Larking Around

The sand particles lifted and swirled about me as I scanned the dunes for bird life. 

Getting to the dunes wasn't difficult at all but I had to load up on water and food as I approached the dunes for an 8 mile hike into vast uninhabited areas. There was about a mile along the beach and tourist zone where I could load up on these things.  Plus get some amazing views of the ocean. But 10 minutes away from the very active tourist zone lie a desert expanse where there wouldn't be much help if I ran out of water.  

The island of Sal was named after the salt deposits discovered by the Portuguese in 1640. Salt mines were set up and today are still utilized by the locals on the island. In the pic above, you can purchase one of these salt "balls" from a local miner. 

As I moved through the small tourist town of Santa Maria, I saw a lot of beautiful colors and dresses worn by local Cape Verdean and Senegalese women. I usually ate one meal a day at one of the local establishments. Most of the time, you don't order from a menu unless you are in the tourist zone. Instead I'd just asked them what they had for the day. Often they'd have signs on the street advertising what they were serving. Generally I'd search for a place that served my traditional chicken, rice, sweet potatoes and carrot. If you love fish, you'll love Cape Verde. 

And where it was comfortable, it was so very comfortable.  And where it was wild, it was VERY wild.  These areas can give a false sense of security when you see tourists moving around the clean streets. When I mapped out the island, I looked at the island in zones: tourist, local, migrant and poverty. My camera attracts a lot of attention and I have to be aware of my surroundings at all times. Not that theft is an issue there but you never know! In areas where there was questionable behavior, I held my camera inside of my backpack. The zones that I deemed tourist and local were safe.  In the migrant zone, it was mostly safe but had a lot of trash on the streets and other things I don't want to write about. Needless to say, one needs to watch where they are stepping in these areas. I got a taste of the continental west Africa and all I can say is ewwww. These primarily Senegalese communities often ran along the dunes.  And there was only one poverty zone that is not often seen by most. For the most part, Sal is a very safe island to explore for both men and women. I lived there back in the late 90's and 2000.  It has grown a bit but still retains the peaceful and calm lifestyle that tourists and locals love so much. 

While doing my research, I found 3 lark species that were placed as "common" on the island. Not much information about their habitat was shared online or in books so I had to explore in areas I believed these species existed. I gave myself plenty of vacation time to map out the island properly. 

Surprisingly, you won't find many gulls or terns here during the summer months.  However, other ocean birds are out there and I'll cover them in a different post. I have found that my greatest work happens when I'm alone.  It is a little more work and uses some creative approaches but I earn my birds at my speed.  This approach to birding allows me to speak with local people and take in the beautiful habitat and culture without feeling rushed.  While my kriolu isn't my strongest spoken language, it did all come back to me, allowing me to communicate with locals in Spanish.  They were excited and either spoke with me in Spanish, Portuguese or Kriolu.  And that's how I navigated my way around the island. English is spoken as well but most prefer practicing their French or Spanish. 

And Cape Verdeans are really cool people. As I approached the dunes, I met these 2 guys who may have had a drink or two. They wanted their pic taken and I used my kriolu to communicate asking about the unmarked dune roads. They thought that was cool that someone could speak kriolu. Most people I spoke with were new transplants from other islands as jobs are plentiful on Sal due to the tourism industry. I did not find any old friends back in my village. When I told people I taught English in Espargos and Santa Maria back in 2000, they were shocked.  I kinda felt old.  24 years isn't that long but apparently it was long enough.  At the place I stayed, the owner, a French lady, came to Sal the same time I did.  So there are those who have been on the island for some time. 

It didn't take me long to find my first species on the list, the Bar-tailed Lark.  It's a nondescript little brown job found near vegetated areas where it forages for bugs.  This was by far the most common of the 3 "lark" species on the island. 

Their habitat is quite extensive from dry and sparsely populated vegetative areas to wet and open dune type areas along dry stream beds or the ocean. 

And while they appear like LBJ's, they are really quite interesting to watch as a group.  They are definitely larks and fly like our own Horned Larks back in the US.  The strong winds of Santa Maria carry these birds far and wide across the island.  Almost everywhere I went, I found them.  They were always outside of human habitat in the open dune settings where there were puddles of salt or fresh water near the sparse vegetation in open sandy areas. 

Often they will mix with other species of birds feeding from the ground searching for bugs. With one of my "lark" species off the list, I was onto the next one.  

After having great observations of the Bar-tailed Lark, I thought that finding the Black-crowned sparrow-lark would be easy.  It wasn't.  So I went online and combed through pictures of the species studying the type of plants the bird liked to hang around.  Come to find out, ice plants and clean sandy dunes were the trick.  I spent a full day combing through every Bar-tailed Lark until I saw something black pop up into the air. 

This bird was high on my list because I think it's so beautiful and unique. 

I found the ice plants along the ocean.  It took me a few miles to find a healthy undisturbed area of ice plants where ATV's hadn't gone.  Cape Verde has done better with protecting habitat for birds. You'll see signs all over Sal reminding tourists to stay out of the areas marked for nesting.  But they still have a ways to go with enforcing the laws. And sadly, there are many feral dogs and cats that raid their nests. 

I found a place on a digital map of the island where salt water ponds existed.  They were untouched and off the grid. Again I had my water with me to stay hydrated as I approached this intact and healthy ice plant colony.  It was gorgeous.  And right next to the ocean.  Stilts and plovers were quite common here. I was hoping that I'd get an observation of the sparrow-lark here. 

I saw a black chest zip up into the air as a flock of Bar-tailed Larks took off with the wind.  But the sparrow-lark just moved to another sandy hill!  My heart began beating fast.  This is one sexy bird. 

I could see the bird watching me carefully.  So I didn't make any quick moves.  I just let it relax and do his thing because I wanted to watch him as long as I could. 

It was the only time I saw that bird and I made a special effort to find them.  It moved like a sparrow on the ground and had a sparrow like quality while feeding but when it flew it had the grace of a lark....but how it popped into the air and back down again was very much like that of a breeding male Cassin's Sparrow which is a sparrow that has lark like tendencies!  This is probably one of my top 5 favorite birds seen this year. 

And the 3rd species, the Greater hoopoe-lark was quite fascinating.  It's a larger gray bird that acts and runs very much like our thrasher species here.  But when it flies, it reminds me of Clark's Nutcracker!  The black and white plumage gives it a beautiful Willet/Nutcracker look against the white sands of the island. 

I found this bird around human settlements in trashy areas foraging around water areas and islands of plants.  This bird is widespread across the island and was fairly easy to find but always unexpected because it would blend in well with the habitat unless it was running or in flight. 

I found both of the species, above and below, very curious sometimes with me and they weren't afraid to get close. 

 This all was part of my lazy 3 day birding plan after arriving to the island. It didn't feel like work to me at all because I was going at my pace and enjoying the process. 

And I always looked forward to coming back from my dusty walks to one of the most beautiful beaches in the world.  I was home again, at least for 3 weeks. There were some days where I just read a book in my hammock and watched the Cape Verde Sparrows hang out with me. I know that something has happened to me now.  I have one more duty this summer as a guide for the Southeastern Arizona birding festival.  But after that, I am going gypsy like a few other birders I know.  I'm not sure I can ever do those heavily bird guided trips again in other countries. I like the challenge of learning and researching my birds alone.  Yes, at times we have to reach out to others, but I'm in a different space now with my birding. 

I rent a room with a kitchen. And I make natural connections with people. When it is needed, I reach out to a local guide and treat myself to a day of learning. But there is nothing more beautiful than exploring on your own and earning your birds the right way. 

I never felt alone while I was there. At times I was misty eyed, but I kept my birding missions and good will out in the open. I smiled a lot. I haven't taken a vacation like this one in a long time. I was reminded that while birds are wonderful, they aren't the only thing to enjoy. Moving forward after this summer will be a new chapter for me. In the next few posts, I'll show you how I creatively birded around the island on a dime. Until next time....