Lost in Birding

Happy New Year from the UK...

2011-12-31T16:09:00.003-05:00

And what better thing to celebrate with than Barn Owls, from the best bird family on Earth! These were the result of some sterling work from Steve Blain down the country lanes of Bedfordshire in Middle England. Ironically, Tawny Owls are the commonest one in the area, and what I had planned to get. However, I am not complaining at this result at all - photos of two different Barn Owls. A very enjoyable, and late, night. We rolled in to bed at nearly 2 in the morning! Well worth it.

I have not forgotten the Galapagos and will continue with updates from there, just got distracted that's all!

To Santa Cruz....GALAPAGOS (20 Nov)

2011-12-27T11:35:00.002-05:00

We traveled the short distance from North Seymour to northern Santa Cruz in the early hours of the morning, so that we ready to depart shortly after dawn. Our destination for the morning was the highlands of Santa Cruz, a haven for endemic birds, and especially finches. Shortly after getting to Media Luna we added finches to our list with a Green Warbler-Finch that posed in the open. Small Tree-Finch was also a new bird for us in the area. We were really here though for the shy, skulking and often difficult Galapagos Rail. It took some time, indeed we walked up and down the track, picked up the endemic Galapagos Flycatcher in the meantime, and finally found our rail, right where we had looked first!

Having got the rail (but failed on photos sadly), we moved on to another area of the highlands for some reptiles and endemic birds...

Land of Reptiles...GALAPAGOS (19 Nov)

2011-12-26T12:02:00.003-05:00

This Land Iguana was found slumbering on North Seymour island on our first afternoon of our Galapagos cruise. This is an endemic species to the Galapagos, and one that is not too widespread these days. Like many Galapagos species it has undergone decline due to introduced pests by human habitation of the islands, (namely goats, dogs, and cats in the case of the iguana that predate the young especially). The nature of this decline can be fully understood when you look back at a quote from Charles Darwin himself:

"I cannot give a more forcible proof of their numbers, than by stating that when we were at James Island, we could not for some time find a spot free from their burrows on which to pitch our single tent.”
(Darwin 1845)

We only saw two wild ones in our whole time on the islands by comparison, although having said all of that the re-introduction programs are going well. Don't forget to look for them on North Seymour or Baltra if you visit, as these may be the only chances you get to find them!

On to the island of Santa Cruz next...

Magnificent End...GALAPAGOS (19 Nov)

2011-12-25T18:57:00.002-05:00

Our first day in the Galapagos, ended on our second island, North Seymour, with a flaming orange sunset, just after walking among displaying Magnificent Frigatebirds, and strolling past several multicolored Land Iguanas. The Land Iguanas have an interesting tale on these islands. They were extinct at one time on North Seymour, and so they re-introduced there from the "healthy" population on Baltra. However, after some years with a military base on Baltra, the Land Iguanas became extinct there around 1954. Subsequently, they have been re-introduced onto Baltra from North Seymour! A strange and rare situation indeed!

More to come from the Enchanted Islands soon...

Enchantment to Enchanted...GALAPAGOS (19 Nov)

2011-12-24T07:41:00.003-05:00

Well I left the so-called "Land of Enchantment" (New Mexico), and returned to Ecuador for a tour of the "Enchanted Islands" (Galapagos Islands). So after a day to get almost nothing done before the tour, I was off again. I met the group in Quito and we were soon flying over the Andes and into the tiny island of BALTRA, in the centre of the Galapagos Islands, some 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, in the Pacfic Ocean. Although this tiny island was merely a stopping off point to board our ship - the superb Reina Silvia - we still jump-started our endemic list before we had even left Baltra Airport, with several Small and Medium Ground-Finches seen hopping around the terminal!

We soon boarded our vessel, ate lunch, and headed north to another islet, North Seymour, where it was not just the endemics that were friendly (like EVERYTHING on the Galapagos). While finches followed us around we sidestepped one of the biggest celebrities in the islands, Blue-footed Boobies, and proved the art of pishing is not dead with finches and Yellow Warblers particular fans, coming in extraordinarily close...

Much. much more from the Galapagos Islands to come...

Farewell New Mexico...(16 - 17 Nov)

2011-12-21T21:18:00.002-05:00

Well, it had been a flying visit to the so-called "Land of Enchantment". I had sampled the much touted chilli (both red and green, although not yet "Christmas", a mixture of both), and been more than happy, and been to Bosque del Apache, and been ecstatic at the extraordinary scenes that greeted me. On top of that I dropped in to see (one at least) of the Rosy-finches at Sandia Crest. In short, this amazing state, which seems vastly under birded, under appreciated, and overshadowed by its neighbor, Arizona, had quite the effect on me. I am sure this will not be my last time in this well named land! I cannot resist throwing a few more photos up there from this flying visit from Bosque. I just missed the real festival of cranes, although it felt like I experienced it! Furthermore, rumors of easy "Flamms" (i.e. Flammulated Owl) may just bring me back here, as I have score to settle with that one!

Next up, back to Ecuador, and on board, for a cruise around the Galapagos Islands...

Nuthatches at the Double...NEW MEXICO (16 Nov)

2011-12-18T09:44:00.003-05:00

The feeders at Sandia Crest, not far from Albuquerque, are famous for attracting rosy-finches, (all three species at the height of winter usually). On this day only the rarest, and in my view the best, species turned up, Black Rosy-Finch. I was happy enough with that though, believe me. Although just a single, small, bird table, this feeder attracted quite a variety, and number, of birds. This is one thing that stuns me in the US is how great the smallest of feeders can be. It was a photographers dream with Hairy Woodpecker, Mountain Chickadee, and two species of nuthatches dropping in at close quarters, time and again. The nuthatches are always an impressive group to me, there is not a bad one on the planet. Nuthatches were named sitta for their woodpecker-like habits by the ancient Greeks. White-breasted Nuthatch was impressive enough, and I was thrilled to see it. Although I have to say the showstopper for me was an immaculate Red-breasted Nuthatch, with its striking head pattern and more colorful plumage, a real breathtaking species.

The latter brought back memories to me of my very first one: at Holkham Pines in Norfolk, England in 1989, when a very lost stray turned up and caused chaotic scenes in that famous birding spot. I managed to get my boss to let me leave work immediately on the Saturday that it was found, so that I could race straight up there (with a group of birders from my home county Surrey), the moment the electrifying news broke. This seemed like the perfect plan as we would get there within hours of the original sighting, and thought we could be home safely and with the bird checked on our list by Saturday night. Wrong. As it turned out though, the bird went to ground and could not be found later that day. So what had seemed like the perfect plan, went awry. In the end we decided to sleep over in the reserve car park, (we were all birders on a tight budget). This entailed sleeping in a cold part of the country in a cold part of the year, (fall/autumn). The problem was we had not come at all prepared for this, as we simply dropped everything and drove straight up there when the news broke. Needless to say then, in the absence of a sleeping bag or blanket to keep warm, we endured (and suffered), a very cold night indeed. So cold in fact, that we could not get any sleep, and simply spent lots of time running up and down the car park to keep warm. I have never been a fan of jogging and doing this on an icy cold autumn night in Norfolk did not convert me! Eventually, and painfully slowly, dawn came around and we could once more go on the trail of our quarry, the Red-breasted Nuthatch. We were feeling positive and upbeat...Until we discovered that what seemed like the entire British birding community had descended on Holkham for this mega birding event! (i.e. literally thousands of birders) The upshot of this was that the moment this tiny blue-and-red bird appeared pandemonium ensued, and the bird would run for its life from the marauding pack of birders. So, I spent the day "chasing shadows", not seeing this striking bird until late in the afternoon, more than 24 hours after I had first set foot in the woods! Let's just say, I think now I preferred this bird that dropped in to the feeders regularly at Sandia Crest, and let me ogle every fine detail of its exquisite plumage over and over again with just a handful of gathered birders! Still Holkham had been a lot of fun!

I am not done with New Mexico just yet...

Rosy Mountains...NEW MEXICO (16 Nov)

2011-12-17T12:25:00.006-05:00

With precious little time to explore this vastly underbirded state, Iain Campbell and I decided to head up into the mountains near Albuquerque. We rose out of the flat cool desert plains, and up into the frigid mountains, and the scenic Sandia Crest (10,678 feet/3,255 m). Famous for its scenery among non-birders, but famous for its feeders among birders. The brutal chill of a New Mexico winter hit us as we got out of the car, so we warmed ourselves inside with a hot bowl of red chilli, and welcome cup of tea. Once warmed we ventured onto their small ice-covered deck, and watched their feeders for any action. Activity was constant, with Mountain Chickadees, and Hairy Woodpecker coming in regularly. Then a nasal call gave away the presence of Sandia's real celebrity bird. And before we knew it we were eyeballing several Black Rosy-Finches hopping around the deck. Superb. Much to the relief of another visiting birder who had flown in from New Jersey for this bird, which was his 700th on his ABA list. A great landmark bird if ever there was one.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...NEW MEXICO (16 Nov)

2011-12-16T17:24:00.004-05:00

Well, after the last of the Sandhill Cranes had lifted off from the pools along the main highway into Bosque del Apache, there was nothing more to do but go looking for a white haze. It did not take much finding. The thing is with monstrous gatherings of Snow Geese is they are quite noisy, and very, very white. On top of that, they draw quite a crowd in these parts. In short, they were almost impossible to miss. A large flock of them sailed around a large field, creating quite racket in the process. Then finally they settled down, and at such close quarters. There they mixed with the local Sandhill Cranes that were also after the grain. Most of the mass were your bog standard white geese, although here and there a sore thumb could be found in the form of several "blue geese", my first such encounter with them. I am not exaggerating to say this incredible scene of thousands of Snow Geese creating a din from their calls, intermixed with stately Sandhill Cranes that majestically walked among them was a true natural wonder, which had me literally shaking my head in disbelief. I hear rumours that bigger gatherings can be found in Nebraska in spring. I am not sure my head could take much more. The scene left you confused as to which way to turn and which way to shoot. It was bewildering, exhilarating, and something I want to repeat again soon....

More from New Mexico on its way...

Lift off...NEW MEXICO (16 Nov)

2011-12-15T21:53:00.003-05:00

Well, having experienced Sandhill Cranes bathed in peach hues of the late afternoon sun the evening before, there was nothing more to do than return to Bosque del Apache there the next morning for the lift off. Large spectacular birds like cranes with the absorbing early morning light hitting them, with a backdrop of mountains, you might understand why this has become almost a "Mecca" for photographers. Thanks to Ashli and others for putting this place in my head!

More to come from both Bosque and another mountain site in New Mexico...

Crane Time...NEW MEXICO (16 Nov)

2011-12-14T13:55:00.002-05:00

Well aside from thousands of Snow Geese to photograph, there is one very tall other reason to visit Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge: Cranes. Nearly twenty thousand cranes regularly winter in this scenic refuge, which manages the land for them, and provides a stunning setting in which to shoot them... I arrived late afternoon and got ready for the spectacle of thousands of Sandhill Cranes dropping in, while a peachy sun drops down behind them, creating remarkable scenes for photography. My few days on site (due to guiding commitments elsewhere) was nowhere near enough time to find all the best angles and photograph them. But here were some of my first attempts anyway...I MUST go back!

More to come from Bosque, where the most spectacular scenes were yet to come...

Welcome to New Mexico!...NEW MEXICO (15 Nov)

2011-12-13T18:54:00.003-05:00

Arriving late the night before and connecting with fellow Tropical Birder, Iain Campbell, we made our way in the dark of night to the town of Socorro, famed hangout for birders/photographers wishing to get a good dose of chilli, and be in spitting distance of the famous Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. Thus we awoke a little late for the fly out of cranes, but checked out the refuge anyway, which was far from wasted time. Gambel's Quail scurried tantalizingly around the desert garden behind the visitor center, and a Roadrunner (one of my favorite North American birds) welcomed us to the refuge by scampering along a road as they should do. However, it was this scene, and white haze of Snow Geese that caught my eye during my short visit to this legendary refuge...

More to come from down New Mexico way...

Farewell to Texas...TEXAS (14 Nov)

2011-12-12T18:50:00.004-05:00

Well with the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival finished (with a wild party I must add the evening before), there was nothing left to do but get in some final birding in south Texas before my afternoon flight out to New Mexico. Although very excited at the prospect of seeing New Mexico for the first time, and the prospect of checking out Bosque del Apache drawing me there, it is always with sadness I leave the Great State of Texas. It has been good to me over the last five years, and I am sure will continue to be. So I joined Michael Retter and Matt Hale in their quest for Hook-billed Kite at Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. We also met Chip Close on the "hawk tower" who gave a classic tale of you should have been here half an hour ago. Well a late night party delayed us slightly and in the process costs us the Hook-billed Kite. However, I was not fussed, this was my first sight of the legendary Santa Ana, and frankly I was just happy to absorb the scenes at the feeders there, where Plain Chachalacas tried to fight off all comers (and pretty successful they were too). Besides these bruisers the feeders were attended by Green Jays, gaudy Altamira Orioles, and of course, House Sparrows! Hopefully I will get back to the Rio Grande Valley of Texas again soon and give it the time it really deserves....

...But for now, New Mexico, and hordes of waterbirds were calling...

Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival...TEXAS (13 Nov)

2011-12-10T14:12:00.002-05:00

The Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival continued, and on this morning I decided to check out Estero Llano Grande State Park. The buzz at the time was about a Rose-throated Becard, a species I had seen in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, but never across the border in the US. Amazingly, just after our arrival we walked straight into the becard (or more precisely a birder loudly announcing the presence of the becard). However, I was not here purely for this Mexican "invader" but to check out a range of "Mexican" species that make it across the border there. This included some leaf-like Common Pauraques roosting in the leaf litter and doing a great job of looking inconspicuous. The feeders were abuzz with birds coming in to feed on oranges and grain. The Green Jays, surely the star of the valley with their outrageously bright and vivid colors, and Black-crested Titmice preferred the grain tables, while Orange-crowned Warblers and orioles flocked in to feast on the oranges. A colorful few hours in the valley, before I returned to Harlingen to man the Tropical Birding booth at the festival.

More to come from the great state of Texas...

Pandemonium in Harlingen...TEXAS (14 Nov)

2011-12-08T22:33:00.004-05:00

So the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival rolled on in spectacular fashion, and birding conversations drifted my way, the names of lifers floating on the air within them. Turned out that right in Harlingen, just a few miles from the Tropical Birding booth, a daily gathering of birds held among them a lifebird for me. And so it was that my TB colleague Cristina Cervantes and I found ourselves in a Baptist Church parking lot as sunset approached. This may have felt a little odd, were it not for a considerable mob of other birders with similar intentions standing closeby. Meanwhile, several of the festival vans led by various leaders such as Michael Retter, Ashli Gorbet and others, also combed the local neighborhoods for our quarry, regularly passing by with that instantly recognizable look of disappointment that only a missing bird can bring. As dusk threatened ever more closely, birders became edgy and nervous in the parking lot (well I did anyway), as not a sight nor sound of our target was to be found. Then suddenly, and undeniably dramatically, a large flock of green birds came streaming in and alighted on the roadside telephone cables. Of course, parrots being parrots, this could not be done quietly, and there was quite a din to be associated with their arrival, (almost as if the parrots wanted to make absolutely sure we had seen them!) Indeed, it was easy to understand, watching this rowdy mob of Red-crowned Parrots, why the "official" term for a flock of parrots is a "Pandemonium"! Not sure if this is countable lifer or not as debate rages over whether they arrived in the US from their native Mexico on their own steam, or rather this population became established from local escapees. I guess the fact that I am of loose morality these days with lifebirds means the decision was not too tough!

On to the Lone Star State...TEXAS (13 Nov)

2011-12-07T18:47:00.003-05:00

And so after a good night of curry and beer in Brisbane with good friends Stuart and Kirsten Pickering, I was off to the Rio Grande Valley Bird Festival in Harlingen. This was my first time at the festival, and I was very excited by the prospect, as every birder who has ever attended, simply raves about it. And for good reason. It is a very well-organized festival, set in the heart of some of Texas's best birding sites. Hot off the press for me was news of a Fox Sparrow in the area, a lifer I had not been expecting from there - this was just the 2nd valley record after all. So my first morning saw me returning to the South Padre Convention Center that I had visited for the first time during April this year. Walking up to the first birder with bins raised I soon realized he was glassing the Fox Sparrow. So my first bird on site was the very bird that had brought me here. If only all lifebirds could be so easy! Then I was quickly informed by Kevin Karlson, leading a trip on site, that there was a Long-eared Owl in the shrubbery. Soon enough I was fixed in its considerable glare, another scarce bird in these parts.

I then took a stroll along the wonderful boardwalk (and bumping into Tamie Bulow in the process) looking down on shorebirds like Least Sandpipers and waterbirds like Redheads and Northern Pintail. What a fine start to my time in Texas. I have had a soft spot for Texas ever since my first season in High Island, four years ago, and the valley was doing nothing to dent this!

More to come from the Rio Grande Valley...

A Devil of a time...TASMANIA (7 Nov)

2011-11-27T16:59:00.004-05:00

After finishing the tour on Tasmania (and happily realizing that Susan Myers, myself and the group had cracked over 430 Australian birds in 19 days!), I had 2 days to spare. At the last minute I found out an opening had come up at King's Run in northwestern Tasmania to view Tasmanian Devils that night. The problem was I was in Hobart (southeast Tasmania), and it was already 11am! The temptation of devils, along with the enthusiasm of Joe King, who runs the operation up there, made this an easy decision; I hit the road again! 7 hours later (and more than a few Red Bulls) I arrived to be greeted by Joe, and a very welcome cup of tea. The afternoon was sunny and bright, and the Tasmanian coastline was simply magnificent. This was my first time in this part of Tassie, and it was truly spectacular to see. Joe and I were also joined by Holly Faithful, another fellow English person who had also recently finished touring in Australia. Joe transferred us to his "shack" on the beach, the place where devils roam under the cover of darkness. We took a walk with a group of visiting Canadians along the shore, admiring Red-capped Plovers, hearing tales of aboriginal sites in the area, and watching more than a few Bennett's Wallabies, before we all settled in the shack for a marvelous supper of abalone in Thai sauce, (seriously tasty). After dinner, and with prime devil time approaching, the lights were dimmed, and we moved our chairs close to the large double-glazed window that overlooked a carcass cleared from the road earlier in the day. We were hoping this hapless wallaby carcass (actually a Tasmanian Pademelon) would be too good to resist for the local Tasmanian Devils that scavenge in this area regularly. The peak hours for them are an hour after sunset. This hour approached and then passed with not a sight nor sound of them. Then at 22.55pm a large head appeared suddenly, and nervously in front of the window. I was incredulous, this was my first Tasmanian Devil, and it was close. Very, very close. However, it was looking jumpy and it soon vanished again leaving me with an impressive memory but a lack of photographic evidence. Not to worry though, Joe was calm and explained this was typical when they first venture into the carcass. Within the next ten minutes it reappeared, brought with another individual, and before we knew it they were gorging (rather gruesomely) on the pademelon. Once settled we enjoyed them at length, as they tucked in to the feast and regularly fought with one another, often baring their considerable teeth, and making amusing growling noises in the process. A fantastic animal, within a great setting, and a great, great wildlife experience thanks to Joe King, whose head full of facts, (and considerable culinary talents), made this a very memorable evening indeed. I hope to return soon.

A quick footnote to say that the devils have recently been in a lot of trouble through a facial tumor disease (leading to a 90% decline in some parts of their range), which thankfully, so far. has not reached this population. And long may that continue.

On to Van Diemen´s Land...AUSTRALIA (4-5 Nov)

2011-11-27T16:15:00.003-05:00

We flew out of Brisbane, and bid Queensland goodbye. It had been good to us: revealing Golden Bowerbird, Southern Cassowary, Buff-breasted Paradise-Kingfisher, Chowchilla and Yellow-breasted Boatbills in the north, and Koalas and Riflebirds in the south to name but a few from our list.

Next stop was the magical island of Tasmania, a large island off the southeastern tip of Australia, a place that offered endemics aplenty. We spent a day chasing the maximum number of these around Hobart and Bruny Island, which brought many in quick succession, including the rarest of them all, a Forty-spotted Pardalote not far out of Hobart. Other treats were a bounty of robins. OK, they were not all endemics but they were mighty popular. All four came on the scenically stunning island of Bruny, and included the forgettable Dusky Robin, but way more memorable Scarlet, Flame and Pink Robins (the latter was a crowd favorite; it gave us the runaround and then showed beautifully!) On top of that were some approachable Hooded Plovers on a sandy beach filled with weekeneders, and a gorgeous flock of Swift Parrots near Hobart, at a site that also yielded a late afternoon showing of a Beautiful Firetail, that was every bit as beautiful as the name suggests!

There were plenty of other birds that day too from Blue-winged Parrots, to Strong-billed Honeyeaters, and even the odd, and flightless, Tasmanian Native-Hen, but I do not have time for all. Suffice to say we did some running around, and racked up a great day list that included almost all of the endemics on offer! Guides like me love these days. On top of that we enjoyed sandy beaches bathed in warming sunshine, not always expected on Tassie in springtime!

More to come from Tassie, including one of its most iconic mammals...

The Prettiest of them all...AUSTRALIA (2 Nov)

2011-11-18T23:13:00.003-05:00

I forgot to pots this from our journey into O Reilly's on the 2nd, sorry, need to rectify that. I had told the group to be on the lookout for wallabies in the sclerophyl woods (open eucalypt woods with a grassy understorey), on the way up before we hit the rainforest on the top, as the wallaby in these parts may just be the fairest of them all. As I was driving up my mind wandered for a moment and I thought I caught something out of the corner of my eye, but as it was so close it could not possibly be...screech. I stopped abruptly when I realized that it was indeed a Whiptail Wallaby feeding calmly by the roadside. As we stopped and Susan and her bus pulled up alongside I warned everyone not to get out as it will probably bolt. As if to prove this another four animals, that I admit I had failed to notice, bounded off the far side of the road. And I thought it was just a matter of time before this handsome individual would do the same. To my horror I saw some of the group in the other bus climbing out, and waited for the animal to react...well suffice to say this was one very tame Whiptail that showed us all how pretty it is, supporting its other, more favored name, the Pretty-face Wallaby.

More on the way from Down Under soon...

Things that go knock in the night...AUSTRALIA

2011-11-18T22:28:00.002-05:00

OK so after our action-packed day hand-feeding rosellas and king-parrots, shoving Currawongs away from our lunch table, and taking in all those cool rainforest birds and Koala of course we deserved a rest-no chance. After a luxurious dinner at O Reilly's, where a Mountain Brushtail Possum amused us from the dinner table, wolfing down fruits from the feeder by the dining table window, we decided to go in pursuit of an elusive quarry that evaded us the night before. I must admit in my laziness the night before I had tried to get it from the road, and failed. I was not going to make that mistake again. This time we made our way into a rainforest gully, and before we had even reached our strategic position, the bird gave a loud knocking call from where we were headed. We shuffled up together, turned off our flashlights, and waited for a short time. Adrenalin was in the air and I nervously put my I-pod into action. Just a short burst of its song, then I waited. The bird called beside us and I quickly swept the open rainforest bows for this hulking nightbird, only to find branches and nothing else. I reluctantly switched off the lights, and tried one more time. Angrily the bird called back just up the trail. Fearing empty branches again but knowing I simply had to try I turned on the light...and there sitting in the spotlight was a marvelous Marbled Frogmouth. It had taken two nights, but I think it was well, well, worth it!

Lots more to come so stayed tuned...Although I have a bit of a tour coming up, so be patient. There is much, much more to come!

An Australian Icon...AUSTRALIA (3 Nov)

2011-11-18T00:02:00.003-05:00

Australia is often under-appreciated as a mammal venue. Perhaps because the bunch of Antipodean mammals there are so bizarre - and we'd seen some of those earlier on the tour, like Platypus in Queensland. When most people think of Australia they think of the iconic images of Koalas quietly munching Eucalyptus leaves. And so it was for much of my group. Indeed the day before we had tried for Koalas near Brisbane but left empty-handed. And so when we arrived at the luxurious and legendary O' Reilly's Rainforest Retreat, I was quick to "grill" one of their naturalist guides as to whether any of these strange Aussie mammals were around. Luckily there was a female with a large youngster in tow around. However, first we concentrated on the birds, and what birds we had. From Wonga Pigeons walking casually along the road, to Green Catbirds meowing in the trees, the Rose Robins bringing a splash of color to the rainforest canopy there was never a dull moment. And I almost forgot the glistening green, scarlet, and blue Noisy Pitta which was, well, pretty noisy that morning and thankfully conspicuous as it sang from an open log.

That was all in the rainforest. So later in the morning we dropped into the wet sclerophyl forest just below the rainforested plateau for one special target. Not long later Susan (my sharp-eyed, Aussie, co-guide) picked up a Red-browed Treecreeper creeping along a dead branch, and a stunning Spotted Pardalote perched at eye level. Nice one.

Then we headed off with a map in hand to a private area of O Reilly's where the map indicated the exact tree where the Koalas had been the day before. And there they were, proving how slow moving they can be, by being in exactly the same tree, making finding them a synch! Thanks again Matt! A very fortunate Spotted Quail-Thrush at the same bluff was a shock find, as they appear to be rapidly declining in the area, with no apparent cause.

More from O Reilly's to come that NIGHT...

O Reilly's..say no more! AUSTRALIA (Oct)

2011-11-15T22:17:00.002-05:00

After a late flurry of new birds at the end of our New South Wales leg in the Capertee Valley (Crested Shrike-Tit, Little Lorikeet and more), and Royal National Park (male of the master-mimic, Superb Lyrebird), we returned to Queensland for another spell. This time though not to the Wet Tropics of the north that we had visited earlier out of Cairns, but this time to southern Queensland, and the legendary O Reilly's Rainforest Retreat in Lamington National Park. Why legendary? Well this stunner jumped onto people's food-filled hands on arrival (Regent Bowerbird), and even climbed on to someone's back, while the usual siege of Crimson Rosellas and Australian King-Parrots also came in for the feast, while I checked us in. Now that is a true royal welcome!

More from O Reilly's to come, including one of Australia's most iconic mammals...

YET more shorebirds...AUSTRALIA (30 Oct)

2011-11-14T21:12:00.003-05:00

After our night safari on the Hay Plains, and, ahem, a 1am finish, we decided on a lie in (yes I can do this sometimes!), and a fried "brekky" (breakfast in Australian!) The late start though did not cost us birds as our journey towards Lake Cargelligo was punctuated with a top draw raptor: a Black Falcon circling low overhead. Only my 2nd sighting ever. Further disruption to our journey was provided by a group of White-fronted Chats and a gorgeous, gorgeous male White-winged Fairywren.

In the afternoon we took a stroll to the local sewage works (way, way better than it sounds), which was packed with shorebirds and other waterbirds. This included a healthy batch of Red-kneed Dotterels to entertain us in the gorgeous glow of the later afternoon sun. Red-necked Avocets and a triumvirate of crakes made for a very, very enjoyable evening (Spotted, Spotless, and Baillon's Crakes). On top of that an Orange Chat popped up in the scrubby edges of the marsh, and an Australian Hobby cruised over the marsh too. Great finish to our day.

Don't worry, lot, lots more to come from Australia...

Shorebirder´s Delight...AUSTRALIA (29 Oct)

2011-11-14T06:58:00.003-05:00

Expansive plains of flat, endless grasslands, a long, long way inland from the coast are certainly not where you would ordinarily expect to see shorebirds. But this is Australia, where there is a bunch of specialist inland species that you will almost never find anywhere else. And so during the afternoon and evening on our "Aussie safari", we ran in to some very special shorebirds indeed. A hidden pool (that due to the flat terrain would have been hard to find without the help of Phil and his pinpoint local knowledge of course), held a healthy number of Red-kneed Dotterels that called frequently, showed often, and looked good in the late afternoon sun. It was only when the sun began to dip below the low horizon that another star shorebird made a memorable appearance: Australian Painted-Snipe. In some years this striking shorebird can be extremely hard to find, but in this balmy year our local man Phil was quietly confident. As the sun continued to dip the painted-snipe became bolder, striding out from the scrubby edges to feed out in the open, revealing their unmistakable, and striking plumage as they did so. Believe it or not though we would have to wait until long after dark for our final two shorebird species of the day. As we went on the prowl for Plains-wanderer, and buttonquail on the plains we also came across a band of Banded Lapwing, and better still (I have a real soft spot for this species), a small party of Inland Dotterels huddled in the car headlights...

More to come from another hidden pool, and another hidden gem, in Australia...

Plains-Lifer...AUSTRALIA (29 Oct)

2011-11-13T12:17:00.002-05:00

And NO it was not the Plains-wanderer! Our "game drive" was awesome on the Hay Plains, thanks in no small part to the work of Phil Maher and his super hot bird-finding team. A low mumble about a mystery buttonquail had me desperate to hear more from the radios. Before you know though the cars were ringed in a circle with the headlights focused on this Red-chested Buttonquail. Like all buttonquail in Australia tricky to find, although this is arguably considerably tricker than most. It turned out to be an excellent tour for buttonquails with Painted Buttonquails watched making platelets in Royal National Park (New South Wales) and both Little and this buttonquail seen on this memorable tour of the flat plains. Like everything on these amazing night drives it was seen "rather" well!

STILL more to come from this night drive (I guess it was just one of those nights!)...

Night Drive..Aussie style (29 Oct)

2011-11-09T04:52:00.002-05:00

Well we took a night drive on to the Hay Plains with the "Plains-wanderer specialist", Phil Maher. And what an afternoon and night we had. Lots of birds, and even two lifers for me in there... The night drive started with this Little Buttonquail, just recently arrived back on to the plains...

Not long after, the star of the show turned up, Plains-Wanderer, and you could almost hear the sighs of relief all round! This was a young female, displaying the chestnut band that the male lacks.

Plenty more from the Hay Plains to come...

World's Weirdest Mammal???...AUSTRALIA (27 Oct)

2011-10-29T00:25:00.003-05:00

Believe it or not, this is the closest thing to a Duck-billed Platypus, even though it lives on land and looks like a hedgehog. Just after we swerved to avoid this spiny creature, it decided to curl up in the ball and hide in plain sight. Trouble is we could see it perfectly! It´s name?...Short-beaked Echidna. Where?...Royal National Park, New South Wales (Australia).

More to come from down under, very soon!

Aussie GOLD...Australia (24 Oct.)

2011-10-27T04:52:00.003-05:00

Well the pressure was on. I had let slip that I might just know a Golden Bowerbird bower, and that we might just look for it (understatement). On arrival at the site with detailed directions from another Tropical Birding guide Nick Leseberg I was feeling confident, and even had a bit of a swagger. I knew this bird would simply blow people away. I had not been there for a year but thought in true Aussie style it would be "too easy". How wrong I was. Going to the "obvious track" described by a friend I found a dead end, and a dead end without a bower. Unperturbed, I tried the next "can't miss" track only to hit another dead end, and come back bowerless, and bowerbirdless. Then panic set in. I called Nick, relayed the instructions again and soon found the indistinct track between the two can't miss ones (and the right track). Again though I just could not find the bower. At my lowest ebb and with an expectant crowd just off the trail I sighed and leaned against a tree. It was only then that I changed my stance (by complete accident), which exposed a rather large (and has to be said, "obvious") bower. The call went out and Susan returned with the group. While I waited for their imminent arrival and scoured the trees closely for any sign of "golden balls". A first cursory sweep revealed nothing so I settled down glanced up at the heavens and landed my bins immediately on a gaudy Golden Bowerbird, one of the classic Queensland specialties! Love it! All too soon everyone else arrived, with absolutely no reaction from this handsome bird who proceeded to continue adorning his large bower with some fancy white lichen, time and again while we stood just feet away. True Aussie Gold!

In Australia now...Oct 2011

2011-10-25T04:47:00.003-05:00

Got Rainbow Bee-eater as a "welcome present" in Cairns!

More to come when I have time!

On Cloud 9...BORNEO (9 Oct)

2011-10-19T04:35:00.002-05:00

To continue my earlier post on our first full day in the famous birding site of Danum Valley. The day had been going to plan, we had managed to find the hoped-for Large-billed Blue Flycatcher, followed soon after by a fine pair of confiding Bornean Ground-Babblers, followed after by two showstopping male Blue-headed Pittas on the path, unhindered views with absolutely nothing masking their incredible plumage: bright blue head, and deep purple underneath. Then we tracked down the other endemic babbler that Danum is a major site for: Black-throated Wren-Babbler. Things were going swimmingly. Then we tried unsuccessfully to see a calling Helmeted Hornbill, that fled the scene noisily with just one of us seeing it. Frustrated I tried to get its attention again, only for our guide to gently announce that we should skip the hornbill! Before we could protest, he explained why. One of his colleagues, a ranger who roams the forest for wildlife then alerts everyone by radio once he finds anything of interest. It just so happened he had found something of major interest: a Bornean Clouded Leopard had been observed hunting Bornean Gibbons (unsurprisingly with no success at all, given the gibbons extreme agility!) This normally nocturnal mammal is very rare, and despite Danum and Borneo Rainforest Lodge being on of the best sites to get it, there are periods of months between sightings, and most of these are brief snatches of the animal at night. Vivian suggested quietly we go and look for it. We were all in full agreement, although wondered why it would stick around if it was on the hunt? Vivian then calmly informed us it was currently taking a "catnap", and so, with luck, it may be there for some time! It was a no brainer, and we were soon skipping along the trail, yearning to get to the leopard before it wakes up, and moves on. Our local guide was in constant contact with the ranger, and I was constantly haranguing him for the latest updates. Sentences like "still there 2 minutes ago", and "all the other guests are now there watching it" (we of course were furthest from the animal when found by chance), spurred us on and quickened our pace. Horrifying thoughts of other groups disturbing the animal went through our minds, and further images of a happy lodge buzzing post leopard, with us leopardless went through my mind and made the journey seem a lot longer than the kilometer or so that it actually was. A final very muddy slope barred our way to the animal, and we clawed our way up it in desperation. Finally, we were on the top of the slope, we could see a small quite crowd gathered, and there above was the heavy paws hanging down of a Bornean Clouded Leopard, one of the ultimate animal prizes in Asia. Most people took a look and were soon on their way. Not us, we soaked this in from every angle, joyful when it lifted its head calmly and opened its eyes, and held us in its formidable stare. After several hours of taking in something we could only dream of we reluctantly walked away and back to the lodge for a hearty meal of Beef Rendang. Just an hour or so later the animal crawled down from the tree, putting the fear of God into the lone ranger standing there, and walked off into the jungle, never to be seen again.

The night drive was lame that night, truly so, although we didn't care. We had already seen the very best of Bornean mammals that very morning in glorious daylight!

More from Danum to come: another muddy hill, and another spectacular bird awaited us the following day...

Forgotten Tarsier...BORNEO (8 Oct)

2011-10-17T20:23:00.003-05:00

It is a true measure of how good things were on this Malaysian tour that I have completely forgotten to fill in a significant gap between the the first afternoon's birding at Danum Valley and the following morning....Gap to be filled now! On arrival I bumped into once again Chris Kehoe and his group who gripped me off with tales of a confiding Western Tarsier that interrupted their dinner the night before, when found close to the lodge. I have yearned for this bug-eyed primate for years. Indeed, on my very first trip to Danum Valley I stayed at their famous field center, where I opted out one night's birding due to a stomach incident, only to be gutted when I was later regaled with tales of an encounter with this hard-to-find primate later that evening. And that was ten, tough, years ago! On hearing that one had been sighted recently, (something that I had never found on all my previous trips when shortly after arrival I would inquire desperately about this animal!), I quickly quizzed Vivian (our superb lodge) guide on the chances of doing a night walk for it that evening rather than one of their traditional night drives. Vivian was keen, Karen and John (my private group) were keen, and I was keen with all this history of course. We had arranged a night walk in the hope of finding it earlier on the tour at Sepilok Rainforest Discovery Centre, only for rain to stop play and have the night walk canceled on us. So grudges were out their, and previous disappointments were in vivid in my mind!

Late in the afternoon the skies darkened and the heavens opened as only they can in the tropics. John, Karen and I looked at the black skies and hoped that this would stop as suddenly as it started (something that can happen with tropical storms of this nature). However, over dinner (of Beef Rendang for me of course, my Malaysian staple!), the rain could still be heard on the lodge roof and our hopes were waning fast. I spoke to our guide who informed us their ranger had NOT managed to find it that evening and that it was unlikely to be active in the wet conditions, even if the rain was now easing. Reluctantly we said good night to Vivian and I readied myself for bed, only for moments later for Vivian to return with the simple words "it's there". It was so soon after he had informed me the ranger had not managed to find it, that I stupidly felt the need to ask "what's there?". "The Tarsier" he replied. My shoes were on in moments and I was at John and Karen's cabin knocking frantically. They did not need much motivation, and within minutes we were in the jungle a few minutes walk from the Borneo Rainforest Lodge, staring up at this magical creature!

This "new" system of rangers being sent out to find animals at Borneo Rainforest Lodge had already paid dividends for us with this mammalian oddity, and would continue to do do so in the coming days...

On the trail of endemics...BORNEO (9 Oct)

2011-10-16T08:33:00.008-05:00

Birders visiting Borneo dream of the endemics that the island boasts (some 50 or so of them with new taxonomic changes). And so did we. Having arrived at Danum Valley the day before today we were to have our first real shot at the lowland endemics found in the thick jungles of Danum. The morning began well when a troop of Crested (Bornean) Firebacks stalked the lodge grounds. Very different from the birds we had seen on the Peninsula, as these ones have a yellow (and not white) tail. Then we hit the trails hard. First on the list was a Large-billed Blue Flycatcher which performed with aplomb. Next on the agenda was the endemic Bornean Ground-Babbler that shows how good babblers can be. They are not all boring brown jobs! Then it was showtime. A distant calling pitta had us rapidly re-routing, and taking a side trail. I pressed play on the I-pod and a movement by a fallen tree betrayed the presence of a dreamy Blue-headed Pitta, a bird to die for! (and an endemic, confined to Borneo). Then it was on to another endemic babbler, the Black-throated Wren-Babbler. Known for being shy and tricky we feared the worst as they called and called but remained hidden. The something changed, as they came steaming in to challenge my I-pod at close range. Superb.

However, this day will be long remembered for more than just birds. Normally a pitta would take center stage on any day, but a radio call and hurried change of plans brought us one of the wildlife highlights of a lifetime...

More encounters with the Red Ape...BORNEO (8 Oct)

2011-10-15T08:55:00.006-05:00

As I mentioned earlier we managed to find another (or rather my driver did) Orang-Utan before we had even stepped foot in the luxurious surroundings of the Borneo Rainforest Lodge in the lush jungle of Danum Valley. Here is a picture of the young red ape, along with a photo of our first male Bornean Blue Flycatcher. Turned out to be good for both these in Danum which were seen again repeatedly over our 4 night stay there. A Great-billed Heron rounded out the day at Danum, post a good tropical storm. Visible from the lodge!

More from Danum (which might explain my title shot) to come...

Road Block: Danum Style...BORNEO (8 Oct)

2011-10-14T07:39:00.007-05:00

After the lowland jungles of Sukau, we swapped for the steamy rainforest of Danum Valley, staying in the ultra plush Borneo Rainforest Lodge (literally one of the very best lodges I have been to on Earth). Before we got there though we had some "obstacles" on the way in to deal with. First, we found a Bornean Pygmy Elephant blocking the road, and a tusker at that (male). At first he looked a little too interested in us but soon casually walked off the road, leaving us open-mouthed in its wake. Then the driver pulled the car over for a rusty shape in the trees alongside: a young Orang-Utan that just hung in the tree staring at us, with the mother presumbly nearby (but not seen by us). Another distraction was a pair of White-fronted Falconets haunting a dead snag, the world's smallest raptor. We finished the day with a walk near the lodge, taking in both leeches (luckily we were now all too familiar with the advantages of wearing leech socks, with ours looking a little worse for wear after our earlier time in Taman Negara on the Peninsula). It was well worth it though for a glistening male Bornean Blue Flycatcher, and our first Dusky Broadbills before the rain started lashing down, tropical style, and had us running for cover.

Once the rain stopped though, we realized the show was not over just yet...

Jewel-Thrush Eulogy...BORNEO (7 Oct)

2011-10-13T08:03:00.003-05:00

Well with just a few hours left before we sped out of Sukau Lodge along the Kinabatangan River by boat I opted to go after the jewel in the lodge's crown: Black-and-crimson Pitta (formerly considered a race of Garnet Pitta that it has now been split from, which is also known as Black-headed Pitta). An Asian beauty if ever there was one, and available just yards from our rooms. Indeed, we had only just got onto the boardwalk when the soft whistles of this purple, scarlet, and electric blue dream were heard emanating from the damp leaf litter. After a couple of brief and tantalizing looks the bird hopped onto a log and turned this way and that allowing us to view every inch of its perfect plumage. Pittas used to be known as jewel-thrushes, and I am sad to say this term is not used much these days, although feel it should be, as it describes them perfectly: like thrushes made out of precious gems!

We have racked up 7 species on our journey through Malaysia, each and every one of them as precious as this Bornean endemic species...

More Monkey Business...BORNEO (6 Oct)

2011-10-12T08:49:00.003-05:00

OK before the swiftlets being hunted down by the ever-opportunistic Bat Hawks at Gomantong Caves, we took a walk down the road from there. Or more specifically, a drive down there to find some hornbills that Chris Kehoe had tipped us off about. The van was soon stalled though by the sight of a close troop of Red Leaf-Monkeys doing what they do best: munching leaves. Then we made our way to the "magic marker", km3, and pressed play on the I-pod. Minutes later these huge winged beasts flew in, a group of 3 White-crowned Hornbills! The scarcest of the Bornean species that responded impressively to imitations of their owl-like calls. Superb, what a day: thousands of swiftlets, millions of bats, Orang-Utan threatening us, hornbills pursuing us, and Red Leaf-Monkeys nonchalant about us!

A final last minute endemic was still to come out of Sukau right around our lodge though the next morning...

Into the Bat Cave...BORNEO (6 Oct)

2011-10-11T09:04:00.004-05:00

Our final afternoon around Sukau was both ghastly and brilliant all at the same time, as we visited the huge caves at Gomantong. What were we as birders doing there you might ask? Well this is home to thousands of swiftlets (and bats). Three species occur within the caves that are numerous and common on Borneo, but are inseparable in appearance and can only safely be told apart by examination of their nests. So we visited Gomantong to see their nests and ensure they were countable! At dusk thousands of swiftlets came into the cave-some tucked up next to their white nests, which were Edible-nest Swiftlets (also known as white nest swiftlets). This is the most highly prized species as its nest is made up of pure saliva and is harvested for edible-nest soup. Other similar swiftlets were tucked up next to dark black nests, and are appropriately called Black-nest Swiftlets. While the ones in this photo were nestled by their mossy nests, and you guessed it, are known as Mossy-nest Swiftlets.

At dusk millions of bats emerged from the cave while thousands of swiftlets piled in for the night. The bats had a small party of Bat Hawks circling and waiting for them as they streamed out of their dark daytime den. The birds and bats share more in common than their home: they both use echolocation to navigate in the dark caves, the swiftlets being some of few birds that possess this ability.

A distraction en-route to the cave was a rather grump male Bornean Orang-Utan, who took distinct displeasure to our presence and vented this in way that only primates can: he broke off branches and thew them down from his lofty position, and then when we showed no fear at this gesture he proceeded to throw his own faeces down. We retreated at this point!

More monkeys and birds from the caves to come...

On the banks of the Kinabatangan...BORNEO (5-6 Oct)

2011-10-10T08:51:00.002-05:00

We spent two days in the Sukau area, staying in a luxurious lodge on the banks of the Sungei (River) Kinbatangan, a known stronghold for some of Borneo's best birds and animals. On our first morning a Hooded Pitta teased us from the understorey before finally revealing his jewel-like features to us all-emerald green, scarlet red, with a blackish hood that brought the leaf litter to vibrant life!

The night cruises can be great for wildlife, and owls, notably Buffy Fish-Owl, which is conspicuous and impressive in the area. Funnily though the best of the fish-owls greeted us at the boat dock when we returned from our night cruise as seen above... Behind the lodge during lunch recesses we bumped into the endemic White-crowned Shama regularly, one of Borneo's most melodic songsters, and the inconceivably small Plain Pygmy Squirrel scurrying along the boardwalk. Borneo is a haven for mammals and especially squirrels, where we are tipping 40 mammal species for the trip so far (including our time on the Peninsula too).

More from Borneo on the way very soon...

Welcome to Sukau!...BORNEO (4 Oct)

2011-10-06T22:35:00.002-05:00

Well after our morning with the Bristleheads of Sepilok we were ecstatic, but geared up for some mammals and birds along the banks of the Kinabatangan River. A known hangout for some very exciting rainforest birds, and an enticing mix of animals too. Shortly after our arrival at our fancy lodge on the banks of this mighty river, the word came through that a horde of Bornean Pygmy Elephants had been sighted down river. The chase was on. Plans were changed and our boat was soon pointed towards the promise of these tiny elephants that are unique to the lowland jungles of Borneo. On arrival at the scene we found some already arrived tourists looking forlorn, and were greeted with elephant-less banks. Another word went round that they had headed towards a tributary just off the main river so we spun the boat around and tried to keep our spirits up and our eyes open for some large grey shapes! We had only been motoring for five minutes when a number of nearby boatman gestured something that was hard to figure to our foreign eyes, although the fact that our guide had stepped the boat up a gear and we were charging forward told us all we need to know. The elephants had homed into view once more. The excitement was palpable, and then just minutes later a large group of some 20 or so Bornean Pygmy Elephants fed on the banks, ripping up large tussocks of grass, flapping their large ears, and waving their substantial trucks around. We were just metres away, with the animals appearing super tolerant as one boat after another got word, and arrived expectantly at the scene. However, they were only calm as we were all in our boats, had one of us stepped ashore the scene could have changed in an instant. Thankfully no one was that stupid!

A life mammal, and one I had yearned for, for many years and many visits to the lowlands of Borneo. More on the way from this mammal extravaganza!

Bristleheads...BORNEO (3 Oct)

2011-10-06T00:45:00.002-05:00

After returning to the flashy modern, and uniqie canopy walkway at the Rainforest Discovery Center at Sepilok Borneo we finally found our target. A superb party of 4 Bornean Bristleheads a unique species and family to boot. Awesome, but not photographable. Therefore, here is another shot from the same magic morning in the steamy lowland forests of Borneo, one of two Rufous-collared Kingfishers seen that morning. This one was on the enticingly named "Pitta Path", where we saw and heard no sight nor sound of a pitta!

More from Borneo to come...

Borneo Beckons...BORNEO (2-3 Oct)

2011-10-05T00:59:00.001-05:00

After a brief period in the mangroves and forest at Kuala Selangor, where Barred Eagle-Owl at a day roost stole the headlines, (as well as Mangrove Whistler and Mangrove Blue -Flycatcher), we were on our way to Borneo. Our first port of call was Sandakan before we were whisked away to Sepilok in the dark of night. The following day we went on an unsuccessful hunt for Borneo's star resident: the endemic species and family, Bornean Bristlehead. We did however pick up a flock of Bornean Black Magpie for our considerable troubles in searching in the intense heat and humidity.

However, for an owl freak like me there was only ever one highlight on this day: a stunning Oriental Bay Owl behind our resort. It had rained in the early evening scuppering our plans for a nightwalk. We sneaked in a Red Giant Flying Squirrel anyway in the rain, looking very reluctant to fly, and waited it out. Post supper the water droplets hitting the pond in our resort had ceased and we could not resist a short search for the Bay Owl. We were pretty incredulous when just 20 minutes or so later we had this beauty staring back at us and calling in the spotlight. The tour highlight for me, hands down so far (I know we had Rail-Babbler and pittas and other such delights but just take a look at this thing!!!) We also added Brown Hawk-Owl for good measure just fifteen minutes after the Bay Owl right above the cabins!

More to come from deepest, darkest Borneo...

What's in a name?...MALAYSIA (1 Oct.)

2011-10-03T01:13:00.003-05:00

Well our final morning at Fraser's Hill bought us some new birds and some old friends. Some of these had received new names in very recent times due to ever-changing taxonomies. For example, a few years back the photo here would have been labeled "Pygmy Wren-Babbler", though now this sits in a new family creates out of the small tailess babblers like this, which has been named the "cupwings". Hence this little guy, shot on the roadside, is now called Pygmy Cupwing!

We also saw what I would have usually called White-browed Shrike-Babbler, though this complex has recently received a face lift and been split apart. Hence the pair we saw on Fraser's Hill is now known as Blyth's Shrike-Babbler. On top of that the Chestnut-crowned Laughingthrush that opened the day and was just last year grouped within the large babbler family, is now known as Malayan Laughingthrush, and sits within the new laughingthrush family! I could go on to say that the Large Hawk-Cuckoo we saw there may just soon be renamed Dark Hawk-Cuckoo but I won't! Wait a minute, I just did!

The Gap...MALAYSIA (29-30 Sept.)

2011-10-01T08:06:00.003-05:00

With the top of Fraser's Hill shrouded in mist at times we descended to the humid lower slopes around The Gap for some lower altitude species. The day seemed too hot and humid for birds and then a Black Laughingthrush jumped into view to prove me very wrong. Not long after the same stand of bamboo hosted our first of 3 Orange-breasted Trogons. The following morning another stint at The Gap opened with a party of Collared Babblers, babbling in the bamboo, and ended with a Chestnut-naped Forktail working its way along a thickly forested stream. A final return to The Gap in the afternoon produced another pair of forktails (along with the decidedly more common Slaty-backed Forktail), Chestnut-backed Scimitar-Babbler hooting softly from another mighty stand of bamboo, which it shared with a red-capped male Bamboo Woodpecker, and a pair of striking Buff-rumped Woodpeckers. And I almost forgot to mention the Red-bearded Bee-eaters we saw there too! And there was me thinking the afternoons were meant to be quiet!

More to come from the heart of Southeast Asia, Malaysia!

Following in the footsteps of Fraser...MALAYSIA (29 Sept.)

2011-09-30T01:37:00.002-05:00

We spent an incredible day birding the upper slopes of Fraser's Hill and in the afternoon down at the base around The Gap. Fraser's Hill first though. After an unsuccessful attempt to find the elusive Malayan Whistling-Thrush (but picking up a fine pair of Large Niltavas), we started on Bishop's Trail (named after Reverend Bishop of Singapore, C. J Ferguson-Davie, who explored this area in search of the missing adventurer Fraser after whom the hill or "Bukit" in Malay was named). Things were quiet for a while before a Streaked Wren-Babbler relented and hopped around within a meter of us with a little encouragement from my I-Pod. A Red-headed Trogon sat motionless while on the hunt for any passing bugs, and a pair of Pygmy Blue-Flycatchers flitted around nervously. Then the biggest shock of all: a Rusty-naped Pitta was taped in (albeit briefly) and visible from the trail!

Moving out into the town we ran into an aggressive Mountain Leaf-Warbler that very nearly took my knee out when I played the tape. Quite scary for a bird of a mere ten centimeters long!

In the afternoon I decided to mix it up and cover the lower slopes and The Gap for a very different mix of birds...

Bukit Owling...MALAYSIA (28-29 Sept.)

2011-09-29T09:22:00.004-05:00

Have been in Peninsular Malaysia for a little while now guiding a private group. Taman Negara was as exciting as ever: Large and Gould's Frogmouth, and Sunda Scops-Owls were seen at night, while the day brought a swathe of cool birds of the steamy jungles of Southeast Asia including Banded and Garnet Pittas, Rail-Babbler (which was watched calling spectacularly as it dipped it's head low and inflated its neck sacs!), Green, Black-and-red, Black-and-yellow and Banded Broadbills, Crested Fireback, and lots of trogons (including Cinnamon-rumped).

We have now moved in to the foothills, or more precisely Bukit Fraser, one of Southeast Asia's best birding sites and one of my favorite hangouts. We started last night with this Brown Wood-Owl, which sat calmly by the quaint town of Fraser's Hill, ignoring the hub-ub and our spotlight. The owl theme continued today with this angry looking little owl, the Collared Owlet which literally looks like it has eyes in the back of its head...

More updates to come from Malaysia, where Beef Rendang and quality birds are a daily fixture!

Giant Start to the day...ECUADOR (11 Sept)

2011-09-15T19:15:00.003-05:00

Our second day along the La Guatamala Trail in Ecuador started inauspiciously enough. The car battery was dead and we simply could not get it jump-started. Desperate to get back out in the field, Andrew Spencer found someone at 05.30a.m. in the morning willing to help (for all I know Andrew simply grappled him out of his truck in desperation!) We were on our way, only for Andrew to realize as we arrived on site (a 40 minute drive), he had left his I-pod (a vital part of a guide's make-up) back at the hotel. So I wandered down the trail alone, and a frustrated Andrew drove back to Banos. Things were quiet along the trail when suddenly a massive shape hopped up on to a near log. I lifted my bins and they landed on a conspicuous Giant Antpitta! I was shocked and in disbelief of what was patently in front of my eyes, so I moved in for better views-who was gonna believe I had the rare eastern race at down near 1200m (when they are normally known from 2000m upwards, and rarely seen at all)?! I felt I needed a photo at least. I played a tape as I saw it scurrying back into the undergrowth and feared hopes of photos were fading fast, and at the same time scrambled down the slope. While scrambling I had not registered that the bird had suddenly leapt up into an open tree in front of me. I looked up and was faced with this bird, which appeared to be a juvenile bird courtesy of barring on the coverts and mantle feathers. When the bird wandered off so did I, further up the trail, wondering whether Andrew would believe me.

A few hours later Andrew comes up the trail and asked him what he had seen, to which he replied "Giant Antpitta". My need for a photo had waned, but I was oh so glad I got one, as it is rarely photoed on the east slope. Bird of the weekend!

The perfect puffbird...ECUADOR (10 Sept)

2011-09-14T22:44:00.003-05:00

Our afternoon along Ecuador's La Guatamala trail was superb. One person (aside from Andrew) was seen all day long, and plenty of birds were around. Hitting various flocks we picked up Fulvous-breasted Flatbill (a belated lifer for me), and Blue-browed Tanagers brightened the flocks too, along with a variety of flycatchers that were in attendance including a number of Ecuadorian Tyrannulets. Also amongst the flocking birds were several Equatorial Graytails, and on one occasion a Gray-mantled Wren for direct comparison too. Sadly the hoped for Spectacled Prickletail was just glimpsed and heard. A lifer, but one that will creep onto my list under cover of darkness in shame at the poor views that led to this!

The rushing Rio Zunag hosted a fine pair of Torrent Ducks, and a bounty of bright pink flowers along the trail drew in hummingbirds, from Long-tailed Sylphs to Greenish Pufflegs and Green-fronted Lancebills. However, the best bird of the afternoon for me was this fierce looking Black-streaked Puffbird that hissed at us as only a puffbird can!

Another day on the trail the following day yielded a giant surprise...

Day of the Finch...ECUADOR (10 Sept..)

2011-09-13T18:17:00.003-05:00

The last trip Andrew and I did just a week or so ago, we were stunned by the high numbers of White-rimmed Brush-Finches we racked up in a day. On this day (La Guatamala Trail, eastern Ecuador) the "bumper bird" turned out to be Olive Finch. While not as rare as the brush-finches, it is still a scarce bird and one you do not think of as a double figure species. However, by early afternoon we had managed to see ten different Olive Finches, many of which posed time and again for photos...Here are some of the "perfect ten" for you to admire...

Lots more to come from our weekend in the foothills of the Andes...

In the shadow of volcanoes...ECUADOR (10 Sept.)

2011-09-12T21:49:00.002-05:00

Andrew Spencer and I once again left the smog of the city behind and headed into the fresh air of forests in the Andes, though this time we headed south out of Quito to the town of Banos, in the shadow of the often smouldering Tungurahua volcano. However, unlike most tourists we were not here for the views of this splendid natural phenomenon but were here to investigate the forest trails nearby and take in their avian residents. This was my first time on the trail, known as La Guatamala Trail, that passes through an area of rich foothill forest, while the scenic Rio Zunag cuts through the valley bottom. Andrew had been here before and highly recommended the site. Seeing as the very first bird of the day turned out to be a new Ecuador bird for me, Sharp-tailed Streamcreeper, I concurred very quickly! This odd bird is like a stream-loving leaftosser, having the same charismatic habits of bounding around on the ground and often seen tossing leaves around in the fashion of those birds. We saw three different birds including one that appeared to be a young bird.

Soon after our attentions were turned to another bird that favors the wet banks of forest streams and rivers, and one that was to feature prominently that day...

End game: Back to Quito...ECUADOR (2 September)

2011-09-08T17:43:00.004-05:00

After a fantastic mornings birding in the eastern foothills and subtropics along the La Sofia Road (even if a little wet) we reluctantly returned to Quito, and dreamed of getting back to this wonderfully quiet road (we had seen just one motorcycle all morning) on a drier day! Despite our time constraints (we had promised to return someone their car and were a little afraid of their wife's reaction if we turned it in late!), we could not resist stopping for this Cliff Flycatcher, perched of course, on a cliff on the way.

And later on as we drove over a high Andean spot we ran into an unusually high Red-breasted Blackbird, a species more often associated with lowland sweaty Amazonian areas, rather than where we saw it, at a chilly 1815 meters altitude near the Andean town of Baeza!

Hints of Colombia...ECUADOR (2 September)

2011-09-07T21:54:00.002-05:00

The following day Andrew Spencer and I were dismayed to find yet more clouds and yet more rain dogging our day's birding again. However, with just a little time to explore the exciting "new" La Sofia Road (in Succumbios province) we were not going to be put off by a little (actually quite a lot of) moisture. We arrived shortly after dawn at "the spot" for the newly discovered Yellow-throated Brush-Finch. This bird was only recently discovered in Ecuador and we could not resist to try to add it on our own personal Ecuador lists. Despite the gloom and the damp the birds were in full song and pretty soon the dawn chorus revealed an unfamiliar brush-finch song. We quickly recorded it, played it back, and were soon admiring a fine Yellow-throated Brush-Finch! We were keen though to see what else this road had to offer, and it turned out quite a lot. Soon after the excitement of a new Ecuador bird for us, we were eyeballing an "old", familiar one...Chestnut-breasted Chlorophonia a gorgeous green-and-yellow tanager-like bird that posed well for us and sang continually from a low canopy, (which pleased sound recordist Andrew no end!) In between heavy downpours we found a deep purple-blue Black-collared Jay (another new Ecuador bird for us both), an Olive Finch tucked in by a noisy Andean river (as is their way), and best of all a fantastic flock of 7 White-capped Tanagers. These large, boisterous tanagers behave and sound more like jays (indeed their affinities with them have been the subject of debate over the years). A noisy flock of them was perched in a roadside palm as we were trying to leave the site, and were stopped in our tracks by their piercing Turquoise Jay like calls, and we paused to enjoy my best ever views of the species.

Reluctantly, with the tanagers taking flight with a flurry of noisy calls, we pointed the car towards Quito and headed home...

There's another one (or 3)!...ECUADOR (1 September)

2011-09-05T21:18:00.004-05:00

.. We continued our exploration of the north with a late afternoon drive down a "new" road to the town of La Sofia, where the roadsides are cloaked in beautiful forest. The appeal of this place was very few birders have yet to visit it, and we were happy to be part of this meager handful of people. The site was put on the map when the first birder to go there, Jonas Nilsson, found a new bird for Ecuador Yellow-throated Brush-Finch. No such luck for us on a restricted afternoon, limited by heavy rains. However, brush-finches did again steal the headlines though as we found another three more territories of White-rimmed Brush-Finches, which once again posed admirably for more photos. Sorry (actually I am not sorry!) to keep posting photos of these birds, but I loved them, and got to see them repeatedly, which for a rare bird if too often, a rare thing! More to come from this exciting new road as we tried there again the following day...

Bicolored Antpitta: AT LAST! ECUADOR (1 September)

2011-09-04T19:55:00.003-05:00

After yesterday's draining weather conditions: high winds and rain, at odds with our location in the tropics, we were relieved to awake in calmer conditions. We returned to the White-rimmed Brush-Finch area. I (as always) was looking for better photos, and Andrew Spencer (as ever) was looking for better sound recordings. We were greeted by not only the original pair from the day before, but also 4 other calling birds. I managed to see 4 different birds on this morning alone!

They hopped around us and gave crippling views before we decided to try again for the elusive Bicolored Antpitta that had not only eluded me the day before, but also on a trip to the area a few years before. We trudged through the mud to the spot and Andrew let rip with his recording from the day before. As then, the bird quickly responded and slowly but surely sounded louder as it moved in closer to investigate our call. Then for just a brief moment I managed to get this rusty bird in my bins before it melted back into the gloomy understorey once more. Was that to be it, I thought? All that pain for just cursory looks!?

We tried the playback again and this time we were stunned by its remarkable (and exemplary) reaction. It seemed to abandon its normally shy habits and hopped up on to exposed branches around us, glared at us several times, gave stunning views, and then hopped off back into the gloom where it had come from. Fantastic, now THAT was worth waiting for...

In the afternoon we left the La Bonita Road behind and headed to an exciting new site nearby...

Rare "rims" indeed...ECUADOR (31 August)

2011-09-03T09:46:00.004-05:00

After returning from my native Britain, and spending a little time in Quito, I was desperate to get back in the field, birding in the Andes. A generously lent car to use (thanks Iain), and another birder desperate to get back in the field, Andrew Spencer, led to a plan hatched to return to the La Bonita Road that skirts the Colombian border. Since I last went there a few exciting new discoveries had been made in the area: the very rarely seen White-rimmed Brush-Finch had been discovered there, and a "new" road to la Sofia had been "discovered" and yielded a first for Ecuador, Yellow-throated Brush-Finch for the discoverer. Clearly there was much on offer up there near the frontier with Colombia. Fruthermore, there was a grudge I needed to settle with the local Bicolored Antpitta. This largely Colombian species just creeps over the border into Ecuador there (Colombia can actually be seen looming just across the valley from the road), and I had tried unsuccessfully two years ago to see it there . So desperation to get back in the field, a car to ensure we can, exciting new discoveries to chase after, and old scores to settle...plenty of reasons to visit the province of Succumbios in Ecuador.

Andrew and I spent a night in Santa Barbara and awoke to strong winds and heavy rain, not the usual weather pattern one associates with the tropics, even up here in the temperate zone of the Andes. We set out anyhow, searching "the spot" where the brush-finch had been seen a year previously and chasing unsuccessfully after calling Bicolored Antpittas, which would quickly turn mute thereafter! Indeed, the birding was so bad it was hard to believe we were in one of the World's megadiverse countries, and one that boasts one of the highest bird lists in on Earth. In fact, it got so bad that we even contemplated abandoning this area for another far, far away. However, after a hearty soup to warm the bones and rejuvenate us, we returned to the La Bonita Road where an unusual brush-finch call attracted our attention, and changed our fortune in an instant. A quick play of one of the few recordings of White-rimmed Brush-Finch available brought a pair of these beautiful, bespectacled birds right out in the open. Described as "rare and inconspicuous" and "shy", when they soon disappeared we thought that was that, a brief but nice view but who could expect more from a species with this reputation. However, we moved in closer, Andrew played a burst of playback, and these timid brush-finches defied their reputations, responding explosively, and regular came with in just a few feet of us, and often posed unashamedly in the open. Their devilish reputation was looking shakier all the time. Our decision to stay on for another night in Santa Barbara was looking better all the time!

Great views, of a great lifer...

London Calling...ENGLAND (17 August)

2011-08-17T16:19:00.004-05:00

Today I went "back to my roots", visiting Beddington Farmlands with Beddington "native" Peter Alfrey, where I spent much of my early birding life learning birds. On top of that I also saw some of the very species that turned me into a birder. I remember well being in Richmond Park in London at the tender age of 11 (clearly, a long, long time ago) and seeing my first Great and Blue Tit sharing a tree, and being stunned that my birding friend, Lee Dingain could tell them apart. That was the moment that turned me into a birder who never looked back from there, and those were the birds responsible: Blue Tit and Great Tit, both of which I saw today and brought those landmark memories flooding back.

Other sightings at Beddington today included a superb Long-tailed Tit dangling in front of me and just begging me to photograph it (how could I not under the circumstances!) A number of warblers were also present, including a few Willow Warblers, and a Common Whitethroat.

A Eurasian Hobby scythed through the air at one point overhead. However, one of the flagship birds at Beddington is the Eurasian Tree Sparrow, a bird that is in serious trouble in Britain in general but has a thriving population at Beddington (being one of the two main sites in the UK for the species). This year Peter informed me some 600 young birds were fledged on "the farm" (as Beddington is often affectionately known), and so this appears to have been a bumper one for them, at Beddington at least.

Indeed, the Tree Sparrows, among many other things, are one of the principal reasons that Beddington may one day be made into the largest nature reserve in London, something that Peter is working tirelessly towards, and of course one I wish him all success in. No matter which country you consider there are simply never enough nature reserves, and this one in the heart of an urban area has served to create many a birder in the past, and can continue to bring people into vital contact with nature. In this way, it might create birders of people (or conservationists), as it did for Peter and I. I look back on the years in the 80s when you could go over there in the winter and see regular wintering Short-eared Owls and wish those days were not now long gone. It would be sad for what birds remain there to end up gone too (here endeth my "lecture" !)

If you wish to see more on Beddington, and understand why this would make a fantastic addition to the London urban nature reserve network, then check out Peter's blog here http://peteralfreybirdingnotebook.blogspot.com/

Another day, another woodchat...SPAIN (14 August)

2011-08-17T01:43:00.003-05:00

I once again braved the intense heat of southern Spain (nearly 40 degrees celsius), and so kept my birding to a minimum. Woodchat Shrikes were again evident with an adult bird posing on a wire and this young bird in the scrub below. A Hoopoe bounded away with its characteristic undulating flight and bold pied wing pattern. Sardinian Warblers churred from the scrub, and small groups of tits moved through the olive groves. Finally, a wire played host to a deep cobalt Blue Rock-Thrush singing its heart out in the early morning sun.

At the end of the day I boarded a flight back to the UK, where the British Birdfair is coming very soon...

Spanish lessons...SPAIN (12 August)

2011-08-16T12:11:00.002-05:00

Visiting my mothers villa near Loja in Spain was to be a good opportunity for me to get re-aquainted with the amazing Hoopoe, a pair of which feed near the villa regularly. Sadly though they are a little camera shy and masters at turning up when you have left your camera behind. So there was only one thing to do: carry it always! So on the way out to dinner one night I was ready for the little critter as it casually fed in the middle of the dirt track..these were the results. These were not as good as I'd hoped, and several further days effort revealed no other opportunities, just some frustrating flight views obtained and nothing more. This for me is one of Eurasia's most strange and impressive birds. They occur into Asia and are a regular feature of our tours in northern India. As I am set to go there in January 2012, I hope to see one again then, and re-ignite my photo "feud" with them again then!

Iberian Getaway...SPAIN (11 August)

2011-08-15T06:58:00.003-05:00

I traveled to the United Kingdom in order to attend the Britith Birdfair, a massive birding event that regularly attracts more than 20,000 birders from around the UK and the World (that will be running 19-21 August). Anyhow, this gave me a chance to catch up with my family and to do this I needed to take a side trip to Spain where my mother has retired to. This gave me the opportunity to wander into the hills/sierras near the Andalucian town of Loja and check out some Iberian birds that I have not seen for some time. One of the most (pleasantly) numerous birds in the area were Woodchat Shrikes with both red-capped adults and some scaly juveniles too.

Several tit flocks roamed the pine trees on the upper slope which contained Great, Blue and Long-tailed Tits. The pines were bustling with birds, mostly Red Crossbills feasting on the harvest of large cones available. Climbing higher still the pines gave way to scrub where many Sardinian Warblers shared this habitat with a lone Dartford Warbler. The rocky crags and cliffs provided feeding grounds for several Black Wheatears and Blue Rock-Thrushes.

On the return journey I dropped out of the hills and into the olive groves below where Azure-winged (Iberian) Magpies dominated the avian communities, while on the overhead wires flocks of European Bee-eaters brought more than a little color to proceedings.

Ecuador Firsts...ECUADOR (1 August)

2011-08-13T12:30:00.004-05:00

Having enjoyed a thrilling day with the very best of what the Chical Road has to offer we reluctantly had to bid farewell to this hot birding site and turn the car towards Quito for the end of our long weekend in the Choco. However, on our way out Andrew and I had some unfinished business with a couple of species which we were both looking to add to our increasingly important Ecuador lists. Both species are widespread birds with large ranges, although in Ecuador have very limited distributions.

First off we stopped in a tiny village nearer the start of the road to look for seedeaters in a good looking patch of grassland. Not long later(and after both Variable Seedeater, Yellow-bellied Seedeater and Yellow-faced Grassquit had given us a scare) up popped a richly-colored male Ruddy-breasted Seedeater (in the very same garden I had seen it or another 6 months or so earlier).

This was the one that Andrew wanted and was new to his substantial Ecuador list, now onto what I was searching for. For this we needed to be right near the start of the road and again our efforts were focused on a village. Not the ideal birding venue but a great venue for the recently moved in pair of Tropical Mockingbirds that appeared on an overhead wire right on cue, and were added to my Ecuador list immediately.

We then sadly had to give up the ghost and return to Quito, after a weekend of 5 lifers (for me), some Ecuador lifers (for my list anyway), and whole swathe of quality Choco birds. Here are photos of some plus a poor photo of the Semicollared Hawk-rarely seen and downright difficult to photograph!

Another day, another tanager...ECUADOR (1 August)

2011-08-12T07:32:00.005-05:00

For our final day of our long weekend in the Choco, Andrew Spencer and I headed up the "new' Chical Road (that heads straight north into Colombia from the town of Gualchan). Our plan was almost foiled by a lack of hotels willing to take guests late the night before in Gualchan. However, Andrew somehow managed to persuade them (albeit begrudgingly) to accept us, and our plan was back on track, with a night in a tiny, tiny car called a "Spark" avoided in the process. We were here for several reasons. Mine was clear, having only visited the site once before I was keen to nail down another tanager lifer (which would be my third in three days): Purplish-mantled Tanager. Furthermore, as this site was only discovered in 2010, with few people having visited it since we were both keen to see what else could be found there. The site rose to prominence due to the patches of Choco foothill forest along there having been found to hold Star-chested Treerunner and the Purplish-mantled Tanager, both normally rare and difficult birds to find in Ecuador.

Our first forays on the near side of the pass were quiet except for a rowdy mob of Beautiful Jays, a pair of Plate-billed Mountain-Toucans, and an immaculate White-rumped Hawk perched by the roadside. Still tanager-less, we decided to change our focus to the forest patches beyond the pass. We had barely crossed the low mountain pass when the high-pitched song of the Purplish-mantled Tanager drifted into our ears, and we soon lined up our first pair of these gorgeous birds, (by the end of the day we had racked up another 3 of them). Soon after, we hit a flock of half a dozen or so Black-chinned Mountain-Tanagers, before we descended further down the other side. We then bumped into an awesome flock that yielded a close Star-chested Treerunner, a pair of Pacific Tuftedcheeks, a pair of Glistening-green Tanagers and a party of Handsome Flycatchers (distinctly rare and local in the northwest of Ecuador) among others. Later bird parties led us to a pair of Indigo Flowerpiercers, and we also found the scarce White-tailed Hillstar perched by a rushing Andean river. Heading back towards Gualchan we found the White-rumped Hawk of the morning had now been replaced by an adult Semicollared Hawk a very rare find indeed (and only my fourth Ecuador sighting)....

More from the Chical area to come, including some country firsts for Andrew and I...

Exploring the Choco: World First! ECUADOR (31 July)

2011-08-11T11:36:00.002-05:00

On our return journey to the car we bumped into a feisty flock of Yellow-green Bush-Tanagers. A group of three of this rare and inconspicuous tanagers were found on the periphery of yet another tanager flock. Unlike many bush-tanagers these ones feed up high in the canopy making them extremely hard to photograph as these very poor photos will attest. However, while Andrew recorded their sweet song and I took these dodgy photos we knew that these may be the first photos and first recordings of their songs ever to be documented. So poor or not, it might just be a world first! You can find Andrew Spencer's recording of the song on Xeno Canto here: http://www.xeno-canto.org/XCspeciesprofiles.php?species_nr2=3414.00

We ended the day with the local Choco form of Lesser Elaenia, a scarce and local bird, that may well be given full species status in the future (which would then make it another Choco endemic).

Next up the lively Chical Road, another newish site in the Choco region, brimming with rare and cool Choco birds...

Choco in Macro...ECUADOR (31 July)

2011-08-10T10:02:00.002-05:00

Here are some images of the other widlife Andrew and I shared the weekend with recently, and also an image of this exciting new birding site that I am sure I will see more of...

Exploring the Choco...PART II ECUADOR (31 July)

2011-08-10T08:32:00.004-05:00

What a day this turned out to be. After being thrilled with this super-tame pair of Tufted Flycatchers we slowly worked our way through the thick mud of the road and surveyed the forest for flocks. Various flocks came our way with double figures of the super-bright, super-gaudy Scarlet-and-white Tanager. A loud double wrap drew us to a spectacular Crimson-bellied Woodpecker hugging the trunk of a large rainforest tree, and a later loose flock brought me another lifer-the rare and endemic Choco Woodpecker that called and led Andrew to get only the second ever recordings of this scarce forest bird (to add to the first ones that he had got only last year). A singing Gray-mantled Wren was another highlight, which was pulled out of a flock that also held a striking Lita Woodpecker. These various flocks also frequently held Golden-chested Tanagers and were welcomed every time, often picked up by their regularly given, high-pitched, calls. In between the flocks we tried for some understorey birds, such as this male Stub-tailed Antbird, (the spot-breasted female was also seen closeby), and chatted to a large battalion of the Ecuadorian army who came by, and clearly had experienced as much mud as we had judging by their attire!

More from the Choco of Ecuador to come...including some further "firsts"

Exploring the Choco...ECUADOR (31 July)

2011-08-04T21:21:00.004-05:00

The evening before Andrew Spencer received a call from Roger Ahlman who gave us a hot tip: there was a newly built road in Esmeraldas that cut straight into a rich patch of lowland Choco forest. In just a morning on site Roger had picked up some rare Choco species that left us in no doubt this was well, well, worth exploring. The chance of being only the second birders ever to visit this site was impossible to resist, and so we were there at the crack of dawn full of anticipation. Pretty soon we found the first indication of success coming our way: the first of a number of Northern Tufted Flycatchers seen that day included a very confiding pair that sat right in front of us and called away (a scarce species in Ecuador), making me happy for the photos, and Andrew happy for the rich sound recordings he could get. While Andrew went off in pursuit of a calling Choco Tapaculo, I stuck with the Tufted Flycatchers...

This day was one of the most enjoyable and productive days in the Choco I have ever had and so it deserves several posts all of its own.

More from this exciting new birding road to come...

BANGSIA!...ECUADOR (30 July)

2011-08-02T21:47:00.002-05:00

Well after way too long out of the field I went on an "exploratory weekend" with Andrew Spencer into the heart of the Choco region (Esmeraldas province), seeking rare birds and chasing Choco endemics. Checking in to a "shady" hotel in Lita we were set for a Saturday onslaught on the "Awa Trail", a known haunt for a much-wanted lifer for me: GOLDEN-CHESTED TANAGER. I had tried this trail years before but ending up abandoning the trail due to unbearable muddy conditions. So I prepared for the worst (wore a pair of trousers I was prepared to lose!) and we headed through the boggy pasture and into the forest. We enjoyed a cracking day on this trail with a number of cool Choco endemics sprinkled on the list,(including some ten or so Scarlet-and-white Tanagers that included more than a few jaw dropping males). We had barely got into the forest when Andrew (who was in the front) gestured to an Indigo-crowned Quail-Dove bobbing along the trail. Not long later Andrew was a little more excited when he clapped eyes on my lifer Golden-chested Tanager (the bird pictured above and the "Bangsia" of the title, its genus). I hurried back through the mud (which was by no means swift or subtle), and amazingly this gorgeous tanager remained there and stared down at us with little sign of shyness at all. By the end of the day we managed to bump into at least three more groups of this super bird, along with a very co-operative White-tipped Sicklebill, an unusally showy Choco Tapaculo and a whole bunch of other cool species. An exhausting though thoroughly exhilarating day in the foothills of the Andes.

We could not resist a late afternoon check of nearby Yalare-to see if any forest (or birds remained)...

Into the Foothills...PAPUA NEW GUINEA (4 July)

2011-07-24T20:19:00.004-05:00

After finishing up in the highlands around Kumul with a Garnet Robin and Wattled Ploughbill the day before, we returned to Port Moresby, ready to explore Varirata NP, in the foothills of the Owen Stanley Range in PNG's southeast. We had a remarkable day there, with exceptional birds like the national bird, Raggiana Bird-of-Paradise, an incredible the literally glowed within the dark understorey Brown-headed Paradise-Kingfisher, a Yellow-billed Kingfisher that posed for an endless time by the roadside, and a day-roosting Barred Owlet-Nightjar to add to the Mountain Owlet-Nightjar we had enjoyed so much in the highlands.

On our way out of the park we stopped off for a White-bellied Whistler, before returning to Port Moresby which was in a state of excitement with the impending crucial third game in the State of Origin Rugby League series. After a one-sided first half surrounded by ecstatic New Guineans I retired to bed with Queensland dominating and my head buzzing from a classic day out at Varirata NP. For good reason this is my favorite site on tour....

More from Varirata and Papua New Guinea to come...

Even more Mountain Owlet-Nightjar...PAPUA NEW GUINEA (30 June)

2011-07-16T19:13:00.003-05:00

Could not resist one more shot of the first Mountain Owlet-Nightjar seen on our first night at Kumul Lodge. I will admit to having a bit of an obsession with nightbirds (especially owls). I like this shot because it reveals its remarkably long whiskers...Papua New Guinea is particularly rich in Owlet-Nightjars, with FIVE species possible on the traditional circuit there!

And there's another one! PAPUA NEW GUINEA (1 July)

2011-07-16T15:14:00.003-05:00

The following night at Kumul Lodge was similarly wet, but despite a thorough check of the fence outside our cabins we could not find the previous night's accommodating Mountain Owlet-Nightjar. So Nick Leseberg and I retired to our cabin. Not long later, we noticed a shape fluttering around our window. Then the unmistakable squeaking calls of a Mountain Owlet-Nightjar were heard immediately outside the room. Clearly the bird had been collecting insects attracted to our cabin lights, one of the few lights emanating from the area. On checking the surrounding trees with a spotlight we soon found this night critter perched on a broken-off tree fern stump. We maneuvered outside our cabins to get a better angle on the bird that was lightly sprinkled with raindrops, evidence of another damp night in New Guinea's highlands. Amazingly though it soon obvious this was a very different bird from the night before. Indeed comparison of the two photos on my blog here reveals how remarkably different the birds were. As there is no information out there on immature birds it is difficult to know for sure, although I wonder if this second bird was indeed a young bird? Never has Mountain Owlet-Nightjar been so easy at Kumul Lodge. I suspect this will not continue for long!

More from PNG soon...

Not an owl or a nightjar...PAPUA NEW GUINEA (30 June)

2011-07-14T21:37:00.005-05:00

One of the most wanted birds (not including the assumed birds-of-paradise of course) at Kumul Lodge in the highlands of New Guinea is an odd nightbird: the Mountain Owlet-Nightjar. This is the very best place in PNG to see it, but that does not mean it is guaranteed by any means. Your best chance usually is going out dawn and dusk for as long as you can and hoping to hear one, then tape it in. In recent years it has become tricky in this regard, and so I always advise anyone on our tours that this bird is a matter of endurance-if you stick to the task and keep trying it might come to you. However, usually a number fall by the wayside before tasting victory after attempts produce no sight nor sound of this night creature. The bird has a really distinctive squeaky call, that sounds remarkably like a character from a children's programme called Sooty from the BBC programme and Sooty and Sweep, and so if it calls there is no mistaking it. Trouble is it seems to have this habit of calling in the depths of night, long after our attempts have ended and everyone is deep asleep.

And so it happened this year too. Our first nightwalk produced no evidence of its existence at all and we retired to bed with plans to try again the following night. Then, of course, at 02.30am, when for some reason I was wide awake I heard the distinctive squeaking noise from right outside my cabin, mocking me just a few feet away. What I would have given to have been deep asleep at the time! So the next night we vowed to give it another crack but were thwarted by unseasonally heavy rains that put paid to that idea and so we all headed for the shelter of our cabins. One of my group James was just ahead of me and remarked with surprise that he had inadvertently flushed abird off the fence outside our cabins. I had a good idea of what it must be-there are few small nightbirds in this area- and quickly scanned the fenceline further up (i.e. less than 2 meters away) and there it was a very cute, long-whiskered Mountain Owlet-Nightjar. It seemed complately unperturbed by our presence, perhaps just happy to be out of the heavy rain, and sat there for an age while we admired it. After we walked away from it, I checked again later and found it resting on a metal box a little further along. Never has a Mountain Owlet-Nightjar been so easy. I am a big fan of owls and other creatures of the night, because they can been downright difficult to see and it always feels special to see them, and this one was no different!

More from New Guinea (the "Land of the Unexpected) to come...

Bird Table Birds...NEW GUINEA style! (29 June)

2011-07-08T06:01:00.002-05:00

Visiting Kumul Lodge in the highlands of Enga province in Papua New Guinea is all about one thing-their bird table. A large wooden platform is cloaked in grass and moss and appears like a mere extension of the alpine forest surrounding it. It is now world famous for drawing in some fantastic mountain birds, not least some of the birds-of-paradise that get birders salivating and desperate to visit this stunning birding venue. Our first afternoon saw us feasting on such sights as this female Brown Sicklebill (a large bird-of-paradise that sounds disturbingly like the rapid fire of a machine gun), and the bruiser of the bird table-the ever present and ever-greedy Brehm's Tiger-Parrot.

More to come from New Guinea's highlands soon...

Birthday BOP...PAPUA NEW GUINEA (29 June)

2011-07-06T06:35:00.002-05:00

We started this whistlestop custom tour of New Guinea in the Bird-of-Paradise rich highlands. A short flight from Port Moresby had us landing in Mount Hagen and whisked into Enga province and the world famous Kumul Lodge. The lodge is named Kumul after the Pidgin name for Birds-of-Paradise, and well-named. An hour after checking in we were 3 birds-of-paradise the richer: their fruit laden bird table lured in first a Ribbon-tailed Astrapia, then a Brown Sicklebill bounded onto the platform, before a flash of orange and a rustle in the flower bed revealed the flame-colored Crested Bird-of-Paradise. Although it should be said this odd BOP has now been reclassified and has been moved into a whole new family, the satinbirds. So I guess we had two BOPs and one Satinbird. A quality birthday if ever there was one!

More treats to come from the so called "Land of the Unexpected", Papua New Guinea, to come soon...

Gearing up for this...PNG

2011-06-22T21:42:00.002-05:00

I am on the verge of leaving for one of the most special places on Earth: Papua New Guinea. The so called "Land of the Unexpected", which I understand well after visiting over the past four years. The unexpected often comes my way there, although one thing is always expected and always produced: some of the most bizarre and enthralling birds on the planet. Here is a video of their national bird (Raggiana Bird-of-paradise) doing what it does best...I cannot wait to hit the New Guinea jungle real soon....

Macro Tandayapa...ECUADOR (18 June)

2011-06-21T17:36:00.003-05:00

While at Tandayapa Bird Lodge last Saturday I decided if the birding sucked-something I contemplated with my late mid-morning arrival at the lodge (thankfully though the birding was fantastic)-I brought with me a compact camera to have some fun with macro stuff. Something I had my eyes opened to with a group from Ohio last year and I want to do more of. So here are the results of my Tandayapa macro session...It's early days I have a lot to learn I know, and do not ask me what they are (frustratingly no decent books exist for this sort of stuff in Ecuador)!

Cock-of-the-rock update...ECUADOR (18 June)

2011-06-20T19:02:00.006-05:00

Last weekend I got my first (a little belated to say the least) look at nesting Andean Cock-of-the-rock due to the conveniently placed nest that is literally on the side of Tandayapa Bird Lodge itself. So when I returned this weekend I was keen to see how they were getting on. The bold female was still sat on her muddy nest, balanced on the lodge windowsill. Once again her two ugly nestlings were well hidden beneath her deep down in the dark mud nest. So first off I just got some glares from the female as I passed by. Although later when I returned I got my first proper looks at the chicks of this dazzling bird. Looking down at this sorry looking bird it was hard to fathom that this was set to turn into one of Ecuador's most beautiful cloudforest birds! Sadly I will not be around to keep checking on them over the next few weeks but good luck to them, and may they blossom into the beauty they are meant to be soon!

Cloudforest Tales...ECUADOR (18 June)

2011-06-19T14:33:00.008-05:00

Desperate to get out of the city and into the jungle I caught a ride over to Tandayapa Bird Lodge and spent a very enjoyable five hours on the trails.

I walked in from the secondary forest surrounding the lodge (putting to flight a Slate-throated Whitestart from near ground level that led me to its tiny nest), quickly into the primary cloudforest and soon after was rewarded with a beautiful Rufous-breasted Antthrush strutting, chicken-like, across the trail. It had been an age since I had seen this cloudforest denizen and it was good to see this "old friend" again. I had only just had the chance to take in this furtive bird when some loud staccato calls coming from my right led me to a navy-dressed Beautiful Jay (just one of several "beautiful" jay species in the valley). An often difficult local specialty (confined to this Choco region).

I continued along the Potoo Trail with little action, and so turned up the Antpitta Trail. No sign of any antpittas but a flurry of activity in the understorey brought views of the common Three-striped Warbler, and the less common Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant. Walking slowly on I was stopped in my tracks by a large movement overhead, and I turned my eye to the large green form of an Olivaceous Piha plucking fruits from high in the trees. All too soon it glanced down at me and fled the scene. As I had been watching this mute cotinga (it hardly ever calls) I was vaguely aware of some frog-like noises behind me. With the piha wiped from my attention I noticed these more clearly and realized that several of the male Golden-winged Manakins that hold court in this area were in the midst of display. I searched for a while and finally found this black-and-gold gem perched in the shady understorey, which it brought instant color to when it stretched out its wing revealing a large flash of yellow.

Continuing up the trail and merging onto the Nunbird Trail it wound up, getting steeper, and the forest fell silent save for the odd Crested Quetzal that taunted me regularly but remained steadfastly hidden from view. Eventually with little activity after the mornings flurry I began my journey back and soon caught a movement in the corner of my eye which trained me onto a large ceropia tree bearing fruit that had attracted four Toucan Barbets to gorge on its crop.

All too soon I was back at the lodge reflecting on a wonderful morning in Tandayapa's cloudforest with some top draw sightings. Although I decided to check in at the Lower Deck before I was finished as I heard some evidence of action coming from that direction. So I walked on up, passing the docile female Andean Cock-of-the-rock as I did so (that is nesting on the side of the building right now). Once up "on deck" a feeding flock was clearly passing through that yielded the largest woodcreeper in the valley: Strong-billed Woodcreeper hugging a trunk nearby, and the most colorful woodpecker in the valley, with a pair of feisty Crimson-mantled Woodpeckers. Some nervous excitement in the trees further back drew me to a feeding flock that also held the badly named Metallic-green Tanager. I am not sure quite how you describe the color of the green but it is far from metallic! All this and I failed to mention the continuing nesting pair of Golden-headed Quetzals that fuss around their cavity close to the lodge.

I feel lucky to live so near a treasured piece of Andean forest that can bring me such sights whenever I wish!

Quetzal Upgrade...ECUADOR (18 June)

2011-06-18T19:52:00.003-05:00

A thrilling day on the trails brought me many of Tandayapa's most special birds, although before we get to that story here is an "upgrade" I enjoyed today. After last weeks close up of a female Golden-headed Quetzal emerging from its nest cavity, today I was treated to the gem-like male poking his head out of the hole...it may not have the extravagant tail of Costa Rica's celebrity quetzal (the resplendent), although there's nothing wrong with the rest of it!

More to come from a top notch Tandayapa day today...

Milpe...ECUADOR (13 June)

2011-06-18T07:27:00.002-05:00

A few hours were spent a little lower down the Andes from Tandayapa, at the Milpe reserve in the foothills (1100m elevation). Although birds were quite in general as no large flocks came throuugh while I was there Brett Taylor (a Tandayapa Lodge volunteer) and I managed to stumble on to a fine pair of Esmeraldas Antbirds that responded well to a recording, giving some stellar looks. This can be a really tricky bird to see, as to say they are a skulker is an understatement. After that we had breakfast in a restaurant in town, famed amongst birders for its feeders, Mirador Rio Blanco. Tanagers were sparse at the feeders, although a male Guira Tanager dropped in and got the juices flowing although managed to hid behind a branch when it was within camera range! I fared better with this handsome Black-cheeked Woodpecker that posed for quite some time while it stole nectar from the hummingbirds feeders...

Tandayapa Hummers...ECUADOR (12-13 June)

2011-06-16T09:06:00.003-05:00

Tandayapa Lodge was surprisingly quiet for hummers at the weekend. They are the thing that Tandayapa Bird Lodge is perhaps most famous for (I mean it boasts a list of more than 30 species!), and I personally have experienced the very best of this in the past with 21 species in a whirlwind hour one lunchtime on tour! Well things were very different last weekend. The bruisers or minders of the bunch, the Buff-tailed Coronets had got a hold of the feeders, often vigorously defending them to good effect, stopping many others from getting a look in. Of course a bad day at Tandayapa still meant ten species were seen and triple figures of hummers, just not the more expected 15 species that is usually common place there. The list of hummingbirds that I personally racked up in just an hour or so at the feeders included Buff-tailed Coronet, Green Violet-ear, Sparkling Violet-ear, Brown Violet-ear, Andean Emerald, Purple-throated Woodstar, Violet-tailed Sylph, Booted Racket-tail (that always vies for title of cutest hummer on the planet), and Fawn-breasted Brilliant. Not bad for a "bad" hummingbird day....

Behind the feeders a Smoky-brown Woodpecker crept up a trunk silently too.

Another update from northwest Ecuador to come soon...

Quetzal Nest...ECUADOR (12-13 June)

2011-06-15T09:41:00.002-05:00

The cock-of-the-rock was not the only bird nesting at Tandayapa Bird Lodge. Just a minutes walk from the hummingbird feeders a Golden-headed Quetzal had recently excavated a new nest. Strangely enough, presumably the same pair also nested in the very same tree last year. However, since that time the top of the tree had broken off and fallen down leaving just a 6 foot high stump. This clearly did not bother these industrious quetzals though that insisted on using the same tree and just happily made a new hole in which to nest. While I was there I missed a changeover of a male and female that Iain Campbell managed to observe while tucked away in a blind (hide) overlooking the hole. Although I did manage to see the female emerge from the cavity while I was stood by the hole that showed no signs of nerves at all in my presence. The male glowed emerald green in the trees behind and seemed a whole lot more skittish, giving alarms calls possibly due to my presence. So I withdrew and let them get on with it. It seems they are incubating right now, and it would be good to see the young quetzals emerge later in the season.

More from my "Tandayapa Weekend" Getaway soon...

Cock-of-the-Lodge ECUADOR...(11-12 June)

2011-06-13T16:32:00.002-05:00

After another week of inactivity and lots of typing I headed out to Tandayapa Bird Lodge for the weekend to escape the "Big Smoke" and get some clean mountain air and frankly some birds into my system. I needed a fix! On arrival at the lodge the news came through that the locally nesting Andean Cock-of-the-rock had just got chicks. I hurried down to the part of the lodge where the bird is nesting. First off I should mention it is actually nesting ON the lodge itself on a convenient windowsill that it obviously found to its liking. I was greeted with the sight of the deep maroon colored female that merely reacted to my presence by nonchalantly turning her crested head in my direction, but barely flinching otherwise. Unfortunately the chicks were well hidden underneath her significant carriage in the dried mud nest below. I returned there a little later and found mother was gone and so I changed my angle so I could look down into its shady nest. I could just make out two silvery gray balls that looked more like lichen than birds but a couple of movements later revealed them to be a couple of very inactive chicks hunkered down in the nest. A great opportunity (and my first) to see this large cotinga nesting. I will check in with the lodge regularly for a progress report!

More nesting birds from Tandayapa coming up...

Antisana Emerges ECUADOR (5 June)

2011-06-07T10:09:00.002-05:00

As we began our drive out of the Antisana reserve we once again crossed the caracara-covered plateau, and as we looked up towards the massive volcano we saw blue sky breaking through, and then amazingly the impressive snow-crusted top came dramatically into view. I fired off a couple of shots in case the cloud dusting the horizon thought about moving back to obscure this awesome sight. Not only did the clouds part but the lapwings that had been taunting us all day long finally gave up the ghost: as we were driving out having passed hundreds of mocking Andean Lapwings en route we finally found a few foraging close to the road. This time when we stopped (and remained in the vehicle) they bobbed their heads excitedly, and agitatedly at first, and then they calmed down and calmly began to feed once more-FINALLY! A great end to a wonderful "city break" (or break from the city). Antisana is often people's favorite tour site, and it is very easy to understand why: a magical combination of staggering high Andean scenery and approachable high Andean birds.

Antisana (continued) ECUADOR...(5 June)

2011-06-06T17:39:00.003-05:00

As we drove on we emerged up onto the wide open grassy plateau, where usually there is a dramatic backdrop provided by the volcanic cone of the mighty Antisana Volcano, towering some 5700m+ above. Sadly though a low swathe of cloud engulfed the volcano, with just hints of it appearing here and there. So we set about photographing the birds up there instead (I had hoped to try out my newish landscape lens on the mountain). Soon enough masses of Carunculated Caracaras were evident, scratching for food on the grass-laden ground.

The carpet of caracaras was interspersed with flocks of "grazing" Andean Lapwings and Andean Gulls. The lapwings were a major photo target for the day, although these annoyingly abundant, though significantly skittish, birds led us a merry dance in trying to get them onto our memory cards. No matter if we approached slowly by car or on foot, they took off before we could get in range.

Checking out a large lagoon produced flocks of high Andean waterfowl dominated by Andean Coot, Andean Ruddy Duck, Yellow-billed Pintail, Andean Teal and a good scattering of Silvery Grebes. The bushes around the lake held a Sedge Wren that did its very best to avoid me getting a shot off (yes, the same species as the US apparently), and down below a Stout-billed Cinclodes used its stout bill to probe in the bright green moss for food.

One more final update from the high Andean splendor provided by Antisana to come...

Back in the Field: ECUADOR...(5 June)

2011-06-05T21:06:00.003-05:00

After days chained to my desk in Quito enough was enough. It was time to get back in the field. So Pablo Cervantes (my old Antarctica accomplice) and I headed out from Quito for a day trip into the high Andes. Leaving the smog of Quito behind we rose into clean crisp mountain air at a heady 3800m or so elevation. Before we even caught sight of Antisana's most prominent feature (its 5700m volcanic cone) birds starting popping up, and I felt at home once more. A bridge provided support for a colorful high Andean flycatcher, the Brown-backed Chat-Tyrant, and a fencepost held a blue sparrow-like bird that is common in the paramo of Antisana: Plumbeous Sierra-Finch.

We then continued higher and emerged up onto the paramo grassland plateau where some of the best scenery in the reserve can be found, and some of it star residents...

Breaking the mould...COLORADO (2 May)

2011-05-27T18:43:00.003-05:00

OK so not everyone cares for sparrows. I mean they are all so challenging and difficult to ID, so people often abandon their cause, which would be unfair at least to something like this Sage Sparrow, a hidden gem among sparrows. Easy to ID and even dare I say good looking. OK so it was a lifebird for me at the time but I still think the comment stands?

We found this bird near the town of Craig, Colorado, where we parked ourselves for the night before we visited our final lek of the tour the next day (for Sharp-tailed Grouse-more details of this and more to come). Checking the large swathes of sagebrush led to frustration at first, so we amused ourselves with several neon blue male Mountain Bluebirds flitting in and around a nest box as if deciding whether it fit the bill for this years nesting season. Then there it was, singing its heart out at the top of its beloved sagebrush, that it shared with a number of Sage Thrashers too in our time there.

More from Colorado to come...

Return to Colorado...COLORADO (May)

2011-05-26T20:24:00.003-05:00

Now that migration has ended, I am back in my home Quito (Ecuador), and ready to reminisce some more on my brief sojourn in Colorado in late April-early May this year, where along with Nick Athanas and native Coloradan we covered all corners of the state in five days, and managed to rack up 26 odd lifers for me in the process! So I will post some of the many images from there I have not yet had the chance to upload. Like this one, of what must be Colorado's "state" raptor, the Swainson's Hawk that were dotted on fenceposts in all corners of this scenic state...

More from Colorado to come...

The End of Migration...OHIO (May 22-23)

2011-05-25T19:03:00.004-05:00

My last few days in Magee Marsh saw another push of migrants although the mix had changed markedly. Warblers seemed to be being challenged un numbers by a mass of flycatchers that have moved in on the Sunday at least. The warbler mix also held a number of female birds, like Blackburnian, Canadas, and even the odd female Wilson's too. Alder Flycatchers called regularly, Least Flycatchers also showed up in good numbers too, outnumbering their similar cousin the Yellow-bellied that was also around the boardwalk too. Although the star flycatcher of the Sunday at least was a statuesque Olive-sided that seemed rooted to a dead snag all day long. A good few days to mark the sad drawing to a close of my migration season, something I always find hgard to leave behind.

My migration season began in High Island (Texas) in late March with Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and a mass of shorebirds, and ended at Magee Marsh with a flurry of warblers and flycatchers, and this wonderful shorebird-an American Woodcock that on this occasion at least did a bad job of blending into its surrounds. A fitting end seeing as they have been so visible this year along the Magee boardwalk, where rarely a day would go by without one of these dumpy shorebirds being on view somewhere along this rightly famous boardwalk.

Magee Marsh...OHIO (20 May)

2011-05-20T18:00:00.003-05:00

OK so today on the boardwalk was not what I had hoped (no Connecticut, no Kirtland's) but the weather was wonderful, feeling like what spring should be-warm and bright with the air full of bird song. Warblers were sparse but in typical Magee fashion very showy at times. Highlight for me was a brilliant Bay-breasted Warbler that used the railing to forage along at length, allowing extremely close approach.

More from Magee tomorrow...

True Blue...COLORADO FLASHBACK (May)

2011-05-19T22:33:00.002-05:00

With the last two days being dominated by meeting indoors, and lots of "gripping" photos of birdins I wanted to see outdoors at Magee Marsh (Ohio), my photo opportunities and birding chances have been none. So here is a photo from my short trip earlier in the month in Colorado with fellow guides Andrew Spencer and Nick Athanas. One of my many obsessions was to find a Mountain Bluebird. To find one posing so beautifully in the snow was just fantastic. In just a few weeks I saw all the three bluebirds, with a Western near Denver (CO), and more recently an Eastern Bluebird was seen hanging about behind Ottawa NWR (Ohio), that has seemed to so far avoid all the purpose built nest boxes this spring (the Tree Swallows taking full advantage of this lapse from the bluebird). However, my current favorite this "true blue" trio is this mountain-loving turquoise dream looking sharp in the white snowscapes of Colorado in springtime...

Still got a few days left in Magee Marsh Ohio, and tomorrow I hit the boardwalk again. Hoping for a late Kirtland's, although would be happy to catch up with one of today's Connecticut's also...

Migration continues...OHIO (18 May)

2011-05-18T16:47:00.002-05:00

Word from the Magee Marsh boardwalk is that the chilly warbler that have been hanging around during the last few days appallingly wet and windy conditions have been putting on an exceptional show even by Magee heady standards. Sometimes showing down to just inches. Sadly while these enticing tales come back to me from the boardwalk, I have been "marooned" in meetings and am desperate to get another migration fix soon. So here is an American Redstart from a sunnier day last week to tide me over until I can get out birding and shoot some more Magee migrants.

Updates from Magee to come again soon...

Empid conundrum....OHIO (15 May)

2011-05-16T21:55:00.002-05:00

Empidonax flycatchers are some of the most challenging North American birds to identify. However, one of the easier of this confusing bunch is the Yellow-bellied Flycatcher courtesy of its rich yellow belly for one thing. It is an empid you do not have to hear call to get a positive ID, which makes it pretty appealing in my book! However, it is interesting that some photos of this fairly standard YBFL can appear less than clearcut, which illustrates clearly that photos can lie, and can be often misleading without the true colors displayed in real life, and the jizz of the bird that is almost never evident in a photo. It is for this reason I dread the mystery bird photo, as I have often so heavily relied on jizz to get to an ID, but which is rarely portrayed in a still single photo!

This bird was photographed at Magee Marsh yesterday during the final day of the Biggest Week of American Birding. Yesterday like today was dominated by high winds and wet conditions which drew the warblers down to low, low levels much to the joy of me yesterday and a number of birds I heard today too.

Biggest Week Finale...OHIO (15 May)

2011-05-16T17:54:00.002-05:00

Well the Biggest Week in American Birding finally came to a close today in the Ottawa/Magee Marsh region of NW Ohio. It did not finish quite how we would have liked: rain lashed down and a strong northerly wind picked up and made birding along the lakeshore of Erie impossible. Thankfully though the well-sheltered boardwalk at Magee provided welcome refuge from this for both birders and birds. The birders were bundled up in winter clothes, and the birds responded to the weather by feeding extremely low and at extremely close quarters even by Magee's high standards. Some of my memorable moments of the day included a "fired-up" male Blackburnian Warbler feeding literally inches away from our noses (while my camera was tucked away from the rain in the car-frustrating!), a Canada Warbler just as close feeding on the ground while we watched on, a Philadelphia Vireo that too had abandoned its usual lofty position in the trees for much lower quarters, a female Bay-breasted Warbler making me look down at her, and a Yellow-bellied Flycatcher found later in the day that was my first of this spring. Nashvilles were scarce now, having been super abundant earlier in the week, so I have added of photo from one from then that I completely forgot to post then!

Of course the Biggest Week ending does not mean migration has ended in Ohio by any means. Me and a few other guides will still be in the area this week and hope to see the next big push in the Magee region, that is usually touted as the biggest push of the season. So more birds are on the way, although not sure quite when with this awful weather sitting overhead, but I sure hope I get to have one more spring show before I head down south to the tropics again...

Magee Update...OHIO (14 May)

2011-05-14T21:06:00.005-05:00

After the good fortune that the unluckiest day (Friday 13th) on the calendar brought me yesterday, today was a bit deflated. Warbler diversity at Magee Marsh was still high - some 24 warblers seen. Of this illustrious list, I only managed a "paltry" 21 species, without chasing a thing. This is very typical of Magee though. You simply wander around casually, covering less than a mile of boardwalk and walk away with a sterling list of warblers that other birding venues would die for! Among the star turns were several Black-throated Blue Warblers, Canada Warblers (including the first females of the spring), and a rather sad looking Black-throated Green looking moribund just off the trail. Let's hope this warbler which has come so far on its epic journey makes it through the night. Other highlights included a very showy Gray-cheeked Thrush (that was supported by the full thrush contingent in Magee, including Swainson's, Veery and Wood also along the famous migrant magnet boardwalk).

Sadly, the Connecticut appeared to have moved on, or had returned to master-skulker status, although with ten days left in the area I hope to catch up with the "ringed one" once more before I head back south into the tropics of Ecuador once more...

LIFER...OHIO (13 May)

2011-05-13T21:46:00.004-05:00

Friday 13th is not a date that you expect to get lucky but for me it was one sweet day, where I finally put my nemesis bird to bed. Yes, I finally, after three long tortuous years got my lifer Connecticut Warbler at the warbler magnet Magee Marsh. A sweet moment. There was a little frustration when the crowd amassing at the famous boardwalk could clearly see it, (and I was quite clearly blocked), but then there it was crisp white eye ring and long, long undertail coverts and all. The most obvious "slam dunk" Connecticut of all. The eye ring glowed, my life list crept up undeniably by one. Memorable Magee moment...

Here is a truly terrible, though personal, photo of the memory to treasure for me for a long, lone time anyway! Poor photo, awesome bird, sorry.

Photofest...OHIO (12 May)

2011-05-13T11:35:00.004-05:00

OK so it was not a mega Magee day, but this was a great day to wander the boardwalk and check out warblers doing their classic "low down" thing at Magee Marsh (that the boardwalk is rightly famous for). So a good day for people, with the weather warm and sunny, birders as the birds were readily seen, and photographers as the birds were so so showy and the weather just perfect for capturing images of some of North America's most beautiful birds. My favorites today are pictured here: Cape May Warbler devouring a bug with elegance from the platform, and one of the many Prothonotary Warblers today that just dared you to take their shot as they dangled so invitingly and blasted out their "sweet" song. Plenty of Canada Warblers rounded out a fine day on the boards.

STOP PRESS: Just got my lifer Connecticut Warbler this morning at Magee. Three years and plenty of torment has driven me to this point. Elated and completely satisfied!

Marvelous Maggie...OHIO (9 May)

2011-05-09T18:59:00.002-05:00

A late afternoon show by a marvelous Magnolia Warbler had cameras clicking, and birders buzzing. And the best thing is we know there are lots more of these to come in the so-called "second wave" of migrants due to come this week (when Maggies usually dominate), widely predicted to be coming on Wednesday. I am hoping for a Kirtland's or even an early Connecticut, my Ohio nemesis in that next warbler wave ...

More updates from Magee soon...

Cryptic 'cocks...OHIO (9 May)

2011-05-09T18:42:00.003-05:00

Magee Marsh is usually talked about in terms of warblers (being referred to famously by Kenn Kaufman as the "warbler capital of the world", which is hard to argue with in May). Although to not mention some of the other birds would be a travesty. In addition to the warbler fare several neon male Scarlet Tanagers peaked our interest. Furthermore , so far this spring the Magee boardwalk has also been a regular hangout for American Woodcocks. They are daily right now in several spots, with even several sightings of "woodcocklets" with parents, jumping up and and down as if to try out their newly formed wings with the parent watching on. However, in spite of this, the regular views of a "four footer" today stole the headlines. To have a Woodcock at four feet away was pretty special, where we could absorb every tiny cryptic detail of its masterfully camouflaged plumage, and even see ants crawling across the body, and take in its bizarrely positioned eyes that give it 360 degree vision. A superb shorebird for sure and my highlight from today at the BIGGEST WEEK IN AMERICAN BIRDING.

Another late afternoon highlight was a Magnolia Warbler simply begging us to take its photos, which in due course we did, again and again...

Ottawa Swallows...OHIO (7 May)

2011-05-08T22:03:00.002-05:00

Just a quick post of a photo of one of the gorgeous Tree Swallows fluttering behind the visitor center at Ottawa NWR yesterday, (if only I could have got it on a better perch than one of the irwell-placed nest boxes). It still looked incredible in the early morning light as it glowed greenish blue. Sometimes photos make you see the gorgeousness of birds all over again, of a bird that perhaps sometimes you might just have taken for granted once too often. This was one such occasion. I have unashamedly rediscovered the beauty of a tree swallow through the joys of photography!

Ode to Ottawa (and Magee)...OHIO (7 May)

2011-05-07T20:02:00.000-05:00

I begun my day working the woodlots of Ottawa NWR, where an Ovenbird showed its unhappiness at me disturbing it from its hiding place in the leaf litter by flaring up its burnt orange crest at me. An Alder Flycatcher yelled out for "free beer" in the woods and was my first of season. Other highlights today was a bright Blue-winged Warbler and an even brighter male Prothonotary Warbler that led a band of 17 warblers tallied on my personal list today. OK so this was not up to the ridiculous high standard set yesterday where I managed a personal best of 28 warbler species in the day, but this felt pretty nice all the same, and I would take this day again in a heartbeat!

Here are some photos of an American Redstart form today, and a shamelessly tame Philadelphia Vireo both from Magee Marsh.

Magee Madness...OHIO (6 May)

2011-05-06T22:12:00.002-05:00

Now I am embedded in Ohio, I spent a thrilling day for the BIGGEST WEEK IN AMERICAN BIRDING sifting through warblers and moving no more than 500m in the process. The birds were everywhere, they were in my face, and this is the very reason I am unashamedly addicted to this migration scene. I personally only managed a "paltry" 28 species! So what a day. My favorites today were Cerulean (if only it would have hung about for more of us), Bay-breasted (they were a little more showy than usual), Cape May (I just always like this one), Canada Warbler, ridiculously tame Black-throated Blue Warbler, and a skull-capped Wilson's Warbler. On top of that a surprise Barn Owl also caused a bit of a stir in this part of the world, where it is very scarce.

More from Magee coming soon...

A taster...COLORADO (May)

2011-05-05T22:21:00.003-05:00

Well I have to admit I have yet to be able to process my Greater Sage-Grouse shots from Colorado (and so am posting some "emergency" ones here as a taster of more to come), possibly one of the greatest surprises in birding I have had to date. I went in completely unprepared for what would unfold in front of our eyes. This was simply put right up there with one of the greatest avian spectacles I have ever seen (and yes I include the birds-of-paradise in this assessment). I urge any birder to go and experience these birds, for lovers of strange bird behavior this was up there with the best of them. The males strutted, fanned their pointed tail feathers out, made bizarre plopping sounds, and thrust out strange pink "breasts" that made for a completely unique and freakishly comical scene. We laughed at them, but reveled in the whole thing, which was a genuine spectacle.

More to come from this Colorado chicken run soon...