10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2019

Matt was working on his own US Big Year, and wanted to join me for the hunt. South Africa Total: 219. Murray Hunt – Daintree River Guide Caines, Australia – Boatman@daintreerivertours.com.au. Nick Coetzee – South Africa. Phumula Kruger Lodge – info@ phumulakruger.co.za, South Africa.

Costa Rica 142

Costa Rica Tucson South Africa Bahamas 142

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2020

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!

Botswana 207

Botswana Africa 2001 Fish 207

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2012

A former wildlife wrangler, Currie also hosts, Nikon’s Birding Adventures TV , the first bird-watching travel show in the US. James Currie is a native of South Africa; he has led wildlife and bird-watching tours for more than 15 years. The new hour-long show delves into the Sonoran Desert to track Harris’s Hawks.

South Africa 278

South Africa Madagascar Wolves Lions 278

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

So, it sometimes comes to South Africa to relax and enjoy relative anonymity. Interestingly, the HBW gives different contact calls depending on the country in which the flycatcher lives: “Contact call a simple ‘zeet, zwayt’ (South Africa), ‘ti-twit tee-twit’ (Gabon), ‘zi’zk’zk’ (Tanzania).”

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2012

Found patchily in sub-Saharan Africa, this large, ginger-colored owl can never be guaranteed on a trip to the continent. It is classified as threatened in South Africa – where its numbers have dwindled due to loss of habitat and pollution – and is uncommon and localized elsewhere. Consider their name for a moment.

Owls 258

Owls Fish Botswana Barn Owls 258

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Later, Harry Fuller, President of the Klamath Bird Observatory, led us to an open meadow where we saw a pair of Great Gray Owls hunting in a meadow. Duncan is currently enjoying South Africa but he got his BBOTY in before he left: As of today I have no idea what birds I will see in December in South Africa.

2014 202

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 202

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

It’s six weeks to the day till I go to Africa, and of late conversations about the subject have taken a reliable and predictable detour. ” I’ll sometimes add “It’s in West Africa, I’ll be in South Africa. “Aren’t I worried about Ebola?” This lake is close to the cave.

Humane 164

Humane Animal Africa Ukraine 164

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2015

The White-backed Vulture is the most common species of vulture in Africa, although these days they are, like most vultures, globally endangered. The populations remain stable in Ethiopia, Tanzania and southern Africa, but have collapsed in West Africa and have declined in other parts as well. Word spreads.

Africa 175

Africa Feral Ethiopia Tanzania 175

Critter News

JUNE 28, 2010

Cameron Selogie, owner of the Il Vinaio restaurant in Mesa, served burgers made with African lion this week as a nod to the tournament in South Africa. I was led to believe they were not hunted, they were not shot, they were not abused," Selogie said. "I Reservations sold out, with a waiting list 100 long.

Phoenix 100

Phoenix Lions Meat South Africa 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2015

Early starts are the rule when monitoring endagered species in Mkuze Game Reserve, in South Africa, but there’s a particular urgency to this morning’s start. It’s 3:30 AM when the night’s relative tranquility is shattered by the ancient Landranger’s engine roaring to life.

Wolves 194

Wolves Lions Dogs Vet 194

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2011

This is not a surprise as both pastimes tap into my primeval desire to hunt. I don’t need to kill something to feel the rush of the hunt. The stuff we get in South Africa or the UK. I enjoy fishing almost as much as I enjoy birding. Although for some, it is buried deeper than others. But I digress.

Ecuador 150

Ecuador South Africa United States Hunting 150

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. Carmine bee-eaters occur throughout most of Subsaharan Africa, and many populations migrate widely post breeding.

Africa 266

Africa South Africa Gabon Uganda 266

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

I had seen Thick-Knees in South Africa, but I was very excited to see this species, which is the only member of its family found in Central America. Though common, it is not easily seen because of its cryptic coloring and the fact that it stands still for most of the day.

Honduras 259

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 259

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2012

The first was Lewis Binford, who noted, correctly, that if you look at actual animal bones from actual archaeological sites, you could not objectively see clear evidence that would distinguish hunting from scavenging, and if you compared these “food remains” to hyena food remains, they looked roughly the same. Hyena crazy.

Humane 165

Humane Lions Buffalo Hunting 165

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

What a way to sum up what is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest birding sites and certainly my favorite in southern Africa. The Mountain Pipit is one of Africa’s least known birds, appearing annually in the Sani Pass environs every summer and pretty much disappearing in winter. Image by Adam Riley.

Lesotho 183

Lesotho Africa Birds Rats 183

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

Despite filling very similar garbage disposal related niches, the vultures in North America and the vultures in Eurasia/Africa are really not that closely related. Large, hulking, and menacing, the Old World Vultures , who reach their greatest diversity in sub-Saharan Africa, had a reputation, maybe undeserved, for viciousness.

California Condor 196

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 196

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2011

Here in New Zealand te only potential big tick would be a lost vagrant painted snipe, and we’ve already established that I don’t enjoy that kind of vagrant hunting. I’m fairly sure the only family I’m missing in Europe is the Wallcreeper (Tichodromadidae), assuming you don’t lump it with the nuthatches.

Family 165

Family Wombats Uganda Fiji 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

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).

Ethiopia 251

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 251

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2024

If you see a flock of kestrels in southern Europe, then the chances are that they will be Lessers, for the Common Kestrel never flocks, though occasionally in summer you will see a family hunting together. I have fond memories of watching flocks feeding on the open veld in South Africa, where thousands spend the winter.

Falcons 218

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 218

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

All the inhabited continents except Africa have experienced bird extinctions; however the 2012 update of the IUCN Red List shows a startling, but not altogether unexpected, trend in that more and more of our bird species are facing extinction. Around 3,000 birds summered and bred at Birecik in the 1930’s but this declined to only 400 by 1982.

Endangered Species 206

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 206

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

This makes it a particularly exciting time in New Zealand as the Rugby World Cup begins in two days, and the competition is being held right here in New Zealand (I would imagine they might be more excited if they hadn’t just lost two matches to Australia and South Africa, their big rivals in the Tri-Nations).

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

Pafuri lies in the northernmost part of the Kruger National Park and is described as “some of the most potentially productive birding territory in South Africa” on the SANParks website. For example, this study showed that Malachite Kingfishers spent more time hunting in locations with more fish. ” (HBW).

Elephants 147

Elephants Birds Congo Africa 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2012

However South Africa doesn’t meet either of these criteria, but one special factor nevertheless carries it into this auspicious list of 17 nations – the Cape Florisitic Kingdom. The Southern Double-collared Sunbird is a common denizen of the West Coast of South Africa where-ever flowering plants abound.

South Africa 249

South Africa Africa New Zealand Asia 249

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

With a trip to South Africa on the horizon at the time, I thought I could handle it. The two-page spread, shown above, gives a history of the species interaction with humans (fortunately, it does not taste good so it is not actively hunted) and documents records for each of the four areas covered by the guide.

Brunei 182

Brunei Birds Asia China 182

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

I’ll never forget my introduction to the mammals of Kruger National Park, South Africa. We –participants of the ABA South Africa Safari—were on a small plane when one Lori Conrad looked out the window and screamed, “There are elephants down there!” and everyone ran to Lori’s side of the plane. Believe me, I tried.

Rhinos 249

Rhinos Mammals Animal White Rhinos 249

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

They are also hunted. People and organizations in Nepal, Zambia, and South Africa have sought to change cultural attitudes, having the most success with school children. They roost and hunt, at night (mostly) when we can’t see them. I’m wondering if the subject of this book itself presented a challenge.

Owls 231

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 231

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2012

Growing up in South Africa, I fell in love with our two representatives of this genus, the Pearl-spotted Owlet and the Barred Owlet. And, like the Pearl-spotted Owlet of Africa, this species often hunts in the middle of the day. A nice Ferruginous Pygmy Owl showing its rufous tail.

Owls 162

Owls Texas Arizona Pigs 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

The bulk of my lifers were on a trip to India in October/November but all the birds were surpassed by watching and photographing a Snow Leopard hunting and killing a Blue Sheep , so none of them are real contenders for BBOTY. The bird in question is one of the world’s most beautiful, rarest and least known seabirds, Barau’s Petrel.

2013 168

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 168

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

I was in contact with a group of birders for whom I arranged and guided an annual tour to Africa. We already had South Africa, Zambia and Uganda under our belts, but my clients’ request for the next year came right out of the blue: Ghana! During each trip we would discuss a destination for the following year.

Ghana 204

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 204

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

They occur in three biogeographic regions; the Neotropic, Afrotropic and Indo-Malaya ecozones, basically tropical South and Central America, Africa south of the Sahara and tropical Asia. The diminutive Tinkerbirds are Africa’s smallest barbets, depicted here is Red-fronted Tinkerbird photographed at Lalibela, Ethiopia.

Ethiopia 244

Ethiopia Tanzania Africa Uganda 244

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Strangely, the Latin name of the Hair-crested Drongo is Dicrurus hottentottus – Hottentot is a name previously given to the Khoikhoi, a nomad pastoral people of Namibia and South Africa, far away from where this drongo lives. I wish there was a way to give some guns to Hen Harriers so that they could shoot back.

Birds 230

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 230