An early May visit to Little Estero Lagoon south of Fort Myers Beach was very rewarding with a walk of the beach beginning at the Wyndham Garden Hotel. The north lagoon was active with wading birds like I had never seen before at this location. There was a feeding frenzy underway the likes of which […]
Category: Wildlife
POLL: Should wild bird markets in Indonesia be closed down?
Thirteen species of Indonesian birds, including the country’s symbolic Javan hawk-eagle, are at serious risk of extinction mainly due to the pet trade, a wildlife watchdog warned Wednesday. The vast Indonesian archipelago is home to a dizzying array of birds and keeping them as pets has long been part of the national culture, with birdcages […]
Delight at the Dog Den
Last year, my wife and I had an incredible privilege. We witnessed the moment a massive litter of 17 highly endangered African Wild Dog (Painted Dog) puppies came out of their den for the very first time. We were in the Lowveld on a family holiday, and got the chance to head out with Grant […]
Arctic foxes ‘grow’ their own gardens
The underground homes, often a century old, are topped with gardens exploding with lush dune grass, diamond leaf willows, and yellow wildflowers – a flash of color in an otherwise gray landscape. “They’re bright green and everything around them is just brown,” says Brian Person, a wildlife biologist for the North Slope Borough in Barrow, Alaska. “It pops.” He’s talking about arctic fox dens. Person has […]
Tree Swallows
Tree swallows spend most of their day flying in pursuit of small aerial insects, gliding swiftly through the air and twisting and turning artistically as their blue feathers flash in the sunlight. This haiku written in 1818 by Issa, one of Japan’s foremost poets, recognizes the aerial exploits of swallow-kind: Gliding through the cloudburst so […]
POLL: Should the rhino horn trade in South Africa be banned?
South Africa’s supreme court has dismissed a government bid to uphold a seven-year ban on the domestic trade in rhino horn, an industry group said this week. The decision has no bearing on a ban on international trade in rhino horn. Potential domestic buyers could include those who see rhino horn as a store of […]
Pennington Marsh – 13th May
Another morning at Pennington Marshes was needed and I was on site by 06:00. It was remarkably cold for this late in the year with a north-easterly wind blowing and so I set off with fleece and gloves. Birding Efford lagoon it was apparent that the Swift, Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin were struggling […]
Pizzly or grolar bear: hybrid species is result of climate change
Climate change is known for swelling the oceans and fueling extreme weather, but it may be also causing the curious emergence of a new type of bear in the Arctic. A bear shot in the frigid expanse of northern Canada is believed to be a grizzly-polar bear hybrid, a consequence of the increasing interactions between […]