Whilst birding the An Namas area north of Abha in the Asir Mountains in the summer I came across a pair of Arabian Warblers. The Arabian Warbler is a locally common breeding resident in bushy areas of the Hejaz and Asir mountains occurring in the eastern desert fringes as well as on the temperate summits. […]
I love my new camera
A few days ago I said goodbye to my old Canon 7D mk1. My followers know how much I have been complaining about it in recent months – it certainly took me far too much time to scrap it and get a new camera. I contemplated making a big move to a mirrorless Olympus system, […]
Lesser Egyptian Jerboa – Judah
The worldwide distribution of extant jerboa species is extensive throughout the arid and desert regions of North Africa and Central Asia. The Lesser Egyptian Jerboa Jaculus jaculus however, is found in North Africa, throughout the Arabian Peninsula, and as far north as Southwestern Iran. Although several species of jerboas have been designated as vulnerable or […]
Oddball Critters
We may not be the people’s choice But we oddball critters are awesome Will you be our voice?
Icelandic Visitors
It had been many weeks since I had visited the Pilling area of Lancs. I made a couple of trips to the area recently to catch up on the birdlife. As expected a number of pink footed geese and whooper swans had arrived from their Icelandic breeding grounds. The Pilling area is a traditional winter […]
Birding An Namas
An Namas is an area north of Tanoumah in the Asir Mountain chain. It is the northerly most point where Asir (Arabian) Magpie can currently be found and is a good birding location. Whilst birding a small valley there I found a lot of good birds including Ruppells Weaver, Violet-backed Starling, Crested Lark, Gambaga Flycatcher, […]
Extinction: Top Three Countries
Going back thousands of years, humans seem to have always carried an innate belief that their lives are more important than animals. Given that an animal cannot articulate and communicate its thoughts (though there are humans that struggle with this also), it has always been very easy to capture, kill, eat or display our fellow […]
Hunter and Hunted – Judah
Whilst searching for scorpions we found a very small Black-sting Scorpion or possibly a Deathstalker in the ultraviolet torchlight. When we got closer a spider was in attendance and it became clear the scorpion was entangled in the spider’s web and was in fact already dead. It appears the spider had killed the scorpion or […]