From the Field

January 30: Susan Myers from her on-going winter tour of Japan

We're leaving the south heading for Hokkaido having seen thousands of cranes of five species including masses of the expected White-naped and Hoodeds but as well two Sandhills, one Common and one ghostly young Siberian. Other highlights were fabulous (and wild) Mandarin Ducks, the endemic Japanese Green Woodpecker, showy Yellow-throated Buntings and the perhaps best of all two pairs of the scarce and local Japanese Murrelets (see below) on an unusually calm day.

January 28: Steve Howell from Mexico and the ongoing San Blas tour

“There's a motmot on the clothesline...” isn't a phrase you hear every day, but there it was, a Russet-crowned Motmot (below) in the sun and only a few blocks from our hotel! As always the birding here is great, the people friendly, the food wonderful. On our first morning we found some Collared Plovers, a species now declining with increased human beach use. Yesterday produced some 120+ species in and around town, and these highlights included the motmot, a stunning male Rosy Thrush-Tanager, and of course Northern Potoos (below), one of which posed patiently as we lined it up with the full moon! Today started with well-named Elegant Quail, followed by birding along a quiet road through wonderful habitat (below) which added Fan-tailed Warblers, Elegant Trogon, Crane Hawk, and a superb pair of Pale-billed Woodpeckers (below); all before returning for a great lunch and siesta. Leisurely late afternoon birding near town produced a spectacular Collared Forest-Falcon that flushed a group of Mexican Parrotlets from a giant fig, followed by a stunning fiery sunset. Birding doesn't get much better, and we're not even half-way through the trip.

January 28: David Fisher from his ongoing (and 30th!) tour of Kenya

The Kenya tour continues to go well. Indeed, the group has now reached 654 species of birds and 54 mammals. We are now on the coast enjoying the delights of an Indian Ocean beach resort, and the special birds of the adjacent Arabuko-Sokoke Forest. First day forest highlights included the endemic Malindi Pipit and the near-endemic Sokoke Scops Owl (below). Second day attractions included the endangered Amani Sunbird and the near-endemic Sokoke Pipit. Next we move on to Tsavo West, Lake Jipe on the Tanzanian border, and the endemics of the Taita Hills.

January 24: Gavin Bieber from his just concluded tour, New Mexico in Winter

Amidst some of the most spectacular and varied scenery in the southwest, we had a wonderful time on the 2013 New Mexico tour! Despite temperatures being abnormally low, Bosque del Apache produced tens of thousands of Snow and Ross's Geese (both visible, below) as well as stately Sandhill Cranes. The parks along the Rio Grande Valley were full of birds, such as this cooperative Greater Roadrunner (below); the high desert grasslands produced close studies of birds like the majestic Ferruginous Hawk; and the conifer-clad mountains held all three Rosy-finches (Brown-capped, below). As always, the friendly people, great scenery and local cuisine were superlative. The lodging was comfortable and the bird list reflects the multitude of habitats that are easily accessible in the central part of the state.

January 22: David Fisher from his ongoing (and 30th!) tour of Kenya

We arrived in the Masai Mara having seen exactly 500 species of bird and 40 mammals in the first ten days of the tour. Unexpected highlights have included a wintering Amur Falcon on the Solio plains, breeding Piapiacs at Mumias, the endemic Hinde's Babbler near Mountain Lodge, African Finfoot in Nairobi National Park, and a Leopard in the Aberdares. During their first morning in the Mara they were lucky enough to watch a female Cheetah hunting with two small cubs (below) and at the opposite end of the spectrum a displaying Black-backed Cisticola.

January 20: Jon Feenstra from his on-going tour, Southern California in Winter

After only two days of birding we've covered a remarkable number of habitats from coastal estuaries and saltmarshes of Los Angeles and Orange Counties (Long-billed Curlew, below) through sage scrub and chaparral and the grasslands of interior San Diego County (Acorn Woodpecker, below), over the mountains and now below sea level at the south end of the Salton Sea. It is well reflected in the birds we've seen including the coastal slope specialties like California Gnatcatcher, California Thrasher, California Towhee and Wrentit to mountain denizens like Steller's Jays and desert inhabitants such as Verdin. We've even had a few surprises like a Harris's Hawk in Orange County, a Short-eared Owl being chased by crows, Lewis's Woodpecker, and a delightful kit fox in the desert. And the sight and sound of thousands of Snow Geese (below)and hundreds of Sandhill Cranes coming to roost along the shore of the Salton Sea can't be beat.

January 14: Steve Howell on his recently completed cruise through the Subantarctic Islands of New Zealand and Australia

Seeing both the very rare Magenta Petrel and the even less frequently seen Chatham Petrel in the same day (and same hour!) was undoubtedly one highlight of this remarkable trip to the albatross and penguin capital of the world. This was only the second time Chatham Petrel has been photographed at sea, so even a poor image is something (below, bottom). We also saw 9 species of penguins, including the very local and endemic Erect Crested (below); some 14 albatross species (Chatham and Northern Buller's below); and many other specialties, such as the endangered Campbell Teal (below) and the elusive Subantarctic Snipe (below). Add to this some spectacular seas, lush golden and purple carpets of flowering megaherbs, and varied endemic landbirds, including Reischek's and Antipodes parakeets (below, together), and this was perhaps the best birding trip ever to this remote and magical region.

December 27: Paul Holt on his recently concluded China: The Southeast in Winter tour

This year's tour finished with our best ever bird list - and what a list...the four Spoon-billed Sandpipers that we saw in the Minjiang Estuary on the very first day remained the rarity of the trip while other goodies included geese galore with 5000 Swan, one Lesser White-fronted, over 8000 Tundra and up to ten Taiga Bean Geese at Poyang Hu while on the coast north of Shanghai we watched 180 Baikal Teal and a single Baer's Pochard - the latter's probably China's most rapidly disappearing water bird. Our spectacular crane fest yielded up to 300 Siberian, 100 White-naped, 100 Hooded and 23 Red-crowned Cranes in a day while other highlights included China's first American Wigeon and first Redhead. We saw demure Saunders's Gulls on two days; a distant and diminutive solitary Pied Falconet; almost 2% of the world's Black-faced Spoonbills standing together; three Dalmatian Pelicans; had almost 10% of the world's Oriental Storks in view at one time; and enjoyed a cooperative Chinese Grey Shrike. A male Japanese Robin paused long enough for everyone to come back for second looks in the scope; more Red-billed Starlings than you could shake a stick at; several Reed Parrotbill (they'd win the end of tour Bird of the Trip' poll) while nine Eurasian Bullfinches were another unexpected write-in. Add to these spectacular flocks of waterfowl, Spotted Redshank and Pied Avocet and several species that were lingering unusually far north including five Whiskered Tern, a solitary Sand Martin and over 300 Barn Swallows, great food in more than ample supply, good hotels and interesting, and always spacious, modes of transport that included three internal flights, several boat rides, a self-powered punt and umpteen comfortable coaches. Great fun!

Images below: Eurasian Bullfinch, Great Bittern, one of our up-market cruise vessels, Hooded Crane and the incomparable Qingyu who keeps all our China tours on an even keel.

December 14: David Fisher from his 0n-going tour of Argentina

We've moved on to Iguazu Falls - warmth and tropical diversity for a change. During our first full day we struck gold with a pair of Helmeted Woodpeckers happily settled in a tree next to the road (see below). According to our local guide Daniel Somay this is the first sighting in the park of this highly-endangered species for five years, and it has not been seen in the Brazilian side of the park for ten years! Other exciting birds included Rufous-thighed Kite, Rufous-capped Motmot, Spot-backed Antshrike, while the concentrations of butterflies had to be seen to be believed. The group members and their equipment were covered in dozens of individuals of many species, most of which were highly colored exotics.

December 13: Paul Holt on his about to conclude tour of southeast China

The weather's been brilliant - with a few spots of rain right now almost the only ones we've seen during the last two weeks. Wuyuan was superb - with 10 Scaly-sided Mergansers performing brilliantly, as did umpteen Yellow-browed Buntings. We were watching our one and only Pied Falconet in a picturesque local village when a Siberian Crane, our first and the first for that area, drifted leisurely overhead. We'd later see many hundred more 'Sibes', as well as dozens of White-naped and Hooded Cranes, at Poyang Hu. For many of us however its been our final port of call, Yancheng National Nature Reserve in coastal Jiangsu Province, that has been the real highlight as yesterday we scored with a pool holding over 16,000 water birds (including mainland China's first American Wigeon) while today our second 'first for China' in as many days - a male Redhead - shared a different pool with 1300 Common Pochard and a female Baer's Pochard! Other tour highlights have included day counts of over 8000 Tundra Bean Geese, up to 25 Mandarin Duck, over 2200 Falcated Duck, 2950 Common Pochard, 300 Smew, 8000 Common Coot, 250 Oriental Stork, several exquisite Reed Parrotbills and over 100 Chinese Grosbeak. Winter birding at its best.
Images below: Scaly-sided Merganser, Siberian Cranes (with Tundra Bean Geese), Reed Parrotbill, and Chinese Grosbeak.