10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2021

One in November 2018 included a one-day birding trip in the Drakensberg area, a mountain range in the border area between South Africa and Lesotho. In fact, this is probably a species that has substantially expanded its original range through the pet shop route and the resulting escapees. Nice not to be a kid, too. On the ground?

South Africa 264

South Africa Africa Lesotho Nigeria 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2022

St Lucia is a small town on the Southeastern coast of South Africa. As this African Green Pigeon shows, the color should offer good camouflage for species living on trees. In case you do not know that brimstone is sulfur, the Brimstone Canary brings the point home by having the Latin species name sulphurata. It shares St.

South Africa 263

South Africa Africa Saint Lucia Camels 263

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2015

Under that impossibly blue sky of Africa. There were no garden ponds, fountains or any other water sources there and to this day I have no clue what a wagtail was doing there (I also know that it raised an eyebrow in suspicion of my ID, but there are no other similar species around). I did use the word “Africa” too many times.

Africa 250

Africa Botswana Europe Birds 250

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Photos courtesy of Mosetlha Bush Camp A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg.

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South Africa Africa Game Elephants 277

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2022

But for now, I still have the hornbills I saw in South Africa a few years ago. It is a relatively small hornbill, and not very shy – some photos below were taken on the campgrounds of Kruger Park, which more or less seem to be the species’ natural habitat by now. I’ll always have Paris”, I guess.

South Africa 246

South Africa Africa Seals China 246

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

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!

Tanzania 250

Tanzania Africa Stud Leopards 250

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

And so, I went on the American Birding Association Safari to South Africa. That was easily fixed by adding a post-Safari trip to Eastern South Africa, led by dashing Rockjumper guide Clayton Burne, to my itinerary. I was not on one of those lucky groups, but I did get to see a Secretarybird on my Eastern South Africa trip.)

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South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 255

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2021

This time we travel to Africa, or to narrow it further, to the Afrotropical region (since the north of the continent avifaunally belongs to the Palearctic). Geographic patterns of species richness for birds (1,558 species) in East Africa at 0.25° resolution (blue indicates low species richness, while brown indicates high species richness).

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Africa Kenya Tanzania Uganda 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2017

Starting in the mid-1990s, there was a “where to watch birds in…” series of five site guides written by Nigel Wheatley and covering South America (1994), Africa (1995), Asia (1996), Europe & Russia (2000) and Central America & the Caribbean (2001). Species accounts for all 2,792 bird species. Well, I have to agree.

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Africa Botswana Nigeria Namibia 228

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2016

and dreaming of a place where the heat is moderate, beer snake-cold and birds innumerable… Let’s say, where the average annual maximum varies from 22 to 24 degrees Celsius / 72 to 75 Fahrenheit and where some 700+ bird species – 24 of them endemic – are waiting for an intrepid birder… Answer to the riddle?

Africa 186

Africa Uganda Gorillas Rwanda 186

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2023

That is why I am so pleased to see the new “Gulls of Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East: An Identification Guide” being illustrated with nearly 1400 colour photographs of the 45 species of gulls found in the Western Palearctic. Detailed range maps with a textual range description for each species are included.

Europe 264

Europe Africa Greece Groups 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2012

The family has representatives throughout the forests North America, Eurasia (including North Africa), and Indomalaya. In North America, we have, traditionally at least, four species, the most familiar of which is the White-breasted Nuthatch ( Sitta carolinensis ). In 2007, Garth M. What should we call them?

Species 269

Species North America Nevada 2007 269

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2015

The history of Tembe Elephant Park in South Africa is a slightly unusual one. It is a good place for South African birders, as several species are found here and nowhere else in South Africa, and it holds a small number of endemics that it shares with the Mozambique lowlands.

South Africa 187

South Africa Elephants Africa Lions 187

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2019

The Species per Square Mile Approach. While Colombia may have almost 2000 bird species, it is a huge country with, still, complicated long-distance travel logistics. On the other hand, small countries with relatively long bird lists offer higher species densities per square mile. And why 1000?

Gambia 246

Gambia Equatorial Guinea Species Rwanda 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

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. And I think he was speaking only of our American Kitties not the Wildcat of Africa. They are invasive species. But they don’t live in North America.

Feral Cats 257

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 257

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2016

While much of East Africa is deforested, Uganda retains its trees, particularly in places like Bwindi Inpenetrable and Kibale National Parks, two of the largest and most important expanses of forest in the region. In the relatively brief period, my group had something on the order of 450 species. I, personally, had around 430.

Uganda 219

Uganda Africa Squirrels Tanzania 219

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2014

Although there is a small wild population in the northern reaches of nearby Uganda, Rose-ringed Parakeets would have been a vagrant for German East Africa (now known as Tanzania) at the time. Their original home is Northeast Africa, The Middle East, India and Myanmar. Nonetheless, this week will be chock full of invasive species.

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Species Myanmar Tanzania Uganda 173

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2015

For a long time it was treated as a subspecies of the ubiquitous Black Kite, a species of scavenging bird of prey much hated by my grandfather (they used to steal food from troops during the war, if memory serves). A valuable lesson in looking twice at the ubiquitous species. Birds kites South Africa'

South Africa 160

South Africa Africa Botswana Wolves 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2024

What is your favorite bird species? This is a real hard one, but I would have to say the stunning Pel’s Fishing Owl as this was my Spark bird-it’s the bird that got me into birding. Also, a firm favorite is the prehistoric-looking Shoebill from Uganda. Pel’s Fishing Owl What is your name, and where do you live?

Uganda 246

Uganda Africa Fish Owls 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2018

After a very long day of 7 hours of driving, 11 hours flying and then 9 hours more driving, we have arrived at our temporary home here in South Africa. Daily park fees are such that we opted for the annual “Wild Card” that is good not only for Kruger, but nearly every park in South Africa. This pass cost us $3850.00

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South Africa Africa Rhinos Mongoose 168

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

I did that with Peacocks & Picathartes – Reflections on Africa’s birdlife (published by Penguin Random House South Africa ). In case you didn’t know, yes, there is an indigenous peacock living in Africa, the Congo Peafowl. He has authored several other books and many articles, largely on natural history.

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Congo Africa Madagascar Kenya 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

Quite a few bird species have crests. Their main use is to display – either to communicate with other members of the species or to scare other species, as a raised crest makes the bird appear larger. In fact, crests occur in at least 20 of the 30 orders of extant birds, and in all major groups of passerines.

South Africa 246

South Africa China Germany Africa 246

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

My home country of South Africa can only be described as a birding paradise! Originally considered monotypic, two species are now recognized. Drakensberg (or Orange-breasted) Rockjumper is a Drakensberg Mountain species whose range is shared with the tiny landlocked kingdom of Lesotho. the Rockjumpers.

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South Africa Lesotho Swaziland Africa 258

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2022

Ndumo Game Reserve lies in the Easternmost part of South Africa, close to the border of Mozambique and Eswatini. It is not particularly big but has a reported 430 bird species including migrants, though during my short stay it seems I missed most of the key attractions among them. Pel’s Fishing Owl, where were you? UysI and G.

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa Birds Fish 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2021

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.

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Kenya South Africa Africa Penguins 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

I’ve not made spectacular progress writing up my trip to Africa earlier this year, so perhaps I should get on that. So instead let’s talk about South Africa’s best kept birding secret (at least outside of the country) Wakkerstroom. It was also weirdly good for quail, of sorts.

South Africa 145

South Africa Africa Falcons Family 145

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. 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. Which leaves only East Africa. And it shows.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

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.

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Rhinoceros Buffalo Leopards Elephants 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2024

The clean plumage and scaly pattern on the back are diagnostic Already in the Strait of Gibraltar, to the south, the Black Kites Milvus migrans , are leaving south for Africa. Black Kites heading south for Africa What do birds do during the dry summer? Other species are tied down. These are the Iberian populations.

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Africa Spain Europe Breeding 289

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2012

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.

Namibia 272

Namibia Angola Lovebirds South Africa 272

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Central Africa has one of those birds. That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Uganda may offer a chance at x% of the world’s bird species—birds we fully intended on tracking down—but the Shoebill surpasses them all in importance. Nothing on Earth quite resembles the Shoebill.

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Uganda Africa Penguins 2019 299

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2024

There are 154 species of cuckoos in the world, and they’re all a fascinating bunch. It’s not a species you are likely to overlook, either, as it is extremely noisy, its cackling call carrying great distances. I wonder whether birds that breed in Europe ever meet up with those nest in southern Africa?

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Cyprus Africa Europe Asia 246

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2023

The Purple-crested Turaco is the national bird of Eswatini, which given that this country is the last absolute monarchy in Africa and the country with the world’s highest HIV prevalence is probably not much of an honor. The White-eared Barbet is another bird species with an annoyingly sensible Latin species name, leucotis (white-eared).

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa 2018 Birds 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2011

I must be home-sick because last weekend I found myself browsing through my “SASOL Birds of Southern Africa&#. This ruled out some excellent species like Cape Eagle Owl, Violet Wood-hoopoe, African Finfoot and Half-collared Kingfisher and I was still left with 36 species. So I decided to impose a few rules.

South Africa 257

South Africa Africa Swaziland Parrots 257

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2021

A typical description of the family is that of “a tropical African and Asian songbird that typically has a melodious voice and drab plumage”, another is “small, dull-colored passerine birds of Asia and Africa”, yet another states that they are “often rather plain” Individual species get even harsher reviews.

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South Africa Malaysia Africa China 278

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

Or would be, had I encountered more of them – so far, I have seen only a very small share of the approximately 233 woodpecker species, and got decent photos of an even smaller number – not much more than 10% of all of them. It is the most widespread woodpecker in Africa, claims the HBW.

Woodpeckers 264

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

Parrots are among the most threatened of all birds – of the 202 parrot species of the Old World and Africa, only a bit more than half (54%) are listed as Least Concern. Furthermore, Indonesia is the country with the highest priority for parrot conservation given the number of species and threats there.

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Parrots Indonesia Africa Groups 246