November 2020 Newsletter
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Tour Report 1 – 8 January 2016
The Gambia - In Style! Naturetrek Tour Report 1 – 8 January 2016 White-throated Bee-eaters Violet Turaco by Kim Taylor African Wattled Lapwing Blue-bellied Roller Report compiled by Marcus John Images courtesy of Kim Taylor & Marcus John Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk The Gambia - In Style! Tour Report Tour Participants: Marcus John (leaders) with six Naturetrek clients Summary The Gambia is an ideal destination for a relaxed holiday and offers a great introduction to the diverse and colourful birdlife of Africa. We spent the week at the stunning Mandina Lodges, a unique place that lies on a secluded mangrove-lined tributary of the mighty River Gambia. The lodges are situated next to the creek and within the Makasuto Forest, which comprises over a thousand acres of pristine, protected forest. Daily walks took us out through the woodland and into the rice fields and farmland beyond, where a great range of birds and butterflies can be found. It was sometimes hard to know where to look as parrots, turacos, rollers and bee-eaters all vied for our attention! Guinea Baboons are resident in the forest and were very approachable; Green Vervet Monkeys were seen nearly every day and we also found a group of long-limbed Patas Monkeys, the fastest primates in the world! Boat trips along the creek revealed a diverse selection of waders, kingfishers and other waterbirds; fourteen species of raptor were also seen during the week. -
Bird Checklists of the World Country Or Region: Ghana
Avibase Page 1of 24 Col Location Date Start time Duration Distance Avibase - Bird Checklists of the World 1 Country or region: Ghana 2 Number of species: 773 3 Number of endemics: 0 4 Number of breeding endemics: 0 5 Number of globally threatened species: 26 6 Number of extinct species: 0 7 Number of introduced species: 1 8 Date last reviewed: 2019-11-10 9 10 Recommended citation: Lepage, D. 2021. Checklist of the birds of Ghana. Avibase, the world bird database. Retrieved from .https://avibase.bsc-eoc.org/checklist.jsp?lang=EN®ion=gh [26/09/2021]. Make your observations count! Submit your data to ebird. -
Birding Tour to Ghana Specializing on Upper Guinea Forest 12–26 January 2018
Birding Tour to Ghana Specializing on Upper Guinea Forest 12–26 January 2018 Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, Ankasa Resource Reserve (Dan Casey photo) Participants: Jim Brown (Missoula, MT) Dan Casey (Billings and Somers, MT) Steve Feiner (Portland, OR) Bob & Carolyn Jones (Billings, MT) Diane Kook (Bend, OR) Judy Meredith (Bend, OR) Leaders: Paul Mensah, Jackson Owusu, & Jeff Marks Prepared by Jeff Marks Executive Director, Montana Bird Advocacy Birding Ghana, Montana Bird Advocacy, January 2018, Page 1 Tour Summary Our trip spanned latitudes from about 5° to 9.5°N and longitudes from about 3°W to the prime meridian. Weather was characterized by high cloud cover and haze, in part from Harmattan winds that blow from the northeast and carry particulates from the Sahara Desert. Temperatures were relatively pleasant as a result, and precipitation was almost nonexistent. Everyone stayed healthy, the AC on the bus functioned perfectly, the tropical fruits (i.e., bananas, mangos, papayas, and pineapples) that Paul and Jackson obtained from roadside sellers were exquisite and perfectly ripe, the meals and lodgings were passable, and the jokes from Jeff tolerable, for the most part. We detected 380 species of birds, including some that were heard but not seen. We did especially well with kingfishers, bee-eaters, greenbuls, and sunbirds. We observed 28 species of diurnal raptors, which is not a large number for this part of the world, but everyone was happy with the wonderful looks we obtained of species such as African Harrier-Hawk, African Cuckoo-Hawk, Hooded Vulture, White-headed Vulture, Bat Hawk (pair at nest!), Long-tailed Hawk, Red-chested Goshawk, Grasshopper Buzzard, African Hobby, and Lanner Falcon. -
The Gambia: a Taste of Africa, November 2017
Tropical Birding - Trip Report The Gambia: A Taste of Africa, November 2017 A Tropical Birding “Chilled” SET DEPARTURE tour The Gambia A Taste of Africa Just Six Hours Away From The UK November 2017 TOUR LEADERS: Alan Davies and Iain Campbell Report by Alan Davies Photos by Iain Campbell Egyptian Plover. The main target for most people on the tour www.tropicalbirding.com +1-409-515-9110 [email protected] p.1 Tropical Birding - Trip Report The Gambia: A Taste of Africa, November 2017 Red-throated Bee-eaters We arrived in the capital of The Gambia, Banjul, early evening just as the light was fading. Our flight in from the UK was delayed so no time for any real birding on this first day of our “Chilled Birding Tour”. Our local guide Tijan and our ground crew met us at the airport. We piled into Tijan’s well used minibus as Little Swifts and Yellow-billed Kites flew above us. A short drive took us to our lovely small boutique hotel complete with pool and lovely private gardens, we were going to enjoy staying here. Having settled in we all met up for a pre-dinner drink in the warmth of an African evening. The food was delicious, and we chatted excitedly about the birds that lay ahead on this nine- day trip to The Gambia, the first time in West Africa for all our guests. At first light we were exploring the gardens of the hotel and enjoying the warmth after leaving the chilly UK behind. Both Red-eyed and Laughing Doves were easy to see and a flash of colour announced the arrival of our first Beautiful Sunbird, this tiny gem certainly lived up to its name! A bird flew in landing in a fig tree and again our jaws dropped, a Yellow-crowned Gonolek what a beauty! Shocking red below, black above with a daffodil yellow crown, we were loving Gambian birds already. -
WORKING with TURACOS Musophagidae Spp
125 AL WABRA WILDLIFE PRESERVATION, QATAR: WORKING WITH TURACOS Musophagidae spp. by Simon Bruslund Jensen The turacos are a primitive, almost primeval-looking family of medium to large-sized birds, most closely related to the cuckoos. The 23 species are distributed exclusively in tropical African forests and savannahs. Most species are beautifully coloured in shades of green, blue and red, and are well known for their unique feather pigments, the so-called turacin and turacoverin, found only in this family. Sven Hammer/AWWP A Prince Ruspoli’s Turaco Tauraco ruspolii approaching a waterhole close to Arero, Ethiopia. Due to their appealing appearance, many of the species have for many years been popular in zoos and private collections. However, just a few years back, captive breeding would never have been considered as an option for the conservation management of turacos, as they had long been considered as delicate and rather difficult to breed in captivity. In recent years the methods used for keeping and breeding turacos have improved a great deal, due largely to the systematic approach by dedicated individuals and public collections such as the zoos in Cologne, Germany and Houston, Texas, USA. Now for the first time, it seems possible to establish self-sustainable captive populations, in particular within the 126 JENSEN - TURACOS framework of regional and international cooperation, with studbooks being maintained to ensure the necessary exchange of bloodlines. This is in line with the identification of more and more threats to several turaco species in the wild, especially to some of the unique subspecies with limited distribution. -
February 2007 2
GHANA 16 th February - 3rd March 2007 Red-throated Bee-eater by Matthew Mattiessen Trip Report compiled by Tour Leader Keith Valentine Top 10 Birds of the Tour as voted by participants: 1. Black Bee-eater 2. Standard-winged Nightjar 3. Northern Carmine Bee-eater 4. Blue-headed Bee-eater 5. African Piculet 6. Great Blue Turaco 7. Little Bee-eater 8. African Blue Flycatcher 9. Chocolate-backed Kingfisher 10. Beautiful Sunbird RBT Ghana Trip Report February 2007 2 Tour Summary This classic tour combining the best rainforest sites, national parks and seldom explored northern regions gave us an incredible overview of the excellent birding that Ghana has to offer. This trip was highly successful, we located nearly 400 species of birds including many of the Upper Guinea endemics and West Africa specialties, and together with a great group of people, we enjoyed a brilliant African birding adventure. After spending a night in Accra our first morning birding was taken at the nearby Shai Hills, a conservancy that is used mainly for scientific studies into all aspects of wildlife. These woodland and grassland habitats were productive and we easily got to grips with a number of widespread species as well as a few specials that included the noisy Stone Partridge, Rose-ringed Parakeet, Senegal Parrot, Guinea Turaco, Swallow-tailed Bee-eater, Vieillot’s and Double- toothed Barbet, Gray Woodpecker, Yellow-throated Greenbul, Melodious Warbler, Snowy-crowned Robin-Chat, Blackcap Babbler, Yellow-billed Shrike, Common Gonolek, White Helmetshrike and Piapiac. Towards midday we made our way to the Volta River where our main target, the White-throated Blue Swallow showed well. -
EAZA Best Practice Guidelines for Turacos (Musophagidae)
EAZA BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES EAZA Toucan & Turaco TAG TURACOS Musophagidae 1st Edition Compiled by Louise Peat 2017 1 | P a g e Front cover; Lady Ross’s chick. Photograph copyright of Eric Isselée-Life on White, taken at Mulhouse zoo. http://www.lifeonwhite.com/ http://www.zoo-mulhouse.com/ Author: Louise Peat. Cotswold Wildlife Park Email: [email protected] Name of TAG: Toucan & Turaco TAG TAG Chair: Laura Gardner E-mail: [email protected] 2 | P a g e EAZA Best Practice Guidelines disclaimer Copyright 2017 by EAZA Executive Office, Amsterdam. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in hard copy, machine-readable or other forms without advance written permission from the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). Members of the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) may copy this information for their own use as needed. The information contained in these EAZA Best Practice Guidelines has been obtained from numerous sources believed to be reliable. EAZA and the EAZA Toucan & Turaco TAG make a diligent effort to provide a complete and accurate representation of the data in its reports, publications, and services. However, EAZA does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any information. EAZA disclaims all liability for errors or omissions that may exist and shall not be liable for any incidental, consequential, or other damages (whether resulting from negligence or otherwise) including, without limitation, exemplary damages or lost profits arising out of or in connection with the use of this publication. Because the technical information provided in the EAZA Best Practice Guidelines can easily be misread or misinterpreted unless properly analysed, EAZA strongly recommends that users of this information consult with the editors in all matters related to data analysis and interpretation. -
Detection of Avian Haemosporidia from Captive Musophagid Birds at a Zoological Garden in Japan
NOTE Wildlife Science Detection of avian haemosporidia from captive musophagid birds at a zoological garden in Japan Masayoshi KAKOGAWA1,2), Ayana ONO3), Mizue INUMARU3), Yukita SATO3)* and Mitsuhiko ASAKAWA2) 1)Kobe Animal Kingdom, Kobe, Hyogo 650-0047, Japan 2)Graduate School of Veterinary Medicine, Rakuno Gakuen University, Ebetsu, Hokkaido 069-8501, Japan 3)Laboratory of Biomedical Science, Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Bioresource Sciences, Nihon University, Fujisawa, Kanagawa 252-0880, Japan ABSTRACT. One captive musophagid bird at a zoological garden in Japan showed clinical J. Vet. Med. Sci. symptoms and was found to be infected with avian haemosporidia. We subsequently collected 81(12): 1892–1895, 2019 blood from all musophagid birds kept in the garden and examined for avian haemosporidia using both microscopic and molecular examination. Only Haemoproteus gametocytes were observed doi: 10.1292/jvms.19-0483 in the blood of two Guinea turaco (Tauraco persa). Three genetic lineages of Haemoproteus were identified from three Guinea turacos and one genetic lineage of Leucocytozoon was identified from a grey plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator). Detected Haemoproteus lineages were all identical and Received: 28 August 2019 completely different from those previously reported in Japan, suggesting that these birds were Accepted: 23 October 2019 infected in their original habitat. This is the first record of Haemoproteus infection in Guinea turacos. Advanced Epub: Haemoproteus, Japan, Leucocytozoon, musophagid bird, zoological garden 4 November 2019 KEY WORDS: Avian haemosporidia, which includes the genera Plasmodium, Haemoproteus, and Leucocytozoon, are common avian blood protozoa that are found in numerous bird species worldwide [14]. Among them, avian Plasmodium causes so-called “avian malaria” in host birds; it is a highly pathogenic and lethal infectious disease, especially for several reported naïve bird species [1, 14]. -
The Birds of Shai Hills Resource Reserve, Ghana
The birds of Shai Hills Resource Reserve, Ghana Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire & Robert J. Dowsett Dowsett-Lemaire Misc. Report 83 (2013) Dowsett-Lemaire F. & Dowsett R.J. 2013. The birds of Shai Hills Resource Re serve, Ghana. Dowsett-Lemaire Misc. Rep. 83: 12 pp. E-mail : [email protected] Birds of Shai Hills R.R., Ghana -1- Dowsett-Lemaire Misc. Rep. 83 (2013) The birds of Shai Hills Resource Reserve, Ghana by Françoise Dowsett-Lemaire & Robert J. Dowsett 1. Introduction The Shai Hills Resource Reserve (some 49 km ²) is located in the north-east sector of the Accra Plains. It includes an extensive system of inselbergs, surrounded by sparsely-wooded grassland. The granite hills rise 100-200 m above the plain and are forested with a patchwork of dry, mostly deciduous, thicket or forest. The reserve is en - tirely fenced, although the fence is broken in places. The reserve suffers from an invasion by exotic Neem Azadirachta indica , which forms thickets around the base of the hills, spreading into the grassland as well. A drivable track provides access in the form of a loop around the main range of hills. We first visited the reserve on 30 March-1 April and 3 April 2005, at the start of the rains. Since our initial report on the avifauna produced in 2005, a number of modifications (many additions and a few deletions) can be made to the checklist of the birds. We revisited the area in 2008 on 28-29 February-1 March (camping near the Bat Cave, 5 °56'N, 0 °04'E), 19-20 March (camping in the southern thickets, 5 °53’N, 0 °03’E) and 5-6 April (western side), then briefly on 11-12 January 2010 (northern camp). -
Ghana's Highlights
Ghana’s Highlights Naturetrek Tour Itinerary Outline itinerary Day 1 Depart London and overnight Accra Day 2/4 Rainforest Lodge, Kakum National Park Day 5/7 Ankasa Forest Day 8 Rainforest Lodge, Kakum National Park Day 9 Picathartes Forest Day 10/12 Mole National Park Day 13 Depart Accra Day 14 Arrive London Focus Birds, mammals & other wildlife v Grading Grade A/B - Easy to moderate day walks Dates and Prices See website (tour code GHA02) or brochure Highlights • Visit a Yellow-headed Picathartes colony • Africa’s highest canopy walkway in Kakum NP • Rufous-sided Broadbill, Chocolate-backed Kingfisher, White-crested Hornbill & Akun Eagle-Owl possible • Great Blue Turaco, White-bellied Kingfisher, Hartlaub’s Duck & the legendary Nkulengu Rail possible in the remote Ankasa Forest • Chance of elusive forest mammals including Potto & Long-tailed Pangolin • Egyptian Plover on the White Volta River • Elephant, Abyssinian Ground Hornbill & Standard- winged Nightjar in the vast Mole National Park From top: Yellow-headed Picathartes, Egyptian Plover, African Bush Elephant. Images courtesy of Lucas Lombardo and Ashanti Tours. Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf’s Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Ghana’s Highlights Tour Itinerary Introduction Home to over 750 species of birds, and some of the region’s healthiest populations of mammals, Ghana is rapidly becoming West Africa's premiere wildlife destination. This small tropical country - known in the past as the 'Gold Coast' - is now widely recognised as a friendly and safe destination to visit and is blessed with a diverse range of exciting habitats, from the lush tropical rainforest of the south to the more classically African bushveld of the north. -
990 PART 23—ENDANGERED SPECIES CONVENTION Subpart A—Introduction
Pt. 23 50 CFR Ch. I (10–1–01 Edition) Service agent, or other game law en- 23.36 Schedule of public meetings and no- forcement officer free and unrestricted tices. access over the premises on which such 23.37 Federal agency consultation. operations have been or are being con- 23.38 Modifications of procedures and nego- ducted; and shall furnish promptly to tiating positions. such officer whatever information he 23.39 Notice of availability of official re- may require concerning such oper- port. ations. Subpart E—Scientific Authority Advice (c) The authority to take golden ea- [Reserved] gles under a depredations control order issued pursuant to this subpart D only Subpart F—Export of Certain Species authorizes the taking of golden eagles when necessary to seasonally protect 23.51 American ginseng (Panax domesticated flocks and herds, and all quinquefolius). such birds taken must be reported and 23.52 Bobcat (Lynx rufus). turned over to a local Bureau Agent. 23.53 River otter (Lontra canadensis). 23.54 Lynx (Lynx canadensis). 23.55 Gray wolf (Canis lupus). PART 23—ENDANGERED SPECIES 23.56 Brown bear (Ursus arctos). CONVENTION 23.57 American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis). Subpart A—Introduction AUTHORITY: Convention on International Sec. Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna 23.1 Purpose of regulations. and Flora, 27 U.S.T. 1087; and Endangered 23.2 Scope of regulations. Species Act of 1973, as amended, 16 U.S.C. 23.3 Definitions. 1531 et seq. 23.4 Parties to the Convention. SOURCE: 42 FR 10465, Feb. 22, 1977, unless Subpart B—Prohibitions, Permits and otherwise noted. -
Annotated Checklist
ANNOTATED CHECKLIST This annotated checklist includes all the birds which can be seen using this book as a guide. The focus of the list is the region covered by the first six chapters of the book (JHB to SW; collectively refered to as the greater Gauteng region = GP). Information pertaining to Further Afield (FA) sites is only given where the species does not occur in the greater Gauteng region (GP) or is difficult to find here and best sought in FA. Each entry provides the bird’s common name, scientific name in italics, and Afrikaans name in [square brackets]. Endemics and Near-endemics are printed in blue—this concept has been quite liberally applied (see p.xxx). Where applicable, ‘PIC’ provides the page number on which a photo of the species can be seen; and ‘INFO’ leads to more detailed information on the bird in question. This is followed by information on the bird’s habitat, seasonality and abundance. An indication is given as to which region a species is most likely to be found in, using the following abbreviations: JHB = Greater Johannesburg; sites 1-19; starting on p.xx. PTA = Pretoria & Surrounds; sites 20-38; starting on p.xx. NW = North-Western Bushveld; sites 39-48; starting on p.xxx. GP NE = North-Eastern Woodlands; sites 49-62; starting on p.xxx. SE = South-Eastern Highveld; sites 63-71; starting on p.xxx. SW = South-Western Grasslands; sites 72-82; starting on p.xxx. FA = Further Afield - Top Weekend Trips; sites 83-101; starting on p.xxx. The entry is concluded with the numbers of the sites (not pages) where the species may be found— the best or most reliable sites’ numbers are printed in bold.