RFI: Seeing sitatunga at Katonga Wildlife Reserve, Uganda
Dear all I suspect this will be one of several enquiries about Uganda, Has anyone tried for sitatunga at Katonga Wildlife Reserve, Uganda? From what I gather it is probably a bit of a long shot but it isn’t far off route. Regards Steve
Asiatic Golden Cat colour morphs
This is an interesting summary of a paper written by some ZSL scientists on different colour morphs in Golden cats in India. They found no less than 6 very different colour types in just one valley in Arunachal Pradesh. The black and ‘ocelot’ morphs would have really thrown me...
New Trip Report: Australia mega report
Here’s a great report from Australia. Australia, 2018: Valentin Moser’s report of mammals seen over the course of 75 days on several trips. He saw over 100 mammals including Mahogany Glider, both Feathertail Gliders, Proserpine Rock Wallaby, Numbat and Honey Possum. Jon
Trip report Nemunas Delta, Lithuania, 30th of May – 3rd of June 2019
Here’s mammalwatching.com’s first ever Lithuania trip report. We made a combined birding & mammal trip to Nemunas Delta wetlands, which are considered globally significant and are protected under the Ramsar Convention. Total count of mammals we saw was 142, of which 14 were roadkills and the number of species...
New Trip Report: Amazon Cruise
Here’s the report of this year’s WildWings “primates and parrots” cruise out of Manaus. Amazon Cruise, 2019: Chris Collins (WildWings), 2 weeks & 40+ species including 26 primates on the main tour such as Silvery Marmoset, Red-bellied Titi, Red-nosed Bearded Saki and Martin’s Bare-faced Tamarin. Jon
Mojave River Beavers
I learned that there were Beavers in the Mojave river area and after a little bit of research and exploring I found them. Hooray! So cool to find beavers period, let alone in Southern California, bordering the desert. If anyone wants info on where to find them, send me...
New Trip Report: Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island, 2019: Sheelagh Halsey, 2 weeks & 17 species including Vancouver Island Marmot, River Otter, Mink and Grizzly and Black Bears. Jon
Looking for help to spend a few days doing mammal watching in the Denver area
Hi everyone I will be in Denver mid July for work and I should have a 2-3 days available for sightseeing. I was therefore wondering if anyone would have some advices about good places to visit not too far from the city and for which mammal targets? Also, I read many good things about Point Reyes in CA but is this...
Primarily Peruvian Primates: Owlet Lodge and Los Amigos Research Station Trip Report
Peru: San Martin and Madre De Dios, May 2019 Fiona Reid & Jon Hall, with Cheryl Antonucci, Jean-Michel Bompar, Joanna Langdale, Judy Parish, Shonene Scott, Ignacio Yufera and Ian Thompson (San Martin district only) When I visited Peru in 2014 I vowed to return. There was a lot more...
Advertising: Costa Rican Bioblitzes with Fiona Reid
Bioblitzes at Sylvan Falls, Costa Rica! With Fiona Reid I recently bought a large and beautiful property in Southern Costa Rica – 154 acres, with massive waterfalls, lots of mature forest, and a good variety of habitats. I have named it Sylvan Falls. In order to find out more about the biodiversity on my...
New Trip Report: Benin
Here’s mammalwatching.com’s second ever Benin trip report. Benin, 2018: Cheryl Antonucci, 5 days & 6 species including Red-bellied (White throated) Guenons and Mona Monkeys. Jon
New Trip Report: Saiga Watching, Stepnoi Sanctuary, Russia
You might remember a couple of Russian researchers advertised Saiga watching opportunities a few months ago. I was very happy to hear that Mogens Trolle had signed up for a visit. Here is his report and a few of his astounding photographs. Stepnoi Saigas, 2019: Mogens Trolle, 1 week of...
Golden cats recorded for first time in Tanzania
A team led by Francesco Rovero recorded the first confirmed Golden Cat sightings in Tanzania. There have been a number of purported sighting records of this species in the country, but never a photo, so this is very exciting. The video of the mother and young is pretty cool....
Southern Japan
I spent a few days exploring Kagoshima Prefecture of Japan. Started from Yakushima, the most scenic of the Ryukyu Islands, reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest in the US. It took me 24 hours to see all endemic bird, mammal and frog subspecies plus the endemic Yaku gecko. Yaku macaques...
Article about the NE Atlantic bowheads
Super happy to have been a (small) part of the rediscovery of this relict population … https://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2019/39/n039p051.pdf
Advertising: Andean Rare Mammals, Ecuadorean Andes. Join for Nov 2019
Rare Andean Mammal Tour – 2019 Royle Safaris has a specialist mammal watching tour of the Ecuadorean Andes planned for November 2019 (1st – 11th November) there are currently two people booked on the trip, with room for up to 4 more people. The trip visits the higher altitude...
Man Takes First-Ever Photo of Living Colombian Weasel After Finding It Standing on His Toilet
https://gizmodo.com/man-takes-first-ever-photo-of-living-colombian-weasel-a-1835102519
Delmarva Peninsula trip
Just came back from leading an Audubon trip to the Delmarva Peninsula from 5/31 – 6/2/19. In addition to the rare birds and other great birds, herps, and leps we had, we also saw several mammals. We went to Bombay Hook, Chincoteague, and Blackwater NWRs, Elliot Island area, and...
pilot whale split
Japanese zoologists have always known that there are two non-interbreeding species of short-finned pilot whales in Japan. Now there is molecular support for the split (the authors are a bit too cautious and call the two forms subspecies). It means that short-finned pilot whales off Atlantic and Pacific coasts...
New Trip Report: West Bali National Park
Here’s a report from Michael Johnson. West Bali National Park, 2019: 4 days & 9 species including Javan Lutung, Black Giant Squirrel and Rusa Deer. Jon
In search of Saimaa Ringed Seal
Last weekend, on Saturday 25th of May 2019, I drove to estern Finland, just one species in my mind; the Saimaa Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) – as I had not ever seen it. It is a subspecies of Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida). They are among the most endangered...
Sand Cats in Birds Nests Paper
Some of you might remember my recent Morocco report where we saw a Sand Cat sheltering in a raven’s nest. This behavour, originally discovered by Jean-Michel Bompar last year, has been written up for the IUCN and the note is here. Fascinating stuff and a nice example of mammalwatchers...
TRIP REPORT – SRI LANKA
SRI LANKA. 18 nights. 50 species including leopard, fishing cat, jungle cat, sloth bear, elephant, stripe-necked mongoose, red slender loris, toque macaque, purple-faced leaf monkey (all 4 ssp.) and blue whale. Plus >172 birds, including Kashmir flycatcher and Pied thrush, and various herps and insects.
New Trip Report: Mongolia
Justin Brown just got back from Mongolia. Gobi Bears do exist! Mongolia, 2019: Justin Brown, 2 weeks & species including Saiga, Camels and a Gobi Bear. Jon
Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes schrencki)
21 February 2019. Betsukai–Cape Notsuke Lighthouse, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan. Two subspecies of this widespread Holarctic species are reported to occur in Japan. This is V. v. schrencki (a.k.a. Ezo Red Fox) which ranges from Sakhalin, Russia to Hokkaido in Northern Japan. It is characterized by larger size and black...
Trip report Western Cape, South Africa, 6.-12. December 2007
My trip to South Africa was not a mammal trip – nor a birding trip – but a work-related conference trip. Still I was able to get out to the nature, primarily to birding, but I managed to see eight mammal species as well – and failed to see...
Chile – March 2019
Chile March 2019 Patagonia and Lauca, new locations for Huemel
Sika (Cervus nippon nippon)
21 February 2019. Betsukai–Cape Notsuke Lighthouse, Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan This species retains spots into adulthood, an evolutionary process known as neoteny. However the spots are extremely faint in the Japanese population and barely evident in this image. Also known as “Spotted Deer” or the “Japanese Deer,” the Sika ranges...
New Trip Report: Sabah
Another report from Vladimir Dinets. Mount Kinabalu and Sepilok, Sabah, 2019: Vladimir Dinets, 9 days & 56 species including Sun Bear, Kinabalu Ferret Badger and Spotted Giant Flying Squirrel. Jon
New Trip Report: Japan
A new report from Vladimir Dinets. Japan, April 2019: Vladimir Dinets, 10 days & 36 species including Japanese Badger, Japanese Serow, Dwarf Sperm Whale, Eden’s Whale and a lot of bats. Jon
Advertising: South Africa, September 2019, with WildWings
Mammal watching tour to South Africa. September 2019 Wildwings still have spaces available on this year’s South Africa mammal watching tour. Full details can be found at http://www.wildwings.co.uk/app-holidays/south-africa-for-mammals-new. Past trip reports can be found on the South Africa pages on this site and on the Wildwings website. The tour...
New Report: Caracal in Kutch, Western India
A rare sighting indeed. Caracal, Kutch 2019: Ficus Wildlife Tours report of a 5 day trip to Kutch with a Caracal the highlight among 10 or so species including Leopard, Indian Porcupine and Indian and Desert Hedgehogs. Jon
New Trip Report: Louisiana
A new report from Mark Hows. Louisiana, 2019: Mark Hows, 1 week & 20 species including Eastern Woodrat, Prairie Vole, Swamp Rabbit and Hoary Bat. Jon
NIGHT DRIVES IN PENCH
NIGHT DRIVES IN PENCH My wife, Ingrid, and I have recently returned from 9 nights at Tadoba-Andhari and 3 nights at Pench Tiger Reserves. Trip report will follow but meanwhile this may be of interest to anyone heading to Pench in the next few weeks. We added the 3...
New Trip Report: Manual Antonio NP, Costa Rica
Here’s a report of a short trip with some good photos. Manuel Antonio National Park, 2019: Andy Murch, 2 days & 14 species including Lesser Dog-like Bat, Greater Spear-nosed Bat and both Sloths. Jon
New Trip Report: Ardnamurchan Peninsula, Scotland
Here’s a report from John Wright’s latest trip. Ardnamurchan Peninsula, 2019: John Wright, 6 days & 13 species including Pine Marten, Badger and Harbour Porpoise, but no Wild Cat. Jon
A few sites (and fewer mammals) for Albania, Macedonia and Greece
I spent the easter week driving through the Balkans with my daughter Katy. This was not a mammal trip: Katy made sure of that in her own inimitable way. But I did bring a box of traps along, even if I didn’t spotlight or do much else mammal related....
Sichuan Mammal Watching Tour – March 2019 – Royle Safaris Trip Report
In March and April 2019 Royle Safaris ran two back to back Sichuan Mammals Tours with a special focus on the rarer species. We were very successful on both our trips with totals of mammal species over 40 on both trips and all of our main targets seen. This...
Yunnan snub-nosed monkey July 17-23
I’m planning a private one-week trip specifically to photograph Yunnan snub-nosed monkey in the Yunnan province. I’m looking for a travel partner to split the costs with 50/50. I’m organizing the trip through the Chinese biologist Han Lianxian who comes highly recommended in the report by Coke Smith from...
4th Mammal Watching Competition in Finland
Four years ago I invited Finnish mammal watchers to competition, to find out who gets most mammal species to their year list. 72 mammal watchers participated and the winner was Mr Harri Muukkonen with 40 species. Total of 58 species were observed by competitors. Next year, in 2017, 56...
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