September 2011

More Big Year trailers

Thumbnail image for More Big Year trailers by Gunnar 30 September 2011

John Cleese tells us the story about birding. We have covered a few bits and pieces on the upcoming birding movie with Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson here and here and an interview with Steve Martin here.  Here are a couple of new video clips. Some may not show in your region. There are [...]

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My Hottest Bird-Photo Spot in the World

Thumbnail image for My Hottest Bird-Photo Spot in the World by Alex Vargas 29 September 2011

Loong Sin Blind… a Bird-Photographers Paradise Loong Sin (loong in Thai means uncle) is a simple man with a life of experience in the forest. That smiley and helpful little man wasn’t always a great friend of nature. This is -in fact- one of these stories with a happy turn that makes the world better. [...]

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The future of birding

Thumbnail image for The future of birding by Gunnar 29 September 2011

What is the future of birding. Are big days or big years really that interesting to people in general? Can birding really become main stream, and will listing be interesting enough for masses of people? Did you ever wonder why there are more hunters in the world than birders? Why are there more people interested in fishing than in birding? For all I know, there are probably even more stamp-collectors than birders.

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Cristalino Jungle Lodge Report: Sep 22-28, 2011

Thumbnail image for Cristalino Jungle Lodge Report: Sep 22-28, 2011 by Rich Hoyer 27 September 2011

Bad photos of some great birds equals great times at Cristalino Jungle Lodge for Rich Hoyer

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Sandhill Crane

Thumbnail image for Sandhill Crane by TomMckinney 26 September 2011

The big bird in Britain over the weekend has been a Sandhill Crane found at the Loch of Strathbeg RSPB on Thursday afternoon, only the fourth over here, all of which have been in Scotland. Being so skint at the moment I couldn’t justify going to see it, though thankfully I did see the 2009 [...]

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Banded Pitta in Southern Thailand

Thumbnail image for Banded Pitta in Southern Thailand by Alex Vargas 22 September 2011

Banded Pitta… A Bird-Photo Jewel Pittas are fascinating birds that hope around the forest floors in tropical Asia and Australasia, with a couple of species found in Africa. The Banded Pitta (Pitta guajana) it’s located in the Thai-Malay Peninsula and the Greater Sundas (except the Island of Sulawesi, in Indonesia). In Thailand, one can only [...]

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Four birds – that hurts

Thumbnail image for Four birds – that hurts by Gunnar 21 September 2011

Tristan Reid aka as Binocularface is doing a painful quest. He is raising money for bird conservation in Turkey, while adding 20 tattoos of Turkish birds to his arms. So far he has raised £1,420.00. The goal is to raise £10, 000. Check out the first 4 bird tattoos. Aren’t they something?

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Cristalino Jungle Lodge Report: September 14-20, 2011

Thumbnail image for Cristalino Jungle Lodge Report: September 14-20, 2011 by Rich Hoyer 20 September 2011

Rich Hoyer shares some tips on ID and photography of swifts in the Amazonian rainforest of Cristalino Jungle Lodge.

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The stunning Javan Pond Heron

Thumbnail image for The stunning Javan Pond Heron by DaleForbes 18 September 2011

Gulls do not excite me. I am slowly starting to develop an addiction to waders, but Pond Herons, they really do it for me. I am a late-comer to Pond Herons, only having seen my first Ardeola Pond Heron in July of 2011. But it was love at first sight. Heading down toward Kaeng Krachan National [...]

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Darwin’s Finches

Thumbnail image for Darwin’s Finches by GregLaden 16 September 2011

A quick break from sexual selection (we’ll get back to it) to read Darwin’s words about the famous finches and other birds of the Galapagos. Of land-birds I obtained twenty-six kinds, all peculiar to the group and found nowhere else, with the exception of one lark-like finch from North America … The other twenty-five birds [...]

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Cristalino Jungle Lodge Report: September 7-13, 2011

Thumbnail image for Cristalino Jungle Lodge Report: September 7-13, 2011 by Rich Hoyer 15 September 2011

Rich Hoyer guides some non-birders at Cristalino Jungle Lodge, looking for monkeys and trying to entertain with the flashiest birds such as Spangled Cotinga and Sunbittern.

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Birds + Photography = BIRDPHOTO

Thumbnail image for Birds + Photography = BIRDPHOTO by Alex Vargas 15 September 2011

Birding with a camera in Thailand. Birdwatching is today, one of the strongest lines of tourism around the globe. According to a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service study, only in the United States of America, birdwatchers contributed with 36 billion USD to the nation’s economy in 2006, and over 20% of all Americans are identified [...]

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Alex Vargas joins BirdingBlogs.com

Thumbnail image for Alex Vargas joins BirdingBlogs.com by DaleForbes 11 September 2011

Alex Vargas’ photos always really stood out to me on facebook. And over the years I have spent more and more time exploring his various galleries to see what he has been up to and to be moved by the images he produces. Over the summer, I got to meet Alex and his family, and [...]

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Darwin’s Sexy Sons May Not Be Sexy Enough

Thumbnail image for Darwin’s Sexy Sons May Not Be Sexy Enough by GregLaden 9 September 2011

He who admits the principle of sexual selection will be led to the remarkable conclusion that the nervous system not only regulates most of the existing functions of the body, but has indirectly influenced the progressive development of various bodily structures and of certain mental qualities. Courage, pugnacity, perseverance, strength and size of body, weapons [...]

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Big Year trailer is out

Thumbnail image for Big Year trailer is out by Gunnar 7 September 2011

Will birding be mainstream now? – or will birder be regarded as even more introvert and crazy after this? Finally, the trailer from the much awaited – in birder circles – movie based on Mark Obmascik’s book The Big Year (aff link to Kindle version) about three obsessed birders who independently decide to do a [...]

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Cristalino Jungle Lodge Report – August 31-September 6, 2011

Thumbnail image for Cristalino Jungle Lodge Report – August 31-September 6, 2011 by Rich Hoyer 6 September 2011

Rich Hoyer makes a smelly but rich discovery while photographing butterflies, damselflies, and manakins at Cristalino Jungle Lodge, Brazil

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Featured Digiscoper: Clay Taylor (USA)

Thumbnail image for Featured Digiscoper: Clay Taylor (USA) by DaleForbes 4 September 2011

I really like going digiscoping with Clay, there is always something to learn from him, but I love going out with him mostly just because he really loves digiscoping and sharing my passion with someone equally nuts about it is great. Clay Taylor is the Naturalist Market Manager for Swarovski Optik North America.   If [...]

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Darwin’s Sexy Sons

Thumbnail image for Darwin’s Sexy Sons by GregLaden 2 September 2011

Darwin saw the same thing others had seen … an enigma of nature … and took equal note of it. But others explained this enigma in a way that made sense to them but that was completely wrong. Darwin produced an alternative explanation that was both convincing and frightening. Darwin’s explanation was much closer to [...]

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