10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

Over a decade since I was last there, I am finally heading back to Africa late this year. As has been the case every time I’ve been to Africa before, I won’t be there just for play. My third trip was six months spend working on a monkey project in the jungles of Uganda. The emptiness of the Namib Desert impresses.

Uganda 161

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 161

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There are the endemics, which are odd in their own way, and then there introduced species, which are so varied in their type and origin that you get the feeling you’ve arrived at the aftermath of a small zoo that escaped. What is surprising is quite how many species did end up here, and how economically unimportant they were.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Ethiopia , a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. The Abyssinian Empire was the only African nation to survive what is now known as the Scramble for Africa, and was never colonized (it did endure 6 brutal years under Fascist Italian occupation).

Ethiopia 269

Ethiopia Eritrea Africa Mammals 269

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 243

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Game 243

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

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.

California Condor 182

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 182

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2013

Geladas are the sole survivors of a once abundant branch of primates that historically foraged across the grasslands of Africa, the Mediterranean and India. A harem system would indicate that the males gather and forcibly retain the affections of their females, as is the case with the savanna baboon species, but not with Geladas.

Ethiopia 160

Ethiopia Primates Mammals Fur 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2011

Originally from Scotland, Mark has lived and worked in continental Europe and North Africa before settling in Australia’s “Red Centre&# to work for the Northern Territory Parks Service. In Chile I got the best view of an Andean Condor of the entire trip while having a cheeky poo under a monkey puzzle pine on the side of a volcano.

Chile 194

Chile Australia Monkeys 2008 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2020

Knowing that there are reserves with long lists of 600 or more species, I set my threshold at more than 600 birds… and found only a few such hotspots. In early November 2020, there were 15 countries with more than 1000 species eBirded so far. Other than that, there are barely a few hotspots with over 500 species.

Asia 272

Asia Malaysia Papua New Guinea Thailand 272

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2013

A Long-tailed Sylph, one of the America’s many long tailed hummingbird species, photographed in Colombia by Adam Riley. A Great Argus in full call, this species’ tail consists of the longest feather in the bird world. Africa’s impressive Long-tailed Widowbird by Adam Riley. Widowbirds. Sugarbirds.

Papua New Guinea 240

Papua New Guinea South Africa Africa Zimbabwe 240

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2023

Although work distracts him regularly from the observation of birds, he has managed to see a great many species regardless. He passively supports BirdLife in the Netherlands and South Africa and actively in Portugal as treasurer of SPEA – Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves.

Uganda 225

Uganda Netherlands Monkeys Portugal 225

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2022

Lango Camp deck overlooking Lango Baï, by Congo Conservation Company The forests of the Congo Basin contain more than a 1,000 species of birds, together with 400 species of mammals, including Okapi, Hippos, Leopards, Chimpanzees and Bonobos. Other primates include Chimpanzee and Putty-nosed Monkey, several duiker antelope species, etc.

Central African Republic 291

Central African Republic Congo Gabon Gorillas 291

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2019

Forget the old news, Rwanda of today is one of Africa’s safest, cleanest and most stable countries. Slightly larger than Wales and about the size of the US state of Maryland, this country’s lure is its 703 bird species and three dozen Albertine Rift endemics among them. This man is driven, but he gets the birds…”.

Rwanda 209

Rwanda Primates Wildlife Gorillas 209

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! We also knew we had discovered Africa’s next hot birding destination.

Ghana 193

Ghana Hunters Gambia Guinea 193

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2012

Chocolate-backed Kingfisher , sometimes seen from the canopy walkway Woodland Kingfisher – A very common species, but always a pleasure! Ghana has recorded around 725 different species of bird of which around 490 are thought to be resident. Truly fantastic.

Ghana 176

Ghana Guinea Birds Eagles 176