Tanzania - the 'Big Five' x 2

The months March, April and May provide some of the year's best birdwatching in the Algarve. It can be a very busy time for us. In most years we also try to fit in to this period a tour in some other part of the world for Avian Adventures so it's a good thing that there are two of us!

This year we are even busier than ever, partly as a result of having not one but three Avian Adventures tours to lead during this period. It's little wonder that we haven't had much time to add to this blog!

Our last blog post was about our tour in Costa Rica, a trip that we were able to enjoy together. Since then, June has been guiding in the Algarve while Peter has been leading a tour in Tanzania and next week starts another one in Arizona.

Included here are some photographs from Tanzania - two versions of the 'Big Five' that were seen during a tour that included Tarangire, Lake Manyara, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater.  We have blogged before after previous tours in Tanzania (e.g. here, here and here).  We can't recommend this tour highly enough; it provides one of the world's great wildlife spectacles.

The 'Big Five' mammals are those regarded by big-game hunters as the most difficult to hunt on foot although, of course, we like to do our hunting with binoculars and camera.  Our 'Big Five' birds are just some of the larger species seen during the tour, included just for fun!

Back Out of Africa

Just back from leading an Avian Adventures tour in The Gambia – Peter's 11th trip to Africa's smallest country.

The itinerary had us spending a week at the coast followed by six nights up river at Tendaba Camp and Bird Safari Camp. Sering Bojang was our local guide as usual.

Tanji - for gulls, terns and waders

In spite of some strange weather that included several windy days and even a shower of rain, we managed to find 300 bird species, including (thankfully) the must-see Egyptian Plover. Other highlights were African Finfoot, Greyish Eagle Owl, six species of Vultures and eight species of Bee-eaters, plus Yellow-bellied Hyliota, Green Crombec, Green Hylia and Black-faced Firefinch, all of which can be difficult to see.

Goliath Heron - the world's largest, standing 1.5 metres tall

More details and photographs will follow shortly.