DOCSLIB.ORG

2008 Namibia and Botswana Tour

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
2008 Namibia and Botswana Tour Eagle-Eye Tours www.eagle-eye.com [email protected] 1-800-373-5678 Namibia, Botswana & Victoria Falls September 2008 with Duan Biggs and Paul Prior BIRD SPECIES No. Common Name Latin Name Seen or Heard 1 Common Ostrich Struthio camelus s 2 Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus s 3 Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis s 4 Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis s 5 Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus s 6 Cape Gannet Morus capensis s 7 White-breasted Cormorant Phalacrocorax lucidus s 8 Cape Cormorant Phalacrocorax capensis s 9 Bank Cormorant Phalacrocorax neglectus s 10 Crowned Cormorant Phalacrocorax coronatus s 11 Reed Cormorant Phalacrocorax africanus s 12 African Darter Anhinga rufa s 13 Grey Heron Ardea cinerea s 14 Black-headed Heron Ardea melanocephala s 15 Goliath Heron Ardea goliath s 16 Purple Heron Ardea purpurea s 17 Great Egret Egretta alba s 18 Little Egret Egretta garzetta s 19 Yellow-billed Egret Egretta intermedia s 20 Black Heron Egretta ardesiaca s 21 Slaty Egret Egretta vinaceigula s 22 Cattle Egret Bubulcus ibis s 23 Squacco Heron Ardeola ralloides s 24 Green-backed Heron Butorides striatus s 25 Rufous-bellied Heron Ardeola rufiventris s 26 Black-crowned Night-Heron Nycticorax nycticorax s 27 White-backed Night-Heron Gorsachius leuconotus s 28 Little Bittern Ixobrychus minutus s 29 Hamerkop Scopus umbretta s 30 African Openbill Anastomus lamelligerus s 31 Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus s 32 Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis s 33 African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus s 34 Glossy Ibis Plegadis falcinellus s 35 African Spoonbill Platalea alba s 36 Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus ruber s 37 Lesser Flamingo Phoenicopterus minor s Page 1 of 11 No. Common Name Latin Name Seen or Heard 38 White-faced Duck Dendrocygna viduata s 39 Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiacus s 40 South African Shelduck Tadorna cana s 41 Cape Teal Anas capensis s 42 Hottentot Teal Anas hottentota s 43 Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha s 44 African Pygmy-Goose Nettapus auritus s 45 Comb Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos s 46 Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis s 47 Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius s 48 White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus s 49 Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotus s 50 White-headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis s 51 Yellow-billed Kite Milvus aegyptius s 52 Black-shouldered Kite Elanus caeruleus s 53 African Cuckoo Hawk Aviceda cuculoides s 54 Bat Hawk Macheiramphus alcinus s 55 Verreaux's Eagle Aquila verreauxii s 56 Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax s 57 Wahlberg's Eagle Aquila wahlbergi s 58 African Hawk-Eagle Hieraaetus spilogaster s 59 Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus s 60 Brown Snake-Eagle Circaetus cinereus s 61 Black-chested Snake-Eagle Circaetus pectoralis s 62 Western Banded Snake-Eagle Circaetus cinerascens s 63 Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus s 64 African Fish-Eagle Haliaeetus vocifer s 65 Augur Buzzard Buteo augur s 66 Lizard Buzzard Kaupifalco monogrammicus s 67 Little Sparrowhawk Accipiter minullus s 68 Shikra Accipiter badius s 69 African Goshawk Accipiter tachiro s 70 Gabar Goshawk Melierax gabar s 71 Southern Pale Chanting Goshawk Melierax canorus s 72 Dark Chanting Goshawk Melierax metabates s 73 African Marsh-Harrier Circus ranivorus s 74 African Harrier-Hawk Polyboroides typus s 75 Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus s 76 African Hobby Falco cuvierii s 77 Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera s 78 Rock Kestrel Falco rupicolis s 79 Greater Kestrel Falco rupicoloides s 80 Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni s 81 Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus s 82 Crested Francolin Dendroperdix sephaena s 83 Red-billed Francolin Pternistis adspersus s Page 2 of 11 No. Common Name Latin Name Seen or Heard 84 Hartlaub's Francolin Pternistis hartlaubi s 85 Red-necked Spurfowl Pternistis afer s 86 Swainson's Spurfowl Pternistis swainsonii s 87 Helmeted Guineafowl Numida meleagris s 88 Wattled Crane Grus carunculatus s 89 Blue Crane Anthropoides paradisea s 90 Black Crake Amaurornis flavirostris s 91 Baillon's Crake Porzana pusilla s 92 African Purple Swamphen Porphyrio madagascariensis s 93 Common Moorhen Gallinula chloropus s 94 Lesser Moorhen Gallinula angulata s 95 Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata s 96 Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori s 97 Ludwig's Bustard Neotis ludwigii s 98 Ruppell's Korhaan Eupodotis rueppellii s 99 Red-crested Korhaan Eupodotis ruficrista s 100 Northern Black Korhaan Eupodotis afraoides s 101 African Jacana Actophilornis africanus s 102 Lesser Jacana Microparra capensis s 103 African Black Oystercatcher Haematopus moquini s 104 Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula s 105 White-fronted Plover Charadrius marginatus s 106 Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus s 107 Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius s 108 Three-banded Plover Charadrius tricollaris s 109 Grey Plover Pluvialis squatarola s 110 Crowned Lapwing Vanellus coronatus s 111 Blacksmith Lapwing Vanellus armatus s 112 White-crowned Lapwing Vanellus albiceps s 113 African Wattled Lapwing Vanellus senegallus s 114 Long-toed Lapwing Vanellus crassirostris s 115 Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres s 116 Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos s 117 Wood Sandpiper Tringa glareola s 118 Common Redshank Tringa totanus s 119 Marsh Sandpiper Tringa stagnatilis s 120 Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia s 121 Red Knot Calidris canutus s 122 Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea s 123 Little Stint Calidris minuta s 124 Sanderling Calidris alba s 125 Ruff Philomachus pugnax s 126 Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica s 127 Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata s 128 Common Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus s 129 Red-necked Phalarope Phalaropus lobatus s Page 3 of 11 No. Common Name Latin Name Seen or Heard 130 Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta s 131 Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus s 132 Spotted Thick-knee Burhinus capensis s 133 Water Thick-knee Burhinus vermiculatus s 134 Burchell's Courser Cursorius rufus s 135 Double-banded Courser Rhinoptilus africanus s 136 Collared Pratincole Glareola pratincola s 137 Rock Pratincole Glareola nuchalis s 138 Parasitic Jaeger Stercorarius parasiticus s 139 Cape Gull Larus vetula s 140 Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus s 141 Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii s 142 Caspian Tern Sterna caspia s 143 Swift Tern Sterna bergii s 144 Sandwich Tern Sterna sandvicensis s 145 Common Tern Sterna hirundo s 146 Damara Tern Sterna balaenarum s 147 Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybridus s 148 African Skimmer Rynchops flavirostris s 149 Namaqua Sandgrouse Pterocles namaqua s 150 Burchell's Sandgrouse Pterocles burchelli s 151 Double-banded Sandgrouse Pterocles bicinctus s 152 Rock Dove Columba livia s 153 Speckled Pigeon Columba guinea s 154 Red-eyed Dove Streptopelia semitorquata s 155 African Mourning Dove Streptopelia decipiens s 156 Cape Turtle-Dove Streptopelia capicola s 157 Laughing Dove Streptopelia senegalensis s 158 Namaqua Dove Oena capensis s 159 Emerald-spotted Wood-Dove Turtur chalcospilos s 160 African Green-Pigeon Treron calva s 161 Meyer's Parrot Poicephalus meyeri s 162 Ruppell's Parrot Poicephalus rueppellii s 163 Rosy-faced Lovebird Agapornis roseicollis s 164 Schalow's Turaco Tauraco schalowi s 165 Grey Go-away-bird Corythaixoides concolor s 166 African Cuckoo Cuculus gularis s 167 Coppery-tailed Coucal Centropus cupreicaudus s 168 White-browed Coucal Centropus superciliosus s 169 African Wood-Owl Strix woodfordii s 170 Marsh Owl Asio capensis s 171 African Scops-Owl Otus senegalensis s 172 Southern White-faced Scops-Owl Ptilopsus granti s 173 Pearl-spotted Owlet Glaucidium perlatum s 174 African Barred Owlet Glaucidium capense s 175 Verreaux's Eagle-Owl Bubo lacteus s Page 4 of 11 No. Common Name Latin Name Seen or Heard 176 Fiery-necked Nightjar Caprimulgus pectoralis s 177 Rufous-cheeked Nightjar Caprimulgus rufigena s 178 Freckled Nightjar Caprimulgus tristigma s 179 Bradfield's Swift Apus bradfieldi s 180 White-rumped Swift Apus caffer s 181 Horus Swift Apus horus s 182 Little Swift Apus affinis s 183 Alpine Swift Tachymarptis melba s 184 African Palm-Swift Cypsiurus parvus s 185 White-backed Mousebird Colius colius s 186 Red-faced Mousebird Urocolius indicus s 187 Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis s 188 Giant Kingfisher Megaceryle maxima s 189 Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata s 190 Brown-hooded Kingfisher Halcyon albiventris s 191 Striped Kingfisher Halcyon chelicuti s 192 European Bee-eater Merops apiaster s 193 Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides s 194 White-fronted Bee-eater Merops bullockoides s 195 Little Bee-eater Merops pusillus s 196 Swallow-tailed Bee-eater Merops hirundineus s 197 Lilac-breasted Roller Coracias caudata s 198 Purple Roller Coracias naevia s 199 African Hoopoe Upupa africana s 200 Green Wood-Hoopoe Phoeniculus purpureus s 201 Violet Wood-Hoopoe Phoeniculus damarensis s 202 Common Scimitarbill Rhinopomastus cyanomelas s 203 Trumpeter Hornbill Bycanistes bucinator s 204 African Grey Hornbill Tockus nasutus s 205 Red-billed Hornbill Tockus erythrorhynchus s 206 Damara Hornbill Tockus damarensis s 207 Southern Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus leucomelas s 208 Bradfield's Hornbill Tockus bradfieldi s 209 Monteiro's Hornbill Tockus monteiri s 210 Southern Ground-Hornbill Bucorvus leadbeateri s 211 Black-collared Barbet Lybius torquatus s 212 Acacia Pied Barbet Tricholaema leucomelas s 213 Yellow-fronted Tinkerbird Pogoniulus chrysoconus s 214 Crested Barbet Trachyphonus vaillantii s 215 Greater Honeyguide Indicator indicator s 216 Bennett's Woodpecker Campethera bennettii s 217 Golden-tailed Woodpecker Campethera abingoni s 218 Cardinal Woodpecker Dendropicos fuscescens
Load more

Recommended publications
  • True Shrikes), Including 31 Specieswithin Genera Are Coveredin Singlepage Overviews.Line Lanius, Coruinella and Eurocephalus
    Books SHRIKES. Norbert Lefranc. 1997. Yale University Some species have bright rufous or sandy caps Press, New Haven, Connecticut. Hard cover, 192 and backs. A few, such as the Long-tailedShrike, pp. $35.00 U.S. have strikinggeographic plumage variations. Some shrikesare as small as House Sparrows. The recentflood of world-wideidentification guides for specific groups of birds, such as seabirds, In 35 pages of introductorymaterial, the author waterfowl and shorebirds, has now reached presents informationon: taxonomy,overviews of passerine groupings, and the treatment has the genera, and a brief guide to the features of the expanded to include life history information.This species accounts. The overview of the genus is a welcome addition, as many bird enthusiasts Laniuscovers: names; morphology,plumages and have expanded their interests, and wish to learn molts; origins, present distribution,migration 'and more about the birds they see. Many of these wintering areas; habitat; social organization and guides are being written in Europe and cover general behavior;food habits,larders and foraging groupswhich occur primarilyin the Old World. behavior; nests, eggs and breeding behavior; population dynamics; population changes and Shrikes covers the three genera of the family presumedcauses; and conservation.The othertwo Laniidae(true shrikes), including 31 specieswithin genera are coveredin singlepage overviews.Line Lanius, Coruinella and Eurocephalus. Twenty- drawings in the introduction supplerbent the color sevenof thesespecies are in the firstgenus, whose plates. name is the Latin word for butcher, perhaps referringto their habit of hangingprey on spines. Species accounts average three pages (range 1- 9), and include a clear range map (1/4 to 1 page), Scientistsbelieve that the family Laniidae evolved identification details, measurements, distribution in Australia as part of a great radiation that and status, molt, voice, habitat, habits, food, produced the corvids, a number of Australian breeding and references.
    [Show full text]
  • ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa; with Southern Extension a Tropical Birding Set Departure
    ETHIOPIA: Birding the Roof of Africa; with Southern Extension A Tropical Birding Set Departure February 7 – March 1, 2010 Guide: Ken Behrens All photos taken by Ken Behrens during this trip ORIENTATION I have chosen to use a different format for this trip report. First, comes a general introduction to Ethiopia. The text of this section is largely drawn from the recently published Birding Ethiopia, authored by Keith Barnes, Christian, Boix and I. For more information on the book, check out http://www.lynxeds.com/product/birding-ethiopia. After the country introduction comes a summary of the highlights of this tour. Next comes a day-by-day itinerary. Finally, there is an annotated bird list and a mammal list. ETHIOPIA INTRODUCTION Many people imagine Ethiopia as a flat, famine- ridden desert, but this is far from the case. Ethiopia is remarkably diverse, and unexpectedly lush. This is the ʻroof of Africaʼ, holding the continentʼs largest and most contiguous mountain ranges, and some of its tallest peaks. Cleaving the mountains is the Great Rift Valley, which is dotted with beautiful lakes. Towards the borders of the country lie stretches of dry scrub that are more like the desert most people imagine. But even in this arid savanna, diversity is high, and the desert explodes into verdure during the rainy season. The diversity of Ethiopiaʼs landscapes supports a parallel diversity of birds and other wildlife, and although birds are the focus of our tour, there is much more to the country. Ethiopia is the only country in Africa that was never systematically colonized, and Rueppell’s Robin-Chat, a bird of the Ethiopian mountains.
    [Show full text]
  • Bird Survey of South-Eastern Laikipia: Lolldaiga Ranch, Ole Naishu Ranch, Borana Ranch, and Mukogodo Forest Reserve
    8 November 2015 Dear All, Recently Nigel Hunter and I went to stay with Tom Butynski on Lolldaiga Hills Ranch. Whilst there we were joined by Paul Benson, and Eleanor Monbiot for the 31st Oct, Chris Thouless joined us on 1st Nov in Mukogodo, and he and Caroline kindly put the three of us up at their house for the nights of 31st Oct and 1st Nov., and for both these dates we enjoyed the company of Lawrence, the bird-guide at Borana Lodge. For our full day on Lolldaiga on 2nd Nov., Paul spent the entire day with us. The more interesting observations follow, but this is far from the full list which exceeded 200 on Lolldaiga alone in spite of the relatively short time we were there. Best for now Brian BIRD SURVEY OF SOUTH-EASTERN LAIKIPIA: LOLLDAIGA RANCH, OLE NAISHU RANCH, BORANA RANCH, AND MUKOGODO FOREST RESERVE ITINERARY 30th Oct 2015 Drove Nairobi to Lolldaiga, birded as far as old Maize Paddock in late afternoon. 31st Oct Drove from TB house out through Ole Naishu Ranch and across Borana arriving at Mukogodo Forest in early afternoon. 1st Nov All day in Mukogodo Forest, and just 5 kilometres down the main descent road in afternoon. 2nd Nov All day on Borana, back across Ole Naishu to Lolldaiga. 3rd Nov All day outing on Lolldaiga to Black Rock, Ngainitu Kopje (North Gate), Sinyai Lugga, and evening near the Monument. 4th Nov Morning on descent road to Main Gate, Lolldaiga and forest along Timau River, leaving 11.15 AM for Nairobi.
    [Show full text]
  • The Best of SOUTH AFRICA October 15-31 2018
    TRIP REPORT: The Best of SOUTH AFRICA October 15-31 2018 The Best of SOUTH AFRICA Birding Safari October 15-31, 2018 Tour leaders: Josh Engel and David Nkosi Click here for the trip photo gallery Next trip: October 10-26, 2020 South Africa never fails to amaze. From the spectacular scenery and endemic birds of the Cape to the megafauna-filled wilderness of Kruger National Park, every single day brings something new, surprising, and awe-inspiring. This trip exceeded expectations—over 400 species of birds and an incredible 60 species of mammals, all seen while staying in interesting, varied, and excellent accommodations, eating delicious food, and thoroughly enjoying all aspects of traveling in South Africa. It’s hard to know where to start with bird and animal highlights. There are, of course, the most sought-after birds, like Protea Canary, Cape Rockjumper, Black Harrier, Rudd’s Lark, Black-eared Sparrowlark, Southern Black Korhaan, and Blue Korhaan. There were also the incredible bird experiences—the Shy Albatrosses surrounding our pelagic boat, the Cape Sugarbird singing from atop of king protea flower, the nest-building Knysna Turacos, the Water Thick-knees trying to chase a Water Monitor away from their nest. Mammals take a front seat in South Africa, too. We had incredible sightings of Leopard and Lion in Kruger, numerous White and a single Black Rhinoceros, along with many encounters with Elephant, Giraffes, and other iconic African animals. But we also saw many awesome small mammals, including Meerkat, Large- and Small- spotted Genet, White-tailed Mongoose, and a Cape Clawless Otter munching on a fish.
    [Show full text]
  • W. TOMLINSON, Bird Notes from the NF District
    JAN. 1950 W. TOMLINSON, Bird Notes from the N.F. District 225 BIRD NOTES CHIEFLY FROM THE NORTHERN FRONTIER DISTRICT OF KENYA PART II by W. Tomlinson. ALAUDIDAE Mirafra albicauda Reichenow. White-tailed Lark. Thika, April. Mirafra hypermetra hypermetra (Reichenow) Red-winged Bush-lark. Angata Kasut; Merille; Thika. In the Kasut to the south-west of Marsabit Mountain this large lark was fairly common,haunting a patch of desert where there was some bush and even grass following rain. Runs well in quick spurts; but, pursued, usually takes wing. The flight is strong, although it seldom goes far before ducking down again, usually perching on tops of bushes. In the heat of the day seen sheltering under bush. Has a clear and loud, two• Il)ted call and a very pretty song of four or fivenotes. The cinnamon-rufous of its plum• age shows in flight but is invisible in the bird when at rest. At Merille, the Kasut and at Th;ka, where this bird occurred, the ground was the same russet colour as the bird's plumage. Mirafra africana dohertyi Hartert Kikuyu Red-naped Lark. Thika; Nanyuki. Mirafra fischeri fischeri (Reichenow) Flappet Lark. Thika. Mirafra africanoides intercedens Reichenow. Masai Fawn-coloured Lark. Merille; North Horr. A " flappet-Iark," fairly common at Merille in January, was I think this. At the time a small cricket was in thousands in patches of open country, followed up by Larks and Wattled Starlings. Mirafra poecilosterna poecilosterna (Reichenow). Pink-breasted Singing Lark. Merille. A bird frequently flushed from the ground, which flew to bushes and low trees, was I think this.
    [Show full text]
  • High Genetic Diversity Among Breeding Red-Backed Shrikes Lanius Collurio in the Western Palearctic
    diversity Article High Genetic Diversity among Breeding Red-Backed Shrikes Lanius collurio in the Western Palearctic Liviu G. Pârâu 1,* , Roberto Carlos Frias-Soler 1,2 and Michael Wink 1,* 1 Institute of Pharmacy and Molecular Biotechnology, Department Biology, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 364, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany 2 Institute of Avian Research “Vogelwarte Helgoland”, An der Vogelwarte 21, Wilhelmshaven 26386, Germany; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (L.G.P.); [email protected] (M.W.); Tel.: +49-6221-54-4881 (M.W.) Received: 12 February 2019; Accepted: 21 February 2019; Published: 26 February 2019 Abstract: Revealing the genetic population structure in abundant avian species is crucial for understanding speciation, conservation, and evolutionary history. The Red-backed Shrike Lanius collurio, an iconic songbird renowned for impaling its prey, is widely distributed as a breeder across much of Europe, Asia Minor and western Asia. However, in recent decades, many populations have declined significantly, as a result of habitat loss, hunting along migration routes, decrease of arthropod food, and climate change e.g., severe droughts in Africa. Within this context, gene flow among different breeding populations becomes critical to ensure the survival of the species, but we still lack an overview on the genetic diversity of the species. In this paper, we analyzed the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene (mtDNA) and the cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 gene (mtDNA) of 132 breeding Red-backed Shrikes from across the entire breeding range to address this knowledge gap. Our results revealed consistent genetic diversity and 76 haplotypes among the Eurasian populations.
    [Show full text]
  • ON a COLLECTION of BIRDS from TURKANALAND by V. G. L. VANSOMEREN,With Introduction by CAPT
    3 ON A COLLECTION OF BIRDS FROM TURKANALAND By V. G. L. VANSOMEREN,with Introduction by CAPT. GEMMEL,Survey Dept., attchd. 6th K.A.R. Before we come to the study of the wonderful and interesting collection of bird life contained in this article, let us have an idea of the road to the district from which the collection comes and the class of country we pass through. There are two main routes from Nairobi-viz., via Londiani, Eldoret, Kacheliba (a small administrative post on the north• east slopes of Elgon), and Moroto; or via Kisumu, Jinja, Namasagali, the Nile and Lake Kioga steamer service to Lale Port, Soroti, and on to Moroto. The first-mentioned route is not the generally travelled one, as it entails a much longer period of safari, and the second is the one that concerns us. The journey from Nairobi by train and on to Jinja by the steamer Clement Hill will be already too familiar to the reader to need any further description. From Jinja you take the train again on the 13usoga Railway to Namasagali, a port established as head• quarters of the Nile-Kioga Lake Service. The distance is approximately 60 miles, and, generally speaking, the country is slightly undulating and scrubby with long grass. The railway follows the general line of the Nile, and at Namasa• gali the river is a fine wide stream. At Namasagali you embark on the steamer Stanley. To one unacquainted with Africa and her ways, you would have grave doubts when embarking, and would wonder in what depth of water you would finish up ! but in reality the Stanley is very comfort• able for travelling on the Lake and the Nile, and is just another instance of making the means meet the end.
    [Show full text]
  • Southern Tanzania: Endemic Birds & Spectacular Mammals
    SOUTHERN TANZANIA: ENDEMIC BIRDS & SPECTACULAR MAMMALS SEPTEMBER 18–OCTOBER 6, 2018 Tanzanian Red-billed Hornbill © Kevin J. Zimmer LEADERS: KEVIN ZIMMER & ANTHONY RAFAEL LIST COMPILED BY: KEVIN ZIMMER VICTOR EMANUEL NATURE TOURS, INC. 2525 WALLINGWOOD DRIVE, SUITE 1003 AUSTIN, TEXAS 78746 WWW.VENTBIRD.COM SOUTHERN TANZANIA: ENDEMIC BIRDS & SPECTACULAR MAMMALS September 18–October 6, 2018 By Kevin Zimmer After meeting in Dar es Salaam, we kicked off our inaugural Southern Tanzania tour by taking a small charter flight to Ruaha National Park, at 7,800 square miles, the largest national park in all of east Africa. The scenery from the air was spectacular, particularly on our approach to the park’s airstrip. Our tour was deliberately timed to coincide with the dry season, a time when many of the trees have dropped their leaves, heightening visibility and leaving the landscapes starkly beautiful. This is also a time when the Great Ruaha River and its many smaller tributaries dwindle to shallow, often intermittent “sand rivers,” which, nonetheless, provide natural game corridors and concentration points for birds during a time in which water is at a premium. Bateleur, Ruaha National Park, Sept 2018 (© Kevin J. Zimmer) After touching down at the airstrip, we disembarked to find our trusty drivers, Geitan Ndunguru and Roger Mwengi, each of them longtime friends from our Northern Tanzania tours, waiting for us with their safari vehicles ready for action. The first order of business was to head to the lodge for lunch, but a large, mixed-species coven of Victor Emanuel Nature Tours 2 Southern Tanzania, 2018 vultures could not be ignored, particularly once we discovered the reason for the assemblage—a dead Hippo, no doubt taken down the previous night as it attempted to cross from one river to another, and, the sated Lion that had been gorging itself ever since.
    [Show full text]
  • Namibia & Botswana
    Namibia & Botswana Custom tour 31st July – 16th August, 2010 Tour leaders: Josh Engel & Charley Hesse Report by Charley Hesse. Photos by Josh Engel & Charley Hesse. This trip produced highlights too numerous to list. We saw virtually all of the specialties we sought, including escarpment specialties like Rockrunner, White-tailed Shrike, Hartlaub‟s Francolin, Herero Chat and Violet Wood-hoopoe and desert specialties like Dune and Gray‟s Larks and Rueppell‟s Korhaan. We cleaned up on Kalahari specialties, and added bonuses like Bare-cheeked and Black-faced Babblers, while also virtually cleaning up on swamp specialties, like Pel‟s Fishing-Owl and Rufous-bellied Heron and Slaty Egret. Of course, with over 40 species seen, mammals provided many memorable experiences as well, including a lioness catching a warthog at one of Etosha‟s waterholes, only to have it stolen away by a male. Elsewhere, we saw a herd of Hartmann‟s Mountain Zebras in the rocky highlands Bat-eared Foxes in the flat Namib desert on the way to the coast; otters feeding in front of our lodge in Botswana; a herd of Sable Antelope racing in front of the car in Mahango Game Reserve. This trip is also among the best for non- animal highlights, and we stayed at varied and wonderful lodges, eating delicious local food and meeting many interesting people along the way. Tropical Birding www.tropicalbirding.com 1 The rarely seen arboreal Acacia Rat (Thallomys) gnaws on the bark of Acacia trees (Charley Hesse). 31st July After meeting our group at the airport, we drove into Nambia‟s capital, Windhoek, seeing several interesting birds and mammals along the way.
    [Show full text]
  • Ethiopia 12 November – 5 December 2015
    Ethiopia 12 November – 5 December 2015 www.avg-w.com [email protected] 1 Introduction Ethiopia is a country with a great variety of habitats and hence a huge diversity of bird species. Few other countries offer such unique combination of highlands, tropical forest, savanna landscapes and dry deserts. Over 800 species have been recorded in Ethiopia and 18 of these are endemic to the country and several others are near-endemic and shared only with Eritrea or Somali. All this has made Ethiopia a popular birdwatching destination. This trip report presents an overview of a three week birding trip made in November 2015. It presents the itinerary, an overview of the visited places, the birds and mammals observed as well as some practical information. We recorded an incredible amount of 565 bird species, most of which were seen very well by all participants and many where photographed as well. Next to that 49 different mammal species and numerous dragonflies and butterflies were recorded. Group members: Raoul Beunen, Marijn Prins, Lucas Kaaij, Klaas Bouwmeester, Reinoud Vermoolen, Bas van de Meulengraaf. Pictures by Bas van de Meulengraaf and Raoul Beunen Itinerary Day 1 12-nov Arrival in Addis Adaba Day 2 13-nov Sululta Plains -Debre Libanos Day 3 14-nov Jemma Valley Day 4 15-nov Jemma Valley - Ankober Escarpment Day 5 16-nov Ankober - Melka Ghebdu - Debre Zeit Day 6 17-nov Awash Day 7 18-nov Ali Dege Plains - Bilen Lodge Day 8 19-nov Awash - Lake Ziway - Lake Lagano Day 9 20-nov Lake Lagano - Wondo Genet Day 10 21-nov Wondo Genet - Bale
    [Show full text]
  • Ultimate Ethiopia
    Abyssinian Catbird is just one of the very special Ethiopian endemics that we succeeded in seeing during this action-packed tour! (Nik Borrow) ULTIMATE ETHIOPIA 10 - 30 NOVEMBER 2019 LEADERS: NIK BORROW and MERID GABREMICHAEL Ethiopia is a classic sub-Saharan destination with a wide range of habitats and an impressive list of species, including more endemics than almost any other comparable region of Africa. For many years in BirdQuest’s history, the challenge of finding all the endemic Ethiopian birds on a ‘regular’ basis has been one of our main aims. One of the problems is that the taxonomy continuously evolves and more endemics and near- endemics are found to confound the challenge! The exact number of actual endemics varies with the vagaries of modern taxonomy. Birds of the Horn of Africa by Nigel Redman et al. recognises 15 and lists Blue-winged Goose, Harwood’s Francolin, Spot-breasted Lapwing, Yellow-fronted Parrot, Ruspoli’s Turaco, Archer’s (Sidamo) Lark, Erlanger’s Lark, White-tailed Swallow, Abyssinian Longclaw, Abyssinian Catbird, Stresemann’s Bushcrow, Yellow-throated Seedeater, Salvadori’s Seedeater, Ethiopian Siskin, and Ankober 1 BirdQuest Tour Report: Ultimate Ethiopia www.birdquest-tours.com Serin and of these we encountered them all. In addition to these there is also the virtually mythical Nechisar Nightjar (described from the remains of a single decomposing wing in 1990) that still awaits living confirmation and may or may not be an endemic species. This tour added the chance to see another virtual endemic (there is a record from the Kenyan side of the border) to the list in the form of the recently split (from Chestnut-naped) Black-fronted Francolin and our success was total with great views enjoyed.
    [Show full text]
  • Breeding System Evolution Influenced the Geographic
    ORIGINAL ARTICLE doi:10.1111/evo.12695 Breeding system evolution influenced the geographic expansion and diversification of the core Corvoidea (Aves: Passeriformes) Petter Z. Marki,1,2,3,∗ Pierre-Henri Fabre,1,4 Knud A. Jønsson,1,5,6 Carsten Rahbek,1,5 Jon Fjeldsa,˚ 1 and Jonathan D. Kennedy1,∗ 1Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Universitetsparken 15, DK-2100 Copenhagen, Denmark 2Department of Environmental and Health Studies, Telemark University College, Hallvard Eikas Plass, N-3800 Bø, Norway 3E-mail: [email protected] 4Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 5Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot, West Berkshire, SL5 7PY, United Kingdom 6Department of Life Sciences, Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London SW7 5BD, United Kingdom Received July 9, 2014 Accepted May 20, 2015 Birds vary greatly in their life-history strategies, including their breeding systems, which range from brood parasitism to a system with multiple nonbreeding helpers at the nest. By far the most common arrangement, however, is where both parents participate in raising the young. The traits associated with parental care have been suggested to affect dispersal propensity and lineage diversification, but to date tests of this potential relationship at broad temporal and spatial scales have been limited. Here, using data from a globally distributed group of corvoid birds in concordance with state-dependent speciation and extinction models, we suggest that pair breeding is associated with elevated speciation rates. Estimates of transition between breeding systems imply that cooperative lineages frequently evolve biparental care, whereas pair breeders rarely become cooperative.
    [Show full text]