Seychelles -11

Ever since I was a young boy and looked in the travel agent brochures, I ´ve wanted to visit the Seychelles. It´s told to very expensive and in one way it is. Low budget/ standard accommodation is available but it´s not cheap. For quite simple lodging you have to pay the rates you normally pay for much better standard. However, if you choose the cheapest alternatives with kitchens, go by bus and rent your own car at Mahé you can survive without getting broke. If you want to do island jumping you need to buy tickets for that as well. Honestly, don´t go there if you are not prepared to see several islands. Mahé is nice but the others are better and also differ in habitats. The island are stunning but not well developed for tourists. If you are staying at a resort you will get everything there. If you travel by yourself, you will find poorly lighted streets and sometimes restaurants far away from each other. Don´t expect to find a "beach walk" full of souvenir shops. No, it´s you and the nature. Also take your time to decide where to stay depending on time of the year. Currents make some beaches waters not so clear and sometimes brings in weed and other stuff. If you know where to go you will find very nice places. Below you can see the most famous beach, Anse Sourse d´Argent. It was nice to have been here and it´s very beautiful. Our absolute favorite was the Anse Lazio at Praslin. Awesome waves to play in, only pure white sand and crystal clear water for snorkeling at the rocky edges, just paradise.

Going to the Seychelles means you can see some of the rarest birds on earth. They will not be very hard to see if you go to the right spot but their world population is very small so they are endangered. When you stay at Praslin you can make a day trip to Cousin, which is a protected reserve where you not can spend the night unless you are doing science research. Here you will see Seychelles Magpie Robin, Seychelles Warbler (in the hand of a bander) among the big amounts of sea birds. 

Some of my most wanted birds ever are easily seen here at their nesting areas. The absolute pure beauty of the White (Fairy) tern is just as close to perfectionism as you can come. The blue bill shows it´s an adult.

The amount of species is not so great but the splendor of them just makes the difference. Here a juvenile (lying in the nest) and flying adult of White-tailed Tropicbird. Lower down you see the beauty of the Lesser Noddy, which breeds in many hundreds on the island.

Here you see this awesome island and beach with many nodes and tropicbirds flying around.

I felt a little bit unsure whether I should be lucky enough to see the fantastic, rare and very local Seychelles Black Paradise-flycatcher and I felt big relief when I saw 2 individuals directly when I arrived to the spot. I also saw the more common Seychelles Bulbul.

A reason for going here is of course to do some snorkeling. At some places the water was not very clear but at some good and you will see many different fishes and even sting-rays.

If you don´t like to swim in open water you can still see some fish, here at the barbecue.

At our home at La Digue we had this cute Sechelles Flying Fox and on one beach we found this Aldabra Giant Turtle (easily seen at both Praslin and La Digue.

Birds on the Seychelles. Mahé=M, Praslin=P, La Digue=LD, Cousin=C and widespread=W.

1. Wedge-tailed Shearwater. 1 close enough to tell.
2. Tropical Shearwater. +10 close enough. +100 shearwater sp. far out.
3. Cattle Egret. 3 (M)
4. Grey Heron 2 (M)
5. White-tailed Tropicbird. Quite common (W).
6. Greater Frigatebird. 1(M) and 1 (LD)
7. Seychelles Kestrel. One bird nicely perched in a tree. (M)
8. Common Moorhen. 4 birds (P)
9. Great Crested Tern. A few single birds on several days.
10. Bridled Tern. About 20 nesting birds. (C)
11. Brown Noddy. 4 pairs on Cousin.
12. Lesser Noddy. +1000 birds on Cousin. Several during boat trips.
13. Fairy Tern. A few throughout. Common on Cousin.
14. Madagascar Turtle Dove. Common, uncertain *****
15. Barred Ground Dove. Common (W)
16. Seychelles Blue Pigeon. A few pairs on each island.
17. Seychelles Black Parrot. 2 birds eventually perched in Valleé de Mai.
18. Seychelles Swiftlet. About 10 birds in Valleé de Mai look-out point.
19. Seychelles Bulbul. Quite common. (W)
20. Seychelles Warbler. About 10 birds at Cousin. One in hand which was banded.
21. Common Myna. Common (W)
22. Seychelles Magpie Robin. A pair at Cousin.
23. Seychelles Sunbird. Quite common. (W)
24. Madagaskar Fody. Quite common (W)
25. Seychelles Fody. + 50 at Cousin.
26. Seychelles Turtle Dove. 3 birds on Cousin that ,were explained as “pure” birds.

Others.

1. Hawksbill Turtle. 2 up close ebcounters while snorkeling at La Digue.
2. Seychelles Fruit Bat. Several flying at dusk at La Digue. A few seen nicely perched at our lodging at La Digue

Kenya -11

This was my first trip to East Africa (I´ve been to a couple of parks in South Africa) so I was thrilled to go for the game drives and also knowing we should be heading to the Seychelles directly after. I had made all the arrangements by my own to reduce the costs (you can save a lot of money). I chose a place called Sweetwaters Camp in the Ol Pejeta Conservation. It´s a 4 hour drive north and a little north west of Mount Kenya. To minimize travel I chose this alternative for 5 full days instead of driving from park to park. Of course you see less birds and even mammals but as my kids still were pretty small this was an excellent option. We had an excellent guide with lots of routine. Sweetwaters/ Ol Pejeta is a "big 5" area but we failed to see Leopard this time. Not many people were around which is worth a lot instead of being part of the caravans in the most popular parks. Here is also one of the few places where you are allowed to make night drives. It´s high standard and the food was just perfect and very good service. The tented bungalows stands just a few meters from where some of the wildlife are. Here you can see our tent as nr 2 and the only thing that separates the camp from the savanna is the small ditch and a tiny wire.

As you can see on this sign the camp is very close to the equator and if you want to have one foot on each side there is a place close by where you can do this.

Some wildlife is easily seen from the tent like this Reticulated Giraffe and this Yellow-billed Stork.

Staying at a camp like this has the advantage that you can stroll around and find many good birds just a few hundred meters from the tent. I saw many good birds inside this camp. A big surprise was this nesting Verraux ´s Eagle  Owl.

Others I saw quite frequent were: Red-headed Weaver, Nubian Woodpecker (fem), Laughing Dove and Crowned Hornbill.

As mentioned before, food was excellent here and This Marabou Stork had realized the same thing as it tried to walk into the restaurant every day. My kids still talk about "Marre" who put his enormous bill in through the window. I Love nature and all its beaty but I´m not sure I can put this creature into this, just look at it!!

Other animals that tried to find food inside the camp were these two; a Bush Buck and a cute Rock Hyrax (Dassie).

Game drives is of course the most obvious thing to do when you visit the parks and game drives. Here at Ol Pejeta there is a protection program for the Lions and several of them have radio transmitters attached  to them. You can even pay for a half day "Lion tracking".

If you look at this zebra you can see it has a white belly. There are some other signs but this is the most obvious one to see the quite rare and local Gravy´s Zebra.

We were very lucky to see a Cheetah hunt in full speed and later we found the family having their lunch which was a sight never to be forgotten. Below what was left later in the day.

This reserve is also well known for its Rhinos. Both species are present and the park has the biggest population of Black Rhinos in all of East Africa. Here you can see a White Rhino resting.

In this open savanna part of the reserve you will easily see both some common mammal as some common birds. Here a Yellow-throated Spurfowl, the cute Warthog (Pumba) and the powerful Waterbuck.

Also quite common in the park are Black-backed Jackal and the awesome Beisa Oryx.

This region is also a "migration area" for Elephants and we saw several families. This classic photo also includes some Ostriches, Helmeted Guineafowls as well as a Warthog.

As Shore birds are one of my absolute favorite group of birds I was happy to see these 3 among many others, Blacksmith Plover, Three-banded Plover and the stunning Black-winged Lapwing.

There are some wooden parts in the reserve in which you are allowed to walk as long as you have an armed guide with you. At this spot (first picture of me) I saw a flock of N. White-crowned Shrikes and Brown Parrot among many other birds.

There are many different types of "Glossy" Starlings in this part of Africa and you need to be careful as some juvenile birds look a little bit different from the adults. At Sweetwaters both Superb and Hildebrandt ´s starlings are present. Here you can see an adult Superb Starling and below a juvenile. Next bird is Hildebrandt ´s and the last one is the shining Greater Blue-eared Starling.

Sweetwaters is also famous for its sanctuary for Chimpanzees. These are not native in Kenya but have been saved from different parts of East Africa and are now living safely here. When looking at them it´s easy to both see and feel the resemblance to us humans. Every individual has its own typical look.

One afternoon we decided to visit a local school instead of doing the game drive. We felt that it is important to give your children other impressions than just the fantastic nature and wild life. They took care of us and the children sang for us. It was a good experience for all of us.

Our last day a Cheetah came up very close and also put itself in the grass for some rest just next to the car.

Full list of birds and mammals seen.

1. Ostrich. Quite common.
2. Cattle Egret. Quite common.
3. Grey Heron. 4+2
4. Black-headed Heron. 3
5. Hammerkop. 2
6. Yellw-billed Stork. +15
7. Marabou Stork. +20. One individual was checking out the restaurant every day if something good was on meny.
8. Sacred Ibis. A few.
9. Hadada Ibis. 5
10. African Spoonbill. 6-7
11. Egyptian Goose. Common.
12. Knob-billed Duck. 1 single bird in a pond.
13. Red-billed Teal. Only one pair seen.
14. Yellow-billed Duck. +10
15. Black Kite. Only one bird.
16. Black-shouldered Kite. 3-4
17. African Fish Eagle. 1 single bird.
18. Af. White-backed Vulture. 1 single bird.
19. Eastern Chanting Gooshawk. 1 bird.
20. Gabar Gooshawk. Just one bird.
21. Shikra. The same as above.
22. Af. Harrier Hawk. 2 birds.
23. Tawny Eagle. +10 birds.
24. Bateleur. One bird only.
25. Helmeted Guinea Fowl. Very common.
26. Coqui Francolin. A pair seen one morning.
27. Crested Francolin. Same as above.
28. Yellow-necked Spurfowl. Common.
29. Grey-crowned Crane. A small family right outside our tent.
30. Kori Bustard. About 6-7 birds.
31. White-bellied Bustard. Aprox. 10 birds.
32. Black-bellied Bustard. One pair.
33. Blacksmith Plover. Quite common.
34. Crowned Lapwing. Common.
35. Black-winged Lapwing. 8-10 birds.
36. Senegal Lapwing. I wasn´t sure I would see this species this far north but fortunately there was a group of four at one place. Resembles the Black-winged.
37. Three-banded Plover. Single birds spread out. Totally about 6-7.
38. Speckled Pigeon. Common.
39. Ring-necked Dove. 4 of them.
40. Red-eyed Dove. +10.
41. Af. Mourning Dove. A few.
42. Laughing Dove. 4-5
43. Brown Parrot. +20
44. White-bellied Go-away Bird. 3-4 of them.
45. Klaa´s Cuckoo. One single bird.
46. White-browed Coucal. 2 separate birds.
47. Verraux´s Eagle-owl. One at nest inside the camp.
48. Square-tailed Nightjar. Several heard every evening after dark.
49. Little Swift. +15
50. White-rumped Swift. 2 birds.
51. Nyansa Swift. 5-6 birds.
52. Speckled Mousebird. Quite common.
53. Striped Kingfisher. 2 separate birds.
54. Malachite Kingfisher. One single bird.
55. Little Bee-eater. Only one single bird.
56. Lilac-breasted Roller. A few throughout.
57. Green Wood-hopoe. 3 birds together.
58. Crowned Hornbill. 2 pairs inside the camp.
59. Red-fronted Barbet. Just one single bird.
60. D´Arnaud´s barbet. 3 birds in a bush.
61. Lesser Honeyguide. One bird close up.
62. Nubian Woodpecker. 3 birds in total.
63. Cardinal Woodpecker. A pair inside the camp.
64. Grey Woodpecker. One single bird.
65. Rufous-naped Lark. 3 of them on the plain.
66. Red-capped Lark. A few more of these.
67. Red-winged Lark. One single bird with some red-capped.
68. Red-rumped Swallow. A company of 5.
69. Mosque Swallow. A company of 4.
70. Lesser-striped Swallow. 1 single bird.
71. Ethiopian Swallow. Common.
72. Wire-tailed Swallow. 4 of them.
73. Rock Martin. A family of 50 birds.
74. Af. Pied Wagtail. Quite common.
75. Grassland Pipit. Quite common on the plain.
76. Plain-backed Pipit. As its relative.
77. Black Cuckoo-shrike. 3 birds at the camp.
78. Common Dodsons Bulbul. +10 birds.
79. White-browed Robin-chat. A pair entertained at the camp.
80. N. Anteater-chat. One single pair.
81. Red-faced Crombec. Just one bird.
82. Rattling Cisticola. A few pairs.
83. Tawny-flanked Prinia. 8 in total.
84. Grey-backed Camaroptera. One single bird at the camp.
85. Yellow-breasted Apalis. 2-3 birds most days.
86. White-eyed Slaty Flycatcher. 2 birds separate each other.
87. S. Black Flycatcher. One single bird at the camp
88. Af. Grey Flycatcher. A few birds spread out.
89. Chin-spot Batis. 2 pairs at the camp.
90. Rufous Chatterer. A family of 8-10 at the camp.
91. Black-lored Babbler. + 10 birds.
92. Bronze Sunbird. 1 or 2 pairs at the camp.
93. Amethyst Sunbird. One pair at the camp.
94. Variable Sunbird. One pair.
95. Common Fiscal. Quite common.
96. Slate-cloured Boubou. 2 pairs seen at separate spots.
97. Brubru. 2 pairs at the camp.
98. N. White-crowned Shrike. A few flocks of this elegant bird.
99. Fork-tailed Drongo. Quite common.
100. Pied Crow. A few seen easily.
101. Af. Black-headed Oriole. 1-2 pairs at the camp.
102. Yellow-billed Oxpecker. About 10 birds seen on some antelopes.
103. Red-billed Oxpecker. A few more.
104. Greater Blue-eared Starling. 2 pairs around the camp.
105. Ruppel´s Long-tailed Starling. One pair on game drive.
106. Violet-backed Starling 2-3 bird at the camp.
107. Superb Starling. Common.
108. Hildebrand´s Starling. One pair at the camp.
109. Wattled Starling. +20 throughout.
110. Rufous Sparrow. Quite common.
111. Yellow-spotted Petronia. 2 single birds.
112. White-browed Sparrow-weaver. Quite common.
113. Grey-capped Social Weaver. A flock of 10 at game drive.
114. Spectacled Weaver. Only 2 single birds.
115. Baglafecht Weaver. 4 birds seen at the camp.
116. Speke´s Weaver. One pair near the camp.
117. Red-headed Weaver. 3-4 birds at the camp.
118. Long-tailed Widowbird. One single male in breeding plumage at a game drive.
119. Red-cheeked Cordonbleu. A few pairs around.
120. Purple Grenadier. One bird at the camp and one at the school.
121. Yellow-fronted Canary. One pair at a game drive.
122. White-bellied Canary. 2 pairs.
123. Yellow-rumped Seedeater. A few birds spread out.
124. Streaky Seedeater. A few single birds.

Mammals at Sweewaters.

1. Elephant. 20-30 animals (2 families?)
2. Af. Buffalo. Common.
3. White Rhino. One pair.
4. Black Rhino. A few pairs seen.
5. Vervet Monkey. Only 3 individuals seen.
6. Baboon. Common.
7. (Chimpanzee). About 20 individuals inside its own conservancy.
8. Warthog. Common.
9. Reticulated Giraffe. Common.
10. Lion. 1 female with radio transmitter, 1 female with 2 cubs and 2 single males.
11. Cheetah. One hunting mother in full speed, later with its 2 cubs feeding. One single very close and one individual during night drive.
12. Af. Civet. One at a distance during night drive.
13. Spotted Hyena. A pair close to “home”.
14. Silver-backed Jackal. About 10 animals seen.
15. White-tailed Mongoose. 4 individuals near the camp.
16. Zebra. Common.
17. Grevy´s Zebra. 4 individuals.
18. Eland. 2-3 individuals.
19. Bushbuck. Only one male seen.
20. Grant´s Gazelle. Not common, only 5-6 seen.
21. Thomson´s Gazelle. Common.
22. Impala. Common.
23. Waterbuck. Quite common.
24. Oryx. About 10 animals of this stunner.
25. Jackson´s Hartbeest. 8-10 individuals.
26. Tree Hyrax. One individual on the roof to the restaurant.
27. Hare. Quite common.

United Arab Emirates 12 & 14

This blog gives you an idea of what to expect if you travel to this small but very friendly and diverse country. The cities of Dubai and Abu Dhabi are ultra modern and give people lots of opportunities of shopping, entertainment and the tallest building in the world, the  830 meters high Burj Al Khalifa which can be seen on the picture below. This country is also very beautiful and the beaches and desert areas are just great (which I think not many visitors have realized). I´ve been here twice, 2012 and 2014 and seen both cities but also traveled outside these to the city of Al Ain, the mountain at Jabel Hafeet and to the very beautiful desert around Liwa. Liwa is actually the easiest place on earth to visit great (red) sand dunes. A few nights we stayed close to Dubai airport and the views from the hotel roof was very impressive.

When we drove out to Al Ain and stayed at a hotel at the top of Jabel Hafeet and the vistas from here were also beautiful but in an other way. Here you can see the border to Oman on the left and my birding area here to the right.

In this desert like habitat I saw the very much sought after Desert Warbler and some Wheatears. A little bit to the right at the photo above is the very good birding area of Green Mubazzarah. Here they have made a garden like recreation area which attracts lots of birds. Here I saw 3 different species of Wheatears. This male of Hume´s Wheatear and also the picture with the same bird together with a Red-tailed Wheatear.

Also reliable here is the Blue Rock Thrush, here a (brown) female.

Where the grass was plentiful you will easily see birds like Hoopoe, Indian Roller and the Red-wattled Lapwing.

At the stony slopes I found a family of Desert Larks which has a good look despite it lacks colors.

This is how it looks from the other side.

If you continue to the "top" of Jabel Hafeet you will come to a big parking area with a restaurant. Here is a good spot to see the Striolated Bunting as well as the Egyptian Vulture if you look up instead of on the ground.

As I´m also an avid golfer I often try to visit some courses during my trips. Actually you sometimes see birds at the golf courses that might be quite difficult to see elsewhere. Here you can see Greater Flamingos, Socotra Cormorant, Egyptian Goose and Common Sandpiper which were easily seen at the famous Abu Dhabi Golf Course.

At the golf course at Al Ain I had to jump out of the buggy and take a photo of this "classic beauty" Isabelle Wheatear. 

In Abu Dhabi I had a good and unusual experience. I played some golf at the "sand course" Al Ghazal, which is close to the airport and here I again saw some very nice birds like this quite difficult Crested Honey Buzzard as well as the common White-eared Bulbul and the awesome Green Bee-eater.

Easily seen in some parks was this Grey Francolin as well as the abundant Chukar Partridge.

As I drove into the more sandy and desert-like habitats I saw many Crested Larks as well as as this cute Camel at a local festival.

If you are interested in nature at all, make sure you take some routes outside the famous city areas and experience some nice views like this sand dunes close to Lisa Desert.

A country of many images, go there if you can!

 Birds seen on both trips.

Birds 

1. Egyptian Goose . Quitecommon at Abu Dhabi golf course.
2. Mallard. Quite common
3. Northern Shoveler. 3 at Al Ain golf course.
4. Green-winged Teal. & at Al Ain golf course.
5. Chukar. 3 birds in the surroundings of Mercure hotel.
6. Gray Francolin. 1 bird only at Ras al Khaimah golf club.
7. San Partridge. Common at golf courses, Green Mubazzarah and gardens.
8. Little Grebe. 3 birds Al ain golf club and 4 at Abu Dhabi GC.
9. Greater Flamingo. Several hundreds seen along the coast but also seen at Abu Dhabi GC.
10. Seen both at the coast in smaller numbers but also at some golf courses.
11. Grey Heron. Not uncommon.
12. Little Egret. A few single birds seen at some golf courses.
13. Western reef Heron. Not uncommon along the coast.
14. Cattle Egret. 5 at Al Ain golf club.
15. Striated Heron. One bird at the harbor of Abu Dhabi.
16. Black-crowned Night Heron. 4 birds at Al Ain golf course.
17. Sacred Ibis. One single bird at one of the shores I stoped at.
18. Egyptian Vulture. 2-3 birds seen at the top of Hafeet Mountain.
19. Oriental Honey Buzzard. I was lucky to see one bird well at Al Ghazal golf club when it came soaring low over me.
20. Steppe Eagle. 2 birds. One at Al Ghaxal golf course and one at Al Wathba water treatment.
21. Eurasian March-Harrier. One close to Ras al Khaimah and one at Abu Dhabi GC.
22. Sparrowhawk. Just one seen Ras al Khaimah.
23. Eu. Moorhen. A few in ponds at golfcourses.
24. Eu. Coot. Same as above.
25. Red-wattled Lapwing. Common at golf courses. Also at Green Mubazzarah.
26. Black-bellied Plover. +10 along the shores.
27. Pacific Golden-Plover. A flock of 15 next to Al Ghazal Golg course.
28. Lesser Sand-plover. Common along the shores.
29. Greater Sand-plover. Just a few identified. Probably common as I saw thousands of plovers at a far distance.
30. Kentish Plover. Common.
31. Common Ringed Plover. A few single birds spread out.
32. Crab Plover. Totally 7 birds seen at to different stops along the coast.
33. Eu. Oystercatcher. +10 birds throughout.
34. Terek Sanpiper. About 10 birds identified.
35. Black-winged Stilt. Quite common at the golf courses.
36. Common Sandpiper. A few birds at many locations.
37. Green Sanpiper. 1 single bird identified.
38. Common Greeshank. A few birds throughout.
39. Common Redshank. Quite common.
40. Marsh Sanpiper. Just one bird identified.
41. Whimbrel. 2 birds identified.
42. Eu. Curlew. Common.
43. Bar-tailed Godwit. Quite common.
44. Ruddy Turnstone. +15 birds seen.
45. Little Stint. 2 birds identified.
46. Dunlin. +100 birds seen.
47. Slender-billed Gull. 3 seen at a stop at abeach.
48. Pallas´s Gull. Eventually and very surprisingly I saw one bird at a lake at Al Ain golf course.
49. Caspian Gull. A few birds identified. Probably overlooked.
50. Gull-billed Tern. A few birds throughout the shore.
51. Black-headed Gull. Very common.
52. Whiskered Tern. Likes golf couses where I saw + 20 in total.
53. Great Crested Tern. 3 birds seen at the shore of Ras al Khaimah.
54. Rock Pigeon. Yes.
55. Eu. Collared-Dove. Common.
56. Laughing Dove. Common.
57. Pallid Swift. Not uncommon.
58. Green Bee-eater. A few birds at every golf course. A few at Green Mubazzarah.
59. Indian Roller. Prefers golf courses and Green Mubazzarah.
60. Eurasian Hoopoe. As with the Bee-eater and the Roller.
61. Eu. Kestrel. A few single birds throughout.
62. Rose-ringed Parakeet. A few flocks around Abu Dhabi.
63. Southern Grey Shrike. Again, golf courses and Green Mubazzarah. Also Dubai investment park.
64. Masked Shrike. One bird seen close to Dubai investment park.
65. House Crow. Common.
66. Desert Lark. A flock of 10 was around Green Mubazzarah close to the gorge. My 2000th bird worldwide.
67. Gr. Short-toed Lark. One bird seen close to the shore of Ras al Khaimah when I was scanning for waders.
68. Crested Lark. Common in suitable habitat.
69. Rock Martin. Seems to like swimming pools close to the city. Seen while swimming at 2 different hotels.
70. Red-vented Bulbul. Uncommon, seen with a few birds at Green Mubazzarah and one single bird in tree close to the shore of Ras al Khaimah.
71. White-spectacled Bulbul. Not uncommon at Green Mubazzarah.
72. White-eared Bulbul. Very common. A characteristic bird of the country.
73. Graceful Prinia. Not uncommon near reeds and in smaller bushes.
74. Small Whitethroat. 2 birds seen at Green Mubazzarah.
75. Asian Desert Warbler. A bird I really wanted to see. One eventually seen at sandy and bushy area next to Green Mubazzarah.
76. Arabian babbler. A family of 5 seen at Green Mubazzarah.
77. Bluethroat. I was quite surprised to see one at Al Ghazal golf course
78. Black Redstart.  Up to 6 birds seen around Mercure hotel. A few more seen throughout.
79. Blue Rock Thrush. Up to 3 birds seen at Green Mubazzarah.
80. Whinchat. 1 at golf course Ras al Khaimah.
81. Hooded Wheatear. It took some time but finally I saw a male at Green Mubazzarah.
82. Hume´s Wheatear. 100% more than Hooded. 2 males seen at Green Mubazzarah.
83. Red-tailed Wheatear. 1 bird seen at Green Mubazzarah.
84. Desert Wheatear. Totally 3 birds seen in suitable habitat.
85. Isabelline Wheatear. Totally 3 birds seen at Golf courses.
86. Common Myna. Yes, common.
87. Purple Sunbird. Not uncommon but never seen in big numbers.
88. White Wagtail. Common on grassy areas.
89. Richard´s Pipit. Several seen on lawns throughout.
90. Long-billed Pipit. 2 seen at a lawn with Richard´s.
91. Water Pipit. Just one bird identified on a lawn. Probably overlocked.
92. House Sparrow. Yes.
93. Striolated Bunting. 2 birds at the top of Hafeet mountain (parking space).
94. Indian Silverbill. Seen the last day on trip 2 in a small tree next to a shoppingcenter in Dubai investment park.

Costa Rica 2008 (Jun_jul)

In late June 2008 I went with my family to Costa Rica. I had for quite a long time dreamt about this as it´s often recognized as a prime spot to explore the Central America. It´s well developed for tourism and considered safe. At many places it´s also decently easy to spot some good birds and other wildlife. As I don´t like to travel in organized groups I planed and booked everything by myself. During our 16 days we made a classic tour involving Aranal Volcano, Monteverde Cloud Forest and 10 days beach life close to the great Carara national Park. When staying here you can make a tour into the mangroves and river mouth of Tarcoles River. You can also do a trip down to the lovely Manuel Antonio National Park. On our first stop towards the volcano I took this photo which shows how the private shuttle bus looks like. They are easily booked at the web and there are fixed prices for each route.

Arenal Observatory Lodge which is beautifully placed close to the bottom of the volcano. Here you can see the lava running down the slopes during the nights.

Like most restaurants they have some feeders which attract different types of birds and here I saw mt first hummingbird, the Rufous-tailed Hummingbird.

There are some trail here and the surroundings are just marvelous. Realizing how many awesome and colorful birds there are in this country, it´s hard to understand how they can choose the Clay-colored Robin as their national bird.

Walking these trails can give you the chance of seeing White-faced Capuchin and The stunning White-necked Jacobin.

We moved to an other lodge in a more open landscape but still with stunning vistas of the lake and the volcano. Close by we saw this amazing "bug" called Hercules Beetle.

and also some more common birds like this "TK" Tropical Kingbird and the Rufous-collared Sparrow.

Going to Monteverde from here give you some different options. You can take a horse ride, going both by boat and bus or just bus all the way. My wife chose the horse ride and I took the kids by boat and bus. By the lake I found this Green Kingfisher.

Monteverde is world famous and a mecka for nature lovers. Seeing the birds in the jungle can sometimes be quite difficult. This Yellowish Flycatcher was cooperative though.

However, the hummingbird garden next to the entrance is full of glistening hummers. They come for a short second to visit the feeders and then they are gone again. I found it easier to take photos through finding their resting spots as they seem to favor one or two, to which they will return. Even here you have to be quick as they are very restless. Here yo can see Green Violet-ear in two different plumages.

 Watching them for a while make you realize how different they appear depending on the light and angle. This aspect and also the many types of plumages make it sometimes quite difficult to tell which species it is, like this one which I think is Canivet´s Hummingbird because of the forked blue tail, but I´m not sure.

Also the  Green-crowned Brilliant can look very different as with these two.

Costa Rice does not have so many endemic birds as you might think but this Coppery-headed Emerald is one of them and favors  Monteverde.

One of my favorites was the Purple-throated Mountain-gem here represented by a female in different poses.

Easily identified by its rufous wing band is this Stripe-tailed Hummingbird.

One day my family took a horse ride while I birded some more open areas. Here I found this Yellow-throated Euphonia as well as a "true" Coral Snake. Do you know how to separate it from the false? Red to yellow, kills a fellow for the true and "Red to black, venom lack" for the false.

From this beautiful place we continued towards the coast and a resort called Punta Leona which is abutted to the big national park of Carara. This is lowland rainforest and full of birds. Taking photos in the dark jungle is, like I said before, not easy and I didn't´t get many pictures but next to a small river I found this Bare-throated Tiger-Heron. 

If you are going with your family or just want to rest by the sea and a good pool, while you have good birding just outside your door, this is a good place to visit. The iconic Scarlet Macaw usually nests around here and birds like Chestnut-mandibled Toucan and Hoffann´s Woodpecker is readily seen. There is also a big butterfly house which you can visit and the the different phases of their lives, here a Giant Swallowtail Butterfly.

Other animals is quite often seen like this White-nosed Coati, Varigated Squirrel and the Ctenosaur.

As the resort is just put into the the edge of the jungle some birds will be seen from the swimming pool like this Great Kiskadee which spent some time by the pool every day.

This cute Racoon was hanging around our house but be aware, they could easily come up too close and be aggressive if they think they can get food from you.

Some more odd and rarer birds seen at Punta Leona was this juvenile Yellow-crowned Night-Heron just next to the beach, Cocoa Woodcreeper and White-whiskered Puffbird.

One day we took a guided tour to the Tarcoles River. This is an excellent spot to se some birds and animals related to mangrove and river habitat. We saw quite a few Am. Crocodiles, a few of them quite big like these two. In front of the second you can see a Wood Stork. 

Further up the river we saw some colorful and powerful birds like these Roseate Spoonbills and Crested Caracaras.

One species I really wanted to see was the Boat-billed Heron. Our guide knew exactly where to go and showed an areas with trees where this guy was hiding. Next to it, the much more common and obvious Green Heron.

We also made a family trip down to Manuel Antonio National Park which is much more well-known for its natural beauty than wildlife. However, Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth is sometimes easy to find and just north of the park is one of the best places to see the awesome Red-backed Squirrel Monkey. Below my excellent and friendly guide Randall Ortega Chaves.

If you saw the film 1492 with Gererd Depardieu many years ago you might recognize the beach. The beach at Punta Leona is the place where many scenes were taken. Pure Vida Costa Rica.

Michigan June -13

Again I went to the states for some birding. This time to Michigan which is one (perhaps the best) of the best states to visit in early June as all the migrants have arrived and resident birds are breeding. My friend Nick joined me on this tour. My other american friend Jim wasn´t able to join this time. My favorite group of birds, New World Warblers are plentiful here even if some of them needs both luck and effort to find. We saw 22 different species of warblers and still missed a few that we had hoped to see. We flew into Chicago and from here we drove towards the small town of Mio where the nr 1 target species of the trip waited for us the next morning. On the way up we stopped at Warren Woods and were lucky enough to see an other target bird, the Louisiana Waterthrush. Around Mio is the best (almost the only place) on earth to see the very rare Kirtland´s Warbler. However, if you go there the chance is quite high you will see it as it´s not uncommon in the restricted area it breeds.

Close to Mio is Harwick Pines and here we had excellent views of a pair of Evening Grosbeaks which is a stunning bird. A very nice Rose-breasted Grosbeak joined as well.

Right at the entrance the common Am. Robin was searching for food.

We then headed for Pellston and the local airport, which is a good spot to look for Upland Sandpiper. What a great day seeing so many target birds and some of them in an excellent way. 

Common along the way but still very handsome is the Killdeer.

As we drove close to to water a magnificent Common Loon rested i a calm bay.

Passing the bridge to the Upper Peninsula means you are entering deeper forests and the breeding grounds of many warblers. It´s not easy birding but worth every effort. Some photos are not the best but the species themselves are just great. Birds as follows; Connecticut W, Nashville W, Blackburnian W, Mourning W and the very handsome Chestnut-sided Warbler.

In the deep forest you can also be lucky to see some Grouses like this Spruce Grouse as well as Northern Goshawk.

Searching for warbler will at the same time reward you with some more common birds like this Willow Flycatcher and Black-capped Chickadee.

Even up here they call small towns Paradise and that´s where we stayed. At two times we visited Whitefish Point, which is a famous banding station as well as breeding grounds of the quite rare Piping Plover. Up here we saw some groups of late migrants like this Black-throated Green Warbler but also more resident birds just looking for food. Cedar waxwing and Blue Jay among the latter.

At Whitefish Point, birds could show up away from normal habitat like this Magnolia Warbler and the Yellow-rumped warbler which I found in small bushes away from the trees.

At  Tahquamenon Falls we saw a few more birds but also had some good views and a good brewed cup of coffee (which is quite unusual in the states). Hairy Woodpecker, Eastern Wood-Pewee and Indigo Bunting.

As the days continued we had to start our travel back towards Chicago. The last day we had a flat tire and had to drive with a "donut" for several miles and then change car at the local airport, Pellston. Further south we stopped at Fort Custer area where Yellow.billed Cuckoo showed well and also at Kellog Forest where we had good views of Blue-winged warbler and Gray Catbird.

At Three Oaks Grassland close to Warren Woods we finally saw the Dicksissel singing with full power just next to the road.

I´ve said it before but need to say it again. I just love doing this type of trips when you travel independently with a nice friend and put the effort you like for each day. Michigan is a true hot spot if you like to see many warblers and of course many other birds at their breeding grounds. Last picture shows Nick taking a well deserved break after a long drive.

1. Wild Turkey Meleagris gallopavo.  2 birds around Mio.
2. Common Loon Gavia immer. 2 ex. Next to Harbor Springs.
3. Great Blue Heron Ardea herodias. 1 ex. Wilderness S.P.
4. Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura. Up to 3 ex. Seen while driving north.
5. Osprey Pandion haliaetus. 1 ex close to Vermillion.
6. Cooper´s Hawk Accipiter cooperii. One bird seen at Fort Custer.
7. Northern Gooshawk Accipiter gentilis atricapillas. One bird seen FR 3145 Hiawatha N.F.
8. Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus. 1 ex. Vilderness S.P and 2 birds Whitefish Point.

1. Broad-winged Hawk Buteo platypterus. Totally 7 birds seen at different places throughout.
2. Red-tailed Hawk Buteo jamaicensis.. 2 birds seen in southern Michigan while driving.
3. Sandhill Crane Grus canadensis. Two breeding pairs just south of Paradise.
4. Piping Plover Charadrius melodus. 4 beautiful birds seen at their breeding grounds at Whitefish Point.
5. Killdeer Charadrius vociferus. Quite common throughout.

1. Spotted Sandpiper Actitis macularia. 2 ex. Wilderness S.P and one bird at Tahquamenon Falls.
2. Upland Sandpiper Bartramia longicauda. Two birds seen well at both times we visited Pellston (north of the airport).

1. American Woodcock Scolopax minor. One bird was flushed as we were trying to get better views of a Mourning Warbler at FR 3139.
2. Ring-billed Gull Larus delewarensis. Yes
3. Herring Gull Larus argentatus. Yes
4. Caspian Tern Sterna caspia. 2 ex at Wilderness S.P.
5. Black Tern Chlidonias niger. 15 birds close to Newberry at U.P.
6. Rock Pigeon Columba livia. Yes, a few.
7. Mourning Dove Zenaida macroura. Yes, quite a few.
8. Yellow-billed Cuckoo. Two birds were calling and later also seen well at Fort Custer.
9. Common Nighthawk. One seen from the car when arriving to paradise.
10. Ruby-throated Hummingbird. In total, 4 birds seen at U.P at different locations.
11. Red-headed Woodpecker. One seen close to Fort Custer.
12. Red-bellied Woodpecker. In total 6 birds seen at three different places and days.
13. Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. 2 birds seen at Wilderness S.P.
14. Downy Woodpecker. In total 4 birds seen at the locations in southern Michigan.
15. Hairy Woodpecker. One bird when we stretched our legs outside New Buffalo.
16. Northern Flicker. Quite common throughout.
17. Pileated Woodpecker. One bird seen at Farm Truck Road.
18. American Kestrel.  One bird at Wilderness N.F.
19. Merlin. 3 birds seen at Whitefish Point.
20. Eastern Wood-Pewee. In total 6 birds seen and heard the 3 first days.
21. Alder Flycatcher. One bird seen and heard singing at FR 3344.
22. Willow Flycatcher. 5 birds around U.P. One seen very nicely as it kept on singing just a few meters away.

1. Least Flycatcher. 2 birds seen well at Vermillion.
2. Eastern Phoebe. One bird at Warren Woods and 3 birds at Hiawatha N.F.
3. Great Crested Flycatcher. 4 birds at different southern locations.
4. Eastern Kingbird. Quite common. Seen throughout.
5. White-eyed Vireo. 1 bird seen in a forest close to Fort Custer.
6. Blue-headed Vireo. A total of 6 birds seen at the U.P.
7. Warbling Vireo. One bird at Wilderness and two more around Pellston.
8. Philadelphia Vireo. One bird close to Pellston.
9. Red-eyed Vireo. More than 15 birds seen at the U.P.
10. Blue Jay. Common, especially at Whitefish Point were several hundred had gathered.

1. American Crow. Yes.
2. Common Raven. Yes, but not as common as the Crow.
3. N. Rough-winged Swallow. 3 birds seen on the loop outside Mio.
4. Tree Swallow. One bird as above.
5. Barn Swallow. Quite a few seen.
6. Cliff Swallow. 2 birds outside New Buffalo.
7. Black-capped Chickadee. 2 birds Warren Woods, 2 birds Mio and common at Whitefish Point.
8. Tufted Titmouse. Two birds seen at Warren Woods.
9. Red-breasted Nuthatch. 2 birds Whitefish Point.
10. White-breasted Nuthatch. One bird at Warren Woods and another at Hiawatha N.F.
11. Blue-gray Gnatcatcher. One bird seen at Fort Custer area.
12. Golden-crowned Kinglet. Heard several times but 2 birds seen well at Whitefish Point.
13. Eastern Bluebird. Seen with 13 bird throughout the journey.
14. Swainson´s Thrush. Three birds seen at Hiawatha S.F.
15. Hermit Thrush. One bird at FR 3344.
16. Wood Thrush. Heard many times but only seen once at Tahquamenon Falls.
17. American Robin. Quite common.
18. Gray Catbird. Common at Kellogg Forest. About ten birds was seen.
19. Brown Thrasher. 3 birds around Mio and two more around Pellston.
20. European starling. Yes
21. American Pipit. One bird seen at Whitefish Point.
22. Cedar Waxwing. Quite common, especially at the northern part of U.P.
23. Louisiana Waterthrush. A very good start of our trip when Nick found one beautifully standing on a log close to the water at Warren Woods. One of the best birds of the trip.
24. Blue-winged warbler. 3 splendid birds at Kellogg Forest. Responded well to taping.
25. Black-and-White Warbler. A total of 6 birds of this “trunk-climbing” bird. Both wilderness N.F. and U.P.
26. Prothonatary Warbler. 2 birds finally seen after persistent searching at Fort Custer Area. Responded to taping but quite shy and elusive.
27. Tenessee Warbler. One bird seen at Whitefish Point.
28. Nashville Warbler. The most common bird at U.P., especially at Hiawatha N.F. Around 20 birds seen in total.
29. Connecticut Warbler. One stunning bird found at FR 3344. Was singing when we stopped the car but responded to tape which was good as we had to walk several hundred meters into the forest in swampy terrain before we had good views.

1. Mourning Warbler. Another stunner, this bird responded to taping “and came out” to see what was happening at a small parking area at FR 3139. The purpose of the stop was to have a lunch-sandwich. Lucky us! Two birds also heard outside Wilderness but were never seen.

1. Common Yellowthroat. Not so common on this trip. Heard a couple of times but only one seen at Tahquamenon Falls.
2. American Redstart. Together with Nashville the most common warbler. Seen every day at U.P and also around Wilderness N.F.
3. Kirtland´s Warbler. The target species for this region. We participated in a free guided tour at Mio. Two birds seen well during this walk. Later, we also saw another 5 birds in the same area. Was quite an active singer.

1. Northern Parula. Only one bird seen at Whitefish Point.
2. Magnolia Warbler. A total of 5 birds were seen at the U.P. Four of them at Whitefish Point.
3. Blackburnian Warbler. A total of 9 birds seen both at Whitefish Point and in breeding areas in deep forest. A very stunning bird.

1. Yellow Warbler. A total of 8 birds at U.P. and also Wilderness N.F. with a few ones.
2. Chestnut-sided Warbler. So gently colored. At the same time strong and soft in plumage. 3 birds seen in the eastern part of Hiawatha N.F. Nick´s favorite warbler.
3. Palm Warbler. The first warbler to be seen at U.P. Seen well just a few hundred meters in on FR 3344.
4. Pine Warbler. One bird around Wilderness N.F. and two more at Whitefish Point.
5. Yellow-rumped (Myrtle) Warbler. A total of 15 birds at  Wildernes S.P. and U.P. 10 birds seen one day at Whitefish Point.

1. Black-throated Green Warbler. Not uncommon. Heard in many forests and seen well at a couple of times. A total of 8 birds.
2. Canada Warbler. 2 stunning birds showed well in Wildersness S.F. Responded well to taping. Another two were seen at FR 3139.
3. Wilson´s Warbler. One single bird was seen at Vermillion.
4. Eastern Towhee. One single bird showed well at the Kirtland´s walking tour, Mio.
5. Chipping Sparrow. Common at Whitefish Point.
6. Field Sparrow. 2 ex. at the Kirtland´s walking tour, Mio. One seen around Fort Custer.
7. Vesper Sparrow. 2 birds at the Kirtland´s walking tour, Mio.
8. Savannah Sparrow. One bird seen on the loop around Mio.
9. Song Sparrow. One bird seen on the loop around Mio. 2 more outside Pellston.
10. Swamp Sparrow. Not easy to see but we managed to see one along FR 3145 and another at Vermillion.
11. White-crowned Sparrow. 4 birds around Mio and also Pellston. 2 more at Whitefish Point.
12. Summer Tanager. Two birds Pellston and one more at Fort Custer.
13. Northern Cardinal. One bird close to Kellogg Forest.
14. Rose-breasted Grosbeak. A few scattered birds along our trip. Good views at 3 birds at Harwick Pines S.P.
15. Indigo Bunting. Common around Fort Custer and Kellogg Forest. About 10 birds seen.
16. Dicksissel. Finally we had excellent views of 2 birds at Three Oaks Grassland close to Warren Woods. Said to be a declining species together with Bobolink.

1. Bobolink. Eventually we found one during the loop around Mio close to the Amish settlements in this area.
2. Red-winged Blackbird. Common.
3. Western Meadowlark. One seen near Pellston.
4. Brewer´s Blackbird. Seen close to the Meadowlark above.
5. Common Grackle. Quite common in the lower peninsula.
6. Brown-headed cowbird. The same and above. There was a trap for these birds in the Kirtland´s Warbler area.
7. Baltimore Oriole. The only Oriole seen during the trip. 2 birds near Pellston and about 4 birds around Fort Custer and Kellogg Forest.
8. House Finch. 2 birds seen outside Warren Woods.
9. Red Crossbill. A flock of 20 birds was seen on Farm truck Road.
10. Pine Siskin. Just a few birds at the U.P.
11. American Goldfinch. Just one bird at Whitefisery good at h Point.
12. Evening Grosbeak. A pair seen very nicely at Harwick Pines S.P. visitor center.

1. House Sparrow. Yes.

Leif Rydell, Sweden.