My connection with Ghana began rather unexpectedly (and as it turned out, rather humorously) more than ten years ago. I was in contact with a group of birders for whom I arranged and guided an annual tour to Africa. During each trip we would discuss a destination for the following year. We already had South […]
Author: Adam Riley
Adam Riley was raised in a rural region of South Africa and is qualified as a Chartered Accountant. He is the founder of Rockjumper Birding Tours, ORYX Worldwide Photographic Safaris, ORYX Worldwide Wildlife Safaris and Tau Anthropological Safaris. Adam leads tours to numerous countries ranging from Colombia to Egypt and Angola to Papua New Guinea. He is one of Africa’s most experienced birders, having seen over 2,000 species on the continent as well as 7,000 species worldwide.
Tribes and birds of the Lower Omo Valley by Adam Riley
Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). These 15 endemics and nearly 40 near-endemics (many […]
Snow Leopard hunt by Adam Riley (INDRI Ultimate Wildlife Tours)
It was our third day in high elevation Hemis National Park, we had awakened before dawn and chugged down a mug of life-giving coffee before ascending a few hundred yards to a knoll above our tented camp in the Rhumbak Valley. At this very spot, on our first afternoon in the park, and within half […]
The Hummingbirds of Folha Seca
Tucked away inside a rare remnant patch of Brazil’s critically threatened Atlantic rainforests is a slice of paradise called Folha Seca (meaning “dry leaf”). Here Mr Jonas Dabronzo, as kind and intelligent a gentleman as you would ever wish to meet, owns a secluded home that has become a Mecca for hummingbirds and a myriad […]
The Leeudril Leopard – an Incredible Encounter
Leeudril is a waterhole situated along the dry Nossob river in the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park. This 15,000sqmi Kalahari desert reserve straddles the South African and Botswana border regions and was created when two national parks were merged – these being South Africa’s Kalahari Gemsbok National Park and Botswana’s Gemsbok National Park. Kgalagadi means “place of […]
Komodo and its Dragons
‘Komodo‘ is a familiar word to most people and almost everyone has heard of the infamous Komodo Dragons, yet few people seem to know much about Komodo Island itself and the stories behind its most famous inhabitants. This arid 390km² island is one of the smaller islands making up an Indonesian chain known as the […]
The Russian Far East – exploration of a new frontier by Adam Riley
It has been said that our generation lives at the optimal time of the world’s history for birding and wildlife watching. Although vast parts of our natural heritage have been destroyed over the recent few centuries (sadly most rapidly during the last few decades), enough still exists that almost all species may still be encountered. […]
The Dassie Rat – an unique rodent
The Dassie Rat (Petromus typicus) is endemic to the Southwest Arid Zone of Africa. Their range encompasses northwestern South Africa (Northern Cape Province), central and western Namibia and southwestern Angola. These cute, squirrel-like, long tailed rodents occur regularly and sometimes commonly in rocky areas within this vast swathe of desert and semi-desert land. What makes […]