Naturetrek Newsletter

Due to technical difficulties the March edition of our e-newsletter was never sent out. Please accept our apologies.

Much of the moisture that finds its way into Namibia does so infrequently and unpredictably. Namibia is thus a dry country in which low and variable rainfalls are normal, and droughts are frequent and to be expected.

Sossusvlei lies in Namibia's beautiful Namib Naukluft Park and is situated in a valley formed by the highest sand dunes in the world, reaching heights of 300 metres! The marvellous beauty of the vlei with its dunes and ancient camel-thorn trees more than amply rewards those who journey there. When conditions are favourable, however, and the vlei has water in it, Gemsbok and Springbok make regular appearances and various water birds, particularly flamingoes gather here to provide unforgettable scenes.

Massive cloudbursts have caused the Tsauchab River to come down in flood and reach the vlei at Sossusvlei for the first time in five years. The Tsauchab River in the Sossusvlei area was running at a record high on Saturday 25th February 2006, with tons of water sure to follow.

This phenomenon occurs only once, maybe twice in a lifetime and the following Naturetrek tours provide the perfect opportunity of witnessing this spectacular natural wonder:

NAMIBIA MAMMALS*
26th May – 4th June 2006 Cost: £1,395
17th – 26th November 2006 Cost: £1,395
* extensions available to Sossusvlei
Click here to view the trip dossier and full itinerary.

NAMIBIA'S ETOSHA PAN & SKELETON COAST
3rd – 19th November 2006 Cost: £3,595
10th – 26th November 2006 (photographic special) Cost: £3,595
Click here to view the trip dossier and full itinerary.

WOLVES
Three Naturetrek groups have just returned from northwest Spain having been on the first of our ‘Wolves & Bustards in Rural Spain’ tour. We are delighted to report that all three groups enjoyed good views of wolves. Over the course of the three tours we saw up to five wolves on seven occasions. The views, some up to an hour long, included wolves chasing Ravens and feeding on prey! In addition to the wolves the groups saw over 500 Great Bustards, 15 species of bird of prey (including Black-shouldered Kite and Bonelli’s Eagle), Black-bellied Sandgrouse and Great Spotted Cuckoo.

Provisional dates for future tours include:
Saturday 21st – Wednesday 25th October 2006
Wednesday 25th – Sunday 29th October 2006
Sunday 29th October – Thursday 2nd November 2006
Sunday 4th – Thursday 8th March 2007
Thursday 8th – Monday 12th March 2007
Monday 12th – Friday 16th March 2007

This autumn sees the launch of an eagerly awaited tour to southern Spain and the realm of one of the most endangered of the world’s cat species – the Iberian Lynx. Our six day tour will be spent enjoying the mammals and birds of the Sierra Morena and lesser known corners of Coto Doñana. We have a realistic chance of seeing this rare animal on this holiday, but we must look upon a sighting as a bonus to our enjoyment of the other wildlife of these areas, rather than a sole aim in itself. Whilst searching for the lynx we shall be hoping to see some of the region’s special bird species including: Marbled Teal, Black Vulture, Spanish Imperial Eagle, Crested Coot, Red-necked Nightjar and Azure-winged Magpie.

The Realm of the Lynx
Thursday 7th — Tuesday 12th September 2006 Cost: £750

BEARS
Our series of short breaks to Spain in search of some of the more elusive mammals in Europe continues. We will soon be launching a new tour to the Somiedo National Park in search of Brown Bears. We have just completed a recce to this beautiful region and final touches are being added to the itinerary. As with the above two tours patience, hard work and a lot of luck will be required to see the bears but the beauty of the region, along with the wealth of birds and plants, more than justify a visit. More details to follow...

...we made a slightly earlier start with Jean Chry going ahead to spend the entire morning searching for lemurs and unusually he found nothing, but we did eventually locate a group of three Milne Edward’s Sifaka, which then disturbed a group of four Great Dwarf Lemur from their day time roost. We then watched the interaction between the two species for some time, even seeing a Sifaka knock one of the Dwarf Lemurs off a branch, only for it to land safely on another branch 15 foot below. There were also several squabbles between the Dwarf Lemurs themselves, it’s an extremely rare event to see these small lemurs active in the day time, and even our local guides had never experienced it before. It was also evidently novel for the lemurs as one came right down to within a few feet to intently scrutinize us for a while. We also heard a Henst’s Goshawk calling while all the activity was taking place . . . . .

We had a great trip with good weather: no rain at all as expected during the dry season (writes local guide Cecilia Herrera). We had lots of birds: a species total of 323 including quite a few endemics and regional endemics like Rufous-cheeked Tanager, White-tipped Quetzal, Buffy Hummingbird, Handsome Fruiteater and Venezuelan Flycatcher – all in Henri Pittier National Park. But the undoubted highlight of the trip was the endemic and endangered species rarely seen, the Northern Helmeted Curassow, thanks to the fact that we ran into a group led by Chris Sharpe while birding on the Choroni road. Chris told us where he had found a nest, so on our way back we stopped at the spot and had excellent views of a bird on the nest below eye-level just feet from the roadside. Unbelievable!

Hato Piñero, deep within the Llanos, was fantastic as always with its beautiful wildlife including lots of herons, egrets, ibises. We also saw the endemic White-bearded Flycatcher and the regional endemic Orinocan Saltator. On our first night drive we had Tropical Screech-Owl and an Ocelot!! The second night we had Spectacled Owl and on the third night great looks at 2 more Ocelots!

ANTARCTICA, FALKLANDS & SOUTH GEORGIA – PHOTOGRAPHY SPECIAL
Tuesday 2nd January – Tuesday 23rd January 2007

We only have 1 cabin left to fill on this ultimate 19-day cruise to the Falklands, South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula. Led by renowned wildlife photographer, Chris Gomersall, and based on the ice-strengthened, 46-passenger Grigoriy Mikheev, our itinerary departs Ushuaia in Argentina and then takes in some of the most spectacular wildlife and scenery of the south polar region; for example, the vast King Penguin rookery at Salisbury Plain (South Georgia), the 100,000 Adélie Penguins at Paulet Island, the Southern Elephant Seals in the South Shetlands, and the Wandering Albatross colony at Prion Island (South Georgia). We will encounter icebergs, glaciers and thermal springs, huge numbers of seabirds, and most probably a few cetaceans such as Minke Whale, Humpback Whale and Orca. The small but comfortable ship maximises our opportunities for time ashore and in the height of the Austral summer our main problem is going to be finding enough time to sleep!

TITCHFIELD HAVEN NNR OPEN DAY
Naturetrek and the London Camera Exchange will be spending the day at Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve, near Fareham in Hampshire, on Friday 12th May 2006. Several of our staff and leaders, including Paul Stanbury and Andy Tucker, will be on hand to answer any holiday questions you may have and to escort walks around the nature reserve (entrance fee not included). In addition, staff from the London Camera Exchange will bring a variety of telescopes and binoculars for you to try out and compare. Early May is a wonderful time to visit Titchfield Haven and prime time for scarce spring migrants such as Black Tern, Little Gull and a wide variety of waders. We look forward to seeing you there!

MARWELL ZOO
On Sunday 28th May Naturetrek and the London Camera Exchange are once again hosting an all-day Photography and Wildlife Travel Show at Marwell Park Zoo in Hampshire. Also attending will be the leading manufacturers of optical equipment, including Canon, Zeiss, Swarovski, Leica, Nikon, Manfrotto, Lowepro, etc. who, together with the London Camera Exchange, will be demonstrating (and selling!) a wide range of optical equipment, including cameras, lenses, binoculars, telescopes, tripods, etc. Meanwhile, Naturetrek staff and tour leaders will be present throughout the day to discuss holiday options with you, as well as presenting a number of slide shows throughout the day, covering our worldwide destinations and the wealth of wildlife we enjoy in them. Normal entrance fees to Marwell will apply, but these will be refunded to you on all purchases over £100. If you are interested in joining us on this day, please phone Abby on 01962 733051 or email abby@naturetrek.co.uk, letting us know of any particular interests you have.

OFFICE OPEN DAYS
If you need some help in planning your wildlife holiday for 2007, join our leaders and staff at our Cheriton Mill offices for tea, coffee, cakes and expert advice on one of the Naturetrek Open Days listed below… but please do phone the office to ensure an appointment can be made for you to see the staff member best suited to discuss your interests!

Why not make a day of it – and visit some of the local nature reserves or attractive market towns and historic sites in our pretty corner of Hampshire – whilst you are in the area?

For those of you who like to plan ahead please be aware that we are taking provisional and confirmed bookings for 2007. Although some tours do not have finalised dates it is a good idea to phone us and at least book a provisional place on your preferred holiday to avoid disappointment. Our bargain birdwatching tour to Ecuador departing January 2007 only has two remaining places and both our Galapagos and Costa Rica tours are already half full!

To view a list of the late availability for Naturetrek tours departing over the next couple of months, please click here. However, as things are constantly changing, we advise you to call our Cheriton Mill office on 01962 733051 to check for any amendments.

We hope you have enjoyed reading this edition of the Naturetrek e-news. If you would like some help planning a future wildlife holiday, please call or e-mail us on info@naturetrek.co.uk and we will be happy to assist you.

We are continually striving to improve our e-newsletter – any comments and feedback would be gratefully appreciated!

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For more information on any of our holidays please call us on 01962 733051