Download 2014 Brochure (.pdf) - Ornitholidays

More documents

Recommendations

Info

P O R T U G A L Osprey Great Bustards (not an easy species in these parts!). We will eat our picnic lunches on a heath-covered cliff-top, keeping an eye on the sea for passing gulls and terns with the chance of a Peregrine Falcon stooping on Rock Doves resident on the cliffs. Suitably refreshed we will drive down to the Cabo de Sao Vicente. Besides admiring the scenery, we will look for Black Redstart, Red-billed Chough, Tawny Pipit and perhaps some migrants using this location as a stepping stone in their southward journey to Africa. If we have time, a period of sea-watching should allow us to see passing Cory’s and Balearic Shearwaters, skuas and terns. It is here also that we may become most aware of the raptor migration pathway that cuts across south-western Portugal. Likely migrants include Booted and Short-toed Eagles, European Honey Buzzard and Osprey. During the remainder of the afternoon we will visit two lagoonal areas along the south coast. Hopefully, they will offer us a range of waders and water birds, and some of the local specialities such as Purple Swamphen, Black-winged Stilt and terns. A second day tour will involve travelling northwest to the coast at Santo Andre. Here we will explore the Lagoa Santo Andre and extend our list of waders and water birds. We would hope to find Purple Heron, Eurasian Spoonbill and Redcrested Pochard, as well as Western Marsh Harriers. The fringing vegetation may still hold Great Reed and Savi’s Warblers as well as Zitting Cisticolas. If the water level is good, we will spend much of the day exploring the shores of the lagoon and its adjacent woodlands and meadows, expecting to see Short-toed Treecreeper, Eurasian Nuthatch and European Green, Great Spotted and Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers. Failing this, we will drive further northwards to the south side of the estuary of the Sado River where, in addition to marshes and mudflats, there are rice-fields which hold flocks of Common Waxbill. The return journey from both locations will take us through areas of open cork oak woodland, a habitat favoured by breeding Black-winged Kites. Maybe there will still be some that have yet to move south. Other raptors we would hope to see during the day include Booted and Short-toed Eagles and Black Kite. The third excursion will involve exploring the rolling plains of Alentejo that lie to the north east. These hold good numbers of Great and Little Bustards. Other notable species include Black-bellied Sandgrouse, Stone Curlew, Iberian Grey Shrike, Lesser Kestrel and Little Owl. Five species of lark – Calandra, Crested, Thekla, Short-toed and Wood – can be observed, whilst at the many ponds that dot the landscape, we should find Little Ringed Plover, Common and Green Sandpipers, Black-winged Stilt and even perhaps a late Collared Pratincole. As we make our way along the traffic-free roads, we will see that most poles, masts and chimneys are crowned by White Storks nests, now empty, but with Spanish Sparrows still in residence. Our three half-day excursions will involve gentle walks near to the lodge. They will take us through a range of micro habitats, from closed woodland to hillsides newly planted with cork oak, from streamside meadows to cottage gardens, from thickets to ponds and reed-beds. The common species to be found on these walks include Eurasian Hoopoe, Rock and Corn Buntings, Azure-winged Magpie, Spotless Starling, Cetti’s Warbler and Iberian Chiffchaff. It is on these walks that we will be able to give more attention to the plants and late-flying butterflies. Time may also be found to explore one or more of the compact villages that typify the area and take the opportunity to buy some local produce to take home as souvenirs or gifts. Day 8 After breakfast we will depart for Faro where we catch return flights to London or regional airports. Outline Itinerary Day 1 Fly to Faro and transfer to Santa Clara Days 2-7 Santa Clara Day 8 Depart Faro Party size Maximum of 13 clients (two leaders with more than seven clients). Accommodation Comfortable accommodation in twin/double and single rooms, with private facilities. Transport By minibuses driven by leaders. Includes All flights, meals, accommodation, transport, services of leaders, VAT, airport taxes and tips. Gradings Little Owl Good 110 Warm Low Normal Relaxed Good Easy Scheduled To make a booking please call Ornitholidays on 01794 519445 119
I TA LY – S I C I LY Italy – Sicily at Leisure Heart of the Mediterranean Tuesday 11 April – Tuesday 18 April 2014 Leaders: Mike Witherick and local guides 2014 Cost: £1,899 single room supplement £200 icily is located in the heart of the Mediterranean, and in many ways it epitomizes its characteristics, with its sunny beaches, a very pleasant climate all S year round, gardens and orchards full of flowers and vegetables, and its relaxed way of life. Yet it is hard to put down in words the magic of Sicily: the combination of the charm of its ancient Greek ruins with the more recent architectural splendor, as well as the wonderful landscapes combined with the wealth of birdlife, make for an unforgettable destination for any nature lover. Add to all of this the world famous quality of Sicilian food and its fantastic wines, and well, it's hard to resist! SICILY Gela Mount Etna Catania Syracuse Bird watching in Sicily is very good all year round, but probably April offers some of the best chances of seeing both migrating and breeding species: at this time of year the passage of passerines can be spectacular, with many species of warblers on show, including Subalpine, Spectacled and Sardinian, as well as larks, shrikes and the first European Bee-eaters and Golden Orioles. Waders and ducks are also numerous, with the more widespread species accompanied by less frequent ones, such as Stone Curlew, Collared Pratincole and Ferruginous Duck. Other interesting species include Rock Sparrow, Sicilian Rock Partridge and Audouin's Gull. Also, Sicily is home to the last Italian population of Bonelli’s Eagles with 20 pairs still remaining and it has a very healthy population of Lanner Falcons, with about 100 pairs. We will explore the extensive wetlands and rocky areas near Syracuse, where we will be based for the first five nights, including a visit at the foothills of the majestic Etna volcano; the last two nights will be spent near Gela, in order to see another interesting wetland and also the famous Valle dei Templi, one of the best places to witness ancient Greek architecture. Throughout the tour we shall have an Italian bird guide to show us the delights of this beautiful island. Travel with Mike and see why we think Sicily will be another great Mediterranean island to add to the Ornitholidays’ suite of tours. Collared Pratincole ITINERARY Days 1 to 5 We leave London on a flight to Catania, where we meet our local guide. We leave the airport and pass near the shores of the Golfo di Catania, heading south towards Syracuse, where we check-in to our hotel for a stay of five nights. During the next four days we can make a variety of excursions to different habitats. On one day we can visit the impressive Riserva Naturale Cava Grande del Cassibile. The winding road takes us to various viewpoints overlooking the spectacular limestone gorges of this nature reserve. Here we can look for the endemic Sicilian Rock Partridge, Peregrine, Egyptian Vulture, Bonelli’s Eagle and Lanner Falcon, and we can hope to spot Blue Rock Thrush, as well as the more elusive Rock Sparrows. We can look skyward for flocks of swifts, which may include Alpine, Common and Pallid. Later, we can visit the Capo Murro di Porco, at the south-eastern tip of the island. Near the lighthouse we can seawatch and try to find the Scopoli's and Yelkouan Shearwaters amongst the thousands of gulls, which should include some Audouin's. After dinner we can stroll in the historic centre of Syracuse. The Vendicari Reserve protects some important coastal wetlands and we can stroll along its paths and visit some of the hides where we can hope to see flocks of Greater Flamingos, along with diving ducks such as Tufted, Pochard and the scarcer Ferruginous; there may also be some pairs of 120 For a previous tour report or further information please call: 01794 519445
Page 1 and 2:
ORNITHOLIDAYS 2014 49 Our Forty-Nin
Page 3 and 4:
49 Our Forty-Ninth Year ORNITHOLIDA
Page 5 and 6:
I S O R N I T H O L I D AY S R I G
Page 7 and 8:
L AT E 2 0 1 3 T O U R S Summary of
Page 9 and 10:
T O U R G R A D I N G Tour Grading
Page 11 and 12:
G R E E N TA X E S A N D C A R B O
Page 13 and 14:
Bryce Canyon, Utah, USA
Page 15 and 16:
U S A - U TA H & A R I Z O N A USA
Page 17 and 18:
U S A - U TA H & W YO M I N G USA -
Page 19 and 20:
U S A - N E W E N G L A N D USA - N
Page 21 and 22:
U S A - F LO R I D A USA - Florida
Page 23 and 24:
U S A - H A W A I I USA - Hawaii Ii
Page 25 and 26:
M E X I C O Mexico Western Mexican
Page 27 and 28:
C O S TA R I C A Costa Rica Classic
Page 29 and 30:
C U B A Cuba Endemic Birds & Winter
Page 31 and 32:
T R I N I D A D & T O B A G O Trini
Page 33 and 34:
S T LU C I A St Lucia at Leisure Pi
Page 35 and 36:
G U YA N A Guyana Rainforests, Wate
Page 37 and 38:
C O LO M B I A Colombia Birding’s
Page 39 and 40:
B R A Z I L Brazil Atlantic Forest
Page 41 and 42:
B R A Z I L Brazil - Photographic T
Page 43 and 44:
E C U A D O R Ecuador Tumbesian & A
Page 45 and 46:
Waterhole at Etosha, Namibia
Page 47 and 48:
S O U T H A F R I C A South Africa
Page 49 and 50:
S O U T H A F R I C A & B O T S W A
Page 51 and 52:
TA N Z A N I A Tanzania - Photograp
Page 53 and 54:
G H A N A Ghana In search of Picath
Page 55 and 56:
E T H I O P I A Ethiopia Undiscover
Page 57 and 58:
U G A N D A Uganda Birds & Primates
Page 59 and 60:
N A M I B I A Namibia Etosha & the
Page 61 and 62:
T H E G A M B I A The Gambia A Tast
Page 63 and 64:
E GY P T Egypt Birds & History Frid
Page 65 and 66:
M O R O C C O Morocco High Atlas &
Page 67 and 68:
M O R O C C O Morocco Atlantic Coas
Page 69 and 70:
Sing-sing with Huli, Papua New Guin
Page 71 and 72: J O R D A N Jordan Birds & History
Page 73 and 74: K U W A I T Kuwait Birding in the G
Page 75 and 76: I N D I A India - Goa Birds, Beache
Page 77 and 78: S R I L A N K A Sri Lanka Teardrop
Page 79 and 80: M O N G O L I A Mongolia Eastern St
Page 81 and 82: TA I W A N Taiwan Island Endemics S
Page 83 and 84: B H U TA N Bhutan Birds & Buddhism
Page 85 and 86: N E PA L Nepal Chitwan, Koshi & Phu
Page 87 and 88: V I E T N A M Vietnam Land of the D
Page 89 and 90: B O R N E O Borneo Island in the Cl
Page 91 and 92: PA P U A N E W G U I N E A Papua Ne
Page 93 and 94: N E W Z E A L A N D New Zealand Kiw
Page 95 and 96: Boating on the Danube Delta, Romani
Page 97 and 98: G R E E C E Greece - The Island of
Page 99 and 100: G R E E C E Greece - The Island of
Page 101 and 102: S PA I N Spain - Coto Doñana & Sie
Page 103 and 104: S PA I N Spain - The Canary Islands
Page 105 and 106: S PA I N Spain - Coto Doñana & Ext
Page 107 and 108: S PA I N Spain - The Island of Meno
Page 109 and 110: S PA I N Spain - Southern Catalonia
Page 111 and 112: S PA I N Spain - Catalonia - Photog
Page 113 and 114: S PA I N Spain - The Pyrenees Monta
Page 115 and 116: S PA I N Spain - Tarifa & Coto Doñ
Page 117 and 118: S PA I N Spain - Aragon Cranes, Lam
Page 119 and 120: P O R T U G A L Portugal at Leisure
Page 121: P O R T U G A L Portugal at Leisure
Page 125 and 126: I TA LY Italy Po Delta Po Delta Pal
Page 127 and 128: I TA LY Italy at Leisure Birds & Wi
Page 129 and 130: F R A N C E France - Wallcreeper To
Page 131 and 132: F R A N C E France - The Camargue,
Page 133 and 134: N E T H E R L A N D S Netherlands W
Page 135 and 136: I C E L A N D Iceland Winter Wonder
Page 137 and 138: I C E L A N D Iceland Land of Ice &
Page 139 and 140: T U R K E Y Turkey Turkish Delight
Page 141 and 142: B E L A R U S Belarus Europe’s La
Page 143 and 144: F I N L A N D Finland Owls, Woodpec
Page 145 and 146: H U N G A R Y Hungary Spring Tour S
Page 147 and 148: H U N G A R Y Hungary at Leisure Cr
Page 149 and 150: R O M A N I A Romania Danube Delta
Page 151 and 152: B U L G A R I A Bulgaria at Leisure
Page 153 and 154: O U R T E A M O F L E A D E R S Our
Page 155 and 156: O U R T E A M O F L E A D E R S Blu
Page 157 and 158: C A L E N D A R Calendar 2014 JANUA
Page 159 and 160: C O N D I T I O N S O F B O O K I N
Page 161 and 162: C O N D I T I O N S O F B O O K I N
Page 164: ORNITHOLIDAYS 29 Straight Mile Roms
show all

Download 2014 Brochure (.pdf) - Ornitholidays

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?