NATURETREK Spring 2016 WILDLIFE HOLIDAYS WORLDWIDE anniversary year Award-winning image of a Grizzly Bear, Alaska by Andy Skillen (see pages 12-13 for our new portfolio of Wildlife Photography tours) Contents Welcome from the Naturetrek Team! Welcome from the Team! 1 We have another bumper 24-page newsletter for Congratulations to Janet Baldey, winner of our 2015 you this spring — with a wonderful selection of 15 Writing Competition (winners are listed on page 5), News & Events 2 new tours (pages 12-13 and 16-23), including a whose prize-winning article about amorous Tigers in portfolio of five Wildlife Photography tours to Tadoba National Park charmed us all (page 6). Conservation Donations 3-4 Zambia, Brazil’s Pantanal, Dartmoor, the Cairngorms Janet wins a Naturetrek holiday in Europe. We are and Northumberland, each led by an award-winning also pleased to announce the winners of our 2015 Writing Competition 5-7 wildlife photographer. In Central and South America, Photography Competition, Andrew Lapworth and we are offering two new birdwatching holidays to Jenny Grewal, and share their stunning photos Photography Competition 8-9 Colombia as well as a ‘Surf & Turf’ holiday to enjoy (page 8-9). Andean endemics and the rich birdlife supported by Focus on Brazil 10-11 the Humboldt Current in Peru. In Panama we have In addition, there’s an interview with Naturetrek’s an exciting new 2-centre butterfly tour, and in the far Operations Manager for Brazil, Dan Free, about the New: Photography Tours 12-13 south of the continent our new 18-day ‘Best of Chile’ Pantanal (page 10-11). Dan talks about some of the holiday goes in search of Blue Whales, Pumas and highlights from our 2015 Jaguar-watching tours, Big Cats 14-15 much more. We’re also launching a 16-day advises on which month is best for a visit and birdwatching holiday to Papua New Guinea to see outlines some of our exciting future plans for tours Focus on Colombia 16-17 its stunning birds-of-paradise and ‘Huli wigmen’, to this superb wetland. Finally, we have details of while closer to home we have two new holidays to our recent donations to Butterfly Conservation and New Tours for 2016/17 18-23 Scotland’s Ardnamurchan Peninsula: on the spring the World Land Trust, and tour leader Nick Acheson tour one of the highlights will be watching lekking reports back on his year-long quest in 2015 to see Late Availability 24 Black Grouse, and our autumn tour will coincide as many of the world’s big cats as possible! with the Red Deer rut. page one NEWS & EVENTS News from the Indian Subcontinent India Sri Lanka Tiger sightings have been very good in Over the last few months, over a hundred Kanha, Bandhavgarh, Tadoba and Pench people have travelled with us to Sri Lanka in National Parks; however, the beautiful search of the country’s endemic birds, its Central Indian reserve of Satpura continues elusive Leopards, fascinating culture and to hold the record for Sloth Bear and magnificent Blue Whales which arrive annually Leopard sightings — one evening safari in off the south coast … and the season hasn’t November yielded seven different individual ended yet! Our ‘Sri Lanka — Endemic Birds’ Sloth Bear sightings! At Panna National groups have managed to see all 33 endemics Park, the Tiger population has made an as well as over 150 other bird species. So far, amazing comeback from zero to a thriving 2015/16 has also proved superb for Blue (and sustainable) 35 individuals in the last Whale sightings, and as many as 12 Blue two years, and we’re pleased to report Whales in a single day have been seen on regular Tiger sightings at Bandhavgarh some of our ‘Sri Lanka — Blue Whales & National Park right from the beginning of the Leopards’ tours, and female Bryde’s Whales season. At Kanha National Park, the with calves have been seen. Leopard dominant male Tiger continues to charm sightings have included solitary males and everyone with his swaggering, defiant gait mating couples; an Indian Pangolin also made — you don’t need to be a Tiger, or an a surprise appearance. All of our ‘Sri Lanka — ethologist, to read his body language! Wildlife & History’ holidays have managed to Another pleasing development this season record more than 200 bird species, and up to has been the resurgence of Dhole (Asian 22 mammal species. Our ‘Wild Sri Lanka ... In Wild Dog) sightings which, though Style!’ group had a rare False Killer Whale negligible during the last two seasons, have encounter, and those on our Bargain been very consistent in the winter of Mammals tour saw Grey Slender Loris — 2015/16 so far. another rare treat! New Tailormade Brochure Four new destinations plus cruises! We are delighted to announce the release of our new Naturetrek Tailormade brochure! In addition to all our existing tailormade destinations, the new brochure also includes Kenya, South Africa, Argentina and Mongolia! In total we now feature 22 incredible wildlife destinations from across Africa, the Americas and Asia, as well as an introduction to some of our favourite wildlife cruises from around the world. Our team of expert wildlife consultants is on hand to discuss and assist Cirque de Gavarnie with your plans for future tailormade wildlife holidays, whether you should wish to visit our friendly offices or speak to us by phone or email. Join us anniversary To make an enquiry ... in the year Should you wish to make an enquiry to Order your free copy discuss a tailormade wildlife holiday itinerary, To receive your free copy, French please either call 01962 733051 or email Robin please call the Naturetrek Smith, Naturetrek’s Tailormade Holidays office on 01962 733051 or Pyrenees Manager, at [email protected] email Georgie at for our 30th [email protected] We look forward to hearing from you! Anniversary Tour Do join us to help celebrate our 30th anniversary in the French Pyrenees this summer. Many of our most New Face at HQ popular tour leaders and members of Alison Steel staff will be leading this special holiday in search of birds, wild flowers Alison joined our busy Operations Department in November and butterflies amongst spectacular 2015 and now assists with organising a wide portfolio of mountain scenery. tours. Following a BSc in Zoology at the University of Whilst our 10th June departure has Glasgow, Alison worked on various conservation projects been fully booked for some time, we including a 2-month stay in Ecuador studying still have places left on our Friday 3rd hummingbirds, and four weeks in Indonesia monitoring – Friday 10th June 2016 departure. bats, tarsiers and coral reef systems. Her travel experience also includes a 6-week trip to New Zealand which involved Please call Tom Mabbett on studying the natural history of the country. Alison has a bird- 01962 733051 or email ringing permit and she’s a keen wildlife photographer. We’re [email protected] for further very pleased to welcome her to the team! information. page two Call now or visit www.naturetrek.co.uk for your free Trip Itinerary. CONSERVATION Giant Antpitta Black-and-chestnut Eagle Cloudforest © Luis Recalde special, with species such as Black-and-chestnut Eagle, Andean Cock-of- the-rock and Giant Antpitta, while the Reserves’ mixture of primary and Naturetrek’s secondary cloudforest provides an extremely rich centre for plant endemism with nearly 200 plants (and counting!) found in the upper Rio Ecuadorian Cloudforest Pastaza watershed that are found nowhere else on Earth! In addition, because the Naturetrek Reserves connect higher altitude cloudforest to the vulnerable riparian forests along the valley floor, they Reserves are Extended! not only provide vital river access for large mammals and other species but also extend protection to the more diverse lower elevations that are n September 2015 Naturetrek donated a further $118,000 to not protected by the highland national parks in this watershed. For the Ecuadorian conservation charity Fundacion EcoMinga, via the example, a recently discovered and very rare tree, Blakea attenboroughii, IWorld Land Trust, in order to secure the purchase of four more plots of is not known from any national park yet is present in the Naturetrek land. These acquisitions will extend EcoMinga’s Naturetrek Reserves to a Reserves. total area of 996 acres, and our eventual aim is to fund the acquisition of sufficient land to build a protected forest corridor across the upper Rio It is also our aim to develop wildlife tourism, and an awareness of the Pastaza watershed in order to connect the Los Llanganates National Park, value and importance of our Reserves and the two national parks, in the to the north, with the Sangay National Park, to the south — a corridor that local town of Baños. Whilst it is already one of Ecuador’s major tourist has been classified by the World Wide Fund for Nature as one of the 200 destinations, Baños’ local tourism operators have yet to appreciate the most important in the world. Negotiations with local landowners for the value of the region’s unique potential for ecotourism. This is something remaining target sites have established both the potential for acquisition that we, at Naturetrek, hope we can influence … by demonstrating that for conservation, but also the threat of sale to agricultural developers. It is the area’s forest and its wildlife have economic value, and that a more Naturetrek’s aim to prevent the latter from happening. sustainable local economy is on the doorstep … an alternative to deforestation and farming. It was in 2007 that we began purchasing Ecuadorian cloudforest for this purpose, and we have now spent £197,550 of the £270,978 raised up It was with this in mind that our Tailormade Manager, Robin Smith, visited until now.