Wildtravel 05/14 by StStilinski

WILDTRAVEL May 2014 I £3.99

Discover the world’s most amazing wildlife

Take me there

Argentina’s Iberá Wetlands

New look!

Meet the wild inhabitants of this extraordinary, and little known, wetland ecosystem

Gallery

Norfolk otters

Wonders of the Azores

Enjoy some of the world’s most amazing whale and dolphin encounters in the waters surrounding this Atlantic archipelago

SPOTTER’S GUIDE TO BRITAIN’S JELLYFISH

Photographs of life on the riverbank in Thetford, when two otters came to town

Into Kenya’s sky islands Introducing the guardians and wildlife of the remote Mathews Mountain Range

WILDLIFEEXTRA.COM

25 YEARS OF THE WORLD LAND TRUST

PRO PHOTO TIPS: UK BUTTERFLIES

92 38

Contents Features

28 Trip report: Mathews Mountain Range, Kenya c

50 Conservation: 25 years of the World Land Trust c

Stuart Butler heads to north Kenya to discover how the local Samburu communities have joined the fight to conserve the region’s wildlife

We look back at the history of this unique charity dedicated to buying and protecting the world’s most important and threatened natural habitats

38 Take me there: Iberá Wetlands, Argentina c

56 Gallery: Norfolk otters c

James Lowen makes the compelling case for paying a visit to the Esteros del Iberá, a chain of lakes, swamps and lagoons that sustain a huge array of wildlife

Professional wildlife photographer David Tipling shares his images of a pair of otters that set up camp in the Norfolk town of Thetford

Essential Azores 78 Why? Richard Webber explains what sets this remote Atlantic archipelago apart

80 Where? c Introducing the whale, dolphin and bird-watching opportunities across the central, eastern and western island groups

92 What? We offer our guide to the Azores’ most spectacular wildlife, from blue whales and devil rays to Azores noctule bats

48 Anatomy of a shoebill

66 Trip report: finding Bali’s white starlings

97 How?

We reveal how this stork-like bird with its implausible beak is adapted to its life in the swamps of tropical east Africa

Mark Eveleigh heads to West Bali National Park with his daughter in search of one of the world’s rarest birds

Everything you need to know before you go, including country facts, a suggested itinerary and recommended tour operators

All cover stories marked with a c

MAY 2014 3

CONTENTS Regulars

12 Wild world We review the latest images from the world of wildlife, from Indonesia to South Africa, as well as the latest conservation news and wildlifewatching tours

22 Wild UK c Inspiration for wild days out across the UK, from spotting ospreys in the Lake District to Amble Puffin Festival in Northumberland

101 The knowledge c Our experts explain how to become a fossil hunter, and avoid stomach upsets while overseas, plus we review the latest walking shoes and wildlife DVDs and books 25

114 Column: Confessions of a wildlife traveller A good guide might offer sharp eyes and local knowledge, but your own discoveries can still be the most rewarding, writes Mike Unwin

Departments 07 Editor’s welcome 08 Inbox Our selection of the latest comments, tweets, photos and wildlife stories we’ve received

OUR COST RATINGS EXPLAINED Under £500 £500-£1,500 £1,500-£3,000 £3,000-£5,000 Over £5,000 Nb. The cost rating is based on the total cost for the trip per person, including flights, accommodation, guides and transport

Go to: www buyamag co uk/WT Go to www.buyamag.co.uk/WT Discount code: MG107 Pre-order the June issue of Wild Travel to save £1 off the cover price and £1 off get free delivery the next in the UK

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issue!

4 MAY 2014

Turn to page 55 for details of our latest subscription offer

Sperm whales are among the many cetaceans that can be spotted in the waters of the Azores

WELCOME Contributors

Stuart Butler Stuart reports on the wildlife of the Mathews Mountain Range in northern Kenya

Dominic Couzens

COVER IMAGE: © GEORGE KARBUS PHOTOGRAPHY/SUPERSTOCK , ABOVE: © BRANDON COLE MARINE PHOTOGRAPHY/ALAMY

A date with a whale In March a small team of us from the magazine headed to Brighton to take part in Whalefest, a two-day celebration of whales, dolphins and other marine life. When I wasn’t manning our stand (hello to those of you I met by the way!), I took the opportunity to have a look at the various whale-watching tours on offer. Although there were many destinations represented, there was one – the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores – that seemed to dominate the exhibition halls. This remote cluster of nine volcanic islands that rise out of the north Atlantic is widely considered to be one of the best whale and dolphin watching sites in the world, due to the volume and variety of cetaceans that can be seen off the islands’ shores. These include blue, sperm and pilot whales, beaked whales and false killer whales, together with bottlenose, common, spotted, Risso’s and striped dolphin. Back on dry land there is also the opportunity to see rare endemics such as the Azores noctule bat, along with a variety of birds that use the islands as a resting point during their migrations. If all that sounds like a slice of wildlife-watching heaven, then turn to our special guide to the Azores starting on page 77 to find out more. Matt Havercroft, Editor

WILDTRAVEL To subscribe Tel: 0844 848 4211 Email: wildtravel@subscription.co.uk www.subscriptionsave.co.uk www.greatbritishmagazines.com (US only) To advertise ADVERTISING GROUP SALES MANAGER Kim Lewis, Tel: 01242 211 072; kim.lewis@archant.co.uk ACCOUNT MANAGERS Katy Byers, Tel: 01242 265 890, katy.byers@ archant.co.uk; Justin Parry, Tel: 01242 216 060, justin.parry@archant.co.uk

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To contact editorial Archant House, Oriel Road, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire GL50 1BB ; Tel: 01242 211 080 Email: editorial@wildtravelmag.com EDITOR Matt Havercroft DEPUTY EDITOR Sheena Harvey EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Debbie Graham DESIGNER Steve Rayner ARCHANT SPECIALIST MANAGING DIRECTOR Mark Wright; mark.wright@archant.co.uk For customer services Tel: 01242 216 002; Email: sylvie.wheatley@ archant.co.uk, or estelle.iles@archant.co.uk Printing William Gibbons ISSN 2048-2485

© Archant Specialist 2014. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of Archant Ltd. Although every effort has been made to ensure that the information in this publication is correct at the time of going to press, we cannot accept any responsibility for any loss, injury or inconvenience however caused. For the latest travel and health information on all destinations covered in the magazine, go to www.fco.gov.uk

WILD TRAVEL IS AN OFFICIAL MEDIA PARTNER OF

Dominic looks at the story of the World Land Trust on the charity’s 25th anniversary

David Tipling Don’t miss David’s images of two otters that set up camp in Thetford, Norfolk

Richard Webber Richard offers his guide to the whale and bird-watching opportunities on the Azores

On the cover...

Cover image: a pod of common dolphins in the waters of the Azores

MAY 2014 7

InBox Winning letter To reintroduce or not? I found your debate on whether certain species such as beavers should be reintroduced to the UK (April 2014) quite thought provoking. I believe there is a case for both sides and think each should be considered on its own merit and practicality. John Burton’s point about the British Isles being nothing like it was 200 years ago is valid but, I believe, does not write off reintroduction

Send us your thoughts on the magazine, wildlife travel pictures and recommendations, or stories of your own wildlife encounters. The author of our favourite letter, picture and story will receive a brilliant wildlife book

Follow us on Twitter: @wild_travel completely. While we need to think about what wildlife our heavily populated and relatively small island can support, this doesn’t mean no large species should ever be reintroduced. Rather, we should only proceed if a species has a strong chance of success and if it’s in that animal’s interest to be reintroduced. Surely that has to be one of the underlying questions asked? I am not sure it always is. I therefore find Staffan Widstrand’s sweeping statement that all the missing UK keystone species should be reintroduced slightly naïve and not thought through. For me, it is better to conserve our energies and finances for those that are likely to be a success and think we should just admit defeat on the others. Amy May, Bristol

Saying thanks I’d like to express appreciation for your wildlife updates on www.wildlifeextra. com, both the good and bad news. I believe awareness is so essential as a first step to action and your website Wildlife Extra has been an efficient and informative platform I have visited frequently over the years. Thank you! Esther Wee, via facebook

Helping hand I am really enjoying your new volunteering section and hearing about how volunteers can make a difference all over the world. You have inspired me to get my hands dirty and get involved at a more local level. Are there any wildlife organisations in the UK that you know of that need volunteers? John Thistlethwaite, Ripon, Yorkshire Editor writes: As a starting point I would suggest you get in touch with your local Yorkshire Wildlife Trust (www.ywt.org.uk) They have sites all over the county and are actively looking for volunteer help.

UK rules

Snake in the grass

Competition winners

Your new series on wildlife weekends in the UK by James Lowen is so refreshing. Often when people mention going on a wildlife trip it is followed by the words Africa, India, America or somewhere else equally exotic. It’s lovely to read about such places, but often they require more than a week’s holiday at a time, which I can’t often get. So it is nice to see places that you can visit in a weekend and still get an amazing wildlife experience. Paul Robson, Lancaster

Following your recent article on adders in Suffolk (Serpents of the Sandlings, March 2014), I was inspired to spend a couple of days searching for and photographing snakes in Rendlesham Forest. Although to date I haven’t managed to see an adder, I have had memorable encounters with grass snakes [pictured below] and fallow deer. The search goes on for elusive adders. John Boyle, Barking, Suffolk

Congratulations! Each of these winners will be receiving a copy of the DVD Spy in the Pod after entering our March competition on www.wildlifeextra.com: Sue Berwick from Surrey Simon Sims from the West Midlands Peter Hastings from Norfolk Karis Boone from Surrey John Pepworth from Ayrshire

Raising a family

8 MAY 2014

I was in the bathroom the other day and I heard scrabbling above my head. I ran downstairs and outside in time to see a starling flying out from under the eaves. Looks like we’ve got a nest! Just what I was hoping for after reading your How to... on giving birds a roost in the roof (March). Exciting times ahead! Karen Adams, Weston-Super-Mere wildlifeextra.com

InBox Your photos This month’s selection of photos from our Flickr site

1 This image of a gentoo penguin swimming in Antarctica was taken by Bob Brewer 2 Three irresistible sea otters chillin’ together in the seas off Alaska , taken by jpotto 3 Alice Latham couldn’t resist the sight of this go-away bird peering down at her through the branches when she was on safari in Kenya 4 This image of a buffalo taking it easy in waters in Sri Lanka was taken by O’Neil Wilson 5 You lookin’ at me kid? “The robin arrived first, and was startled by the arrival of the bullfinch,” says photographer Diane Seddon. “They didn’t stay together for more than a nanosecond.”

To upload your own image, or view and comment on those already there, visit www.flickr.com/groups/wild_travel

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Winning image

MAY 2014 9

InBox Your stories Talkin’ takin I would hazard a guess that most people – even animal lovers – would not have heard of the takin. I certainly hadn’t until I moved to Bhutan. I first saw this very unusual animal in an in-flight magazine. It is very difficult to see takins in the wild, for not only are they shy and rare, they live in a limited habitat in the Eastern Himalayas, at between 1,000 to 4,500m, although there’s a takin reserve in Thimphu. Once, as per Buddhist principles, the inhabitants were set free, but they wandered around Thimphu looking for food, so they were brought back to the reserve. They are not exciting (I have never seen these unassuming creatures do

anything more than eat, sleep and chase deer away from their food), but there is an interesting story about how they became Bhutan’s national animal, entrenched in the country’s Buddhist religion. It is said that Lama Drukpa Kuenlay (also known as the divine madman) was asked to perform a miracle at one of his lectures, and said that he would do so after he’d eaten lunch. His lunch consisted of a cow and a goat. The Lama performed his ‘miracle’ by using the bones from the head of the goat and the body of the

T h r e Australian PM Tony Abbott will not support the creation of any new National Parks (www.wildlife extra.com and Wild World, April) caused reader outrage:

No justice t n ce

More proof that Tony Abbott is definitely the worst PM Australia has had to endure. And he’s not been in the job a year. Between his heartless stance on asylum seekers (sending them to offshore islands to languish for months in desperate conditions), he can dd a complete disregard for the environment as reasons why Australia is rapidly becoming an international pariah. Abbott’s declaration over plans to delist the WHA areas will further fuel the forest wars that have torn apart this magnificent state for too long. Abbott’s a disgrace to his position. Anne Layton-Bennett, via website I can’t believe anyone in this day and age can be so dismissive of our precious natural heritage. Sheila Hardy, via email Disappointing comments from Tony Abbott: Australian PM outrages with anti national parks stancewildlifeextra.com/go/news/austra…via @ WildlifeExtra From Paul Bloomfield @paulbtravel

10 MAY 2014

The w news that a Ugandan court defied CITESsthand demanded e n that some confiscated ivory should be handed back to the smugglers (Wild World, April issue and www.wildlifeextra.com) has been met with disbelief by our readers: I always thought that these people were, by law, obliged to uphold CITES, not spit in the face of it. I am deeply disappointed with this decision, and hope the appeal is successful. Jenny Grinstead, via website This news is shocking on so many levels; a huge disappointment on the part of Justice Musene and one cannot help but feel for the conservationist Maria Mutagamba who, given Uganda’s recent regression due to the misguided implementation of certain draconian laws, must be having have a very difficult job to do at present. Derek Schuurman, via website This judge must resign. This is not justice – it is an absolute outrage. I can only conclude that this judge is either a complete idiot, or that he is in collusion with these elephant murderers. Dawn Scholes, via Facebook

Getting in touch EMAIL: editorial@wildtravelmag.com PHONE: 01242 211 080 FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/wildtravelmag TWITTER: @wild_travel We welcome your letters but reserve the right to edit them. Please include a daytime telephone number and, if emailing, a postal address (this will not be published)

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Park life

cow to create the takin. As Drukpa Kuenlay was revered in Bhutan, it was decided that the takin should be the national animal. Recent DNA tests, however, have not placed the takin close to either the cow, or the goat, but to the sheep! Julia Saurazas, via email

Indonesia

Monkey nuts

ÂŠ AKBAR GUMAY/DEMOTIX/PRESS ASSOCIATION IMAGES

A long-tailed macaque helps itself to nuts left by football supporters at the Stadion Manahan in the city of Surakarta (known locally as Solo) in Central Java, Indonesia. The stadium, which is the home of Persis Solo Football Club, has attracted dozens of the monkeys, which scavenge for discarded food and drinks between games. The monkeys were introduced to nearby Balekambang Park as a gift from the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s former mayor but spread to the stadium after overpopulating the park. Their defining characteristic, for which they are named, is their extraordinarily long tail, which is almost always longer than their height from head to rump.

Wildworld Latest visions from the world of wildlife

Wildworld

South Africa

A white rhino is accompanied by red-billed ox peckers as it takes a drink at a waterhole at Kruger National Park in Limpopo Province, South Africa. The country’s rhinos received a welcome boost after Howard Buffett, son of the investor Warren Buffett, pledged nearly $24m (£14.4m) over three years for their protection, earmarking the money for ranger teams, sniffer dogs and other security measures to combat what he described as the “overwhelming issue” of poaching. Last year 1,004 rhinos were poached in South Africa alone.

Horn of plenty

Wildworld

United Kingdom

Two butterflies emerge from their chrysalises at the Natural History Museum’s Sensational Butterflies exhibition. The temporary attraction, which is being hosted in the museum’s outdoor butterfly house, gives visitors the opportunity to walk among hundreds of free-flying, rare butterflies and runs until 14 September, 2014.

A star is reborn

Uganda

Crocodile hunt

Germany

Moor water A pair of mating moor frogs poke their heads above the surface of a pond during spawning season in Leipzig, eastern Germany. Due to successive drainage of the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s moors and wetlands, the habitat of the species is getting smaller, putting increasing pressure on the frogs and other freshwater wildlife.

ÂŠ PETER BUSOMOKE/AFP/GETTY IMAGES, HEINRICH VAN DEN BERG/GETTY IMAGES

A huge one-tonne crocodile said to have killed four fishermen from Kakira village in the Jinja district of eastern Uganda is captured by Uganda Wildlife Authority officials following a four-day hunt. The crocodile, believed to be around 80 years old, was lured with meat and secured with ropes before being transferred to Murchison Falls National Park.

Shorts New species

Our roundup of the latest news, discoveries and tours that have got the wildlife world talking. For more, sign up to our weekly e-newsletter at www.wildlifeextra.com

Japan

Japan banned

International court rules against whaling for scientific research

Biologist Jodi Rowley, an expert on Southeast Asian amphibians from the Australian Museum Research Institute in Sydney, recently found this striking pink and yellow frog in the remote Mount Ngoc Linh region of Vietnam. The 5cm long frog lives in forests above 1,800m where the terrain is steep and rocky, and lacking in the standing water that might be expected to sustain frogs, but the research team found they thrived in water-filled hollows in the trees. The males have skin covered in keratin spines, which increase in size during the mating season and are thought to help females to identify males.

By numbers

United Kingdom

MISSING MEADOWS There has been a recent dramatic decline in our remaining wildlife-rich grasslands, which, claim conservationists, is putting many species at risk. The Wildlife Trusts have been collecting information on the state of valuable grassland sites in England such as ancient meadows, pastures and road verges. They have found that nearly a quarter of wildlife sites have been lost across many counties in the UK, while in the Lake District National Park they found a staggering 183.26 hectares (82 per cent) has

20 MAY 2014

Peter Ramage, the Global Whale Programme Director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, said: “The government of Japan has a strong record of genuinely respecting international institutions and we fully expect Japan will abide by the Court’s ruling. We respectfully urge Japan, Iceland and Norway, the last three countries still killing whales for commercial purposes, to accept that whaling has no place in the 21st century.”

The number of orcas currently in captivity around the world SOURCE: WHALE AND DOLPHIN CONSERVATION

been de-selected as Local Wildlife Sites. Stephen Trotter, Director for England at the Wildlife Trusts said: “Wildlife-rich grasslands have been in trouble for decades, but our newly collated information shows that the remaining hay meadows and flower-rich pastures are still at risk. The pressures are enormous: from development and changes in agricultural practices, to neglect.” The Trusts are calling for a raft of measures, including a full review of existing protection for environmentally important grasslands. They are also asking the Government to improve existing laws covering grasslands, award statutory protection to more grassland sites, set up a national grassland inventory, and restore more wildlife-rich grasslands.

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THORNY TREE FROG

The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled that the Japanese whaling industry in the Antarctic is illegal under international law. Australia took Japan to the ICJ in 2013 over its claims that its catches of 1,000 whales a year were for scientific research, designed to explore the feasibility of resuming commercial whaling. Australia asserted that this programme, called Jarpa II, was just commercial whaling in disguise because the meat ended up in the food chain. Judge Peter Tomk ruled that: “Japan shall revoke any existent authorisation, permit or licence granted in relation to Jarpa II and refrain from granting any further permits.”

Wildworld Worldwide

Unnatural selection Our fondness for the cute and cuddly may be swaying us towards saving some animals from extinction and not others, research from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) has found. The study looked at the number of research papers published between 1900 and 2010 for each of the 286 carnivore species. The authors then analysed more than 16,500 papers to see if research effort was linked to the characteristics

or extinction risk of a species, but found that conservation status is not a significant driver. “Of the top 20 most studied species, most are larger species with large geographic ranges, like black bear and brown bear,” said Dr Zoe Brooke, lead author of the study. Despite only accounting for 13 per cent of the species in the study, marine mammals such as the sea otter and walrus, were the focus of 37 per cent of published research. The authors suggest that research effort may lean towards carnivores that regularly come into contact with humans. However, they also note that many species with zero published papers were in areas where there may be low funding for research.

Africa

New tours

BLACK AND WHITE

Pacific Mexico

Mystery of why zebras have stripes is finally solved

Recent research has put forward a compelling rationale for why zebras got their stripes. It is commonly assumed that the black and white patterns help to camouflage them from predators, but a team from the University of California analysed geographic distributions of the seven different species of zebras, horses and asses and found it was more likely the stripes developed as a way of avoiding attack from biting flies. “There was greater striping on areas of the body in those parts of the world where there was more

annoyance from biting flies,” said lead author, Professor Tim Caro. “Zebra hair is shorter than the mouthpart length of biting flies, so zebras may be susceptible to annoyance by biting flies.” A number of studies dating back to the 1930s suggest that flies prefer to land on all-black or allwhite surfaces rather than stripes.

Micro-life

Parasitic wasp One of the world’s smallest insects is the Tanzanian parasitic wasp, so small it rides around on the faces of butterflies. Parasitic wasps have a gruesome lifestyle, beginning as eggs laid inside other eggs that grow into caterpillers. When mature, the wasp grubs burst out, killing the unwitting host. One wasp, 1mm long and flapping at 350 beats per second, was caught on slow-motion film by a Dutch scientific team. It leaps up elegantly, wings moving like transparent oars, but then plummets to the ground face first. No wonder it makes its way around on someone else’s whiskers… also a handy vantage point when eggs are being laid! See www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZyIN23Cy4Y

Thomson are launching direct weekly flights (and holidays) from Gatwick and Manchester to Puerto Vallarta Airport in Mexico, bringing the wildlife of Banderas Bay on the Pacific coast within easy reach, including spinner dolphins, humpback whales and Olive Ridley turtles. Cost: from £905 (7 nights, all inc) When: from 3 May www.thomson.co.uk

Panama Canal cruise Join the crew of the super yacht M/Y Variety Voyager on a 7-night cruise from Costa Rica to Columbia via the Panama Canal on its centenary, taking in wildlife, culture and desert island beauty. Cost: from £3,495 (full board and 1st night in San Jose) When: 21-30 March www.steppestravel.co.uk

Sumatran tigers Get your name on the waiting list for Biosphere Expeditions’ 2015 Sumatran tiger expedition. Working as part of an international team, you will look for tracks, kills, scats, and set camera traps in an effort to mitigate human-wildlife conflict. Cost: TBC When: TBC (expected to be June/July) www.biosphere-expeditions.org

MAY 2014 21

Wildlife weekends

Fantastic fish and fishers M

id-Wales sparkles with semiconcealed jewels. One such gem is Gilfach, a reserve-cumworking farm secluded in the Marteg Valley just north of Rhayader. Backed by the statuesque Cambrian mountains, Gilfach is Welsh woods and wild water at their finest. The inhabitants are splendid, too: crystalclear streams host two fantastic fish, and the sessile oak stands shelter a trio of beautiful songbirds to epitomise the valleys’ wildlife. Gilfach excels for leisurely exploration. Three trails connect a habitat mosaic: traditional hay meadows littered with anthills, pasture and wet flushes, damp oak forest, bracken-covered slopes, and birchflanked river. Start early – in time for the dawn chorus, if your itinerary permits – and make for woodland near the river. Amidst the oaks, the flicker of flame-red tail draws attention to your first of the speciality avian triumvirate: common redstart. A vocal shiver marks out a wood warbler, glistening

22 MAY 2014

ivory and primrose. And, concealed in a carefully positioned hide, watch a male pied flycatcher returning to its nestbox with caterpillars for the incubating female. From the same hide, you glimpse a movement in the adjacent River Marteg. Your luck is in: an otter! While idling away a riverside morning, look for dipper and grey wagtail on damp rocks. Peer into the river itself – particularly just upstream from Marteg Bridge – for the fish duo: brook lamprey and bullhead. Primitive vertebrates, eel-like lampreys forsake jaws for a round sucker-like mouth lined with sharp teeth. May is spawning month, so you may witness libidinal activity. The common name bullhead refers to its wide, flattened head. Males excavate a nest under a large stone, then (unusually among fish) take parental responsibility for safeguarding the eggs. Carefully lift likely looking boulders to see whether a bullhead lurks underneath. While probably too early, riverside hay

meadows encompass a range of ancient grassland species, including the spherical yellow globeflower. In birches, look for tree pipit, siskin and lesser redpoll. Butterflies flit along old railway cuttings. While too early for small pearl-bordered fritillary, you should see small heath, the combative small copper and the luminous green hairstreak. Elsewhere in the reserve, unusual ferns include moonwort and adder’s-tongue, plus parsley fern in higher, rockier areas (with the vibrantly coloured mountain pansy on adjacent slopes). Overhead you should see red kite, common buzzard and raven. For mouthwatering views of the former, set aside a couple of hours mid-afternoon to visit the kite-feeding farm at Gigrin, 6km south. While less impressive than winter (kites are busy breeding), Gigrin’s spectacle is nonetheless unmissable at any season. Gilfach is the focus of the day, but if your departure point permits, start the morning

wildlifeextra.com

June is the ideal month to head to Radnorshire and Carmarthenshire to find sea lamprey, brook lamprey, badger, osprey and wood warbler, says James Lowen

WildUK Clockwise from far left: a red kite flies over Gigrin Farm; an otter catches an eel; a green hairstreak butterfly; a siskin, that favours the area’s birch trees

PRACTICALITIES

40km southeast. The River Wye at Boughrood Bridge, south of Llyswen, is renowned for spawning sea lamprey. Standing on the bridge, stare down into the water. Four times longer than brook lamprey, sea lamprey is parasitic during its maritime adult life, sucking at the flesh of living hosts. Adults return to freshwater to spawn: their last living act is to procreate. After mating, the female lays thousands of eggs in a depression sucked out by the male from the gravel bed. To round off the day, two options stand out. First, Nannerth Farm has a treetop hide sited above a badger sett: watch the occupants emerge at dusk. Alternatively, bats frequent the lake in Llandrindod Wells at dusk on warm evenings. Daubenton’s bat seizes insects over the water, with noctule high up and pipistrelles low down. With all the fish about, Wales unsurprisingly attracts piscivorous predators. The most recent recruit is your major quarry on day two: osprey. Long restricted to Speyside in Scotland, this raptor has recently established isolated outposts elsewhere in Britain. In 2007, conservationists erected an artificial osprey nest-platform at the boggy Cors Dyfi

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reserve. A succession of ospreys have subsequently taken up residence, culminating in successful breeding in 2011. As you enjoy the osprey’s waterborne pursuits, be mindful that you are watching an historic recolonisation in progress! End the weekend 50 minutes east at RSPB Lake Vyrnwy, exploring more woodland, wild water and hills via a quintet of trails and hides. As at Gilfach, the ‘oak trio’ of pied flycatcher, common redstart and wood warbler are the avian highlights. Dipper and grey wagtail use the pool below the lake dam, while goosander and great crested grebe breed on the lake, and kites and buzzards cruise lazily around. If you have energy for a moorland yomp, you may be rewarded by hen harrier, merlin, red grouse or ring ouzel. On your return, watch siskins on the feeder outside the reserve shop window. If you are carnivorous, combine watching with indulging in some of the shop’s reserve-raised organic lamb. Sheep provide the reserve with a living mower and an income: your opportunity to contribute to the local economy and environment that has smothered you with wilderness and wildlife.

WHERE TO GO: Gilfach Farm (SN965717; Tel: 01597 823 298; http://tinyurl.com/gilfach) is a Radnorshire Wildlife Trust reserve. Gigrin Farm (SN980677; Tel: 01597 810 243; www.gigrin.co.uk) lies east of the A470, 1.5km south of Rhayader. Boughrood Bridge (SO130384) is 40km southeast of Rhayader. Nannerth Farm (SN945717; Tel: 01597 811 121; www.nannerth.co. uk), is northwest of Rhayader. Llandrindod Wells is 15km southeast of Rhayader. The lake (SN063605) is in the southeast of the town, east of the A483. Cors Dyfi (SN701985; Tel: 01938 555 654; www.montwt.co.uk/cors_dyfi. html) is a Montgomeryshire Wildlife Trust reserve 5.5km southwest of Machynlleth. RSPB Lake Vyrnwy (SJ016192; Tel: 01691 870 278; www.rspb.org.uk/ lakevyrnwy). SUGGESTED BASES: Llandrindod Wells (www.llandrindod.co.uk), Rhayader (www.rhayader.co.uk) and Builth Wells (www.builth-wells.co. uk). The Old Vicarage (Tel: 01686 629 051; www.theoldvicaragedolfor.co.uk) at Dolfor has four comfortable rooms and an on-site restaurant. FLEXIBILITY: Osprey occurs Apr-Aug, the ‘oak trio’ of birds Apr-Jun. Both lampreys occur from Apr, but late May is best for spawning. Pearl-bordered fritillary occurs from mid-May. Badger, red kite and otter are resident. RECOMMENDED READING: Purchase James Lowen’s 52 Wildlife Weekends at the special price of £7.79 (inc free UK p&p) by visiting www. bradtguides.com and using the discount code WT52. Offer expires 19/02/15

MAY 2014 23

NAMIBIA

... BETTER WITH UNIQUE TOURS & SAFARIS

What are you dreaming about when planning your vacation on safari in Namibia, apart from breathtaking natural surroundings, vast open spaces and exhilarating game viewing?

While on holidays in Namibia & neighbouring countries - planned for you and professionally organised by Unique Tours & Safaris - you will always have a companion: Our promise is that we will do everything in our power to make even the most unusual wishes, while on your trip through Namibia, come true in order to make the journey unforgettable. Thus our name, Unique Tours & Safaris, stands for unique services in planning your entire safari and for taking care of requirements throughout the duration. Experience Namibia as you have always wanted to experience safari holidays in Africa. Make our beautiful country your dream destination. You choose how to experience Namibia: from a guided or self-drive safari, to a camping safari, a fly-in safari or even a special interest tour. We consult you in every aspect of your safari and plan your tailor-made holiday arrangements together with you, including your activities and excursions in and around Swakopmund.

Contact us for personal assistance: Heike Elmering | Unique Tours & Safaris, Namibia Email: info@unique-tours-safaris.com | Web: www.unique-tours-safaris.com

WildUK Spotter’s guide

Jellyfish

Britain’s waters are home to a variety of colourful jellyfish. Kate Wilson from the Marine Conservation Society offers her guide to six of the most common

Moon jellyfish

Compass jellyfish

Lion’s mane jellyfish

Aurelia aurita This transparent jellyfish grows up to 40cm in diameter and can be recognised by the four pale purple gonad rings in the centre. The bell is umbrella-shaped, with short, hair-like tentacles around the edge. Mainly this is a pelagic species, but it is also known to occur in estuaries and harbours and is especially common in Scottish sea lochs. This jellyfish has a mild sting. Active: May to mid-September

Chrysaora hysoscella The compass jellyfish comes in varied shades of brown with diagnostic brownish V-shaped markings on the bell. They typically grow up to 30cm, and have 24 long, thin tentacles and four long, thick, frilled arms. They occur in coastal waters around the British Isles, but are particularly prevalent off the south and west coasts of England and Wales. Watch out, this jellyfish stings! Active: July to October

Cyanea capillata This stinging jellyfish has a large, reddish brown, umbrella-shaped bell with a mass of long, thin, hair-like tentacles as well as short, thick, frilled and folded arms. These jellies can grow to a whopping 2m wide! They can be found around the coasts of the British Isles, most commonly along the east coast of England and Scotland, and are widespread in the Irish Sea. Active: mid-May to October

Blue jellyfish

Barrel jellyfish

Mauve stinger

Cyanea lamarckii This has a similar shape to the lion’s mane jellyfish, but it is much smaller, growing up to 30cm. The bell is usually a striking blue colour through which thin, radial lines can be seen. Confusingly, though, some specimens of blue jellyfish are a yellowish straw colour. These can be found in the waters all around England, Wales and Scotland. This jellyfish has a mild sting. Active: May to mid-September

Rhizostoma octopus These large jellies grow up to a metre wide and have a mild sting. They have a rounded, solid, rubbery bell, which can be white, pale pink, blue or yellow, and is fringed with purple markings. The bell lacks tentacles but the animal has eight thick, frilled arms. These are most commonly found off the southern and western shores of the British Isles and out at sea. Active: mid-February to mid-December

Pelagia noctiluca This smaller jellyfish grows up to 10cm and has a deep bell with characteristic pink or mauve ‘warts’. It has eight, hair-like tentacles and four long frilled arms with tiny pink spots. Although an uncommon jellyfish around the British Isles, they can be found anywhere in deep water off the west and north coasts, as this is usually an offshore species. Caution, this jellyfish stings! Active: May to mid-November

NB: while some jellyfish are harmless or only have a very mild sting, others can have a painful and even dangerous sting. The Marine Conservation Society recommends that, for your own safety, you do not touch any jellyfish you come across. www.mcsuk.org

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Clockwise from left: an osprey on the nest; a roe deer on the fringes of Dodd Wood; the red squirrel is carefully protected at Whinlatter Forest

Tour of Britain

Dodd Wood and Whinlatter Forest These ancient woodlands and mountain forest around Bassenthwaite in the Lake District are home to a wealth of resident wildlife and visiting ospreys Walking

Whinlatter and Dodd Wood are owned by the

Forestry Commission and overlook Bassenthwaite lake and the Lakeland Fells. Dodd Wood was created in 1790 by Thomas Storey, resident of the Mirehouse Estate on the eastern shore of Bassenthwaite. Planting of the Whinlatter Forest began after World War One to supply the country with much-needed timber. There are 14 miles of forest roads for walking and cycling, as well as many woodland walks with views and opportunities for wildlife encounters.

There are miles of gravel roads, surfaced paths and tracks to explore in both the wood and the forest. There are numbered posts at each path junction that correspond with guide maps. At Dodd Wood there are four walking trails graded as either Demanding or Moderate, and access routes onto Skiddaw mountain. At Whinlatter there are eight trails, graded as Easy or Moderate, and two orienteering courses. There is also a specific mile-long Squirrel Scurry trail with information points and feeders.

Wildlife

Cycling

Whinlatter is a red squirrel reserve where the animals are actively supported, and can be seen anywhere in the forest. Also within the conifer forest are specialist birds such as crossbills and siskins. Dodd Wood is the location of the Lake District Osprey Project with two viewpoints over the lake from which the nesting ospreys can be seen fishing. In 2001, a pair of ospreys nested beside Bassenthwaite. These were the first wild ospreys to breed in the Lake District for more than 150 years. Every year since, ospreys have returned each April to raise chicks in Dodd Wood. Mammals in both the wood and forest include roe and sika deer, badgers, foxes and bats. Around Bassenthwaite an otter family may appear, and buzzard and merlin on the surrounding Fells.

Aside from general cycling around the Whinlatter Forest trails, for the more ambitious cyclist there are two purpose-built mountain bike routes – the Altura Trail (12 miles and graded Hard), and the Quercus Trail (4.6 miles and graded Moderate). At the trails head there is a cycle shop for bike hire.

26 MAY 2014

Seasonal highlights The arrival of the ospreys in April heralds the opening of the Osprey Project Exhibition and viewpoints at Dodd Wood, with staff and volunteers are on hand to provide information about the birds. In addition, there’s a webcam overlooking the nest so visitors can follow the progress of the season’s hatching online and at the Dodd Wood Exhibition Centre and Whinlatter Visitor Centre.

NEED TO KNOW OPENING TIMES: Whinlatter Visitor Centre – year-round 10.00am to 4.00pm. Osprey Exhibition Centre – April to September 10.00am to 5.00pm PRICES: Entrance free. Whinlatter parking – 1 hr £1.60; 2 hrs £3.20; 4 hrs £5.30; all day £6.90. Dodd Wood parking – 1.5 hrs £1.70; 2 hrs £2.70; 4 hrs £4.80; all day £6.10. Annual Discovery Pass covering both Whinlatter and Dodd Wood, and other benefits – £20. FACILITIES: Siskin Café at Whinlatter Forest and the Old Sawmill tearoom at Dodd Wood provide meals and snacks. Open 10.00am to 5.00pm (Old Sawmill closed early December to early February). Wild play area at Whinlatter Forest. CONTACT DETAILS: Forestry Commission North England: 01434 220 242 Email: north england@forestry. gsi.gov.uk Web: www.forestry.gov.uk/ whinlatter; www.forestry.gov. uk/forestry/englandcumbria noforestdoddwood; www.visitcumbria.com wildlifeextra.com

What

WildUK Events

Trending

Are we fit to frack?

A new report from the RSPB and others claims that fracking could devastate our wildlife habitats. We asked representatives from both sides to make their case

HARRY HUYTON RSPB The Government is pushing full steam ahead with fracking for shale gas in the UK, but people who love our wildlife and countryside are rightly concerned about the impact it may have. That’s why the RSPB joined forces with other concerned countryside groups including the Angling Trust, the National Trust, the Salmon & Trout Association, The Wildlife Trusts and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust to review the potential impacts and suggest how they could be addressed. Commercial scale fracking is a new proposition in the UK that is very unlike the existing oil and gas industry. Firstly, it requires considerably more infrastructure across the landscape to access the shale gas resource, which could cause serious problems for wildlife. Secondly, our review found significant risk to rivers and wetlands from accidental pollution. We are asking that the Government take action to address these risks and ensure we don’t blindly commit to damaging our wildlife and habitats for years to come. This should start with creating frack-free zones in special places, such as protected areas and national parks. Furthermore, the Government’s approach to regulation needs to change from relying on voluntary agreements on carrying out things like environmental impact assessments. Ultimately this debate is as much about the future of our countryside as it is about fracking. The sooner the industry and Government recognise this and respect the fact that the public value the countryside for more than the fossil fuels that lie beneath it, the better.

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KEN CRONIN Chief Executive of the UK Onshore Operators Group (UKOOG) The UK onshore oil and gas industry is one of the most heavily regulated industries in the UK and our regulators’ regime already acts as an exemplar for the rest of Europe, as borne out by the recommendations made by the EU Commission recently. This report leans heavily on certain reports from the US where the regulatory system is less stringent and suffers from the fact that no measurements were made before drilling, making comparisons of before and after extremely difficult. The use of natural gas extracted from shale has significant potential to reduce the UK’s overall carbon emissions. Recent reductions have been largely due to the displacement of coal-based power generation in favour of natural gas. Despite this, most forecasts show that by 2030 the UK will be 80 per cent reliant on gas supplies from outside the UK, using transportation methods that are far more harmful to the environment and produced under regulatory regimes that are far less stringent. The approach of industry in the UK has allowed time for thorough research of shale gas and hydraulic fracturing by leading scientific institutions, including the Royal Society, the British Geological Society and WaterUK. These studies have shown that in a properly regulated industry the risks can be minimised. We believe that the industry is properly regulated and can provide significant economic benefits through energy security, job creation and direct and indirect community benefits.

BRITISH WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS 2013 EXHIBITION Until 20 July Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter Photographs from across 14 categories are on show, including Botanical Britain and Young People’s Awards. www.rammuseum.org.uk

SPOTLIGHT SUMATRA 1-31 May More London Riverside, London SE1 2DB To highlighting the natural riches of Sumatra, the Sumatran Orangutan Society in association with the Forest Trust has organised a free art exhibition with giant images by some of the world’s best photographers. www.orangutans-sos.org

AMBLE PUFFIN FESTIVAL 26 May-1 June Amble, Northumberland The event includes guided nature walks, bird watching, local history talks, photo exhibitions, arts and crafts, watersports and live music. You can also see the colony of over 20,000 puffins by taking a boat trips to Coquet Islands. www.visitnorthumberland.com MAY 2014 27

Trip Report

MATHEWS MOUNTAIN RANGE, KENYA

the sky Far away from the traditional Kenyan tourist trail, Kitich Camp in the Mathews Mountain Range offers a unique safari experience, where local tribes have joined the conservation effort and it’s the small things that surprise

WORDS BY STUART BUTLER

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“A FEW YEARS AGO THERE WAS A LOT OF CONFLICT

BETWEEN PEOPLE AND ANIMALS HERE,”

30 MAY 2014

weren’t the only animals looking for food and water out here. The manyatta fell within the confines of the Namunyak Conservancy, a few hours’ drive north of the famous Samburu National Reserve, where the scrubby countryside is home to an array of creatures big and small. In contrast to many parts of the world, the quantity of wildlife in this area – which includes north Kenyan specialities such as the beautifully blotched reticulated giraffe, blue legged Somali ostrich, tightly striped Grevy’s zebra and the half-giraffe, half-antelope gerenuk – has actually been rising in recent years thanks to a ground-breaking conservation project that aims to balance the needs of local wildlife with those of local people.

itich Camp is only five hours’ walk for a Samburu moran (warrior) from the manyatta, but in almost every sense it’s a world away. Accommodating just six chic safari tents, this discreet camp is secreted away under a canopy of heavy foliage, high in the forests of the little-explored Mathews Mountain Range. Known to biologists as a ‘sky island’, due to the stark contrast between the verdant green mountains and the semi-desert plains that surround them, the mountains rise to a summit of 2,688m and are shrouded in misty forests of juniper and cycads. The mountains support a wealth of wildlife, including a healthy number of elephants, lions and buffalos, melanistic leopards, and what might be Kenya’s largest wild dog population. Kitich started life some 40-odd years ago as a tourist camp. Then, during the 1980s, it was used as a research camp for scientists studying rhinos, which have long since been wiped out, before once again reverting to a tourist camp in the late 1990s. Today, the tourism it attracts is crucial to the survival of both these mountain forests and the pastoralist lifestyle of the nearby Samburu communities. Back at the manyatta I

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explained Lolokuria, a village elder, as we surveyed his lands in the half light of dawn. “The wildlife ate the grass our livestock relied on and attacked our animals.” Behind him the sun had begun to blaze above the horizon, and a hundred goats bleated in hungry anticipation of their release from the thorn bush paddock that had protected them from leopards and other predators overnight. Although the sky was still streaked with the reds and oranges of sunrise, the heat was building fast and countless flies were already swarming around my eyes and mouth. I had spent the night in Ngalai, a small and remote Samburu manyatta, or farmsted, built of thin sticks, dried mud and scrappy strips of plastic and surrounded by the dust-swirled thirst lands of northern Kenya. As I sipped on a wood smokeflavoured tea, my bejewelled host was describing how the efforts to conserve the local wildlife had had a direct impact – both good and bad – on his life here. The northern part of Kenya is an area of the country few tourists see. Wild in every sense of the word, this vast region of shattered lava deserts, iridescent lakes of jade and tangled mountain forests is home to a baffling array of tribal groups, including my hosts, the Samburu, who are close cousins of the famous Masai of southern Kenya. According to many experts this region is also the future of conservation in East Africa. Over the course of the two days I spent at the manyatta, I followed my Samburu hosts on their daily tasks. Together, we collected water from wells an hour’s walk away, gathered firewood and prepared meals. However, cattle, goats and sometimes camels are the cornerstone of Samburu culture, and the majority of the day was spent milking the goats (the cows were all at grazing grounds several days’ walk away) or herding them to far water holes or fresh pasture. The Samburu’s livestock

Far left: a Samburu village headman. Clockwise from above: a gerenuk, unique to northern Kenya; a pied kingfisher enjoying the catch of the day; a blue-legged Somali ostrich, found only in this part of the world; the small, luxury bush camp of Kitich; tourists and Samburu guides at the camp

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MAY 2014 31

SEE THE BIG 5 YOUR WAY

MALAWI IS A DREAM DESTINATION FOR THE INDEPENDENT TRAVELLER

ON A BESPOKE KENYA SAFARI WITH WILDLIFE TRAILS

Mountain hiking, a big game safari, relaxing beach break or a stopover on a tea plantation there is literally something for everyone. Combining all experiences into one trip has never been easier. Blessed with stunning scenery, an excellent road network, and the friendliest people in Africa, Malawi can be navigated by air, guided road trip or self drive with ease.

FOR FURTHER DETAILS:

Visit: www.wildlifetrails.co.uk or Tel: 0800 999 4334

www.ulendo.net

SMALL GROUP

Adventure Safaris throughout Southern Africa

Botswana 14 days camping safari from GBP1,369 South Africa 17 days accommodated safari GBP1,541 Guaranteed departures. Maximum 12 clients.

AFRICAN & INDIAN SAFARIS Natural history trips to Madagascar, Sri Lanka, South East Asia, China, the Americas & selected destinations. +27 11 465 4905

For the astute traveller - remote locations quality lodges, top guiding & wildlife viewing.

marketing@sunway-safaris.com

www.sunway-safaris.com

www.timefortravel.co.uk 01798 867750

A tourist and ranger encounter elephants during a walking safari from Kitich Camp. Elephants are the most commonly seen large mammals in the Mathews Mountain Range

ÂŠ MICHAEL POLIZA PHOTOGRAPHY

In contrast to many parts of the world, the quantity of wildlife in this area has been rising in recent years

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MAY 2014 33

Clockwise from left: Kitich Camp in northern Kenya benefits both the local communities and wildlife; more than 160 species of butterflies like this citrus swallowtail inhabit Mathews Mountain Range; melanistic leopards are among the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s large predators; north Kenya is sparsely populated and has a wide variety of wildlife habitats

34 MAY 2014

wildlifeextra.com

Trip Report

MATHEWS MOUNTAIN RANGE, KENYA

abandoned my tea to the marauding flies and concentrated on the words of Lolokuria. “I have lived with the wild animals all my life,” he said. “When I was a child there were lions and elephants everywhere here, but then they started to disappear. I used to think that this was good, because we gained nothing from the animals so we wanted them gone. But at the research camp they wanted the animals to stay and they didn’t want us to cut down the forest or graze our cows there. This caused a lot of problems for us, but when the conservancy was created things started to change. People from the conservancy came and told us how important the forest was, and how we could graze our livestock in a way that preserves the grass. Then, when Kitich was turned into a tourist camp, people from this manyatta were employed there and we started to make money. Today, when I see animals here, I feel proud.” The old man stopped and considered his words before continuing in a more cautionary tone: “Well, we don’t want all of the animals back. There are more and more wild dogs around here now, and if they keep attacking our livestock we will have to kill them.” While Kitich is marketed as a tourist safari camp, those who make the journey here shouldn’t expect a standard safari

experience. Aside from the elephants that can be seen on a daily basis, the violently contorted landscape and thick forest makes sightings of any other large, wild mammals very rare indeed. As camp manager Karl Svendsen explained, “Kitich is a very special location, about as remote as it can be, where you will be returned to real safari values, away completely from main tourist areas.”

hile Kitich might not appeal to safari-goers in search of the ‘Big Five’, it is ideal for someone looking for a totally unique wilderness experience. All exploration of the mountains is conducted on foot, with expert Samburu trackers pointing out smaller things you would probably miss otherwise. During our expeditions we spotted leaping Colobus monkeys, with their luxuriant white coats worthy of a Parisian catwalk, and rare de Brazza’s monkeys can be seen here, too. We also found the skittish tracks of startled bushbuck and the tell-tale signs of foraging giant forest hogs. For me, the real stars of the Mathews Range were even smaller. In particular, the range of butterflies that can be seen here is an entomologist’s dream. More than 160 species have been recorded to date, but new species are still being

NORTHERN RANGELANDS TRUST The organisation helping local communities to join the conservation front line

orthern Kenya has long been prime poaching territory, but in the 1980s things got so bad that large areas of the north became virtual no-go zones as poachers ran amok. It was around this time that a man named Ian Craig went camping near Ngalai. One night he found himself surrounded by heavily armed ivory poachers and, hiding in dense bush, watched in horror as the poachers slaughtered a family of elephants. It was this blood soaked encounter that galvanised Craig into setting up the Namunyak Conservancy, which provided the foundation for the creation of the Northern Rangelands Trust (NRT, www. nrt-kenya.org). He realised that traditional conservation models, which involved creating protected zones for wildlife from which the local community gained very little,

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wasn’t going to work here. His idea was to give local communities a stake in the survival of their wildlife and to consider the people’s needs as much as those of the wildlife. Today, the NRT, which manages an area of land covering more than 20,000sq km and works with 19 communities, is one of the most highly respected conservation groups in the world. It aims to ‘develop resilient community conservancies which transform people’s lives, secure peace and conserve natural resources’. What this translates into varies between conservancies, but at the Namunyak Conservancy, work includes encouraging local communities to graze livestock en-mass, enabling pasture to recover. NRT also buys cattle for slaughter from local communities for a fair price, giving the pastoralist

communities easier access to market. However, in order to qualify for the scheme the communities must meet a set of criteria that demonstrate that they are managing their environment and conservancy to the benefit of both the local people and the wildlife.

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Trip Report

MATHEWS MOUNTAIN RANGE

TRIP ADVISER

discovered all the time, making every fluttering encounter a thrilling experience. Then there were the birds. So far, more than 200 species have been recorded here, including Hartlaub’s turaco, which looks like a technicolour pigeon-parrot hybrid and is more commonly associated with the forests of Congo or Kenya’s coastal lowlands.

ccording to the Kenya Wildlife Service, up to 70 per cent of Kenya’s wildlife lives outside the protection of the national parks and reserves, and this is where the private conservancies step in. Whether owned and managed by the local community, or by a private landowner, the goal of all of these conservancies is to preserve the region’s wildlife, while allowing local people to benefit from the presence of large animals that were previously a hindrance or danger to them. High-end lodges and camps such as Kitich have been established on many of northern Kenya’s conservancies and the money generated by these is pumped straight back into the community, which means that the locals now have a vested interest in the survival of wildlife on their lands. On my final morning at Kitich, my Samburu guides Lesemana and Thomas led me through the morning mist of the forest to a dark, cool natural pool for a swim. As I sat on a rock, my feet in the water, I thought back to my conversation with Lolokuria at the manyatta. The system isn’t perfect, it’s true – elephants are still being poached in the area, and village elders still threaten to exterminate wild dogs who kill their goats – but by and large this is one place where wildlife and the local community are learning to live together for the benefit of both parties. To support them all you need do is go and enjoy it for yourself.

COST RATING

INFO: Kitich Camp (www.kitichcamp.com) should be booked in advance through Cheli & Peacock (www. chelipeacock.com). Prices start at around US$450 (£270) per person per night for two sharing and includes all activities and airport transfers. Conservancy fees for Namunyak are US$40 (£24) per night. Above: the black kite has an extensive habitat. Below: Grevy’s zebra are found only in northern Kenya and the conservancy here is home to a big population of three zebra species

SAMPLE PACKAGE TOUR: Safari companies such as Africa Exclusive (www.africaexclusivesafaris.com) and Exceptional Travel (www.exceptional-travel.com) arrange tailor made safaris that include Kitich Camp. Cheli & Peacock (www.chelipeacock.com) offer an 11 day fly-in safari that takes in Kitich camp, Shaba National Reserve and Elephant Pepper Camp. Prices start at $5,824 (£3,500) pp in low season for a complete package based on two people sharing. The overnight stay at the Samburu manyatta is not part of a standard package but can be arranged on request through Cheli & Peacock Safaris.

GETTING THERE: Return flights London to Nairobi start at around £700 direct, or £530 non-direct. Average flight time 8 ½ hours. Safari Link (www.flysafarilink.com) connect Nairobi’s Wilson airport with Kalama Conservancy for around US$186 (£112) return. The standard Kitich safari package includes transfers from Kalama. VISAS FROM THE UK: British passport holders can obtain 3 month tourist visas on arrival in Kenya for £30.

TIPS & WARNINGS: Although tribal fighting is a serious issue in the north of Kenya, incidents tend to take place well away from tourist areas and you’re highly unlikely to encounter such problems at Kitich Camp.

WHEN TO GO: Kitich is closed during the rainy season between April to mid-June and again during the rainy season from November to mid-December.

TOUR OPERATORS

AFRICA EXCLUSIVE, Tel: +1 866 871 3829; www.africaexclusivesafaris.com EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL, Tel: 01608 638 777; www.exceptional-travel.com KENYAN TRAVEL, Tel: 01670 824 038; www.kenyantravel.co.uk 36 MAY 2014

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CHELI & PEACOCK, Tel: +254 20 6003 090/1; www.chelipeacock.com

Wet& A caiman devoures a piranha at sunset in the Ibera Marshes Nature Reserve in Argentina

38 MAY 2014

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Take me there

IBERA WETLANDS, ARGENTINA

wild WORDS BY JAMES LOWEN

There is a wonderland in Argentina, not easy to get to but more than well worth the trip, where the animals and birds have had more than 30 years of protection to remove their wariness of man. This rarely visited, wildlife-rich wetland is Esteros del Iberรก

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MAY 2014 39

Here: capybara – the world’s largest rodents – are commonly found in the Ibera Marshes Below right: an aerial view of the Ibera wetlands

Much as I love nature in all its guises, rarely do I find rodents impressive. Yet here I am in northern Argentina, nose to muzzle with a member of the mouse family – and gazing with undeniable awe. For the capybara is no run-of-the-mill rodent. Standing on all fours while I sit cross-legged, this furry heavyweight’s eyes are level with mine and locked on them. As our staring competition creeps towards a full minute, my pig-sized adversary eventually trots to the water’s edge with a crotchety grunt. I exhale, embarrassingly shaken and stirred by this opening murine encounter. Am I man or mouse? The world’s most gargantuan rodent is just one of several natural superlatives inhabiting the Esteros del Iberá, a wetland the size of East Anglia. Occupying a swathe of Corrientes province, Iberá is also home to the New World’s loudest primate, rarest deer, tallest bird, heaviest flying bird and second-largest serpent. Factor in the world’s finest assemblage of globally threatened grassland birds plus congregations of commoner species, 40 MAY 2014

all at point-blank range, and it defies credulity that many more wildlife-watchers do not flock to Argentina’s answer to Brazil’s increasingly fashionable Pantanal. If Argentina’s tourist industry stacks its display shelves with tango and Andes, glaciers and waterfalls, then Iberá is its under-the-counter offering: a secret imparted only to the lucky few. Easily combinable with the world-famous Iguazú Falls (Wild Travel, May 2013), Iberá is a wildlife Mecca that – for now, at least – you can enjoy far from the madding crowd. Only 17,000 visitors frequent Iberá each year, one-seventieth of the number that go to Iguazú. Not that ecotourism infrastructure is absent; the opposite is true. A series of quality lodges, the best among them rated highly by Rusticae (an upmarket, Spanishlanguage version of Mr and Mrs Smith), have sprung up over the past decade in and around the sprawling, sleepy backwater of Colonia Carlos Pellegrini. A typical lodge package explores Iberá’s mosaic of wildlifeextra.com

Take me there

IBERA WETLANDS, ARGENTINA

TOP 5 MAMMALS TO SEE Argentina’s wide array of unusual animals are a feast for eyes and ears

BLACK HOWLER MONKEY With its roar audible at two miles distance, the male howler is well named. Howlers live in family groups with one or more males: youngsters of both sexes are blonde, but males assume uniformly sooty pelage at about four years of age.

MARSH DEER Standing 1.2m tall and 2m long, and possessing thick, branching antlers 60cm in length, the male marsh deer is Iberá’s giant. The species is typically solitary, although bucks may escort one or two does, or females may be seen with their fawns. Only during the autumn rut do males cross paths.

CAPYBARA

This pig-sized rodent is the world’s largest: troubling the scales at 50kg. Capybaras have a definite ‘tough guy’ demeanour, a perception strengthened by their habit of standing their ground. Capybaras’ partly webbed feet and astounding breath-holding abilities help them to be excellent swimmers.

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NINE-BANDED ARMADILLO If you are on a night walk and hear snuffling in the path side vegetation, the chances are it’ll be an armadillo, and most likely this myopic species. Stay still and the animal may bumble onto the path and wander right up to you. Only when gets a whiff of homo sapiens will it flee!

PLAINS VIZCACHA If Iberá is a well-kept secret, then this attractive rodent is its hidden treat – and one that is well worth an evening excursion. Emerging from communal burrows underground only upon the dissolution of day, this member of the chinchilla family packs a sturdy 50cm in length and 9kg in weight.

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Take me there

IBERA WETLANDS, ARGENTINA

Clockwise from above: a South American brown brocket deer; the yellow-billed cardinal, which makes its home around marshes, lakes and rivers; the exotic passion flower

lagoon, wetland, grassland and palm savanna – a diversity of ecosystems unparalleled in southern South America. Transport modes are tailored to the habitat. The best way to explore distant lakes is to cruise by motorboat, but you should glide by kayak along tranquil waterways. Old-fashioned footfall is optimum for gallery forests, although you can play gaucho (cowboy) on horseback to avoid wading through swamps, and use a 4x4 for scanning grasslands. Lodges employ wildlife guides familiar with the best sights and sites alike. Each excursion targets a particular habitat and its faunal favourites and each mini-adventure unravels a little more of the secret that is the Esteros del Iberá. Iberá means ‘shining waters’ in the local Guaraní language. Appropriately, the highlight of a visit is a boat trip around one of the 60 shallow lakes which cover two per cent of the Esteros. Wildlife hangs out wherever there is vegetation, be it along lagoon fringes or on embalsados – floating islands that are unique to Iberá. Evolving from clumps of water hyacinth, these mats of vegetation accumulate sufficient soil over decades for tallow and laurel trees to germinate and grow. They can even support the weight of marsh deer, which can tip the scales at 150kg. These water-loving deer are unquestionably the mammalian star of the Esteros. They are globally threatened with

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extinction overall, but Iberá’s population is thriving following the hunting ban which resulted from the area’s protection in 1982. There is now no better location for a close encounter with this cute, chestnut cervid with snowy spectacles as it sploshes through rushes, nibbling every now and then. Less straightforward to spot are two types of caiman – South America’s take on crocodilians – that typically dangle in the water, semi-concealed beneath tangles of duckweed, water lily and water poppy. As only the reptiles’ eyes and muzzles may be visible, differentiating the species pair can be tricky. Out of the water, however, the broad-snouted caiman is seen to have a more typically crocodile-like appearance quite distinct from the slender, goofy ‘face’ of the yacaré caiman.

A SINUOUS MOVEMENT through the shallows coaxes your eyes towards another cold-blooded critter. Most likely the aquatic serpent is a false water cobra, named after its habit of hoisting a flattened neck prior to striking. If you are lucky, however, the snake may prove to be Argentina’s largest, a yellow anaconda. Typically 3m long, this boa dispatches its prey by squeezing the living daylights out of it. Capybaras are a favourite meal. Speak of the devil... This mega-mouse abounds in Iberá’s waterways and watersides and (I admit through gritted teeth) its antics are as endearing as its stature is imposing. Watch a mother suckle her youngsters or a male swim a channel with only eyes, ears and nose above the waterline. Observe a family herd grazing a riverbank or a supine female sanctioning a

MAY 2014 43

cattle tyrant bird to extract annoying fleas from her fur. Wetland birdlife abounds, and the large size and confiding nature of many species means that it’s not only experts who can rack up a decent list of sightings. Enjoy a limpkin flying on the stiffest of wings held high above its head like a stringdrawn puppet. Watch a family party of southern screamers: turkey-like, fluffy-headed and, as its name infers, uttering one heck of a raucous cry. Or a wattled jacana, trotting leggily across lilypads before whirring shorewards on startlingly lime-coloured wings. Jabirus, bald-headed equivalents of Africa’s marabou storks, tread stealthily through the shallows before taking wing and emphasising their status as South America’s heaviest flying bird. Other storks – maguari and wood – rub shoulders with roseate spoonbills, egrets and a myriad of herons. An overhead rattle cues the arrival of a ringed kingfisher, a crow-sized bird garbed in Union Flag colours. This astonishing array of piscivorous predators is attracted by Iberá’s abundance of fish: the waters’ 125 species include hoplias, eels, leoprinus, catfish and characins. You may even see some on your dinner plate... Use a kayak to access quiet channels where you can sneak up on wildlife. This is a good way to encounter mini-beasts: from dazzling dragonflies to arachnid communes comprising thousands of tangle-web spiders. Spend time, too, spotting the birds that devour these invertebrates: a chattering group of black-capped donacobius, a white-headed marsh-tyrant fizzing from cat-tail to rush, or the fiery glow of a scarletheaded blackbird atop a protruding papyrus. As dusk

descends, lesser bulldog bats swarm over the water, munching whatever insects remain airborne. Back on terra firma, it is a must to explore the pampas for which Argentina is world renowned. This realm of gauchos and their bovine herds is also the domain of a fine collection of some of the world’s rarest birds. The demolition of South America’s grasslands has been overshadowed by deforestation as a conservation issue, yet is arguably just as serious, with a suite of species plummeting towards annihilation. Only Argentina’s Corrientes province, Iberá in particular, is bucking the trend. ‘World birders’ come here to track down the black-and-white monjita, the ochre-breasted pipit, a taxonomically bewildering gaggle of seedeaters, and the strange-tailed tyrant. This flycatcher’s appearance – notably its tail – is as remarkable as its yoyo-like display flight. Look for the tyrant perching prominently on bushes that line the road on both sides of the Rincón de Socorro ecolodge, 30km south of Carlos Pellegrini. Even without such rarities, Iberá grasslands offer plenty. Southern caracaras line the fence posts, lurking for roadkill. Greater rheas – the Americas’ answer to emus and ostriches, and the continent’s tallest bird – stride stately by on the longest of limbs before breaking into a sprint that verges on the comical. Spotted nothuras and red-winged tinamous recall Europe’s partridges, but with far-carrying, evocative calls thrown in. In areas with termite mounds, look for armadillos; Iberá’s three species can be distinguished by the number of protective armoured bands circumnavigating their body. This

The demolition of South America’s grasslands has a suite of species plummeting towards annihiliation

rguably the most intriguing of all Iberá’s 400 or so species of bird is the greater rhea. Rheas are to South America what ostriches are to Africa or emus to Australia: gargantuan, long-legged, long-necked and flightless. In dimensions, the rhea is remarkable: standing 1.5m high and weighing up to 50kg, this is the continent’s tallest and heaviest non-flying bird. Putting its height to good use, and more than making up for its inability to take to the skies, an alarmed greater rhea can run from danger at up to 50km/h. The rhea’s breeding system defies ornithological convention. Males are promiscuous, mating with a number of females. Unlike most polygamous birds, however, the male pays his parental dues. He coaxes each female into laying eggs – on

44 MAY 2014

every other day for a week – in a single nest which becomes his sole responsibility. For six weeks, the male alone incubates the clutch: each huge egg weighing 600g (12 times that of a chicken’s). Subsequently he broods, feeds, raises and aggressively guards his score of young offspring. Meanwhile, the females abscond in search for other males with which to mate. Could rheas be the epitome of avian emancipation? The greater rhea has a long history of interaction with man, as evidenced by

Brazilian cave paintings dating back to at least 8,000 BC. Prized for their quantity and quality of meat, rheas have probably been hunted since man’s arrival in South America. Nowadays greater rheas are frequently ‘farmed’ on ranches, but are kept more for their plumes than their meat. The feathers are used to make feather brooms and dusters, which are commonly to be found being sold by ambulant vendors on the streets of the Argentine capital of Buenos Aires.

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LIFE AND TIMES OF THE AMERICAS’ OSTRICH

The amazing male rhea gives new meaning to the idea of house husband

Take me there

ARDNAMURCHAN PENINSULA, SCOTLAND

Clockwise from above: the strange- tailed tyrant, which draws many birders to Argentina; the gruff features of a cururu, or roccoco toad; palm trees at Esteros del Ibera provide shelter for a variety of birds; a pair of whistling heron display to each other

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MAY 2014 45

Take me there

IBERA WETLANDS, ARGENTINA Here: a roseate spoonbill in flight over a lake at dusk Left: a black and white tegu

is suitable terrain for giant anteater and maned wolf, but don’t get your hopes up as both are scarce and secretive. In many areas, the pampas merges with palm savannah. Head for copses rich in wax-palms, hosting a fresh suite of birds. Some, such as cream-backed woodpecker and scimitar-billed woodcreeper, are normally denizens of dry Chaco woodland. Others are widespread: great horned owls, for example. The big prize is yellow cardinal, a finch-like bird that has been trapped to near-extinction. Iberá is one of its very last haunts, but it’s rare to see one.

Maguari and wood storks rub shoulders with roseate spoonbills, egrets and herons

return to your lodge for a siesta. While relaxing, keep an eye on garden wildlife. Chicken-sized giant woodrails strut around, oblivious to admirers; feeding stations attract gaudy redcrested and yellow-billed cardinals; a rococo toad peers out from a drain; and hummingbirds such as gilded sapphire hover at nectar-rich blooms. When the afternoon starts to cool, try Iberá’s gallery forests. Convenient trails start at the visitor centre south of Colonia Carlos Pellegrini. You will probably hear the sylvan stars before

TRIP ADVISER

COST RATING

SAMPLE PACKAGE TOUR: Seriema Nature Tours offers custom-made itineraries as part of a wider Argentina tour or as a standalone. A typical four-day Iberá trip costs from £740pp based on a group of two. The price includes all surface transport, accommodation, full board, all excursions and a dedicated wildlife guide. Tel: +54 911 5410 3235; www.seriemanaturetours.com

GETTING THERE: Several major airlines fly from London to Buenos Aires, most via an intermediate city. 46 MAY 2014

British Airways flies direct; fares cost from £898 return. An international flight with LAN or Aerolineas Argentinas may entitle you to cheaper domestic flights. From Buenos Aires, you need to fly with Aerolineas to Posadas (90 mins; c £200 return) then drive four hours in a 4x4, or drive 10 hours via Mercedes (passable in a saloon car in dry conditions). If pressed for time, you can reach a drier part of Iberá from the town of Ituzaingó.

VISA REQUIREMENTS FROM THE UK: UK passport holders do not need a visa in order to visit Argentina for 90 days.

TIPS AND WARNINGS: The Esteros del Iberá are safe and free from human irritation. Petty crime is

non-existent. Keep fingers away from inquisitive animals and watch your feet for venomous snakes. Dengue fever can occur year-round. Take care driving after rain; the roads to Colonia Carlos Pellegrini from Mercedes/Posadas can be impassable, so allow a day or two leeway in your travel plans. Internal flights are unfortunately frequently subject to delays and occasionally to cancellation (LAN less than Aerolineas Argentinas). Accommodation options include Rincón de Socorro, Posada de la Laguna, Estancia San Alonso, Irupé Lodge, Pira Lodge, Iberá Lodge, Ecoposada del Estero and Posada Aguapé. Essential items are insect repellent, sunscreen, hat, waterresistant footwear and binoculars.

WHEN TO GO: Year-round with the following caveats. Spring (September to November) is ideal, although animals are notably approachable in autumn (March to May). Winter (June to August) is cooler but lodges get booked quickly in July/August. Summer (December to March) is best avoided: it can be very hot, humid and wet. Visit www.esterosdelibera.com TOUR OPERATORS

BIRDQUEST Tel: 01254 826317 www.birdquest-tours.com WILDLIFE WORLDWIDE Tel: 0845 130 6982 www.wildlifeworldwide.com BIRDHOLIDAYS Tel: 0113 3910 510 www.birdholidays.co.uk

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IF YOU WELCOME THE SHADE provided by wax palms,

you see them. Black howler monkeys live up to their name, reputedly being the continent’s loudest mammal. As the troop that lives here is habituated to humans and thus tolerates close approach, earplugs may be advisable... In this woodland rich in strangler figs, quebracho, lapacho, jacaranda and passion flower, there is much else to discover. South American brown brocket deer browse shrubbery under which metre-long black-and-white tegu lizards may skulk. Splashes of colour are provided by blazing bromeliads and neon-blue morpho butterflies, the latter the size of your hand. As daylight dwindles, a crab-eating duo (raccoon and fox) may prowl past in search of a meal, and groups of plains vizcacha emerge from burrows beside the visitor centre. Bushy-tailed and bright-eyed, striped with black and white, these endearing rodents graze just feet away. What with these and the capybaras, perhaps it’s time to change my tune on mice and their ilk?

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Anatomy of a...

Shoebill

The bird with a beak like a clog is hard to find but, once found, will pose for hours

Body Shoebills are surprisingly large birds. They can reach between 120 and 140cm when standing and weigh between four and seven kilos. The males are slightly taller and heavier than the females. Their blue-grey feathers offer remarkably good camouflage in the swamps. When they sight prey, they throw themselves onto it, often losing balance and collapsing on the vegetation in the process.

Legs Like other wading birds, the legs are long and the feet big. However, the shoebill also has exceptionally long toes to help it balance and grip on the mats of semi-submerged and floating vegetation that cover their watery hunting grounds. They walk very, very slowly and stand still for long periods of time. Their hunting strategy is all about conserving energy.

Eyes Hunting is done entirely by sight. They live in areas where tall reeds and papyrus offer shelter but also inhibit clear sightlines. Their prey preference is for catfish, lungfish and several tilapia species that live in the oxygen-poor waterways of the floodplains. The birds spy them out in gaps in the vegetation when the fish surface to gulp air.

Beak Because shoebills target quite big fish, up to 50cm long and weighing up to 600g, their huge bulbous beak with its strong, hooked tip gives them more killing power than other fish-eating birds. The sharp, serrated edges of the mandibles allow them to decapitate their prey with one crunch. They can even tackle water monitors and small crocodiles. Water snakes up to 70cm in length are fed to shoebill chicks.

Wings A wingspan of more than 2m enables the birds to sustain long, soaring flights. They fly with retracted necks, which led them to be classed as being part of the heron family. However, they are actually a monotypic species, ie, the only member of their family. Shoebill chicks cannot fly, which makes them vulnerable to the seasonal fires that can destroy large areas of the swamp, and also to trampling by cattle.

Reproduction The shoebill nest is made of aquatic vegetation and is so dense that it can support the weight of an adult human. Typically, two eggs are laid and hatch after 35 days. The stronger of the chicks then out-competes its sibling for food, or actively chases it from the nest. The second chick is seen as a back-up in case something goes wrong with the stronger one. Chicks have to learn to catch their own food after 120 days because by then the parents will have moved on.

Where in the world?

Shoebills can tolerate human presence to a certain extent, but often wildlife guides will move in too close in order to give their guests a good photo opportunity, and local fishermen will take chicks from the nest to show to tourists. If a guide offers to flush a shoebill from dense vegetation for you, kindly decline the offer and wait for the bird to appear of its own accord, keeping at least 50m from it. Also, refuse to look at a captive shoebill. Shoebills only breed in seven countries - South Sudan, western Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, western Tanzania and northern Zambia. Good, safe viewing sites are: Bangweulu Wetlands, Zambia – from end of April to November Uganda in any large wetland complex – from December to February or July to September Akagera National Park, Rwanda – but only from a few vantage points Be warned: a shoebill search will take the best part of a day and involve hours of boating or walking!

Clockwise from here: an orangutan called Juliana and her baby Felicity in Malaysian Borneo; walnut trees being planted to supply nuts for brown bears in Armenia; black and red broadbills found in tropical forests in southeast Asia; southern elephant seals in the sub-Antarctic; a view of the Uruguay River and Mocona Falls from land owned by WLT

A cheetah chases a blue wildebeest in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania

50 MAY 2014

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Special report

WORLD LAND TRUST

As the World Land Trust celebrates its 25th anniversary, we look back at the story of this unique conservation charity, dedicated to preserving the world’s most threatened habitats and the wildlife that calls them home

WORDS BY DOMINIC COUZENS

In land we trust I

f you want to change the world, it’s a good idea to do it step by step, fragment by fragment. Big steps aren’t always surefooted; small steps build up and multiply. This is very much the ethos of the World Land Trust, founded 25 years ago, and best known for its policy of buying up land, acre by acre, for conservation. From small beginnings in 1989 it has built up into a major movement, with projects all around the world. You might not have heard of it, but that’s because it keeps its footsteps light. The seeds of the Trust were sown in 1988, when the American Jerry Bertrand, then president of the Massachusetts Audubon Society, discovered that 110,000 acres of pristine tropical forest in Belize was in grave danger of being cut down to make way for agriculture. He approached the British writer and conservationist John Burton with a request for urgent help. Would the British be interested in preserving the natural heritage of a small slice of their former colonial outpost, only recently independent? If the land could be bought, it could be saved. Burton responded in a way that was novel at the

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time, but has since been copied around the world. First of all, in January 1989 he set up a Trust – the World Wide Land Conservation Trust – to channel funds to the relevant non-governmental organisation (NGO) on the ground – the Programme for Belize. This light touch method, in which all responsibility and management, as well as money, is delegated to those in the country at the conservation ‘coal-face’, so to speak, was the first masterstroke. The second was to stoke people’s imagination.

It isn’t easy to raise funds for 110,000 acres of a forest that most British people will never see, in an obscure corner of Central America that hardly anyone could point to on a map. And who can conceive of 110,000 acres anyway? The genius of this first venture was to lay out the project acre by acre. The question posed in their fundraising became ‘Could you give £25 to buy a Real Acre in a Real Place?’, rather than, ‘We need millions to save this habitat’. This was a completely new concept, and it fuelled people’s imagination. In modern parlance, it gave people the chance to take ownership of their donations; as they sent off their cheques they could imagine their own

MAY 2014 51

With stardust and some corporate donations behind it (Tate & Lyle and Today newspaper – remember that?), this first venture into ‘acre by acre’ conservation proved an enormous success. In July 1990, the WLT was only just over a year and a half old but was already making an impact. In that month John Burton flew to Central America and handed over a cheque for £70,000 to Joy Grant, the Manager of the Programme for Belize. By 1996 the PfB (as it had become known) had actually saved 250,000 acres (101,175 Ha) of forest. Now known as the Rio Bravo

52 MAY 2014

These days you can still ‘buy an acre’ of forest in Bolivia, Colombia, Equador and Mexico Conservation and Management Area, it covers no less than 4 per cent of Belize’s total land area. The author and journalist Simon Barnes attests that the resulting reserve is “jumping with jaguars”, as well as 356 species of birds. The Trust’s second foray did not come straight away. Only in 1994 did it join forces with the TUVA Foundation in Costa Rica to work on saving the forests of the Osa Peninsula, which were eventually incorporated into the Corcovado National Park. In the same year it added another project, working with the Philippine Reef and Rainforest Conservation Foundation to preserve the island of Danjugan with its tropical forests, picture postcard coral reefs and freshwater lagoons. This measured start reflects how the WLT has been choosing projects, protecting the ethos of treading carefully. “The WLT doesn’t go in for razzmatazz but prefers to run a lower profile operation that puts more money into better conservation projects instead,” says Mark Carwardine. “This is not to say that decisions are made, or projects funded, without due care and attention; indeed, the opposite is true. There’s an informal consultation, using a worldwide network of experts, ensuring all important

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particular slice of rainforest. Within 18 months some 5,000 people had contributed funds. Of course, it helps if the great and the good can quickly buy into a new idea, and for the World Wide Land Conservation Trust (it slimmed down to World Land Trust in 1986) key figures came on board. These included Professor David Bellamy, Sir David Attenborough and zoologist Mark Carwardine. One of the most colourful was the late author Gerald Durrell. These days he is best remembered for his childhood memoir My Family and Other Animals, but he wrote numerous bestselling books about searching in exotic places for animals, oozing with charm and caustic wit. He set up the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust (now called the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust) in 1963 to breed highly endangered animals in captivity, and in many ways Durrell and the WLT were complementary. The two organisations still have close links, and the author’s wife, Lee Durrell, herself a distinguished zoologist, is a Council member of WLT.

Special report

WORLD LAND TRUST Q&A

DAVID ATTENBOROUGH The World Land Trust’s most famous patron offers his thoughts on the importance of wildlife habitat conservation How would you describe the World Land Trust? Well, it’s an organisation that undertakes management and conservation projects in some of the most endangered environments and ecosystems across the planet. From Africa to South America and even here in the UK, it works with partner organisations to help preserve and maintain habitats that are potentially under threat from developers, natural elements or even governments. What is it that appeals to you about their work? It’s two-fold. The marvellous work done and the breadth of the impact is inspiring. Then you have the people, and they really are the organisation. I have a great relationship with those who drove this brilliant project forward.

Clockwise from top left: an aerial view of the Guatemalan rainforest; Sir David Attenborough, long-time supporter of the World Land Trust, in Borneo; giant otters in the Bahia Negra Pantanal in Paraguay; a tiger ratsnake

How does the trust differ from other wildlife conservation charities? The World Land Trust is not hacking their way in and, if you like, ring-fencing an area from afar. Everything is done in coalition with local organisations, so it’s a joint enterprise. That means the people on the ground are the ones who lead out the project – after all, they are the ones with the knowledge and experience. They know the intricacies of their local environment; insight and understanding it would take us many decades to fully appreciate. There’s also the point that the money goes straight to the heart of the project. It doesn’t sit with charities or get distributed among partners. I think people want absolute clarity when it comes to this sort of thing nowadays. What do you think have been their greatest achievements so far? You could look at Belize, which was the first project of them all. The sheer scale of this is magnificent – now over a quarter of a million square acres – and in that area there’s over 400 species of birds, jaguars, monkeys, minute insects, as well as some staggering archaeology. But look, too, in India, Paraguay, across dense rainforests, wetlands, savannahs – there is no habitat that cannot be protected, yet there are so many that do need protecting. What is your involvement as a patron of the charity? I have one of those recognisable faces and in this day and age it is all about column inches and creating coverage. Really, my job is to talk to people and express the work the World Land Trust does, so they appreciate the sheer wealth of what’s achieved. I’ve been a patron for over a decade, and it’s a pleasure, because you can see that these are people who really and truly care. What would constitute success for the Trust? Success only comes through real, trackable, sustainable change to these environments. We’re discovering new things all the time about the natural world, but it’s just as important that we sustain what we have. I guess real success is achieving funding so that the WLT and its NGO partners gain full control. Why should people support the work of the World Land Trust? Because they are making a lasting impression. This isn’t a short-term fix for a habitat or ecosystem; it’s the permanent management of an area through its lease and purchase. So we can make long-term change without any threats of that programme coming to a close because of outside influences.

MAY 2014 53

Special report

WORLD LAND TRUST

decisions are made professionally, quickly and at low cost.” That said, in the years that followed, the projects multiplied. These targeted places as diverse as the Atlantic Rainforests of Brazil, the Patagonian steppe in Argentina and corridors in Indian forests where Asian elephants can move freely. In 2001 the Trust was even bequeathed beech woodland and old meadow, which they turned into the Kites Hill reserve near Painswick in the Cotswolds. These days the WLT works with partners in over 20 different countries, including Vietnam, Armenia and Kenya. Its ethos is still the same, remaining non-profit and delivering money to buy and protect land.

A classic WLT project runs in Ecuador. Now, while the Trust is not averse to conserving iconic species – such as Caucasian leopards in Armenia, for example – it has always refreshingly steered clear of the ‘We need to save cuddly pandas’ form of nature conservation. So, hands up anyone who has heard of the Jocotoco Antpitta? How about Grallaria ridgelyi? Thought not. Nevertheless, in 1997 the celebrated ornithologist Robert Ridgeley, author of Birds of Ecuador, came across this highly distinctive new species of bird in the Cerro Tapichalaca. Within a year the Fundación Jocotoco had been formed to protect the Antpitta and its habitat (it still has a world range encompassing less than 80 sq km) and Jocotoco formed a partnership with WLT in 1999. If you wish to be flippant about it, it would be hard to give money to save a more obscure species, but of course this unusually wet temperate forest on the east slope of the Andes protects a myriad of other tropical species dependent on this habitat. The same might be said for the Sharpe’s Longclaw (another bird) in the tussock grasslands of Kenya or tiny Teagueia orchids new to science, also in Ecuador. Of course, other conservation organisations also work admirably for unsexy, downtrodden taxa, but WLT has always been in the forefront of this. In the meantime, by the way, Fundación Jocotoco flourished

54 MAY 2014

and now looks after 10 reserves in Ecuador. If you look at the WLT’s website today, you can see how the organisation has grown. It now works with 27 NGOs, for instance, and has saved over half a million acres of forest and leveraged the protection of many more. The projects continue to multiply and they continue to address urgent conservation needs – take the desperate plight of Borneo’s orangutans, for instance. And one of the things you notice is how the Trust has also diversified in the way that it has helped conservation. For example, three years ago it launched Keepers in the Wild, to fund the employment of local people as reserve wardens to protect the land that has been saved, and to act as conservation ambassadors within their local communities. It also has a Plant a Tree programme that enables native trees to be planted in reserves where land had been cleared prior to purchase, thereby ensuring continuity of the forest cover. Supporters can pay a visit to the reserves they have contributed to. Many WLT partners have eco-friendly lodges and great wildlife watching facilities if you are thinking of organising a holiday. It’s appropriate that the final word should go to Dr Lee Durrell, a supporter of WLT from the very start: “The World Land Trust is an exemplary model of how biodiversity conservation should be done. It is a trim and focused organisation, proficient in the ways of protecting species, habitats and landscapes for the long term in a multiplicity of countries and cultures.” You’ll be glad to know the Trust’s very first venture is still running. These days you can still ‘buy an acre’ of forest in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico, although it will now cost you £100, rather than just £25. The WLT is thriving like never before, but despite its increasing workload, it hasn’t abandoned its original principles, working step by step, fragment by fragment.

Wild Travel is an official media partner of World Land Trust during their 25th anniversary year. For more details of their work, see www.worldlandtrust.org

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Below: local volunteers planting trees in Armenia as part of the World Land Trust’s efforts to help the country replant trees lost during its energy crisis in the 1990s. Right: a giant anteater strolling through the Beni savannah in Bolivia

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Tales riverbank OF THE

PHOTOGRAPHS BY DAVID TIPLING

The life of a pair of otters, brother and sister, was catalogued over several months in and around the town of Thetford in Norfolk

56 MAY 2014

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Gallery

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MAY 2014 57

READY FOR MY CLOSE-UP (previous page) Taking wide angle images of wildlife is challenging and often requires much patience. However, that was not needed in the case of this curious male otter that readily investigated my camera before leaving a spraint (scent marking) on the mossy riverside root.

58 MAY 2014

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Gallery

IN THE THICK OF IT Fights between otters are frequent, and indeed bite wounds are estimated to be attributable to around 10 per cent of all deaths in some otter populations. I lay flat on a low part of the riverbank to capture this aggressive encounter. Shooting low is a technique I try and use whenever possible as pictures taken at the animalsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; level nearly always give the images a more intimate feel.

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Gallery

HEREâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LOOKING AT YOU If you spend long periods of time in the company of an animal, you sense you are building a bond with them. Whenever I look at this image I feel like we are sharing more than just eye contact. In reality otters are short sighted so she cannot see me at all clearly as she passes under a bridge in town. But perhaps she picks up from my scent that I am close.

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DISH OF THE DAY

(left) The male otter with a roach on the river Thet in late winter. Other favoured prey were pike and elvers of up to half a pound in weight. However, I also watched them take a moorhen, mallard, black-headed gull and water vole, and on one memorable encounter I saw them attack a mute swan.

uring the summer of 2012 I got to hear of an otter family that were being seen daily in the centre of Thetford, a bustling Norfolk town lying on both the River Thet and Little Ouse. Various events prevented me visiting so they were pushed to the back of my mind. Then at Christmas a friend mentioned he had watched an otter in broad daylight performing in front of a crowd of shoppers. So on a cold January morning in 2013 I found myself walking the river. It was not long before I came across two otters actively hunting in the shallows, just a stoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s throw from a busy shopping precinct. I was hooked. It transpired from talking to local people that they were almost certainly last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s cubs and that their mother had been killed by a vehicle on the outskirts of the town. They had grown up with all the sounds and smells of human activity and so were relatively fearless of people, giving a unique opportunity to watch at close quarters their normally secret lives. I have to admit to becoming a little obsessed with these individuals. I realised this was an opportunity for in-depth photographic coverage that might never come again. I visited the river, which was just under an hourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s drive from my home, at least five times a week for just over four months. By early May, however, the otters were becoming increasingly difficult to find, and I decided I needed to move on to new projects. I still visit the river and sometimes see the male, but he is now far more elusive. For a few months these animals became not only local celebrities but by spring had appeared on national TV, too. On some days more than 50 otter watchers (who became known locally as the otter paparazzi) lined the riverbank, but the otters seemed oblivious to the attention. Visit today and you are likely to be alone, but keep an eye out as there just might be an otter about.

DAVID TIPLING is a multi-award winning wildlife photographer who has written, or been the commissioned photographer on, 45 books. His images have been used regularly on TV and on hundreds of book and magazine covers. He also leads wildlife tours and holds one-to-one photo days on the Norfolk coast. www.davidtipling.com

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Gallery ONE STEP AHEAD The male was very adventurous and on one occasion took to a tree, having picked up an interesting scent. I would always try to get in front of the animal and be ready to capture any interesting behaviour that might occur.

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Gallery

RANGING FAR AND WIDE Male otters can have home ranges that extend for 10 or more miles. The Thetford otters tended to stick within a two to three mile range. Nevertheless, I found myself walking up to six miles a day. I got to know all their favourite lie ups, known as couches, and worked out where they might be at any time of the day and which routes theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d take if switching overland between waterways.

SIBLING RIVALRY As the weeks passed, the young otters grew apart. When they did come together, violent fights often erupted. The male lost a toe and had his nose badly damaged during one encounter. Both animals were often very vocal at these meetings, which could last for a few minutes at a time, with repeated bouts of fighting.

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There are only a handful of these Bali starlings left in the wild, and West Bali National Park is the place where they can be seen

66 MAY 2014

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Trip Report

WEST BALI NATIONAL PARK

Bali HIGHS The island of Bali’s remote Prapat Agung peninsula is the only place in the world where you can still see the beautiful Bali starling, the region’s endangered national bird, flying wild in its natural habitat

WORDS BY MARK EVELEIGH

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I’ve brought my nine-year-old daughter Lucia to Bali on her first Asian safari and already West Bali National Park is surpassing expectations. The park was founded in 1941 to protect the local tigers but, by a sad twist of fate, the last Balinese tiger had probably been shot five years earlier. These days, vast tracts of jungle valleys and ridges remain uninhabited and, in many cases, unexplored. The park officially boasts three types of deer (sambar, barking and mousedeer) and two types of monkeys. Apart from great troops of macaques this is the only place in Bali where you can see ebony lutung, also known as black monkeys, or Tachypithecus auratus. It had taken two days to drive across the volcanoes, from Bali’s southern tourist traps to the remotest north-western coast. From the fishing jetty of Labuhan Lalang it was just a short voyage in a ramshackle fishing launch to Brumbun Bay and the Bali starling release site – the bird that we’re here to find. This is what Lucia is already calling ‘the adventure of my life’. I wanted her first experience of jungle trekking to be in a relatively safe wilderness where, nevertheless, I knew she would be certain to see wildlife in the form of different types of monkeys and large deer. As she helps me tie up the jungle hammock we will share, she casts dubious glances at the jungle around us. I explain that there is no risk here but that we will tie the hammock just high

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herd of elegant sambar deer is grazing placidly around our campsite. A civet trots across the edge of the meadow, and in the distant trees we can see the shadowy forms of a troop of rare Balinese black monkeys. Spectacular as they are, they are just distractions to me, mere backing acts for the main event I’ve travelled halfway around the world to see.

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Trip Report

WEST BALI NATIONAL PARK

Clockwise from top: sambar deer on a beach in West Bali National Park; Mark and his daughter Lucia doing a spot of birdwatching; the delicate features of a sambar deer; macaques, one of two monkey species in the park; Lucia contemplating ‘the ‘adventure of my life’ from her jungle hammock

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Trip Report

WEST BALI NATIONAL PARK

Left: a sign at the Menjangan resort directs visitors to where they might view its semi-wild flock of eight birds

enough so that the big monitor lizards and the short-sighted, short-tempered wild pigs can pass unhindered below us if necessary. We hold our breath as the first shimmer of white appears far up in the treetops. Then there’s another flash of snowy plumage, and a moment later there are no fewer than six Bali starlings chattering in the branches above us. Neither of us is a dedicated twitcher, but it’s hard not to feel ecstatic and privileged at the sight of an entire flock of some of the world’s rarest birds. They are avian dreams in gleaming white with shocks of deep blue eyeliner around beady eyes that gaze down at us. It is this fatal curiosity that makes them such easy prey for predators and poachers alike. “That makes six,” says Made, the park ranger who is guiding us. “There should be another three….hopefully.” Brumbun Bay, on remote Prapat Agung Peninsula, is the

only place in the world where you can still see wild Bali starlings in their natural home range. They are protected by armed rangers like Made, yet 40 years after the starling was listed by CITES as an endangered species, there are still only nine wild Bali starlings here in West Bali National Park. To all intents and purposes, the wild population actually died out long ago: all the birds we are looking at have been relocated from a captive breeding programme. They began life in a heavily protected little fortress in the jungle, complete with electric fences, watchtowers and Kalashnikov-toting guards. There’s also a semiwild flock of eight birds at a nearby resort called the Menjangan and another flock that was introduced by a successful conservation project on the island of Nusa Penida. “The Bali starling – we call it jalak Bali – is the national bird of our island,” Made explained. “Because they’re almost extinct they can be worth up to 2,000 US dollars for a breeding pair these days.” The British ornithologist Walter Rothschild, first described the birds to the world in 1912 and gave them the Latin name of Leucopsar rothschildi. From early on their beauty – the gleaming plumage with black trimmings, the cocky crest and especially that blue eyeliner – made them very collectible. In the 1970s, hundreds were exported to collectors in the US and Europe but few survived for long enough to breed in captivity. Starlings are very sociable birds and it is possible that, far

A bird in the bush

n January 2013, guards at the Brumbun Bay ranger station told me that they were protecting a flock of around 80 wild Bali starlings. Three months later the number was officially given as just nine. The rangers I’d met had been rotated to a new station elsewhere and nobody was able to explain whether there had been a disastrous miscount or whether 70 birds had simply disappeared. I was told by a ranger that the logbook in which sightings were recorded had been sent to headquarters. There is still a chance for the survival of the Bali starling in the wild beyond the boundaries of West Bali National Park. In 1999, the Bali Starling Conservation Project – part of Begawan Foundation, which aims to help local people conserve their natural environment – bought two breeding pairs of starlings from a collector in London. Within seven years the project had successfully

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released 65 birds into what was effectively virgin territory for the starlings on Nusa Penida Island, off the southeast coast of Bali. “The birds have spread far and wide around the island,” says Tasya Karissa, the administrator of Begawan Foundation, “and there have even been sightings across the water on Nusa Lembongan. Breeding this species is not the challenge for us right now, but finding safe areas where we can release them into the wild isn’t an easy task.”

Efforts to save the Bali starling from extinction have had mixed success The project has now moved its breeding centre to a village just south of Ubud, Bali, where it’s trying to establish a new wild population from its stock of 23 adults collected from aviaries in Germany and Singapore. “They adapted very quickly to their new habitat and within three months they’d started breeding,” says Karissa. “Adaptation is the key to their survival. We hope that through a lot of dedication, hard work and generous support, the Bali starling might be coming home to stay.” www.begawanfoundation.org; Tel: +62 361 900 1325

MAY 2014 71

Suddenly, in the branch over our heads there was a flash of white and I was dimly aware of piercing eyes, ringed in blue, gazing curiously down at us

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constantly struck by just how visible the wildlife is, despite the fact that there is a human presence. Even in the remotest corners of the ‘island of the gods’ you find temples, but it seems that generations of peaceful worshippers have left the wildlife alone, so it has no natural fear of people. Ominously, on recent expeditions into the rainforested hills at the centre of the park, I’ve seen the ramshackle bivouacs and vicious snares of poachers.

n 1912 adventurer Gregor Krause wrote breathlessly about the ‘many tigers that still attract many hunters to Bali, the herds of wild Banteng or buffalo, the packs of ravenous dogs and wild pigs, the numerous snakes, the poisonous insects such as scorpions and centipedes…’ And as late as 1942 naturalist Charles Barrett described ‘numerous tigers in the highlands at the western end of Bali, a region covered in dense tropical forest and uninhabited; much of it still unexplored’. The most voracious predators these days are probably the large monitor lizards and the cunning little civets. We saw both of these in the course of a short trek up the hillsides of Prapat Agung, through a landscape that looked more like African bushveld than Indonesian jungle. It was easy to imagine that somebody could establish a Hemingway-style bush-camp here, offering gentle walking safaris far from the realms of predators. The only real fear for Lucia was the spikey wait-awhile thorns through which I carried her, raised wildlifeextra.com

from their tropical island territory, they simply died of broken hearts. In 1991, the Bali starling was recognised as the mascot of Bali province and an image of the bird was stamped on the face of the Indonesian 200 rupiah coin. Thus, the bird was elevated to the position of status symbol in the minds of some of Indonesia’s financial elite and became even more collectible. Less than a century after Rothschild first identified them, there were officially only five Bali starlings left in the wild. When Lucia and I woke in our hammock the next morning we lay for a while, watching the sunlight playing among the silvery leaves of the acacia. Suddenly, in the branch over our heads there was a flash of white and I was dimly aware of piercing eyes ringed in blue gazing curiously down at us. As we gazed back I wondered what the chances are that there might still be starlings fluttering in these woods when Lucia returns one day with her own children. West Bali National Park is surely one of the most understated national parks in South East Asia. It is almost inconceivable that 190 sq km of virtually unexplored jungle could lie just a three-hour drive from the resort town of Kuta… and even more surprising that it would harbour some of the most prolific wildlife in South East Asia. I first visited the park several years ago and was immediately astounded by the sheer abundance of wildlife. I’ve since returned several times to explore on foot, by four-wheel drive, by boat and even on horseback, and am

Trip Report

WEST BALI NATIONAL PARK

Clockwise from above: a fishing boat sets sail at dawn along the shoreline of West Bali National Park; with its crest down the shape of the starling more closely resembles that of its commoner cousins; monitor lizards are also found in the park; Made Wirawan, one of the adventure tour guides in the National Park

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Trip Report

WEST BALI NATIONAL PARK

TRIP ADVISER

COST RATING

SAMPLE PACKAGE TOUR: Unless you’re well-equipped for camping, your best plan is to book a tour through one of the hotels close to the park. The Menjangan (www.themenjangan.com) is the only resort within the boundaries of West Bali National Park and offers bird-watching tours that include sightings of its own semi-wild flock of Bali starlings. Prices for a package that includes economy flights, transfers and seven nights bed and breakfast at the Menjangan resort start from £989 per person at the very beginning of the dry season. Rates at the hotel start at £101 for a deluxe room and £187 for a spacious and well-appointed beach villa (breakfast included).

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Above: a Bali starling bathing in a pool of water. Below: Lucia on her way home, aboard a fishing launch in Brumbun Bay

VISA REQUIREMENTS FROM THE UK: You can apply in advance for a two-month visa, but most people opt for the 30-day visa that is issued on arrival for £20.

TIPS & WARNINGS: If you intend to visit the wild starlings at Teluk Brumbun under your own steam allow plenty of time. There is no regular transport to the ranger station and you can only agree a rate for camping and boat hire on the spot at Labuhan Lalang (often with a spot of hard haggling). It can be easier to arrange the trip via knowledgeable hotel staff or park guides on the mainland. There is a simple shelter on the beach, but take everything you need for camping. The rangers are typically friendly Indonesians who will almost certainly invite you to eat with them but you should be prepared to leave a tip for their hospitality.

WHEN TO GO: As with most ‘safari’ destinations, dry season is best time to visit. In April the dry season comes into full swing, bringing with it pleasantly cool breezes.

TOUR OPERATORS

WESTERN & ORIENTAL Tel: 020 3588 0399 www.wandotravel.com TROPICAL SKY Tel: 0843 7706 555 www.tropicalsky.co.uk wildlifeextra.com

high on my shoulder like some Victorian princess explorer. Agile black monkeys bounded into the trees and regal sambar stags, known locally as menjangan, leapt gracefully into cover at our approach. Throughout the day we saw that same semi-tame little flock of hypnotically beautiful starlings so frequently we almost ceased to notice them. Nevertheless, it was the starlings we had come to see and another occasion offered itself when we swapped our jungle encampment for a more luxurious stay at the Menjangan resort before our journey back to the UK. It was less than an hour after sunrise and Putu, a bird watching guide at the resort, had been leading us past the moist, swampy forests of mangroves that line Prapat Agung Peninsula. Lucia was still bleary-eyed and tousle-haired from sleep and was clearly wondering why this walk couldn’t take place after breakfast. Numerous sightings of green jungle fowl had left her unimpressed, but the huddled forms of two tiny scops owls in their roosting spot had captured her imagination with their cuddly cuteness. We were on our way to see what Putu had told us was a population of eight semi-wild Bali starlings. “The Bali starling is almost extinct because it is so stupid!” said Putu. “They don’t even make proper nests. They just use holes in trees, so it’s easy for predators to get at the eggs.” He found the birds within a couple of hours, counted them carefully and realised that there were now nine. Sometime in the previous couple of weeks another hatchling had been born. Through our binoculars we could see it perched between its parents, squawking, widemouthed, in the way that offspring do. At the end of our quest to find wild Bali starlings it was a small thing, but even that one extra squawking ball of feathers represented wonderful potential for some of the world’s rarest birds.

GETTING THERE: Return flights from London to Denpasar Airport in Bali cost around £800. Flight time from UK to Bali is typically about 17 hours. Indonesia Trip Advisors (www.indonesiatripadvisors.com / tel: +62 812 8373 487) can book domestic flights from mainland Indonesia, accommodation and even arrange transport to Brumbun Bay. At the mainland jetty of Labuhan Lalang you will need to buy camping permits and boat transfers to the Bali starling release site.

ESSENTIAL AZORES Your complete wildlife-watching guide

78 WHY?

Whales, dolphins, birds and volcanic vistas await, says Richard Webber

80 WHERE?

Our guide to the wildlife-watching opportunities across the central, eastern and western island groups

92 WHAT?

Introducing the must-see whales, dolphins, birds and bats, including rare endemic species, of the Azores

97 HOW?

ÂŠ NUNO SAI

Everything you need to know before booking your island getaway

Thirty years after the closure of the last whaling station on the Azores, this Portuguese archipelago in the North Atlantic provides a natural haven for cetaceans, along with a variety of other sea and birdlife

Whale OF A TIME WORDS BY RICHARD WEBBER

78 MAY 2014

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ESSENTIAL AZORES WHY?

collective gasp greets the sight of grey blubber crashing through the water’s surface. The star attraction’s long-awaited appearance may be brief – within seconds the giant of the ocean will have returned to the dark depths of the Atlantic – but it leaves you desperate for more. While the rigid inflatable boat (RIB) rides the swell, everyone waits patiently, scouring the immense expanse of water for another glimpse. As the magnificent sperm whale is just one of the 25 plus cetaceans you can spot in the rich waters encircling the Azores, chances are it might not be the final sighting of the day. Before long you could be riding the waves flanked by a pod of bottlenose dolphins or admiring a loggerhead turtle swimming by. Suddenly, the skipper’s radio crackles into action. It’s the ‘vigia’, the eyes of the whale-watching industry, who is using high-powered binoculars from a shore-based vantage point to search for whales and dolphins. He’s spotted a tower of vapour rising high in the sky, northwest of your current position. Being the migrating season for the almighty blue whale – the king of the ocean – the look-out is confident it is one exhaling from its blowhole. Swiftly, the skipper turns the boat and races off in pursuit and the topic of conversation among the excited passengers isn’t the endless spray blowing into our faces, but the gigantic mammal we might be about to witness. Celebrating 30 years since the closure of the last whaling

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factory in the islands, the Azores has become a world class whale-watching destination with the fate of these beautiful creatures in Azorean waters having changed dramatically for the better. But it’s not just whales – which include not only sperm but pilot, beaked, humpbacked and, of course, the mighty blue – that roam these vast waters: the ocean is rich in sealife, with highlights including numerous species of dolphin, devil rays, blue sharks, shortfin mako sharks and a host of other marine delights. Such an abundance of life means it’s a diver’s paradise, but it’s also increasingly popular with bird watchers who travel here in droves, particularly to observe the archipelago’s two endemic species: Azores bullfinch and Monteiro’s storm petrel. This beautiful Portuguese archipelago of nine volcanic islands rearing out of the ocean might only be mere specks on a map in the middle of the Atlantic, 950 miles from Lisbon, but they provide a natural sanctuary for not just sealife, but birds and a host of other wildlife species. In October, when Atlantic storms begin in earnest, birders head for the smallest island, Corvo, hopeful of catching sight of American rarities, blown off course by wind, that reach this remote isle and recharge their batteries after flying around bad weather. Whatever your motivation for visiting, it’s guaranteed that the islands’ intriguing blend of volcanic landscapes, rolling hills and vertiginous sea cliffs will compel you to explore and see why the blankets of wild flowers and exotic plants carpeting the countryside have led to the Azores being dubbed ‘The Garden Islands of the Atlantic’.

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MY AZORES

CENTRAL ISLANDS

CATHERINE STRONG Naturetrek tour leader On my last tour on the Azores one September, the call of ‘Whale!’ had come from the look-out. We approached an adult female with a subadult male behind her, to within the regulation 50m. We watched in silence as their vast forms changed trajectory and swam towards our boat, then slowed so that they were almost motionless alongside us. We could hear the full volume of the blows, make out every mark and wrinkle on the enormous backs. Then the male dipped under the surface and attempted to suckle. Having stayed like that for five or six minutes, the female suddenly lifted her great flukes in the air and dived, leaving a perfect ‘footprint’ in the water next to us. www.naturetrek.co.uk

(Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Terceira and Graciosa)

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Whale and dolphin-watching is big business within the Central Group and many companies are owned by or employ marine biologists to accompany them on trips, which are usually undertaken on RIBs. These lightweight boats are fast and easily manoeuvrable in the water, making them ideal for the task at hand . Operators within the Azores are reliant on visitor numbers and usually open between March and October. They follow a strict Code of Conduct enforceable by law, which is intended to minimise the impact of their presence on cetaceans (the collective name for whales, dolphins and porpoises). Between the islands of Faial, Pico and Sao Jorge, known as ‘The Triangle Islands’, fierce battles raged between commercial fishermen during the days of whaling. Now, times are peaceful and a palpable sense of

camaraderie exists between the operators plying their trade in the same waters. The great whales, including the blue, fin, sei and humpback, are usually spotted during March, April, May and, occasionally, early June when they migrate to their northern feeding grounds. The resident sperm whale and dolphins, such as common, bottle-nosed and Risso’s, are encountered all year. During the summer months of July and August the weather is more settled and sperm whales and dolphins that are there all year round give birth; mothers and calves can often be observed. The waters south of Pico island are favoured by the whale and dolphin-watching companies, not only because they’re sheltered from northerly and northwesterly wind and swell, but because the island’s position on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge means wildlifeextra.com

ESSENTIAL AZORES WHERE?

Clockwise from far eft: a pod of common dolphins play around a boat; a dusky grouper, one of the larger fish in Azorean waters; Cory’s shearwaters glide in front of the majestic mountain dominating Pico island; the rocky shoreline of Ponta da Barca and Ilheu da Baleia, Graciosa island

depths plummet to at least 1,000m within a short distance of the shore. With sperm whales feeding on deep-water squid, perhaps 700m underneath the ocean, they congregate in these waters. The success of any trip is dependent on the ‘spotters’ or ‘vigia’, people – often those who worked in the whaling industry – positioned in the hills using high-powered binoculars and telescopes to check sea conditions and keep any eye out for marine life. Pico and Faial are also perfect bases for enjoying the world-class diving on offer within the region, including Princess Alice Bank. Regarded as the crème de la crème of sites, it’s 96km off shore and suitable only for experienced divers. Reaching this isolated, weather-dependent spot, southwest of Pico and Faial, is a two to three-hour trip but the rewards are plentiful. Princess Alice Bank rises from a depth of around 2,500m, culminating in a submerged seamount some 32m from the water’s surface. The rich biodiversity ensures it’s one wildlifeextra.com

of the best diving sites in the world. Outstanding visibility of up to 50m means this submerged seamount, the biggest along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, can even be seen from the boat. Below the surface, moray eels, tuna, dusky groupers, wahoo, parrot fish, barracuda and a host of other creatures navigate the waters, but the biggest highlight, during JulyOctober, is the majestic devil ray; currents swirling around this underwater mountain bring tremendous upwelling, raising nutrients from the seabed. Rays, along with other inhabitants of this mysterious underwater world, feed in the area and aggregate around the rocky pinnacle. Frequently, up to 40 devil rays, which are harmless, are seen cruising along at depths of 5-10m, easily visible from the surface. Two other notable diving sites – the Azores Bank, situated halfway to Princess Alice, and Condor Bank, west of Faial – are hotspots for blue and, occasionally, shortfin mako sharks, particularly during summer. Both grow to 4m in length and inhabit temperate and tropical MAY 2014 81

ESSENTIAL AZORES WHERE?

Top: the iconic sight of a sperm whale diving. Left: a pair of white rumped sandpipers

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While you’re there... Don your walking boots and head for the summit of Pico, Portugal’s highest mountain. At 2,351m, this sublime volcanic cone affords astounding views over the second largest island’s landscape of vineyards and moorland. On clear days, the other four islands forming the central group are seen, including nearby Faial, an emblematic stopover point for Atlanticcrossing sailors. Pastureland rises gently to a large crater, which provides an attractive 7km walk around its rim, dotted with exotic plants, flowers and trees. The elongated island of Sao Jorge, which is 54km long and a maximum of 6.9km wide, is a walker’s and mountain biker’s paradise (left) while the waves of Faja da Caldeira de Santo Cristo are considered top notch for surfing and body boarding. The gentle, rolling hills of Graciosa, nicknamed The White Island, are ideal for walkers, and kayaking around the coast here is an option. Terceira, meanwhile, is a magnet for volcanologists. Like Sao Miguel, it was created by four volcanoes, and its volcanic caverns and caves are popular tourist attractions. The island – where watersports and horseriding are also popular pastimes – is home to the archipelago’s ancient capital, Angra do Heroismo (right). A stroll around this charming UNESCO World Heritage town is a must before heading into the interior, where you will discover the largest continuous area of laurisilva woodland in the Azores, endemic forest of Macaronesia, the collective name for the North Atlantic islands.

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waters. Few people normally catch sight of them due to their penchant for deep water. The blue boasts a sleek body with extended pectoral fins, while the shortfin mako, although of stocky build, is the fastest species of shark. Diving opportunities exist off the coasts of the other islands within the Central Group, particularly 50km-long Sao Jorge, where Ilheu do Topo, accessible by boat, provides the chance to experience, among others, schools of carangids and, again, devil ray. Diving and whale/dolphin-watching companies exist on Terceira, while Graciosa, a largely flat island and not the most interesting in terms of flora or fauna, is home to one of the archipelago’s two endemic birds: the Monteiro’s storm petrel. It breeds on two islets off the coast and these sites have been designated Special Protection Areas under European legislation. Because access to the islets is prohibited, sightings of these protected birds can only be made from a boat.

BOOKING IS EASY! by phone 01768 775 672 or online at www.azoreschoice.com

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THE AZORES

WHALE WATCHING HOLIDAYS From ÂŁ862pp

The Azores Archipelago is one of the premier whale and dolphin watching sites in the world. With a mild climate, miles of unspoilt coastline and an abundance of sealife, we offer tailor-made packages to suit you. Choose activities to create your perfect holiday YOUR HOLIDAY. YOUR ADVENTURE.

GERBY MICHIELSEN Owner of Gerby Birding Recently, I visited the crater lakes of Sete Cidades on Sao Miguel to photograph chiffchaffs I’d seen two days before in a forest of willow trees. They’re rare here. Whilst taking photos, I heard a strange clicking sound in dense vegetation covering a small woodland pond. Suddenly, I saw a little movement; enough to know something was there. I waited another 30 minutes for the bird to jump out. My heart was beating like crazy. It was a green heron. For any European birder, a green heron is a dream bird. My patience was rewarded when it went to hunt for fresh water lobsters. This was birding on the Azores at its best. Living the middle of the Atlantic is always full of surprises. www.gerbybirding.com

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EASTERN ISLANDS (Sao Miguel and Santa Maria) Everyone flying direct to the Azores from the UK will land at Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel. It’s worth spending plenty of time here, and not just because it’s the biggest island (745 sq km). One reason to base yourself here is because it’s home to the seriously endangered Priolo, aka the Azores bullfinch, one of the archipelago’s two endemic birds which has recently been declared a full species. Sao Miguel, as well as other parts of the Azores, is among the few destinations for bird watchers where a surprise can appear from the sky at any moment. Besides the 11 local subspecies, the chance of spotting rare vagrants arriving unexpectedly on these shores is always a strong possibility. But whereas such feathery arrivals in the UK would result in hordes of twitchers descending on the location, the Azores

provides the chance for you to spot such birds in an environment of complete privacy. The changeable climate associated with these volcanic islands sprinkled across the middle of the Atlantic means the higher regions of Sao Miguel (the highest point is 1,105m Pico da Vara) are sometimes shrouded in cloud. Pico da Vara, within the Serra da Tronqueira mountain range, is situated in the east. Within this region is Sao Miguel’s largest surviving laurisilva forest, which is where you can find the Azores bullfinch, making it the primary target for many wildlife enthusiasts visiting the island. It’s advisable to hire an expert like Gerby Michielsen, owner of bird-watching company Gerby Birding, to maximise your chances of spotting this tiny black-capped bird, which grows to around 15cm. Living primarily in the cloud forests, and only on Sao Miguel, it

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MY AZORES

ESSENTIAL AZORES WHERE?

Clockwise from left: looking over a wild hydrangea hedge at the Green and Blue Lakes of the Sete Cidades National Park; devil rays, one of the islands’ big attractions for divers; the Priolo or Azores bullfinch, once hunted almost to extinction but now beginning to make a comeback

drops down in altitude during spring and is occasionally seen in gardens within mountain villages – but never on the coast. The best months for spotting the bullfinch are June and July. Its current population is estimated to be around 1,000. A contributing factor in the dramatic decline of the Azores bullfinch’s population historically was the bird being killed by islanders to protect their orange crops. The orange industry played a crucial part in the local economy, and the birds were known to eat the blossom of the orange trees. Now, that industry is long gone, and thanks to the sterling efforts of the LIFE Priolo Project, run by the nonprofit-making SPEA organisation, the

Portuguese equivalent of our RSPB, the bird’s numbers are increasing, albeit slowly. Another endangered species resident on Sao Miguel, as well as several other islands, is the Azores noctule. What makes this bat so unusual is that it hunts insects by day. It’s estimated that no more than 5,000 exist and the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species states pollution and destruction of roost sites as among the reasons for the species’ fragile state. Although related to the more widespread lesser noctule, it is smaller and has darker fur. If you’re lucky, you might catch sight of one flitting around during your stay on the island. As it is the largest island in the Azores, and so attracts the greatest number of tourists, Sao Miguel is the only island offering year-round whale and dolphinwatching excursions. Although inclement weather results in more trips being cancelled during the winter, trips that do happen still result in sightings. Futurismo, which has been operating for over two decades, reported seeing bottlenose and common dolphin, loggerhead turtles and beaked whales among their sightings during an early March sailing, for instance. While all nine islands in the archipelago offer diving opportunities, there are those which are a cut above the rest. Measuring MAY 2014 85

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ESSENTIAL AZORES WHERE?

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While you’re there...

just 97km2, Santa Maria might be small but is fast becoming a major diving destination, thanks to relatively easy access to over 50 awe-inspiring dive locations. Submarine caves, grottos, walls and seamounts afford divers the chance to come face-to-face with a wide variety of species. There are two particular sites here which will provide proficient divers (certification or proof of experience will be requested by the diving companies) a dive they will never forget. Just over 9km from the port at Vila do Porto, the main settlement on Santa Maria, Baixa do Ambrosio is a submarine pinnacle. It can be reached in around 15 minutes, and the currents encircling this seamount lift nutrients towards the surface, attracting countless pelagic species in the process. During the summer, when water temperatures are at their peak, it’s not uncommon for schools of up to 20 devil rays to be seen circling divers, often swimming close to the surface. Further down, Almaco jack, tuna and, towards the end of summer, the speedy wahoo frequent these clear waters, where visibility can reach 30m. Commercial tourist diving off the Santa Maria coast only started within the last decade and a prime location is found 32km northeast of the island: Formigas – a remote string of rocky outcroppings designated a wildlifeextra.com

marine nature reserve in 1988 – and Dollabarat Bank, a submarine mount rising to within 5m of the surface, some 2km southeast of Formigas. Formigas, formed of basalt flows dating back four million years, and the Dollabarat Reef, one of the higher parts of the Formigas Bank, are home to various aquatic species, including dusky grouper and greater amberjack, but the real highlight are the pelagics spotted here, such as yellowmouth barracuda and the ever-popular rays.

Hire a car on Sao Miguel to explore its diverse landscapes. During spring and summer, they will be awash with colour. Quiet roads are flanked by vibrant hues of myriad wild flowers with a patchwork of emerald green fields divided by rows of hydrangea hedgerows. There’s the stunning Sete Cidades National Park (above), with its Green and Blue Lakes in the crater of an extinct volcano is one of the island’s most visited spots. On a clear day, the water’s colour is intensified by the sun. Sao Miguel also offers visitors cycling, canoeing and great walking trails. Santa Maria – just a 20-minute flight from Sao Miguel – is not so fertile, but being further south it’s the sunniest island. It was the first to be discovered by the Portuguese and Columbus sheltered here on his return journey from America. You should head for the highest point, Pico Alto, for panoramic views. Santa Maria also boasts some of the best beaches. Praia Formosa (above), a wide stretch of sand at the foot of steep cliffs, is popular with surfers for its powerful, crashing waves.

Top: the waters around Santa Maria abound with fish and corals. Left: Maia Bay with its precipitous vineyards on Santa Maria

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ESSENTIAL AZORES WHERE?

MY AZORES PETER ALFREY Naturalist/environmentalist Over the past 15 years I’ve been exploring wildlife on the Azores. The highlight of my adventures was in 2005 when I visited the island of Corvo hoping to find a North American land bird – the Holy Grail for rarity hunters in Europe. I’d been planning to visit Corvo for several years but was waiting for storm activity in the North Atlantic to peak – the best conditions for finding rare birds. By mid-October the signs were right; it was a record-breaking storm season. I set off to Corvo in the hope of finding a ‘yank’. Within days I was suffering complete exhaustion! I hadn’t found just one US bird but 51 of them, from 17 species – the biggest haul ever known in European history. www.azoresnature.co.uk

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WESTERN ISLANDS (Flores and Corvo)

With its semi-tropical landscape, many people class Flores – aptly nicknamed ‘The Island of Flowers’, and an hour’s flight from Sao Miguel – as the archipelago’s most beautiful destination. Although every isle has its unique charm, there is no disputing Flores’ intense unblemished beauty, typified by a plethora of crater lakes and waterfalls plunging off sheer cliffs towards the ocean. It’s undoubtedly the archipelago’s wildest and most remote island – being the most westerly point of Europe. While the relatively low number of tourists venturing to these outlying islands means whale and dolphin-watching tourism hasn’t yet taken off here, it’s the closest island to America and ornithologists believe Flores possesses the conditions required for birdlife to thrive, even if dense vegetation provides birders with a logistical challenge when

trying to spot some of these prize specimens. Flores is reputedly the only location in Europe where a small population of North American black ducks (Anas rubripes) have been reported as breeding since 2007. The small farmlands and forests along the west coast have seen their fair share of American passerines blown in by storms, while the Seven Lakes, stunning expanses of water set in volcanic hollows and bordered by a profusion of flora, are visited by herons, waders and ducks from the west. The tiny, oval-shaped island of Corvo, the smallest in the archipelago, lies 18km northeast of Flores. Like its bigger neighbour, there is a dearth of companies providing opportunities to observe marine mammals. However, this lump of rock, home to just one settlement and a 300m deep crater in its centre, is regarded by European birdwatchers MAY 2014 89

ESSENTIAL AZORES WHERE?

as a paradise in October for rare birds migrating from Canada and America to Africa. Measuring only 17 sq km with very little tree cover, its an easy place to scan for avian visitors. The big autumn rush to the island can see more than 40 birders (equating to 10 per cent of the island’s population) descend on these shores; as a result, accommodation in the only hotel is booked up, sometimes years in advance.

Flores may be the wettest island in the archipelago (seeing around 1,500mm of rainfall per year, and 240 days with measurable precipitation), but that is compensated by dense, vivid vegetation and an abundance of crystal-clear waterfalls, most notably between Fajazinha and Ponta da Faja, where as many as 20 tumble off high cliffs. The deeply creased landscape is the result of long-gone volcanic activity. Another example of the island’s turbulent past is found in the interior, if visitors hire a car and drive to the Seven Lakes, formed in volcanic craters. In clement weather, a 3.5hr boat trip around the island affords visitors the chance to appreciate Flores’ 600m high sea cliffs, the Maria Vas islet and Gruta dos Enxareus, a 50m long volcanic cave. Make sure you visit Faja Grande (above), a pretty village marking Europe’s westernmost point. Canyoning is an increasingly popular activity on the island – abseiling down waterfalls and sliding down water chutes – while trout fishing in the countless streams or sea kayaking are also possible. Visitors to tiny Corvo – dubbed ‘The Black Island’ for its patchwork of fields edged with dark, basaltic rock walls and barns (left) – can opt for a boat ride around its 17.1 sq km or hike to the caldera (volcanic crater) which dominates the landscape.

Top: a North American black duck, now to be found breeding on the island of Flores. Here: the great heron, a visitor to the Seven Lakes of Flores

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While you’re there...

Ones to watch Introducing the must-see whales, dolphins, birds and bats of the Azores

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ESSENTIAL AZORES WHAT?

Blue whale

Balaenoptera musculus Blue whales are the true giants of the ocean – in fact, they are the largest animals ever known to have existed on Earth. Growing to 30m and weighing up to 181 metric tons, their tongues are as heavy as an elephant, their hearts the weight of a car. It’s believed that up to 25,000 blue whales still swim the world’s oceans and many spend their summers feeding in the waters of the Arctic, passing through the Azores en route. Although usually spotted alone or in pairs, small groups are occasionally seen as they refuel in the mid-Atlantic, consuming tons of krill (small crustaceans) a day. During their northbound migration, blue whales are regularly sighted in February, with appearances peaking in March and April. Their migratory route isn’t confined to one area of the Azorean waters, but they are best seen off Pico, Faial, Sao Miguel and Terceira. Spotting tip: Scan the horizon and look for the vertical column of mist produced when the blue whale exhales. Normally spotted at some distance, it’s often the first sign that the species is present. The spray from a blue whale’s two blowholes can reach nine metres into the air. Baleen whales (those which have a filtering system inside their mouth to filter plankton) have two blowholes while others, such as sperm whales, only have one. The bigger the whale, the bigger the blow!

Azores bullfinch

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Pyrrhula murina Known locally as the Priolo, the Azores bullfinch is endemic to Sao Miguel and is one of Europe’s most endangered species. A plentiful supply existed in the 19th century but numbers diminished rapidly after 1920 due to deforestation of its natural habitat, invasive alien plants and hunting due to the fact that it targeted orange orchards – a major export at that time – and ate the blossom. In an attempt to help the bird’s recovery, SPEA – a Portuguese not-for-profit organisation which aims to support research and conservation of wild birds and their habitats – launched the LIFE Priolo Project. In winter and spring, the native laurisilva forest is integral to its existence. During summer and autumn its choice of habitat is more widespread. Experts can detect the bullfinch is in the vicinity by its short, plaintive whistle. While the black cap is one of its distinctive marks, the most striking characteristic is that males and females have a similar appearance – unlike its mainland counterpart, the common bullfinch. Spotting tip: The Priolo is restricted to the eastern side of Sao Miguel, primarily within the area of woodland at Serra da Tronqueira. MAY 2014 93

The devil ray, with its large triangular pectoral fin flaps, can reach a size of around 3.5m

Devil ray Mobula tarapacana The mysterious devil ray, with its large triangular pectoral fin flaps, can reach an impressive size of around 3.5m. Gliding gracefully through the deep ocean, the devil ray has few natural predators, except for killer whales and large sharks. Unlike some rays that spend their lives foraging for food on the sea bed, devil rays are seen in the upper reaches of the ocean, filtering plankton from the water. Found in temperate, subtropical and tropical waters, these highly intelligent creatures breach, although the chances of experiencing this spectacle are slim. Among the explanations for such action is that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a form of communication or a way of removing parasites. Being rather independent, devil rays donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t possess the need to live in a group, preferring a more solitary lifestyle. Spotting tip: Devil rays migrate north to the Azores during the summer and the best months to spot them are July, August and September,

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ESSENTIAL AZORES WHAT?

Monteiro’s storm petrel

Bottlenose dolphin Tursiops Truncatus Year-round residents in the waters surrounding the Azores, the intelligent bottlenose dolphin (named for their bottleshaped snout) is a sleek mammal which seemingly carries a fixed grin, thanks to the curved corners of its mouth. Growing up to 4m in length, and able to reach speeds of around 37km an hour, these aquatic acrobats travel in pods and have been known to breach up to nearly 5m out of the water. Their diet

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Oceanodroma monteiroi One of the Azores’ two endemic birds, Monteiro’s storm petrel is the only new species to be detected in Europe for decades. Named after the scientist – Dr Luis Monteiro – who discovered the species, it can only be seen on Graciosa and it’s believed the bird feeds in the surrounding ocean all year round. With their young preyed upon by long-eared owls and an estimated population of just 300 breeding pairs, it’s not surprising that the birds have been classified as vulnerable by the IUC (International Union for Conservation of Nature). Spotting tip: A difficult species to see due to its home on islets off Graciosa being off-limits for tourists, so try to watch them in their offshore feeding grounds by joining an organised boat trip.

consists of deep-water fish, shrimp and squid, which they track by emitting clicking sounds (up to 1,000 a second) which rebound off underwater objects. This provides the dolphin with plenty of information, including location and size of the object or potential prey. Bottlenose dolphins can be spotted from any of the Azores’ islands. Spotting tip: Occasionally, pods of bottlenose dolphins are seen following fishing boats in the hope of picking up discarded fish or scraps.

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ESSENTIAL AZORES WHAT?

Spotting tip: The Azores noctule usually roosts in hollowed out trees in forests, in rock crevices and in buildings.

Azores noctule

Nyctalus azoreum This endangered species of bat, which is the Azores’ only endemic mammal, is found in forests, especially on Sao Miguel, Faial, Sao Jorge and Terceira. It’s rare on Graciosa and Santa Maria and believed to be absent from the outlying islands of Flores and Corvo. Its small population is estimated at between 2,000 and 5,000 bats, with most of these living on Sao Miguel. Apart from the soprano pipistrelle bat in northern Italy, the Azorean noctule is the only known species of bat which hunts insects by day. This habit is thought to be down to the lack of predatory birds on the islands.

Sperm whale

Physeter macrocephalus Sperm whales, with their distinctive rounded foreheads, are the largest of the toothed whales and reputedly have the largest brain of any creature that has lived on Earth. The whales often travel in pods of up to 20 and are regularly seen off Pico, Faial, Sao Miguel and Terceira, from where the established whale-watching companies operate. Their diet consists largely of deep-water squid, meaning sperm whales spend considerable time in the depths of the dark ocean hunting for food. Often swimming to depths of up to 1km, adult males can spend over an hour underwater, females a little less. Female sperm whales and their calves are year-round residents in the waters off the Azores, while males migrate north – often alone – and only return to breed. Spotting tip: With sperm whales preying largely on deep-water squid, you need to avoid shallow water – in this case, less than 500 metres depth.

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ESSENTIAL AZORES HOW?

Factfile COUNTRY FACTS ■ Location: Mid-Atlantic, 950 miles west of Lisbon. ■ Capital city: Ponta Delgada on the island of Sao Miguel. ■ Terrain: Being volcanic islands, terrain is often rugged and steep. But the mild climate means vegetation is found in abundance. ■ Highest point: Mount Pico, on the island of Pico. ■ Lowest point: The ocean surrounding the archipelago. ■ Population: 265,000 ■ Most widely spoken language: Portuguese, although English is the most commonly used second language. ■ Useful words: olá = hello; adeus = goodbye; por favor = please; obrigado = thank you (masculine); obrigada = thank you (feminine); sim = yes; não = no. ■ Currency: Euros and cents ■ Time zone: GMT – 1:00 ■ Flight time from UK: From London to Azores via Lisbon, around 4 hrs 45 mins. Lisbon flights go to Sao Miguel, Faial or Terceira. Direct flight from UK to Sao Miguel (Saturdays, April-October, from Gatwick). ■ Visas: Not required by UK passport holders ■ Vaccinations: no specific inoculations required, but tetanus booster recommended.

Classic Itinerary

CLIMATE The islands have a maritime climate, which is equable during the year, with average temperatures of between 13-26ºC. Weather is changeable with rain possible during any month. WHEN TO GO ■ March, April and May to see myriad flowers and hedgerows bursting into life while the great whales (blue, fin and sei) can be spotted passing by on their migration north. ■ June, July and August to experience the most stable weather, flowers/hedgerows are in full bloom, including the colourful hydrangeas. It’s the most reliable period for seeing the Azores bullfinch and it’s when sub-tropical dolphins, such as the spotted, begin to arrive. ■ August and September for water temperatures that are high enough for the arrival of devil rays. ■ October – the best time to spot rare birds, especially on Corvo where they are blown off course during migration. Rare ducks and waders arrive and often stay until spring. ■ All-year for sightings of resident species (sperm whale, common, bottlenose and Risso’s dolphins). TIPS & WARNINGS ■ Pack plenty of sun cream and apply liberally, even when the sky is overcast. You’ll find UV rays are stronger closer to the equator. Extra care is needed if you’re out whale-watching, because you get exposed twice as the sea reflects back the UV rays.

■ If you’re taking any prescription drugs, ensure you carry an adequate supply. Although chemists are available in most towns and most people usually speak English, medical translations may be difficult. ■ Protect your camera from the islands’ humid atmosphere by carrying a sachet of silica gel (available from chemists and photographic shops) inside your camera bag; this will help keep moisture out.

SAMPLE TOUR Archipelago Choice offers a seven-day tour visiting the islands of Sao Miguel, Pico, Faial and Terceira. The trip includes bird watching, jeep tour to Sete Cidades on Sao Miguel, two x 3-hour whale and dolphin watching trips and a botany tour on Terceira. Prices start from £1,476pp, including accommodation on a B&B basis, tours, international flights from Gatwick with SATA and inter-island flights. MORE INFORMATION www.visitazores.com TOUR OPERATORS ■ Archipelago Choice - Azores Tel: 01768 775 672; www.azoreschoice.com ■ Naturetrek Tel: 01962 733 051; www.naturetrek.co.uk ■ Sunvil Tel: 020 8568 4499; www.sunvil.co.uk ■ Responsible Travel Tel: 01273 823 700; www.responsibletravel.com

A 14-day tour of the Azores archipelago to give you the perfect introduction to their wildlife

EASTERN GROUP (Sao Miguel & Santa Maria) DAY 1-4 ■ Birds ■ Bats ■ Whales ■ Dolphins ■ Devil Rays

WESTERN GROUP (Flores & Corvo) DAY 11-13 ■ Birds ■ Return to Sao Miguel to fly home

CENTRAL GROUP (Faial, Pico, Sao Jorge, Terceira & Graciosa) DAY 5-10 ■ Whales ■ Sharks ■ Dolphins ■ Devil Rays

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Looking for a unique whale and dolphin trip in the UK? Join us for one of our exciting trips, looking for basking sharks, dolphins and whales along with snorkelling trips in the beautiful clear blue waters off the Cornish coast. With expert naturalist crew highly trained at locating all wildlife, we pride ourselves in giving all our clients the time of their lives.

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On Greentours’ Maritime Canada trip we’ll enjoy close-up encounters with majestic blue whales and ghostly belugas in the clear calm waters of the St Lawrence Seaway on the schooner Whales ‘n’ Sails. Whilst in the magnificent surroundings of the Bay of Fundy we’ll find lively humpbacks, speedy fin whales and the rare northern right whales.

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Pico Sport has been operating sustainable whale watching and snorkelling with wild dolphins since 1996. We are based on the island of Pico in the Azores, on top of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. This is a known meeting point for whales and dolphins where we have observed 28 different species of cetacea.

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Pico Sport on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

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Theknowledge Your wildlife travel survival guide

HOW TO SKILLS VOLUNTEERING BOOKS DVDS LATEST KIT PHOTO WORKSHOP How to...

Hunt for fossils Alister Cruickshanks, founder of www.ukfossils.co.uk, shares his tips for finding the remains of creatures past

he British Isles is comprised of rocks that cover almost every geological period, from the last Ice Age to more than 2 billion years ago and, unlike many other countries, UK laws are generally very relaxed about collecting fossils. With more than 11,000 miles of coastline, abandoned quarries and riverside cliffs, fossil hunting can be carried out all over our island. However, many locations are designated as SSSIs (Special Sites of Scientific Interest). This means it is against the law to hammer or dig in cliffs or damage rocks that are fixed ‘in situ’, but you are free to pick up loose fossils from the beach, or hammer loose rocks and boulders. You don’t need experience to fossil hunt, and often you don’t need any tools. What you do need is a little patience and a keen eye. Fossil hunting is a bit like ‘shape hunting’. You look out for particular shapes in the rocks. The most popular and sought-after fossils, such as ammonites, resemble the shape of a snail’s shell. Belemnites look like bullets, and crinoids have a distinct ‘star’ shape. Another very common find are echinoids, which are round or sometimes heart shaped, but always with a star marking on top. You should purchase essential safety wear such as glasses to protect your eyes from stone chippings, and fossil hunting equipment such as a basic

Above: a belemnite fossil. Here: the fossil-hunting coast of the Isle of Sheppey, Kent. Below: an ammonite

geological hammer. These are available from UKGE (www.ukge.com). Once you get used to looking for the shapes of these common fossils, you will start to build on your knowledge, finding more unusual or less common types. First, though, you need to know the best places to look. Fortunately, there are countless guides and books available, and even DVDs showcasing the most popular areas of the UK, such as the famous Jurassic Coast in Dorset. A first point of call could be the UK Fossils Network (www.ukfossils.co. uk), which has the largest database of fossil-hunting locations, with over 350 fully featured guides. Once you make your first find, you will want to have it identified to make sure it’s a

genuine fossil. You will more than likely meet other collectors if you’re hunting on a fossil beach, so you can ask their opinion. Most experienced hunters will be happy to help or give advice. For a personal expert service, you can take it to your local museum or to the Natural History Museum in London (www.nhm.ac.uk). With just a basic camera phone, the other option is to take three different angled shots of the find, and use either the Natural History Museum’s ‘identify by email’ service, or post the images of your finds on the national fossil forum, www.discussfossils. com, which is monitored by experts. Finally, something important. Fossil collecting can be dangerous if you do not follow basic safety procedures and take sensible care. Buy protective gear and keep well away from cliff faces because loose rock falls and land slips are common. You should also always check local tide times if hunting on the beach, and stay away from river mud.

Have you done any fossil hunting? Write and tell us about it by emailing editorial@wildtravelmag.com wildlifeextra.com

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Skills

Stay happy, healthy and wise on your wildlife-watching adventures with the help of our expert mini-guides

Insider’s guide to...

Freediving Despite its extreme image, non-competitive freediving can be enjoyed by anyone, says Emma Farrell, one of the sport’s leading instructors

reediving is the sport of breath-hold diving, without scuba tanks, which humans have been doing for as long as they have walked the earth. There are many advantages to learning to freedive, including increased confidence both in and out of the water, better breathing, better hydrodynamics, and increased safety. The discipline gives you greater control over your breathing, and the techniques learnt can be used as a form of meditation and relaxation. Many people learn to freedive because they want to take better underwater photos, are interested in hunting and gathering their own food, or simply like the feeling of grace and weightlessness and the more natural views of marine life you can enjoy. If you are interested in learning to freedive you should be sure to choose a recognised course with a qualified instructor. The first thing you will learn is how to breathe correctly. It is not just about holding your breath. Proper breathing slows your heart rate, ensures your body is well oxygenated, and relaxes and focuses your mind for the dive. Freediving is as

Travel medecine

Stomach upsets It is estimated that 30-50 per cent of travellers will experience travellers’ diarrhoea during a one or two week stay in low income and developing countries where standards of sanitation are poor. The most common cause of infection is a bacteria such as E. coli, salmonella or campylobacter. However, parasites and viruses are also known to be causes. Contaminated food and water are the main sources of infection. High risk foods

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much about what goes on in your mind as in your body. It is also very important to avoid any form of over-breathing, as this lowers CO2 in your blood, distorts blood chemistry and increases the risk of a black out. You will then learn how you can move effortlessly wearing long fins which maximise power while minimising effort. The great thing about the sport is that anyone can do it, even people who have been precluded from scuba diving. Age is no barrier – the current female world record holder in seven out of eight freediving disciplines is a woman in her 50s. Please note: if you are thinking about taking up freediving you must ensure you are medically fit, and learn with a recognised instructor. For more information go to www.gofreediving.co.uk

Specialist travel health nurse Beverley Tompkins from Nomad Travel gives the lowdown on avoiding and treating this common complaint

include raw fruit and vegetables, dairy products, undercooked meat and seafood. Ice in drinks and tap water in many countries can be highly contaminated and should always be avoided. Care should be taken with street food. To prevent infection, hands must be washed thoroughly after using the toilet and before eating or preparing food. Drinking water should be bottled, boiled or purified, and food should be thoroughly cooked and piping hot. Travellers’ diarrhoea can affect people at any point on their trip. It is usually self-

limiting, resolving within a few days, although symptoms can be distressing and debilitating and can have an impact on travel plans. Medicines such as loperamide and sachets of rehydration solution should be carried to help manage the symptoms of diarrhoea and reduce the risk of dehydration. Antibiotics such as Ciprofloxacin and Azithromycin can be prescribed by a GP or specialist travel health nurse to carry as self-treatment for moderate to severe cases. www.nomadtravel.co.uk

wildlifeextra.com

Theknowledge

Volunteering Taking the plunge Thinking about volunteering on a marine conservation project? Richard Nimmo of Blue Ventures Expeditions explains how to do it

nyone wanting to volunteer with marine wildlife is faced with a mind-boggling array of options across the world’s oceans, but there are a few universal considerations. Here are the things I think every would-be volunteer needs to consider before signing up:

How much will it cost and what’s the value? The cost of a trip is always a factor with marine projects they are likely to be expensive because of all the equipment required. Compare what is and isn’t included in the costs as some projects will include dive equipment, dive training and certifications, while others won’t. The time that you spend on or in the water is likely to be the most important factor to you, so if you are joining a diving project ask how many dives you will get each day. I have heard of diving projects that don’t deliver as much diving as expected.

wildlifeextra.com

www.thegreatprojects.com

Project profile

Voluntourism

Where and when? Think carefully about where you want to go, but don’t limit yourself to familiar countries. If it is a particular marine experience that you are looking for, rather than a particular destination, then make that the focus of your research. Another consideration is the variety of marine life and the timing of your visit. Conduct your own research about each location to understand what you are likely to see. Remember, even in some tropical countries the water temperatures will vary considerably from summer to winter and there are times of the year when the sea conditions are not ideal for diving or boat use.