Tortoise in Morocco

Of course it was not all birds in Morocco recently... For example, we came across other wildlife such as this Spur-thighed Tortoise (Tesudo graeca). Absolutely wild, too. Sadly these reptiles are easily caught by those involved in the illegal pet-trade. 

Thick-billed lark !

Here is another great bird from my recent tour around Morocco: Thick-billed Lark (Ramphocoris clotbey). Morocco is particularly good for larks!

Morocco... Hoopoe Lark

Just back from Morocco where we experienced some extreme fluctuations in the weather, but still had a great trip and saw many great birds! Here is one, a Hoopoe Lark (Alaemon alaudipes) taking off to begin its wonderful display flight. More images to come, so watch this space!

Great Spotted Woodpecker: a favourite garden bird

So after the exotics, it is back to my local birds. And who better than this regular visitor to our garden, Great Spotted Woodpecker Dendrocopos major. Budapest, Hungary, February 7th, 2015 (Gerard Gorman). A pair drop in every day now and visit the different feeders.

Back from the Philippines

Just back from a birding adventure in the Philippines. My main targets were the endemic woodpeckers, but of course many other fine birds were encountered. Here is one, an endemic starling species the Coleto Sarcops calvus, which is fairly common on most islands.

The Philippines and flamebacks

Escaping the European winter, I am off to the Philippines to see a few woodpeckers... like these Spot-throated Flamebacks Dinopium everetti, endemic to the island of Palawan. Many thanks to Rommel Cruz, who I will meet in a few days, for this great image. I hope he has them lined up like this for me!

Nest boxes for owls

Yesterday we went out into the Hungarian countryside and put up a few nest-boxes for owls: 2 for Scops Owl, 1 for Long-eared owl and 1 for Barn owl. It was not as hard as when we put up the big boxes for Ural Owls recently, but it was cold, especially on the hands!