I lead a tour group from the the US Audubon Naturalist Society in April to southern Spain. We had a great time apart from the awful windy weather. The famous Levante wind just would not stop for almost the whole eight days. We did however have a great time, saw lots of birds and other […]
Ixobrychus minutus – Ardeidae – It is the smallest ardeidae weighing between 60 and 150g. Lives in bedreeds and highly vegetated shores. If it is still listed LC (minor concern) in the status of UICN preservation, it is in severe decline in Europe due to the reduction of the swampy areas: the national population in […]
All hunting with hounds on National Trust land could be banned in an unprecedented vote this autumn. Trail hunting – in which hounds and riders follow a scent that was laid earlier – is still allowed on trust estates but has long been regarded by animal rights campaigners as a means of circumventing the hunting […]
The vulture’s hide at Giant’s Castle is a raptor hide first and foremost. The setting on the edge of a middleberg ridge is spectacular. Placing the bones for the raptors, mainly for the Bearded Vultures, supplements their natural food sources which is diminishing due to loss of habitat and is the main purpose of the […]
South Africa, home to the largest population of rhinos left on earth, could step up as a conservation leader in protecting these unique creatures. Instead, the country is hosting the first-ever online auction of rhino horns, which will take place this week. Thousands of rhinos have been ruthlessly killed by poachers to meet the demand […]
A silverback gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) acknowledges my presence by taking a long look at me…. Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda. With Wilderness Safaris and Bisate Lodge.
The death toll at SeaWorld continues to grow with the loss of another orca who battled chronic health issues. But it isn’t the whale’s death that’s the real tragedy — it’s the life she was forced to live. SeaWorld made the announcement that Kasatka, the park’s matriarch, was euthanized in San Diego this week. According […]
While we titled this post after the beautiful Pink-backed Pelican that we spotted in Amboseli National Park, I could not take my eyes of the majestic Tusker that we saw non-chalantly grazing by the roadside in knee-deep swamp. Hence we made it the feature image (first image) of this post. The Pink-backed Pelican (below) of […]
It’s a tableau reminiscent of First World War entrenchments, a narrow strip of land with North Korean and South Korean soldiers, tanks, and barbed wire lining each side. Said strip is about four kilometers across and 250 kilometers long, and neatly cuts the Korean Peninsula in two. It was formed in peace talks after the […]
I visited Phil’s Fields three times in July 2017 and saw a lot of good birds in the area. Some of the birds seen were summer visitors from Africa and others specialities of the southwest of the Kingdom. The area is a set of three large pivot irrigation fields and surrounding trees edging the fields […]
On August 7, footage surfaced in international media of brown bears “besieging” a Romanian village. The clip shows the animals scavenging for food in trash bins, walking through the town, and running past bewildered pedestrians. Unfortunately, images like these can invoke fear among the public and play very well into the hands of those who […]
This Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus) gives us an indication of his truly remarkable size by standing upright on a nearby ice floe. Somewhere above the Arctic Circle, Svalbard.
Disturbing new undercover footage of a zoo in Canada exposes heartbreaking abuses. The footage has spurred outrage and has led to calls for change. The video, which was released by Animal Justice, was taken at the Papanack Zoo in Ontario by a whistleblower who worked there. It brought to light a number of heartbreaking issues […]
