Peter R. Bono
Activities and Interests

 

Contact: pbono@prba.com

 

Peter's interests include international travel, classical music, "oldies-but-goodies," stamp collecting, and reading.

He is President of the Cape Cod Bird Club, Vice-President of the Harvard Club of Cape Cod, and President of the Cape Cod Area Philatelic Group.

His chief hobby is bird watching and, as of August 23, 2021:

        • Peter’s World life list (Clement’s 6th edition including updates through August 2021) stands at 6704 species (out of a possible 10824): 
          6514 seen and 190 heard only. 
        • Peter’s US Lower 48 life list (ABA area) stands at 688 species (out of a possible 800+). His latest ABA lifers were two species in California in March of 2019: 1 world lifer (Island Scrub-Jay) and one other (Nanday Parakeet—an introduced species from South America).  However, in the latest Clement’s Update through August 2021, he lost one species—Northwestern Crow (merged with American Crow).
        • Peter’s World Family life list now totals 233 out of 248 recognized families of living species (all the species of one additional family are extinct).  Needed families include: Sheathbills, Magellanic Plover, Plains Wanderer, Ibisbill, Shoebill, Sapayoa, Mottled Berryhunter, Hyliotas, Spotted Elachura, Hylocitra, Hypocolius, Dapple-throats, Przevalski’s Pinktail, Chat-tanagers, and Cuban Warblers.
        • Peter has posted 837 photos to eBird, representing 634 different species.
        • The August 2021 annual taxonomic update of the Clements List resulted in a net 32 species gain to Peter’s list (1 new species, 34 splits, and 3 lumps).
        • In October 2019, we took a three-week trip to Northern Italy.  No new lifers were seen.  A shutterfly album can be viewed here.
        • In April 2019, we took a three-week trip to Berlin, the Elbe River, Prague, Krakow, and Warsaw.  No new lifers were seen.  Shutterfly album can be viewed here.
        • In January 2019, a trip to Australia and SE Asia netted 113 new species: 45 during a 6-day pre-cruise trip in Western Australia; 64 more during a 21-day Holland America Cruise from Perth to Singapore via Geraldton, Broome, the Kimberly, Darwin, Dili (East Timor), Komodo, Bali, Sulawesi, and two stops in Java; 2 species in Singapore; and a final 2 more species in adjacent Peninsula Malaysia.  The Western Australia trip was led by Frank O’Connor and organized by my good birding buddy, Barbara Harvey.  From the cruise ship, I was able to book local bird guides, who took us to wonderful habitats where we found many marvelous species.  In Singapore, we were guided by the incomparable Subaraj Rajathuri, who died suddenly and prematurely the following November.  Here are some of the best bird photos and animal photos. 
        • In March-April 2018, a 28-day transatlantic cruise on the Holland America Prinsendam added 28 lifers: 4 in Puerto Rico (Yellow-shouldered Blackbird and Puerto Rican Parrot, Nightjar, and Tanager); 7 in Cape Verde; 2 in Gambia (Western Red-billed Hornbill and White-backed Night Heron); 1 in Senegal (Sudan Golden Sparrow); 9 in the Canary Islands; 4 in Morocco (House Bunting, Moussier’s Redstart, Northern Bald Ibis, and Barolo Shearwater); and 1 off southern Spain (Balearic Shearwater).  A well-photographed Fea’s Petrel was Peter’s milestone 6500th Life Bird.  Shutterfly album can be viewed here.
        • In January 2018, a two-week trip to Phoenix, AZ, and Mazatlan, Mexico, added 13 lifers: 3 in the USA  and 10 in Mexico (Rufous-bellied Chachalaca, Elegant Quail, Aztec Rail, Mexican Woodnymph, Mexican Parrotlet, Spotted Wren, and three wonderful jays—Tufted Jay, Purplish-backed Jay, and Black-throated Magpie-Jay).  While in Phoenix, Elaine and Peter visited Mal and Riet.  Shutterfly album can be viewed here.
        • In October – November 2017, a 37-day trip to the South Pacific added 136 lifers.  The trip started in Honolulu; then we sailed on the Holland America Noordam cruise ship to Auckland, NZ, via Pago Pago, American Samoa; Suva and Lautoka, Fiji; Esau, Lifou, Ile des Pins, and Noumea, New Caledonia; Sydney, Melbourne, Hobart (Bruny Island), Australia; and Milford Sound, Dunedin, Picton, Wellington, Napier, Tauranga, and Auckland, New Zealand.  We finished with three days on North Island of New Zealand.  I added several new families including Kiwi, Kagu, New Zealand Parrots, New Zealand Wrens, and New Zealand Mohouas. In addition, throughout the trip, I was successful in finding and identifying many pelagic species.  Click on the bold-faced, underlined, blue links to see photo albums for each location. Shutterfly album can be viewed here.
        • In March 2017, a 10-day birding trip with WINGS to the Santa Marta Mountains region of Northern Colombia and adjacent coastal plain—via Miami and Barranquilla—added 48 lifers.
        • In February – March 2017, a 21-day cruise on the Holland America Rotterdam to the Eastern Caribbean with stops in Bahamas (Half Moon Cay), Dominican Republic (Amber Cove), Puerto Rico, Tortola (BVI), Sint Maartin, Antigua, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, Grenada, St. Vincent, Bonaire, Aruba, Jamaica, Grand Cayman Island, and Cozumel Island added 40 lifers.
        • In October – November 2016, a 21-day cruise on the Oceania Nautica with Elaine to Mykonos, Patmos, Israel (Caesaria and the southern desert), Egypt (Suez Canal, Sharm-el-Sheikh, Safaga and Luxor), Jordan, the Red Sea, Oman (Salalah and Muscat), & United Arab Emirates (Dubai and a Nature Reserve).  Pre-trip stay in Athens (2 days) and post-trip stay in Dubai (2 days) added 16 lifers.
        • In August 2016, we visited England with our daughter and grandson.  Great fun but no lifers were added.
        • In May 2016, after a brief visit to Lisbon, we made a 5-day stopover in Furnas on Sao Miguel Island in the Azores, where we added 2 lifers (Island Canary and Azores Bullfinch).
        • In April 2016, we visited Slovenia, Croatia, and Serbia—cruising along the Adriatic Coast. No lifers were added.
        • Over New Year’s in January 2016, we cruised the Western Mediterranean.  No lifers were added.
        • In October 2015, a 21-day Field Guides “Safari Brazil” birding trip to Central Brazil: Campo Grande, Pantanal, Emas NP, Belo Horizonte, Serra do Cipo, Caraca, and Canastra (Brazilian Merganser extension) added 46 lifers.
        • In April-May 2015, a 18-day vacation to Ecuador (San Jorge lodges), a cruise on the M/V Eclipse in the Galapagos Islands, and a visit to Machu Picchu, Peru, via Cuzco and Lima added 30 lifers.
        • In January 2015, a 11-day Southern Caribbean cruise added 11 lifers—10 of them on St. Lucia, where we hired a local naturalist guide.  St. Lucia endemics seen included St. Lucia Parrot, Warbler, Black-finch, and Oriole.  The other lifers are Lesser Antillean endemics like White-breasted and Scaly-breasted Thrasher, Antillean Crested Hummingbird, Saltator, and Pewee, and Purple-throated Carib.  Barbados Bullfinch was seen and photographed several times on Barbados. Selected photos can be found here.
        • In October 2014, a Field Guides trip to Northwest Argentina added 88 species including Andean and James’s Flamingo, Rufous-throated Dipper, Red-tailed Comet, Giant and Horned Coot, White-browed and Zimmer’s Tapaculo, Salinas Monjita, Tucuman Parrot and Mountain-Finch, Crested and Sandy Gallito, White-throated Cachalote, Spot-winged Falconet, and several new warbling-finches, brush-finches, sierra-finches, and flycatchers.  Photos can be found here.
        • In May 2014, Peter passed the 6000 threshold by seeing 121 new lifers on a very productive trip with Zoothera Birding to Sichuan, China (see this trip description).  #6000 was a Chinese Gray Shrike.  There were many highlights including Crested Ibis, Black-necked Crane, 13 new pheasants and allies, 3 new woodpeckers, several parrotbills, 8 new tits, Ground Tit, Firethroat, Crested and White-browed Tit-Warbler, Sichuan Jay, Przevalski’s and Snowy-browed nuthatches, Tibetan Lark, Slaty and Pallas’s Bunting, numerous rosefinches and laughingthrushes, 3 new grosbeaks, 2 new snowfinches, 2 new accentors, and many new bush-warblers and leaf-warblers. 
          Click here for a full trip report.  Selected bird photos can be found
          here.
        • In Sep-Oct 2013, a fabulous trip to South Africa (with a visit to Sani Pass, Lesotho) with Birding Africa resulted in 512 species (including 210 lifers) with many South African country and regional endemics.  Highlights include Cape Griffin, Black Harrier, Southern Bald Ibis, Buff-spotted Flufftail (seen—two other flufftails heard only), Damara Tern, Ground Woodpecker, lots of Karoo specialties, many endemic larks and several endemic sunbirds, Knysna and Livingstone Turacos, Cape and Gurney’s Sugarbirds, Cape and Drakensburg Rockjumpers, Woodward’s and Pririt Batis, Green-backed and Pink-sided Twinspot, and Barratt’s, Knysna, Victorin’s, and Namaqua Warblers—all hard to see skulkers.  Click here to see the list of species seen on the trip (one record per species per country) and click here for a full trip report.  Photos of many of the South African birds, mammals and scenery can be found here.
        • In August 2013, he picked up 17 “armchair” species with the latest Clements updates including Iberian Magpie, Japanese and Cinereous Tit, Blue-headed Bee-eater, and Bismarck Crow along with several South American and Southeast Asian splits.  Click here to see my current eBird “Top 100” ranking. Click here (and change the number of records per page to 100) to see my ABA ranking—much lower because not every ABA lister enters sightings into eBird and, even if they do, they have not necessarily had time to enter all their sightings records yet into eBird, so their totals on eBird are lower than they are on the ABA Listing Central site (e.g., #1 Peter Kaestner).
        • In February 2013, a fabulous and comprehensive tour of Ghana with Birdquest (Nik Borrow, guide) delivered 217 new species (13 heard only) including such mega-specialities as White-necked Rockfowl, Egyptian Plover, Congo Serpent Eagle, Hartlaub’s Duck, Nkulengu Rail, Forbes’s Plover, Standard-winged Nightjar, Rosy and Black Bee-eater, Yellow-throated and Thick-billed Cuckoo, five spectacular turacos, and many new hornbills, sunbirds, greenbuls, and weavers.  Click here for the whole trip report.  For photos of birds, click here; for mammals, click here.
        • In August 2012, the latest Clements update added 14 “armchair” species including splits of House Sparrow, Common Stonechat, Golden Whistler,
          Little Spiderhunter, and a number of Philippine species newly split from their south Asian congeners.
        • In September 2011, a great tour with Field Guides to Manaus and the Brazilian Amazon resulted in 108 new species including
          Harpy Eagle, Orange-breasted Falcon, many Guianan Shield endemics, and lots of localized ant-“things”.  Click here for the whole trip report.
        • In August 2011, the latest Clements update added 13 “armchair” species including Common Gallinule, Snowy Plover, and
          a number of Philippine species newly split from their south Asian congeners.
        • In July 2011, a wonderful tour with Colombia Birding to the East, Central, and Western Andes resulted in 123 new species including many
          Colombian endemics: parrots, hummingbirds, tanagers, and more.  Click here for the whole trip report.
        • In November 2009, a cruise in French Polynesia (Tahiti, Raiatea, Rangiroa, Huahine, Bora Bora, and Moorea) yielded 12 new species including Tahiti Petrel, Kingfisher, Monarch, Swiftlet, and Reed-Warbler; Kermadec Petrel, Christmas Shearwater, Blue Noddy,
          Gray-backed Tern, Gray-green Fruit-Dove, Blue Lorikeet, and Bristle-thighed Curlew.  Click here for the whole trip report.
        • In July 2009, he added 47 species as a result of a 15-day birding trip with Legacy Tours to Southern Mexico. 
          Life birds included White-bellied Chachalaca, Great Curassow, Double-striped Thick-knee, Tuxtla Quail-Dove, Pacific Parakeet, Pacific Screech Owl, Blue-capped, Azure-throated, and Wine-throated Hummingbirds, Slender Sheartail, Tody and Blue-throated Motmot, Rufous-breasted Spinetail, Yellow-bellied Tyrannulet, Belted Flycatcher, Gray-collared Becard, Black-capped Swallow,
          Giant, Nava’s, Rufous-browed, and Sumichrast’s Wren, Blue-and-white Mockingbird, Slate-colored Solitaire, Rufous-collared Robin,
          Aztec Thrush, Azure-hooded, Black-throated, Dwarf, and Unicolored Jay, Slaty and Dwarf Video, Green Shrike-Vireo, Hooded Yellowthroat, Pink-headed Warbler, Red-headed Tanager, Ruddy-breasted and Blue Seedeater, White-throated Towhee, Bridled,
          Cinnamon-tailed (Sumichrast’s), and Oaxaca Sparrow, Rose-bellied (Rosita’s) Bunting, and Bar-winged Oriole. 
          Click here for the whole trip report.
        • In January 2009, he added 16 species as a result of a 6-day birding get-away to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico.  Life birds included Ocellated Turkey, Ruddy Crake, Gray-headed Dove, Yucatan Poorwill, Yucatan Nightjar, Wedge-tailed Sabrewing, White-bellied Emerald, Mexican Sheartail, Tawny-winged and Ruddy Woodcreeper, Stub-tailed Spadebill, Yucatan Wren, Gray-throated Chat,
          Yellow-winged Tanager, Green-backed Sparrow and Blue Bunting.  Click here for the whole trip report.
        • His home yard list from July 1975 to February 2002 is available (click here).

You may select from the following to see a sampling of his photos and to download his trip reports. Not all the sets of photos are available--these are marked with an asterisk. The trip reports are in HTML format and may be printed after viewing.

Alaska 2007 Photos

2007 Alaska Trip Report

Argentina 1989 Photos*

Argentina Report covering trips in 1989 & 2003

Argentina 2003 Photos

2003 Argentina Trip Report

Australia Photos

Australia Report covering trips in 1986 & 1999

Brazil Photos

1989 Brazil Trip Report

Brazil (Northeast) Photos

2000 Northeast Brazil Trip Report

Brazil (Southeast) Photos

2003 Southeast Brazil Trip Report

Brazil (Rio Negro Paradise) Photos

2011 Brazil (Rio Negro Paradise) Trip Report

Chile 2003 Photos

2003 Chile Trip Report

Colombia 2011 Photos

2011 Colombia Trip Report

Costa Rica Photos

Costa Rica Report covering trips in 1997 & 1998

Dominican Republic 2007 Photos

2007 Dominican Republic Report

Ecuador Photos

1995 Ecuador Trip Report

East Falkland Island Photos

2003 East Falkland Island Trip Report

French Polynesia Photos

2009 French Polynesia including Pacific Princess Cruise

Ghana 2013 Photos

2013 Ghana Trip Report

Greece Photos

Greece Report covering trips in 1990, 2000, & 2008

Hong Kong and South China Photos

1994 Hong Kong and South China Trip Report

India Photos

1988 India Trip Report

India Birds & Animals

(<==Requires IE6 to correctly handle XML/XSL files)

Japan Photos

1990 Japan Trip Report

Kenya Photos

1991 Kenya Trip Report

Madagascar Photos

1998 Madagascar Trip Report

Malaysia and Borneo Photos

1997 Malaysia and Borneo Trip Report

Mexico Photos

Mexico Report covering trips in 1995 & 1998

Mexico 2007 Photos*

Mexico 2007: Acapulco to Mexico City

Mexico (Yucatan) 2009 Photos

Mexico 2009: Yucatan Peninsula

Mexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz) 2009 Photos

Mexico 2009: Southern Mexico (Oaxaca, Chiapas, Veracruz)

New Zealand Photos

1986 New Zealand Trip Report

Papua New Guinea Photos

1999 Papua New Guinea Trip Report

Philippines Photos

2001 Philippines Trip Report

Peru (Central & Northern Images)

2002 Central & Northern Peru Trip Report (combined)

Peru (Central Images Only)

2002 Central Peru Trip Report Only

Video of Solitary Eagle in flight

Birding the Lima Coast and Central Highway (Narrative)

Peru (Northern Images Only)

2002 Northern Peru Trip Report Only

Southeast Peru (Slideshow)

2008 SE Peru (Manu Biosphere) Trip Report

Singapore Photos

2001 Singapore Trip Report

South Africa/Lesotho Photos

2013 South Africa/Lesotho Trip Report

Southern Oceans Pelagic Photos

Southern Cone Photos*

2003 Southern Cone Trip Report

Spain Photos

Spain Report covering trips in 1993 & 1996

Thailand 2006 Photos

2006 Thailand Trip Report

Trinidad & Tobago Photos

1995 Trinidad & Tobago Trip Report

Uruguay 2003 Photos*

2003 Uruguay Trip Report

Western Caribbean 2005 Photos*

2005 Western Caribbean Trip Report