Dear Friends,

Welcome to the June edition of our e-newsletter.

Tours are returning from the continent thick and fast, and we are pleased to detail highlights of several tours below.

Staff members have been out and about in the past month, with accountant Jane Hodgson joining one of our "Just Tigers" groups and Indian expert Rajan Jolly and Directors David and Maryanne Mills also travelling to India this spring. Operations Manager Paul Stanbury went to Italy recently to recce Venice and the bird-rich Po Delta. Look out for an exciting new long-weekend itinerary for 2005!

This Month's Newsletter Features

Trip Reports

India – Just Tigers and Ranthambore extension 12th – 27th March 2004

A Tiger Bonanza by Naturetrek accountant Jane Hodgson

I abandoned a very busy Naturetrek office with just a tinge of guilt to join the 12th March Just Tigers departure but thereafter, I have to admit, I was having such a good time that I barely gave work a thought!  Luck was with this group pretty much all the way - transport delays were minimal, the temperature was hot but beararable, the skies cloudless, Wild Chalet at Kanha was delightful, Tika and Bhupendra made a superb guiding duo.  Added to this we saw the most tigers ever - 29 sightings for the group - and had more than our share of elephant rides.  My personal total was 20 sightings with 6 viewed at very close quarters from 5 elephant rides.

At Kanha we were spoiled from our very first afternoon drive when most of us saw a tigress and we all saw her three 15-month cubs from the bridge at Sijhora Road.  The cubs were at a distance, but just in photo range, and were happily chilling out at the edge of the water completely unfazed by the jostling jeeps.  The following day was my only blank tiger day but after that I saw one or two tigers each day except at Ranthambore where my personal highlight was seeing a 20th month male tiger harass some sambar and then join his two siblings in a watering hole.  One afternoon, on leaving the park, Tika's group saw a tiger peering round the gatepost then walk right past the jeep before settling down in undergrowth to obligingly wait for the rest of us to catch up and get a view.  On the very last morning one couple had probably the most outstanding drive of the whole trip.  They followed a totally unconcerned tiger for 30 minutes, at one point having it pass so close to the jeep it would not fit in the camera screen, until it eventually strolled along a causeway across the lake to relax for the hottest part of the day in the shade of some ruins.  The trickiest happening was for Tika and three of the others on elephant back, peering down to photograph a tigress, when the howdah girth slipped, nearly pitching them head first at the animal already restless to get back to its kill...

Every day we saw spotted deer and their friends the langur monkeys together with sambar deer and wild boar.  At Kanha everyone saw barasingha (swamp deer) and chousingha (four-horned antelope), gaur (indian bison), jackal, ruddy mongoose and three-striped palm squirrel and some saw leopard, jungle cat, wild dog, sloth bear, barking deer (muntjac), black buck, common palm civet, indian hare, flying fox and common mongoose.  Most of us had fun watching the mother and baby elephants enjoying their bathtime.  In addition to all this the seven of us who continued to Ranthambore saw nilgai (blue bull), marsh crocodile, indian soft shell turtle and chincara (indian gazelle).

I am not much of a birdwatcher but my favourites were the kingfishers, bee-eaters, Indian Roller, Scarlet Minivet, the parakeets, junglefowl, drongos, pond herons and woodpeckers.  The manic sound of the Common Hawk-Cuckoo (brain fever bird) will stay will me for ever, and the names Zitting Cisticola and Red Avadavat for long after I have forgotten what they look like!  I would never have been so inspired without the awesome spotting skills of Tika, Bhupendra, Eric from Wild Chalet, and some of the drivers and park guides.

In addition to all this we fitted in Delhi sightseeing, birdwatching at Okala Reservoir, the Marble Rocks at Jabalpur, a visit to a tribal village, Taj Mahal and Agra Fort, a birdwatching session at Bharatpur, a camel ride and a trip up to Ranthambore Fort.  We experienced friendly and welcoming people, the traffic, stations, overnight trains, cycle rickshaws, canter buses, curries and milky puddings, hawkers and high pressure selling emporiums, begging, tipping, toilets of all sorts, power cuts and a Rajah's palace.  We observed poverty, subsistence agriculture, town and village life, roadside homilies, camel and oxen carts, the ubiquitous Tata trucks and, of course, the sacred cows.  There is so much to be had from this holiday in addition to tigers but to see them in India's wonderful parks is definitely the icing on the cake.

Peru's Central Andean Highway – March 2004

A birding extravaganza in the High Andes, this successful group ended the tour with an amazing 401 species, including all the main targets: Diademed Sandpiper-plover, Golden-backed Mountain Tanager and Junin Grebe. Click here for client Rhion Pritchard’s excellent tour report.

Our next tour on 7th November is almost full, so contact us soon if you are interested in joining.

Kazakhstan's Tulips and the Tien Shan – April 2004

Having arrived in a warm and sunny Almaty, we were greeted by the sight of a multitude of flowerbeds all displaying modern tulip hybrids, a taster for our venture to seek out their ancestors! (writes tour leader Neil Anderson).

Kazakhstan has a rich flora with bulbous plants to the fore in the spring. A dozen species of flowering tulip were found, from the exquisite scented starry blooms of Tulipa turkestanica to the numerous colour forms of the waterlily tulip, T. kauffmaniana and the totally awe-inspiring spectacle of a whole hillside covered with the large fiery flowers of T. greigii. The latter two spp. are important ancestors of many modern cultivars. Bulb fanatics had many other beauties to admire and photograph, including delicate blue bells of Lxiolirion tataricum, several Juno irises and the architectural spires of Eremurus.

In addition to the spectacular flora, a wealth of other wildlife was much in abundance, from courting tortoises to legless glass lizards to a wide range of raptors including five spp. of vultures. This combined with stunning scenery, warm hospitality and excellent food from our hosts added to a stimulating and enjoyable fortnight in the Tien Shan .

Spring inSouthern Portugal – April 2004

The second group to Portugal this year really did very well; not only was it sunny every day, with only an hour of rain all week, the birds were outstanding and the flowers were very impressive. Bird highlights of the trip were 4 Black-shouldered Kites, 3 Black Vultures, Booted and Short-toed Eagles and Lesser Kestrels amongst 13 raptor species seen. We enjoyed great views of both bustards, Collared Pratincoles, Azure-winged Magpies and Bee-eaters. 21 wader species were recorded and 12 warblers including Melodious, Spectacled, Orphean and Bonelli's.

On the flower front, the Cistus covered the hillsides, several species being identified. In the Cape St Vincent area the Candytuft, Climbing Snapdragon and 3-leaved Snowflake were among the highlights. Also seen were 2 narcissus species, Romulea, Peony, Cistanche and several orchids. The historical town of Mertola with its Moorish castle was a hit, and all told, it was a memorable and enjoyable trip. John Carruthers.

Lesvos – April/May 2004

With fine weather all week migration was a stop-start affair but with plenty of local birds to see as well the trip managed a respectable 162 species including the sought after specialities – Cinereous & Cretzschmar’s Buntings, Kruper’s Nuthatch, Olive-tree Warbler and Sombre Tit (write leaders Dave Allen & Dave Suddaby). The biggest surprise was a Great Spotted Cuckoo at Sigri and excellent views of Collared and Red-breasted Flycatchers, but the views of Bee-eaters, Golden Orioles and Rollers will surely live long in the minds of the fourteen participants. The ease of getting around this small island from our perfectly-placed base at the Pasiphae Hotel never ceases to impress, as does witnessing the rapid changes in habitat as well as the ever changing bird populations on their northward migration. Every day brought its own highlights – a point-blank roosting Scop’s Owl, a bush filled with male Black-headed Buntings, clouds of flava wagtails, stunning summer plumaged Marsh Sandpipers, an obliging pair of Citrine Wagtails or the ever watchable White-winged Black Terns. Add to this wonderful mix of birds the stunning scenery and you can understand why this destination is so popular. The relatively relaxed pace of the holiday with the excellent Taverna lunches again helped create a great bond in the group. Another Lesvos spring over and another one to think about next year!

Morocco – April 2004

The third Naturetrek trip to Southern Morocco of the year promised to be just as exciting as the April trips in previous years - reports from the February and March trips indicated that a wet winter had resulted in a blooming of desert plants.  We arrived in Marrakech on 16th April and headed straight for the Djemma Al Fna - the famous central square - a fascinating whirlwind of street entertainers, food stalls and... Little Swifts, Pallid Swifts, Bulbuls and House Buntings!  The next day we headed south into the mighty High Atlas mountains... click here to read Andy Wilson’s full tour report.

Spain'sCoto Doñana & Extremadura April 2004

In Extremadura we were soon enjoying views of Great & Little Bustards, the former at times displaying out on the plains with Calandra Larks & Spanish Sparrows by the roadside. Many other exciting species were seen including good views of Roller and a hunting Black-shouldered Kite. We finished our first day with about 50 Black-bellied & 20 Pin-tailed Sandgrouse. A visit to the famous raptor hotspot at Monfrague produced amongst the countless Griffon Vultures, Egyptian & Black Vultures, Red & Black Kites, Booted, Short-toed & Bonelli’s Eagles plus 6 Black Storks, not to mention such birds as Alpine Swift, Blue Rock Thrush & Rock Bunting. Earlier in the day we had been rewarded with close views of two adult Spanish Imperial Eagles.

In the Coto Doñana area we marvelled at the sheer numbers & variety of the birdlife. Hundreds of nesting Cattle and Little Egrets, Night and Purple Herons and Glossy Ibis with lesser numbers of Squaccos. Good views were had of Purple Gallinules, Little Bitterns & Great Reed Warblers, though the rarest bird was a single Western Reef Heron. The lagunas held Spoonbills & Flamingoes with Black & Whiskered Terns hawking overhead. In this area Azure-winged Magpies joined us at the picnic tables to share our lunch and then at dusk we heard and then saw close by courting Red-necked Nightjars! Another wonderful tour of the classic Spanish habitats & enjoyable views of most of the key species. Dave Pierce.

Footnote. The Sevenoaks RSPB members group tour to Spain, organised through the Naturetrek office, saw a Lynx out in the open in Coto Doñana!

Please see below for late availability. Do not hesitate to give us a call on 01962 733051 if we can help with any queries or questions.

Kind regards,

The Naturetrek Team

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