Heading Back North

 After the amazing last couple of days, the journey north was very quiet with just Wandering Albatross, White-chinned and Great Winged Petrels. However, there was a real buzz from news that a possible Tristan's Albatross had been seen. We had spent a lot of time on our balcony because of rain and bad weather, watching Wandering Albatrosses and the Petrels. David was looking out for Royal Albatross and had photographed every albatross that had passed. When we got a message, not easy through the ship's address system which was only easy to hear from the corridor, that there had been a possible sighting of Tristan's. As we looked out as an unusual Albatross came round the ship, I even managed to photograph it, and it turned out to be the Tristan's. 

We tuned into a lecture by *** about Albatrosses and, of course, he mentioned and illustrated the possible Tristan's. 

The next morning  we were up and at the bow of the ship just after 5.00 and there was the Tristan's still floating around the bow and down the sides of the ship. 

The rest of the journey to Durban was pretty uneventful with a few cetacean sightings which usually had passed or were so distant that by the time the news came through there were well gone. We did manage to get Striped and Rough-toothed Dolphins in the scope but missed the others.

On Monday morning we could see Durban in the distance and the sun coming up over the skyline was quite atmospheric. There were Swift Terns and Grey-headed Gulls about as we headed for port, with the pilot coming out by helicopter. The boat gently nosed its way in and then did a slow pirouette before the thrusters pushed us into the berth. On the way in we saw Egyptian Goose, etc.

Journey South

The track that we followed over the week. 

Each day started at 5.00am with a quick cup of tea and a look out from the balcony, collecting our gear and the trek to the decks. Most days we spent on level seven, mostly on the port side, although we did move if the light changed and we did try the stern and the bows, although these tended to be busy. We went for breakfast in the buffet when we thought there was a quiet period. Lunch was the same, with a selection of hot or cold food, although on ‘Albatross’Thursday, we collected some bread rolls and cheese and ham and made sandwiches as it promised to be really good, and it was. We stayed out until around 7.30, when the light went before returning to our cabins and freshening up for dinner in the Restaurant on deck 6.

On Tuesday, we saw several species of Albatross, including Shy, Indian Yellow-nosed, Wandering and Black-browed. Northern Royal was also called. Several Petrels joined us with White-chinned, Great-winged, Soft-plumaged, Northern and Southern Giant Petrels. There’s was also and increasing number of Shearwaters, with Cody’s, Great, Manx, and Sooty seen, with Little also recorded. Storm Petrels also started to make an appearance and Leach’s, Wilson’s, White and Black-bellied Storm Petrels being recorded. We managed to miss the Leach’s and Wilson’s. 

On the Wednesday, Prions started to appear in good numbers, the majority were Salvin’s but there were Antarctic, Broad-billed, Slender-billed and Fairy reported. Albatrosses included Grey-headed and Sooty as well as those from the day before. There weren’t many Shearwaters recorded, just Little and Sooty and similar species of  Storm Petrels. It was the sheer numbers of Albatross and Prion that held the interest.

Thursday dawned dry and warm and promised to be the best day as we were close to and going to go round Prince Edward and Marion Islands. We got up a little earlier, managed to coollect a cup of tea and set ourselves up near the rail on deck 7. This has been named as Albatross Thurdsday and the number of birds was amazing. We shot upstairs for breakfast and made up some sandwiches to take back. This proved a good choice as we really wouldn't have wanted to miss anything because of lunch. Later in the morning various Penguins started to appear. The majority were Macaroni and King but a Gentoo surfaced in my scope, looked around and then dived again. Among the macaroni it's possible we saw Southern Rockhopper but it was very difficult to identify them so we haven't counted them, a shame as they are different from the ones we saw in the Falklands and not easy to see except at Marion.

 Among the Wandering, Grey-headed, Indian Yellow-nosed and Sooty Albatross we had great views of Light Mantled Albatross, as well as Great-winged, Northern & Southern Giant, Soft-plumaged White-chinned and White-headed Petrels. We also had several reasonable views of Common Diving Petrel. Among the smaller birds we had Fairy and Slender-billed Petrel, Black-bellied, Grey-backed and Wilson's Storm Petrels and a Subantarctic (Brown) Skua. There were several other prions and petrels called but not easy to be sure of identity.

Because of the imminent bad weather, we only had a half hour before the captain turned the boat around and headed back north at speed. It was a real shame but the storm could have delayed us by 2/3 days and may have caused a very uncomfortable ride.

Embarkation Day.

Following several communications about moving embarkation forward because of a potential storm which could keep us in port for several days, we were told to be at the port by 9.30am. We had an early cup of tea and at 7 o’clock said goodbye to *** and left for port. It was slightly stressful, we weren’t sure where the car drop off was, but we found the port and the boat and asked if we could leave our luggage while we took the car back. In retrospect, it would have been easier to take the car back to the airport and catch the shuttle that MSC had arranged for cruise people. I turned my data back on and, using Google maps we found the drop off fairly easily, first filling up with fuel. We asked if it was possible for someone to drive us to the port, which they agreed and we managed a very complicated route but at least we got dropped off in the port. The checkin & test procedures were very impressive and remarkably quick. The final lateral flow test was negative and we were on. We found our cabins, and had a look round while waiting for our luggage to arrive. The balcony was great and I’m so glad we got an upgrade. We left harbour early and anchored just off-shore while they sent four shuttle boats back for 49 passengers to board who had not managed to change their travel arrangements. We were just opposite Robin Island and there was plenty to look at, with Swift Terns and Humpbacks while waiting. It was very warm. We went through the mandatory safety briefing, rang down to confirm we had watched the video, collected life jackets and ‘proceeded to our muster stations’ by which time the missing passengers had had an interesting time boarding the boat and we could set off.  

We tried both sides on deck seven, as well as looking at the bow, but it was a bit crowded so we returned to deck seven. There were Common, Swift, and Sandwich Terns and Hartlaub’s, Kelp and Sabine’s Gulls as well left and we enjoyed seeing the Cape Fur Seals hauled out on the buoys as we left.

dinner with Helen/Richard +

A day relaxing with Penguins and a drive round the Cape Point Nature Reserve. 23rd January 2022

 Naturally, it was an early start, with a cup of tea and leaving by about 6.00am. We decided to go and see the Penguins first, while looking for breakfast, so we drove back to Boulders Beach car park which was almost full by now. 

Still one of my favourite signs.  

We found a gap to squeeze into and parked up. There weren’t the numbers we saw last time and the entrance gate to the penguin sites has been moved forward to the exit from the car park. We found out later that the path along the top was still there and free but it was difficult to see among the people. We spent a bit of time by the wall and a Penguin came out onto the rocks to preen. Around the rocks were a Cape Wagtail and a rock agama.

The local cafe obviously had a vested interest in the penguins with this ‘advertising’ idea. 

We then drove west to the Cape Point Nature Reserve, just before the entrance we stopped for a Rock Kestrel and then entered the reserve, having to pay the International visitor rate. The reserve is part of the Table Mountain National Park and covers the southernmost point, includint the Cape of Good Hope. It's natural vegetation is Fynbos, one of the smallest but richest of the world's six floral kingdoms. 

We drove through to the Cape Point car park where we scanned around, had a baguette and a coke followed by an ice cream.

Around the car park we saw Red-wing Starling, Grey-backed Cisticola, Cape Bunting, Fiscal Shrike, Rock Martin, Cape Sugarbird, Cape Robin among others. There was a small troop of Chacma Baboons which were chased away by a couple of rangers, all of whom were equipped with a catapult to help deter them from attacking visitors. Later on we saw one or two who had braved the rangers to raid the bins. 

We then retracedour steps and drove down to The Cape of Good Hope. On the way we saa a small group of Eland feeding not far from the road. At the point there weren't a lot of birds, apart from Cape Cormorant, Kelp Gull, Black Oystercatcher, Egyptian Geese and Cape Wagtail. After taking the obligatory picture of the sign we made our way back and across to Oliphants Bos. 

On our way across we very pleased to see a Bontebok feeding in the distance, so we stopped at a bridge and scoped it as well as taking a few pictures. In the stream there were a couple of frogs, different sizes but same species. The weather was deteriorating, with a sea fret growing from the coast area but we carried on. We had a small flock of Yellow Bishops in some reeds and the flowers were very colourful.

Arriving at Oliphants Bos we found a sizeable flock of Bontebok with a troup of Baboons feeding across the grass and in the bushes. On the beach there was a wreck of seaweed which had hundreds of Hartlaub's, Kelp Gulls and Black Oystercatchers feeding and across the sand there was Blacksmith, Kitlitz, Ringed Plovers, Greenshank, Egyptian Geese and Sacred Ibis with possible Bank Cormorant among the Cape Cormonrats. There were Swift, Common and Sandwich Terns flying back and forth 

We spent some time scanning the beach and then looked around the bushes and reedy atreas. We found several birds zipping around the reeds which were Cape Grassbirds and some Levailant's Cisticola plus a species of *Prinia. 

As we returned to the car we saw a Malachite Sunbird and a Bokmakieri sitting up in the bushes. The rules state you had to be out by 6.00 pm so we set off back towards the gate and made it by 5.45. We decided against going north to Kommetjie so set off back towards Simonstown, stoping at a couple of areas to scan over the sea. At one of these, a SA birder came up to us and asked if we were looking for BAnk Cormorant, and pointed out they were on the left hand side of the rock below us, amongst the Cape Cormorant. There was also a small colony of Cape Fur Seals hauled out.

We headed back to Boulders and as we entered the car park, we were told it was shut and to go outside into an upper car park. As we turned round we saw a Dassie sitting up on the wall. Not something we had seem before, so we took a couple of minutes to photograph it before parking up.

There were three African Penguins loafing around and a scan found a Water Dikkop among the boulders. We took a few more photos and enjoyed the quiet without the visitors before returning to Froggy on the 

Pond to freshen up before heading back to Simonstown for dinner. Being a Sunday it was even quieter than last night and we ended up having another lovely steak and chips at Bertha’s. Back at the B&B we packed up ready for a early start in the morning.

 

Kirstenbosch Gardens and Simon's Town - 22nd January 2022

 We managed to park in a shaded area of the Car Park and paid the Internation fee for entry. We stopped for a drink before carrying on into the gardens. It was extremely hot and ennervating so we walked slowly along the paths to a shady area with a bridge over a small stream. An Egyptian Goose flew in and stood on the bridge for a while.

We spent most of the afternoon in the gardens slowly making our way up towards the Protea garden. As I sat in the shade a couple of english birders came down the path saying that there was a fruiting fig tree just up from the bridge that had a variety of birds coming and going, including Cape White-eyes, Forest Canary, Bully Canary, Cape Batis etc. There were also two Hadeda picking up fallen fruit and completely oblivious to our presence. 

Carrying on up we had good views of Dusky Flycatcher, Alpine and Black Swift, Black Sawwing and the usual collection of Speckled Mousebird, Red-wing Starling, Olive Thrush, Fiscal Shrike, Cape Turtle Dove, and Kelp and Hartlaub's Gull.

There were also some fast flying butterflies that proved almost impossible to photograph, including a very showy Swallowtail and a couple of lizards basking in the sun.

Among the flowering Proteas we managed to see a Cape Sugarbird and on the way out there were a group of Guineau Fowl with a single Cale Spurfowl. 

Returning to the car we made our way to Simon's Town, having to turn on the phone to navigate our way. A slight overshoot and then we turned up the road to Froggy on the Pond, where our host was waiting for us, telling us to go further up and turn round before parking on the side of the road and unloading our luggage. The driveway was very steep and then two sets of steps had to be negotiated before we reached our accommodation. The view was great and the rooms very comfortable. We settled in and then drove back to Simionstown for some food. We parked in the square, with an accompanying 'guard' and went to look for soemwhere to eat. Most of the places were closed by now but we found Bertha's Bar down by the harbour which served a lovely steak and chips with a nice cold coca cola. 

when it came time to leave, the outer door had been locked so someone had to come and let us out. We gave our 'guard' the price of the cap park and returned to Froggy on the Pond to crash out, after what seemed like a very long day.

Flock to Marion and the Sani Pass

  We first booked on the Flock to Marion cruise with Bird Life, South Africa in March 2020. The pandemic was not really even a consideration, something that would be over in a few months!!! We then thought about what to do pre and post cruise. The plan was for us to visit Kruger for a week, getting to Durban for the cruise and then a day or so round Cape Town before flying back. Over the next two years the cruise was postponed, the route turned round and we were booked onto three different ships. In the process we got a cabin upgrade from Ocean View to Balcony, which was a real bonus. 

  The cruise was eventually confirmed for January 2022 but until just before Christmas, there was no guarantee the the UK government would allow travel to SA and a fortnight before it was confirmed the boat would be allowed to sail. We booked flights, car hire and accommodation in Cape Town and organised a post cruise three day extension to visit the Sani Pass into Lesotho. To enter SA we needed a PCR test 48 hrs before flying. The options were to do a postal test or a drive thru/personal visit. The postal test proved difficult because of our late flight time, which made it difficult to get it in the post in time to get the results back but we found a place in Folkestone that tested in situ and got the results back within 24 hours. We also had to organise a test in Cape Town Airport before boarding the ship. All that was left was to pack. 

A flat battery and a crash that blocked the road added to the stress but as we had allowed plenty of time, we had time for an all day breakfast and a look in the perfume department. Terminal two at Heathrow was amazingly empty, although the flight was pretty full.  

A short two hour stopover and we were on our way to Cape Town. We settled into our seats set up a video, had a not too bad meal of salad and lasagne, with a very yummy chocolate cake and cheese.  For some reason, although I managed to get off to sleep, I woke again fairly quickly and then couldn’t get back to sleep. It was one of the most uncomfortable overnight flights I think I have experienced. Breakfast was a semi spicy green tinged wrap with yoghurt and the weakest tea you could imagine.

  We landed earlier than we expected and I got offered a wheelchair ride. This took us through the queues, passport checkin desk and into luggage claim quicker than I have ever done. The sting was “then you can give me something” not deterred by the fact that I only had a fiver, she was happy to change it!

The temperature was 36+, a wall of heat as we exited the plane and went to see if we could change our test. We could but it involved rebooking, a lengthy process but sorted eventually. Then we collected our car, relatively painless but it was very hot. We thought we’d try and get up Table Mountain but couldn’t find the right road, not helped by neither of us remembering to bring a map. So we headed for Kirstenbosch, as a sign appeared for that.

Pantanal and Caracas - Day 14 30/7 - Bello Horozonte - Sanctuaria - Home

Tuesday 30th Homeward Bound.

Our last day in Brazil. I decided to forgo the early morning walk round so that I could get my hair washed and my case packed. David and Alan still went out and did a trail to a viewpoint half way up a mountain. I met up with Brenda around 7.30 and we made our way to breakfast. There was only one oven burning this morning which made it a little more difficult as everyone had to cook round one side and the fire was very fierce at one end and not very hot at the other which meant that the omelettes were burnt almost before you put them on the griddle or took ages to cook. The boys turned up a little later. Because of the bad state of the roads and the many roadworks Marcelo was keen to get going so we settled up our bill, loaded the van and set off, stopping on the way for a short walk to the Grand Tank on the Titi monkey trail. These animals used to be common but are now very rare in the area after an outbreak of Yellow fever wiped most of them out and we didn't have any luck. The tank was very peaceful with a small waterfall. We had some nice birds, including and the usual group photo before leaving at 10.30 for the drive to the airport. 

The road works were slow going and some of the bumps were quite fierce. It took about three and a half hours before we arrived at the airport with plenty of time. We checked in our baggage then went to eat a subway lunch before saying good bye to Marcelo and going through security for our 4.10 flight back to São Paulo. For a short, one hour flight it was one of the more eventful flights with strong turbulence and a rainstorm that meant the plane aborted its original landing as we were on final approach, going up high and round again for about 10 minutes before eventually coming in with quite a heavy landing. We collected our luggage and then trekked through the airport to terminal three where we checked our luggage in with about four hours to spare. We went through security and then walked through till we found a cafe area where Alan had a pizza, Brenda and I had  pasta and David a burger. The pasta came and then the pizza but no burger or French fries. Eventually we enquired about the burger and it had been missed, but was ordered again, same as the French fries. A waiter was passing with some and he was told to give them to Brenda and go back for more. It did seem like there were some problems with management as the order was certainly written down ok. We wasted a bit more time looking through the shops and managing to get three free coffee tickets so we returned to the cafe, drank the coffee, bought a drink for the flight and then walked on to our gate for our 23.50 flight back to Heathrow.