Pigeons

When I put all that seed out for the songbirds THIS is not what I intended to happen... 

the snow is back

I knew it, winter would come back. Snow on the ground, loads of folks with flu. One good thing about snow, animal tracks are easy to find. By the way, do you ever check out another blog of mine on tracks and signs? Here it is: TRACKS&SIGNS

Sound Recording

The sound recording season will soon be upon me. I mean, as winter ends many birds become more active, calling, singing and woodpeckers drumming. I mentioned that the other day the birds were beginning to get going (here's another photo of the Black Woodpecker that was drumming high on a snag), But spring is not here yet... winter could return any day. I was going to go out this morning but its very windy and that's one thing that does not help at all! Actually, besides wind, all kinds of other unwanted sounds get picked up through my sensitive microphone, especially in urban areas... vehicles, people, dogs, you name it. Even in the countryside, in places you'd think were quiet, planes flying high overhead, distance chain-saws and barking village dogs are a problem.

Back to the Black Woodpecker

After the travelling and sights and sounds of incredible India... I decided to get back into my routine. So I popped out for the morning into the Buda Hills to make a few sound recordings. The spring was trying to break through and the birds sensed it. The woodpeckers were drumming very actively and I even manged to grap this shot of a female Black Woodpecker after getting a few sound recordings of her.

Elephant ride

In India we had the opportunity to take an elephant ride in the Corbett NP. The idea was that we could get into real Tiger habitat in this way, get close to the big cat and yet be safe. But when I asked our local guides about this it was clear that in reality such rides are not a good way to track Tigers (at least at Corbett) and was really just a fun thing to do for tourists. So we passed up this opportunity. Later, as we waited in an open-top jeep, the elephant in this photo here, with smiling tourists atop, came by and we saw that using binoculars and cameras from the back of these huge beats was not easy either.  

Woodpecker Photos Request

I am working on a new book, provisionally entitled Woodpeckers of the World: a photographic guide. This is for the esteemed publisher Christopher Helm/Poyser/A&C Black. The project editor is Jim Martin and he is looking forward to submissions of top-class photos of woodpeckers from anyone who would like to be involved. So, if you have photos of woodpeckers from anywhere in the world then contact Jim and he'll tell you what is needed. Good luck! His address: jmartin@acblack.com

India - Blue Whistling Thrush

This Blue Whistling Thrush Myophonus caeruleus was hanging around the entrance to the Corbett National Park and perched up on a wall.