The major influx of Pied Kingfishers into eastern Arabia this winter has resulted in at last four Pied Kingfishers wintering at Sabkhat Al Fasl. These birds have taken up residence in a couple of different locations with birds being seen at the two sites each visit in 2016. The birds are extremely beautiful and are […]
Shooting lobby calls for five-year moratorium on duck hunting rules
The shooting lobby has called for a five-year moratorium on new duck hunting restrictions in Victoria, saying it would allow regulators to study the impact of hunting on duck and other waterfowl populations. The RSPCA has described the suggestion as “unbelievable” given the wealth of data, collected by the University of NSW annual aerial bird […]
Video: Tense Standoff With a Male Elephant in Mating Mode
“About 97 percent of all the elephants were killed, and the ones that are left don’t like us very well,” says National Geographic filmmaker Bob Poole, referring to the elephants who live in Gorongosa National Park, a population that was heavily hunted by soldiers during Mozambique’s civil war. During the 15-year war, elephants in Gorongosa […]
Video: Let’s Not Force Eagles to Fight Rogue Drones
Watching a giant eagle streak out of the sky to capture a rogue drone is undeniably cool. A story has been sweeping the Internet about how the Dutch National Police are training eagles to be a new avian air force that will protect us from evil flying robots. The idea that eagles could be turned […]
Wintering Masked Shrike and other good birds – Deffi Park, Jubail
Phil and I went to Deffi Park, a large municipal park in Jubail. The park is an area of mature trees and nice grass areas but is popular with locals during the day. As a result we always arrive just before first light and look around and have found a few good birds over the […]
POLL: Should “pay to slay” auctions be banned?
The world’s largest trophy hunting club was on the defensive at its giant annual auction in Las Vegas as animal rights advocates and conservation experts traveled from across the globe to condemn the industry that killed Cecil, one of Africa’s most famous lions. The Safari Club International on Wednesday kicked off its elaborate four-day convention […]
Greater Spotted Eagles – Sabkhat Al Fasl
A small group of 22 Common Shelduck were seen on the flooded sabkha area of Sabkhat Al Fasl in January, the first birds recorded there this winter for me although Phil saw some a few weeks before. This species occurs here every winter in small numbers although over 300 were seen one winter. In the […]
POLL: Should bison be culled in Yellowstone National Park?
Yellowstone National Park’s annual culling of the last wild herd of bison, or buffalo, in the United States has been controversial since it began in 2000, and now it has prompted a First Amendment battle between National Park Service officials and reporters determined to document the grim spectacle. The U.S. National Park Service originally proposed […]