Author: Whitehawk Birding
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Birding Safari: A Birder’s Approach to a Tiger Safari
As a birder you might ask yourself: would a tiger safari be a good experience for me? I would answer with a resounding “Yes!”. However, as birders planning to go on a tiger safari, we should prepare in advance for a very different experience. We will need to make some adjustments to our birding strategy.…
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Top 10 Birds to See in Bhutan
While the land-locked kingdom of Bhutan prides itself on its Gross National Happiness (GNH) one of the most appealing draws to “the land of the thunder dragon” is its birds. Perhaps it’s the enjoyment of birds that contributes to their GNH! Nearly 700 birds, many spectacular, unique and rare, can be found in Bhutan. As…
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Playa Muerto: Harpy Eagles and Community Development in Darien
Darien, Panama, is considered one of the most biodiverse places in the world. It is home to lush tropical forests, Harpy Eagles, jaguars, and a host of other incredible plants and animals. A trip there is a true “off the beaten path” experience. While it does hold some challenges, the rewards for taking a trip…
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Amazing Rainforest Animals: 8 Leafcutter Ant Facts
Leafcutter ants are one of Earth’s amazing creatures. Next to humans, leafcutter ants are the most socially complex organism on our planet. Leafcutter ants are found in the rainforests of the Neotropics, from the southern USA to South America. Despite their small size, they have a huge impact on their rainforest environment. Leafcutter ants are…
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What is Bird Migration?
It’s that time of year again! Around the world, birds are preparing for their migration from their overwintering grounds to their breeding grounds. But let’s take a deeper look at these bird movements. What is bird migration? Bird migration is the regular seasonal movement of birds. We may recognize that birds are migrating when bird…
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What do Harpy Eagles Eat?
It seems reasonable to assume that a bird measuring 3 feet tall from beak to tail, and has a 6-foot wingspan, legs the size of a human’s wrist, and talons the size of grizzly bear claws eats just about anything it wants to. And that is true, within reason, of course. Biologists throughout the Harpy…
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Birds in Colombia: One-fifth of the World’s Birds
Colombia is one of the 17 megadiverse countries in the world. This is due in part to the exceptionally high number of birds. Actually, Colombia holds about 10% of global biodiversity. It boasts the highest number of orchids, and the second in the number of plants, amphibians, butterflies, and freshwater fish. The richness of birds…
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Great Curassow: A Neotropical Specialty
Walking through the lowland rainforests of Central America, you hear a rustling off-trail along the forest floor. Scanning the dense foliage of the understory, you catch a glimpse of a large, turkey-like bird. It is glossy black all over with a bright yellow knob above the bill and a perfectly curled crest as if it…
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The Snow Leopard
The first time I saw a Snow Leopard, I was a young girl visiting the Los Angeles Zoo. I remember being amazed by its spotted fur, light eyes, and, most of all, its long, powerful tail that seemed to almost be a separate creature! Never could I have imagined that one day I would get…