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
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 […]
Appeal to all birders and wildlife enthusiasts: add your name to the list in solidarity
With only 20 days left before the start of the “Champions of the Flyway” race, the countdown to the biggest birding event of the year has begun. Our blog’s team “The Dutch Knights” – Marc Guyt, Gert Ottens and Martijn Verdoes – will line up in Eilat Israel together with other crack birding teams with […]
Poll: Should the illegal trapping of birds in Cyprus be stopped?
At roughly 250 km long by 100 km wide, Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and is used as a crucial stopover site by migrating birds during their sea crossings. The volume of migration there is actually quite incredible with millions of songbirds, waterfowl and birds of prey passing through twice a year. With such […]
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 […]