Increased nest success is the direct result of efforts to place predator-proof fencing around 59 acres of primary nesting areas.   The fence design came from New Zealand, another fascinating island archipelago where seabirds struggle against predation by introduced predators such as rats, cats, dogs, and mongooses.  Large seabird chicks born in burrows and often on their own for periods of time as adults go to sea to feed particularly vulnerable.   Last year, one of our Naturalist Journey’s tour groups visited one of these fenced “ecological islands” New Zealand, and saw first-hand the robust construction required to keep predators OUT.

The fence was completed in March, 2011, in time for the seabird nesting season.  In addition to the more numerous Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, sixty-five Laysan Albatross pairs set up nesting on site; about half of them producing chicks, and this number is hoped to more than double in the next five years.  Laysan Albatross on low-elevation islands of northwestern Hawaii suffered a high degree of loss in last year’s tsunamis. Kaʻena Point is a safer, higher, elevated site, an example of what may be needed if sea levels rise with climate change. It is hoped that other species may be attracted to the site, including Black-footed Albatross.  Participants on our Naturalist Journey’s Hawaii tour with seabird expert Doug Pratt should have great looks at the enormous Laysans and their chicks.

The fence in Hawaii is 6.5 feet tall, reinforced with a mesh skirt buried below ground and a wire hood curving out above.  Marine grade mesh protects direct entry, and painting the fence green has lessened its visual impact to park visitors.  The cost estimate was $250,000 and it took about five weeks to install.  This was a joint state (Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources), federal (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), and private (several non-profit NGO’s).  Essentially, with the fence in place, managers have created a “mainland island”, important safe nesting habitat for magnificent Laysan Albatross alongside the more numerous Wedge-tailed Shearwaters.

Naturalist Journeys offers a Hawaii tour nearly every year, as for birders, Hawaii is an important location for seeing tropical seabird species in addition to its legendary endemic honeycreepers.  Two species are endemic to the islands, Hawaiian Petrel and Newell’s Shearwater; both can be encountered on pelagic birding trips.  The day cruise we take off the west coast of Kauai is ideal for our search, and there is still space on this year’s Hawaii tour.  Join Doug Pratt, the Birds of Hawaii and the Tropical Pacific field guide author, who will is in his element on deck as the boat plies the waters between Niihau and Lehua, in addition to the endemics calling out Black Noddies, Wedge-tailed Shearwaters, Laysan and Black-footed Albatrosses, up to three types of tropicbirds, Black and Brown noddies, Greater and Lesser frigatebirds and Red-footed, Masked and Brown boobies, and one year, a Christmas Shearwater.  Through ecotourism, projects such as this predator-proof fence can find support and with that, seabirds will prosper.  The journey also highlights seabirds when visiting scenic Kilauea Lighthouse on Kauai. Tour dates are Feb. 26-March 9, 2012.

Their focus is on the most critically endangered of the surviving Maui honeycreepers, the Maui Parrotbill and `Akohekohe’ or Crested Honeycreeper, both rare species we are typically successful at finding on our tours with Doug.  The team combines habitat management work with research to better understand reasons for continued population decline.  Reasons for decline of several Maui forest-associated birds includes: habitat loss, introduced predators and ungulates, and introduced diseases.  On all the islands, exotic diseases such as avian malaria and avian pox restrict forest birds to high elevations where invertebrate vectors and disease organisms cannot survive cooler temperatures.

Maui Parrotbills live in extraordinarily lush and beautiful forests and they are rare. The Maui Bird Recovery Project monitors nesting success on existing habitat (TNC Waikamoi Preserve is a stronghold) and is also working on habitat recovery to support a restored population on the drier east side of Maui, where avian malaria is less of a threat.  Parrotbills favor mature Koa forests. Regrowth of forests between existing healthy stands in riparian areas depends on fencing OUT pigs and invasive animals. Saving “Kiwikiu” (the native name for Maui Parrotbill) requires dedication and funding. We know the dedication portion of this measure for success is in place with Hanna and her team. We can help with funding. Naturalist Journeys, LLC supports The Maui Bird Recovery Project and hopes that our Blog readers will too.

Do read their archived newsletters on www.mauiforestbirds.org. The behavior and breeding ecology of Kiwikiu is fascinating and we are learning more every year. You’ll learn about a strange “divorce”, “super pairs” that retain larger than life territories producing young every year, and about young that won’t leave –staying with parents for up to 17 months.  The organization’s website is full of information and full of HEART – a lot of effort goes into their work and their commitment is obvious browsing this site. You can also spread the news of their work by clicking the LIKE button on their Facebook site.

Photo: Maui Parrotbill, from the website of www.mauiforestbirds.org

Crowned Crane,   photo by Alex Vargo                  

November is bringing rain to Nairobi National Park, starting again the cycle of growth which makes life possible for newborns and nesting birds.  A post from local experts at a conservation group is entitled: Water, Water Everywhere.   We are watching closely, as Naturalist Journey’s Kenya wildlife and birding safari begins here February 5th – perfect timing to see the results of this abundance.  We have space for three more persons!

With Nairobi National Park just 7km. from the city, we make the transition to safari life very quickly on arrival in Kenya.  In fact from the porches of our lodge we can see wildlife in the classic, open savannah scenery.  Once a great migration, rivaling that of the Serengeti Plains took place here, passing from Mount Kenya far to the south.  Early settlers witnessed it, riding horses through herds of antelopes, wildebeest and other herbivores, always on the lookout for lions, cheetah, and leopards.  A corridor still links wildlife of this park with the Athi-Kapiti Plains to the south, retaining a portion of that migration. The park is fenced on the north side by the city, but open on its southern side.

Nairobi National Park feels significant. Close to a population center and the protection of wardens, rare Black Rhinos can survive.  White Rhinos were transferred here from Nakuru National Park, and this September a female gave birth to a calf that perhaps we’ll see!  Thousands of Kenyan children come to learn about their heritage of wildlife; some will be inspired to work as wardens, or in safari tourism, so key to a continued legacy of conservation in this country. The Ivory Burning Site Memorial provides testimony to Kenya’s stand against a once-epic decline of African Elephants.

As a guide I like Nairobi National Park’s rest stops along permanent streams and the Hippo Pools, areas, where we can get out, stretch and walk, get a possible close up look at Crowned Cranes, and some of the small, colorful birds. The landscape is beautiful, with escarpments, large trees arching over the Athi River, and a grand sense of space.  I’m fascinated by some of the research being conducted here, like a GPS tracking of Leopards, with insights into how this elusive predator exists close to a populated area.  There are at least five different males, and likely 10 or more Leopards right in Nairobi National Park!  What I like best is the sense of all we have ahead of us, on safari, in weeks to come.

Leopard Hunting Squirrels

A Leopard Engrossed in its Task

Hotel Mocking Bird Hill, photo courtesy of hotel

Crafting nature travel is different than “regular” travel, in which you often pick a favorite hotel and then look for activities.  As a nature tour company, our challenge is that we are drawn first to nature’s riches, fabulous forests with birding hotspots, or open plains great for mammals; after finding these we look for where we might stay, and how we’ll keep ourselves fed while exploring often remote areas. In some places like Great Bend, Nebraska, or Kingsville, Texas, we use a chain, or mom and pop’s type of hotel – whatever is the best option to be near the birds for our early wanderings. But in some places, we SCORE – we find that perfect harmony of nature and place. Some of our best finds allow us some affordable pampering, perfect for a real vacation, a treat as many tours approach birding seems as a vocation rather than vacation. We like to offer both.

The Hotel Mocking Bird Hill in Jamaica is a place we can offer both with assurance. They have won numerous awards for being GREEN, sustainable, and responsible.  They are totally networked into Jamaica’s quiet north coast community of Port Antonio, which supplies organic foods and the fun-loving, friendly staff they depend on to welcome you with ease. This Inn has just 10 rooms. The public areas for relaxing, and the dining room overlook a beautiful pool, one framed by flowering trees and, in the distance, a view of the blue Caribbean. Six and half acres of gardens invite the birds to come see YOU, and they have selected a great series of field trips, none too far away, to let us see Jamaica’s endemic birds in a variety of habitats. We use another lodge, Forres Park, on the southern side of the island above Kingston, for a perfect pairing of access to these habitats.

Jamaican Streamertail

Narca Moore Craig leads our journey March 31-April 6, 2011.  Her gracious style blends well with Hotel Mocking Bird Hill’s, and her expansive knowledge in this location will help you see that the Caribbean is in essence an ecologically richer Galapagos, with a similar story of evolution, less publicized but very appealing. She’s spent time on Cuba, the other Caribbean Island that hosts close to thirty endemic bird species. Comparing the islands and their source areas for species from nearby Central America is a delight for fans of biogeography.  Read more on her BLOG, and consider joining Narca on our journey – timed for the pulse of warblers heading north in bright breeding plumage, and for a great chance to see the island’s endemics. With Narca you’ll find time to study tropical blooms, butterflies, birds and more!   

Jamaican Tody

Naturalist Journeys, LLC Calendar

Jamaica – Full Itinerary

Bird photos by Peg Abbott

Women with School Children at a Nature Reserve, India Photo by Peg Abbott

My small community hosts Forums with invited lectures, and for this I called my talk on India, the Colors of India.  When I reviewed my photos (countless photos!)  from Tiger stripes to market vendors, peacock tails to people that we encountered in cities and rural villages, color was the essential element of all.

India is a paradise for the photographer. People seem fine with the lens facing their way, they go on about their lives with little notice. And their lives are vibrant. Day to day we encountered weddings, women forming fuel from cattle dung, five persons stuffed onto a Susuki, markets filled with fruit.  In nature we found stunning birds with electric hues – some of my favorites being several species of kingfishers.  Even herons and storks don bright feathers in India!  

What I like about our Naturalist  Journey’s tour is the marvelous blend of nature and culture. Every drive between nature reserves and World Heritage Sites provide adventure. Drives pass quickly, as all around life if happening, people coming and go, by every conceivable form or transport imaginable.  In India, it seems like you can feel the color.  In winter, to unwind in their lovely climate, with varied habitats amid all this color feels divine!  And the dark eye of the Tiger, set against its special blend of orange, is rivaled only by the tones of tiles that line the stunning Taj Mahal.  An intricate maze of color that knits this edifice together, and time in the early morning at the Taj to see fine light is essential.  Consider INDIA as a great winter escape this next February 12-23, 2012.

A Typical Market in India photo by Peg Abbott

A Young Couple on the Road in India    photo by Peg Abbott

In this time of frugality, when we think we are challenged financially here in the USA, a visit to India is heartwarming, encouraging and promotes one’s sense of humor, along with endurance.

I open my Colors of India show with a long section of images under the theme of transportation.  I say LONG section, because you would marvel at the imagination they have for defining the word “vehicle” and you would marvel at what they can haul on a bicycle!  In India, there is almost no segregation of traffic modes. The only rule I surmised was that large semi-trucks could not pass through large urban areas in daylight hours, so you’d see long lines of colorfully decorated carriers waiting outside the cities. Other than that, the roads mix oxcarts, motorcycles, camels, bicycles, cars, pedestrians and a host of curious vehicles such as bicycles with platforms and extra tires geared for hauling. I have a photo of a man riding a bicycle with a full length ladder balanced, his head somewhere towards the top third. I have a bicycle hauling a couch, and another hauling a stack of olive oil cans that approached the size of a small pyramid. We watched a young couple leave the city just two on a motorcycle, but with their suitcase fastened behind. Most motorcycles, to us the size of dirt bikes, carried at least three or four, and Jean Bassett, with us from Tucson, scored a photo of five! 

 The word Taxi takes on new meaning in India. There are bicycle taxi’s, and small truck taxis, and then large long-haul taxis where people seem to pile in three deep.  When we pass they waive and smile. They are going somewhere, and never alone.  Our Indian guide says when in the US he feels lonely, not enough action or people around. 

I remember returning to the hotel, tired from a full and wonderful day of birding in wetlands where we watched Painted Storks. As we came to a halt, a camel pulling a heavy load came careening around the corner, and ended up with its chin next to my window. Somehow it never missed a stride and kept right on going. In the midst of New Delhi there are corners where horses can rest and feed, sort of a corral amid the chaos. January and February is a time of weddings, so its not unusual to see a horse all decorated with flowers, ready to carry the bride or groom. Everywhere women wear traditional dress, and their lovely shawls and skirts flow – like butterflies. They offer such beauty in between all the hustle and bustle. We could not figure out how they keep so clean!  Every outing is an adventure!  Join us in 2012, February 12-23.

Young Dholes Play in India on Safari    photo by Peg Abbott

There are many marvelous mammals to observe on safari in India. One of my finest memories from one of India’s Tiger Reserves, seeing a Sloth Bear, early one morning, lope across an open field, into the woods.  On this trip, Asian deer were new to me, and alarm calls of the Barking Deer stand out as exceptionally memorable – perhaps because they pointed us to Tigers. Seeing Tigers on several days was a thrill, and on our last journey, we found their smaller cousins, Leopards, on four occasions.  But I’m canid fan, so seeing a group of Dholes, (Indian Wild Dogs) was a highlight even beyond the Tigers (which were, totally amazing!). 

I had seen Wild Dogs in Africa and this one is a different species, but their antics were much the same.  Our jeep, with keen-eyed guide Avi Sarkel at the helm, took a quiet road as we all fanned out from that morning’s Tiger spotting. He stopped dead in the track, and not far ahead, were belly-full, satiated Wild Dogs. It was still cool, and the young ones were restless, frisky, wanting some action. The older ones wanted rest and no part of that. Each had unique markings on the face and ears. We had them all to ourselves for about twenty minutes until some other jeeps arrived. The contrast in India of being inside a reserve or park, and outside with either village or urban life, is quite remarkable. That day in the jeep, parked next to these rare mammals, we were in the heart of a wild realm. Wonderful! 

Papua New Guinea: Mt. Hagan, Faces of the Show

The Mt. Hagan Show has to be one of the most outstanding festivals on Earth. It is an absolute kaleidescope of color and sound. The visual pleasure of seeing so much color and motion, while being surrounded by clear air and tall mountains was sublime. The event allows tourists to wander right in amongst the competitors. Numerous tribes are represented, and each has their own brand of style of dress. Only enlargement of our photos will reveal all the wonders of decoration, from waist to headdress, what a display before our eyes.
We saw special groups, such as the widows, women – young and old – who dress simply, covering their bodies with a chalk-like mud, dancing with somber faces as if lost in a rhythm we could not touch. There were men completely covered in moss and lichens, women wearing lovely drapes of bark cloth, grass and cloth skirts on men and women that raised and lowered as they danced to vibrant drums. A keen ear one could sort out the different chants sung by each village – the sum total being hypnotic in effect.
At times a dance group would rush to the outer circle and perform, approaching us with spears, nostril decorations, beaks of hornbills and cassowaries draped around their necks, full Crowned Pigeons fanned out with various parrots and lorikeets facing head down, valued for their color. In a country with so little, these birds provide feathers as if gems. There were reams of pendulous breasts, from young to old, powdered or polished with red ochre, moving with the rhythm of the day. Not a one of us present will ever forget this day!

www.naturalistjourneys.com 866 900 1146 If you would like a link to a Picassa Album of more Mt. Hagan Show images, or request a Free Brochure, please email us at info@naturalistjourneys.com. Enjoy!

Indian Tiger – Photo Courtesy of Sunrise Birding

Ranthambhor is one of the largest national parks in Northern India and encompasses over 1300 square kilometers.  With turquoise lakes, rugged hills and over 270 bird species, this landscape is the favored habitat for one of the largest cats in the world – the critically endangered Tiger!

There are between 35 and 40 Tigers in the park this year and it is one of the best places in the world to observe this majestic cat.  We have a very good chance of seeing these magnificent animals as we drive through a park steeped in Rajasthani culture. Please join host Greg Smith on our February 2012 journey – India: Tigers, Birds and the Taj Majal!