Walking with elephants in Ghana was an experience my clients will never forget. (0696818)
THERE is little wonder I was in need of a rest as Christmas approached – last year was something of a record-breaker.I visited 29 countries leading tours and pointed out more than 1,500 species of birds and 144 different mammals to the people I escorted.
That involved 127,000 miles flown on more than 100 flights and a staggering (literally) two weeks in the air.
My efforts, however, pale into insignificance compared with those of Alan Davies and Ruth Miller, who have just broken the world twitching record by seeing 4,327 species in a trip funded by selling both their houses.
My year started in a birdless Barbados where just eight species of birds were seen.
I was on Hebridean Spirit and things picked up in the next few days as we visited Barbuda and the colony of 2,500 magnificent frigatebirds.
The day before, while lecturing on the birdlife of Barbuda, I persuaded four male guests to hold red balloons under their chins and beat their arms like wings to attract a mate. Their wives duly circled around and chose them.
While this had generated considerable mirth, some people were clearly confused by the analogy I was trying to draw.
All was revealed as boats nosed into the frigatebird colony where males were sitting with bright red throat pouches inflated, beating their wings to attract a mate.
I took my first group to Ghana in February where we enjoyed a brilliant introduction to West African birdlife and walks with the elephants in Mole National Park.
While this was a hugely exciting experience, the highlight of the trip was a trek through rainforest where we found nesting white-necked rockfowl, a rare and endangered bird.
Although the size of crows, they build house martin-like nests under huge boulders.
Another new tour was led to Guyana in northern South America, a challenging destination as it has only recently opened its doors to tourism.
Watching North Atlantic right whales is a highlight of our Grand Manan tour. (0696819)
We stayed in the world-famous Iwokrama field research station where howler monkeys and macaws vied with each other to wake us in the mornings.
Highlights of the trip were many, but included finding male cock-of-the-rock and golden frogs at the stunning Kaieteur Falls. These drop 822ft in a single plunge and had white-chinned swifts nesting on ledges behind the falling water.
We were taken to see a giant anteater early one morning and later that day saw a family of six giant river otters.
That evening we sat in boats, sipping sundowners and surrounded by the largest water lilies in the world as fish-eating bats and several species of nightjar flew around us.
Perhaps the most outstanding trip to a meet of the year was to Steeple Jason Island in the Falklands, the subject of an earlier column in this newspaper.
Being among half a million albatrosses was one of the great wildlife moments of my life and I still can’t believe that we managed to get to this inaccessible island.
It is difficult to select highlights from a year crammed with many experiences.
I led my fourth trip to Grand Manan in Canada with great success. The tour is a wonderful introduction to North American birds but is timed to coincide with the arrival of North Atlantic right whales which breed in the rich waters around Grand Manan Island.
Couples staying in our small hotel complained that they had been unable to see whales during the day so we invited them to join us at a nearby lighthouse that evening to watch the sunset.
At least nine minke whales surfaced in the calm waters beneath cliff-top seats. They were thrilled.
‘My husband has just retired as a governor of the Bank of Canada and this evening has made his holiday,’ was one of the comments.
I was amazed and asked if he signed the banknotes.
On learning that his name was David Hodge and that it was indeed his signature on the local currency, I asked him to dedicate two $5 bills to my grandchildren. He kindly obliged.
My co-leader in Estonia, Antero Topp, and I reminisce in Estonia about our previous meeting while leading groups in Ecuador. (0696820)
Bumping into people I know, all famous for one reason or another, is common as I travel the world.
Guernsey people seem to get everywhere.
I saw three islanders in Madagascar and flew back from Barbados with a couple who are regular drinking friends on a Friday night.
My co-leader in Estonia, Antero Topp, reminisced on our seventh tour of that lovely country about the time we bumped into each other in Ecuador, each of us leading a tour. It is a small world.
Article posted on 3rd January, 2009 - 4.50pm
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