two pics from latest trip and two for guessing what they are

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.

This incense is under threat according to news i heard, the Boswellia Sacra tree produces incense when tapped like a rubber tree. It grows in north East Africa, Yemen and Oman. Cited causes of decline are climate change, over tapping and over grazing.

From Yellow taxi, ” well you don’t know what you’ve got till its gone”, and Elton ” its sad. so sad, its a sad sad situation”  its all in the songs but we don’t learn from them or any other medium.

Been trying to get the Science magazine that has an article on the plight of sea birds, heh seems we are over fishing the oceans, who will eat the last sea caught white fish, in a supper?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Nations_Framework_Convention_on_Climate_Change

we have had 17 conferences of the parties (COPs) on climate change, many more than i had thought, so where are we on controlling harmful emissions? I would say deadlocked.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Skeptical_Environmentalist

A flickering light of hope from a Danish Candle? well I’m sceptical about that now, where to turn?

no leadership, single malt and a single fish sir?

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.

Seems to me that politics and economics are failing each other and the people it is meant to help prosper, hence the  99% demonstrations. The system has failed and is failing, I do not believe the Euro zone will cohere to a unified whole all acting for the “zone”, in the UK the pension costs are a tad below 6% of GDP, in Greece they are 12% and in Italy they are 14%, can you see the rest of the Euro zone paying for that? or can you see the people of Greece and Italy taking a hit on their promised pensions? This is just one example of many of the fiscal fractures over which plasters are being stuck down with rhetoric.

Why is it so difficult to predict what will happen? it’s Global, interlinked, a woven web, relies on confidence, will not rely on altruism, money is a commodity, it must make more money for those who have it and control it. The market place will suit the market place, that’s why we have institutions and companies that are too big to fail, a global political failure now well observed. The purpose of this post? frustration at politics and economics and failure of it to work for the people or be understood to the extent that measures can be taken to make it work.

Those cynical and or wise could postulate that “who said it should work for the people?” at some point if it does not, it will fail anyway, especially with the new democracy of social internet sites, just look at Moscow and the peoples reaction to the recent election.

What is chinas economic model? for it has lifted 627 million people out of poverty, unprecedented in human history, India another billion person economy has the largest difference between rich and poor, a system that democracy (with corruption) seems to develop. Russia I have never understood but appears to be like India, super rich, and queuing poor, again with corruption.

In this global inter-weaved market place, if Brazil, India and China don’t buy our goods or services, we will be in decline, which I believe will happen anyway due to the UK’s governments cuts and not trying to grow the economy. What can I say, another failure!

This is a belated birthday gift as I just couldnt finish the damn thing in time (probably because I didnt start it early enough). Its still a work in progress however so updates will be fairly regular!

Ive also upgraded to the latest version and done all your plugins too.