Hawaii's Nene

The nene is the official state bird of Hawaii. In a tropical paradise, I was quite surprised to learn that they hadn't chosen something more colourful to represent their identity.

This snapshot was taken way back in 2001, a long time before I took up photography as a hobby. It's a shame that this is the only photo of a nene I have.

Juvenile Flamingos

Now is a great time to visit Mar Menor in the Murcia region of Spain. There are a lot of flamingos in the salt pools and the juveniles seem to be content staying very close to the road, which means you can get quite close to them.

Why do they feed in the dirty water though? Anyone know?? I guess there are lots of nutrients there.

Weaverbirds in Sri Lanka

What curious creatures weaverbirds are. We felt very lucky to have seen them swinging from their woven nests in the trees whilst on a tour of the Tissa National Park in Sri Lanka.

P-P-P-Pick up a Penguin!

I was lucky enough to live in Argentina for two years, and in that time I did a lot of travelling. One of the real highlights was a trip to Patagonia.

In the town of Punta Tomba I was able to visit an area famous for its nesting penguins. They were amazing, and the number of them was quite staggering.

Sunbathing Penguin

Coming out to say hello

Back from a swim

Crossing the road

Look carefully and you'll see the chick in the nest

Too cold for a swim?

Brahminy Kite

In Sri Lanka we were treated to the site of this bird circling around and occasionally swooping down very close to us. I believe it's a Brahminy Kite, but if you know differently, please let me know.

What a beauty!

Everyone loves Hummingbirds!

On a recent holiday in the USA it was such a pleasure to sit on the deck and watch the hummingbirds coming to drink their nectar. They are such fascinating creatures. Their tell-tale high pitch hum as they zip through the trees lets you know that they are on their way to feed.

The Storks of Northern Tunisia

From 2008 to 2010 I spent a lot of time exploring Tunisia.

Driving across the north from Bizerte to Tabarka, the small town of Sedjenane was a nice place to stop. In the old railway station there are lots of storks nesting and they make quite a curious sight. They are there in numbers and build their nests wherever they can.

These photos were taken in March 2010, but they are around for some time before and after that time of year. 

The Oriental Magpie-Robin

On holiday in Sri Lanka I saw this little cutie hopping about under the trees. It's actually a robin. Now, being British, I'm more accustomed to robins being in snowy scenes with bright red breasts, so it was something of a surprise to discover they have a cousin like this!

Egyptian Vultures in northern Spain

About an hour's drive South East of Pamplona, in northern Spain, you can find a colony of Egyptian vultures all year round. Walking through the canyon they are not difficult to spot, but if you follow the footpaths up into the hills you can actually get quite close to them. A magnificent sight.

Trogon - the national bird of Cuba

 I was recently lucky enough to visit Cuba. On a trek in the forest near the town of Trinidad, our guide pointed out a trogon, the national bird. It's colours reflect the red, white and blue of the nation's flag. They are quite hard to spot so I was very happy to get a couple of decent photos.

The Ugly Duckling

THE UGLY DUCKLING!

It is FIVE whole years since I first thought about putting my bird photos online.
Perhaps it's time I resurrected the project!!

I was recently in the pretty town of Kelso in the Scottish Borders. It was a beautiful day and all the ducks were out for a walk by the river. Amongst them was a particularly ugly duckling!