PART 2

I had not intended to wait a year as per Ian’s comment for Part 2, but somehow here we are a year on!!

We stayed for four days at Bird safari Camp in our en-suite tent along with a number of other travellers wanting to escape the Christmas hype and do some birding instead.  The camp was everything that we had hoped for with wonderful friendly staff, fantastic food all overseen by the boss lady Binta.

Mornings were spent on early walks at 7am with our guide Lamin who was expertly knowledgeable on all of the birds by sight and sound.  A number of good species were viewed including Pearl Spotted Owlet, Verreaux’s Eagle Owl, Shikra, Grey Kestrel, Lizzard Buzzard, Yellow Crowned Gonolek and Grey Backed Camaroptera.  From the Bird Safari Camp we made a couple of outings by boat and by road.  One of these outings was an afternoon boat trip on the Gambia River where we had some superb views of numerous kingfishers including Grey Headed Kingfisher, Malechite Kingfisher and Blue Breasted Kingfisher.  Views of Chimpanzee and Baboon on some of the islands in the river were also had along with some glimpses of Hippo – thankfully not too close as our boat was not particularly big!

Another afternoon trip was to Bansang Quarry where a colony of Red Throated Bee-Eaters nested.  In addition to the bee-eaters we had some good views of Pygmy Sunbirds, White Backed Vulture, Vielliot’s Barbet and Cutthroat Finch – a great we bird with a scarlet throat as the name indicates.

After our four days at bird safari camp we headed back down river on Christmas day via the Wasu stone circles; a quick stop at some wetland ponds by the roadside allowed us some good views of Egyptian Plover, one of the birds that I had particularly wanted to see on the trip.  We arrived at our lodgings for the night at Tendaba camp where we were given our Christmas dinner – I opted for the wild boar rather than turkey!

The next morning we had an early start with a canoe trip into the mangroves of the Baobolong Wetland Reserve, which is Gambia’s largest protected area and an important RAMSAR site.  Slipping quietly through the mangrove channels afforded some fantastic close views of some great birds including Pink Backed Pelican, African Darter, African Finfoot and White Backed Night Heron; the latter two which our guide told us we were lucky to see as they were generally elusive.

After Tendaba we headed back the coast where we stayed for two nights at Footsteps Eco Lodge (www.footstepsgambia.com/).  These last two days were spent relaxing and a couple of birding walks which added a few more new species including Red Necked Falcon, Orange Cheeked Waxbill and Sulphur Breasted Wood Shrike.

Flying from Scatsta on the 20/12/11, nice day in some otherwise stormy ones. So got the weather, got the back right hand seat on the saab, so set for some crappy pics through the aircraft window, made worse by the sun shining into the aircraft. However I hope it gives a view of the other side of the Shetlands, this time I have taken time to name some features, so armed with a map you can orientate yourself.

Flight had a tail wind so landed early, picked up luggage, waited 1/2 an hour for the 2.30 pm bus to Guild street, picked up car gave DD & B a hug and was home early to the Boozum of single malts bargain hunted by madam who has only painted half the kitchen! shame my back is playing up

During my recent trip to Ghana, in addition to the birds there were many other natural wonders to view.  In particular were the butterflies; Ghana has over 1000 species in comparison to the 50 or so species that we have in the UK.  On a single morning walk we saw more than the total number of UK species – the photos are a few species that I managed to photograph.

I have just returned from an eleven day birding trip in Ghana with Ashanti African Tours (www.ashantiafricantours.com).  The eleven days were fully packed with birding and travelling the significant distances between the main birding sites.  On arrival on Saturday night at Kotoka International Airport in Accra I was met by my two guides for the 11 days and transferred to our hotel at around 11pm.  After checking in, the guides informed me that breakfast the next day was at 4.30am, leaving the hotel at 5am; this was the case for the remainder of the trip except for a couple of days where we had a long lie, with breakfast at 5am!

The first morning was spent in the dry savannah of Shai Hills Reserve, where  a number of good species were spotted including Flappet Lark, Croaking Cisticola, Vieillot’s Barbet, Gabar Goshawk and Bearded Barbet.  After lunch we headed for some coastal lagoons where numerous waders were observed.  The highlight of this visit, being a Lanner Falcon feeding on an unfortunate Black Winged Stilt, and good views of three Double Toothed Barbets.

Three nights were spent close to Kakum National Park.  The first day at the park was spent with an early morning and afternoon trip to the canopy walkway which is suspended from trees some 40m above ground level.  The walkway is the only one if it’s kind in Africa and is an extremely impressive construction consisting of a number of aluminium ladders bolted together, wooden planks, cargo nets, ropes and steel wires.  The walkway allows fantastic views of birds that spend their time in the canopy and are otherwise extremely difficult to see.  An extremely enjoyable few hours were had in the canopy where I had some good views of more than 50 new species including Pied Hornbill, Blue Cuckooshrike and Sharpe’s Apalis.

Days 3 and 4 were spent on different walks within the forest in and around the Kakum National Park with many more new species viewed including Speckled Tinkerbird, White Throated Bee-eater, Tit Hylia and Rosy Bee-eater.

After Kakum we moved further west stopping at Nsuta forest for evening and early morning walk enjoying good views of Vieillot’s Black Weaver, White Headed Woodhoopoe, Bristle Nosed Barbet , Long Tailed Hawk and Hairy Breasted Barbet.  As darkness fell on the evening walk we tried for the Akun Eagle Owl but to no avail.

Onwards to Ankasa rainforest, again for an evening and early morning walk with further new species added to the triplist; Blue Breasted Kingfisher, White Breasted Kingfisher and African Cuckoohawk were notable.  The elusive Nkulengu Rail was heard but was unfortunately did not show; the Akun Eagle Owl also proved elusive at Ankasa.

We headed back east and spent another night at Kakum.  An early morning walk at the north of the park gave good views of African Harrier Hawk, Blue Billed Malimbe, Blue Headed Crested Flycatcher and Congo Serpent Eagle.

Northwards, we headed to Kasumi, Ghana’s second largest city and spent the night on the outskirts.  An early start and off to the Bobiri Forest Reserve (a butterfly sanctuary).  The afternoon was dedicated to a visit to a site where the Yellow Headed Picathartes roosts.  The site is an hour walk into the rainforest to a rocky outcrop that these birds favour as a nest and roost site.  As we arrived the mud nests were evident on the rock face.  The plan to see these very elusive birds was to sit quietly at one side of the rock outcrop and await the return of the birds to roost; this is the only way to see these birds – our very experienced guides had never seen these birds anywhere other than at the roost.  We waited from 3pm and then at approx 5.15pm a single bird flew in and perched within 5m of our spot seemingly unperturbed by our presence.  The bird stayed for a few minutes and then flew into the canopy above; this was our signal to leave the roost site to allow the others to return in peace.

On from the Pacathartes site we spent an evening and morning at Atewa, following which we headed east over the Volta river to our final birding location, the Kalapa Resource Reserve ( a dry savannah habitat).  As with each of the sites that we had visited, we had some fantastic views of great birds.  Good views at this site included African Wood Owl, African Scops Owl, Long Tailed Nightjar and Black Shouldered Nightjar on the evening walk.  The following morning, our last birding, gave good views of 25+European Bee-eaters and Yellow Rumped Tinkerbird, amongst many.  After lunch we headed back to the airport where we had our final group meal and did a final count; a total of 290 species for the trip with in excess of 160 new species for me.  A very packed trip but all round enjoyable.

Its not that often you can see the land so clearly flying into Scatsta, however flying in on the 15th Nov I had the right seat and the right weather. What you are seeing is the west coast of the island from dropping through the cloud just south of Brae to land at Scatsta. These are not remarkable photographs but what I wanted to bring your attention to was the isolation of farmhouses and the tracks that can lead to good birding spots. But is this isolation part or wholly the reason for the community spirit that exists where er ye wander?

Flying into Aberdeen on the 29th nov with a clear view of the aero engine and wing  and therefore not photogenic, the contrast struck me, between the two communities, one essentially living from the sea and land and the other living  on the land. Aberdeen represented society, successful in growth, all those other capitalistic features that mean success. I saw the contrast  and the contrast depressed me, an over crowded planet, depending on growth through fossil fuel. I could birds eye view the houses, the infrastructure, the factories, the abundance of us. It was my birthday and I reflected on 61 years on this planet.

Not to get anywhere near my years was Alex Strachan, a Scot working in the south as a materials engineer for AMEC, the text message on my phone was addressed to “to whom it may concern”  and it it did concern me to find out Alex had died, my thoughts are with his family and those of us statistically as fragile.

I will post about the Shetlands project separately, I want to give you a flavour of the island from a brief respite of time off. On a Sunday I dropped the guys off and took the pool car for a drive in the reduced daylight we get up here. First I was obliged to watch a boring GP from India, kinda glad its going to Sky sports next year as I don’t subscribe, therefore the link of “must watch” will be broken.

Going from Sella Ness (home) I stopped at a community woodland walk by an old quarry before you reach Brae, there was plenty of fieldfares and a few blackbirds about, I also put up a red grouse while climbing / wheezing to the small hill top. It did give me a view to Sullom Voe, a nice mix of countryside and industry, you can see a tanker at the pier loading oil. I loaded air and slithered downhill chasing the last prisms of a fading rainbow. The wee waterfall had to be photographed just as a challenge,  if I waited for sunlight on the fall I would need to be there in April I guess, if I last in the Shetlands I will re-visit.

That done and just midday I bought a pork pie from the coop in Brae and crumbed the interior of the new hired Renault estate, I do like the keyless system but I don’t like the car’s engine or layout, the controls and the sat nav dominating the dash, too fiddly.

One of my colleagues who is keen on photography had suggested Esha Ness  for photogenic scenes. I stopped at the top of the Watch Hill and headed over the wind cropped moor to the sea, this area is by no means the most sea / land dramatic area but given limited daylight it was my choice. The stacks are called the Runk, and the triple jagged peaks rising from the sea are the Dronga on the right and the Isle of Westerhouse on the left with the middle one unnamed on the OS map, perhaps I could name it ?

From memory one of the pics has a property in the distance, Zoar, its on the market for £20k, one of my other colleagues pointed this out to me, and he is also an ex falconer and re-told the story of a female merlin “annoying” a hooded crow, on site, then pursuing a fieldfare straight into his office cabin, the merlin missed the cabins but the fieldfare did not, the dead fieldfare was hand flung away from the cabins and the merlin returned and picked up the prey. I rarely see Merlins in Perthshire but have seen several here, how I will ever get a pic of them in this wind? they are dashing enough.

After my first work cycle to the Shetlands, I arrived at  Guild street bus station in Aberdeen and picked up my car that was in the good safe hands of my Daughter. It was 15.00 hrs, as I set off , my tom tom being set by my Daughter as my phone rang when I was attempting it, it was probably set to the shortest route as I got out of the city but found myself on the A944 not the A96, anyway such is life, the A96 my have been faster the A944 was much more scenic. I was in the Inverness office about 18.00 hrs with vital papers (expenses) and was off to Lochaline about 18.30, I drove straight onto the Corran ferry just about to leave at 19.50 it lifted the ramp as I pulled on the handbrake. I sent a message to my wife that I was on the ferry as a meal had been  prepared and was waiting for me to arrive.

Well it was dark, my headlights are xenon and I kinda know the road, my first overtake was the dude in front of me as we turned onto the road to Strontian (and Lochaline)  in first gear off the ferry, I had a few more overtakes in pouring rain and found myself behind a dude who clearly knew the road, excellent! I just followed at safe distance and we both peeled off at the Lochaline single track turning. The driver in front was now a bit more cautious than I liked but he/she peeled off to the right at the fish farm, before you climb the hill. Well it was just me and the sheep and more worryingly the deer, I booted the Skoda within safe limits but it was still a buzz, relying on headlights and good judgement the biggest scare was sheep in the middle of the road on a corner, braking hard the abs was on and I took to the verge with one set of wheels. The verge was kindly, not rocky, so no tyre issues.

I arrived at 20.24 in Lochaline, and after peoples welcoming my wife’s phone went with my message from the ferry !! I had beaten my phone message !!

Pics are from local walks and my B in Law playing guitar in the Lochaline hotel.

First tour of 18 days on and 9 days off which includes two travel days. No time off in 18 days, except to watch some morning rugby, where we played well but lost to the old enemy. Surprisingly I got used to the work cycle, working weekends well what else was I to do? well could have taken some more pictures, these sunsets were from the same place on different nights, luckily I had transport so could chase the sun to the west when it looked promising. I have to say I have about 20 really good shots and was well pleased with the results. Aurora Borealis next, some of the guys have already tried and have good shots but not the sky lit up with stunning shots. I hope to take my EOS 550 up and try HD movies of the northern lights. The Island is stunning and you can just about stick your camera lens anywhere and get a good shot. I attended (as a member) the Shetlands bird club meeting on rare species in the UK given by the chairman of the UK committee on accepting breeding of rare birds. It was well attended, and I was struck , yet again, by the community spirit in the Shetlands, the venue was the Islesburgh hall, it had about 12 rooms all occupied, from folk singing, looked like crib playing, to creative stitching, that was  just one night, amazing.

I will not describe the project right now as it would all be defaming, suffice to say how to make a simple construction project complicated, have the oil and gas industry as a client.

the paper (by Smart, Miles and West)

Readers may recall a report by Harry Green of a conversation with George Miles about palearctic waders in Dubai, WSG Bull 33:1. In this note we give a more detailed account of the numbers of waders and other birds on mudflats in Dubai throughout the year. These suggest that Dubai is an important migration stopover and wintering site for several species of waders.

Dubai is situated at the southern end of the Arabian Gulf. (figure 1 omitted as you can Google it and I can’t insert it!) It has a naturally formed tidal creek extending some 8km inland. This terminates in a large, round area approximately 7km in diameter, which has extensive tidal mudflats. On most days the mudflats are about 0.5km wide at low water. Occasionally, on extreme tides, the whole creek empties at low water. Ragworms, probably Nereis, were abundant in the mudflats. These mudflats, the surrounding sandy shore, and the shallow warm water, provide suitable habit for a large number and variety of wintering birds.

We made observations of the whole creek at weekly intervals between May 1981 to May 1982, using binoculars and telescopes. Table 1 summarises these observations. The number of birds seen between 1979 and 1981 were similar to those in table 1. Where actual numbers of birds are given in table 1, the peak number in that month is shown. Both black-tailed Godwits (Limosa limosa) and bar-tailed Godwits (Limosa lapponica) occurred at Dubai, but during winter we often had difficulty in distinguishing between them at long range. Numbers of these species have therefore been combined in table 1. Similarly, adult Herring gulls and lesser black-back gulls could not always be distinguished, so their numbers have been combined.

Table 1

Numbers give actual numbers of birds counted. Letters give abundance: a = 10-30 birds, b= 31-100 birds, c= 101-500 birds, d= 501-1000 birds

*= confirmed breeding. *?= suspected breeding. No counts were made during August

Most waders use the mudflats during both spring and autumn passage, and as a wintering site. The most abundant waders were Dunlins Calidris alpina (up to 9000 birds) and Sanderlings Calidris alba (about 1000 birds) . We saw Sanderlings only in December and February. Other numerous wintering waders, occurring at least in some hundreds, were ringed plovers Charadrius hiaticula, Kentish plovers Charadrius alexandrinus, Grey plovers Pluvialis squatarola, Little stints Calidris minutus, Redshanks Tringa totanus, Curlews Numenius arquata and Godwits. However the pattern of occurrence differed between species. Grey plovers and Ringed plovers were particularly numerous on spring passage, and few occurred during autumn. Similarly, few Dunlins occurred on autumn passage. In contrast numbers of Curlews, Godwits and Kentish plovers were similar in spring and autumn. Few little stints or Whimbrels Numenius phaeopus were present outside migration periods.

In addition to wintering and passage waders, we found small populations of breeding Little ringed plovers Charadrius dubius and Kentish plovers.

Other birds that used the Dubai Creek mudflats in appreciable numbers during migration and for wintering were grey herons Ardea cinerea, reef herons Egretta gularis, greater flamingos Phoenicopterus ruber (especially during spring and autumn), teal anas crecca, and slender billed gulls Larus genei. In spring, there is a large passage (up to 500-600 birds each hour) of terns, particularly gull billed terns Gelochelidon nilotica, Caspian terns Hydroprognetschegrava and little terns Sterna albifrons, westwards along the coast.

The only waders we found elsewhere than the Dubai creek mudflats were in Saffa park. This park is grassland, with avenues of trees, and with a pond of semi-treated sewage at its centre. The sewage is sprayed as fertiliser over the park at dawn and dusk. Between September and April, the pool was used by between 1 and 5 red necked Phalaropes Phalaropus lobatus. About 40 ruffs Philomachus pugnax (both male and female) and 10-15 golden plovers Pluvialis apricaria fed on the grassland throughout the winter. This park is also an important spring and autumn stopover for passerine migrants.

We estimated the peak numbers of over 15,000 birds used the Dubai creek mudflats, little is known of the importance of the Arabian gulf for migrant and wintering wader populations. However, it seems probable that the Dubai creek mudflats are an important wintering and migration stopover for several species of waders. We think that the numbers of waders using Dubai creek may be increasing, possibly as a consequence of nutrient enrichment from increased sewage outflow in recent years. Presumably the passage birds belong to populations that spend the winter in Eastern Africa. The importance of Dubai, and other parts of the Arabian Gulf to waders, warrants further investigation.

end of paper

the mudflats did have one red necked Phalarope as I have a picture of it, well a slide which needs scanning. Also an Osprey, eventually shot. Saffa park was where we (George Miles and I) did ringing. We also had Marsh harrier, snipe, red spotted blue throat and all sorts of shrikes, Indian roller, ubiquitous green parakeet and many other birds. As I have posted before, my first bird ringed in Dubai was a song thrush the second was a Hoopoe !

see also

http://www.uaeinteract.com/nature/bird/coast.asp

The normal summer hols were again spent in Lochaline, (nearest ferry to Mull), in a house overlooking the sound of Mull and Ardornish castle if a tree wasn’t there! Mike and Jan, the owners, weren’t there which was a pity. With more people incumbent there is more intention to explore/ have day trips. My brother Derek and his wife Moira were there from the first Saturday to the Thursday, we arrived on the Monday, so had a few days overlap. Five people went to three, my wife and her cousin Helen, we kinda stayed local. We did take the car over to Mull and foot ferried it to Oban for a day. We had good weather and good shopping, Helen who commandeers the cooking is not good with fish, so a sit in fish supper was a good lunch from a George street cafe. Helen did us proud as ever and brought her dinner delights to a high with a lamb roast which was to died for. In fact I ate so much I nearly did

We also ate for the first time at the Whitehouse restaurant and although there were no prawns, the evening was very good with the “cook Helen” enjoying a night off. Although the sand for glass mine has now closed, Lochaline seems to be prospering with a new school being built (by Irish contractors of course!) and now sporting a internet cafe next to the dive centre. The pier takeaway cafe also does well, the hotel is full of workmen working locally and new houses are being built and occupied. The local Ardtornish estate is building a second hydro electric scheme and has plenty of chalets to let. The loch’s moorings have also expanded with plenty of yachts visiting. Tourism is big business in Scotland and Lochaline gets its fair share.

If you are looking for a recharge batteries getaway holiday try Lochaline.