it. Upon arriving in Ondongwa, Rob headed north and I continued towards Outapi where I stayed with my next host, Ben, a Swiss-German working in the IT industry along with two visiting Algerian friends of his. Today was another travel day but involved some spot-lighting of the resident African Scops-Owls.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1vsz_fIqXmV5b-RP05wA6agweAAtOFOAq7rx6SrQfA3JojgRLsWaveOpLbOwS9ASbGwQuQ0LamVpiGs1jNfivAovzU829jbx-P8HwaG-yIeeY7Y-3DTZNNcbOwy_Jj_W3O6V28kb8jZ9/s1600/IMG_8275.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz1vsz_fIqXmV5b-RP05wA6agweAAtOFOAq7rx6SrQfA3JojgRLsWaveOpLbOwS9ASbGwQuQ0LamVpiGs1jNfivAovzU829jbx-P8HwaG-yIeeY7Y-3DTZNNcbOwy_Jj_W3O6V28kb8jZ9/s320/IMG_8275.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Baobab tree in Outapi (prior post office and chapel inside!)</td></tr>
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</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Day 14 (August 27, 2011)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Luckily Ben and his Algerian friends were heading to Ruacana Falls this morning, my next destination. Before getting dropped off at the Hippo Pools Camp where I was going to camp for the next two nights, we stopped by Ruacana Falls to find they were entirely dry! The water flow depends upon whenever Angola decides to release water and our timing was bad. Nonetheless, the area was still incredible and I ticked off a couple more trip birds including Black-checked Snake-Eagle and Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrush – the latter just hardly creeping into Namibia from Angola. After setting up camp, I did some birding along the Kunene River and the surrounding creeks which host the sought-after Cinderella Waxbill, a difficult bird restricted to the area. No waxbill this evening but the birding was phenomenal giving my trip list quite a boost. Some of the additions include Meve’s Starling, Montiero’s Hornbill, Goliath Heron, African Green-Pigeon and an unexpected Rüppel’s Parrot, an endemic to Namibia and Angola. I went to sleep that evening to the deep grunt of Hippos and calling African Scops-Owl and Pearl-spotted Owlets.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvTd0hbzmxmSe8Rn3v6NgcAlDyLSVb4t2tAtW7Izlg8M85ociWHdPVphgGXMhd3lMB23coylRCtuLCnzV9CP-BixqruPE64ctxQ5dTgezfPi9JbEuM2MaDP3a9RDTs5-OBIfEhyphenhyphenmK7E9E/s1600/IMG_8288.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLvTd0hbzmxmSe8Rn3v6NgcAlDyLSVb4t2tAtW7Izlg8M85ociWHdPVphgGXMhd3lMB23coylRCtuLCnzV9CP-BixqruPE64ctxQ5dTgezfPi9JbEuM2MaDP3a9RDTs5-OBIfEhyphenhyphenmK7E9E/s320/IMG_8288.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Ruacana Falls from below</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Wre49ptF23kIxyTkmAExzeIX_Pv8cmcrwSWFYmGhpBv_TY9G-8W8KSZmM_LNwE37a8xG28pz0O1gU6pM5oqtu86Mnsx8OrhLDXaoXabbsz5J8SGz8ZxkuLv9c8oKoKPdRvdoXEfSnOPN/s1600/IMG_8290.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3Wre49ptF23kIxyTkmAExzeIX_Pv8cmcrwSWFYmGhpBv_TY9G-8W8KSZmM_LNwE37a8xG28pz0O1gU6pM5oqtu86Mnsx8OrhLDXaoXabbsz5J8SGz8ZxkuLv9c8oKoKPdRvdoXEfSnOPN/s320/IMG_8290.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Angola Border Post</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Day 15 (August 28, 2011)</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Another exciting day packed with scores of trip birds. I started along the river where Red-headed and Chestnut Weavers made an appearance along with a vocal group of Hartlaub’s Babblers before moving inland to a series of creek beds that drain into the Kunene. As I mentioned before, this is one of very few sites in the world where you can find the Cinderella Waxbill; a notoriously difficult bird to find. During normal years, the water in the beds dry up leaving a few scattered puddles which the waxbills visit during the heat of the day. This year however, the region received a lot of rain causing the beds to retain a lot of water. The once localized puddles became too prevalent. No waxbills were found but several other birds made up for it including Bare-cheeked Babbler, White-tailed Shrike and more Rufous-tailed Palm-Thrushes. That evening I joined a French couple (Vincent and Sarah) for a braai and learned they are traveling around Namibia photographing and filming wildlife and in the morning heading east - so was I and they offered me a lift back to Outapi in the morning.</div><div class="MsoNoSpacing"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfU1euIG2LBTSXgz49ZGH4OLzLqjQXy_e1yQ-2PuseHQwd4qO2y7H_Peoh_FxjuLo4JCc-vUQXOAketEyqDOAeL49S2_fr4pWTjCyvURjIgByJBa3sRGwKOVux04VGpxOlmCm9GHNh-0m/s1600/IMG_8298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXfU1euIG2LBTSXgz49ZGH4OLzLqjQXy_e1yQ-2PuseHQwd4qO2y7H_Peoh_FxjuLo4JCc-vUQXOAketEyqDOAeL49S2_fr4pWTjCyvURjIgByJBa3sRGwKOVux04VGpxOlmCm9GHNh-0m/s320/IMG_8298.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of the Kunene from my Hippo Pools campsite</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing">Day 16 (August 29, 2011)</div>After one last failed attempt for Cinderella Waxbill, Vincent, Sarah and I hit the road towards Outapi by 8:30am. Besides a brief stop along the road to look at Yellow-billed Oxpeckers, the rest of the day was spent relaxing, catching up on emails and packing for my next jaunt in the morning – Roy’s Camp, known among birders for hosting Black-faced Babblers.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWOFU_xZDgJ5jv16IfVKcX_aNGFgQNryUyDsrkTmDLB5-NKJCBVg1dl7EsCtmjRydDGOh-t-TMPCZ2snruiUprHYlyfL9N2feHql4xljYLcpjJgEitQUmJA-iRz5UlYHeMTqtO2QCyeFN/s1600/IMG_8307.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuWOFU_xZDgJ5jv16IfVKcX_aNGFgQNryUyDsrkTmDLB5-NKJCBVg1dl7EsCtmjRydDGOh-t-TMPCZ2snruiUprHYlyfL9N2feHql4xljYLcpjJgEitQUmJA-iRz5UlYHeMTqtO2QCyeFN/s320/IMG_8307.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yellow-billed Oxpecker on cow</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-92030556895982214292011-08-24T17:41:00.004-04:002011-09-23T10:04:08.567-04:00Namibia Days 7-11 (Swakop, Wavlis Bay, Spitzkoppe)I’m currently in Swakopmund and will embark in the morning for Tsumeb – the halfway point to my next destination – Ruacana along the Angola border. It’s safe to say that the past few days have been very successful with target birding picking up endemic and near-endemic Namibian birds. Starting where I left off…<br />
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Day 7 (August 20, 2011):<br />
After pancakes and coffee at the Cardboard Box, I set off towards Swakopmund, a popular Namibian resort town. Leaving Windhoek’s thornveld-dominated landscape behind, the shrubs started thinning and after 280km, I was surrounded by what is considered the world’s oldest desert – the Namib, a Nama word meaning ‘vast place’. Covering 80,900 sq. km (31,200 sq. miles), I’d say it was appropriately named!<br />
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Following a tour around Swakopmund with my new Couch Surfing host, Susan, I was off to bed for a goodnights rest.<br />
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Day 8 (August 21, 2011):<br />
In the morning, Susan and I drove down near Walvis Bay to an area called Rooibank, which is known to host Dune Larks – the only ‘true’ endemic bird to Namibia. Their range is restricted to the sparsely vegetated dunes and interdune valleys with Bushman grass and !nara, a type of melon that only grows in Namibia. No longer than 30 minutes passed and we were eye-to-eye with a Dune Lark.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-QVGmfvvDWHisBizC4rmUdpz9aCNjsrbC8V04r7UUjocOmJvt9sJlwPyAgXN0xMYsFa3oVq4J7zWYQdfuhcwaidLme9QRtP3pU1m0r4W-D6-2otSoZDGPAWZBD-7rjXVJh5cBHO3C1aR/s1600/DULA.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiu-QVGmfvvDWHisBizC4rmUdpz9aCNjsrbC8V04r7UUjocOmJvt9sJlwPyAgXN0xMYsFa3oVq4J7zWYQdfuhcwaidLme9QRtP3pU1m0r4W-D6-2otSoZDGPAWZBD-7rjXVJh5cBHO3C1aR/s320/DULA.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dune Lark</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6-dQM9qf_PuNT0Fa04_UasaRvFi5H5de6G8iXAg5wp1EfS59iO9J_0gXIzWbEp-Y29keRXEjgcyLq37BYPNmXkXZV8iVhDlh_YCI2yZmGNBFkHPtpBhzXGMR4pyGTvNfs-o3COdu2CZc/s1600/DULA+Habitat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX6-dQM9qf_PuNT0Fa04_UasaRvFi5H5de6G8iXAg5wp1EfS59iO9J_0gXIzWbEp-Y29keRXEjgcyLq37BYPNmXkXZV8iVhDlh_YCI2yZmGNBFkHPtpBhzXGMR4pyGTvNfs-o3COdu2CZc/s320/DULA+Habitat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dune Lark habitat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Following our success we took a quick drive around the Wavlis Bay lagoon and saltpans, one of the most important coastal wetlands in Southern Africa. Due to record rains recorded in the mainland, many of the birds followed the rain inland and the saltpans were empty for the most part. Nonetheless, there were still a few shorebirds around including good numbers of Curlew Sandpipers as well as Ruddy Turnstones, White-fronted Plovers, Common Greenshanks, Black-winged Stilts and Pied Avocets.<br />
<br />
Day 9 (August 22, 2011):<br />
Another target bird day – this time in the barest of gravel plains north of Swakopmund. The Gray’s Lark is probably the palest and least-marked lark, which offers efficient camouflage in what some would call inhospitable habitat. After a bit of searching east of the Swakopmund saltpans, I discovered a small flock working the barren grounds.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcgszgyxwI5V1qu4fXKkeaW3Fe9CLLiG8-zyg4Xvy7c1N567bmd7ILfSq67JTcy2z2p0J0iq_4cpYaKIaDJ6tqvcboShra0mVL5BIc9oMjiuiXO4NEpocNL-giA8f9xp2TGRmvyhCVglA/s1600/GRLA+Habitat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcgszgyxwI5V1qu4fXKkeaW3Fe9CLLiG8-zyg4Xvy7c1N567bmd7ILfSq67JTcy2z2p0J0iq_4cpYaKIaDJ6tqvcboShra0mVL5BIc9oMjiuiXO4NEpocNL-giA8f9xp2TGRmvyhCVglA/s320/GRLA+Habitat.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gray's Lark habitat</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Moving on, I walked over to the Swakopmund saltpans, which proved to be more productive than the Walvis Bay lagoon. Shorebirds include 60 Chestnut-fronted Plovers, 40 Kittlitz’s Plovers, 12 White-fronted Plovers, 9 Ruddy Turnstones, 7 Whimbrel, 6 Curlew Sandpipers, and 5 Common Greenshanks as well as Greater and Lesser Flamingos, Swift Terns and thousands of White-breasted Cormorants. They’ve built large platforms for the latter to collect the guano and the sight (and smell) is incredible.<br />
<br />
Day 10 (August 23, 2011):<br />
Moving back inland, I got a ride 120km from a local Afrikaans girl to the Spitzkoppe turnoff where I was almost immediately picked up by a van full of Afrikaans and Germans who took me the remaining 30km to the Spitzkoppe Community Rest Camp. For those who aren’t familiar with birding in Namibia – Spitzkoppe is renown for being one of the best and most reliable spots for the Herero Chat – a difficult to find near-endemic. These bald granite peaks stand out significantly from the flat surrounding plains and with luck, one can find the chats at the base of these hills. After setting up camp, I explored around a bit before dark adding Lark-like Bunting, Montiero’s Hornbill, Common Scmitarbill, Booted and Verreaux’s Eagles to the trip list. Other birds of note include more sightings of Carp’s Tit, Rosy-faced Lovebird and White-tailed Shrike.<br />
<br />
Day 11 (August 24, 2011):<br />
I woke up at 6am right as the sun was rising and set a goal to be out of the camp by 10am so I could move on to Omaruru. That gave me four hours to find Herero Chat and being one of the most challenging birds to find, I was having my doubts. It wasn’t until 9:58am when I finally had one…what a relief! Very little is known about this bird and its first nest wasn’t even discovered until 1969. Last I’ve heard their taxonomic position remained somewhere in the robin, chat, flycatcher combination. Leading up to the goal bird, other trip birds include Ashy Tit, Small Buttonquail and Layard’s Tit-Babbler at its northern limit. I then walked into the nearby village to see if I could luck out in finding a ride to Omaruru or at least to Karabib to the north. However, 5 hours passed and only the 3rd car drove east – an Italian couple heading to Swakopmund – guess I’ll go back there knowing there’s a bed to sleep on! While waiting under the big shade tree – a Bearded Woodpecker joined the wait.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PxtCgXdckDKMfUSfTbCCojzcbvPY-s-ptU9HENfdZeoTpwzBSxqNLBcShP4ZPGNu3pSJGsKNnm6LXn4_Qwxhch1aDCnA8k-0Fy2mgif8RDAxx6KvfC3-Bk0yUz0x_k1mow0bsisBB-HA/s1600/Spitzkoppe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PxtCgXdckDKMfUSfTbCCojzcbvPY-s-ptU9HENfdZeoTpwzBSxqNLBcShP4ZPGNu3pSJGsKNnm6LXn4_Qwxhch1aDCnA8k-0Fy2mgif8RDAxx6KvfC3-Bk0yUz0x_k1mow0bsisBB-HA/s320/Spitzkoppe.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Spitzkoppe - not the actual Herero Chat location</td></tr>
</tbody></table>To remain on schedule, it looks like I’m going to have to cross out Omaruru from my itinerary and head straight to Tsumeb. That’s alright though, the exciting areas are yet to come!Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-4129482767162612082011-08-22T17:26:00.006-04:002011-09-23T10:02:45.918-04:00Namibia Days 1-6 (Windhoek, Etosha)I don’t even know where to begin; that past nine days have been crammed with incredible birds, mammals I’ve only dreamed of seeing and experiences that will last a lifetime. It’s hard to believe I’m already on Day 9 of my 35-40-day trip and there’s still much to see. To make things simple, I’m going to write my reports from the field in a daily format starting with the first six days.<br />
<br />
Day 1 (August 14, 2011):<br />
After boarding the Intercape in Cape Town, I left the Mother City to embark on a 21-hour bus ride north to Namibia’s capital city, Windhoek. Peering out the window, I watched as the landscape changed and ticked off trip birds that will not be recorded later on including Blue Cranes and Pied Starlings. By the time we reached the South African/Namibian border post, it was dark and the moonlight reflected off the Orange River.<br />
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Day 2 (August 15, 2011):<br />
Surprisingly, the bus arrived on schedule and I was already birding Avis Dam by 7am. Located on the eastern edge of the city, Avis Dam offers a great introduction to central Namibian birds and is a pretty reliable spot for the endemic Rockrunner. Starting from the parking lot, I climbed the hill to the north getting a good feel for the common thornveld species such as Cape Glossy Starling, Swallow-tailed Bee-Eater, Chestnut-vented Tit-Babbler, Black-chested Prinia, Marico Sunbird and White-browed Sparrow-Weaver. Within 15 minutes I found my first lifer, the near-endemic Rosy-faced Lovebird, which is easily detected by its screeching calls as small flocks fly over. I slowly worked my way back to the dam accumulating a good trip list adding goodies such as my first Hamerkop – a bird that has eluded me in South Africa. Upon my arrival to the dam, I found a mixed feeding flock consisting of several species including African Red-eyed Bulbul, Pririt Batis, Green-winged Pytilia, Yellow Canary and my third lifer of the morning – the incredible-looking Blue Waxbill. Continuing along the dam wall, the day list was increasing with Short-toed Rock Thrush, Mountain Wheatear, Crimson-breasted Shrike and distant calling Orange River Francolins being tallied along with the local subspecies of Grey-backed Cisticola – a possible future split. Lowering my binoculars from the resident pair of African Fish-Eagles, a bird caught the corner of my eye as it hopped along the dam…a Rockrunner! After the excitement, I reached the end of the wall adding my fifth and final lifer of the day, a Grey Go-away-bird which is named because of it’s harsh “kay-waaaay” call.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBEiadF2ng7HbLlYT3WLU0lxgSyOSbGvPl4qBTSbSJo7u20_sDZUSfHH-QFXRiaFqqEe_0-9gaR18qFGvjYTDpSCDGy1fXO3Zq3A29DkEapq-WfkFrRRX27-w9bOAhM-mRtC2vuGAuLnU/s1600/Avis+Dam.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzBEiadF2ng7HbLlYT3WLU0lxgSyOSbGvPl4qBTSbSJo7u20_sDZUSfHH-QFXRiaFqqEe_0-9gaR18qFGvjYTDpSCDGy1fXO3Zq3A29DkEapq-WfkFrRRX27-w9bOAhM-mRtC2vuGAuLnU/s320/Avis+Dam.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Avis Dam</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Concluding a good three hours birding, I headed into town to pick up a Namibian SIM card for my phone and met up with my Couch Surfing host – Guillaume, a French guy who, interestingly, shares an apartment with 4 Germans and a Scottish. For those who are not familiar – Couch Surfing is an alternative to paying for accommodation where a ‘host’ opens their ‘couch’ to travelers needing a place to sleep and in return there’s cultural exchange and you meet new people. You can learn more here – <a href="http://www.couchsurfing.org/">www.couchsurfing.org</a><br />
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Day 3 (August 16, 2011):<br />
Today started off with a quick jaunt up to the Hofmeyer Walk (Aloe Trail) along the ridge that divides Windhoek main and Klein. The main purpose of this trip is for the near-endemic White-tailed Shrike, which is regularly found here. Not only did I get great looks at two different individuals, I also added a few new birds for the trip including Bradfield’s Swift, Burnt-necked Eremomela, Acacia Pied Barbet, life African Grey Hornbill and three additional Rockrunners which was unexpected.<br />
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The rest of the day was spent visiting with Guillaume and preparing for the next three days at Etosha National Park such as grocery shopping and picking up the rental car.<br />
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Day 4 (August 17, 2011):<br />
Etosha National Park is one of Africa’s most famous game reserves and is outstanding for birds and mammal viewing. Due to its steep prices, however, I decided to only camp two nights at the Halali Camp, which would give me a good introduction to the park. Leaving Windhoek at 4:10am I was expecting it to take roughly 5-6 hours to reach the Anderson Gate. Not the case. By 8am I was already through the gate heading towards Okaukeujo – the oldest and largest camp in the park. I didn’t spend too much time in this congested camp but did a quick walkthrough adding Greater Blue-eared Starling (very common), Burchell’s Starling, Sociable Weaver (large nesting colony in the camping area), Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill and Scarlet-chested Sunbird to my list.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6i_dGoebULpM_LOSpLOv5a32HaLXG1jriz7ieHs9uv1KydZZPO90q8e4FEgWoJcAbEDF3u8SyeDzellwIa1_wSffLstmvYwu8Pc0ZmpwYTvTadA91GEQ6kOXRRtSu0tcpcxmCmrch-mv/s1600/Gr.+Blue-eared+Starling.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA6i_dGoebULpM_LOSpLOv5a32HaLXG1jriz7ieHs9uv1KydZZPO90q8e4FEgWoJcAbEDF3u8SyeDzellwIa1_wSffLstmvYwu8Pc0ZmpwYTvTadA91GEQ6kOXRRtSu0tcpcxmCmrch-mv/s320/Gr.+Blue-eared+Starling.jpg" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greater Blue-eared Starling</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Before heading east to Halali, I took the road north through the grassy plains towards Okondeka seeing Brubru, Grey-backed and Chestnut-backed Sparrowlarks, Kori Bustard, Northern Black Korhaan, Secretarybird, Crowned Lapwing, Double-banded Courser, African Hoopoe, Southern White-crowned Shrike, Eastern Clapper and Pink-billed (!) Larks to name a few.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvsIiWGe1bpsJ7IRtCuVwNFPG-7vnnfxxorBJDYpsw8UU9a763l8ehmNGvRLIvUaU_pDRut5xlfJZOiZGzS6c6ARGrPtc3gg7ddxNsRdCBLZajs24wwiwWHk-7JXgj59snLc8xEWA6MM8/s1600/DB+Courser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGvsIiWGe1bpsJ7IRtCuVwNFPG-7vnnfxxorBJDYpsw8UU9a763l8ehmNGvRLIvUaU_pDRut5xlfJZOiZGzS6c6ARGrPtc3gg7ddxNsRdCBLZajs24wwiwWHk-7JXgj59snLc8xEWA6MM8/s320/DB+Courser.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Double-banded Courser</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Upon arriving at Halali and setting up camp, I ventured off to the dolomite hill and mopane forest behind camp during the afternoon. A quick stop at the waterhole provided mixed flocks of Golden-breasted Buntings, Black-throated Canaries, Southern Grey-headed Sparrows and Red-billed Queleas coming in to drink. The mopane forest was slow so I headed back to camp in search of the guard who knows all the owl roosts. He happily showed me African Scops-Owl (which turned out to be 30 meters from my tent) and the attractive White-faced Scops-Owl near the chalets.<br />
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After dinner of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I returned to the waterhole to watch the sunset. Just as the sun dropped below the horizon, the calls of Double-banded Sandgrouse filled the air and soon, hundreds surrounded the waterhole for their last drink before roosting. Just as the final stragglers were leaving, the highlight of the day, or possibly the trip, arrived - a Leopard! It slyly appeared on the backside of the waterhole, took a few minute drink before disappeared back into the scrub. This was one of my ‘most wanted to see’ mammals. The show continued when seven (!) Black Rhinos came in for a drink as well. The Halali waterhole is well known to regularly host Black Rhinos but seven is quite exceptional. Other mammals include two Spotted Hyenas, a Scrub Hare and three Kudu.<br />
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Day 5 (August 18, 2011):<br />
I woke up at five and made my way to the waterhole for the morning show. As with the evenings, the Double-banded Sandgrouse arrive in masses before the sun rises. Just when there was enough light to see, I noticed two Groundscraper Thrushes also taking advantage of the waterhole. Eventually the sun appeared above the horizon and I ventured back into the Mopane forests on the dolomite hill. Near the top I discovered a sizeable mixed flock containing around a dozen species including Brown-crowned Tchagra, Long-billed Crombec, Green-backed Camaroptera, Violet-eared Waxbill, Emerald Spotted Dove, Yellow-bellied Eremomela and one of Halali’s species – Carp’s Tit! On my way back to camp I added Southern White-crowned Shrike and a large flock of Black-faced Waxbills.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE0rCdGiFHWZSp_dWdnEzxc1JOU7rGwk-V35-hPLAvtt3ytep2n_f2Q3GmvOvHwnAZ-SSLJerdNnmTlGPpb_VCjrjhXCpYW_FuYZbfghwQ9VLcTveMiL176CgYpGhG8gOzB7Cw_XtFIpT/s1600/Elephants.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtE0rCdGiFHWZSp_dWdnEzxc1JOU7rGwk-V35-hPLAvtt3ytep2n_f2Q3GmvOvHwnAZ-SSLJerdNnmTlGPpb_VCjrjhXCpYW_FuYZbfghwQ9VLcTveMiL176CgYpGhG8gOzB7Cw_XtFIpT/s320/Elephants.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephants at Halali waterhole</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2IC3VlMm1E9bYrBEu6J6JsKR4gi_AE6jOdiziM_Zuxqfok6xSLxeBQoKKHxaRksp_8H5Oy88LvHIut5QoXvFWxaa4z8IDrNKHya_UdPWWaEnGIA62OGyNJH2Y6VngvU77Sdz83nnNNNb/s1600/LB+Crombec.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgV2IC3VlMm1E9bYrBEu6J6JsKR4gi_AE6jOdiziM_Zuxqfok6xSLxeBQoKKHxaRksp_8H5Oy88LvHIut5QoXvFWxaa4z8IDrNKHya_UdPWWaEnGIA62OGyNJH2Y6VngvU77Sdz83nnNNNb/s320/LB+Crombec.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Long-billed Crombec</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Mid morning I set off to explore around the park and check out several of the waterholes. First stop was Rietfontain, which provided Lilac-breasted Roller, Great Sparrow, African Jacana, Martial Eagle and one of many Southern Pale-Chanting Goshawks. Several species of mammals were also present including large numbers of Hartmann’s Mountain Zebras.<br />
<br />
Salvadora and Sueda waterholes were pretty quite but added Greater Kestrel and Red-capped Lark to the trip list as well as several mammals including Gemsbok, Black-backed Jackal, Wildebeest and Warthog. Heading back to camp produced a small flock of Scaly-feathered Finches, Shikra, Purple Roller and a Honey Badger near the Halali gate.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6lvzL2OGFaeLyRwVYmHGfJma_-OtBqMvJk5lyUe786idbfmzoSfCjuD7EHVWX1dxDx4tZJoIxnuAfQXqo76IyKcxOJVmjZUR5qUkB5JweYML0qfpWqPyM-ry7CTRsYdweRtjGTnc_ees/s1600/Gemsbok.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6lvzL2OGFaeLyRwVYmHGfJma_-OtBqMvJk5lyUe786idbfmzoSfCjuD7EHVWX1dxDx4tZJoIxnuAfQXqo76IyKcxOJVmjZUR5qUkB5JweYML0qfpWqPyM-ry7CTRsYdweRtjGTnc_ees/s320/Gemsbok.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gembsok</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Lucky for me, instead of having PB&Js for dinner once again, neighboring campers (a group of 4 Afrikaaners from the Free State) invited me over and fed me several chicken sandwiches, homemade cookies, coffee, tea and two baggies of biltong for the road! If you ever stumble upon my blog - baie dankie!<br />
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Day 6 (August 19, 2011):<br />
Unfortunately, this was my last morning in Etosha and I had to be out of the park by 10:30am. Since it was a 1.5hr drive back to the Anderson Gate I only had time to do a quick run trough the Mopane woods once more. Nothing new was found, however more great looks at Carp’s Tit was nice.<br />
<br />
I left Halali and made my way back west, once more taking the detour past Salvadora and Sueda waterholes. This proved to be an excellent idea as I was able to observe two adult and 4 young Lions come in to drink, rest and play. With the clock ticking, I had to break myself away stopping only twice more before leaving the park – first to look at a mixed flock of Lappet-faced and White-backed Vultures roosting in a tree and for a Gabor Goshawk pair flying around Okaukeujo. Several hours later I was back in reality surrounded by the rush of Windhoek where I stayed the night camping at The Cardboard Box – a well-known backpackers.<br />
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Next update will focus on Swakopmund, Wavlis Bay, Spitzkoppe, Omaruru and more.Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-44657013241430411122011-08-06T17:33:00.004-04:002011-08-10T09:07:58.462-04:00Backpacking Southern Africa<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On Sunday I embark on a month long backpacking trip across Southern Africa. After 22 hours by bus, I will arrive in Namibia’s capital city – Windhoek. From here I will transverse the country visiting most of Namibia’s finest birding sites. </span><br />
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Starting in Windhoek, which holds excellent birding right in the city itself, I will head up to one of Africa’s most famous game parks – Etosha National Park. After a couple nights at Halali Camp, I’ll return to Windhoek and head to Swakopmund and Walvis Bay along the Atlantic coast before returning inland to start the long journey north to the Angola border. Birding along the Kunene River, which divides Angola and Namibia, offers exceptional birding and should produce specialties including the Cinderella Waxbill and Rufous-tailed Palm Thrush. From here I’ll head east along the Caprivi Strip towards Victoria Falls on the border of Zambia and Zimbabwe. Birding stops include Rundu, Popa Falls, Katima Mulilo, Shamvura and a few days across the border in Botswana’s extraordinary Okavango Delta.</span></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2XwcFDOwULImi783gY3Gp8ZDgPYhXOI9ybJgiotsi3gnHI2pLOYTTPQJo2QPWgc1LODKvZNPOTCsXJskR2k461HH2leBPIvB1xhxCfe2JMoYwDKOCJB9qjvll2v59JUw0vLUwlhFW-c_/s1600/map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2XwcFDOwULImi783gY3Gp8ZDgPYhXOI9ybJgiotsi3gnHI2pLOYTTPQJo2QPWgc1LODKvZNPOTCsXJskR2k461HH2leBPIvB1xhxCfe2JMoYwDKOCJB9qjvll2v59JUw0vLUwlhFW-c_/s320/map.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My route in red</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">After a good month or so, fascinating cultures and several hundred bird and mammal species later – I’ll make the several days journey back to Cape Town traveling through Botswana to South Africa’s capital city – Johannesburg before catching a train back to the mother city.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">I'll make an effort to post reports and photos along the way so keep checking back for updates! </span></div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-54336416200194338952011-07-30T05:46:00.009-04:002011-07-30T05:51:54.753-04:00Dubai Birding<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Scorching – that’s the best way to describe Dubai. My plane landed at 8am and it was already in the mid 90’s. In fact, now that I think of it, that’s the average low. After fruitlessly renting a car, I took a taxi to the Ra’s al Khor Wildlife Sanctuary in the heart of Dubai. This tidal estuary interspersed with saline lagoons offers phenomenal birding in the winter. In the summer however, it’s is mostly dry with only a few birds present. Nonetheless, I was still able to see around 40 species including a few lifers.</span><br />
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<div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">My first stop was the Flamingo Hide which was quite unsuccessful. The only birds present were Kentish (Snowy) Plovers, Eurasian Curlews, Eurasian Collared-Doves, Laughing Doves, Red-vented Bulbuls and Common Mynahs. Just as I was leaving, a park warden arrived to drop off several bags of feed for the birds. I opted out watching the pigeons eat and continued walking outside the fence to the Mangrove Hide. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8puHowxnExVt_LeE8e4590laZP2fZyccrqN5mXRghOAqLD5DXKy0qN5RAwdCUjEZRu9cXICkeTNuPQKesP7-DUyU0bxCZm55u6GlK4z42-52IDN0-lW4f499wvTJgnIkbN2bl4mfcHuQq/s1600/IMG_7925.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8puHowxnExVt_LeE8e4590laZP2fZyccrqN5mXRghOAqLD5DXKy0qN5RAwdCUjEZRu9cXICkeTNuPQKesP7-DUyU0bxCZm55u6GlK4z42-52IDN0-lW4f499wvTJgnIkbN2bl4mfcHuQq/s320/IMG_7925.bmp" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flamingo Hide</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Walking a mile lugging two carry-on bags with temperatures in the 100’s proved quite difficult; however I picked up a few new species including my first Red-wattled Lapwings, Crested Larks and Graceful Prinias. Arriving at the hide, I was surprised to find complimentary cold water and a public scope to use – a Leica believe it or not. For the next couple hours I scanned the estuary and conversed with the guard who is from Pakistan. He showed interest in learning birds so he joined me and spent a lot of time browsing through my Birds of the Middle East field guide showing me what he has seen while sitting in the hide.</span></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"> </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF5l54wCvW63bR7NF1gJvVuk0Sr6C0i4W5rzagorrZfJ-co5pSfWpjM9jkfNSaRtxh7DL2zKmG-tTL5InSkbDmTXrmbEeSHz-dl-zNUlwAPrNL-QjjDXBuF5kQvLiY9Tgv9iwh4EZNkwn/s1600/IMG_7929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlF5l54wCvW63bR7NF1gJvVuk0Sr6C0i4W5rzagorrZfJ-co5pSfWpjM9jkfNSaRtxh7DL2zKmG-tTL5InSkbDmTXrmbEeSHz-dl-zNUlwAPrNL-QjjDXBuF5kQvLiY9Tgv9iwh4EZNkwn/s320/IMG_7929.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Crested Lark</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></div><div class="MsoNoSpacing" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Shorebirds were the main show as fall migration had just begun. Although numbers were still low, there was a fair selection present. Close to the hide were more Kentish Plovers and Red-wattled Lapwings along with Black-winged Stilts, Grey Plovers, Black-tailed Godwits, and Eurasian Curlews. Further out were larger flocks of shorebirds just out of scope range. A few of them were sand plovers though most of them were likely Curlew Sandpipers. Other birds present include Greater Flamingos, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Striated, Gray and Western Reef Herons and several Laridae including Slender-billed Gull , Caspian Gull, Gull-billed and Caspian Terns.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg_zmr2PsGkVHObP9yEujqXhM0o3I8d91BLDimdTC5HkP17xMuJ4V6GPzD_ZZRmcHlEzEvroJyghKDtUTRWm-wiqi8r7GDY3bg8scTE9YtjdGFr1k-JQ56LuyFpy17eNqK7R1WjNeBXjj/s1600/IMG_7941.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyg_zmr2PsGkVHObP9yEujqXhM0o3I8d91BLDimdTC5HkP17xMuJ4V6GPzD_ZZRmcHlEzEvroJyghKDtUTRWm-wiqi8r7GDY3bg8scTE9YtjdGFr1k-JQ56LuyFpy17eNqK7R1WjNeBXjj/s320/IMG_7941.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dubai skyline from Mangrove Hide</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span style="font-family: Calibri;">By midday, it was unbearably hot, birding just wasn’t practical…therefore I went into the city to explore a bit before returning to the airport for my flight to Cape Town.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvQM_lBQmoCBlZ9iz6wRLD09yAJeGZGDZEJE2iQgTqEubrVmZ4Oez3R9-UsX_e9V9xaKbWSakZXgq9VI1mg2lbpCGxhPJDivny6SG5ftoHHuwbMiBz4WZOQ4OkIpUj0LYJs0hU5bWhV13/s1600/Edited.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCvQM_lBQmoCBlZ9iz6wRLD09yAJeGZGDZEJE2iQgTqEubrVmZ4Oez3R9-UsX_e9V9xaKbWSakZXgq9VI1mg2lbpCGxhPJDivny6SG5ftoHHuwbMiBz4WZOQ4OkIpUj0LYJs0hU5bWhV13/s320/Edited.bmp" width="213" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burj Khalifa - tallest man-made structure in the world</td></tr>
</tbody></table></div>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7206783993716247507.post-77303468438320600552011-07-25T09:23:00.008-04:002011-07-25T09:33:56.935-04:00South Africa bound<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tomrrow morning I depart Pittsburgh International Airport. After a full-day layover in Dubai (birding included) I will return to Cape Town, South Africa. The rest of the year will entail numerous trips throughout Southern Africa so keep checking back for updates.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On top of that, I'm the new eBird reviewer, hotspot editor and filter creater for South Africa and will be busy getting South Africa eBird-efficient. Not familiar with eBird? Check out (<a href="http://ebird.org/">http://ebird.org/</a>)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">If you find yourself in Cape Town, feel free to contact me and I will show you around.</span>Nomadic Birderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04871423439329097764noreply@blogger.com0