A Second Look

Before the pandemic I travelled to many countries in search of birds and wildlife. During the dark days of the pandemic I found myself longing for those places. Now, there are many wonderful places that I have not seen. Why, then, do I want to return to places I have already visited? Some are simply worth it. Second time around I know better what to expect. I can catch photographic opportunities I missed before. And I can cover spots I was unable to see the first time.

I knew about the diversity of birds and wildlife that Brazil offers before I went there. But I was unprepared for what I found. I explored two types of habitats there: the world's largest wetland in the Pantanal, and the Amazon rainforest. Birdlife in the Pantanal was memorable. There were colourful macaws and toucans, the gorgeous Sunbittern and myriads of other birds. The wildlife was rich: anteaters, capybaras, tapirs, porcupines, alligators, and the highlight, jaguars. In Amazonia, I was able to see over the tall canopy of the rainforest by climbing research towers in the jungle. Colourful birds such as dacnis, trogons and tanagers played there.

What I saw was just a fraction of the species found in Brazil. I could not cover all the hotspots. For example, the Atlantic forest has a different group of birds. A trail called Trilha dos Tucanos leads one to colourful toucans. Macaws flying over the huge sandstone crater called Buraco das Araras can be photographed from a viewing station. And a return to the jaguars of Pantanal would be delightful.

So it seems to me that Brazil deserves a second look.

Madagascar has an enormous number of fauna and flora species that are not seen elsewhere. There are five or six hotspots of birds and wildlife spread over the world's fourth largest island. Due to the long distances involved, I was able to cover only two of them during my 2017 trip. Next time I would like to visit the other spots and see birds I missed. In the steamy rainforests of north-eastern Madagascar lives a bird with a huge arched blue bill: the Helmet Vanga. Another pretty bird called Schlegel's Asity is found in the western part. In the west-central are the iconic baobab trees of the Avenue of the Baobabs. I want to cover these places on a return trip.

Another reason for revisiting Madagascar is the delicious and inexpensive French food sold everywhere.

Since 1986 I have visited Iceland thrice. Yet I long to see it again. In summer the country hosts thousands of Arctic Terns that nest there before flying off towards Antarctica with their chicks in winter. These birds are vigorous and acrobatic, a delight to watch. Also, the numerous waterfowl in Lake Myvatn in the north-eastern part of the country can be approached closely as they feed and play in the lake's water. The entire country has spectacular landscape, and on cliff faces one often finds colonies of sea birds. The next time I want to see the Gyr Falcon, Iceland's national bird and the largest falcon anywhere. A Puffin up close would also be nice.

So, while there are many places left to see, I would love to have a second look at these countries.

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