Madera Canyon and Tucson, Arizona
Here’s a summary of a short trip I made to Tucson and specifically the Madera Canyon last month. Highlights included Ringtail, Hog-nosed skunk and Antelope jackrabbit.Madera Canyon and Tucson
New Trip Report: Xinjiang (China)
Another report – and more great photos – from Kevin Zhong Xinjiang, 2019: Kevin Zhong, 5 days & Siberian Ibex, Goitred Gazelle, Kulan and Przewalski’s Horse. Jon
How many gorals?
A new (from last April) paper that I almost missed, with a review of goral & serow taxonomy: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/mam.12154
New Trip Report: Spain and Portugal
Here is the latest report from Vladimir Dinets. Spain and Portugal, Christmas 2019: Vladimir Dinets, 2 weeks & 31 species including Polecat, Genet and Snow Vole. Jon
New Trip Report: South Africa
Here is Mark Hows’ latest report. South Africa, 2019: Mark Hows, 18 days & 64 species including plenty of bats and rats. Jon
Advertising: Gabon, July 2020 with Royle Safaris
There are three places open still on a Gabon Wildlife Adventure with Royle Safaris, focusing on mandrill, lowland gorilla, forest elephant and the very possible chance to track giant pangolin among many other species. More details are here. This tour has an optional extension to Ivindo National Park. Details are...
New Trip Report: Tibetan Plateau
An excellent report and some stunning photos from Kevin Zhong. Qinghai and the Tibetan Plateau, 2019: Kevin Zhong, 19 days & many species including Snow Leopard, Pallas’s Cat, Alpine Musk Deer and Argali. Jon
Madagascar – October 2019
Here is a quick summary of our trip to Madagascar last year. There are links in the document to daily reports and photos. Spoiler: It seems like we were the only mammalwatchers to NOT see aye aye on a recent trip to Madagascar. Madagascar 2019
New book
My new book Finding Mammals in Japan will be available as PDF starting Feb 1. The format is similar to my Peterson’s Guide to Finding Mammals in North America, but with more extensive country intro and lots of species identification tips. 122 pp, 13 color maps, 300 color photos...
New Trip Report: Oman
Dominique Brugiere was back in beautiful Oman over Christmas, where the mammal watching gets better and better. Oman, 2020: Dominique Brugiere, 1 month & some nice species including Caracal, Striped Hyena, Honey Badger, Arabian Tahr and Blanford’s Fox. Jon
New Trip Report: Central & Southern Chile
Here’s an interesting report, with some wonderful pictures, from Jono Dashper. Central & South Chile (and southern Argentina), 2019: 2 months & many mammals including Kodkod, Large Hairy Armadillo and multiple Monito del Montes Jon
Advertising: One space open on April 2020 Sichuan Panda Trip (Red & Giant) with Royle Safaris
A late cancellation means a space has just opened up on a Royle Safari’s trip to Sichuan with a focus on the area’s best mammals including both panda species. More details are here https://www.mammalwatching.com/2019/07/19/sichuan-mammal-watching-tour-march-2019-royle-safaris-trip-report-2/ I will be back in Sichuan about the same time. Jon
New Trip Report: Brazil
Here’s a very useful report (with loads of good contacts) of a successful trip across Brazil. Brazil, 2019: Ben Balmford, 4 weeks & 57 species including Ocelot, White and Black Uakaris, Pampas Cat and much more. Jon
New Trip Report: Sri Lanka
I have just gotten back from a very successful trip to Colombia (report coming as soon as possible), and I have a few reports waiting to be uploaded. Sorry to those who submitted them while I was away. Here’s the first. Sri Lanka, 2019: Matt and Maureen Steer, 5...
Anybody interested in Taiwan in May/June?
I am considering spending 10-12 days in Late May/early June looking for the endemic birds and mammals of Taiwan. Is anybody interested in a jount trip, either with or without local guide? If so, please contact me directly: michael.kessler@systbot.uzh.ch
Bat Weekend in Yucatan
Mérida, Yucatán, January 2020 from Charles Hood, hoodcw (at) gmail (dot) com I had some frequent flyer miles to spend and a few days off when I could work by email, so I did a mid-week “weekend” in Mexico to nudge my mammal list ahead a few spots. Thank...
Dobson’s and Pearson’s Horseshoe Bats in Thailand
If you listed Dobson’s Horseshoe Bat (R. yunanensi) in Thailand you should revise those records. Francis (2019, Field Guide to Mammals of SE Asia, Edn 2) notes that Dobson’s HSB is now regarded as being restricted to China. I have corrected my Baan Maka 2017 report to show Pearson’s Horseshoe...
Mammal-watching Trip across Central and Western Mongolia (2019 Aug 4-30)
Trip report posted on my website here and PDF version available there or directly here. This four-week road-trip covered 5,300 km across Central and Western Mongolia (excluding the southern Gobi). Key sites visited were Hustai NP, Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Sharga, Gobi B SPA, Jargalant Uul, Tavan Bogd NP, Khurgas Nuur...
Vietnam 2019
In November 2019 I was sent to the cat tien NP by my work to work in the nearby primate rescue centre. I had a few days off over the month to explore cat tien and also 5 days off at the end where I went to da nang...
Costa Rica RFI
Hello and a very happy (hopefully mammal-filled) new year to all! I’m hoping someone will be able to help me out with a couple of questions for a trip later this year: 1) Does anyone have up-to-date contact info for Avenatura (Damas/Manuel Antonio)? 2) Any recommendations for a good...
New Trip Report: Jaguar Land Reserve, Bolivia
Another remarkably good report from Bolivia. La Moneda Reserve, 2019: Nick’s Adventure Tours, 3 nights & 15 species including 5 Jaguars, 4 Ocelots, 2 Jaguarundis and a Puma in a pear tree 🙂 Jon
New Trip Report: Panama
Another interesting report from Justin Brown, the first report I have seen featuring Pygmy Sloths. Panama, 2019: Justin Brown, 2 weeks and some nice species including Cacomistle, Brown-headed Spider Monkey and Pygmy Sloth. Jon
Habitat Notes for California Desert Rodents
This note shares data from a recent article in the Journal of Mammalogy titled “Small mammal assemblage composition and habitat associations across an elevational gradient in southern California” (Aviv Karasov-Olson and Douglas Kelt, 2019). It is not my work: I just pass on their findings. The authors surveyed small...
Uganda Mangabey
Just doing a bit of reading following a trip to Uganda and Rwanda and came across information regarding the status of Grey-cheeked Mangabey. I read via Wikipedia that in 2007 the now deceased Colin Groves, split what he called ‘Uganda’ Mangabey, from Grey-cheeked and gave it the scientific name...
Murids of Pu Mat NP
Dear All, Here are some rodent photos from camera traps we installed in Pu Mat National Park in Vietnam in 2018. Any opinions on species IDs will be appreciated. Happy Holidays!
New Trip Report: Cuba
Here’s a report from Vladimir Dinets’s trip to look for Cuban Solenodons. No solenodons but a few nice species in any case. A very happy Christmas to all those who celebrate it, and wishing you a great end to 2019. Cuba, 2019: Vladimir Dinets, 1 week & 17 species...
New Trip Report: Etosha and Damaraland, Namibia
Here’s a report from Jean Dille Etosha and Damaraland, 2019: Jean Dille, 4 weeks & 40+ species including Cape Pangolin, Honey Badger and Aardwolf. Jon
TADOBA-ANDHARI
TRIP REPORT – TADOBA
TADOBA-ANDHARI
TRIP REPORT – TADOBA
PROBLEMS UPLOADING TRIP REPORTS
Hi, Everyone, my wife and I had a great trip to Tadoba-Andhari back in March/April this year (2019). I have made several unsuccessful attempts to upload a trip report – I have followed the instructions Jon sent me previously and have tried everything else I can think of but...
New Trip Report: Madagascar
Another Madagascar report. Madagascar, 2019: Alain Guillemont , 3.5 weeks & 34 species including Aye Aye, Brown-tailed Mongoose and Fossa. Jon
MONGOLIA: Wise Birding Holidays Bird & Mammal Tour Reports 1&2 2019
Two trip reports from Mongolia Jul/August 2019 and August/September 2019. Species recorded include: Snow Leopard, Pallas’s Cat, Mongolian Wild Ass and Long-eared Hedgehog on both tours, plus Marbled and Steppe Polecat, Campbell’s Hamster, Daurian Hedgehog and more. Packed full of photos and video links and annotated checklist. TOUR 1: https://www.wisebirding.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/MONGOLIA-JULY-2019.pdf...
Best part of the Amazon?
Hello all, I’m considering doing a grand tour of South America in the future, so I’m for sure going to try and make it to at least one corner of the Amazon. Wanted to ask, given that it was contiguous in days gone by, does it particularly matter what...
Trip report from Borneo – Oct 2019 – Tomer Ben-Yehuda
A bit behind schedule, here is the trip report from our trip to Borneo. Any comments, questions or corrections are always welcome! Borneo Oct 19 Trip Report
The ultimate mammal watching lens: Nikon 500 mm F5.6 PF ED VR
The ultimate mammal watching lens: Nikon 500 mm F5.6 PF ED VR Maybe some of you remember that I had promised to write a review on a lens my wife wanted to present me for having won the „NUTTER Awards 2018 / category: Best Obscure Mammal“. Here you go! The...
UGANDA – Wise Birding Holidays Birds & Mammals Trip Report July 2019
Mostly a birding tour report, but 39 mammal species recorded too including Gorilla, Chimpanzee & Serval. Packed full of photos and annotated checklist: https://www.wisebirding.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/UGANDA-JULY-2019.pdf
LAST MINUTE AVAILABILITY: One space open on a Colombian mammal trip (starting in Bogota on 4 Jan)
One space has just opened up on a mammalwatching trip focussing on a set of Colombia’s endemic primates including Brumback’s and Grey-handed Night Monkeys; Colombian Woolly Monkeys; Silver-brown Bare-faced Tamarin; Vareigated Spider Monkeys; Ornate, Caqueta and Lucifer Titis and more primates together with a range of other mammals possible....
New Trip Report: Snow Leopards in the Sinjiangyuan Reserve, Tibetan Plateau
What a place! Sinjiangyuan Reserve, Tibetan Plateau: William Boehm’s account of a fabulous 2 week trip deep into Tibet with Snow Leopard, Brown (Himalayan Blue) Bear and Pallas’s Cat. Jon
New Trip Reports: Three Easy Mammalwatching Destinations (Monterey Bay, Fraser’s Hill & Queensland’s Dugongs)
Here is a report – a first report I think – from Michael Johnson. Monterey Bay, Fraser’s Hill & Queensland’s Dugongs: Michael Johnson’s 2019 report of three easy to access mammaling spots. Jon
New Trip Report: Gabon
Here’s Fiona Reid’s report from a productive – but quite challenging – trip to Gabon in August. Gabon, 2019: Fona Reid, 2 weeks & 52 species including Sun-tailed Monkey, Yellow-backed Duiker, Long-eared Flying Mouse and Golden Cat. And here’s Keith Millar’s bird list too. Jon
[…] the new site. If you don’t remember your password then request a new one when you login at mammalwatching.com and – if the password reset email doesn’t arrive – check your spam […]
[…] 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 […]
[…] 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 […]
[…] 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