ZECO TRAVEL TALK

Zegrahm Expeditions Program Manager and wildlife enthusiast, Ted Kenefick, recently traveled to Brazil’s Pantanal: read his “report from the field” below.

Pantanal. The rough translation from Portuguese to English is less than romantic— “swampland.” To me, Pantanal means—magic. I had traveled to the region several years ago and as I concluded my trip and passed underneath the sign marking the start of the Transpantaneira Road and the entrance to the Brazilian Pantanal, I vowed to return.

In October of 2009, I made the return trip. As I write on a rainy autumn evening in Seattle, my thoughts drift south, far south to this place of miraculous sunsets, vistas of open space stretching to all horizons, and a myriad of wildlife. Surely a visit to the Pantanal is one of the greatest natural history experiences of the Western Hemisphere, perhaps even on the entire planet, but somehow knowledge of this place seems to have “flown under the radar.” Read more

After a quiet night at sea we awoke to see the tiny atoll of Palmerston in the distance, growing ever larger as we ate our breakfast. This is a unique Polynesian atoll because of its historical settlement. Lieutenant James Cook sighted the atoll on his first, 1774 voyage but didn’t land. On his third voyage and in need of supplies for his floating menagerie, he stopped at Palmerston and stocked the ship with water and coconuts. There were no people living there at the time, but there were signs of Polynesian camps and canoe shelters. In 1850 the Merchant of Tahiti sailed by and picked up four hungry castaways who, thinking they owned the island, gave it to the captain as payment for their passage to Rarotonga. The claim eventually went to a Scottish trader in Tahiti who, fearing loss of his claim without habitation, asked William Marsters, an Englishman living on Manuae Atoll, to live on the island. Marsters took his Maori wife and her two cousins, who eventually became his wives, and together they established the Marsters dynasty of Palmerston Atoll. Read more

This species has, quite literally, come “back from the dead.” Considered to be extinct for over 150 years this species was recently rediscovered. This gives the New Zealand storm petrel iconic status in the bird world. People are well familiar with the hunt for the ivory-billed woodpecker and recent claims for its continued survival are now thought very doubtful. A happier story is that of the Bermuda (or cahow) petrel, once thought to be extinct but now rescued from the abyss of extinction by the work of David Wingate. Interestingly, in recent years, three birds—all seabird species—have reappeared from the black hole of extinction. The New Zealand storm petrel is one of them. The other two, Beck’s petrel and Fiji petrel, were photographed just weeks ago off Vanuatu and Fiji.

The upcoming Zegrahm expeditions—Wild Edge of the Pacific and New Zealand to New Guinea—give potential opportunity for seeing all three of these “back from the dead” species. Stay tuned for updates on the Zegrahm blog.

Click here to read a first-hand account of the New Zealand petrel’s rediscovery.

After many hours of travel and some needed rest, we awoke in our rooms at the Intercontinental Resort Tahiti to the magnificent views of Moorea Island across the water. We were finally in French Polynesia! The day was stunning and we enjoyed the soft air on our skin as we embarked on an island tour.

A memorable stop at a black pearl farm proved to be quite educational as we learned about the process of seeding, harvesting, and grading of precious black pearls. French Polynesia’s cultured pearl industry, now second only to tourism as a money earner, originated in 1963 when an experimental farm was established on Hikueru atoll in the Tuamotu Islands east of Tahiti. Today hundreds of cooperative and private pearl farms operate on 26 atolls, employing thousands of people. Read more

This recently published book by Rodney Russ & Aleks Terauds is a comprehensive study of the seven oceanic island groups to the south and east of New Zealand. Each chapter features a different island with descriptions of the flora, fauna, geography, geology, human history, and glorious color photographs. More than just a coffee-table book, the authors leave no stone unturned when it comes to describing the wonders of these unique islands. Read more

When one evaluates a successful expedition to Botswana, the check list naturally includes sightings of good numbers of lions, views of two or three different leopards, and at least one sighting of wild dogs. But to experience all of the above, plus the variety of wildlife and wildlife interactions, as we did during this past September’s Botswana expedition, it dawns on me that we were exceptionally fortunate.

For example, if I had to tell some of my fellow safari guides that we saw a wild dog chase a leopard up a tree, then a pack of wild dogs feeding on a kill and then the wild dogs chasing hyenas around, all on the very first night of the safari, they would have a hard time believing it. Would they also believe that we observed a large male leopard with a new-born baby tsessebe at Chitabe? I am doubtful that they would. Read more

Dr. Mark Brazil, a regular Zegrahm expedition leader and field staff member, is also a published author and avid wildlife photographer. Mark happily shares some digital photography tips in the October edition of the ‘Wild Watch’ column he writes for The Japan Times.

Mark’s column provides insight into maximizing small-bodied cameras, shooting wildlife close to home, visiting a local zoo to improve your skills, and exploiting smaller subjects for their photogenic qualities. Read the full article at this link: Wildlife on your doorstep.

Mark will be leading several expeditions for us in the near future, including one he designed especially for Zegrahm. Our Snow Monkeys & Cranes Eco-Expedition highlights Japan’s striking beauty and prolific winter wildlife. The peaceful, snow-clad landscape of the rural countryside and soft, winter light create the perfect backdrop for amazing photography. And though Mark designed this expedition with nature-lovers and serious photographers in mind, travelers will also enjoy a unique culinary experience as our gracious hosts serve us gourmet Japanese dishes and share time-honored dining traditions.