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Pels Fishing Owl? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter Dr_ADH
- Start date
Larry Lade
Moderator
Sorry I can not help. Sure hope you get to see one though!
re: Pel's Fishing Owl
"Has anyone heard of a recent sighting in Ghana or have any gen? Myself and friends are heading there march and would love a chance of seeing one. The only sighting I've found so far is from a trip in 2010."
I did not hear of anyone seeing one there in the three years I was there, but the birding was pretty sparse. Your best bet would be in western region. Are you using a guide service, and if so, which one?
"Has anyone heard of a recent sighting in Ghana or have any gen? Myself and friends are heading there march and would love a chance of seeing one. The only sighting I've found so far is from a trip in 2010."
I did not hear of anyone seeing one there in the three years I was there, but the birding was pretty sparse. Your best bet would be in western region. Are you using a guide service, and if so, which one?
The only stakeout for Pel's Fishing Owl I was aware of when I visited Ghana (also organised with Ashanti) was in the north at Mole National Park. This was a day roost, but my recollection of the site meant that viewing inevitably involved some potential for disturbance to the bird(s) as it was along a tree lined watercourse that you had to enter to search for them. I guess if they are not being seen there now, they must have found somewhere else to roost. In my visit in early 2011 I failed to see any in Mole.
You cannot walk around Mole on your own, so night birding is restricted to night drives if you have a vehicle, or the accommodation and staffing area (where Greyish Eagle Owl was regular late night during my visit).
Cheers,
You cannot walk around Mole on your own, so night birding is restricted to night drives if you have a vehicle, or the accommodation and staffing area (where Greyish Eagle Owl was regular late night during my visit).
Cheers,
Hi
just to update those interested we didn't see a Pels. We did try one site in Mole but no joy.
Overall I have to say I was disappointed with the guiding, as were most of our group. It was tough going as people have stated, and in all honesty we had a few issues. There seemed to be a degree of complacency; perhaps we were unlucky, who knows. There were a couple of sites on the itinerary that we didn't visit, one of which I had specifically mentioned on more than one occasion. I had really wanted to try for Nightjars at a couple of locations but this didn't happen, despite being told that we would (we did on 2 occasions on the 15 day trip).
I'm not going to say too much more, suffice to say do your research, be as explicit as you can beforehand and then keep a close eye on things when there to ensure you do the things you asked for.
just to update those interested we didn't see a Pels. We did try one site in Mole but no joy.
Overall I have to say I was disappointed with the guiding, as were most of our group. It was tough going as people have stated, and in all honesty we had a few issues. There seemed to be a degree of complacency; perhaps we were unlucky, who knows. There were a couple of sites on the itinerary that we didn't visit, one of which I had specifically mentioned on more than one occasion. I had really wanted to try for Nightjars at a couple of locations but this didn't happen, despite being told that we would (we did on 2 occasions on the 15 day trip).
I'm not going to say too much more, suffice to say do your research, be as explicit as you can beforehand and then keep a close eye on things when there to ensure you do the things you asked for.
temmie
Well-known member
A full report would be helpful Dr_ADH.
I have been to Ghana in April and while we saw almost everything one can see normally, I was ill-prepared and it was sometimes very hard work. We were a gang of 5 very motivated relatively young but experienced birders, so I guess that any group with e.g. more people, older people, less motivated people,... would have an even harder time getting all the birds, and while our guide pushed very hard, I guess not all guides push this hard as they maybe sense that this would lead to tensions in the groups they are guiding.
All just guessing, but feel free to comment.
I have been to Ghana in April and while we saw almost everything one can see normally, I was ill-prepared and it was sometimes very hard work. We were a gang of 5 very motivated relatively young but experienced birders, so I guess that any group with e.g. more people, older people, less motivated people,... would have an even harder time getting all the birds, and while our guide pushed very hard, I guess not all guides push this hard as they maybe sense that this would lead to tensions in the groups they are guiding.
All just guessing, but feel free to comment.
Probably depends on the guide. I was in Ghana with Ashanti two years ago and it was an excellent trip, good information about changes in the itinerary (only on on occasion because of security concerns). Only a minor misunderstanding with the back office but that was dealt with in no time.
André
I had a mixed experience with them in 2013. We wanted to change the itinerary a couple of times during the trip and they responded well once they'd got over the shock. I also felt they were a bit complacent generally though, I had the impression that the trips are a bit of a handle turning process for them - punters funnelled in one end and shunted out the other. But they were well-organised. I could go on but I think it's fairest to just say that for me, there were pros and cons.
