Another spot I don’t usually visit is Reikyu Park in Shimabara City. Although at first glance this seems like a good birding area, it is usually pretty quiet. But now is Cherry Blossom time, so plenty of birds are visiting to feed on the flowers, and this congregation attracts other birds as well. Today I […]
The Limpkin (Aramus guarauna) is a tropical wading bird with Florida being the northern limit of it’s traditional range. Hunted to near extinction in the early 20th century, the Limpkin has made a remarkable comeback. These photos were taken in a fresh water canal in my “very suburban” neighborhood. I believe these birds are a […]
The Downy Woodpecker, picoides pubescens and the Red-bellied Woodpecker, Melanerpes carolinus are featured in my last installment of ‘A Bestiary’ over at Native Plants and Wildlife Gardens. Downy Woodpeckers are friends to farmers and gardeners in that they enjoy dining on apple borers, tent caterpillars and more unwelcome insects. These smaller woodpeckers are often seen […]
Earlier this month I visited a protected area north of Kuwait City and Mutla Ridge and was pleasantly surprised by the numbers of Spring migrants in and around the Acacia Trees as well as the indigenous plants with yellow flowers spread out across the desert. There were 5 species of Wheatear, but the most prevalent […]
Yesterday morning I visited Daijyugarami for the first time this year. A little early for the rarer migrant waders, but there were plenty of Grey Plover, Red-necked Stint, Dunlin, Kentish Plover and Greater Sand Plover. There were also quite a few Black-faced Spoonbill slowly coming into breeding plumage, along with a sprinkling of Far Easter […]
A few weeks ago I took a ride up to the California/Oregon border to visit the Klamath Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex. You can read my posts on two of these refuges over at the Wildlife Conservation Stamp website. This state wildlife area is just south of the town of Klamath Falls, Oregon, and is […]
The Great Bustard (Otis tarda) is one of the largest and most spectacular European birds. Mature males can attain a wingspan of 2,4 meters and a weight of 18 kg, and are among the world’s heaviest flying birds; only its African relative the Kori Bustard and the Mute Swan can dispute that title. Females are […]
Our newly arrived Red-Rumped Swallows start the task of nest building, feeding as the go. Black-eared Wheatears have been arriving with the lovely male photographed on the 15th. With a backdrop of the Grazalema mountain range Greater Flamingoes create a pink hue across the landscape as they move into feed at Venta La Palma on […]