digiscoping

South African Shrikes

South Africa has 21 regularly occurring shrike species; including 3 skulking Tchagras, 6 colourful Bush-shrikes and 2 vociferous hoodlum Helmet-shrikes. The boldest of them all have got to be the […]

We’re going to South Africa!

My boet (brother) is getting married so we are going down to South Africa for 10 days; and I am really looking forward to being in Africa again. I love […]

What Spiderhunter is this?

Whilst visiting Khao Sok National Park in southern Thailand last year, we found a Spiderhunter which exceeded my rather humble abilities to identify Asian birds. It was my first trip […]

Featured Bird Blogger of the Week

Howdee all, Did you know that spring is coming to North America? I know some of you in the north think this is false..but its true..before you know it the […]

Featured Bird Blogger of the Week

Dawn Fine presents this weeks birdblogger: Jerry Jourdan – who is not only a fantastic digiscoper. …but also generously share his best digiscoping tips in free tuturials. Jerry Jourdan’s birding adventures are illustrated with beautiful bird photos.

Interview with the Digiscoper of the Year 2010

The results for the Swarovski Digiscoper of the Year 2010 competition have just been announced: https://digiscoperoftheyear.com/ This year’s winner is the biologist Óscar J. González Hernández, of Salamanca in Spain, […]

hornbills and other silly birds

I heard a story once. It is probably a load of bull, but the story went that when the first naturalists brought toucans back from the new world, the academy […]

Long-legged Buzzard twitching mega rarity

“Is this really a Long-legged Buzzard?” was the question from Reinhard Hölzl, a friend and local photographer (check out Reinhard’s website here) with two photos attached to the message (top […]

The Capercaille

The Western Capercaille (Tetrao urogallus) is one of the most emblematic birds of the Alps, amongst the people of the Alps, it is probably just behind the Golden Eagle. This […]

Finding Gurney’s Pittas

Crouched in the undergrowth of a mosquito and leech-filled tropical forest I waited quietly, and patiently, for yet another view of the Gurney’s Pitta. I knew his ritual: every 35-55 […]

Snow Buntings in a suit

Tirol is a pretty much a winter wonderland – great big pointy Alps, covered in fluffy white snow. Picture book, really. And you would think that with all these great […]

Wallcreepers!!!

The Wallcreeper has got to be one of the most spectacular and enigmatic of mountain birds. Their appearance, behaviour, feeding, breeding, migration, call… all lend to create an unforgettable and intriguing bird. Rarely seen and very difficult to photograph, there are still massive gaps in our scientific understanding of the Wallcreeper (Tichodroma muraria, Mauerläufer, El treparriscos, Le Tichodrome échelette, Il picchio muraiolo). I have now taken tens of thousands of photos of the Wallcreepers here in this region, and they continue to stun me every time I see them.

Digiscoping Vultures in Extremadura, Spain

On my recent trip to Extremadura, Spain (Europe’s raptor heaven), the Griffon Vultures and Eurasian Black Vultures absolutely enthralled us with their antics, their fly-bys and just how they are in the air. We spent hours admiring them, and we must have taken many thousands of digiscoped photos of them between the two of us.

A bit of Extremaduran birding

So I came to Extremedura (western Spain) hoping to get some quality time with some of Europe´s most spectacular raptors. Well, the eagles have been playing very scarce (only got […]