Just back from a week in Boa Vista staying in the south of the island at the Riu Touareg. Weather was mixed, alot of cloudy, windy days but warm. Hotel everything you could ask for, but nothing else on the island, not even roads !!
The birds :
Iago Sparrow in the airport arrivals was a good start !! Then Brown Necked Raven, Cattle Egret, and Hoopoe Lark on the transfer, as well as Swallow and House Martin around the hotel.
Unpacked and found the grey water lagoons before it went dark !!!
I watched the lagoons most days for about an hour every day in the late afternoon and found the easiest way to them was along the road out of the front of the hotel, turn right and go to the end of the road, right again to the pools and left to the old farm.
The lagoons had Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Black Winged Stilt, Ringer and Kentish Plover as residents. Then on occassion Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, and Osprey. In the scrub, Spectacled Warbler was ever present as were Hoopoe Lark, Bar Tailed Desert Lark and Alexandra Kestrel.
On the farm I found Cream Coloured Courser, Spanish Sparrow, Hoopoe Lark, Alex Kestrel, Black Crowned Sparrow Lark, Bar Tailed Desert Lark and Spec Warbler.
I did manage to get to the Island Ihelafor the Frigatebird, but it's a long walk through the dunes, about 45 minutes, and the day I went a sandstorm blew up !!! I did scope the island (shakily) but could only find Brow Booby's, there were some whiter ones, but as I didn't see them fly, I assumed they were young and not 'masked'.
As there are few roads, and even less signposts, a trip by hire car to the north to look for Tropicbird had to be abandoned !!!
31 species and 5 lifers wasn't a bad haul for a non-birding winter break.
Hope this helps anybody who is thinking of going ???
The birds :
Iago Sparrow in the airport arrivals was a good start !! Then Brown Necked Raven, Cattle Egret, and Hoopoe Lark on the transfer, as well as Swallow and House Martin around the hotel.
Unpacked and found the grey water lagoons before it went dark !!!
I watched the lagoons most days for about an hour every day in the late afternoon and found the easiest way to them was along the road out of the front of the hotel, turn right and go to the end of the road, right again to the pools and left to the old farm.
The lagoons had Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Wood Sandpiper, Ruff, Black Winged Stilt, Ringer and Kentish Plover as residents. Then on occassion Greenshank, Spotted Redshank, and Osprey. In the scrub, Spectacled Warbler was ever present as were Hoopoe Lark, Bar Tailed Desert Lark and Alexandra Kestrel.
On the farm I found Cream Coloured Courser, Spanish Sparrow, Hoopoe Lark, Alex Kestrel, Black Crowned Sparrow Lark, Bar Tailed Desert Lark and Spec Warbler.
I did manage to get to the Island Ihelafor the Frigatebird, but it's a long walk through the dunes, about 45 minutes, and the day I went a sandstorm blew up !!! I did scope the island (shakily) but could only find Brow Booby's, there were some whiter ones, but as I didn't see them fly, I assumed they were young and not 'masked'.
As there are few roads, and even less signposts, a trip by hire car to the north to look for Tropicbird had to be abandoned !!!
31 species and 5 lifers wasn't a bad haul for a non-birding winter break.
Hope this helps anybody who is thinking of going ???
