Monarch butterflies are leaving Mexico, flying north, reversing their migration from last fall. Bright orange, mosaic clouds are moving towards Texas with females drifting down to lay eggs along milkweed corridors . . . thus fulfilling their destiny. They along with the males will have lived around eight months, which is a pretty long life […]
Tracking lizard habitat
For the majority of wild species trying to make it in the city (or even in the suburbs), human travel corridors pose an enormous existential threat. This is particularly true for reptiles and amphibians. I suspect nearly everyone, at some point in their driving career, has come face-to-face with this fact while watching and often […]
Avian Punks Go for Broke
Two rebellious songbirds full of nervous energy, unlikely hybrids of wind and delirium, avian punks go for broke without brakes, a knockout with no chance to catch a breath.
Birds of Ecuador on the Eastern Slopes
Part 06/8 of Glenn Bartley’s month-long trip around Ecuador. Our final stop on the regular portion of the tour was a little bit further down the eastern slope. Here we were in for a real treat (and what was my favourite bird from the trip) the Black-banded Owl (see below). We also got great photo […]
UAE Spring migration begins !
In recent weeks the spring migration has started in the UAE. So far an exceptional spring for Wheatears, with large numbers of Isabelline and Pied Wheatears moving through, certainly many more than in recent years. In with these species we have also recorded Northern Wheatear, Eastern Black-eared Wheatear and the occasional vittata sub-species of the […]
Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis) by Fabiola Forns
Dawn begins to break as the sun rises slowly on the horizon and a female Snail Kite shakes her feathers briskly as she prepares to begin her day. Her two-toned feathers have the luster of youth and her pose is proud. Her keen eyes scan the horizon and she bobs her head as she gets […]
A family of the Philippines’ biggest owl
This year is probably the best year for the Philippine Eagle-Owl. The year started with a sighting of a family of Philippine Eagle-Owls right in busy Manila, with the mother and father eagle-owl guarding a immature roosting in a planters box (check out Birding Adventure Philippines‘ Trinket Canlas blogpost about this encounter here). Several of […]
New area for over-wintering White-spotted Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica cyanecula)
Whilst ringing at Alba Marshes, Bahrain, on Friday 2nd March 2012, with Brendan Kavenagh and Nicole Proven, we caught a male White-spotted Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica cyanecula) which is a scarce passage migrant to the region, unlike the Red-spotted Bluethroat (Luscinia svecica svecica) which winters in good numbers. The White-spotted Bluethroat breeds locally in central & […]