Pantanal and Caracas - Day 3 - 19/7 Pousada Aguape

6 o’clock breakfast and an amazing variety of birds coming to the feeding station just outside the restaurant area. Piles of cassava flour had been spread on the ground and there were feeders dotted about which had Baywing, Red-head and Crested Cardinals, Saffron Finches, Cowbirds. Toco Toucans posed on the posts and branches and Plush-crested and Purplish Jays darted in and out. Dozens of Nanday Parakeets and some Monk parakeets squabbled over the meal and various other birds popped in and out. Hyacinth Macaws were on the banana feeders.

We set off on a drive at around about 7.30 am heading out towards the camping area. We stopped for piping guan with chachalacas. Then we parked up and spent some time watching this area with Blue-crowned Trogon, a pair of Curassow and a young hawk. We parked near an aqueri palm which is one of the fruits that are fed to the different birds.

We walked on round to the river bank, scanning the bushes and tree trunks,with several wood-peckers, including White-fronted Woodpecker. There were lots of birds but not always easy to photograph, including Thrush-like Wren, Red-billed Scythebill, Narrow-billed Woodcreeper, Kingfisher and vultures, which cruised around the bushes and tree tops. In the top of one of the trees was a capuchin which was quite difficult to see and photograph. A Kiskadee enjoyed a bath in the edge of the river. Around the building we came across a coati which was enjoying his breakfast. Then we returned to the car and drove back to the road and across to another part of the estate. 

Driving across we had Seriema and a small group of Capuchin and then we drove into a rough field and stopped to scan the bushes. It was magic, birds everywhere. We had a manic hour where small birds were flitting in and out. Among the Seedeaters, Saltators and Antwrens were Chotoy Spinetail, Small-billed Ani and Wedge-tailed Grassfinch. It was so busy that it was difficult to concentrate on photographing the small birds zipping in and out.

Back for lunch which was buffet again with chicken or dry meat in noodles plus lovely freshly cooked French fries

Our afternoon drive took us to another area where we saw several herons, swamp deer, lots of little birds, including more seedeaters. We found another Anteater, some Capybara, a Crab-eating Fox and a Crab-eating Raccoon. 

We stopped at an area of wet where the road had been built up with red soil to make a causeway and walked along it. There were lorries passing up and down and we had to step off carefully as they went by. We saw Capped Donocobius, Caiman, and tried for a couple of things which we heard but didn’t see. The driver went back for the car and brought it along for us and we climbed back in. We drove round till it got dark with fireflies and the Milky Way making it quite magical. 

Dinner was beef or chicken, salad or rice plus a selections of sweets.

Pantanal and Caracas - Day 2 18/7 - Pousada Aguape

18/7/19

Up for 7 o’clock breakfast which was another buffet with a wide selection of cheese and meats, plus sausages in tomato sauce, and some lovely Brazilian dishes which were made from cassava flour and mixed with cheese, or filled with tuna or chicken plus a selection of fruit including two kinds of melon and pineapple.

We met up and checked out at 10 to 8, wandering out to wait for the bus to take us to the airport. A quick look round found vultures and a house wren before we boarded the bus to terminal two. A short stop to get money and then we started checkin, which went smoothly to start but, apparently, the gate closed half way through, even though the man continued to check in our luggage. We were told we would have to take the 3.00 pm flight but a little dismay and pressure and we were ‘rushed through’ with an escort taking us along the staff access channel, through security and onto the boarding gate where they re-opened the desk, scanned our boarding passes and let us onto the plane. A slight hiatus with missing boarding passes and a mislaid passport and then we were in our seats ready for the flight with at least 15 minutes to spare.

An uneventful flight with free water and we landed at Campo Grande an hour and a half later, met up with our luggage, which came off towards the end with Brenda’s the very last case off, found our driver and set off to Pousada Agaupe.

The drive was quite uneventful, although we did see southern Lapwing and our first Greater Rhea. A stop for lunch was welcome and we spent a bit of time checking out the birdlife around the cafe area. Our first Red-legged Seriemas were standing around at the end of the garden, but soon moved away. A Chachalaca, which would be very common through the trip, wandered through a tree into the denser part and there were several Sayaca Tanagers flitting about. There were a couple of Rufous Horneros and

Chalk-browed Mockingbirds feeding on scraps. Lunch was a choice of burgers with a variety of combinations or steaks. David and I shared a steak and Marco and the driver shared one, it came with rice, lettuce, tomato and chips and was very nice.

The journey continued on asphalt roads but then we turned off onto a dirt track. Part way down I shouted ‘STOP, Anteater’. The van backed up a few yards and there in a ditch beside the road was our first Giant Anteater accompanied by three or four Anis. It snuffled about for about five minutes before making its way through the grass into the field. In the trees around were Variable Orioles and a Shimmering-bellied Hummer. Carrying on we saw 9-banded Armadillo and Coati as well a a few birds, but viewing was difficult and we had a date with a tour round Pousada Aguape so we pressed on.

We were a bit late getting to the Pousada so we were given the choice of relaxing and spending some time at the feeders or dumping our stuff and going out for a ride, we went out for a ride.

The trucks have a bank of seats which are so high that you need a set of steps to get into them but they do give a great view over the surrounding fields. As we set out, I mentioned that one of my most wanted was Burrowing Owl, we did a 180 turn, bumped across a field and there was our first stop, one of my most wanted birds, a pair of burrowing owls. Something I’ve wanted to see for a while. We then drove some of the trails across the estate. We saw Capybara, Rosy Spoonbill, Crab Eating Fox, Caiman Rheas and Seriema amongst other things. Before arriving back for an hour before a lovely BBQ dinner.

There was some excitement after dinner when Brenda found a snake in the bathroom and a quick check for bats but with no response. There was also a frog in one of the sinks which is probably some kind of glass frog.

Brazil 2019 - Day 1 - 17/7 - Pantanal and Caracas.

17/7/19

Our long-awaited trip, to The Pantanal arrived and we left for the airport, giving ourselves about 4 hours in case of problems. The trip was organised by Neblina Forest from Ecuador, a company was had used several times before. They planned the itinery, booked the hotels, guides and transport so all we had to do was sort out the flights. The drive up was reasonable and we found the parking area, got the bus and had plenty of time at the airport to check in the luggage, meet up with Alan and Brenda and have something to eat.

It was an eleven hour flight with something to eat about an hour out, then I put in my earplugs, put on my eye shades, settled down with the Turtl pillow and slept most of the way to Sao Paulo where the landing was fine. We disembarked, waited for David to go back for his phone, collected our luggage and found our guide, Marco Selva, waiting for us. We were given the option to go to the hotel or go straight to Trilho dos toucans, we chose the toucans. After a short wait for the bus and driver, we loaded up and set off for a 3 hour drive. Some new and well made roads gave way to smaller roads, followed by muddy dirt tracks until we reached Trilho dosToucanos. As soon as we stopped and opened the door, the noise of birds was nearly deafening. This was a lovely Lodge with feeders at the door, several round the back and various trails and stations in the woods around.

A feeder at the entrance had a bewildering selection of tanagers, hummers etc. We stood around and watched before going in for tea/coffee and cake. We went through to more feeders on a wooden, covered area and more birds zipped about and squabbled over the food in two long wooden troughs. Woodpeckers, tanagers, toucans and especially the Saffron Toucan. 

We were handed bananas to hold out and almost immediately we had a variety of Tanagers, mainly Green-headed,  and Saffron Toucan feeding from the hand. There was a woodcreeper foraging among the leaves and a Blue Dacnis posed on one of the metal struts to allow a quick photo.

  

Lunch was a buffet choice with salad, beetroot etc, plus hot choices of beans, beef stew, rice, cheese and rice fritters or chicken fritters. This was followed by creme brûlée and a drink. Any crumbs left over were soon cleaned up.

We went out to the feeders again and then took a gentle walk but the light rain made it difficult. We were lent umbrellas from the lodge and we did see blond woodpecker, which is one I really wanted to see. There were some bushes in flower, some funghi and a lovely pink lichen, which is nest material for  one of the hummingbirds. We saw four different hummingbirds, Scale-throated and Saw-billed Hermits, Brazilian Ruby and Violet-capped Woodnymph which were all new for us.

We walked up a trail into the woods, stopping for Golden-crowned warbler and House Wren but the weather meant that it was quite quiet and damp and soggy so we returned via the accommodation 

block with Yellow-legged thrush.

We got back for coffee and cake then more time at the feeders as the rain became more steady and persistent. Looking out at the lake we were lucky to see Night Heron, two Blackish rails and a Green-and-rufous kingfisher, an unusual sight for here.

Around 5pm, as it was a three hour drive and we had to be up early the next morning for our flight to Cuiba, we reluctantly decided to call it a day and head back to the hotel where we booked in. A slight problem with the door key was sorted quickly and then we headed to the restaurant for a buffet dinner with a nice selection of beef, pork or chicken and chips, pasta and cassava. We did the log and went to bed after a really good initial introduction to the birds of southern Brazil.

Conference Birding - Israel day 2

After a comfortable night we were up and out early for a drive along the road. We stopped by the road and wandered into the bushes where we heard ..... . Just as we were returning to the car we saw a Sand Partridge scoot through a gap. Quietly creeping up we managed good views as it walked up beside the bushes and disappeared.

Our next stop was at a roadside cemetery where there was a Desert Lark feeding quietly on the verge. When we got out we could hear Green Bee-eater and Palestine Sunbird calling. Scanning the little vegetation we found them in a small tree at the entrance to the cemetery. There were two bee-eaters and they flew out and back several times before disappearing across the road but the Sunbird spent most of the time calling loudly from the middle of a small bush, making viewing difficult.
We spent some time scanning from the walled enclosure and saw, Buzzard and Brown-necked Raven overhead, a Scrub Warbler flicked through and a small family of Arabian Babblers moved through the brush, eventually coming out on the edge of the undergrowth and even hopping towards us giving stunning views.

Along the road we stopped by a bush and heard a warbler singing. We stopped but it was difficult to see. We also saw our first of many Blackstarts on the wire and a family of White-eyed Bulbuls feeding along the road edge, these birds were everywhere, wherever we went.
We returned for breakfast. settled up, packed the car and left to return towards Ein Gedi. We stopped at the cemetery again but it was quiet. We also stopped again along the road and identified the bird as a Lesser Whitethroat but it was still difficult to see.

We stopped at Ein Bokek Beach to fulfil one of my bucket list wishes with a swim in the Dead Sea. We found a place to park, John and I got changed and made our way to the water. Walking in was chilly but nothing too different, until I sank down into the water. My legs immediately came up and I had to balance and manoeuvre myself using my hands. Trying to stand up again was very difficult as my legs wouldn't drop, I had to force them down while keeping a balance. Trying to turn over to 'swim' was also almost impossible as the buoyancy of the water kept turning me back again. We showered under the fierce beach showers, got dressed and carried on towards Ein Gedi.

As we parked the first bird was a Tristram's Starling sitting on a boulder half way up the hillside. It wasn't easy to see and it flew off. We got out and wandered down the track. There were Painted Ladies everywhere, especially stopping to feed on the flowers of a small bush with pink flowers. There were two Fan-tailed Ravens flying about and several Eastern Bonelli's Warblers flitting through the trees. As they were so active they were difficult to photograph. Returning to the car park we found a very confiding Tristram's Starling which spent some time around the car park and in the rubbish bins, where it competed with White-eyed Bulbuls.

We drove on up the road with brief views of a Rock Hyrax on the edge of a palm grove. We were looking for Wadi En Salvadori but weren't quite sure where it was. We decided to turn round and retrace our footsteps. We checked the write up by Steve Arlow and navigated our way back to wadi with it's little blue sign. We parked here and made our way up through the boulders. On the opposite slopes were two Ibex which slowly made their way down, giving excellent views. The others went further up the slope scanning for Rosefinch while I stayed near the top of the rise. A nice White-crowned Wheatear gave good views but no luck with the Rosefinches. A Fan- tailed Raven with a ring and a radio tag landed on the side of the deep gorge and then flew off to join another one sitting on the telegraph pole.

We made our way back to Ne'ott Hakkikar and the Sckedi's Camp where we were due to meet up with Oded for a trip our looking for  nightjars. We checked in our accommodation and then had a wander round. It was an interesting place with some sculptures to look at. We had brilliant views of  It was self-catering and as we didn't have any food we went back to a garage area with a restaurant and had burgher and chips before returning in time to meet up with Oded.  

We set out just after dark and drove round the tracks towards the border area, which is off limits unless you have a permit, which Oded has. He showed us the border strip with soft soil to show up any footprints from anyone too close to the border. We stopped along the track and listened out for nighjars. we heard some calls and then one flew round the truck in the torchlight a couple of times before disappearing off into the night. We drove around many tracks and roads but, although we heard plenty of nightjars, we didn't see anymore. 

Conference Birding - Israel Day 1

The International Bird Observatories Conference 19 was being held in Eilat, Israel so we decided to make an early start by flying in on the Monday before and spending a few days birding on the way. The flight was an early one so it was a 2 o'clock drive to the airport collecting John from Alderney BO on the way. It was a 5 hour flight passing over Greece and the Med before landing at Ben Gurian Airport, Tel Aviv. We went through security fairly quickly and after a short wait, picked up the shuttle bus to the car hire compound. Collecting the car was quite lengthy but we were out and on our way in a Honda that was not quite as roomy as expected but proved adequate.

We were headed towards the Dead Sea on route one until we hit Jerusalem, where we got lost and spent some time driving round and round Mount Scopus. Using the GPS on the phone, we managed to work our way out back onto route one where we stopped at a roadside cafe and sampled the local Falafel which was very nice and filling. 

As we drove east we had our first sightings of Ring-necked Parakeets, *** By the time we got to the Dead Sea it was dark and we headed for Ein Gedi,  expecting to find a selection of hotels but there was nothing. At the point where the road went to Metzukei Dragot the road was closed and the road man put his hands across his chest and told us to go back. Fortunately, before we'd turned round he said, 'Road open' and waved us through after removing the barrier.
The drive down the Red Sea was interesting and there was lots of evidence of the recent storms. We were expecting to find accommodation easily but there was nothing until Neve Zohar where there was a complex of large hotels all of which were full except for one room for the three of us at 4000 shekels. The receptionist in the last hotel we tried was very helpful and got us onto Booking.com where we contacted The Lowest Place on Earth who were happy to book us in. We followed the instructions and arrived at a barrier where the watchman let us in, after checking that we weren’t going out with torches looking for birds, and told us to go straight down the road and it was on the right. When we got there we couldn’t see anyone. I phoned through and, apparently, we’d missed a right turn just after the barrier and had arrived at the lower entrance. The owner met us, jumped in and directed us round to the upper entrance. We unloaded and settled in with a cup of tea before turning in for the night.