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René Rossouw, I live in Nelspruit, South Africa. North-eastern South Africa including the Kruger National Park and the Western Cape How long have you been a bird guide? Expect to see many of South Africa’s endemic and special species, and a total trip list well in excess of 400 species! What is your favorite bird species?
Nowhere else in Africa do the preconceived ideas of the continent really exist in such living detail; tall, red-robed Maasai herding their skinny cattle, endless grasslands studded with flat-topped Acacia trees and grazed by herds of zebras and wildebeest, and dramatic volcanic calderas brimming with big game and fierce predators!
When you mention “Africa” to a birder, it is likely that at least two thirds will instantly think “Kenya”, and for a good reason: it is home to over 1,060 bird species and boasts many globally important birding areas. She has been active in conservation, working for the East Africa Natural History Society.
Central Africa has one of those birds. The Shoebill serves as the symbol of the magnificent wildlifeexperiences Uganda offers visitors, which may seem a bit odd. Having finally seen this iconic species, I can assure you that the experience wildly exceeds expectations. Nothing on Earth quite resembles the Shoebill.
In the days leading up to the Expo we’ve been touring the small East African nation, primarily visiting the big national parks in the south and west of the country looking for birds and other amazing wildlife. The diversity of habitats in this country that is approximately the size of Oregon is particularly notable.
I live in the southeast of Europe, for a while lived in the south of Africa and also have extensively birded western and central India. And I remembered that, back when I was a boy, I wanted to live in eastern Africa. Which leaves only East Africa. Some regions are politically unstable, e.g. most of Central and Western Africa.
This spurred her to pursue a career in environmental education and wildlife nature tourism as a park ranger in Texas and as the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail Coordinator with Florida Fish and Wildlife. It is an extremely popular fundraising project with an almost cult-like following. Salvin’s Prion.
An expanse of habitat as vast as Murchison Falls NP in Uganda, as excessively generous in beauty and biodiversity, permits endless ways to experience both its birds and animals. The 5,000 sq km of exquisite savanna and bush may hew more closely to your ideal vision of Africa than any other spot on the continent.
What this land-locked country lacks in endemic birds it more than makes up for in accessibility of tough species, numbers of birds and the overall wildlifeexperience. We are currently filming in Botswana.
If you are into amazing avian-dense trail experiences, you either want to bird Pipeline Road or want to bird it again. But this type of singular experience can be enjoyed in the Old World as well. Africa boasts its own legendary birding road: Uganda’s Budongo Forest Reserve AKA the Royal Mile. Red-chested Cuckoo.
Before self-rule it was administered by South Africa and known as South-West Africa. After a brutal colonization that included genocidal campaigns against the Herero (80% killed) and Nama (50% killed) tribes, the Germans lost control when South Africa invaded soon after the declaration of the First World War.
I’m sure you’ve all heard of Africa’s famous Big Five , but do you know there is also an equally fascinating Little Five ? Africa is famous for its large, charismatic mammals, and the Big Five epitomize the most sought-after of these fantastic beasts. This blog post will discuss both the Big and Little members of these quintuplets.
Growing up within an hour of one of the world’s premier shorebird destinations -- West Coast National Park in South Africa -- helped for sure. What events transpire miles away that make a certain destination attractive to birds and wildlife in one way or another? For me, there’s a few things that drive this fascination.
Collins Birds of the World is “ a must for the travelling birder ,” as the BBC Wildlife Magazine reviewer has put it. My response was to start looking for some portable guide to take with me into the field, and that need was fulfilled by the Birds of Southern Africa illustrated checklist by Ber van Perlo, published by HarperCollins.
In fact Punta Cana is a shining example of how large hotels can conduct their operations in a sustainable manner whilst contributing significantly to the preservation of birds, wildlife and habitats. Fish & Wildlife comes in response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity. The proposal from U.S.
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. Volunteering provides a very different experience to tourism though. Conservation Africa Offbeat Birding volunteering'
Great wildlife preserves, reserves and parks exist for a number of reasons. Madikwe , in South Africa, wasn’t a site of importance before it came into existence. Having been to some other parks in Africa, it’s an improvement. Black-backed Jackals are awesome and smaller than you’d think.
Anderson River Park Never Disappoints Barbados The Other Antigua About the Author James A life-long birder and native of South Africa, James Currie has many years experience in the birding and wildlife tourism arenas. Fish & Wildlife comes in response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity.
I birded savannas of Southern Africa, I birded India and Central America, and I always missed having a local mammal guide with me. Most mammal guides aimed at wildlife watchers (and not scientists) tend to cover small and cryptic species as a group only, not going to a species level. Yet, those bird guides are hefty.
By age 2 she could identify over 10 species of birds in our Johannesburg, South Africa, yard by call alone. Publications like Ranger Rick and National Geographic Kids can also satisfy their curiosity through their kid-friendly articles on birds and wildlife. My 8-year old daughter got interested in birds from a VERY early stage.
Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences. We saw a smaller member of the potoo family, Northern Potoo , Nyctibius jamaicensis , at Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, boating and birding the Salado River.
It’s like finding the crown jewel of wildlife sightings. When you think “Alaska wildlife,” the Bald Eagle probably flies right into your mind. Conservation efforts are crucial to ensure that future generations get to experience the awe of seeing these incredible eagles soaring through the skies. Body Length: 27.5
Nat Geo Wild is airing an amazing show tonight called Shark Attack Experiment: LIVE! will also have the opportunity to connect and tune in to Shark Attack Experiment LIVE online at natgeotv.com and via social media. I for one can’t wait to see what the results of the experiments will be! Will you be tuning in?
The majority of wildcats live today in Africa, and virtually none of them have provided the DNA from which supposed histories of domestication have been constructed by researchers. I new him because we enlisted his Dryfus Lion and one of his tigers to carry out experiments with bones (this is something archaeologists do).
Islands, for various reasons, experience more extinctions than continents (with Africa being the only continent not suffering a bird extinction!). However the rewards are certainly worthwhile and it’s a special experience to know that you are one of a handful of birders to have had the privilege of seeing this bird alive!
Herbert is Managing Director of Bird Uganda Safaris, LTD and his company offers a variety of birding and wildlife tours of the most naturally resplendent regions of Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda. Black-chested snake Eagle with a snake at Matheniko Wildlife Reserve Eastern Uganda. Shoebill at Mabamba Swamp.
–especially when reviewing books like A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia or Far from Land: The Mysterious Lives of Seabirds. He draws on his personal experiences to inform the history, geography, and especially the travel option sections. in organic chemistry), and an adventurer, photographer, and naturalist.
Birding has been an all-consuming interest for Patrick Cardwell since boyhood days spent in a wildlife-rich environment. In this epic post, Patrick depicts just how dynamic the pelagic birding is off Cape Point in South Africa.
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).
All twitchers will experience it at some stage or another. And I’ll start with mine, although it literally pains to recall… It was 2003 and a Common Redstart was reported from the Nossob Rest Camp in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park in northern South Africa. That most dreaded of disappointments.
I birded Uganda, which was my first time on the continent of Africa. I always wanted to see a bright red male and my long wait was over this December when I managed to connect with one at San Joaquin Marsh and Wildlife Sanctuary. This last year of the twenty-teens was a monumental birding year for me. Number 3 – Sage Thrasher.
Hornbills are spectacular under any circumstances, but when a pair lands in a bush beside you at eye-level and begin mutual preening , it makes for a spectacular experience. My fiance and I drove nearly two hours to the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in rural Indiana to watch them come in for the evening. I chose the owl.
National Geographic’s “Digital Nomad”, Andrew Evans, is on a trans-Atlantic journey from South America’s Cape Horn to Africa’s Cape of Good Hope. Along his journey (as with most of his adventures) he stops to hang with local animals, and to share his experience in his blog.
They were still listed as Endangered, but wildlife management measures taken in this park were clearly working. Hence, the experiment was created: a plot was fenced off to keep the animals away and now willow saplings did survive being submerged for half a year. And they both graze grass and browse younger branches and saplings.
Geladas are the sole survivors of a once abundant branch of primates that historically foraged across the grasslands of Africa, the Mediterranean and India. We were able to spend hours sitting right in amongst super-groups of 500-600 Geladas that just carried on with their daily business in total oblivion to our presence. Photo by Adam Riley.
Ringer Anhinga and Darters (Anhingidae) The Anhinga and three darter species inhabit warm, freshwater regions of the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Australasia. The experience also inspired my column this month at 10,000 Birds, so check that out when you’re done: Meet Suliformes, one of the newest orders of birds.) [.]
The book is produced by WILDGuides, Ltd, the excellent book company responsible for over a dozen photographic guides on Britain’s natural life ranging from dragonflies to plant galls as well as books on Africa, Australia and other areas we all want to visit, and was published this summer by Princeton University Press.
Veraguan Mango by Carlos Bethancourt Although the Neotropical region supports fewer bird families than Africa, there are considerably more bird species here than anywhere else on earth. Fish & Wildlife comes in response to a lawsuit brought by the Center for Biological Diversity. Hope you have a great trip there in July!
The Common Swift , Apus apus , is the most widespread of all the world’s 114 swift species, breeding throughout much of Europe and far into Asia, and wintering in sub-Saharan Africa May is the quietest month, as the returning birds soon get down to the urgent business of breeding. Swift boxes erected on an old mill on a Suffolk farm.
The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY. 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. Carlos’s BBOTY – the Nicobar Pigeon. I also blogged about that dreamy day.
This bird spent the 2011-2012 winter at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in northern California, migrated someplace exotic and distant in February, and returned to the same pond at the beginning of this month. It was a heart-pounding scene straight out of Jurassic Park, an odd experience for a laid-back pursuit like birding.
Adam will be leading 10,000 Birds readers on an amazing odyssey into Africa starting… now! To the uninitiated, Africa conjures up images of underdevelopment, poverty and hardship. I was fortunate to have been born and raised in Africa, and although I have traveled extensively around the world, it remains my home and in my blood.
I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. I’m wondering as I write if you are shaking your head, uneasy that all these FACTS will interfere with your love of observing owls, an experience that easily borders on the mystical for some of us. But what do we know beyond these commonly seen and heard behaviors?
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