Travel
Birding Botswana: Episode One of Nikon’s Birding Adventures
Botswana is a land chock-full of wildlife and birds. On this episode James Currie heads to Chitabe Camp on the edge of the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta. While looking for his Golden Bird, the Wattled Crane, James tracks leopards and witnesses a remarkable phenomenon whilst watching some lions.
Birds of Botswana: Nikon’s Birding Adventures Series Now on the Air!
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!
Chillaxing at The Isrotel Yam Surf Hotel near the Red Sea
The Eilat Birding Festival was hosted at the Isrotel Yam Surf Hotel, just across the street from the Red Sea, which hosts a World Class diving center. On my eighth day of travel, I took a much needed day of rest and spent some time poolside on the “Bedouin tents” located on the deck.
My Israel Bird List
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 [...]
Redemption: “X” Marks the Spot of My First Barbary Falcon
In yesterday’s My Biggest Dip: The Barbary Falcon, I only told you HALF the truth. Dipping on the falcon that day was a major disappointment (one of my own doing!) but our guide Itai Shanni managed to get us on breeding pair on Sunday, our last morning of desert birding. And “X” marks the spot where I saw my first Barbary Falcon, a nemesis averted, a treasure in the rock, and one last jewel in a precious strand of Middle Eastern birds.
My Biggest Dip, The Barbary Falcon
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?
Birding In and Around Eilat – An Overview
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.
Epic Israel: There and Back Again
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.
Bird Key to Birds of Israel film
(minute mark, species name) 0:07 – Common Buzzard 0:10 - Honey buzzard- arrives at mid April 0:17 - Short toed Snake Eagle – summer visitor 0:20 – Short-toed Snake Eagle 0:24 - Eurasian Kestrel 0:28 – Black-winged Kite 0:33 - Spotted Eagle wintering at Hula valley 0:40 - Tristam’s Starling female 0:42 – Tristam’s Starling 0:43 – Nubian ibex and [...]
Echoes from The Land of Botswana
An exciting series of trip reports with stunning imagery have started to dribble out from Birding Adventures’ destination shoot in Botswana.
Experiencing Peak Spring Bird Migration in Southern Israel
Who wants to come with me to southern Isreal to witness the spring migration of millions of birds as they travel along the magnificent migration funnel of the Red Sea? I will be attending the Eilat Birding Festival from March 25 – April 1 and will gladly stow a few of you in my travel bag.
