Unfortunately birding tours--believe it or not--are not always considered one of life's necessities. Thus my work, like that of many other people, was down in 2009 from what it had been over the previous three years. I guided fewer tours, traveled less, and saw fewer birds in 2009 than my previous years based in South Africa. On the other hand, with more spare time I got to participate in a Field Museum expedition to Malawi, something that I have always dreamed of doing. I also got to spend more time at home in Chicago as well as guiding extensively in the United States. For my 2007 statistics, click here, and for 2008, click here.
I guided only 99 days this year, down about 1/3 from 2007 and 2008. However, when you add in my 47-day Field Museum expedition to Malawi, it evens out. I saw 1113 species of birds of which 65 I had never seen before. I took 28 flights and visited 17 airports, both well down from previous years. I visited 10 countries, but of those only five (four in Africa plus the US) were for guiding. I guided in five countries (South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia, and the US) and three American states (Texas, Ohio, and California). I slept in 74 different beds. I spent several entire months this year in a single country--all the US (and only in June didn't I fly)--but in December alone I visited six different countries (on three continents). Over 26% of my guiding income came from tips (thanks!). After spending 6 months between 2006-2008 in Madagascar, I didn't visit it in 2009, largely due to its recent (and ongoing) political instability.
As usual, I went to some amazing places. Among new places I visited, the Nyika Plateau in northern Malawi was particularly spectacular. I enjoyed seeing Victoria Falls both at its peak in March and at its lowest in early December. Spending most of May at Magee Marsh in Ohio was eye-opening; warbler migration there was beyond anything I had expected or experienced. I also had a full day layover in Qatar, where I rented a car and had a thoroughly enjoyable and productive day of birding in the desert. My favorite hotel (that I hadn't stayed in before) was Matetsi Water Lodge on the south bank of the Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. Grootberg Lodge in northwest Namibia was also amazing and has one of the best settings of any hotel I've even stayed in; Nxamaseri Lodge on an island in the Okavango River in Botswana also deserves mention.
Bird highlights were, of course, many. A few standouts: Scarlet-tufted Malachite Sunbird in Nyika, on my last day there, after spending a month searching; two much-anticipated LBJ lifers in South Africa--Bushveld Pipit in Nylsvlei Reserve in March and Monotonous Lark in the Free State in December; African Pitta (twice!) in Malawi and Zambia; a migration of Openbill Storks and other birds in Zambia; Hoopoe Lark in Qatar; Black-whiskered Vireo in Texas; Great Gray Owl in Yosemite. Black-lored Cisticola was pretty awesome, for a cisticola.
Likewise, I saw lots of great mammals over the course of the year. These included an up-close encounter with a leopard while walking in Malawi; humpback whales next to the boat in Monterey Bay; elephants wandering through the park office's yard in Vwaza Marsh, Malawi; finally seeing desert black rhino after an adventure-filled day in the Namib Desert; two different lion-killed giraffes, with the lions still in attendance--one in Kruger, South Africa and the other in Etosha, Namibia; and the many small mammals trapped during field work in Malawi.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
I heart Namibia
I just got back from a truly awesome tour. It reaffirmed why Namibia is my favorite place to guide. We saw tons of great birds and mammals, stayed at a wide variety of very cool lodges, ate many, many different animals, saw two of Africa's mightiest rivers, swam with a pet otter, kayaked with fur seals, and bungee jumped off the Victoria Falls bridge. All-in-all, a good time.
The trip started in Namibia's capital, Windhoek, then went down the mountains and through the desert to the coast at Walvis Bay, then through the Erongo Mountains to Damaraland, across Etosha National Park, through the Kavango region into Bostwana, back into Namibia and across the Caprivi Strip, and ultimately into Zambia, where the trip ended at Victoria Falls.
Even though the trip report is posted and includes lots of awesome photos, mostly by Larry Kay, (click here, it's a pdf), I took lots of cool photos that are more appropriate for this forum. Some of them are below.
Thanks to a tip from my colleague Ken Behrens, we were able to see lions at a giraffe kill in Etosha. It was pretty awesome, and sort of gross, and a little bit sad. It was a huge adult bull giraffe, not an easy thing for lions to take down. If you look closely (or, better yet, click on the image to blow it up), you will see two lions in the background, their bellies completely stuffed with giraffe meat.
Elephant in front of the setting sun in Etosha.
A favorite tour activity: photographing roadkill. In this case, a scrub hare.
Me and a big termite mound near Outjo.
The Kay family in front of Shamvura's massive Carmine Bee-eater colony along the Okavango River in Namibia. If I had turned around, I would have entered into a staring contest with a group of hippos.
The trip started in Namibia's capital, Windhoek, then went down the mountains and through the desert to the coast at Walvis Bay, then through the Erongo Mountains to Damaraland, across Etosha National Park, through the Kavango region into Bostwana, back into Namibia and across the Caprivi Strip, and ultimately into Zambia, where the trip ended at Victoria Falls.
Even though the trip report is posted and includes lots of awesome photos, mostly by Larry Kay, (click here, it's a pdf), I took lots of cool photos that are more appropriate for this forum. Some of them are below.
Thanks to a tip from my colleague Ken Behrens, we were able to see lions at a giraffe kill in Etosha. It was pretty awesome, and sort of gross, and a little bit sad. It was a huge adult bull giraffe, not an easy thing for lions to take down. If you look closely (or, better yet, click on the image to blow it up), you will see two lions in the background, their bellies completely stuffed with giraffe meat.
Elephant in front of the setting sun in Etosha.
A favorite tour activity: photographing roadkill. In this case, a scrub hare.
Me and a big termite mound near Outjo.
Sarah photographing an elephant in Etosha.
The Kay family in front of Shamvura's massive Carmine Bee-eater colony along the Okavango River in Namibia. If I had turned around, I would have entered into a staring contest with a group of hippos.
Perhaps a photo that only a birder can appreciate: these are Dune Lark tracks in the Namib Desert sand (and yes, we saw the bird too!).
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Back to Africa
I arrived back in Cape Town a few days ago from a wonderful summer in the States. I found that, in the time I was gone, my refrigerator had broken and been discarded (and not been replaced); among the items stolen in our house robbery was my beloved (now dearly departed) Leatherman; and summer has not yet arrived to the bottom of the continent, so I huddle in my sleeping bag at night because, along with the knife and fridge, my sheets also vanished during my absence.
Table Mountain and the beach near my house, thankfully, are both still here.
And the sun still sets over the Atlantic.
Table Mountain and the beach near my house, thankfully, are both still here.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Cinematic birding
I made my first foray into video-making last weekend, with the able assistance (she might claim direction) of my sister Rebecca. We headed down to Montrose harbor and environs and filmed some clips of me, birds, and me talking about birds, and put it all together into a single, semi-coherant video. Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Working the migrant traps
Not my usual destinations, I realize, but I had a great time working this spring at some of the world's best migrant traps, High Island, Texas, and Magee Marsh, Ohio. These two spots are world renowned birding spots during spring migration (especially High Island), and deservedly so. While I missed the peak of spring migration at High Island, it was still a good time (I even saw a new bird: Black-whiskered Vireo).
Magee Marsh, if anything, is underrated. Simply put, it rocked my world. The birds, the crowds, and the general atmosphere were unlike anything I've ever encountered in the birding world. The birds are amazing and the crowds of birders don't detract from the ambience. Indeed, the combination of thousands of warblers and thousands of birders creates a completely unique experience that must be seen to be believed. As Iain Campbell said, if you're anywhere else on the planet during May, you're in the wrong place.
Seeing as how (roughly) billions of bird photos are taken over the course of May at Magee Marsh (for some good ones, look at Sam Woods' many posts from Magee here), I'm posting more interesting photos: the crowds. One of the great things about Magee is that when something particularly interesting is found, you hear about it. Then again, so does everybody else, but if all goes well (as it did in all the cases below), everyone gets to see the bird.
The biggest crowds of the spring were for the Mothers' Day Golden-winged Warbler. Suffice it to say, a lot of people saw that bird. In the green hat and gray jacket in the bottom-middle of the picture is my colleage Sam Woods, who also saw the one Golden-winged Warbler in history that was seen by more people--the only one ever seen in England.
Yes, they are looking at a bird. A Kentucky Warbler, no less. There is about two feet of land between the boardwalk, where everyone is standing, and a pond, and the warbler was walking around on the ground on that narrow strip of dirt and willows.
A popular bird later in the season was a female Cerulean Warbler that proved faithful to one particular area of the boardwalk (you'd never know it, but this is the same spot in the Kentucky Warbler-watching picture above).
Magee Marsh, if anything, is underrated. Simply put, it rocked my world. The birds, the crowds, and the general atmosphere were unlike anything I've ever encountered in the birding world. The birds are amazing and the crowds of birders don't detract from the ambience. Indeed, the combination of thousands of warblers and thousands of birders creates a completely unique experience that must be seen to be believed. As Iain Campbell said, if you're anywhere else on the planet during May, you're in the wrong place.
Seeing as how (roughly) billions of bird photos are taken over the course of May at Magee Marsh (for some good ones, look at Sam Woods' many posts from Magee here), I'm posting more interesting photos: the crowds. One of the great things about Magee is that when something particularly interesting is found, you hear about it. Then again, so does everybody else, but if all goes well (as it did in all the cases below), everyone gets to see the bird.
The biggest crowds of the spring were for the Mothers' Day Golden-winged Warbler. Suffice it to say, a lot of people saw that bird. In the green hat and gray jacket in the bottom-middle of the picture is my colleage Sam Woods, who also saw the one Golden-winged Warbler in history that was seen by more people--the only one ever seen in England.
Yes, they are looking at a bird. A Kentucky Warbler, no less. There is about two feet of land between the boardwalk, where everyone is standing, and a pond, and the warbler was walking around on the ground on that narrow strip of dirt and willows.
A popular bird later in the season was a female Cerulean Warbler that proved faithful to one particular area of the boardwalk (you'd never know it, but this is the same spot in the Kentucky Warbler-watching picture above). I hope to see you out there next spring!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Back again: Victoria Falls and eastern South Africa
I just finished up guiding a two week tour that started with three nights on the Zambian side of Victoria Falls, then flew to Johannesburg and spent the rest of the time traveling around eastern South Africa before spending a final night in Swaziland.
This time of year is late in the rainy season, so most areas were extremely lush. The grass was long, the foliage was green and the bush was thick. Roads were also very muddy; we were lucky to be helped out of some soft mud by a couple of friendly South Africans while in Nylsvlei Reserve north of Johannesburg.
Victoria Falls was certainly impressive this time of year. The amount of water going over the falls was incredible, and it certainly lived up to its local name--Mosi-oa-Tunya, The Smoke that Thunders. At times you could scarcely see the falls because of the mist created from the falling water. It was incredible walking along the paths just opposite the falls. Despite the blue sky overhead, at times you thought you were walking through a huge storm so much water was raining back down.
This is the gorge below Zambezi River's gorge below Victoria Falls, with a very small section of the falls mostly obscured by mist in the background. With all of the water particles in the air, it's a rainbow-laden place.
We experiences a lot of wet mornings on this trip, but this guy was truly soaked after walking through the high, dew-soaked grass. This is a Slender Mongoose that paused on the road to check us out at Nylsvlei Reserve in South Africa.
On our final morning in Kruger, we came across a group of Spotted Hyenas. A few of them were in a culvert next to the road eating a freshly-killed warthog.
This time of year is late in the rainy season, so most areas were extremely lush. The grass was long, the foliage was green and the bush was thick. Roads were also very muddy; we were lucky to be helped out of some soft mud by a couple of friendly South Africans while in Nylsvlei Reserve north of Johannesburg.
Victoria Falls was certainly impressive this time of year. The amount of water going over the falls was incredible, and it certainly lived up to its local name--Mosi-oa-Tunya, The Smoke that Thunders. At times you could scarcely see the falls because of the mist created from the falling water. It was incredible walking along the paths just opposite the falls. Despite the blue sky overhead, at times you thought you were walking through a huge storm so much water was raining back down.
This is the gorge below Zambezi River's gorge below Victoria Falls, with a very small section of the falls mostly obscured by mist in the background. With all of the water particles in the air, it's a rainbow-laden place.
We experiences a lot of wet mornings on this trip, but this guy was truly soaked after walking through the high, dew-soaked grass. This is a Slender Mongoose that paused on the road to check us out at Nylsvlei Reserve in South Africa.
On our final morning in Kruger, we came across a group of Spotted Hyenas. A few of them were in a culvert next to the road eating a freshly-killed warthog.Friday, February 13, 2009
Just back from Namibia and Botswana
Namibia is my favorite country in which I guide. High on my list of reasons why I like Namibia so much is the fact that it is the second least densely populated country in the world (right there after Mongolia) with a mere 2.5 people per sq. km (fewer than 7 people per square mile). It has an excellent system of paved and dirt roads which have virtually no traffic. I've driven hundreds of kilometers without seeing a single other vehicle. This is not to mention the great birding and fantastic mammals, good food and wide variety of accommodations, including many places it would be fair to call unique, in a way that only a Namibian hotel can be. On this trip we spent five nights in Botswana--more than our usual two--so I got to see more of that country than I had previously seen.
On my most recent trip, which ended earlier this month, I got to take the company camera, a proper SLR, to play around with. Here are a few photos from the trip.
This is a Rueppell's Korhaan, a species only found in the deserts of Namibia and southwest Angola. I particularly like this photo because it really encapsulates the region this species which it lives: an endemic bird, dry grass, mountains constantly in the backdrop, blue skies and the region's most iconic plant in the foreground, Welwitschia mirabilis.
One of my personal highlights of the trip was seeing my first Cape fox. We found a female at a den on an afternoon drive in Etosha National Park, then the next morning found two cubs (one pictured here) playing at the entrence of the den. We then watched the female emerge from the den, run off about 100 meters, catch a large rodent and bring it back to be devoured in one piece by one of the cubs. It was an extraordinary event to witness.
The mousebird family (Coliidae) is found only in Africa. White-backed Mousebird is a common inhabitant of dry scrub in western South Africa and Namibia. This one was photographed on an afternoon outing to Windhoek's sewage treatment plant (maybe I'll make a separate post about birding sewage treatment plants of the world).
African Jacana is a very common resident of wetlands throughout Africa, including the Okavango Delta, where this one was photographed in a channel near Nxamaseri Island Lodge. They are colloquially known as lilytrotters for their habit of walking on lily pads, as this one is doing.
I like this bird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, in part because it reminds of a Red-winged Blackbird. It's sitting on a stalk of papyrus, with a piece of papyrus in its beak that it will use as nesting material. The photo was also taken near Nxamaseri.
On my most recent trip, which ended earlier this month, I got to take the company camera, a proper SLR, to play around with. Here are a few photos from the trip.
This is a Rueppell's Korhaan, a species only found in the deserts of Namibia and southwest Angola. I particularly like this photo because it really encapsulates the region this species which it lives: an endemic bird, dry grass, mountains constantly in the backdrop, blue skies and the region's most iconic plant in the foreground, Welwitschia mirabilis.
One of my personal highlights of the trip was seeing my first Cape fox. We found a female at a den on an afternoon drive in Etosha National Park, then the next morning found two cubs (one pictured here) playing at the entrence of the den. We then watched the female emerge from the den, run off about 100 meters, catch a large rodent and bring it back to be devoured in one piece by one of the cubs. It was an extraordinary event to witness.
The mousebird family (Coliidae) is found only in Africa. White-backed Mousebird is a common inhabitant of dry scrub in western South Africa and Namibia. This one was photographed on an afternoon outing to Windhoek's sewage treatment plant (maybe I'll make a separate post about birding sewage treatment plants of the world).
African Jacana is a very common resident of wetlands throughout Africa, including the Okavango Delta, where this one was photographed in a channel near Nxamaseri Island Lodge. They are colloquially known as lilytrotters for their habit of walking on lily pads, as this one is doing.
I like this bird, Fan-tailed Widowbird, in part because it reminds of a Red-winged Blackbird. It's sitting on a stalk of papyrus, with a piece of papyrus in its beak that it will use as nesting material. The photo was also taken near Nxamaseri.
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