In February, Nikon’s Birding Adventures traveled to Botswana to film four episodes on the birds of Botswana. In these episodes, you’ll be treated to amazing footage of Africa at is wild best, including an intimate view of the famed Okavanga Delta, a watery oasis where the crew managed to film one of the largest and rarest owls, the Pel’s Fishing Owl. The first of the 4-part series airs TODAY, MONDAY APRIL 23rd, at 10.00 am EST on NBC SportsNetwork. Please tune in – you don’t want to miss this series!

Below is my Isreal bird list. I observed a total of 131 birds during the week, including 117 life birds. Being this was my first hard-core birding experience across the pond, my ratio of life birds/birds seen was remarkably high.   The official Festival Checklist numbered at about 230 species, which means I missed plenty. There were [...]

Eight bad-ass birders from Britain, Germany, Israel, and the U.S. squeezed into a tight van and made haste for a deep canyon in the Judean desert, planning a first stop at an agricultural field that regularly shows Nubian Nightjars – a species that hangs on with only 6-10 remaining pairs. What was your Biggest Dip?

The appeal of birding Israel is that it lies at the heart of one of the world’s largest migration routes that stretches from the Rift Valley in Africa all the way through the Israel’s Arava Valley, onwards to Europe and Asia. Twice a year, hundreds of millions of birds pass through the region on their way to and from their Eurasian breeding grounds. The vast majority of birds (70%) stop for a brief refueling session and continue the journey, others remain to breed or overwinter.

Each leaves a brushstroke of insight onto an unfinished canvas, bringing me a step closer to a coveted but unattainable state of being. What that is, I can’t say with any precision. But it’s as if my life’s work is to assemble a three-dimensional masterpiece of insight and knowledge, one that I can step into at any time, touch and feel and turn around in, and one I can connect with on many levels. And when too much time passes between these states of attainment, I become restless and wanting, feeling as though life and opportunity is being squandered. Then, I know it’s time to lift off and explore worlds unknown.