Azores Review 2014

Here's a few personal highlights from the Azores this year:

NATURAL HISTORY TOUR RECCE

In August Jaffa and I scouted out a trip that introduces the natural history of the Azores- looking at the geological setting, endemic plants, butterflies, whales and dolphins and of course endemic birds and rarities. Hopefully the trip will be of interest to nature tourists and students. The recce went well and we hope to run the first trip in Spring 2015. Here's a few pics from the recce.

draft itinerary here

 Sete Cidades volcanoes

 Fin Whale

 Great Shearwater 

  Azores Grayling

 Short-billed Dowitcher

 Azores Bullfinch (juvenile)

Azores Forget-me-not

AZORES PELAGIC 2014

Richard Bonser led the 2014 Pelagic trip. The group did well with the highlights including South Polar Skua, Swinhoe's Petrel, Sooty Tern, Monteiro's and Grant's Petrels and breaching Beaked Whales. 

Click here for more

 2014 Azores pelagic group (Martin Scott) 

 South Polar Skua (Richard Bonser) Discussion here

 Beaked Whales breaching (probably Sowerby's) (Richard Bonser) 

PUBLICATIONS

A few new publications this year including the first copy of the Azores Rare and Scarce Bird Report, a contribution to Wild Travel magazine feature on the Azores, an article in Birdwatch about the Azores Pelagics and a Azorean newspaper article on Corvo and Flores Birding. 

 CORVO 2014 (Ten year milestone) 

2014 marked my ten year anniversary to Corvo. Here's a few pics. 

More here from the Corvo birding team: Corvo blog 2014

 Ten year anniversary party. 

 Willet, Sao Miguel (personal birding highlight of Azores 2014)

 Buff-bellied Pipit

 Yellow-billed Cuckoo 

 Blackpoll Warbler

 Philadelphia Vireo (pic from Vincent) 

 Northern Parula (pic from Vincent) 

 Corvo birders

Vincent in the crater

Much appreciation to all friends and partners for another enjoyable and successful year on the foreign patch with special thanks/appreciation to Richard Bonser, Darryl Spittle, Gerby, Sofia Goulart and the local birders, Kathy Rita and family, Chris Townend, Vincent Legrand, David Monticelli, the regular Corvo birders (especially Pierre Andre-Crochet) , Ian Coates and Azores Choice and partners, friends at SPEA, the Birding Azores/Azores Bird Sightings team, Dominic Mitchell and Birdwatch, Rolando and crew, pelagic participants and of course to all the welcoming Azores people and amazing wildlife.