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The return of the Old Man

10,000 Birds

According to Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World , a handsome volume written by James Hancock, James Kushan and Philip Kohl and published by Academic Press in 1992, Geronticus eremita “once nested in the mountains of central Europe, across northern Africa and into the Middle East. But this range is now much reduced.

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Uganda’s Billion Dollar Bird: The Shoebill

10,000 Birds

Central Africa has one of those birds. That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Of course, we did, soaking in that slate blue beauty long enough to observe a successful hunt and more of its rangy, awkward flight. Penguins are, obviously, penguins, which makes them awesome.

Uganda 251
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Definitively the Egyptians!

10,000 Birds

Hence, I was quite surprised with a brave, almost exciting paper by Brown, Forbes and Symes: “Recent history of the Egyptian Vulture in Southern Africa” (Vulture News, 2000). During my lifetime, this species was rare in my native Serbia, too. However, these birds used to live in my country and I still wanted to see them closer to home.

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The Crocodile Safari (Botswana)

10,000 Birds

What happens when you put a naturalist in a kayak, adrift in Africa? I have read canoeing articles from Africa and knew that the Nile Crocodile ( Crocodilus niloticus ) pays no attention to the boat and, in theory, as long as I’m inside I’m safe. nubicoides ) using them as a high viewpoint to hunt dragonflies. Oh, my big mouth!

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Tribes and Birds of the Lower Omo Valley by Adam Riley

10,000 Birds

Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa).

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Birding Botswana’s Borders

10,000 Birds

Along with the tiny pygmy geese there is Africa’s largest duck, the Spur-winged Goose , and perched high on dead branches above the river were White-breasted Cormorants (a subspecies of the Great Cormorant according to some), Reed Cormorants and African Darters. Hippo and attending Cattle Egret. Yellow-billed Stork.

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I and the Bird: What is a Vulture?

10,000 Birds

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. Here’s the kicker though.