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. An African Penguins strolls along Boulders Beach, Simonstown, South Africa.

Endangered Species 220

Endangered Species Species Morocco South Africa 220

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

FEBRUARY 15, 2017

Many countries have private reserves and concessions, run for tourism or hunting, that provide outstanding wildlife watching opportunities. The reserve, in the eastern corner of Botswana near Zimbabwe and South Africa, isn’t open to the public in general, so I figured I’d share a few images here by way of showing off.

Zimbabwe 101

Zimbabwe Botswana South Africa Endangered Species 101

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 Costa Rica Birds India 168

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2012

In fact, this sub-species was formerly classified as endangered in the US under the Endangered Species Act. Growing up in South Africa, I fell in love with our two representatives of this genus, the Pearl-spotted Owlet and the Barred Owlet. A nice Ferruginous Pygmy Owl showing its rufous tail.

Owls 174

Owls Texas Arizona Pigs 174

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 215

Ghana Hunters Gambia Guinea 215