Country Data

Mammal-watching Trip across Central and Western Mongolia (2019 Aug 4-30)

Posted by Paul Carter

Report by Paul Carter 

Trip with Kevin Bryan, Ian Thompson, Sjef Ollers and Anja Palmans

Version 1: 30 Nov 2019

Pdf version of this report here; updates to this report will be done in the website post only.

pcarter66 @ outlook.com

Table of Contents
1. SUMMARY
2. LOGISTICS AND REFERENCES
3. ITINERARY
4. LIST OF MAMMALS SEEN
5. LIST OF MAMMALS RECORDED AND SITES
6. PHOTOS
7. SITE NOTES

1.  Summary

This four-week road-trip covered 5,300 km across Central and Western Mongolia (excluding the southern Gobi). Key sites visited were Hustai NP, Boon Tsagaan Nuur, Sharga, Gobi B SPA, Jargalant Uul, Tavan Bogd NP, Khurgas Nuur area and the Khangai Mountains. The focus was on mammals and we identified 44 species, with another two heard (Lynx and Wolf). Some of the bats seen and recorded have yet to be identified. Rodents were surprisingly scarce on some nights and we only had two mustelids. Small-mammal highlights included Steppe Zokor, Zaisan Mole Vole, Grey Marmot, Five-toed Pygmy Jerboa and Thick-tailed Pygmy Jerboa.

Route Map (numbers 4 to 29 show overnight dates and sites; names in red show places camped at whilst at names in purple we used hotels or gers; route in red is the out-leg; that in purple the return leg):

From 2002 to 2007 my work in Mongolia, as an exploration geologist, included various helicopter-based trips (using Russian Mil Mi-8 helicopters). One of these trips involved 4 days around western Mongolia and I had always wanted to return to the region and its spectacular scenery, especially the Tavan Bogd area. Due to the remote travel it was best done with at least two vehicles and Ian Thompson, Kevin Bryan, Sjef Ollers and Anja Palmans were keen; none of them had yet visited Mongolia.

I organised three land-cruisers through Erka (my work driver for over 3 years); I had last used him in 2016. He drove one vehicle whilst his son Kuchee and Erka’s friend Mugi drove the other two. They were all safe drivers and excellent bush mechanics and spent many hours servicing the cars, often late into the night. Erka’s niece Bella came along as our translator.

A limited selection of mammal photos is shown in section 6 of this report. A more extensive selection of trip and mammal photos is also available (80 pages, 70 MB). Continue reading →

Sri Lanka

Trip Report – Northwest Sri Lanka (mammals) – 2015 Dec 1-5

Trip Reports for Central and Southern Sri Lanka not yet done (Dec 2015)

Trip Report: southwest Western Australia, Nov 2017

Posted by Paul Carter

Trip Report (mammals) – southwest Western Australia – Nov 2017
Paul Carter

On a mammal-watching trip from 5th  to 22nd Nov 2017, with Chi Phan (anti-camping, non-mammalwatching Ms), I saw 23 mammals and +15 reptile species. Numbat, Red-tailed and Brush-tailed Phascogales were the highlights, and I was happy to see Quokka without having to do the Rottnest option.

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Trip Report: Baan Maka Nature Lodge, Peninsula Thailand – 16 Oct 2017

Posted by Paul Carter

Updated 2019 replacing Dobson’s Horsehoe Bat with Thai Horseshoe Bat (R. thailandensis; split from R yunanensis)

Baan Maka Nature Lodge  – October 2017
Some friends, Games Punjapa and Ian Dugdale, have recently taken over the Baan Maka Nature Lodge at the northern end of Peninsula Thailand. It is close to the entrance of Kaeng Krachan NP and well known for its access to nearby bird hides which also attract a few small mammal species. The property has excellent grounds at the foot of a small limestone hill and borders a small lake and is a convenient base for Kaeng Krachan and the rooms are in the process of being refurbished. The Baan Maka bird list currently has 190 species on it.

On 16 Oct I drove up from Phuket (a 10 hour drive) and Dave Sargeant drove down from Chiang Mai. Kaeng Krachan is closed for the wetter months of Aug-Oct so our plan was to concentrate on mammals and herps in the vicinity of the lodge; beer being the back-up plan should the weather turn inclement, which it did the second of our three nights there. Besides walking the lodge’s grounds we drove and walked nearby roads and explored trails in nearby forest. Mammal and snake lists and pics are shown below.

Mammals seen 
The following species were all seen in the restaurant area except where noted:
1 – Greater Short-nosed Fruit Bat (Cynopterus sphinx).
2 – Lesser False Vampire Bat (Megaderma spasma). One night-roosting under room 8; I also saw 15 in a road culvert near Baan Maka.
3 – Thai Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus thailandensis). In the original version of this post it was identified as Dobson’ Horseshoe Bat (Francis, 2008) but Francis (2019) notes that Dobson’s is restricted to China.
4 – Malayan Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolphus malayanus).
5 – Intermediate Roundleaf Bat (Hipposideros larvatus).
6 – Northern Treeshrew (Tupaia belangeri). Occasional visitors to the fruit feeding station.
7 – Grey-bellied Squirrel (Callosciurus caniceps). Common in the gardens.
8 – Indochinese Ground Squirrel (Menetes berdmorei). Rarely seen at the lodge but regularly seen at the bird hides.
9 – Western Striped Squirrel (Tamiops macclellandii).

Ian had also recently recorded Bengal Slow Loris (Nycicebus bengalensis) in the gardens as well as Pacific Rat (Rattus exulans) and House Rat (Rattus rattus). Lesser Mousedeer (Tragulus kanchil) is also seen at the bird hides.

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Whiskered Flying Squirrel (Petinomys genibarbis) at Mount Kinabalu (Sabah, Borneo)

Posted by Paul Carter

Whiskered Flying Squirrel (Petinomys genibarbis) at Kinabalu Park
Paul Carter, 20 Aug 2016
(Revised 8 Nov 2016 to include reference to a 1965 paper with images)

On 26 May 2016 I was spotlighting alone along Power Station Road in Kinabalu Park (Borneo) and at 8.20 pm I photographed a Whiskered Flying Squirrel (Petinomys genibarbis) very close to the 4 Km post about 500 m before Tympohon Gate. I estimate from Google Earth that it was at an elevation of approximately 1840 m.

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Marbled Cat (Pardofelis marmorata) at Mount Kinabalu (Sabah, Borneo) – a high elevation record

Posted by Paul Carter

High elevation record of Marbled Cat in Kinabalu Park (Sabah, Borneo)
Paul Carter, 20 Aug 2016
Revised Feb 2017 with a link to Andrew Boyce’s camera-trap record.
A version of this post was published (April 2017) in CAT News Nr 65 Winter 2017.

Continue reading →

South Africa

I worked in Barberton from 1989 to 1992 and still regularly visit the Western Cape. Recent trip and species notes include: 

Western Cape Province

  • De Hoop Nature Reserve (2020)
  • Dunedin Farm (updated site guide – 2016, 2018 and 2021 data): Riverine Rabbit, Karoo Elephant-shrew, Spectacled Dormouse and other small mammals. First visited March 2016.
  • False Bay: Bryde’s Whale (2019 April updated 2020 Jan 5).
  • Rocherpan Nature Reserve (2018 Feb): Southern Elephant Seal (vagrant).
  • Shelley Point, St Helena Bay: Dusky Dolphin. 2021 Jan.
  • Strandfontein (West Coast), 2020 Jan 7: Haviside’s Dolphin; Brants’s Whistling Rat colony.
  • Wilderness (2019-2021): Cape Dune Mole-rat, Common Mole-rat, Brants’ Climbing Mouse, Woodland Thicket Rat.

Northern Cape Province

  • Augrabies Falls NP (2020 Dec)
  • Kgalagadi NP (2020 Dec)
  • Marrick Safari (2020 Dec)
  • Skilpad and Namaqua NP (2020 Dec)

Riverine Rabbit at Dunedin Farm (South Africa) – March 2016

Posted by Paul Carter
Edited (2021): I revisited the site in 2018 (again with Clide Carter) and in 2021 and a post summarizing all 2016-2021 data replaces this 2016 post. Species lists and other site information have therefore been removed  from this 2016 post. Records in 2016 of Round-eared Sengi and Long-tailed Serotine are retracted in the new post.

Summary: Dunedin Farm offers excellent potential to see the rare, endemic Riverine Rabbit. After a visit to the nearby Karoo National Park, my father (Clide Carter) and I booked a night at the Riverine Rabbit Retreat on Dunedin Farm (Western Cape, South Africa). We had low expectations of seeing the Riverine Rabbit but after some pointers from Johan Moolman (the farm owner) we had great views of one before sunset; and saw another two with Johan the next morning. We extended our stay for another two nights once we realized the potential for other smaller mammals and reptiles. Our trip total of 17 mammals included Aardwolf, Bat-eared Fox, Cape Sengi and Hewitt’s Red Rock Hare. This trip report morphed into a site guide as there is nothing else published and I believe it is most likely the best place to look for Riverine Rabbit.

Riverine Rabbit
Riverine Rabbit

Riverine Rabbit
Riverine Rabbit

Dunedin Farm and Riverine Rabbit Retreat
Dunedin Farm is a working farm owned by Johan and Marietha Moolman. They and their two sons are very keen on the local wildlife and were extremely helpful in giving us a detailed rundown on all the species and locations that they knew of. Manus (13) is especially keen and a local authority on the resident birds which include some Karoo specialties. Continue reading →