ZECO TRAVEL TALK

The year was 1981 and my parents had just bought me a pair of binoculars for my thirteenth birthday, a significant improvement on the minimal magnification, mother-of-pearl-coated opera glasses that had piqued my early interest in all things feathered. The birding bug had bitten hard, my youthful interest had exploded into an obsession, and my personal “life list” of just over 200 local bird species had become a source of great pride to me. One afternoon, while browsing through the natural history section of my municipal library, I happened upon a book written by a birding businessman estimating that a dedicated birder, in a lifetime of travel, could reasonably hope to see a maximum of 5,000 bird species (approximately half of all birds on Earth). Times changed, jet travel improved, new field guides and bird-finding site guides were written and, in the early 1990’s, this 5,000 limit was handily passed by a new generation of world birders.

Having never dreamed that such lofty goals were possible, I found myself passing this magical milestone in 2002, a combination of two decades spent birding in my home continent of Africa and two years working and traveling in the “Bird Continent” of South America. My work with Eco-Expeditions, apart from providing rich birding opportunities on the expeditions themselves, facilitated personal exploration of bird-rich areas in Asia and Australasia, and my global bird tally crept over 6,000 in 2004, approaching the magical figure of 7,000 in mid-2007.

Still a full 50 species short, I pondered where to start hunting. Zegrahm’s “March with the Penguins” expedition made up my mind for me: it would be South America, home to over a third of all bird species on Earth. Read more

Costa Rica: We had a great day in the Tortuguero Canals of Costa Rica! We saw dozens of sloths, lots of green iguanas, a few basilisks (Jesus Christ lizards) and, of course, more and more birds! The holy grail of the day—and Peter Harrison says maybe even for the trip—was the great potoo, usually a noctural predator!

Panama: Rain caused us to change our plans somewhat and we did a Zodiac cruise in Escudo de Veraguas which was a big hit. Though a bit wet, people loved it! The birders had a clean sweep finding all the endemic species, and the zodiac cruise found the real prize of the day—the endemic pygmy sloth. Everyone returned with a smile. We decided to heave anchor and head straight for Bocas del Toro. Read more

In February 2008 the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati became a global leader in conservation by creating the largest protected marine reserve in the world. Known as the Phoenix Islands Protected Area (PIPA), the first reserve (78,000 square miles) was established in 2006. With the help of the New England Aquarium and Conservation International, the area has been doubled in size to 158,500 square miles. Kiribati comprises only 33 islands but spreads across two million square miles between Hawai’i and Fiji, encompassing a vast region of biodiversity. Some of the planet’s most pristine reef systems thrive here; more than 120 species of coral and 500 species of fish within the reserve exist nowhere else. The first marine park to include deep-sea habitat and underwater mountains, PIPA also protects some of the Pacific’s most important seabird nesting sites.

Le Levant is in line with 106 other ships to transit the Panama Canal today! Our passage ID is N21X, which means that we are the 21st ship to transit going north on this day, 24 March 2008, and we will be accompanied by an extra ship. Our companion through the Canal is a barge with a bright green tug boat.

We came into Balboa Harbor last night. Imagine the change in scenery from the top deck after days exploring virtually alone on the water, the horizon occasionally altered by small uninhabited islands. Last night we were surrounded by the lights of fishing boats, cargo ships, and the skyline of Panama City. In the morning light we can see many of our fellow daylight transit ships—a far cry from the dug outs we were in two days ago.

Anchor’s aweigh as we steam into position for our transit, standing on deck, you can’t help but marvel at this engineering feat.

View the video footage of our transit through the Panama Canal onboard Le Levant.

What amazing contrasts we experienced, beginning with our somewhat damp welcome in Nagoya. From the tea plantations and flowering plum trees of southwestern Kyushu, to the light snow followed by sunshine in the forested mountains of Nagano Prefecture. And finally, day after day of glorious sunshine reflecting on packed snow in east Hokkaido.

And what wildlife experiences we had! The spectacle of more than 12,000 Hooded and White-naped Cranes at Arasaki in Kyushu was our southern highlight—but with the added bonus of close encounters with individual Common and Sandhill cranes. Four species of cranes in two days, coupled with delightful glimpses of displays among the White-naped Cranes left us with the ultimate dilemma: which crane is most beautiful? The displays in Kyushu were just a prelude for the magnificent dancing cranes of Hokkaido, which we experienced under so many different conditions, and at sites around Tsurui (the village of the cranes), and Akan Villages. Read more

From the urban chaos of our first afternoon in the narrow alleyways of old Delhi to the serenity of our time on the sacred Brahmaputra River… from the timeless elegance of the temples at Khajuraho to gaudy roadside markets, India boasts a cultural and scenic richness second to none. No single trip to India can hope to cover the rich spread of this immense country. But in our case, it was tigers we were after!

The global plight of tigers is among the most publicized of all wildlife conservation stories, for no other animal can match this largest of cats for sheer beauty and charisma. Ironically, the day before we commenced our expedition, the sobering news broke of the latest Bengal Tiger census figures: 1,411 remaining at the end of 2007, Read more

The main goal of the trip was to present Africa in the rainy season to show that Africa isn’t just the dry dusty environment that most visitors see. Our second purpose was to show the breadth of diversity, from the dry desert landscape of Damaraland to the lush forests of the Luangwa with the waters of the Okavango in between!

Wonderful memories of our travel experience include:

That sundowner drink on our first afternoon at Serra Cafema: the black storm clouds, the beautiful rainbow and the sunlit mountains. Beautiful!!!

In the Okavango, completely surrounded by water at Vumbura, there is the special memory of the wild dogs hunting in the morning as well as the quiet passage of the mekoro through the waterways and lily pads and tiny frogs responsible for the magical musical sounds at night.

Mombo, with its abundance of game and beautiful camp setting, is always an amazing place and we were extremely privileged to see tiny leopard cubs. Lions fighting ferociously over the giraffe kill were a highlight too.

We saw cheetah at Duma Tau and a real personal highlight for me was seeing the Savuti Channel with so much water in it after being lucky enough to see it dry up in 1983. It is, of course, always so incredible to see the beautiful carmine bee-eaters catching insects alongside the vehicles as we drove through the long grass. That’s a sight you won’t see any other time of year.

Excerpts from the Welcome Home Letter written by Expedition Leader Lex Hes for our February 2008 Back to Africa program.

Just reporting in off the coast of Chile to tell you a bit about Le Diamant, since it’s our first time using the ship. Everyone—passengers, leader/lecturer team—have been loving the experience. While it’s luxurious and roomy, this ship lends itself perfectly to expedition cruising, and our West Coast of South America trip has been incredibly comfortable. Yesterday we sighted sperm whales and the captain was able to quickly slow us down to follow their direction. We were allowed to be on the bow of the ship to watch, which made us all feel like adventurers! My personal favorite spot on the ship is the fabulous observation lounge just above the bow. You can relax up there, surrounded by glass walls and ceilings, and watch everything going on in the open seas.

Le Diamant has a lovely lecture hall, the Grand Salon, and it’s perfect for our purposes—everyone can now hear the lectures and see the visuals/power point presentations, etc. by our onboard team, no matter where they sit. The other comment I have to share is about the ship staff: really professional and efficient. Two days into the trip, they threw together a last minute barbecue lunch on deck — just so we could enjoy the great weather! Tomorrow we head inland into the Andes and to Lauca National Park.