Owls about that!

Although the reason for coming to Bella Coola was to photograph Bears, the birdlife, although sparse, can be equally spectacular.  This morning we left our accommodation and headed towards the bear viewing platform, pausing briefly to pay our respects to the Moose and the mum and cubs Grizzlies that were by the road.  As we neared the turnoff to the platform, I saw something drop into the grass by the road.  Thankfully with no other traffic around us, I slowed right down until up from the grass flew an owl, and thankfully perched in a tree right by the road.  Frantically trying to open the sunroof to poke my lens out of, pulling my groin in the process, there completely unbothered by us was a stunning Barred Owl.

Having spent an fruitless hour on the platform with nothing but a singing American Dipper and a family of Downy Woodpeckers to pass the time, we started the long drive back to Williams Lake.  Just after the crest of 'The Hill', I slammed my brakes on, when sat on top of a dead tree by the road was a Hawk Owl.  It flew across the road and perched on another tree though not particularly close to the road where we could watch it for several minutes.

Identity Crisis

Having endured the 10 hour flight to Vancouver followed by the diversion on the route over Whistler to Williams Lake and then the long drive west to down the infamous "Hill" (which really isn't anywhere near as scary as folk would have you believe even though it has its own Wikipedia page), we finally arrived at our first destination - Bella Coola.  This is a place we visited five years back to photograph Grizzlies and we have returned for more of the same as they gather along the river to feast on spawning salmon.

There is a bear viewing platform in the valley, manned by a couple of rangers where Grizzlies can be safely viewed.  On arrival, a large male Grizzly was present in the river but never came close enough to warrant photographing, instead staying on the shaded side of the river, tucking into a few salmon. While we were there another photographer told us of a Moose further down the valley that had joined a group of cows in a field.  As Moose are something of a bogey species for us having missed them in Canada last time and only seen them briefly and in poor light in Estonia, this was too good an opportunity to miss.  Sure enough, as we drove down the road where another couple were already watching the field, there was the bull Moose with the dairy herd, which didn't quite know what to make of their companion that clearly thought he was a cow!

After checking in at the Bella Coola Mountain Lodge, we headed back out in the evening and as we drove around a back road over a small river, a small group of locals beckoned us to stop and look.  Sure enough, in the river was a female Grizzly with two quite big cubs, feeding completely unbothered by their appreciative admirers, though the light wasn't the greatest in some parts of the river.

On the way back to the Lodge we went back to the Moose which was feeding much closer to  the road.

Orangutan-tastic

After twelve hours of flights to Bangkok, an overnight stay in an airport hotel followed by a further 2 hours to Medan in Sumatra and then a 4 hour white knuckle ride (including a motorised rickshaw bumping into the back of the vehicle we were being transferred in), we finally arrived in Bukit Lawang as dusk fell.  On arrival at the Ecotravel Cottages, we were told that the Orangutan feeding platform had been temporarily closed due to a lack of a boat, though I'm not sure that is the real reason given how wide and shallow the river between the village and the Gunung Leuser National Park where the platform is, is and more about cutting down the Orangutan's dependency on the platform.  This meant that the Oranguntans we had travelled to see were now not going to be guaranteed to see, let alone photograph.

Next morning we were up and out bright and early exploring the local area before breakfast, though not seeing much it has to be said, a couple of familiar faces - Tree Sparrow and Grey Wagtail among the few bird species we saw along with more exciting Blue-eared Kingfisher and Pacific Swallows.

As we were about to have breakfast, a small group of Orangutans were seen across the river from the cottages which we were able to then watch while we ate our breakfast, with at least 3 animals present, though photos were a little more distant than we would have liked but a great start.

The rest of the day was spent ambling round the village, adding Orange-bellied Flowerpecker to the struggling bird list, and then in the late afternoon walked to the bat cave on the opposite side of the river.  As the temperate dropped slightly, birdlife became a bit more apparent, though their habit if staying high in trees doesn't make for easy viewing or in some cases, identification, though Asian Glossy Starling, Grey-breasted Spiderhunter, Grey-streaked Flycatcher, Yellow-vented Bulbul, Greater Coucal and a group of Blue-throated Bee-eaters were seen.  As we crossed the river, a group of very funky looking Thomas' Leaf Monkeys crashed through the trees, posing near us on the bridge before carrying on.

As we arrived at the bat cave, a much larger ape was crashing through the trees, this time a male Orangutan and although the light where it was wasn't the best, it was fantastic to see this majestic animal at much closer quarters as he looked down at us.

The bat cave itself was an interesting experience, being led over an assault course of rocks that health and safety in Britain would not allow in a million years, by a guide who showed us the fruit bats but photographing by torchlight really was a hit and miss affair.

Third time lucky

A long-staying Pallid Harrier, first seen heading south at Spurn Point in Yorkshire in October before taking up residence in Norfolk first at Warham Greens, then Snettisham has been seen almost daily since mid December at Flitcham, just east of Kings Lynn.  Just after Christmas I decided to go and have a look at the bird but missed it by a matter or minutes and then a visit last Friday also drew a blank, and so with a nice day forecast, I took this morning off for a third attempt.  Thankfully, despite missing the bird shortly after arrival at first light, after a couple of hour very cold wait, I was eventually rewarded with superb views of this bird as it flew low across the stubble field before attempting to catch one of the many finches feeding along a hedgerow.

Northern crest

Having enjoyed a couple of days R&R at Sebutal, just south of Lisbon, we headed north on a five hour drive to the Peneda-Geres National Park. On arrival, we were more than a bit alarmed to see the forest around the village of Peneda, where we were staying, on fire and being attended by a helicopter dousing the flames!

Thankfully by morning although the air still smelled of smoke, the fire had burnt itself out. Exploring further north around the villages of Lamas de Mouro and Castro Liboreiro, while Toni was busy photographing the local "wild" Gerrano horses, I wandered off and came across several very confiding and photogenic Firecrests.

High as a Kite

Having travelled fairly widely over the past ten or so years, I've seen quite a few birds on quite a few continents, and one bird the Black-shouldered Kite (a.k.a Black-winged or White-tailed Kite depending which country you are in) I have managed to see on four continents - Asia, Africa, North America and Australasia, yet despite several trips to southern Spain, not Europe!  This trip, to Portugal and Spain which has the eventual aim of seeing wolves has started with a relaxing couple of days in Sebutal, and so it was quite a surprise when on the first evening, a Black-shouldered Kite glided across the road just outside the hotel and promptly landed on a telegraph post and stayed for a couple of photos.

Kruger's Big Five

Between 18th-28th March I visited Kruger Nation Park in South Africa with Toni Cross, and as with anybody who visits this fantastic park, seeing and photographing the so called "Big Five" was high on the agenda.  The Big Five consists of Lion, Leopard, Elephant, Buffalo and Rhino, so called originally by hunters who considered them the five most dangerous animals to hunt, and any thankfully, we managed to catch up with all of them.

Lion

We only saw Lions on four occasions, including a group walking down the road, feet away from the car, though the most memorable was a mating pair that we watched near the Letaba River, and surprisingly for such a sighting, we had them to ourselves, though a few cars had started arriving by the time we tore ourselves away.

Leopard

With their habit of doing what cats do best and spending their days fast asleep, Leopards can be difficult the see, but we were lucky with three sightings.

African Elephant

The most widespread and easy to see of the Big five, groups of Elephants were seen every day, often at very and sometimes uncomfortably, close range!

With their huge size and strength, you have to give Elephants a lot of respect. One bull near Sirheni we met walking down the road towards us was clearly in no mood to give us right of way. We had to reverse over a kilometer before a fork in the road allowed us to nip past him, but I think he just enjoyed intimidating us.

African Buffalo

Lone cantankerous males are considered on of the most dangerous animals you could want to meet, but thankfully there were no such problems with any of the animals we saw.

White Rhino

These were the last of the Big Five we saw and had three sightings, the best of a female with a young by a waterhole that was also being visited by a large herd of Elephants which caused a bit of a stand-off.