We went to look for Eurasian Griffon Vultures at the lookout point in Alheefah Park and were rewarded with a female Crested Honey Buzzard that flew along the escarpment before disappearing. The species has only been seen five times previously in the summer in the Kingdom but this record being mid-may could be a late […]
Tag: Griffon Vulture
![The Levante winds of Spring - Spain 2017 The Levante winds of Spring – Spain 2017](https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/wp-content/uploads/20211128-104506.jpg)
The Levante winds of Spring – Spain 2017
I lead a tour group from the the US Audubon Naturalist Society in April to southern Spain. We had a great time apart from the awful windy weather. The famous Levante wind just would not stop for almost the whole eight days. We did however have a great time, saw lots of birds and other […]
![Vautours fauves - Gyps fulvus Vautours fauves – Gyps fulvus](https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/wp-content/uploads/OIS-Vautour-D7200G-0162_160927.jpg)
Vautours fauves – Gyps fulvus
Griffon vultures – Vautours fauves – Gyps fulvus – Accipitriformes – Accipitridae In hide for stags, I am sitting on the ground against one of the 2 rocks in the field and literally hidden by a few grass stalks; the camera fixed on the tripod 40 cm above the ground and the camouflage net over […]
![Raydah Escarpment – Abha Raydah Escarpment – Abha](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xOP_da7bVhs/V2P-tTYZi9I/AAAAAAAAYtM/mlhrsM1h67EeYZwX_xMVcs-lD9Y6VFXgACLcB/s1600/African_Stonechat.jpg)
Raydah Escarpment – Abha
Whilst in Abha I went to the Raydah Escarpment a designated nature reserve run by the Saudi Wildlife Authority (SWA). This is a well-vegetated section of escarpment dropping down steeply from the top near the ranger’s station to a small village and a large wadi at the bottom. Most of the endemics occur in the […]
![Highlights from this year's Spring Tour on The Strait of Gibraltar - April 2015 Highlights from this year’s Spring Tour on The Strait of Gibraltar – April 2015](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9BqFf44jVCc/VUd8YUcX4eI/AAAAAAAAolQ/ACMstmvX8QM/s1600/Short-toed-Eagle-juv-low-on-migration-Spain_w_7386.jpg)
Highlights from this year’s Spring Tour on The Strait of Gibraltar – April 2015
Here’s a quick photo summary of some of the birds we watched down in Andalucia on one of my spring birdwatching tours. Each spring we offer such small tour group holidays to go out in the field and see what bird species are arriving from Africa. The close proximity of the two continents makes this […]
![Pick on someone your own size! Pick on someone your own size!](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-1BBMk1b8UbA/VRPkMEBuOiI/AAAAAAAABxM/4saaM4qIuro/s1600/IMG_9104.jpg)
Pick on someone your own size!
Whilst on a short Safari recently in Samburu National Reserve, Kenya with Nature’s Wonderland Safaris, we came across a watering pool with White-headed and Rüppell’s Vultures along with Steppe Eagles. There was a mound that was a good vantage point for one of the Steppe Eagles. However a Rüppell’s Vulture had other ideas and thought […]
![Melanistic Montagu's Harrier and other Raptors Melanistic Montagu’s Harrier and other Raptors](https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Montagus-Harrier-melanistic-La-Janda-Spain_3000.jpg)
Melanistic Montagu’s Harrier and other Raptors
Here are some of the raptor photos we managed to see with my Swiss group from Arcatour last week. The wind direction swung around to give us moderate to strong Levante (easterlies) for five days and only died down on our last two days. Still, knowing what the migrating raptors do and where they will […]
![Rüppell's Vulture Sightings in Europe Rüppell’s Vulture Sightings in Europe](https://focusingonwildlife.com/news/wp-content/uploads/20211128-114201.jpg)
Rüppell’s Vulture Sightings in Europe
After watching a huge flock of Griffon Vultures circling over the evergreen cork-oak canopy of the vast Alcornocales Parque Natural we eventually saw many birds descend down to the ground and out of sight. We could hear their hissing and squabbling and immediately knew that the birds were feeding at an animal carcass of some […]