Round
the World in 40 days
Tim
Hallchurch
In
December 2010, after 4 days delay due to snow at Heathrow, Jan and I flew to
Seattle on Christmas eve arriving in time to have a jet lagged Christmas
celebration with Jan’s son and family. BA had mitigated our delay by upgrading
us to First Class so at least the flight was comfortable.
Boxing Day excursion was to
nearby Carkeek Park, 220 acres of lush forest,
meadows, wetlands, creeks, and beach. In Carkeek Park, years of hard work by
volunteers have brought salmon back to Pipers Creek, restored major portions of
the forest, built miles of trails, created sustainable gardens, educated
visitors, and restored a unique fruit orchard.
At the car park
we had lovely views of Northern Flickers
but in the depth of winter there were few birds in the wood except a
Song Sparrow. However on crossing a bridge over the railway to the beach
hundreds of birds could be seen on the sea at Puget Sound. The top of the
bridge gave good, although distant, views of Red-breasted Merganser and
Goldeneye and tantalising glimpses of other seabirds bobbing between the waves
with Auks that I was unable to identify. Glaucous-Winged Gulls are very common
as are North West Crows and we also had views of the local Bald Eagle.
A trip to
Washington University Park on the banks of Lake Washington was very rewarding.
A Red-tailed Hawk sat in a tree as people walked below, Great Blue Heron
stalked the water’s edge but it was the open waters of the lake that were the
real reason for the visit. Flocks of ducks included Lesser Scaup, American
Widgeon, Bufflehead with the males prominent white heads, Gadwall and Northern
Shoveler. Also on the lake were Pied-billed Grebes and of course Mallard.
A walk round the
harbour at Ballard Lock revealed more Goldeneye and Common Mergansers who came
through the lock with boats rather than fly. Double-crested Cormorants roosted
on lamp standards while again Glaucous-winged Gulls were prominent.
New birds for me
were a Golden-crowned Kinglet in the garden and Brewer’s Blackbird under our
feet in a shopping precinct.
We had been
booked to fly next to Fiji but due to the delays caused by the snow in UK we
had to abandon that part of the trip.
From Seattle we
flew to Auckland New Zealand, via Los Angeles.
In Auckland we were met by Dr Ann O,Reilly who was to be our host for a
week. Ann had studied with Jan at Trinity College Dublin in the ‘60s. Ann’s
house was surrounded by trees and vegetation and with distant views of the sea.
Driving from the airport we were to see familiar birds, Starlings, House
Sparrows, Skylark, but also Dominican (or Black Backed) Gulls and Purple
Swamphens. In the garden Chaffinches and
Blackbirds could be seen and heard.
A trip to the
coast revealed Red-billed Gulls, Welcome Swallows, Silvereye, Yellowhammer and
various Cormorant species.
Our plan was
then to go south to Whakatane and Ohope, Bay of Plenty area. Ann had
previously lived at Ohope (pronounced Oh-hopey)
and had a friend at Whakatane (pronounced Fuckatanay) who lent us their
home for four nights. The house was surrounded by forest and one could have
spent all day on the terrace watching the bird life. The endemic Tui and New
Zealand Pigeon were present along with Chaffinch, Silvereye, Song Thrush, and
Indian Mynah.
The coast with
estuaries and wetland proved to be very productive with Pied and Little Shag,
Black-billed Gulls along with Red-billed and
Dominican Gulls. Mallard were common along with New Zealand Scaup. Other
species including Spur-winged Plover, Variable Oystercatcher and White Faced
Herons.
We were treated
to a display by a pair of Fantails who had young just out of the nest and they
created a great deal of noise whilst bombing us.
We took a day trip by boat to
the volcanic White Island (or Whakaari as it was named by the Maori before Europeans arrived) that lies 48 kilometres off New
Zealand's Bay of Plenty coastline.
This active volcano and private scenic reserve are
accessible by boat and helicopter. It is unique in that visitors to the island
can walk right inside the main crater just above sea level and without
undue risk. We experienced at first hand nature's immense power as gas and
steam burst up from far below the Earth's crust.
The surroundings are quite surreal and the scenery
spectacular. It is like walking on an active volcanic moonscape with no
plants or vegetation inside the crater. The smell of sulphur and the noise of
steam emanating from the many fumaroles both large and small made for an amazing
experience. To protect us we were provided with
hard hats, masks that were needed
when caught in a sulphurous cloud
The trip to and from the island was especially
memorable. With dolphins swimming alongside the boat. On the outer slopes of
the island were colonies of the Australasian Gannet. Other birds seen on the
trip were Grey-faced Petrels that also bred on the island.
Other excursions included a visit to Rotorua where the Arawa people made their home 500 years ago. Today Maori people comprise more than a third of Rotorua's population, and the region is known as the heartland of Maoridom in New Zealand. Here people were playing bowls and croquet dressed in white in true English tradition while Red-billed and Black-billed Gulls patrolled the outfield. A visit to the museum is a worthwhile experience.
From Auckland we
flew to Sydney, Australia and were met by my son Andrew and his wife Jacquie.
They have a flat at Narabeen north of Sydney overlooking the sea.
From the balcony
of his flat we saw at close quarters, Sulphur Crested Cockatoo and Rainbow
Lorikeets. Laughing
Kookaburra regularly sat on the TV antenna and Cockatiel were seen in nearby
gardens. The beach was teeming with
Silver Gulls plus Australian Magpies and
Spur-winged Plover on the roadside. A
Superb Fairy-wren skulked in the bushes by the beach.
Narabeen boasts a
wetland park with an impressive board-walk that gave view of more than a dozen
species including Purple Swamphen, Dusky Moorhen, Crested Pigeon, Red-whiskered
Bulbul and Red-browed Finch.
We also had two
nights at Terrigal when Andrew and Jacquie have a house while Jacquie is
working in Newcastle and although only an hour’s drive north the area has a
different bird population including Australian Pelicans, Indian Mynah and Noisy
Miner.
The height of our
visit was to northern Queensland and we flew to Cairns, hired a car and drove
to north of Port Douglas to a house that Andrew rented on the beach 45 minutes
north of Port Douglas and an hour from Cape Tribulation where the road ends and
only 4 x 4 vehicles go further to Cape York.
We spent a
memorable day visiting the Great Barrier Reef in the MV Poseidon. The boat
normally takes up to 90 people and we were fortunate to be in a party of less
than 30.
It was a
beautifully calm day with blue skies which are unusual in the wet season. We
all spent a total of three hours snorkelling in three locations along with a
fish buffet for lunch.
The number of
birds seen was slightly disappointing. However we did have good views of Black Noddy
and Black-naped Terns and a few Crested Terns.
We also had a
half day in a small boat up the Daintree river to see crocodiles. Birds were
difficult to see but there were good views of a Metallic Starling nest colony
and a Yellow-bellied Sunbird nest
building. We also saw a few crocs.
Another day we
spent in the Daintree National Park where we even ventured to swim in the
river. The car park had it unusual
picnic scavenger in an Australian Bush Turkey and in the rain forest a Bush
Stone Curlew and Pied Heron beside the river.
We climbed a tower to the jungle canopy and all we saw was a pair of
Varied Tiller.
In another park
between the sugar and tea plantations we were able to observe Rajah Shelduck
and a Pacific Black Ducks, an Eastern Reef Heron and a very tame young Emu that
had been hand reared. There were
roadside notices warning of the dangers of crocodiles and Cassowary. However the one Cassowary we saw in a park
looked very placid, although we did not approach too closely.
There were always
swiftlets in the air but never closely enough to identify with certainty.
Nankeen Kestrels
were fairly common along the road and in the garden of our house were Imperial
Pigeons, winter visitors from S.E.Asia.
Before we left
for Singapore we had a day out in Sydney. The park near to the Opera House
hosted a few birds. The Silver Gull dominated but also very tame Australian
White Ibis and feral Wood Ducks.
Our next leg of
the world trip was a flight to Singapore on a QUANTAS A380. Club Class passengers board the upstairs via
a separate gangway so there is no crush and there is a bar where you can have
as many drinks as you want on the house.
We were only in
Singapore for two nights and the aim was to meet up with friends and see the city
and have dinner. The Italian restaurant was in the old Sergeants Mess of one of
the old British Army Barracks and it was interesting to see an army camp that
we would all recognise in this vibrant city of high rise buildings.
Our hotel was on
Sentosa Island where switlets and hirundines abounded plus a few Black-naped
Orioles. We lunched at the Fullerton Hotel
in the city where Tree Sparrows came to the table to feed – just like
Bulgaria!
The next flight
was to Colombo, Sri Lanka, where we had booked a room in The Turtle Bay Hotel
in Kalamatiya 220km south of the airport.
The hotel is ideally situated for relaxing and bird watching. It is
surrounded by the Kalamatiya Bird Sanctuary, 90 minutes from the Yala National
Park with the world’s highest concentration of leopards and 90 minutes from Uda
Walawa National Park.
After a fairly
uneventful 5 hour drive from Colombo the
arrival at Kalamatiya was a revelation. Birds everywhere – Indian Pond Herons,
Cattle, Little, Intermediate and Great Egrets, Grey and Purple Herons,
Open-billed Storks, Black-headed Ibis, Purple Swamphens, Pheasant Tailed Jacana
and many other species. (see list)
Our Hotel in
Turtle Beach had only 12 rooms all looking out to sea. Our corner room also
looked out onto a lake giving us views of both habitats.
The area had been
badly damaged by the tsunami but in this area British aid had paid for new
housing and a double canoe for a local lad to lash together and make a tourist
boat that he and a mate “punted” though the lagoon. He also had a “Tuk Tuk”
paid for by tsunami aid to collect visitors from the hotel. The lagoon produced the usual suspects and
crocodiles.
It was good to
see that the local people were very appreciative of British and Canadian aid
that been given to the region.
There were very
few sea birds except terns – Little, Whiskered and Common.
The highlight of
the trip was undoubtedly a visit to the Yala National Park. Yala
National Park is the most
visited and second largest national
park in Sri Lanka. Actually it consists
of five blocks, two of which are now open to the public; and also adjoining
parks. The blocks have individual names also, like Ruhuna National Park for
the (best known) block 1 and Kumana National Park or 'Yala East' for the adjoining area.
It is situated in the southeast region of the country, and lies in Southern Province and Uva
Province. The park covers 979 square kilometres (378 sq mi) and is
located about 300 kilometres (190 mi) from Colombo. Yala was designated as a
wildlife sanctuary in 1900, and,
along with Wilpattu, it was one of the first two national parks in Sri Lanka,
having been designated in 1938. The park is best known for its variety of wild
animals. It is important for the conservation of Sri Lankan Elephants and aquatic birds.
There are six
national parks and three wildlife sanctuaries in the vicinity of Yala. The park
is situated in the dry semi-arid
climatic region and rain is
received mainly during the northeast
monsoon. Yala hosts a variety of ecosystems ranging from moist monsoon forests to
freshwater and marine wetlands.
It is one of the 70 Important
Bird Areas (IBAs) in Sri Lanka.
Yala harbours 215 bird species including six endemic species of Sri Lanka. The
number of mammals that has been recorded from the park is 44, and it has one of
the highest leopard densities in the world
We had been provided with a driver who met us
at the airport and he took us to the park where we transferred to an ancient
Land Rover as the only passengers and spent 4 hours touring the tracks though
the park mainly looking for leopards. (we were the only vehicle not to see them
but we were concentrating on the birds). We looked at many wetland areas that
revealed Red-wattled Lapwing, Crab Plover, Little and Ringed Plovers, Kentish
Plover, Spur-winged Plover, Black-tailed Godwit, Ruff, Greenshank, Marsh
Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Wood Sandpiper, White-breasted Waterhen, three
types of Kingfisher and some lifers for me – Barred Button Quail, Malabar Pied
Hornbill and White-rumped Munia.
The hotel is an
ideal base for a birding trip and maybe I will arrange an AOS trip there in the
future.
The next leg of
our journey was a flight to Dubai but only to get a BA flight to Heathrow, The
only bird we could see outside the massive terminal was a Palm Dove.
Seattle Pictures
Figure 1 Golden-crowned Kinglet
Figure 2 Male and female Bufflehead
Figure 3 American Widgeon
Figure 4 Gadwall
Figure 5 Common Merganser
New Zealand Birds
Figure 6 Welcome Swallow
Figure 7 Black-faced Shag (Cormorant) with Black Swans
Figure 8 Purple Gallinule
Figure 9 White-faced Heron
Figure 10 Slivereye
Figure 11 Variable Oystercatcher
Figure 12 Australasian Gannet
Figure 13 Dolphin on way to White
Island
Figure 14 Grey-faced Petrel (Great
Winged)
Figure 15 attacked by a ferocious
Fantail
Figure 16 Pacific Black Duck
Figure 17 Ann and Jan on white Island
Figure 18 White Island
Australian Birds
Figure 19 Rainbow Lorikeet
Figure 20 Pied Cormorant
Figure 21 Sulphur-crested Cockatoo
Figure 22 Crested Pigeon
Figure 23 Black-naped Tern
Figure 24 Black Noddy and Bridled Tern
Figure 25 Queensland Coast – me with
son Andrew and Jan
Figure 26 Eastern Reef-heron (Dark
morph)
Figure 27 Pied Imperial Pigeon
Figure 28 Cassowary
Figure 29 Australian Pelican
Figure 30 Noisy Miner
Figure 31 Pied Heron
Figure 32 RadJah Shelduck
Figure 33 Australian White Ibis
Figure 34 Red-browed Finch
Figure 35 Superb Fairy-wren
Sri
Lanka Birds
Figure 36 Our boat to take us across the lagoon
Figure 37 View from hotel bedroom
Figure 38 Brahaminy Kite
Figure 39 Greater Coucal
Figure 40 Green Bee-eater
Figure 41 Orange-Breasted Green Pigeon
Figure 42 Gull-billed Tern
Figure 43 Crested Serpent Eagle
Figure 44 Black-tailed Godwits with
Black-winged Stilt
Figure 45 Indian Roller
Figure 46 Little Heron
Figure 47 Painted Stork
Figure 48 Common Kingfisher with
Blue-tailed Bee-eater
Figure 49 Green Bee-eater
Figure 50 White-breasted Kingfisher
Figure 51 Lesser Whistling Duck
Figure 52 Crab Plover
Figure 53 Indian Pond Heron
Figure 54 Black Kite
Figure 55 Crocodile
Figure 56 Pheasant-tailed Jacana
Figure 57 Gull-billed and Whiskered
Terns
Figure 58 Kentish Plovers
Figure 59 Open-billed Stork
Figure 60 Purple Heron
Figure 61 Anhinga
Figure 62 Oriental Magpie Robin
Figure 63 Red-wattled Lapwing
Figure 64 Singapore - Tree Sparrow under the lunch table!
Figure 65 Singapore sling at Raffles while photographing a Tree Sparrow