This migratory bird, first recorded in 1585, spends the winter in tropical Africa and nests in hollow trees or in walls, feeds on ants and their larvae but also on different insects and berries. One of the smallest Picidae species it is about 17cm (6.7in) in length. When excited it uses its neck in snake-wise […]
Conservation ecologists know no boundaries
Sorry for the recent slow rate of new posts. I am very busy with fieldwork and have little time to blog. Anyway, in recent days we worked both in Alentejo and in an adjacent section of Extremadura, near Olivenza. It is interesting to witness conservation issues in different colours and flavours. I can’t wait to […]
Results of the Best Photo of the Week Ended 29 Apr 2017
We are delighted to announce the results of our latest photo competition. Kath Aggiss wins First Prize for her brilliant capture “Yipeeee!”. Kerry Singleton is awarded Second Prize for her outstanding image “Long Tailed Weasel”. Third Prize goes to Bob Shepardson with “Right Cross”. See detailed results below: (click on thumbnails for full scale […]
Brrrrrrrr! But a Lesser Yellowlegs
What a frigid morning! But if we were cold, the birds seemed even colder. We had something of a fall-out at Park Point—I’m sure our numbers for most of the songbirds are way lower than the actual numbers. We had a couple of Lesser Yellowlegs (the most we saw as a group was one, but […]
Blackcap Singing
Blackcaps are quite stocky birds, about the size of house sparrows. They are mainly light grey-brown in colour with the male having a neat black cap on its head, while the female’s cap is chestnut-brown. In summer, recently fledged young also have a chestnut-brown cap, with young males gaining their black cap by late autumn. […]
Slimbridge Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust – 22nd April
We had a weekend at the cottage in the Cotswolds planned but there was to be little time for birding – I need brownie points for an up coming trip! Still, I managed to convince Sarah that a trip to Slimbridge might be nice and she duly arranged to meet with her sister so that […]
Black-crowned Tchagra at the bottom of Raydah Escarpment – Abha
Whilst birding the bottom of the Raydah Escarpment in late March I came across a Black-crowned Tchagra. This was a new species for me in Saudi Arabia and one I was surprised I had not seen before. The bird was at the bottom of the Raydah Escarpment an area known to attract several African species […]