For me, the thought of pelagic birding evokes a sense of excitement that quickly takes over. The mystery behind the vast blue seas and its endangered birdlife bring a happy thought when there is an opportunity to go and experience it. The word ‘Pelagic’ is derived from Greek, meaning “open seas,” and that...

With a bit of free time on hand, I decided to visit some familiar and new birding areas in South Africa. The trip started in Cape Town and ended in Durban. Western South Africa The first day of the trip took me along the West Coast, on the N7 – known as the Diamond Route; it was developed by De Beers as a way...

The tiny Central American nation of Costa Rica has, since the revolution in the mid-1950s, been gearing itself heavily towards tourism, and has developed a superb infrastructure to service numerous visitors from all over the globe, catering to a variety of interests. If you want a relaxing beach vacation at a...

Saffron Toucanet was voted as number one bird of our Brazil & Argentina trip, which I led last year July. The trip covers the Amazon rainforest, Pantanal, Cerrado and Iguazú, which delivers a whole host of specials. However, how often do you get to see an entirely yellow toucan? We lucked into the...

Current technology limits the non-stop flight time of a commercial aircraft to 17½ hours. However, in the avian world, there’s a flight that’s even longer – one that’s just recently started to be monitored by conservationists. Namely, the very impressive long distance migration of Amur Falcons as they...