Loading search...
News in Brief: Baja California, Romania, France, The Gambia & Austria
March 2024
‘When I set off for Baja California in March this year, I had no idea what was in store!’ writes tour leader Pip O’Brien, travelling on this tour as a member of the group. ‘Patty, our Californian local guide, said it really was the trip that just kept giving, and she was not wrong! From our first encounter with California Sea Lions who checked us out while we had our passports checked out, to our final flirtation with a swirl of Whale Sharks, nothing disappointed. The boat is not luxurious (we were warned that the cabins on the boat are very small), but the food was superb and sitting on the rear deck, looking out over the Pacific, watching shearwaters and the occasional Black-footed Albatross skimming by, was just heaven.
I knew we would get close to Grey Whales during our trip, but I had no idea that baby Grey Whales, 10 feet long, would come up to our boats like large puppies to have their noses scratched and their tummies tickled, while their mothers watched from a safer distance. I had seen dolphins before, but never in a super pod of over a thousand, all jumping and playing and racing to try and ride the bow wave. I had seen Humpback Whales before, but not in their dozens, breaching all around the boat, flapping their flippers and slapping their tails.
From Blue Whales, secretive creatures rising slowly out of the water with a massive blow, to Guadalupe Fur Seals, Magnificent Frigatebirds, boobies and Northern Elephant Seals; all sea life seemed to be represented in the tranquil and protected Sea of Cortez.
Our island landings were equally thrilling, exploring untouched islands each with its own distinct flora and ecosystem from giant barrel cacti to tiny xerophytes. The sea was refreshing and the vistas beneath as exciting as those above. Sea lions came to play in one sheltered cove and colourful fish delighted us. The final flourish, a chance to swim with Whale Sharks, was a moment never to be forgotten.’
April 2024
‘It’s a measure of how amazing this trip to Romania was’, writes tour leader Andy Bunten, ‘that during our post-trip group discussion where we each selected a couple of highlights, no one initially brought up the wonderful views of Wallcreeper we had!
During our tour we had astonishingly close views of a Cormorant and Pelican feeding frenzy; Bitterns booming and once walking out to feed in front of us; a blur of Whiskered, Black and White-winged Terns feet away from our small boat; a Golden Jackal feeding on a large fish; nine Brown Bears cavorting metres away; a perched Ural Owl glowering at us through the trees; Rollers and Bee-eaters performing wonderfully. Yet for many the highlight was the glorious overall sights and sounds of the Delta as we drifted quietly on our small boat through small channels exploding with Kingfishers. This three-centre trip really does have it all, with amazing birds, reptiles, beautiful plants, butterflies and dragonflies.’
April 2024
'Cold northerly winds dominated the majority of our planned eight days in the French region of Provence’, writes tour leader Neil McMahon, ‘but with no rain and almost constant sunshine it was a whole lot better than the UK's damp squib of a spring! En route from Marseilles Airport we popped by an aerodrome to begin the trip in style with views of stunning male Little Bustards and our first Robert's Giant Orchids! Our first base was in the traditional town of Sault, and we found that an early spring in southern France had provided excellent plant growth, keeping the botanists busy. Our first night foray found a confiding Scop's Owl and the first of many Red Fox, Brown Hare and Roe Deer sightings over the next few nights. Griffon Vultures provided daily sightings and we quickly found Black Kites, Short-toed Eagles and other raptors overhead. Black Redstarts, Common Redstarts, Serins and Short-toed Treecreepers were constant songsters and butterflies in the shape and colours of Moroccan Orange-tip, Scarce Swallowtail, Cleopatra, Large Tortoiseshell and Spotted Fritillary flitted around us. A confiding family of Wild Boar was a fabulous bonus just before we headed off to the Camargue.
We enjoyed extra time in the Camargue due to a cancelled flight, providing the opportunity to explore of the historic town Arles and the nearby abbey. Water birds abounded, with migrant waders, herons, Greater Flamingo and Glossy Ibis all enjoyed during visits to the reserves at Marais du Vigueirat, La Capeliere and Parc Ornithologique.’
April 2024
‘Our penultimate Gambia in Style tour of the season certainly didn’t disappoint’, writes tour leader Matthew Capper. ‘The relaxed format is perfect for taking a break during the heat of the middle of the day, and the sheer diversity of habitats and wildlife around Mandina Lodges means it simply isn’t necessary to be out from dawn till dusk in order to rack up a long list of superb birds and other wildlife!
The Gambia is a small and narrow country and it didn’t take long to reach a range of sites on our two full days out, taking in hordes of gulls and terns at a fishing village, flocks of waders at an abandoned shrimp farm and three species of owl in quick succession in the remaining stands of Gallery Forest back from the coast. This was a trip where it was hard to know where to look at times. Colourful and unusual birds were everywhere – from the White-throated Bee-eaters that dived into the pool alongside us, to the rainbow headed Violet Turaco and the flash of azure from the many kingfishers that fished from the mangroves as we paddled serenely down the ‘bolon’ on our canoe excursions. Mammals were fewer in number, but the time spent with the Baboons as they foraged just feet away from us, completely unconcerned by our presence, was one of the undoubted highlights of the tour. Add in the ever helpful and knowledgeable local guides and the attentive hospitality at the Lodges and you have the makings of a trip that will live long in the memory.’
May 2024
'A 5-day tour to the south of France at the start of May is an exciting time for wildlife, particularly when the venue is the marshes of the Camargue and surrounding habitat!’ writes tour leader Neil McMahon. ‘Flying in and out of Marseilles and staying on the outskirts of the historic town of Arles enabled us to easily explore the coastal lowlands and limestone hills just inland, and with the weather mostly behaving itself we encountered the majority of the anticipated specialities.
White horses and black bulls grazed in the fields and salt marshes, whilst whiskery coypus swam in the étangs and ditches which were also inhabited by a host of herons, egrets, Glossy Ibis, Spoonbill, six species of tern, four species of gull and of course the pink army of Greater Flamingo! Birds right next to the hotel comprised of Little Bustard, Stone Curlew and migrant Golden Orioles, with European Rollers and European Bee-eaters close at hand. Western Swamphen, Great Reed Warbler, Red-backed Shrike and Eurasian Quail were other highlights and on our last day we encountered Booted, Bonelli's and Short-toed Eagle in close procession with a brief skirmish between the former two. Oodles of Black Kites, a day of Honey Buzzard passage, plenty of Marsh Harriers and passage waders in their spring finery were all memorable. Our comfortable hotel provided delicious French dishes associated with the region and every effort was made to ensure the reputation of Naturetrek picnics remains legendary!'
May 2024
‘This single-centre tour of the lowland areas of Austria and adjacent parts of Hungary, close to Lake Neusiedl, yielded a total of 160 bird species together with a range of mammal, reptile, amphibian, butterfly and dragonfly species and an interesting mix of plants’, writes tour leader Martin Pitt. ‘For the first time in five years the area was experiencing a normal spring, with sunshine and isolated showers, after a winter where rains had filled the iconic soda lakes. This meant that the area was in the optimum condition for migrant birds and the wet meadow breeders had started to return.
Our explorations provided a wonderful introduction to this part of Europe, where East meets West and North meets South. We succeeded in finding most of the key birds of the area, including Great Egret, Pygmy Cormorant, White-tailed, Lesser Spotted and Eastern Imperial Eagles, Saker, Red-footed Falcon, passage and breeding waders, Black and White-winged Terns, Long-eared Owl, Black, Syrian and Middle-Spotted Woodpeckers, European Bee-eater, Icterine Warblers and Collared Flycatcher. We even found a vagrant Pectoral Sandpiper that should have been in the Americas! The meadows were dotted with Meadowsweet and ablaze with colour from salvias, flaxes and dianthus, amongst which Early Spider and Green-winged Orchids drew the eye. Being early in spring it was perhaps not surprising that butterflies and dragonflies were at a premium, however both Swallowtails and a Winter Damselfly were good sightings.
We also witnessed the attempts to preserve and improve the local habitats using local rare breeds, including Hungarian Grey Cattle, and Zackel Sheep and enjoyed sampling the local organic produce from the area including the local in-season asparagus and Mangalica pig products.’
