2009

by Gunnar Engblom October 13, 2009 2

Banggai Crow (Corvus unicolor) rediscovered.

Banggai Crow (Corvus unicolor) rediscovered. Photo: Phelippe Verbelen

It is fascinating that new discoveries are made in this day and age in the ornithological world. An article published today in Life Sciences as well as adiscussion on BirdForum confirms that Pamela C. Rasmussen at Michigan State University has verified that the specimens and photographs taken by local biologist Mohamad Indrawan in 2007/8 on the Indonesian island Peleng are indeed the critically threatened Banggai Crow which was lost since 1900. It has made public and official only today, because it had to be confirmed that there was no confusion with the more common all black subspecies of Slender-billed Crow (Corvus enca).

Dr Rasmussen explains:

The morphometric analysis I did shows that all four unicolor specimens are very similar to each other, and distinctly different from enca specimens. We also showed that the two taxa differ in eye color — an important feature in Corvus. Not only did this confirm the identity of the new specimens but also the specific distinctness of Corvus unicolor, which has long been in doubt.

Mohamad Indrawan, now concentrates on conservation of the species and its habitat. He calculates the population to be around 500 birds. Maybe birding tourism could help. Anyone want to go? Kolibri Expeditions forthcoming tours will also include Asian destinations!

The original press release featured also some bio about Pamela Rasmussen.

Rasmussen, who also is assistant curator of mammalogy and ornithology at the MSU Museum, is the author of the two-volume Birds of South Asia: The Ripley Guide. Her work on uncovering the ornithological frauds of British collector Col. Richard Meinertzhagen won international attention, detailed in Nature, the May 2006 The New Yorker, and The Best American Science and Nature Writing 2007.

by Gunnar Engblom October 11, 2009 10

Bird blogger’s Tweet club #006

The tweetclub is better than blog carnivals.

The birdwatchers tweetclub is much better to get visits to your blog post than the traditional blog carnivals. Have a look at this weeks tweet club results. WOW!!! It is the most overwhelming result since its start. Many blogposts have gotten over 200 clicks! Check this!!

@SoaringFalcon1 https://bit.ly/4zbY24 (had 104 hits prior to tweetclub launch) 272 clicks
@LadyWoodpecker https://bit.ly/myPv1 239 clicks
@irenapuella https://bit.ly/3sJcbt (had 16 tweets for this link before launch). 224 clicks
@JKissnHug https://bit.ly/Zzceg 224 clicks
@2birderstogo https://bit.ly/fpqjj 182 clicks
@ falconmountain https://bit.ly/3AP6Fk 153 clicks
@NC_N8 https://bit.ly/27oxtv 148 clicks
@kolibrix https://bit.ly/OdIiZ 148 clicks
@Journowl https://bit.ly/62uWo 93 clicks

In most these results were added to posts already having been posted a while and already been published on Twitter and to your blog readers.

Some participants don’t stick to the rules.

You must understand that this is a collective effort. You need to retweet all the other posts if you want the benefit to be in receiving end of traffic. There is no need to single out anyone. I was quite lenient in accepting people this week to participate, as I was keen to get the tweet club started again. The tweet club is new, so it may not be all that clear to everyone how it works.

I ask you to check the earlier posts from the tweet club to grasp the ideas behind it. In any case here is a short summery of 3 main rules.

You must have a Twitter acount with people interested in birds as followers. I have not set a minimum number of followers, but lets say for the sake of argument that at least 10 of those people following you are interested in birds.
During the week you commit to do minimum 10 retweets of individual posts. Best of course if you tweet each posts twice. But you commit only to 10 tweets in total. I personally tweet each post 3 times.
Use the bit.ly link that I provide. This is needed to be able to measure the number of clicks each post receives.

Share on Facebook

Birdbloggers should share more on Facebook. In spite of mentioning the effectiveness of Facebook sharing and a requirement for anyone who had not yet large Twitter numbers, noone even shared one post. Believe me it is amazing the results you can get this way. Let’s do a test. I will post once a day from tomorrow the four best results from the past tweet club (Larry, Kim, Susan and Janet). When you see the post on my wall, share it on your wall. By the publication of the next tweet club, if Larrry, Kim, Susan and Janet could check how many extra clicks they get (install google analytics or just the wordpress stats for those on WordPress).

This weeks participants.

RT@LadyWoodpecker Birding on Westham Island (Spot the Decoy) https://bit.ly/12elpN. (Had 122 hits prior to tweetclub launch)
RT @HooootOwl Check out the Broken wing act by this Killdeer. https://bit.ly/12Ofo5. (Had 25 hits prior to tweetclub launch)
RT @irenapuella If you are stuck in Sumba and already seen the bird endemics, waddayado? Go to the races.!! https://bit.ly/IMMXH
RT @journowl Brandt’s Cormorant – A rock of guttural croaks. A photo session. https://bit.ly/3DrmtX. (Had 58 hits prior to tweetclub launch)
RT@soaringfalcon1 Meet the Birds of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge https://bit.ly/ZyekK
RT @PatBumstead Pellet Puzzle: What’s On Owl’s Menu? https://bit.ly/1Gow7y
RT @Kolibrix Updated Interview w the most popular bird blogger @grrlscientists (Devorah Bennu). Join her in Manu Dec 6. https://bit.ly/vyq4H

That is folks. Please leave your next contribution for Tweet Club in the comment section below. Now when my newsletter is out, it hope we shall be back next week as usual. Deadline on Tuesday Oct 20. Share on Twitter and on Facebook. Let’s see if anyone can get 300 clicks this week.

Twitter image by creative Commons lisence on Flickr. Photo credit: Adam Gutierrez

by Gunnar Engblom October 11, 2009 4

Best time to visit Peru?

Wouldn't you be better off in Peru?

When is the best time to visit Peru?

This is a question I always get. I tell people they will always see more birds in Peru than at home…so any time of year is better than being “home”. In spite of this most trips are planned in the relatively dry season of the SE between June and September. Why are people so afraid of rain. Is there any time of year that people do not visit Costa Rica? Why is it that Ecuador get hoards of people in every season? Isn’t it time to break the spell and visit Peru all year around. Especially important since you may chose a different area and not necessarily go to SE in the wettest months.
All of those who have visted Peru please let us know your experiences of different areas and different months in the comment section below. I am sure we shall see that Peru is always worth a visit and again another visit.

Photo John Talbot Creative Commons license

by Gunnar Engblom October 10, 2009 2

How to write an unsolicited Newsletter without pissing anybody off

NewsLetter – Kolibri Expeditions

Yes, we all hate spam. And most unsolicited mail would qualify as spam. However, once in blue moon I do get some unsolicited stuff, that catches my attention and that I don’t dislike. Those occasions always have to do with targeted messages. If as a birder I get an unsolicited message about birds, that should not ruin my day. And especially if there is a lot of value in the message such as a trip report or some great photos there is good chance I don’t send it straight to the trash bin. I have tried to use such strategy in my business, admittedly with mixed success, as I on rare occasions get very strong negative reaction. Some would argue that anything unsolicited is spam. However, with the commercial bombardment of ads for totally un-relevant stuff and spam such as Nigeria scams, Viagra sales and explicit porn, a very rare newsletter about birds would be quite harmless for most of us as long as there is no problem unsubscribing.
I have until now included some ads for my tours in these newsletters, but from this day on I am changing strategy. Why? Because, I would like to inform those interested in new tours and offers on a more regular basis, which would be too frequent for an unsolicited newsletter. So I am splitting my previous efforts into two different strategies – a massive non-commercial informative targeted twice yearly newsletter and a more direct opt-in bi-weekly newsletter which also features some tours.
I chose not to push any tours in the first newsletter, to strengthen the message that I am sharing my knowledge with you, without expecting anything in return. This past 9 months as a blogger has taught me that in order to be successful with a business using social media, one has to share much more than one tries to push sales. When someone wants to buy, they will hopefully look me up. This non-commercial approach should be great for branding.
Although I would be nice to take some credits for these thoughts myself, I humbly credit 100% to my house-hold social media heroes for the inspiration. They are probably familiar to you and if not check out the links to their blogs. Darren Rowse of Problogger, John Haydon and Chris Brogan.
It would be interesting to read your comments. Will I get away with my massive unsolicited but targeted newsletter? And will I get anyone signing up for the opt-in newsletter, I wonder? Comment below.
Below, follows the sales-free Newsletter that is currently being distributed to a lot of birders. The content should be interesting if you are a birder and if not serve as an example of my points in this introduction to unsolicited newsletters.

Newsletter Nº 008
Date: October 9 – 2009

Dear birdwatcher,

This birding news bulletin from Peru is the 8th since its start in 2004. If you receive this newsletter we probably have birds and birdwatching in common, but you are right, it is unsolicited. You did not ask for it. On the other hand, this is an informative newslettter about birds and their conservation and links to articles which you hopefully find useful if you are a birder. There is no sales pitch in this newsletter and the links presented here are not directed to pages where you are asked to buy something from us.

This newsletter is different compared to previous newsletters. It contains some posts from my blog A birding blog from Peru by Gunnar Engblom, that I think many of you will find useful. The blogposts can be commented, so you can give feedback directly. I answer all questions best I can.

This newsletter covers bird conservation projects, social media for birders, some selected blogposts from the last year – both on broad topics as well as more specific birding in Peru and finally a few updates on the Kolibri staff who are re-producing and producing future birdguides.

Here is the table of content:

1. Facebook for birders
2. Blogging for birders
3. Twitter for birders
4. 11 best birds in Peru as tourism attractions
5. 1000 birds to see before you die.
6. How to become a birdwatcher in the 21st century.
7. 10 best ways to avoid chiggers.
8. A marathon for Satipo road
9. Amarakaeri Communal Reserve next to Manu.
10. Life List – a new book on Phoebe Snetsinger by Olivia Gentile
11. Kolibri staff news: We are producing new birders!

1. Facebook for birders.

With 300 million users, Facebook should not need a specific presentation to you. However, I have seen that many of my birding friends still have not jumped on the band wagon or have not realized the potential it has for birders to connect with each other as a community. It is the perfect place to search for advice when planning for a birding trip. And you don’t have to be real friends to be friends on Facebook. Having birdwatching in common is at least for me enough to connect with you through Facebook. Read the full article: Facebook for birders. A Beginner’s Guide.

For those already on Facebook and would like to become Facebook friends with me here is my Facebook profile. https://www.facebook.com/Gunnar.Engblom/

Also note that I have started three Facebook groups open for anyone to join.

These groups are NOT commercial vehicles for Kolibri Expeditions, but rather open for all that share the same interest.

Finally, there is a Kolibri Expeditions Fan page. In a previous newsletter I introduced Kolibri Ambassadors – a community for our past and future clients. However, with the growth of Facebook, this initiative has become obsolete. I regret that I did not know about Facebook back then. This “Fan Page” shall be a great place to discuss Kolibri Expedition trips with others. I am planning to post a lot of photos and videos here for your enjoyment.

2. Blogging for birders

To maintain an on-line web-log (blog) has become extremely popular in recent years. Digital photography and free resources such as Blogger (by Google) and My Space has made it easy for birders to also publish their own tales and photos of birds on their own site at no cost. In contrast to Facebook you may share with everyone on a blog, not only with your near friends. I too have had a few blogs that I have nourished all to rarely, until I recently understood that a regular blogging section on our company page could actually bring traffic to the main web-page, as well as improve ranking on search the engines. I down-loaded the WordPress blogging platform to my web-page. This platform is also free and popular among businesses because it can be uploaded on your own domain and it has various plugins that makes it easier for search engines to find your posts. You find more info about blogging and how to connect with other bird bloggers and get traffic to your blog in my Blogging for birders blogpost.

3. Twitter for birders.

I am sure I am loosing some people now. Twitter seems to most birders like a complete waste of time. I could not have agreed more, when I first looked at this Social Media fad. I have changed my mind since. If you want to learn more how Twitter can be useful for birders check out Twitter for birders. The biggest value of Twitter for us, apart from the obvious link-sharing, is that we can recruit more new birders from the huge Twitter pool and pass on birding news very fast.

If you would like to connect with me on Twitter, here is my twitter handle @kolibrix. Click on the link and you shall see my latest tweets.I have covered Twitter quite a bit on my blog. You might find the following blogposts interesting.

4. Birds as tourism attractions

This is an interesting exercise. Say you were to name the birds in your country or your state that are or could be tourism attractions for non-birders. These are the kind of birds that everyone likes with a lot of Wow-factor. The kind of attraction one would make a detour to see. They could be arena birds displaying in leks, big colonies, penguins, hummingbirds, places of concentrated migration or just very special birds.

Here is my list of the top 11 bird tourism attractions for Peru. Make a list of your best tourism attractions for your area and upload it in a blog and I’ l write a follow-up post linking to you.

5. 1000 birds to see before you die.

Do you feel that there is no way you can keep up with the world birding. There are just too many birds to see. Instead of trying to see them all, why not just concentrate on the top 1000 birds. The most magnificent and special birds that you would like to see during your lifetime. Not only does this make your targets more manageable, but it all also invites you to be less fanatic during your holidays with your non-birding spouse and just concentrate on those special birds that maybe he/she would also enjoy. This idea will summit with a book, and you can help decide which species to include. Click this link: 1000 birds to see before you die.

6. How to become a birdwatcher in the 21st century.

I predict that birding and nature watching will grow very fast in the coming years. Why? Because, the birders are very good at promoting and recruiting, by putting a pair binoculars and field guide in the hands of a teenager? Hardly! That is so 20th century!

I have two blogposts that develop the new way to recruit new birders.

7. How to avoid chiggers in the Tropics.

Chiggers can be a nuisance and difficult to protect oneself from. Often one takes measures after the damage is already done. Here is a fool proof 10 step approaches to avoid chiggers on your visit to the Peruvian rain-forest.

8. A Marathon for Satipo road.

I have the ambition but not always the time to train to become a half decent Marathon runner for my age. My dream is to be able to qualify for the oldest marathon in the world – the classic Boston Marathon. The problem is that there was no Marathon in Peru that was internationally recognized, so I had my mind to train for a Marathon in the US late in the year. But in April I still had not even gotten started to train and I hear that all of a sudden there would be a Marathon in Lima May 31 and the first one to be a qualifying race for Boston and only 5 and half weeks away. I should give it a try although time was short. I needed yet another stimulus and challenge and making my race a fund-raiser for the conservation of Satipo road and for eco-tourism infrastructure was a perfect match. Below follows a series of blogposts on the marathon and the Satipo road project. We are happy to been able to work on this together with Rainforest Partnership.

9. Amarakaeri Communal reserve next to Manu.

Last year I got the privilege to visit four new lodges on the Manu circuit owned by Wanamei – a tour company formed by the 8 communities of three native ethnic groups Yine, Matsiguenka and Harakmbut. I immediately saw a potential for a niche marketing these lodges for birders and we set up some programs. Here is the first report about the potential for birders of this area. The birding is quite spectacular and many of the special birds of the Manu region are easier to see here than at many of the better known lodges in the area.

However, this year two of the lodges never got restored to functionality after the rains. It is quite a shame, so I thought Kolibri Expeditions best make something about it. We are very excited to be committed to make sure that the lodges are re-opened again. Read about the strategy in this update to the community lodges next to Manu.

The first support and promotion trip is scheduled on Oct 29, 2009 and hosted by the well known blogger GrrlScientist (Devorah Bennu). The trip she hosts would be particularly interesting for anyone that loves parrots. Devorah Bennu is a parrot expert. Read my interview with GrrlScientist here.

Also check this blog post by Seabrooke Leckie who host the blogger promotion trip in Nov 2010.

10. Book review: Life List by Olivia Gentile.

One of the nice things about writing a somewhat popular blog is that sometimes one gets a free book. The new biography Life List: A Woman’s Quest for the World’s Most Amazing Birds I probably would have bought anyway. It is a wonderfully told story of the world’s greatest birder Pheobe Snetsinger. Read my review of Life List here.

11. Meet the crew. We are producing more birders.

It is time to present to you our staff for the season 2009-2010. Here is Kolibri Expeditions staff and the latest additions to the pool of new Peruvian birders. We are very pleased being sponsored with great optics from Vortex Optics during 2009. Reviews of our equipment will follow in future blogs.

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That is it folks. There is no commercial interest in this newsletter, but I admit that the link to Life List on Amazon.com would give me coffee money if anyone would buy it after clicking the link. Do sign up for the twice-monthly opt-in newsletter below if you got interested in our tours or just want to stay uptodate with my blog posts without having to check the actual blog to see what is new.

Good birding to you all

Gunnar

by Gunnar Engblom October 7, 2009 8

Meet the staff of Kolibri Expeditions

Meet the crew. We are producing more birders.

It is high time to present to you our staff for the season 2009-2010. Here is the Kolibri Expeditions family and the latest additions to the pool of future Peruvian birders. This is a great Peruvian company with high spirits and friendship although quite small in size. You must get to know all the people that are involved in the operation of our successful birdwatching holidays. I enclose the birthdays of everyone if you want to send your saludos to us (hihi!) once a year.

Commander in chief

Gunnar, Luciana and Elia

Gunnar Engblom (Jul 25, 1960) – that is me. No need for too much information if you are already reading this blog. Just check the About Gunnar Engblom and Kolibri Expeditions page. In BirdingPeru news 6 I presented my daughter Luciana born Jan 26, 2007. Recently on July 31^st this year her sister Anahi was born. In the same newsletter I have also presented my wife Elia Gallo, who is a good dentist from prestigious Cayetano Herredia University in Lima. Be sure to let us know if you would like to combine inexpensive quality dental treatment in Peru with birding or other touring.

Anahi Engblom Gallo 2 months old

More birds need more birders.

It is time to present some of our other collaborators. Many of us are producing offspring. The Peruvian birdguides of the future are secured. I have not yet all the photos wanted for this article, so come back in a few days to see the additions.

Office:

Jorge Quevedo

Jorge Quevedo (Jul 20, 1954) is the office manager doing almost everything you can think of, except guiding birders. Jorge has two grown-up boys in their early twenties.

Antonio Hurtado Account.

Antonio Hurtado (Nov 17, 1975) keeps our accounting in order. Serene and practical. No kids in sight.

Andres Garcia Programmer.

Andres Garcia (Feb 21, 1985) is programmer and is responsible for the birding peru data base and the Kolibri Expeditions web-site. Here Luciana tries to teach Andres about birds.

Drivers:

Julio Benites

Julio Benites (Jul 24, 1969). King of the roads in Peru, our mechanic and extremely skilled driver is a favorite among our clients. Her e is Julio on tour in Chile.

Julio's two sons. Rodrigo (Oct 18, 2007) and Piero (Jun 19, 1996). Piero has already accompanied dad on some trips and enjoys the birds.

Juan Jose Villanueva

Juan Jose Villanueva (Jan 7, 1972) often drives our Lima excursions. He has a daughter Diana who just turned 1 on Sep 22. From the Diana's birthday-party I can't resist to include this cute flick of Diana walking over the floor towards the camera below.

Bird Guides:

Alex Duran (Apr 22, 1973) is now leading guide for Kolibri Expeditions. He is one of the sharpest birders in Peru and especially strong in the rain forest. He never quits. From 2010 Alex guides exclusively for Kolibri Expedions.

Alex's son Mayer was born Abr 15, 2009. Alex’s wife Sara is also studying to become a guide. Sara has been helping us with practical details in Cusco as well as cooking for some Manu groups.

Alejandro Tello

Alejandro Tello (May 31, 1968) guides many of our groups in Lima and Junin. Alejandro is a recognised photographer and well known wetland conservationist. No kids yet, an but amorous trip with partner to Colombia recently may have sown some seeds.

Antonio Coral

Antonio Coral who also guides in the SE rain forest and Central Peru got married to Ant researcher PhD laureate Megan Frederickson a few years ago. He spends half the year in the Amazon and the other half in US or Canada. No plans for kids for now.

Antonio Coral (Apr 22, 1966) who also guides in the SE rain forest and Central Peru also got married to Ant researcher PhD laureate Megan Fredrikson a few years ago. No plans for kids for now.

Antonio Coral is native from Puerto Maldonado and has interesting stories to tell. Once a Puma entered the boat when he was working as motorist in Tambopata.

Juan Jose Chalco

Juan Jose Chalco (Feb 26, 1964) guides Southern Peruvian Andes around Arequipa and Puno, as well as Central and Northern Peru.

Juan Jose's son Juan Ignacio (Oct 29, 2006) is almost the same age as my Luciana.

Ashley Banwell

Ashley Banwell (Aug 16, 1969) is responsible for our forth-coming Asia, New Guinea and Africa programs (shall be uploaded within a few days). Ash has also guided extensively in Peru in the past. Here he is at the British BirdFair at Rutland representing Kolibri Expeditions with his wife Claudia and Kim Arut of Kumul Lodge on Papua New Guinea. Ashley and Claudia are expecting a daughter in February 2010.

by Gunnar Engblom September 25, 2009 8

Bird Bloggers Tweet Club #005

Twitter club for birders. We need a better logo! Could anyone please come up with something?

Not as long delay this time, but still delayed. I hope to be able to get the tweetclub #006 out by next Thursday Oct 1, so please submit your contributions in the comment section below before Tuesday Sep 29 . See earlier tweet-club postings to understand the rules and how this works.

I am having somewhat difficult time to get enough participants in the tweet-club in spite of the overwhelming results. Some of you may think it comes off as a bit spammy, but in reality for those of us on Twitter who follow more than 100 people have a hard time to actually see all things that are relevant. Therefore, highlighting blogposts about birds that have been selected by the individual birdblogger and additionally have past my “filter” (strictly commercial posts or non-bird related posts will not pass) guarantees excellent reading and posts you don’t want to miss. You also have a chance to spread your blog to people who don’t regularly would read your blog. I have around 4600 followers on Twitter. Quite obviously not all are birders, but if we could provide interesting blogposts about birds that have lots of wow-factor in them (I repeat great photos, something very funny, a great story, something useful, a top 1o list, a tutorial etc have the chance to reach far more people that you usually reach) then we can also engage more people to maybe become birders and ultimately active guardians of nature.

Facebook-club for Bird Bloggers.

I have talked about this idea in previous posts. Now it is time to introduce it here as a fixed strategy. Some explaining: From the past tweet-club results I have picked those that got over 100 clicks and presented these on my Facebook (some 1800 Facebook Friends – mostly birders). Unfortunately, it I can’t measure my out-going links from Facebook (if it is possible – let me know!), but it ought to be significant. If you have a great story or photo it may even be re-Facebooked by some of friends. For a specialized hobby like ours and with the relatively few birders on Twitter, Facebook reaches more birders. Twitter can reach more people and especially people that may have a beginning interest in nature watching. Facebook reaches the already converted souls and the friends of friends. The two compliment each other. It is therefore logical to take the Tweet-club also to Facebook.

A few things to think about.
1. By publishing links to other bloggers, you will appear less navel-gazing and self promoting. Sure, Facebook in itself is a self-promoting media, but your Facebook friends will love you even more if you not only promote yourself.
2. But, don’t overdo it. Only share things you truly like.
3. Share the link only once or at the most twice if you posted at an odd hour and get very few responses. Since Facebook is an mutual opt-in social media system it means that most those who are following you as Facebook Friends are truly interested in you and contrary to Twitter will read almost every update.

Newbies on the Tweetclub

We have some new participants for this weeks tweet-club. I have chosen posts from their blogs since they either did not supply a specific blogpost, it was not about birds or it contained a stream that can’t be seen in some countries. Sorry to these bloggers for that inconvenience.

Here are the tweets you should retweet (and of course read and comment).

RT @Journowl The cheaper sex ……for Imperial Eagle https://bit.ly/62uWo
RT @JKissnHug Very confident Sandhill Cranes were raising young in popular Michigan park https://bit.ly/Zzceg
RT @SoaringFalcon1 The burrowing owl is threatened in California. Larry Jordan gives all the background. https://bit.ly/4zbY24 (had 104 hits prior to tweetclub launch)
RT @irenapuella Great shots of Asian Owls https://bit.ly/3sJcbt (had 16 tweets for this link before launch.
RT @ falconmountain Pallid Harrier in Finland. Good flight photos. https://bit.ly/3AP6Fk
RT @NC_N8 Everyone has heard about the Christmas Bird Count! What a bout the Fall Bird Count? https://bit.ly/27oxtv
RT @2birderstogo Nothing like a jay to lift your spirits and cure your ills. https://bit.ly/fpqjj
RT @kolibrix Do you want to birdwatch in Manu, Peru and support the indigenous communities get into eco-tourism? https://bit.ly/OdIiZ
RT @LadyWoodpecker Last day of summer. What to do? Go birding on the shore of course https://bit.ly/myPv1

I also had contributions from BirdExplorers and Dani in Catalunya, but since I got no twitter account from neither, I can not include them. Please submit again next week.

Last tweet club results.

The results from tweet club 4 were a bit more modest than usual, but both long delivery time of the blogpost as well as rather few participants gave lower numbers.

@SoaringFalcon1 https://bit.ly/2Dr2W 36 clicks
@kolibrix https://bit.ly/25Qeo 59 clicks
@DawnFine https://bit.ly/M4C0K 64 clicks
@birdfreak https://bit.ly/FGKrE 66 clicks
@journowl htp://bit.ly/9ryLS 73 clicks
@gwendolen https://bit.ly/34XjO 85 clicks

Gwendolen’s Vulture call got most clicks.

Leave contributions for next weeks tweet-club. Contributions by Tuesday, por favor.

by Gunnar Engblom September 22, 2009 3

Interview with GrrlScientist. Official Manu community blogger 1.

GrrlScientist - Devorah Bennnu

It is a great pleasure to me to announce that Devorah Bennu – GrrlScientist will help out promoting the Amarakaeri Communal Reserve, which essentially is a protected area in continuation to Manu National Park on the other side of the river. Last week I posted updates about our strategy inviting prominent bird and nature bloggers to promote community sustainable ecotourism and act as hosts for a series of special monthly blogger departures until the end of 2010. The first trip with Devorah is coming up very soon as it is scheduled for Dec 6 (new date) so the takers can join a Satipo road trip prior to the immersion in the Amazon lowland. Read the detailed Manu itinerary.

Some bio from her Grrl Scientist’s blog.

GrrlScientist is an evolutionary biologist, ornithologist, aviculturist, birder and freelance science and nature writer. A native of the Pacific Northwest, she relocated from Seattle to NYC with her parrots after earning a BS in Microbiology (emphasis in Virology) and PhD in Zoology (Ornithology) from the University of Washington. In NYC, she was the Chapman Postdoctoral Fellow at the American Museum of Natural History for two years, pursuing part of her “dream” research project by reconstructing a molecular phylogeny of the parrots of the South Pacific islands and published in SCIENCE (September 2009) and NATURE (August 2009. GrrlScientist has written a blog about science since 4 August 2004. That she has a profound interest in birds is shown by her frequent column called Birds in the News. Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted) by GrrlScientist, is one of the most popular Natural History blocks on the net with several thousand hits daily.

The interview

Q. Who is GrrlScientst?

GrrlScientist is a lifelong student of nature and birds are my first, and best, teachers. For that reason, I’ve dedicated my life to learning everything I can learn about them. Birds inspire me to learn more about the world and for that reason, they motivate me to strive to be better than I am. Ever since I watched a large group of Waxwings perched on a fence on a cold and snowy January morning, carefully passing a bright red berry from one bird to the next, I’ve been fascinated by birds; their beauty, their behaviors and their ability to survive seemingly impossible circumstances.
Why do they do what they do?
How do they know where (and when) to go when they migrate?
Why are there different species in different parts of the world?
Do they perceive the world the same way that humans do?
How do birds communicate with each other?

Q. Tell me about your love of parrots?

Parrots have been my companions and my family for most of my life, so I have a strong emotional connection to them. But beyond that, I view parrots as ambassadors. They help people to understand birds, especially people who might never have looked at a bird as anything other than buffalo wings or an annoyance. Parrots — gaudy, outgoing and personable — are the one group of birds that people from all walks of life are most likely to recognize and are most often impressed by. As a result, parrots provide people with a window into the lives of birds and in doing so, they help sensitize people to all birds, they help us learn to appreciate the lives of birds and they teach us the value of protecting and preserving birds and their habitats so future generations can discover the same joys that we experience through them.

Q. What makes you a great host for the first blogger’s Manu community lodges?

I am a great host for the Manu community lodges birding expedition because of my enthusiasm, knowledge and desire to learn. I love new experiences, and birding provides that rare combination of connecting with a small group of my fellow explorers, learning more about the birdlife in a particular area of the world, and sharing the wonder and beauty of that with others through my words, photographs and other media. Because I have been writing the popular science blog, Living the Scientific Life (Scientist, Interrupted), for more than 5 years, I have a well established platform where I can publish these articles, essays, photoessays and other media where the public can follow everyone’s adventures for free

Q: The communities have difficulties getting started with eco’tourism in spite of lodges be donated to them. How do you think this initiative with a birdwatching outfitter inviting bloggers can make a difference?

I really don’t know how to respond to this because I am not familiar with this situation. However, once I am there, I am certain I’ll learn more how the local communities can make eco-tourism work better for them and my blog can serve as a conduit for information exchange to this end between my readers and the local communities.

Devorah recently aspired an official blogging status for an Antarctica cruise by Quark Expeditions. The fact that she came in 3rd among 708 bloggers with over 2200 votes shows how extremely fortunate we are to have Devorah Bennu as our first official Manu blogger .

Once again, sign up NOW for a trip to the Manu area with Devorah Blennu and expert local guides from Kolibri Expeditions. Your participation will do a lot of good for the community and their efforts to conserve a piece of the Amazon and find a sustainable way of living that respects their mindset and traditions through true eco-tourism.

Oct 23

by Gunnar Engblom September 21, 2009 2

More seabirds around Fiji

Tony Pym reports from the Fiji Petrel Expedition.

With an attempt to put some content on my always too unfrequent blog, I have decided to share birding news that come my way. I have previously posted to posts on this fascinating expedition. The first was a summery of the planning and execution of the discovery of Fiji Petrel. The second an interview with the expedition leaders Hadoram Shirihai and Tony Pym.

Here is a report from Tony Pym from the The Fiji Petrel Expedition published on the listserver Seabird-News on Sep 18 of significant sightings recorded between May 12-22, 2009 near Gau island. Observers were Hadoram Shirihai, Tony Pym, Joerg Kretzschmar and Dick Watling. The records clearly indicate why the observers consider this marine area a new and important hotspot for seabirds.

MURPHY’S PETREL: One photographed on 16 May. There are no known records from Fiji and the literature suggests this record is also the first for the Western Pacific. This is an extraordinary record of vagrancy for a species that breeds no closer than the western Tuamotu Archipelago (2,000 km. to the east of Fiji), with usual migration to the north and east of the breeding islands.

KERMADEC PETREL: Birds varied from very pale to all dark. We observed this species in 2005, 2008 and 2009 and believe it to be regular in Fiji waters, and that it may breed.

PHOENIX PETREL: One, on 21 May, is apparently the first confirmed record for Fiji waters.

MOTTLED PETREL: This long-distance migrant moves from breeding grounds in New Zealand to the North Pacific, but has seldom been recorded in Fiji waters. It was seen (and photographed) almost daily during the expedition in 2009.

WHITE-NECKED PETREL: One briefly inspected the chum on 18 July 2008. The bird might have been a Vanuatu Petrel P. occulta, although it was seen alongside several other species and considered too large. Both species can be expected in Fiji waters.

BLACK-WINGED PETREL: Two; one in heavy moult (14 May), the other fresh plumage (16 May). The species’ status is uncertain in Fiji waters, where it is little known, despite breeding as close as New Caledonia, Tonga and the Kermadec Islands.

GOULD’S PETREL: A few seen, almost daily during the expedition, amongst the many P. brevipes, with which it was considered conspecific in the past. All were P. l. caledonica. The paucity of records in Fiji waters may be attributable to a lack of knowledge in separating it from pale-phase P. brevipes. The possibility that P. leucoptera also breeds in Fiji cannot be excluded as apart from New Caledonia, Cabbage Tree Island (NSW, Australia), and possibly Vanuatu, the species has now been found breeding far to the east, in south-east (French) Polynesia (Bretagnolle et al. in prep.).

COLLARED PETREL: Numbers increased during the late afternoons, suggesting most were breeding birds returning to Gau. 10% were the dark-bellied morph.

TAHITI PETREL: The most frequent petrel. Most are believed to breed in northern Fiji e.g. on Taveuni.

PARKINSON’S (BLACK) PETREL: Our observation on 17 May, of this New Zealand endemic breeder, is the first for Fiji waters.

CHRISTMAS (KIRITIMATI) SHEARWATER: A bird seen en route to Gau, 12 May, is the second for Fiji waters.

WEDGE-TAILED SHEARWATER: Breeds on many islands in Fiji, but relatively few seen (c. 30), all were dark morph, and we are unaware of pale forms in the region.

BULLER’S SHEARWATER: Observed on two days during the 2009 expedition – only three previous records in Fiji waters.

SOOTY SHEARWATER: Few seen on most days during the expedition. Some showed quite dark underwings, had apparently short bills, and their feet projected beyond the tail in flight. We mistook some as Short-tailed Shearwaters, and these odd birds require future attention. Both shearwaters are regular in Fiji waters.

FLESH-FOOTED SHEARWATER: Surprisingly, our 21 May sighting is only the second in Fiji waters; the first was a bird captured off Gau, also this year (February 2009).

WILSON’S STORM PETREL: Observed on four days, always at the chum.

WHITE-FACED STORM PETREL: A single on 16 May had the pale, virtually whitish-grey, rump
usually associated with P. (m). albiclunis, which breeds on the Kermadec Islands, New Zealand and possibly Norfolk Island, Australia.

WHITE-BELLIED STORM PETREL: We photographed the first for Fiji waters, in July 2008, off Taveuni Island.

BLACK-BELLIED STORM PETREL: One on 16 May at the chum, the second confirmed record in Fiji waters.

POLYNESIAN STORM PETREL: This attractive storm petrel was first recorded in Fiji from a bird taken on the nest in September 1876 on Kadavu Island. There were no further confirmed records until 19 July 2008 when we photographed a bird at chum, and then another was seen on 14 May 2009.

MATSUDAIRA’S STORM PETREL: The first record for Fiji waters of this Japanese breeder (and Indo-Pacific migrant) was on 13 May. The closest region from where the species is regular is the Bismarck Archipelago, Papua New Guinea.

by Gunnar Engblom September 20, 2009 2

With Luciana Pelican-watching with elephant!

Chorillos fish market

Went birding with Luciana today with no binoculars and no telescope. The only thing we carried…well Luciana carried ….was her elephant and bird-folder. I carried my Blackberry and these are the photos produced from the camera within the BB. We headed down to Chorrillos’s fishing port. I have been going there quite a few times with Luciana and Elita. It is a good place also to see Inca Tern and Peruvian Seaside Cinclodes, although we did not see any today. Actually,it is a cool place to take kids as, one may buy some cut up fish for a Sol (35 cents) to hand out to the Peruvian Pelicans.

Be sure to bring the ID-kit!

Thumb on Peruvian Pelican. Somewhat similar to elephant, right?

Hey, I want to show you something!

Don’t be shy!

Look. Here is my elephant!

All sorts of fresh fish can be bought at the Chorillos fish market

by Gunnar Engblom September 18, 2009 4

Interview: Hadoram Shirihai and Tony Pym of the Fiji Petrel expedition

Fiji Petrel. First photograph. The Tubenose project. Hadoram Shirihai.

I am pleased to announce a short interview with the main players of the recent discovery at sea of Fiji Petrel that I reported last week. Both Had0ram Shirihai and Tony Pym have kindly answered my questions. I meant to send this earlier, but had to leave for Cuzco for a few days.
If you have additional questions to ask Hadoram and Tony, please put them in the comment field and I will forward them.

Hadoram Shirihai (47)

In November 2007 Hadoram Shirihai re-discovered and photographed Beck’s Petrel in the Bismark Archipelago. Again, he is the main executor of a new major seabird discovery as the news and photos of Fiji Petrel circulated around the world yesterday. He has an impressive track record of excellent, very thorough and well researched books already published, such as being author or co-author of major birding literature such as Birds of Israel , Sylvia Warblers and The Macmillan Birder’s Guide to European and Middle Eastern Birds.
In the mid 90’s he started getting more focused on seabirds his extensive travels in the southern seas culminated with the definite reference and guide book for Antarctica and the seabirds in the vicinity with the publication of The complete guide to Antartic wildlife in 2001 with a revised and extended second edition 2008. His travels over the seven seas also resulted in an authoritative guide for marine mammals: Whales, Dolphins, and Other Marine Mammals of the World (Princeton Field Guides)

Hadoram has several on-going book project such as Photographic Handbook for Western Palearctic Birds with Lars Svensson, Photographic Handbook of Birds of the World with Hans Jörnvall for which Hadoram himself has to provide around 5000 species and the definite work on seabirds that all seabird fanatics are waiting for The Tubenose project. It is this latest project that drives Hadoram to make these far-flung expeditions to search for and photograph seabirds rarely or never previously photographed.

The natural question for seabird “locos” like myself. When is the book coming out, Hadoram?

It probably will be ready for publication in 3 to 4 years, depending when John Cox will end his great plates, but in the meantime Vincent Bretagnolle (my co-author) and I are working on the text, more photo/chumming expeditions and on publication of c. 10 scientific papers… Good books takes time to make, you have to wait if you want a good one… Tony will be happy to answer your other questions. I am on my way to Brazil…

Hadoram native of Jerusalem, Israel, travels for around 5-6 months per year for his book projects and nowadays calls Zurich, Switzerland his home is coming to Peru next year to continue his photographic work for the Photographic Handbook of the Birds of the World. Kolibri Expeditions is getting the privilege to make all the logistical set-ups.

Tony Pym

Tony Pym is senior guide for Ornitholidays and guide many of their pelagic cruises. He is well renowned among pelagic birders and shares a lot of his sightings and news on the list servers specialized on pelagics. He also has an excellent web-page on Seabirds and Cetaceans. Since Hadoram is travelling Tony kindly answered my remaining questions.
After the aborted expedition in 2008, how sure were you that you were to try again?

After the problems in 2008, if anything this made us more determined to get back to the area. In fact, there were many more problems than solely mechanical problems with the boat but these are for a future chat, not publication! It was very frustrating for us after much planning to be leaving the South Pacific last year, seeing such good birds in the few days and believing the Fiji Petrel was there, somewhere waiting to be seen. After much discussion between the team we decided on a different timing, the dates being co-ordinated between us with particular reference to the possible breeding season. The paper outlines much more about this and the reasons for working given sea areas.

Was it hard to get paying members to the two expeditions in 2008 and 2009?
There are few amateur seabird enthusiasts who wish to be at sea continuously searching for petrels, and have the money also for the travel and real costs. We needed this money up-front also, so that the boat could be charted and other accommodation/logistics put into place in advance of our arrival. The cost was equally shared, with hopes of some refunds from both company and private support, including that from the main conservation societies (listed in the scientific paper).

How did you manage to keep quiet since May and why?
The team agreed an embargo; to not release any photos or information from seeing the first bird to actual publication of the paper. Everyone had to keep to this for maximum impact on a given date (that day was 11 September). Any release of a photo could take away from both the paper and the announcement.

Was there any particular reason why the announcement comes with the publication?
The BOC agreed that the paper was of sufficient importance for its next issue, as we wanted. From May we had to write the paper – 20 pages has been published – with a deadline for publication in the next bulletin, September. We agreed with the editor that the bulletin, with its scoop, had to be mailed and on subscribers’ doorsteps before we released the press announcement. This was agreed with BirdLife also, and the embargo date agreed was yesterday. On the same day, any postings to Newsgroups, other media could take place. This would give maximum take on the plight of the bird, in the world’s press, resulting in many thousands seeing the photos and notes on the same day. This method meant the likes of BBC, USA-Today, Sky News, AOL and newspapers like the Guardian, Daily Telegraph and other big players in new wires would all have the info at once. Also, we had here the opportunity to advertise the BOC, BirdLife, NatureFiji and others in one big hit.

Who were the members on board in 2008 and 2009?
The team in 2008 were Hadoram, myself, Joerg Kretzscmar, Geoff Jones, Patrick Blomquist, Dick Newell and Dick Watling plus others, mostly Fijians on the ground backing us. In 2009 there was Hadoram, myself, Joerg, Dick Watling and again many backing us on the boat and ashore.

The dark small cockilaria like petrel that got away in 2008. Was it IT? Did Patrick, Geoff and Dick Newell see that one well enough to stay at home this time?
Yes, the small dark petrel could have been the bird, but it was seen only by Hadoram, Jörg and myself. The others did not pick up the bird as it came in at distance, disappeared behind a wave and shot out the other way. So, Geoff, Patric and Dick Newell have not seen Fiji Petrel…unfortunately for them, after their efforts in 2008.

Last question: So what is next? Any other lost species you are going to search for? How do I sign up?
As for future expeditions we are planning at least three more at present, but you’ll have to wait for their announcements within the seabirding community. Suffice to say, all involve very rare seabirds….and the world is a big place!