Book review: Pictorial Pocket Guide to the Mammals of Sri Lanka
Pictorial Pocket Guide to the Mammals of Sri Lanka A Review – Michael Johnson In his recent review of “Mammals of South Asia” Jon wrote he was not aware of any field guide for mammals in Sri Lanka. This reminded me that I in fact purchased one during my...
A photo of Callimico Goeldi
It was a group of five individuals, quickly Ricardo and I started the epic to make a photo of the species in the wild. It was difficult because the environment was tangled with vines and bamboo, and any sudden movement drove the specimens away. With great patience, caution, and...
Book Review: Asia’s Wildlife – A Journey to the Forests of Hope
Bjorn Olesen very kindly sent me a copy of his book Asia’s Wildlife A Journey to the Forests of Hope as he guessed I might be in the mood for some armchair travel. This is a coffee table book, produced to raise money for Bird Life International and raise...
Small Mammaling in Bulgaria, September 2020
I wanted to spend a week with my son, Patrick, before he went to the UK to study zoology. With three quarters of the world still shut for travel, we thought we would visit Bulgaria, a mammalian melting pot where species from the Balkans, Western Europe and Asia minor...
Book Review: Felids and Hyenas of the World, José R. Castelló (Princeton Field Guide)
José R. Castelló’s latest book has just arrived and it is every bit as good as I expected. The publishers claim it is “The most comprehensive and user-friendly photographic field guide to the world’s wildcats and hyenas”. I don’t disagree. Some of you will be familiar’s with José’s guides to...
Rodent taxonomy news
A few updates for your checklists: 1. At least two, and maybe all three, species of enigmatic flying squirrels Biswamoyopterus are conspecific. 2. “Stenocephalemys sp. A” from Simien has been described as S. zimai, while the form occurring in the mountains NE of Addis is now S. sokolovi. 3....
Online: Sumatran Mammals book
Here’s a new book from Alexander Markus Mossbrucker at the Frankfurt Zoological Society, built around camera trap images from around Bukit Tigapuluh in central Sumatra. Useful information for anyone visiting and free to download too. There is more information – and a few videos – here. Jon
New Trip Report: Spain
Here’s a nice report from Samuel Marlin who was travelled around Spain last month. Spain, 2020: Samuel Marlin, 3 weeks & 18 species including Brown Bear, Wolf, Genet and Cuvier’s Beaked Whale. Jon
Book Review: Mammals of South Asia (Lynx Checklist)
Back in March I reviewed the first of the Lynx Illustrated Checklists, that covered the mammals of southern South America, Lynx have now released the second book covering Southern Asia, which means India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Afghanistan. The format follows that of the first book,...
African bats news
A major review of East African Vespertilionid taxonomy just came out. A few new species are described, and many are moved between genera. I got the PDF from the authors in case anybody is interested. There is a table showing all changes (pp. 27-28).
Wildcats in the Picos de Europa, Spain
I was in Europe last month to see my kids and spent a couple of nights in the beautiful Picos de Europa mountains in northern Spain, based in the town of Cervera de Pisuerga. I took the opportunity of driving from Madrid to Bordeaux to get a decent look...
New Trip Report: Grey Bats at Sauta Cave NWR, Alabama
Here’s a report from Cheryl Antonucci on how to see one of the USA’s great wildlife spectacles: half a million Grey (or Gray … if you must) Bats emerging from their summer roosting cave. Sauta Cave, NWR, 2020: Cheryl Antonucci’s report of the Grey Myotis emergence. Jon
FL Bonneted Bat location
https://www.wlrn.org/2020-09-09/miami-wilds-theme-park-slated-near-zoo-miami-its-also-habitat-for-the-countrys-rarest-bat?fbclid=IwAR3JWTXIQ_jLowqiU5SZruvcBP80Ug2_kofqGgnF3hwQGPgZRnMHYNlhCt8 Seems like the Miami Zoo is a good new location for the bats. Though if the morons are allowed to develop that area even more it would be damaging. I remember when I first went to that zoo in ’86 how much pine rockland was around it. Now...
New Report: Whale Watching in the French Mediterranean
Here’s some useful information from Samuel Marlin on opportunities for whale watching in the French Mediterranean. French Whale Watching, 2020: Samuel Marlin’s report of opportunities to see several nice species off the south of France including Fin, Sperm, Pilot and Cuvier’s Beaked Whale. Jon
Assorted news
A few news bits: 1. A review of Chiroderma bats. Compared to HBW/IUCN version, it considers vizottoi a subspecies of doriae, but splits scopaeum and gorgasi as full species. 2. How to find roosts of flat-headed myotis (Myotis planiceps). 3. Apparently, the best place to look for tufted squirrel...
Question about African Striped Weasel in Western Cape
So during this CO-VID 19 time, all you can do is fantasize about your next trip and read up about interesting species…. I read up on the African Striped weasel a bit (just because it’s rare and super cool-looking), and I found out something: could it be that it’s...
New Trip Report: Panama
Here’s Steph Elliot’s first report on mammalwatching.com. Panama, 2019: Steph Elliot, 10 days & 26 species including Rothschild’s Porcupine, Rufous Tree Rat and Spectral Bat. Jon
New species: Microcebus jonahi – Jonah’s mouse lemur
I was told of this paper describing Microcebus jonahi – Jonah’s mouse lemur Ecology and morphology of mouse lemurs (Microcebus spp.) in a hotspot of microendemism in northeastern Madagascar, with the description of a new species First published: 27 July 2020 https://doi.org/10.1002/ajp.23180
New Trip Report: Assam
Here’s another just-before-COVID report. A bird list will follow I’m told (let me know if you want a copy emailed to you when it arrives). Assam, 2020: Cheryl Antonucci, 2 weeks & 25 species including Golden and Capped Langurs, Himalayan Black Bear and a Lesser Bandicoot Rat. Jon
New bentwing from SE Africa
A new species, Miniopterus wilsoni, has been described from Mozambique and Malawi. The most accessible place to see it appears to be Zomba Plateau, where it is the only Miniopterus known. The paper also shows that M. occidentalis is a species separate from M. minor; you can see the...
Split of Desert Shrew at the Colorado River
Here’s a split that makes sense. If you familiar with the split of wood rats into “West of the Colorado River” and “East of the Colorado River” units — a dividing line replicated in other taxa as well — then following that idea, the authors of a paper in...
Pampas Cat Split (5 Species?)
In a March 2020 article in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, the authors provide a wide suite of evidence for splitting the pampas cat complex five ways. Whether you agree with them or not I suppose depends how splitty you are versus how lumpy (and in turn...
Rarity news
Somali sengi is not endemic to Somalia, but occurs in Djibouti; the paper includes exact locations and shows that it should be in its own genus. Woolly flying squirrel recodred in Uttarkhand. The color of the animal seems very different from the ones I saw in Pakistan; I wonder...
New Trip Report: Andean Mountain Cats in the Chilean Altiplano
Here’s an interesting report of a trip to the same – beautiful – area we visited in 2018 from Far South Expeditions. Andean Mountain Cat Recce, Arica & Parinacota, 2019: Far South Expeditions, 5 days with both Andean and Pampas Cats. jon
Tarangire Big Mammal Day
Here is a report that I’ve been meaning to post for some time about a Big Mammal Day that I carried out with my wife and some friends in the Tarangire ecosystem last year. It strikes me that now is a good time for people to try Big Mammal...
Himalayan Serow at Pangot
A brief summer visit to Pangot (2000m) a tiny village surrounded by temperate broad-leaved forest in the Kumaon Himalayas, was productive for a sighting of the uncommonly seen Himalayan Serow, as well Himalayan Goral and Himalayan Marten, among commoner mammals. Birdlife was a modest representation of Himalayan species, both...
New Trip Report: Australia – New South Wales south coast and Victoria’s East Gippsland
A new report from Dion Hobcroft with some nice mammals including a very rare Long-footed Potoroo. South Coast NSW and Gippsland, 2020: Dion Hobcroft, 1 week & 20 species including White-footed Dunnart, Yellow-bellied Glider and Long-footed Potoroo.
Updated Mammalwatching Checklist @ August 2020
The latest version of my global mammal checklist is available here and also on Scythebill too. This update differs a little from previous ones. I focussed on improving the common names of species, and the taxonomy of the overall list, rather than recent changes to the Redlist. Many thanks to...
New Trip Report: Desmans in the French Pyrenees
A nice – and very detailed – report from Ben Balmford on how to see a Desman in the mountains south of Bordeaux. Desman Hunt, Pyrenees, 2020: Ben Balmford, 4 nights and a Desman. Jon
Vietnam at christmas 2019/20
I and two friends spent 2 weeks in southern and central Vietnam at the beginning of the year chasing mammals and whatever other fauna we were able to find with the aid of Forest Birding. All up we saw at least 27 mammals (bats were a little difficult to...
New Report: Iberian Lynxes
Jan Kelchtermans sent me this good news piece – with some superb photographs – on growing opportunities to enjoy Iberian Lynx watching. Jon The future looks bright for the Iberian Lynx
A good year for Guadalupe Fur Seals in USA waters?
Alvaro Jaramillo is a Chilean bird tour leader based in Half Moon Bay, California. One of his offshore trips had Guadalupe Fur Seal last weekend, and I went out of Moss Landing on a “Fast Raft Ocean Safari” a few days before that, and I had a Guadalupe Fur...
New species described
A couple new species descriptions: 1. A new Sorex shrew described from Honduras. The description is based on principal component analysis of just two available specimens; my understanding is that it’s very bad methodology. Personally I think descriptions of new species done without comparing nuclear DNA shouldn’t be accepted...
New Trip Report: Poland
Janco van Gelderen was in Poland last month. Poland, July 2020: Janco van Gelderen, 1 week & 12 species including Pine Marten and Wolf.
Iceland, June 2020
Executive Summary: Great country, few mammals. In late June, Iceland was one of the first countries to reopen after COVID19. Desperate for tourism to start up again, and with essentially no COVID cases, the country welcomed all EU passport holders (including UK citizens), no matter where they lived or...
New Trip Report: Southern Calilfornia
Here is more of Venkat Sankar’s latest success with watching California’s mammals. Southern California, 2020: Venkat Sankar, 5 nights and 40 species including Western Mastiff and Pocket Free-tailed Bats, Round-tailed Ground Squirrel and a plethora of rats and mice. Jon
India mammal and bird trip 2018-2019
I and my partner visited India for the first time over five weeks from December 2018 to January 2019. We organised our trip through WildWorldIndia and visited Kaziranga in the north-east, Chambal River, central India (Satpura, Pench and Tadoba) and spent the last week or so in the south...
New Trip Report: Qinghai, China
This is an interesting report of a self-guided trip from Zhou Fangyi. Qinghai, 2020: Zhou Fangyi, 8 days & 15 species including Lynx and Blue (Brown) Bear within 10 minutes of each other! Jon
Small mammal study opportunity, Oregon
Got this through Mammal-L listserve, perhaps some people here will be interested. Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2020 15:04:57 -0400 From: Todd Wilson Subject: Small mammal trapping project western OR We are looking for technicians to help sample small mammals (shrews to tree squirrels) in old-growth forest in western Oregon...
Australian Sugar Gliders Spli
Looks like Australian sugar gliders have been split into three species. https://theconversation.com/a-rare-discovery-we-found-the-sugar-glider-is-actually-three-species-but-one-is-disappearing-fast-142807?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton https://academic.oup.com/zoolinnean/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/zoolinnean/zlaa060/5870721?redirectedFrom=fulltext&fbclid=IwAR2SjXSgZ5PGAx1-m855Ud4XGjjBD3N5iwhe6gd3XkwBAqsQ1lXpkeZ62-g
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[…] so there are many resources to help you plan your trip: visit birding web sites and the Mammal Watching blog for help. You can even book organized birding tours with expert […]
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[…] Where to See: Marbled polecats are widely distributed from eastern Europe to western China, but seem most common in the steppe and aridlands of Central Asia. But they’re not easy to find. Mammal watching master Jon Hall spotted one in Mongolia, and other enthusiasts occasionally report sightings on the Mammal Watching forum. […]
[…] Where to See: Marbled polecats are widely distributed from eastern Europe to western China, but seem most common in the steppe and aridlands of Central Asia. But they’re not easy to find. Mammal watching master Jon Hall spotted one in Mongolia, and other enthusiasts occasionally report sightings on the Mammal Watching forum. […]
Hello blog,
I wish to organize a 10-day stay in Nepal in mid-February 2020 with my family (including two of my boys aged 12 and 14). I would like to visit the Chitwan National Park first and then move towards either the Bardia Park or a trek in the Langtang Valley.
So I have several questions: on Chitwan, do you know a good guide or good lodge to organize a stay of 3/4 days accés mainly on the mammals watching?
On Langtang, I would like to organize a trek to try to see the red panda and the Himalayan Thar. Do you know an agency or specialized guide in Nepal to offer a trek of 3 days in this zone?
Do you know if the Red Panda is visible in the Langtang area?
The trip will be organized around mid-February and I do not know if the valley is passable at this time?
If this is not the case, I will move towards a 3-day stay in Bardia Park. Here again, do you know a guide or a lodge that specializes in mammals?
I’m a little afraid that Chitwan and Bardia are quite similar in wildlife. For that I will first of all go towards the possibility of Langtang.
I am interested in any information.
Thank you in advance.
Best regards.
Philippe Paraire
[…] is certainly growing – in no small part due to Jon Hall. He runs a Mammal Watching web site and blog filled with trip reports, new sightings and […]
Hi,
New trip report for Southern Israel – Negev desert (5 days)
https://www.mammalwatching.com/wp-content/uploads/EN-Israel-2020.pdf
Enjoy,
Elad.
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