Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 7 - Colombia

Shortly after meeting Meg and Kai, I said goodbye and headed off to South and Central America for 5 and half months. The first destination on my list was Colombia, where I would spend just over 6 weeks. It simply isn't possible to select the 'best' species or images when you are seeing on average 20 new species every day! Like with any Andean birding adventure - you are going to see a lot of Tanagers and Hummingbirds, perhaps even some Antpittas. Oddly, it has taken until my 7th post to publish a member of my favourite family, the Antpittas. Thanks to time, dedication and care - a number of feeding stations have been established across Colombia allowing birders the chance to see some of these generally agoraphobic creatures. Whilst I enjoy the challenge of finding these birds away from feeders, some are quite simply skittish ghosts - such as this Bicolored Antpitta, which even at a feeding station gives you little more than a few seconds. I really want to see this one again Meg...

Bicolored Antpitta, Rio Blanco, Colombia. 2014.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 6 - India

Today's image is from India, and yes - I could have picked from a number of gaudy options. Alas, as my two favourite birding families in the world are Antpittas and Larks, you can expect to be blown away by browns and beiges. Indeed, my main reason for this specific image isn't just that it is a lark, but that it was also my first lifer of 2020 (only 5 in total so far). Since it appears unlikely I am going to get many, if any more lifers this year - the significance is somewhat greater.

Sykes's Lark, Dholpur, Rajasthan. 2020.

A high resolution version of this image is available on my Shutterstock page.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 5 - Puerto Rico

Continuing with the Caribbean thread - I have been to the Caribbean a number of times, visiting Cuba, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic on at least three occasions. I had seen all the available extant endemics and near endemics (ie: Cuban Kite and Zapata Rail don't make the list as they are either very rare and isolated, or a complete enigma). However, I had failed to visit Puerto Rico - and consequently my Greater Antillean puzzle was a piece short. I had been scheduled to lead a tour to the island in 2015, but limited client interest meant that if I was to go - I would have to do so myself.

I spent all of 6 days in Puerto Rico, racing about twitching every island endemic - spending most nights sleeping in the back of the car. The bird I wanted the most was Puerto Rican Tody. The Tody's are a small family of 5 species endemic to the Caribbean. These tiny colourful jewels - related to kingfishers can be surprisingly confiding when you find them (in Old World terms, they behave somewhat similarly to Batises). Near enough the very first bird I saw on the island was indeed my last Tody, alongside a hatful of other endemics at Camberlache State Forest.

Puerto Rican Today, Camberlache, Puerto Rico. 2015.

A high resolution version of this image is available on my Shutterstock page.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 4 - Jamaica

In the last quarter of 2014, I headed off for a long stretch of tours to the Americas - nearly 6 months in all. Part of this time was spent in the Caribbean, visiting the 4 major Greater Antillean islands of Cuba, Hispaniola (Dominican Republic), Puerto Rico and Jamaica. All these islands have at least one endemic species of Hummingbird, some of which are rather significant due to their size - the Bee Hummingbird of Cuba being the smallest bird in the world, whilst the Vervain Hummingbird of Jamaica and Hispaniola being the second smallest bird in the world. Both are aptly described as cute, but aside from the male Bee Hummingbird - they don't really tick the attractive box. In a family of almost 360 species, many of whom are exquisitely coloured - differentiation is difficult! I have always been drawn to the small number of species that possess long, or adorned tails. In Jamaica - you need only travel a few miles to see two! What the locals call the 'Doctor Bird' - we know as Red-billed and Black-billed Streamertails.

One day Meg...

Black-billed Streamertail, Port Antonio, Jamaica. 2015.

Red-billed Streamertail, Blue Mountains, Jamaica. 2014.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 3 - Morocco

To date, the 2017 winter tour of Morocco is the last Rockjumper tour that I worked on as a Tour Leader (I co-led with Mark Beevers). Since then, I have remained firmly ensconced behind a desk - a mostly self-inflicted predicament. Poor Meg and Kai only got a vicarious look at this fascinating, culturally rich country that abounds with cool larks, the critical endangered Northern Bald Ibis and large flocks of various sandgrouse.

I spent a night pre-tour in the High Atlas enjoying the falling snow, only to come seriously close to getting stuck in Oukaimeden in my little rental and missing the start of the tour... As it happened, Mark and I spent 11 days hoovering up nearly every possible bird special, nailing stunning views of Aoudad (Barbary Sheep) and consuming a good deal of Tagine and Couscous.

Sorry my lovely ladies - I'll take you both to Morocco one day...

Greater Hoopoe-Lark, Merzouga, Morocco. 2017.

A high resolution version of this image is available on my Shutterstock page.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 2 - Paraguay

Having skipped Paraguay and the grand chaco traverse into Bolivia during my cycling tour of South America - I had always been very keen to head back and tick the 'other' landlocked country of the continent. A few weeks before setting off, I had become acquainted with Rockjumper's newest recruit (Meg). To say that Meg was a birding neophyte at the time would have been an understatement, but she entertained my bird focused ramblings - even though I neglected to consider the time zone differences. Chaco Owl kept me awake for a number of nights, with only the odd road side flushed sighting. After yet another night without much luck, I arrived at the lodge late with all the intention of some sleep - only to have that thought dashed with the distinctive sound of a Chaco Owl calling nearby. A very accommodating individual gave me prolonged views and numerous photo opportunities, something I was very keen to share with Meg - who had also waited up late to share in a vicarious sighting.

Chaco Owl. Filadelfia, Paraguay. 2014.

Sidestepping Covid-19... Part 1 - Hong Kong

I work in travel, specifically global birding. This profession requires a few things - people with a desire to see birds, a team of professionals to ensure good logistics, tour leaders to find the birds and show off the attributes of each destination and a team of agents, local guides and drivers. We're awfully good at doing all this, and yet we're all stuck at home because the one thing that allows for this global synergy - the capacity to travel freely, is nigh near locked down by the latest coronavirus epidemic. At the moment, Meg and I do nothing else but deal with the effect of COVID-19 on our company, our guests and our amazing team every day, sometimes we even consider the impact it may have on our own family, but mostly we cannot wait for global pandemic to dissipate quickly enough. Not only would we prefer the world not to suffer too much more, but we'd also like to regain the freedom that has been lost. Unlike many of our guests, friends and family, we don't have a holiday in jeopardy, our flights haven't been cancelled, our visa applications denied - nor are we suddenly going to jet off anywhere when this is done - but just knowing that it were possible is enough.

Thinking about this one thing for so many hours every day is draining, so we are making a conscious effort to ignore the 'news and updates', even if only for a few hours a day. Rather we shall reminisce about the great travels we have had - some to the remoter corners of the globe, some in our own neck of the woods. In so doing, we hope to create a few spaces for 'other stories' on our social media streams, aside from the continuous scroll of doom, gloom and make believe - we encourage you to do the same!

Today's image is from Hong Kong, China. I am quite keen on waders - they aren't on the same level as my two favourite birding families - Antpittas and Larks, but they share some of the same attractive features. They require patience, careful study, an understanding of habitat and lots of perseverance.

I've been trying to find Black-faced Spoonbill for quite a while now, but have never been to one of its core wintering sites on my trips through southeast Asia. With Meg and Kaily keen to maximise their flight mileage en route to India on our last trip - I was quite happy to divert via Hong Hong and give us the best chance of finding this scarce species. Indeed, aside from finally seeing this bogey bird, it was also my most recent lifer of 2020. 

Black-faced Spoonbill - Nam Sang Wai, Hong Kong. January 2020

A high resolution version of a similar image is available on my Shutterstock page.

Help us save the White-winged Flufftail

The Rockjumper staff are dedicating our year end function efforts to raise some cash for the Critically Endangered White-winged Flufftail. We have divvied ourselves into teams to add a competitive edge to the drive and hopefully raise a good amount of money for the Middelpunt Wetland Trust which plays a massive role in habitat awareness and education. Any donations to my crowdfunding setup would be most appreciated, alternatively, please do share this link widely!

Click here to donate to the White-winged Fufftail crowd fund

Established in 1994, the Middelpunt Wetland Trust has done exceptional and groundbreaking work on the critically endangered White-winged Flufftail. The trust’s main objective entails securing and rehabilitating the Middelpunt Wetland between Dullstroom and Belfast in Mpumalanga, South Africa.

The very mysterious White-winged Flufftail’s highly fragmented habitat is severely threatened by continued destruction and it is therefore of utmost importance that their extremely commendable efforts to conserve these specific areas are well supported.

The Middelpunt Wetland Trust is also actively involved in monitoring, conservation and awareness programs in Ethiopia, the only known breeding area for this enigmatic species. The Trust has also decided to proceed with a captive breeding program, and discussions with the National Zoological Gardens in Pretoria are far-advanced. Furthermore, a school has already been built for a community that adjoins one of the breeding sites in Ethiopia.

By enabling a wider circle of birders to be aware of the plight of the White-winged Flufftail and generating a greater sense of publicity of this secretive bird’s existence, the Middelpunt Wetlands Trust is playing a major role in its conservation.

The Land Regeneration Project - Part 3

The impenetrable wall of Tickberry (Lantana camera)

Over the last few months, we have chipped away at the invasive shrubs and bushes, clearing Tickberry (Lantana camera) and chopping down the odd Bugweed (Solanum mauritianum) as well as planting a number of new indigenous trees in the valley.

An entire weekend was dedicated to assaulting the Lantana camara thicket obscuring our view. Late Friday afternoon saw me at my now customary equipment rental shop, Coastal Hire. With bladed brush cutter in hand, I was looking forward to giving the lantana a good wrecking. As it happened, laying into lantana is a little more difficult that anticipated. A bladed brush cutter is rather heavy when you are trying to wield it like a sword. It took less than 30 minutes to realise that I would not be destroying the Lantana this weekend, it would have to be done with a machete instead.

Kaily now has her own spade to help dig

Moving on, large thickets of herbaceous stemmed Black Jack (Bidens pilosa) would be taken out instead, thus increasing the cleared area twofold. Cutting Black Jacks was far more successful, as the spinning metal blade simply laced through them. By Saturday afternoon, I felt I had at least made some improvements, even if they were not as targeted.

The next weekend started off with an early morning session of bamboo barrier building. As the construction has now been somewhat simplified, I had 5 new barriers within a matter of a few hours. All that was left was to get 5 new trees planted. Despite not having cleared quite as much lantana as planned a week before, I had managed to push the invasive bank back far enough to fit in a line of new trees. With the ever helpful Kaily at my side to help clear the area, we managed to plant 4 new trees into the available space. The fifth tree made it into the newly cleared area, an area that will see a significant number of further specimens planted shortly.

The long easter weekend provided me with one last session in the valley, using a regular brush cutter to trim the grass down, whilst also creating a short path through the cleared area. I hope to maintain this section whilst also expanding it as the clearing continues.

With a number of recent commitments, an extended weekend in Cape Town preceding a week long cruise (Flock at Sea), and there has been precious little time to pay further attention to the valley. I should have a few more weekends coming up to hack away at more invasive vegetation, whilst also constructing more barriers for planting. Unfortunately, it has become apparent over the last vew months that an even worse invasive alien is starting to take over from the Bugweed and Tickberry. The Mauritius Thorn (Caesalpinia decapetala) seems to have spread down the Town Bush River, from heavy thickets on either side of the road to African Enterprise. Already this thorny shrub with a propensity for climbing has engulfed a 15metre high Pigeon Wood (Trema orientalis), which I need to attend to shortly. Unlike Lantana and Bugweed, this shrub has severe thorns and shall require much care when being removed.

Another Podocarpus latifolius successfully planted. 

Kaily getting a lift after all her hard work

Meg supervising our work from the safe confined of the wheel barrow

Trees planted to date

Tree 1 Planted    02 January 2017   Senegalia galpinii       Monkey Thorn

Tree 2 Planted    08 January 2017   Senegalia galpinii       Monkey Thorn

Tree 3 Planted    21 January 2017   Trichilia dregeana       Forest Mahogany

Tree 4 Planted    21 January 2017   Podocarpus latifolius  Real Yellowwood
Tree 5 Planted    21 January 2017   Podocarpus latifolius  Real Yellowwood
Tree 6 Planted    26 March 2017      Ficus lutea                  Giant Leaved Fig
Tree 7 Planted    26 March 2017      Rauvolfia caffra           Quinine Tree
Tree 8 Planted    26 March 2017      Senegalia sieberana   Paperbark Thorn
Tree 9 Planted    26 March 2017      Albizia adianthifolia     Flatcrown Albizia

Tree 10 Planted  09 April 2017         Podocarpus latifolius  Real Yellowwood
Tree 11 Planted  27 May 2017         Podocarpus latifolius   Real Yellowwood
Tree 12 Planted  27 May 2017         Podocarpus latifolius   Real Yellowwood

Tree 13 Planted  27 May 2017         Albizia adianthifolia      Flatcrown Albizia

Tree 14 Planted  27 May 2017         Senegalia galpinii        Monkey Thorn

Tree 15 Planted  27 May 2017         Trichilia dregeana        Forest Mahogany

Tree 16 Planted  27 May 2017         Trichilia dregeana        Forest Mahogany

Tree 17 Planted  27 May 2017         Strelitzia nicolai           Natal Wild Banana

Tree 18 Planted  27 May 2017         Strelitzia nicolai           Natal Wild Banana

The Land Regeneration Project - Part 2

Brush cut and more trees added

With no birding planned for the weekend, it was decided to start phase two of the regeneration project. Down the road again to Coastal Hire, the local power tool hire shop. I’m fast becoming a regular customer - hiring chain saws and brush cutters on a fairly regular basis now. 

Brush cutter in hand, and no idea how to use it, I turned to my trusted teaching aid - YouTube for a 5 minute tutorial. [In case you wonder about the efficacy of using YouTube to learn anything, it took me no more than an 8 min video to learn how to ride a motorbike in Peru, before I tackled the Manu Road…] Despite a better understanding of how to deal with the brush pile across the road, I had slightly underestimated the size of some of the herbaceous shrubs, as well as the general resistance of Lantana camara, to a nylon headed brush cutter at least. I found myself spending as much time replacing the nylon cutting strips as I did laying into the 3ft tall morass. Persevere I did, thankful for the cool and overcast conditions. 

Wielding the brush cutter

After some trial and error, I figured out how to more productive - leaving the herbaceous shrubs and laying into the grass and Black Jacks Bidens pilosa, another horrid, pervasive weed from South America. No doubt the neighbours are getting used to 2 stroke engine noise every other weekend, but despite the racket - Meg and I got rather a few compliments from passing joggers and walkers. Having flattened large sections of brush, I had more scope for planting. With 3 bamboo barriers already assembled, I reckoned I had enough energy left to put in the trees, selecting some different species for the river bank edge. The 3rd tree to be planted was one of my favourites, the Forest Mahogany Trichilia dregeana, followed by two slow growing, but excellent montane species, Real Yellowwood Podocarpus latifolius. 

I spent some of Sunday afternoon wielding the brush cutter deeper into the scrub, exposing a few other indigenous trees planted some years before by another resident. Large tracts remain uncut, but the herbaceous nature and size of the shrubs requires a more dedicated effort with a bladed brush cutter.

With potential birding delayed by another weekend, I took advantage and rented the chainsaw again. The prime purpose was to obtain further bamboo to be used for tree barriers. So far, the resident Bushbuck have not made any noticeable attempt to browse the existing trees, but I would prefer not to tempt fate. Many more poles were cut before the chainsaw gave up the ghost on Sunday afternoon - but I certainly have a large reservoir of barrier material to get me through the next few months. No trees are due for planting in the next few weeks though - a trip to search for the elusive Striped Flufftail is this weekends agenda.

Tree 2 Planted    08 January 2017   Senegalia galpinii      Monkey Thorn

Tree 3 Planted    21 January 2017   Trichilia dregeana      Forest Mahogany

Tree 4 Planted    21 January 2017   Podocarpus latifolius  Real Yellowwood
Tree 5 Planted    21 January 2017   Podocarpus latifolius  Real Yellowwood
Tree 6 Planted    26 March 2017     Ficus lutea                  Giant Leaved Fig
Tree 7 Planted    26 March 2017     Rauvolfia caffra          Quinine Tree
Tree 8 Planted    26 March 2017     Senegalia sp.
Tree 9 Planted    26 March 2017     Albizia adianthifolia   Flatcrown Albizia

There is plenty of brush to get through - early days

Putting up the custom built bamboo barriers

Kai is always on hand to help!

Tree number 2

Happy team - 2 trees in, plenty to go

Lantana camara - a beautiful scourge

Sweaty labour this tree planting business - 35 more to go to finish phase 1...