From the Field

January 24: Jared Clarke on the conclusion of his Winter Newfoundland tour

There were smiles across the board this week as we had a fabulous dose of winter birding in the easternmost reaches of North America – Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula. Perhaps the biggest highlight came on the very first morning, as we soaked in great views of a very rare Common Snipe at Ferryland – just the third record for the province and all of eastern North America - and we were able to compare this amazing bird with its North American cousin, a Wilson’s Snipe, hanging out just meters away!

Other highlights included finding Dovekie, a "lifer" for everyone in the group, at several locations, some of them providing great views as they bobbed around in the surf right along shore.

Dovekie - Bruce Mactavish

Purple Sandpipers were discovered resting and feeding among the wave-beaten rocks of Cape Spear National Historic Site;

Purple Sandpipers - Bruce Mactavish

a King Eider made an appearance in the rough waters of Bear Cove along the Irish Loop and a family of Gray Jays popped in to check us out along the forested roadsides. Dozens of Tufted Ducks were spotted around the various city ponds as a record number have been spending the winter here.

Tufted Duck

Other European waterfowl included as many as five Eurasian Wigeon and three Eurasian (Common) Teal illustrating how St. John's is the best location on the continent to see these species in winter.

Gulls are an integral part of the winter scenery in and around St. John', and they did not disappoint. A total of ten species were found during the week, including thousands of Herring, Great Black-backed and Iceland Gulls, several hundred Glaucous Gulls, four dozen Black-headed Gulls,a handful of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and three European Mew (Common) Gulls. The array was mind-boggling and everyone learned a lot about these often under-appreciated birds!

Black-headed Gull

Finally we should say too that winter in St John's and the surrounding countryside is extremely beautiful.

The Battery, St John's

It was indeed an excellent week spent with great birds and great people!

January 23: David Fisher from his on-going tour of Kenya: Part 2

We had an unusual experience during our visit to Lake Baringo and the early morning walk along the nearby escarpment.  As the sun roses behind us, the cliffs turn from deep red to golden brown and the birds came to life.  A Lanner sat on the cliff face calling and watching for an easy breakfast below.

Lanner

The pair of Verreaux's Eagles, just returned to these cliffs after a lengthy absence, cruised back and forth along the cliff face above us.  Suddenly the Lanner was up in the air attacking the eagles, repeatedly diving at one bird which landed on the cliff top to take shelter. 

Verreaux's Eagle

Later that day we moved on to the wonderfully relaxing Rondo Retreat in the heart of Kakamega forest, where the garden full of birds included a remarkably tame White-spotted Flufftail which we watched tossing leaves in a streambed as it searched for food. 

White-sp0tted Flufftail

This was just one of the many highlights in Kakamega, a location that added another hundred species to our bird list, and when we left there for the Masai Mara we had already seen a remarkable 520 species; what an amazingly bird-rich country this is...

January 13: David Fisher from his on-going tour of Kenya

I can reconfirm that Kenya has lost none of its fantastic diversity: the first day of the tour, spent in Nairobi National Park produced 145 species of bird and 22 mammals and by end of day four the trip list had reached 328!  Numbers of course don't bgin to tell the story.  Watching displaying Long-tailed Widowbirds with snow-capped Mt Kenya as a back drop is hard to beat.  High in the Aberdares, close to 12,000 feet a Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird fed on Ostrich-plumed Lobelias, while Moorland Francolins called nearby and provided a lifer, not only for the participants but also the leader (despite this being his 32rd tour to Kenya).  The raucous calls of Hartlaub’s Turacos are a frequent sound in the highland forests and while most birds are shy one this year was highly curious and kept coming closer peering at our open-topped land-cruiser and the emergent heads of the group peering back.  While after dinner three Large-spotted Genets fought for the best pickings from the ‘genet table’ at Mountain Lodge.  To be continued...

Long-tailed Widowbird

Hartlaub's Turaco

Large-spotted Genet

December 9: Steve Rooke on his just-completed tour of Ethiopia

Despite being my 18th tour to wonderful Ethiopia, this year still held a number of new or unusual encounters. High among those was finding the endemic Salvadori’s Seedeater at a new site, removing the need to take the long drive down to Sof Omar. This joined the long list of endemic birds and mammals that make this tour so attractive - whether it was the regal Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco cooing at us from an acacia

Prince Ruspoli's Turaco

or a sleek Ethiopian Wolf hunting Giant Root Rats on the Sanetti plateau, or impressive male Gelada Baboons

Ethiopian Wolves

Gelada Baboon

or endearing White-tailed Swallows flying through the open window of our parked vehicle to look for a nest site, or the endangered Liben Lark clinging to its fragile existence.

 

Liben Lark

But as always there was so much more to our Ethiopia tour than endemics – finding Somali, Heuglin’s and Temminck’s Coursers within a few hundred yards of each other, watching hundreds of migrating Lesser Kestrels hunting over grassland, relaxing along the shore at Bishan Gari

,

Bishan Gari

enjoying the endless photographic opportunities of the Lake Zwiay fish market with its hordes of attendant Hamerkops and Great White Pelicans, seeing Eastern Paradise Whydahs in full breeding display, or even buying freshly dried green coffee beans to have them hand roasted to take home – Ethiopia never fails to entrance, surprise and delight.

December 3: Gavin Bieber on his scouting trip to the new Canopy Camp in Panama's Darien Foothills

I just finished a wonderful two day scout of the new (still in the last phase of construction) Canopy Camp in Panama's Darien Foothills.  On our March tour, all will be in order and we'll stay in comfortable and large African-style hardwood floor tents wih private baths, and take our meals in this attractive and functional open-air building.  And the birds?  Well, in just two short morning outings here are a few highlights; Gray-cheeked Nunlet,  Red-throated Caracara, Spectacled Parrotlet, Barred Puffbird and Black Oropendola!  I can't wait to come back!

Canopy Camp Tents (in preparation)

Canopy Camp Dining Room (in preparation)

Gray-cheeked Nunlet

Red-throated Caracara

Spectacled Parrotlet

Barred Puffbird

Black Oropendola

November 28: David Fisher on his just-completed tour of Northwest Argentina

This was my best visit to Argentina's Andean region yet.  In the Yala Valley the black-breasted race of Torrent Duck performed well, while the Rufous-throated Dipper, though initially elusive finally gave itself up and sat preening in the early morning sunlight.  Close by a pair of the rare and endangered Red-faced Guans popped up right beside the road giving the closest views ever.  Higher up Lago Pozuelos had lots of water and was in great shape with large numbers of all three flamingos and nesting Giant Coots and Andean Gulls.  I even had a lifer in the form of a Streak-backed Antbird, on the edge of the Chaco - a rare event after 18 tours there. I'm already looking forward to returning next year to co-lead a more extensive Northern Argentina tour with Ricardo Clark. 

Thanks to Richard Bayldon for both images, below.

Torrent Duck

Red-faced Guan

November 27: Steve Howell and Fabrice Schmitt on the conclusion of their tour of Chile

A combination of Fabrice’s local knowledge, Steve’s many years traveling in Chile, good weather, a great group – and, of course, pure luck, contributed to a wonderful tour and a record number of species. But numbers aren’t everything, and highlights additional to our last report were many and varied – including of course the incredible scenery, from towering snow-capped peaks and hanging glaciers to the stark contrast between the barren Atacama Desert ‘moonscape’ and the adjacent lowland valleys. Avian highlights included Puna Flamingoes walking on a frozen roadside lake, superb views of the poorly known Peruvian Martin, point-blank views of the tiny and highly endangered Chilean Woodstar,and  the first Curlew Sandpiper recorded in Chile. All in all a simply amazing trip!

Hanging glacier in the  El Yeso Valley

Atacama Desert surrounds the well-watered Lluta Valley 

Puna Flamingos waiting for the thaw

The poorly known Peruvian Martin; here a female

Male Chilean Woodstar

Chile's first Curlew Sandpiper

November 26: Jon Feenstra from his scouting trip to La Selva Lodge, Ecuador

Though the luxury of the place was largely lost on me, waking early and spending the entirety of the days out in the jungle, the setting in such fantastic habitat is more than one can ask for. Without getting into a car, in one week of birding I tallied 316 bird species including 42 species of antbird, 5 species of trogon, and a Rufous-vented Ground Cuckoo, my singular highlight and a bird that possesses nearly mythical status in the neo-tropics (I managed excellent photos of the leaves and sticks in front of it). Really, though, the good things kept coming and each day was alive with diversity of everything, from birds to amphibians to primates.  Here are a few images including one of Scale-backed Antbird taken at night with my cell phone as it slept under a leaf along a trail.

 Rufous-capped Antthrush

 Purplish Jacama

 Tamarind

Scale-backed Antbird

November 24: Gavin Bieber from his just concluded tour of Panama

I just wrapped up a great week at Panama's Canopy Tower. It is always a pleasure to return to this fantastic and unique lodge, surrounded by an excellent mix of habitats and a great diversity of birds. We enjoyed remarkably comfortable and dry weather over the week, with a truly memorable sunrise over the tower one morning. Some of the highlights would have to include our close views of Black-breasted Puffbird and Double-toothed Kite from the top of the tower, almost tame White-necked Jacobins (among 20 other species of hummingbirds for the trip), a gorgeous array of gaudy tanagers and honeycreepers, and 20 species of mammals including this inquisitive White-faced Capuchin. One could easily add to that the wonderful antswarm on Pipeline Road with its attendant antbirds, a perched Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon and Panama's third record of Long-tailed Jaegar. It was quite a stupendous week!

Now I'm heading to the Darien Foothills to scout for our new upcoming March trip to the Canopy Camp!

Double-toothed Kite

White-faced Capuchin

Shining Honeycreeper

November 9: Steve Howell and Fabrice Schmitt from their on-going tour of Chile

From Steve: Even in my 20th year of leading tours here there’s always the unexpected in this amazing country – this year it was the very rare and local Hooded Grebe.

.

Hooded Grebe

It was difficult to leave the grebe, but a fly-by pair of Spectacled Ducks finally pulled us away. Other highlights have included the mind-warping sight of a skein of Chilean Flamingos flying over King Penguins along the Straits of Magellan,

Chilean Flamingos over....

King Penguins

Chocolate-vented Tyrants during our picnic lunch on the Patagonian steppe, and diverse shorebirds, from South American Painted-snipe to Magellanic Plover. Moving on to the scenic Lake District, incredible weather and marvelous birds made for a memorable two days. We started out seeking the handsome Yellow-bridled Finch in a volcanic crater

Seeking Yellow-bridled Finch...

...and finding same.

and ended by watching a pair of Magellanic Woodpeckers for 30 minutes

the watchers....

...and the watched.

until we had to drag ourselves away for a great dinner and some equally memorable pisco sours to celebrate! And now on to central Chile…

From Fabrice: Giant country, giant birds!! A few days ago we were birding the magic Nothofagus forest, home of the giant Magellanic Woodpecker, largest woodpecker in South America. We are now in Central Chile and just did our usual pelagic in the Humboldt current where the giant of the day was the impressive Royal Albatross,

Royal Albatross

along with De Filippi’s Petrel, Peruvian Diving-petrel, and thousands of Sooty Shearwaters. In the Chilean matorral scrub, we also had several encounters with the largest hummingbird in the world, the well named Giant Hummingbird: one mobbing a pygmy-owl (when hummingbirds are larger than the pygmy-owl!!) and a few others on their nests (just seems that the nest doesn’t fit the bird!!).

Belligerent and peaceful Giant Hummingbirds

And today, to complete the list of the “giants” found in Chile, we had wonderful views of the iconic Andean Condor sailing together with a few Black Vultures, just to compare size of these two relatives!!