Leica Q camera & matched adapter (left) Leica T camera with Universal 35 mm adapter (right) So after weeks of anxious anticipation, I FINALLY received the shipment I’d been eagerly awaiting. The shipment arrived late Friday evening as I was literally heading out the door for a scheduled appointment. On […]
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Biggest isn’t always best
Size isn’t everything, especially when it comes to binoculars. I have always been amused and bemused by the fact that in movies whenever people use bins they are enormous. The bins, that is. By BILL ODDIE Fair enough if it is a black and white naval saga – binoculars were […]
Read MoreWhat did the DSP ever do to Them?
One of the unique and most charismatic birds in South America, high if not top on any birders’ list of target species when they visit its range, is Phegornis mitchellii, long known as Diademed Sandpiper-Plover, or affectionately abbreviated as DSP. Its long and droop-tipped bill is unlike that of typical […]
Read MoreArmy Ants and Antbirds
We were bumping down the road in the pick-up when suddenly Domi stomped on the brakes, put the truck in park, and jumped out of the driver’s seat. “ARMY ANTS!” he exclaimed in an excited voice, quickly pulling down the ladder to let our group climb down out of the […]
Read MoreChampions of the Flyway – Team „Dutch Knights“
It is perhaps the most fascinating phenomenon in the birding world, but unfortunately not without dangers – bird migration. And Eilat in Israel is one of the best places in the world to experience this spectacular phenomenon. Champions of the Flyway – Team „Dutch Knights“ It is perhaps the most […]
Read MoreCounting spoonies
Geoff Hilton is Head of Research & Chief Scientist at the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust. The work of Geoff and his team supports the conservation of numerous species including spoon-billed sandpiper, Madagascar pochard, Greenland white-fronted geese, red-breasted geese and common scoter. The Gulf of Mottama is the ideal place to […]
Read MoreAssumptions versus the dark-morph Pink-footed Shearwater
Whether Pink-footed Shearwater has a (very rare) dark morph, or whether occasional individuals are melanistic, are interesting semantic questions. But the bottom line for field observers is that apparently dark-plumaged Pink-footed Shearwaters are out there, and they could be confused with Flesh-footed Shearwater. Although some have questioned this assumption (e.g., […]
Read MoreThe Urban Birding Experience in Málaga
Málaga, situated on the sun-kissed Costa del Sol in Andalucia, southern Spain would hardly seem like a venue for urban birding. But surprisingly, it has a lot to offer. The city, which is one of the oldest in the world, is one of Spain’s major tourist spots but yet even […]
Read MoreForging Champions
In August 2013, my friend Jonathan Meyrav of the Israel Ornithological Center approached me at the British Bird Fair & first told me of the Champions of the Flyway. A fantastic new bird race (or Big Day) to benefit bird conservation along the flyways between Africa & Eurasia. The event […]
Read MoreChampions of The Flyway – Team Extremadura
In 2016 a team of expert birders is being formed by members of Lonely Birder in conjunction with The Urban Birder. We are being sponsored by the Department of Tourism at the Regional Government of Extremadura (Spain) and suported by the Israel Ministry of Tourism and Leica to take part […]
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