10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. The Crested Serpent Eagle is another species bound to suffer from a naming error in perpetuity. A worrying trend.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

There’s a Sloth Bear in tall, dry grass, barely 50 metres from us, but all we can see is a dark, shape-shifting shadow that eventually becomes all but invisible. At the far end of the lake stands a tall, dry tree with an eagle that we are struggling to determine and it remains a dark silhouette far too far. The Telia Lake.

Tigers 238

Tigers India Killing 2012 238

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2016

It’s the boar hunting season. The WBW remained elusive like a bear (for me at least – a month ago, Georgos met a mother with two cubs, took a few photos, then dropped down and played dead). By the cliffs we find several Eurasian Crag-Martins and a consolation species – a family of Golden Eagles in the air!

Greece 248

Greece Woodpeckers Boars Eagles 248

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2021

So, while I am lucky enough to live with my wife and family near the village of Mapleton, in the Blackall Ranges, first join me for a little journey to part of the coast. We were also lucky enough to see a beautiful pair of Sacred Kingfishers hunting along the coastal edge. One is pictured below.

Australia 246

Australia North America Cooking Fish 246

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2014

This is not to say, however, that birders on holiday are, should they choose to travel with family, friends or other assorted loved ones, resigned to seeing nothing, or even nothing except the common stuff. I was thus able to pick an off-the-shelf ecotourism route and, having selected a company, customise it to my family’s needs.

Birds 180

Birds Bats Elephants Family 180