Arctic Canada - landscapes, seascapes, etc.

...starting with a skyscape! On 2nd September we were steaming along the east coast of Baffin Island. Just after dark we were treated to a great display of shimmering Aurora borealis above us (if anything, a little to the south of us at about 66 degrees north). My staff colleagues quickly fired up the hot tub on Deck 6: a perfect spot to enjoy the show and keep warm. The lights lasted about an hour. 

In mid-August much of the sea off Baffin Island still had a partial covering of ice. Near Pond Inlet we take to the zodiacs to enjoy and photograph the floes, seals, skuas, kittiwakes, etc. This has been the heaviest year for ice for some years, and prevented us sailing through the North-west Passage. 

Out on the zodiacs again - see the red jackets in front of the left side of the long berg (and click on the image to enlarge). Much of the Baffin Island scenery is on a vast scale. These are the Akpait Cliffs - 800 m high - from which the guillemot chicks were jumping (see the previous blog). Akpait is the Inuit name for guillemot. As we looked up from our tiny boats, the huge cliffs reminded us of the architecture of a Gothic cathedral. 

Gibbs Fjord is 50 miles long and navigable to the end - one of the many impressive features of East Baffin. The huge cliffs on both sides gave misleading ideas of scale: a Polar Bear swimming along the shore was barely visible even with binoculars. 

These lonely graves on Beechey Island belong to two sailors from Sir John Franklin's expedition in search of the North-west Passage in 1845. Three men from the two ships Erebus and Terror died during the first winter. They were recently exhumed and re-buried: lead poisoning was implicated in their deaths. As I arrived home last week, news arrived that one of Franklin's ships has been found at last, and photographed on the sea-bed off King William Island. 

On a community visit to Pangnirtung, we were warmly received and invited to a ceilidh! The local Inuit had learnt a number of complex dances from Scottish whalers who had exploited the Bowhead Whales in the 1920s. Now Bowheads are strictly conserved, with a quota of just one for the whole of Baffin Island each year. This summer our ship, the Akademik Ioffe, has visited Pangnirtung three times - the only ship to visit at all. The village is famous for its artwork: much of it was bought by our passengers! 

Back on board, we try out a blues jam in E minor in the bar. Passenger Steve (guitar) is joined by staff members Nate (ukelele), Simon (banjo-mandolin), Boris (harmonica) and Quinn (percussion), while former BBC film-maker Peter Bassett looks on. Thanks for the photo Rob. 

One of many memorable sunsets during my five weeks on board. Most of these photos are mine, but many thanks to the fellow-passenger who shared the Northern Lights image. 

Arctic Canada - wildlife

I'm just back from Arctic Canada where I spent five weeks on the good ship Ioffe as one of the naturalists, trying to spot distant Polar Bears and whales so that our passengers could enjoy views like this. Here is a mother with her two well-fed second-year cubs, in the sea north of Baffin Island. There were plenty of Bearded and (their favourite) Ringed Seals for their meals. The yellowish tinge of the fur (compared with the ice) is a good indication of a possible bear at two miles distance (thanks to my Swarovski scope). 

We were lucky to have great views of Narwhal, a rare and elusive Arctic whale with a unique tusk (in adult males). This was the origin of the myth of the unicorn, propagated by traders who would not reveal the source of this spirally-carved ivory (click on the image for a larger view). They show little of themselves above the water, but the whitish mottled skin is distinctive. The name is Norse for 'corpse whale.' Growing up to 4.5m in length, they are sociable animals, swimming in loose groups of over a hundred. In theory they are protected from over-hunting by a quota system.  

A much more widespread cetacean is the Orca, not a whale but the world's largest dolphin. We were surprised to find this pod at 70 degrees north. Up here their diet is mostly fish, but seals and even Narwhal should be wary of them. Narwhal usually find safety under ice, where the long-finned Orca cannot go. But in mid-summer when ice has melted, Narwhal seek refuge from their predators in shallow bays. 

One of our most memorable bird encounters was watching the fledging of the half-grown chicks of the Brunnich's Guillemots, known in America as Thick-billed Murre. At two weeks old, the chick makes an almighty leap from its nesting ledge with its father: perhaps as high as 800m above the sea. Though its wings are useless for flying, they can glide and help the chick to head out to sea, avoiding the Glaucous Gulls waiting on the rocks below. They can dive immediately to avoid danger. Now they swim together towards Greenland, learning to fish and fly as they go. At this time the parent moults his feathers and becomes flightless for a few days. These auks are truly pelagic, spending all their time out at sea except when they have to return to land to nest. 

 The Gyrfalcon is the largest falcon in the world, much prized throughout the ages by royalty and more recently by Arab sheikhs both for hunting and as a status symbol. My staff colleague David took this photo as it fed on a Kittiwake on Devon Island, north of Baffin Island. It allowed a surprisingly close approach, not only to David but also to a group of passengers who chose to hike up to the hilltop where it was busy feeding. 

The Long-tailed Skua (or Jaeger in America) is one of three skua species we met on my three Arctic voyages. They nest inland on the tundra, where they feed on lemmings. In early August we met several on the sea-ice, but by the end of the month they had all gone, heading south and dispersing out to sea. They completely change their diet, and spend the rest of the year harrying seabirds such as kittiwakes and terns, forcing them to disgorge their fish meals. 

 Finally, another staff colleague came across these Snowy Owls on the point of fledging. Thanks Nate! We had been watching the pure-white male up on a distant ridge, where he found a lemming and brought it over to the chicks. It has been a good year for Snowy Owls on Baffin Island, with several appearing on the shores as we steamed past. My next blog will feature some Arctic landscapes, seascapes, residents, and Northern Lights! Many thanks to fellow passengers for letting me share their photos. 

Some Mongolian Birds

Demoiselle Crane, the smallest of the world's 15 cranes, is a common breeding species in Mongolia. Pairs mate for life and raise two chicks. After the breeding season they form large flocks and migrate to grasslands and wetlands such as the Little Rann of Kutch in Western India to escape Mongolia's fierce winters. Also here are a few larger White-naped Cranes, a rarer species whose main population is in Manchuria, on the borders of China and Russia. 

This Saker Falcon was nesting in an old Raven's nest in a Siberian birch on the edge of the rolling steppe typical of northern Mongolia. As we watched it, we heard a commotion behind us: an immature Golden Eagle was flying through the territory, being harried by the male Saker. These feed mostly on rodents, and are declining through habitat loss and being taken from the nest as eggs or chicks to be sold to Arab falconers. Here's an interesting fact about falcons: just recently studies have shown that they are not related at all to hawks. They are now placed between the woodpeckers and parrots!

This immature Steppe Eagle is another raptor that helps to keep a check on the huge populations of ground-squirrels and voles. In many areas we walked in, the ground was littered with burrows (which were also used as nest-holes by birds such as Isabelline Wheatear and Père David's Snowfinch). The adults are much darker; in winter they migrate mostly to East Africa. 

The rocky gorges of the Gobi mountains hold healthy populations of Bearded Vultures. There is a move to use this name in preference to Lammergeier ('lamb vulture') since they don't take lambs and don't deserve that reputation. Raptors do not need any more bad press! The wing-span is almost three metres, and they are famous for dropping large mammal bones onto rocks below to expose the marrow that is their particular favourite food. With long wedge-shaped tail and widely separated primaries, they have a unique silhouette and a brilliantly elegant flight-style.

And now for something completely different! The Mongolian Lark is a spectacular large lark, 20 cm in length: very distinctive too with rufous crown and wings, and startling white secondaries in flight. They are common in areas that are not too overgrazed, with cover for nesting and an abundance of weed seeds. But most of the steppe we travelled through has suffered the ravages of too many flocks and herds. Trampling of eggs and chicks must be a constant problem for larks in Mongolia. 

The Swan Goose is a declining species, since it is hunted in its Chinese wintering grounds. (Click on the image to enlarge). One lake we visited had a grazing flock of 500 or so, which made a wonderful sight as they flew over us to rest on the water. Around the capital Ulaanbaatar we came across a few families with goslings. The same lake shore had three eagle species too: Steppe, a wandering immature Golden, and a rare Great Spotted. 

The Gobi steppe has small numbers of this elegant Oriental Plover breeding. This is the white-headed male; the female has more camouflage for incubating. In the same habitat is the Greater Sandplover. We saw both species on our first morning in the Gobi, along with our first Bactrian Camels and Pallas's Sandgrouse. Like most waders, this plover has a clutch of three or four eggs. It migrates to south-east Asia and Northern Australia.

This is the male Pallas's Sandgrouse, which we usually saw in pairs or small groups. In some years they can be seen by the thousand. A century ago, they would occasionally wander to western Europe, and there have even been breeding records in Britain (Yorkshire and Moray, 1908). Now these eruptions no longer happen, presumably since the population has reduced with more steppe being converted to agriculture.    

Finally, the bird that my group seemed to enjoy more than any other: Henderson's Ground Jay. They are a true corvid, that makes a nest in an almond bush in a dry watercourse. On our last day we watched four birds for half an hour: two were burying almonds just as our jays bury acorns. Sandy coloured on the ground, they show a striking black and white wing pattern in flight. But usually they prefer to run. One we followed for a while was an expert in outwitting us, running over ridges and disappearing, sometimes doubling back on itself. Three of the above photos are mine - for the others I have to thank Mitko Petrakiev and Purevsuren Tsolmonjav.  

Mongolia

A week ago I returned from co-leading the first Ornitholidays tour to Mongolia. We flew via Beijing, and visited the Terelj National park first, in the north. This is the Terelj river, which flows into Lake Baikal in Siberia, on the southern edge of the great boreal forest known as taiga. By the river poplars and willows grow well; on the hillsides around grow substantial forests of Siberian birch and Siberian larch. The bird life includes Daurian Redstart, Pine Bunting, Isabelline Wheatear, Olive-backed Pipit, Daurian Jackdaw and Red-billed Chough. I will illustrate some of the birds we saw in the next blog - this is just an introduction to the country.  

In almost every place, we stayed in gers (the Mongolian word for yurts). This one is fancier than most - but they were all spacious, with two beds, and a stove which we needed some evenings since we had cold Siberian winds on some days. The stoves burn wood, coal, and (most commonly) dried dung. Gers are also used by nomadic herders whose large flocks of sheep and goats are a feature of the country. In Terelj we also saw plenty of yaks and yak-cow hybrids. 

In the second week we flew to the south of Mongolia, to the great Gobi Desert. Most of it is stony steppe-desert, beautifully scented with Artemisia (wormwood) when you walk on it. Mongolia is the only country with wild camels: the two-humped Bactrian. However, the ones we saw were all domesticated - many are used for riding. Not all flat, the Gobi has ranges of hills and rocky gorges inhabited by Lammergeiers and Golden Eagles.  In the flatter areas live Pallas's Sandgrouse and small numbers of Oriental Plovers. Before overgrazing became an issue, it must have been a paradise for Great and MacQueen's Bustards too. (The latter used to be called Houbara - but is now split, with Houbaras confined to North Africa and Canaries). There are also plenty of rodents - ground squirrels, pikas, voles and gerbils. 

The famous Gobi sand-dunes are confined to one small area: 160 km long, on average about 8 km wide, and impressively high. A stream flows along the bottom, making a great contrast with the lush grass and patches of blue iris. Here we found Demoiselle Cranes, Ruddy Shelduck, Lesser Kestrels, Asian Short-toed Larks, Saxaul Sparrows and Asian Desert Warblers. 

Here's a staff photo - our two drivers on the left, Puji our Mongolian guide, my co-leader Mitko and myself. We travelled in two Russian UAZ 4x4s - amazingly sturdy vehicles which went almost everywhere including up and down the steepest of hills. We were up on a ridge scanning for Goitered (or Black-tailed) Gazelles, which we found the following day. 

Deserts are usually defined as areas that receive less than 10 inches of rain a year. Here our leading UAZ has just emerged from an axle-deep flash flood pouring across the steppe from the nearby hills where torrential rain fell one morning. The sandgrouse didn't have far to fly for a drink that day. We came away from our June week in the Gobi with our preconceptions changed - throughout our stay it was much colder and wetter there than during the same week in the UK! I'll be taking thermal gear next visit - then no doubt Gobi will be back to its usual summer baking heat.  

Lesvos

This Black Stork in the Tsiknias River got our Lesvos week off to a great start. I was there leading an Ornitholidays group, from 3 to 10 May. Black Storks are mostly passage migrants here, but a few pairs stay and breed. I saw one a few years back carrying a stick for a nest in the craggy Lardia Valley. On their migration they are often indecisive, circling over likely feeding areas for minutes before choosing either to stop or continue.  

This sleepy Scops Owl was one of three adults roosting at a traditional grove of eucalypts not surprisingly known as the scops copse. Their camouflage is often brilliant, but this one gave us a chance. They are also summer visitors, wintering in Africa, south of the Sahara but north of the Equator. At night their repeated piu call is a distinctive Mediterranean summer sound.

This female Little Bittern was one of the highlights of our week, as we watched it hoovering up large tadpoles in a river near Sigri, in the west of the island. As with many of the Lesvos migrants, it's hard to know if it would stay and breed, but probably it will fly on to larger reedbeds near the Black Sea. But with the river seething with tadpoles, it would be in no hurry to move on! 

Back to owls! We met a farmer tending his olive grove, who invited us in to see a special family that has taken up residence. This Long-eared Owl is one of two
chicks raised in nearby pines in an old Hooded Crow nest. Still covered in down and three-quarters grown, they call at night for food like squeaky gates. Resident in the UK in small numbers, they are much more numerous in Greece, and usually strictly nocturnal.

This Orphean Warbler was a surprise, since I saw it in the road and stopped to move it. It had probably suffered a glancing blow from a vehicle, but luckily it flew away strongly. So called for its rich song, it is named for Orpheus, the mythical bard famous in ancient Greek legend. Normally it takes more patience to obtain close-up views and photos of this fine warbler, a larger relative of our Whitethroat.   

This Woodchat Shrike perches on a sign that means 'keep the environment clean.' It's another example of the excellent migration that passes through Lesvos in late April and early May. Most of the birding groups visit in late April, but there are still many birders around in May. Almost all of them are only too happy to give and receive news on what's about. 

But a May visit to Lesvos isn't just about birds. It's also superb for wild flowers, with a riot of colour along the roads and on the hillsides. The landscapes are superb too, with pine forests in the east, oak parkland in the centre, and treeless rocky ridges in the west. The friendly locals and the superb Greek food in the tavernas help to make a week here even better. The flowers (along the north shore) and the owls are my photos; but for the others, many thanks to Brigid Campbell.   

Taiwan - a few birds

Swinhoe's Pheasant can be found on the lower slopes of the mountain forests of Taiwan. Formerly it was common throughout the lowlands too, but development has left little room for them there. There are well-known spots where photographers tempt them out onto the verges to feed on grain. The female is also beautifully patterned, in various shades of brown - more suitable for staying hidden during incubation. 

The Pheasant-tailed Jacana is widespread in south-east Asia, but needs large areas of freshwater with water-lilies. In Taiwan it only hangs on in one small area, which was threatened by a new railway development. Luckily local conservationists started a campaign - ultimately successful - to divert the railway round the jacana's lakes. It is now a reserve popular with local photographers and schoolchildren. Males and females have similar plumage, but only the male incubates the eggs and protects the young. 

We came across this Bronzed Drongo making a nest a few feet up above a farm track. Drongos are an interesting family of fly-catching birds, spread throughout Asia, Australasia and Africa in both open and forest habitats. This small, glossy drongo inhabits forest edge, while a larger and more widespread species, Black Drongo, is also common on the wires above Taiwan's many paddyfields.  

After Swinhoe's Pheasant, the Taiwan Blue Magpie is the island's most colourful and spectacular endemic. They fly through the lowland forest (or forest edge) in small family groups, often descending to the ground to feed. The long patterned tail ends in a characteristic curl. This is the only Taiwan species known to nest co-operatively: the breeding pair are assisted in feeding the young by other members of the group, presumed to be the previous year's young. All of the group help build and defend the nest. 

Up near the tree-line, at about 2600 metres, the White-whiskered Laughingthrush is the most conspicuous and confiding bird. It is a very easy endemic to observe as it approaches the walker hoping for crumbs. Laughingthrushes are not in the thrush family, but belong to the enormous family of babblers which have radiated into 309 species, of 84 genera. Most are in Asia, but some also in Africa. The Wrentit - found in California - has also recently been shown to be a babbler. Of Taiwan's 24 recognized endemics, half are in the babbler family. 

 Here is an endemic robin, also up near the tree-line. Formerly called Collared Bush-Robin, it is now known as Johnstone's Robin. This is the more brightly coloured male. It is instantly recognizable as a robin by its behaviour, so similar to our familiar European species. Interestingly however, it is placed in the genus Luscinia (with the nightingales and Bluethroat) not in Erithacus like 'our' robin. 

Many thanks to group members Ken, John, Richard, Edna and Iain who have all contributed a photo or two to these two Taiwan posts.   

Taiwan

In April I led the Ornitholidays tour to Taiwan, a friendly and fascinating country with superb mountain forests. In this first blog, I'll deal with a few aspects of the country; and soon follow it up with another blog of the bird life that we encountered. This photo shows a scene from the mountains of Dasyueshan, where we spent three nights. The higher altitudes - up to 3000m - are clothed in mixed coniferous forests - cyprus, hemlock, and spruce - while lower down there is a greater variety of deciduous trees including many rhododendrons just coming into flower. Up here is where we saw the majority of the endemic species. (Click on any photo to enlarge).

The Taiwanese are very efficient at land-use in the lowlands. Rice is widely cultivated, often on a small scale without much mechanization. The lowlands on the west side of the country are also where most of the factories producing the 'Made in Taiwan' goods are produced. In April, the weather becomes warm and humid: a prelude to the monsoon rains that follow in June and July. 

Here a gardener tends his patch of vegetables on the outskirts of the capital Taipei. We stopped here to watch three endemics: Taiwan Whistling Thrush, Taiwan Scimitar Babbler, and the country's national bird: Taiwan Blue Magpie. However, most of the 24 endemics that are currently recognized live up in the mountain forests. As more DNA work is done on relationships, many more of the 60 or so endemic subspecies will be elevated to species status. 

Here's a typical urban scene: the town of Dongshi that was established as a timber centre as it is situated below Dasyueshan's mountain forests. Barn and Striated Swallows are totally at home in these settings, and find places to nest above the streets. Sometimes they can be seen hawking for insects at night thanks to the street-lights. 

Not all is rampant materialism in Taiwan. There are many ornate temples, like this Tao temple on the forest edge at Huben. There are also many Buddhist temples: and an easy relationship between the two religions. Adherents observe each other's festivals and visit each other's temples. The decoration inside some of the temples and on the roofs is wonderful: