Belgian Winter

      Comments Off on Belgian Winter
Pheasant

It’s winter, I’m at home in Belgium. Not much more to say really – my main purpose here is to revive my blog which I have neglected for such a long time. In a few days I will be traveling again, to Tanzania, for a month. I should have some nice pictures and stories to write about so this is just a warm-up!

Warm-up indeed – when it’s not grey and wet (which is most of the time), clear skies mean icy nights and frosty mornings with a bit of that longed-for sunshine. Nice days for a walk in the woods, the local birds coming in to breeding plumage and the trees still deep in their winter sleep but showing buds on the tips of their branches – spring may be just a dream right now but it will come.

A frosty morning
Blue Tit
Robin

A Trip Down Memory Lane

      2 Comments on A Trip Down Memory Lane

I recently visited the Birdwatching Center/Park in Eilat, Israel. 30 + years ago (1987-1993) I had the great privilege of working here during this project’s first years. It has come a long way since then and I felt like a proud grandfather as I strolled along the beautiful paths,ponds and hides and chatted with the fantastic team who now run the place.

Visitors at the Bird Park, December 2021

My trip to Israel was primarily a family visit – because of travel restrictions I hadn’t seen my mother, my siblings and their offspring for a quite some time. When it seemed I could travel to Israel without being isolated in some awful state-run hotel I decided to take a bit longer than my usual quick visit. Which meant that between various family get-togethers and musical activities I could borrow my mum’s little car and head off to see some people and places I hadn’t seen in a very long time, and get in some casual bird-watching as well.

My Mother, my Sister and Joe the Dog
Foothills near Jerusalem

I left Belgium well into some heavy winter weather and arrived in Israel to almost summery weather (at least by European standards). The first rains of the wet season had already come and gone, leaving the land with a touch of green new growth and some early flowering geophytes popping up here and there.

I made a couple of short trips to visit friends in the coastal plain and in the North. I wasn’t really looking for birds but they are everywhere …

Last summer day on the Mediterranean coast
Pied Kingfishers
Spur-winged Plovers

Reservoir in the Jordan Valley
Oh, the food… Middle-eastern Mezze

Back to Jerusalem and a few more days with my Mum, 2 niece’s birthdays and some musical activities. And, of course, a pilgrimage to Pinati’s Hummus in King George Street – just as delicious as when I first ate there 40+ years ago (and almost unchanged).

Trio-sonata with my brother and mum

Now it was time for a longer trip and perhaps even some proper birding. My destination: the Southern Negev and Eilat.

I left Jerusalem very early (avoiding the traffic) and reached the Dead Sea in time for sunrise. I thought it would be nice to stop at the oasis of Ein Gedi and go for a walk in Nahal Arugot gorge but the entrance was blocked by a massive gate – things had changed since I had last been here! ( OK enough with counting years). So had some fun photographing Tristram’s Starlings near the gate and just when I decided to move on the reserve staff showed up to open the gate. So in the end I did go for a walk.

Sunrise at the Northern end of the Dead Sea

I spent the rest of the day catching up with my friend Ofer at his very impressive Crocodile farm in the Arava; from there a beautiful evening drive along the rift valley brought me to Kibbutz Samar, an oasis in the stark desert, and home of my friends Giora and Avishag.

Behind Kibbutz Samar

All these reunions where beginning to take their toll on me; I was longing to be on my own again. The desert has always been for me a place of solitude and retreat. So I found a holiday flat in nearby Be’er Ora. When I lived in the area ( eons ago ) , this was a tiny, semi-abandoned army base. Today it’s a small town known for it’s Eco/Desert architecture. Looked to me rather like a set from Star-wars.

From here it’s a short way to Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city, on the Red Sea. But the town and it’s tacky hotels are not what I am here for. Long ago (when Dinosaurs still roamed the cooling planet) I lived here and was involved in setting up a project named (not by me), somewhat bombastically, “The International Birdwatching Center, Eilat”. This has grown over the years and I spend a few delightful hours in the beautiful Eilat Bird Park. At the end of my visit, Noam (who claims he isn’t the director, but I’m not really convinced) hands me a T-shirt; on the front is a Lichtenstein’s Sandgrouse, on the back it says “staff”; I am deeply moved.

I make my way down to the North Beach – the last strip of open beach remaining between the sprawl of hotels and the Jordanian frontier. I sit by the sea until I recover from the emotionally intense morning; then after a swim I head out.

The Red Sea, Eilat North Beach

Up till now I have been enjoying Israeli birds as I bump in to them. However, I can’t resist going to look for some “specials” I have heard about in the desert near Eilat. I get in touch with Itai Shani – a local birder whose expertise has helped me greatly during my African journeys, although we have never actually met (or so I thought: it turned out that as a wee lad Itai used to help out at his uncle’s camel ranch where I often passed by in the old days). Anyway – we meet up and head out to Uvda valley – home to rare Larks and other ornithological delights.

I had almost forgotten how beautiful the desert can be
Where the Larks play

Sure enough, a flock of Thick-billed Larks flies past us, exactly at the time and place Itai said they would. I am thrilled (it’s a new species for me), though Itai seems to be quite annoyed at them for not landing anywhere within sight. There are many other birds around and I am happy to continue exploring when Itai has to leave.

Temminck’s Horned Larks

The last leg of my little desert trip is a beautiful drive through the Negev highlands, back to the central part of the country.

For a nomad like myself there is no one place called home; but Israel comes close, damn close.

Dorcas Gazelles, Southern Negev
A flight of Cranes in Northern Israel

Beautiful Butterflies

      Comments Off on Beautiful Butterflies
Three species of Charaxes (C.etheocles, C.cynthia, C.tiridates) on a forest path, Semuliki, Uganda

On my recent visit to Uganda I was distracted from the birds I had come to see by Butterflies. Partly this was because I had finally managed to get hold of a guidebook with which I could (tentatively) identify what I was seeing; but mostly the sheer abundance and beauty of Tropical Rainforest Lepidoptera was simply irresistable.

I am hoping to set up a trip in search of the rarest and most wonderful African Butterfly – the African Giant Swallowtail. It has a wingspan of over 20 centimetres (!) and can be seen in lower altitude forests in Western Uganda (which are also great places for Birds, Great Apes and other wildlife).

Anyone interested? Just drop me a line ( davidnartan[at]gmail[dot]com )

Meanwhile here’s a small selection of Ugandan Butterflies:

Common Leopards (Phalanta eurytis)

Technatis Bush Brown (Bicyclus technatis) , Semuliki, Uganda
Forest Mother-of-pearl (Protogoniomorpha parhassus
Migrating African Caper Whites (Belenois aurota)
A whole bunch of ’em

Best of Uganda 2020 (part 2)

      Comments Off on Best of Uganda 2020 (part 2)
Crowned Hornbill (and what looks like a Long-horned Beetle)

More pictures from my 6-week trip to Uganda (October – Decemer 2020). It was really hard to select (Ihave about 2000 photos!) so there are rather a lot of them on this page.

Savanna

Lots of birds and animals and much easier to see and photograph them than in the rain-forest. However, since some of the bigger and fiercer animals are considered dangerous, most parks don’t allow you to move around without a car, guide or armed ranger – which makes it all a bit of a business. But well worth it!

Cape Buffaloes

Wetlands

African Marsh Harrier

Uganda enjoys lots of rain, almost all year round (in most areas). Even the “arid” areas in the North get about the same yearly rainfall as parts of Western Europe. All that water means plenty of rivers, lakes and marshes – wonderful places to see birds of all shapes and sizes. It also results in a wide range of water transport.

Little Grebe
Hottentot Teal
Water Thick-knees
Lake Nyabihoko
Yellow-billed Ducks

People

Fishermen at Kisenyi, Lake Albert

Even an anti-social misanthrope like myself cannot fail to be won over by the easy-going charm of Ugandans (most of them at least). I met and spent time with so many nice people – I won’t even try to list them all here. But if you are thinking of travelling to Uganda check out Tony and Anna’s Mamaland Safaris ( https://www.mamalandsafaris.com/ ) or, for a different (and really cheap) kind of holiday – Denis and Ann’s Uganda Lodge ( https://ugandalodge.com/ )

Anna and Tony with their new son (I wish I could remember his name)
Hamza strikes a pose at the Equator near Kasese
Enjoying the view of Pian-Upe with rangers Juma and David
Rangers at Bwindi Impenetrable Forest

Other stuff/ All the rest

Yellow-throared Greenbul

Just a few more pictures that didn’t fall neaty in to this or the other category.

On a walk near Moroto – Tony and Brian

Best of Uganda 2020 (part 1)

      Comments Off on Best of Uganda 2020 (part 1)

A picture is worth a thousand words… I have been wondering how to squeeze six intense week’s experience in to a couple of blog posts, but now time is up – I am leaving in a few day’s time for another such trip, this time to Tanzania. The answer was simple (as it so often is) – don’t try. Anyhow, I already posted a (more or less) live account (with most of these photos) on (recently joined) Facebook while I was traveling through Uganda. So here are a few of my favorite pictures, with some comments and grouped (roughly) by habitat and subject. Enjoy!

Forests

You step under the trees and instantly you feel it: the shade, the cool, moist air and the soft ground under your feet. Birds call from the canopy, butterflies dance in sunlit spots along the path and monkeys travel along the long branches of the giant trees. Magical places , and in much of Uganda conditions are perfect for Tropical Rainforest to flourish. Luckily there are many Forest Reserves and National Parks protecting these forests; outside them, very lttle of it remains.

Red-tailed Monkey
Black-and-white Casqued Hornbill

Mountains

View from Mount Moroto

There are lots of Mountains in Uganda! Less people live in the higher and steeper bits so these are usually wild areas, often proected and home to many unique and rare fauna and flora. Visiting at a rainy time of year I enjoyed beautiful views – when it wasn’t raining.

White-tailed Blue Flycatcher
Bushbuck
Virungas seen from Ruhija

Food (and friends)

I coudn’t survive on birds and landscapes alone; I sampled a wide range of local food and found it absolutely delicous. I really don’t understand why lodges insist on serving tourists Western dishes when there’s so much good local cuisine. My favorites: Goat Stew, Beans and Rice and steamed dried Tilapia with Peanut Sauce (amazing).

The rest – Wetlands, Savanna, other stuff and (last but not least), people – in the next post.

Yes, that happens too

Autumn

      Comments Off on Autumn

It’s autumn. Gradually, the balance shifts; The sunny days are fewer and further between while grey skies and cold, cutting wind become the “new normal”. Leaves change colour and drop and the late fruit in our forest garden bulge and beg to be picked. The Alpacas move out in to their pasture, their summer’s work done.

Autumn is really a transition more than a distinct season. The summer birds leave one by one; Honey Buzzards and Swallows are already long gone. The exodus continues as Reed Warblers, Flycatchers , Whitethroats and Blackcaps sneak away to warmer climates.

But now, as the days grow short, our local birds come out to play. Blue Tits, Nuthatch, Woodpeckers of many sizes and shapes, Wrens and Dunnocks; They puff up their feathers against the chill and happily go about their business while a Robin livens the cold day with his bright song.

And as for me? I too have travel plans. I hope it all works out – these days there are more hoops to jump through than usually. But, fingers crossed, the next post will be written from somewhere very different – watch this space!

Belgian Summer

      Comments Off on Belgian Summer

Still in Belgium, though maybe, just maybe, there’s a chance of a trip to Africa later this year. Meanwhile quite a lot of interesting stuff closer to home. And I have a new camera+lens, a bit of an upgrade from the very basic setup I have been using up till now – so it’s all good practice for if and when.

So what’s new?

At the start of the summer most of the action was on our three little lakes – all sorts of little fuzzy chicks floating around and being cared for (or neglected) by their parents.

Little Grebe and chick
Egyptian Goose family
Baby Coots
Moorhen chick

It’s also a good time for insects: Butterflies and Dragonflies appear and, as more and more plants come in to bloom, the many different Bees and Bumblebees are busy as … er, bees.

Meadow Brown
Damselfly

While I’m happily playing with my new camera, by the end of May the holiday is over. Lockdown is cancelled/eased and we are allowed to cautiously open our gates to limited numbers of visitors. We had made some plans last winter and now, after a slight delay, they come in to action. For years we have been looking for ways to share the beauty/specialness of this place and also do a little business. All sorts of ideas for workshops and retreats etc. have come and gone. Now I think we are on to something – keep it simple! If trying to plan a workshop stresses me, just imagine how unappealling it must be for the public… So we are scrapping all that and doing only simple and fun stuff.

First, after a successful trial run last year: Breakfast with Alpacas.

Totally simple: put tables out in the courtyard, a nice buffet, coffee, fruit juice etc. Bring in the people from one side, the Alpacas from the other and give everyone some Alpaca food to hand out. Something like Sunday Brunch meets the Horse Whisperer. There’s something about Alpacas – the funny faces and huge limpid eyes … people have a lot of fun, relax and connect.

The Alpacas are the stars here – I’m here just for support (buying the food, laying out the buffet, washing the dishes etc). I have a more demanding role in the other program we are offering the public: The Forest Garden Guided Walk.

10 years ago we took over a Maize field and, applying permaculture principles, transformed it in to what is now a liitle Garden of Eden (Organically Certified!). As one of the original designers ( and a biologist, permaculture designer etc etc blah blah) It’s my job now to guide a weekly walk through the 4 hectare Jungle of fruit-trees, berries, nuts, wild spaces and vegetable patches and explain a bit about it.

We get a good response. There are usually a dozen or so people on the tour , sometimes more. There is a lot of interest in alternative agriculture, sustainability – a hunger for a different way of doing things. All kinds of people show up – from starry-eyed activist/vegan/student types to local family groups who are just curious. It’s challenging – explaining ecology and permaculture (without going in to full lecture mode) while giving space for people to directly experience the magic of this place. Luckily there’s lots of fruit and the invitation to sample freely straight from the tree/bush awakens hunter/gatherer instincts in even the most stuck-up academics and soon we can leave behind nutrient cycles and leverage points and what have you . I’m always quite exhausted by the end of the 2 hours but it is very rewarding. Aspiring would-be permaculturists come away encouraged and some catch a glimpse of the beautiful simplicity, the zen it-happens-by-itself beauty of permaculture. They have heard the music.

So as you see, there are some humans in my life, it’s not entirely birds and bugs (some friends have expressed concerns).

Now, back to birds. As the days lengthen the forest grows green and lush. The birds are harder to see and there is a new sound in the air: a loud flute-like call, the unmistakable call of a Golden Oriole. Having never seen one here before I’m very keen to lay eyes on him (it’s the male that calls) but again and again I creep up on trees where the calls are coming from and find nothing. Then a few minutes later he’s at it again from another patch of forest. It’s incredible, perhaps the most brightly coloured bird there is and totally invisible !

Still, chasing around after invisible Orioles is no great hardship. By now many other birds have young and are out and about, so there’s plenty to see.

Pheasant family
Black Redstart, juvenile

And then, when I had completely given up on them, the Orioles suddenly appear. One evening I spot a little group perched out in the open. They are a long way away so it’s hard to get a technically good photo, but they are posing beautifully…

Golden Orioles, female (top) and 2 juveniles

One day I notice a funny looking duckling on the smallest of our three lakes. It is also behaving differently from the common Mallard ducklings: instead of dabbling it dives, disappearing completely underwater. I have a good idea what this might be and , sure enough more of them pop up all around and the concerned mother appears out of a clump of reeds. Pochards! These diving ducks have been hanging around here since last year but this is the first evidence of breeding. Great news for our biodiversity, especially as this is a vulnerable species – numbers in Europe are declining.

Pochard duckling
Mother Pochard and her brood

One good thing leads to another. Since early May I have several times seen Honey Buzzards flying low between patches of woodland on our property. I figured they must be breeding somewhere in the area – probably in the large forest-park next door. Then one evening as I am checking on “my” Pochard family, a Honey Buzzard lands in a tree right above me clutching a big chunk of wasp’s nest. Aha! I had been hearing some very odd calls from the high Oak trees nearby but thought it might be the young Golden Orioles squawking for parental attention – could’nt think what else it might be. Now everything fell in to place – and sure enough there is the nest (with 2 chicks) high up in an oak. Another new and uncommon breeding species on our list.

Honey Buzzard, adult male in flight
Honey Buzzard, adult female on nest
Honey Buzzard, juvenile in nest

And then, after a heatwave or two and a couple of thunderstorms – signs of Autumn. The days start getting shorter and Swallows gather and discuss their travel plans; The young Honey Buzzards leave the nest and in a few days will be heading south – just a few thousand kilometres to some forest in West Africa.

I’m also feeling restless, feeling the pull of Africa. But for now I’m here – there is still a full schedule of Alpaca breakfasts and Permaculture walks running till the end of October, besides other odd jobs. Perhaps by then travel will be easier? We will see.

Juvenile Common Buzzard

Belgian Birds, or Safari at Home

      Comments Off on Belgian Birds, or Safari at Home

Months of planning, all set to go and then this Corona nonsense came along. The March 2020 Safari to Uganda had to be postponed. I was bitterly disapointed, didn’t even unpack my travel bag for a week. But that gave me an idea. Why not make my own safari at home? Here I am, locked down on a beatiful country estate with woodlands, lakes (very small ones) and meadows and plenty of birds around. Almost no airplanes going over, very few cars and people around and it’s springtime. Not that bad really.

The weather is fine and there’s not much to do, so most days I make an early morning walk with my binoculars and camera. Most of the trees are still leafless so the woodland birds are easier to see and photograph.

As the days pass – and according to the news corpses are piling up around the world – here spring progresses joyfully and rapidly. Wood Anemones burst in to bloom in the forest and birdsong is all around.

Wood Anemones

Starlings are setting up house in an old woodpecker’s hole, and the Grey Wagtails (a rarity in our area) are behaving very territorially around an ivy-covered tree just next to the castle gate.

Grey Wagtail
A home for a Starling

What about the Lakes? Plenty of action there, hormones are surging among our resident ducks as the males battle it out and pairs start forming.

Pochards (the brown ones are the females)
Male and female Widgeon

Moorhens and Coots are busy too, the Coots constructing large floating nests. However the big surprise comes when a group of six Greylag Geese drop in and decide to stay. I have only seen a few of these here before and these ones show signs of settling in and perhaps nesting. We already have Canada Geese and Egyptian Geese (both exotic introduced species) but if thes Greylags stay we will have a real native goose.

Greylag Geese

As March leads in to April, the woods come in to leaf, fruit trees blossom and bees and butterflies come out of winter storage.

Migrants start to arrive – one day I see (and hear) a Blackcap and the next day they are everywhere, all males and singing away, establishing their terrirtories (the females will arrive later). Swallows pass through, some Storks land in a field nearby, news from Africa!

Besides birds (and Bumblebees) I also run in to some of our resident Mammals. Hares live up to their reputation for spring madness; for a week or so they show up all over the place running around in circles, engaging in comical boxing matches and generally ignoring people completely. Then they dissappear – back to their normal stealthy ways.

Red Squirrels are shy too, but I manage to see them occasionally – even a photo now and then. Most secretive are the Roe Deer, and I am pretty happy to get a shot of one’s bottom!

Now well in to April, and it’s green, warmer and the days are longer. Jules the Donkey and Lady the Arabian Mare are getting fat on the spring grass. And in the lake the first fluffy ducklings are paddling around under their mum’s watchful eyes.

I’d still love to be in Uganda on Safari, but I guess this lockdown situation has taught me to appreciate what’s right here, right now. Still, I wish they had Barbets in Belgium…