The Saltee Islands, St. George’s Channel consisting of the Great and Little Saltee, are situated approximately 5 kilometers off the coast of Kilmore Quay Co.Wexford. The larger island Great Saltee is the most famous bird sanctuary in Ireland and is very popular with both day-trippers and birdwatchers alike. These Islands are privately owned and are […]
Author: Ken Billington
Ken, a scientist by training held various management positions in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries during his professional career, enabling him to travel extensively throughout Europe, the Americas, North Africa, Asia and Japan.
Ken has always been a keen photographer and bought his first telephoto lens 10 years ago. This was the beginning of his interest in bird photography.
Since then he has also become an active supporter of birding and wildlife conservation.
Please help to stop the illegal killing of birds
Over 800,000 birds were trapped and killed illegally on a British military base in Cyprus last autumn, according to the latest research by the RSPB and BirdLife Cyprus. The songbirds are illegally trapped to provide the main ingredient for the local and expensive delicacy of ambelopoulia (grilled, pickled or boiled songbirds), illegally served to restaurant […]
Israel leads the way using Barn Owls and Kestrels to replace Rodenticides
In 2013 a male Barn Owl, with two females and 17 nestlings that fledged, out of the 20 eggs that were laid in an abandoned waterhole on the Judean Plain. As far as we know, this is the first documented case in Israel and perhaps in the world. The breeding cycle and the photographs were […]
If you care about birds, add your name to the list today
There are now only 24 days to the start of the “Champions of the Flyway” race, the biggest birding event of the year. The Focusing on Wildlife “Sprinters” – Marc Guyt, Gert Ottens, Martijn Verdoes and Ken Billington (myself) – will line up in Eilat Israel together with other crack birding teams with a common […]
Review of the Canon EOS 70D camera body
With temperatures around freezing point, blue skies and frost on the ground, I got down to the Rhine Delta in Austria just as the sun was rising this morning. A perfect opportunity to try out my new Canon EOS 70D camera body. All of the above shots were taken hand-held using a Canon EF 400mm […]
Help Document “Vulnerable” Bird Species for your Country
Of the 9,934 extant bird species in the world 2,193 (22%) are threatened with extinction and are priorities for urgent conservation (Reference: 2012 IUCN Red List). In the “Vulnerable” category 727 species face a high risk of extinction in the wild. Loss of habitat is one of the biggest causes, but there is also an […]
Help Document the World’s 389 “Endangered” Bird Species
Of the 9,934 extant bird species in the world 2,193 (22%) are threatened with extinction and are priorities for urgent conservation (Reference: 2012 IUCN Red List). In the “Endangered” category 389 species face a very high risk of extinction in the wild. Loss of habitat is one of the biggest causes, but there is also […]
Sea-Kayaking with Wildlife around the Fastnet Rock
Conditions were ideal for sea-kayaking and wildlife photography on the west coast of Ireland early this morning – flat sea, not a breath of wind and sun burning off the early morning mist. Departing at 06:00 am from Schull Harbour in West Cork, Joff, Hugh and Nick kayaked 7 miles to the Fastnet Rock. Following […]