Until recently, wildlife in the 100 km Serranía de los Yariguíes mountain range in Colombia went unstudied, because of the difficulty of access and political instability, but researchers working with the Columbian bird conservation organisation, Fundacion Proaves, have made great advances with the discovery of a series of undescribed species and subspecies and yet another new bird has just been added to their tally.
The expedition team also reported finding the world's most viable populations for various critically endangered bird species. This led to the Yariguíes mountains being declared a National Park and the foundation of an adjacent nature reserve.
You can read more about the expedition and its finds online at Wildlife Extra.
In most countries, tulips are cultivated but in Eeastern Anatolia, Turkey, tulips grow wild. For two weeks in May, visitors are treated to one of natures wonders, as the whole area turns red with wild tulips. Also at this time, demoiselle cranes and bustards can be seen.
Turkey is in fact paradise for birdwatchers and the famous city of Istanbul lies beneath a key migration route for birds. The small wood eagle, snake eagle, falcon, bee falcon, hawk and stork are just some of the birds that can be observed.
The Turkish Nature Society is a non-profit organization aiming to conserve the natural treasures of Turkey and they have determined the rarest and the most beautiful natural sights in Turkey. Find out more about these wonders of nature in Turkey.
The UK's Big Garden Birdwatch Saturday 26 or Sunday 27 January 2008 and is the world's biggest bird survey, so when looking for a suitable end of week video theme, there really wasn't any competition for this weekend.
Thanks to Frank of the TheZanyFilmCompany for providing this week's wonderful video photo-gallery showing 25 of the birds that Brits might expect to see in their gardens (yards) and parks. Last year a staggering 400,000 people took part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch by counting 6 million birds in 236,000 gardens. This year it is thought that there might be over half a million participants. Frank's video is accompanied by the relaxing concerto for pinaforte & orchestra KV466 Allegro by W.A.Mozart; conductor Wilhelm Furtwangler, Yvonne Lefebure piano.
Taking part in the Big Garden Birdwatch is simple. All that participants need to do is to watch their garden or local park for just one hour, at any time on either Saturday 26 or Sunday 27 January 2008, recording the highest number of each species seen (not counting those flying over) at any one time. Only the maximum number of each species seen at any one time, is recorded, because then the same bird cannot be counted more than once.
The RSPB counting sheet can be used to help keep track of how many birds have been seen. The sheet has pictures of the most common birds seen in British gardens and spaces to tick off how many of each species are seen together. Don't send the counting sheet back to the RSPB, it is just to help participants record their counts, from 26 January 2008 enter the counts online, using a simple results form.
To download the recording sheet, you need Adobe Reader version 4 or higher. This software is safe, easy to instal and available free from the Adobe website so, if you don't have it on your computer already, just download a copy now.
There is a small but growing band of bird watchers in India and South Asia. With over 1250 species of birds, the region is a birders paradise and anyone interested in the birds of India and South Asia will find www.birding.in a quite exceptional resource. I really cannot speak to highly of this site; much of the information, including bird identification, is of value to beginners and advanced bird watchers alike, wherever they happen to be in the world.
The picture is of a Painted Stork, photographed in Hyderabad sanctuary, India, by Asif Akbar
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long survey of birds that visit feeders in North American backyards, nature centers, community areas, and other locales. Participants count the highest numbers of each species they see at their feeders, from November through early April, and help scientists to track the broad-scale movements of winter bird populations and long-term trends in bird distribution and abundance.
Project FeederWatch is operated by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada and anyone with an interest in birds can participate. There are FeederWatchers of all skill levels and backgrounds, including children, families, individuals, classrooms, retired persons, youth groups, nature centers, and bird clubs.
The new season starts soon, so if your resident in North America, join up for the 2007-2008 season, which begins November 10. It can take several weeks for FeederWatch kits to arrive, so don't wait to sign up.
Are you interested in helping the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) to follow the changing fortunes of British garden birds? Are you a UK resident and do you have Harlequin Ladybirds in your garden? If the answer to either of these questions is 'yes' then the BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch Team would like to hear from you. Contact them on 01842-750050 or email gbw@bto.org to request a free information pack.
Following on from yesterday's post about ospreys in Scotland, it should be noted that ospreys are now also breeding in central England. Two male ospreys can be seen catching fish from Rutland Water to feed their young and various non-breeding ospreys are also seen around the reservoir.
In late August and September, ospreys across Scotland begin their long migration to West Africa; this includes the young, just 12 weeks after hatching. Roy Dennis, an independent ornithologist, writing in Living.Scotsman.com says, "One of the summer's most exciting sights is to watch a male osprey diving to catch pike and trout in fresh water, or flounders in coastal estuaries." There are nearly 200 pairs of ospreys nesting in Scotland, so you have a great chance to see them at Scottish Wildlife Trust and RSPB reserves or Forestry Commission osprey watch centres. However, Roy points out that you only have a few weeks left, if you want to see them in Scotland this year. Of course, you could always go on a birdwatching trip to Africa.
A new video file sharing website for bird-watching enthusiasts has just been launched. BirdCinema.com is dedicated to video clips of birds.
There are videos of Nashville and Tennessee Warblers, bathing in a garden pond during spring migration, videos of Bald Eagles, Cranes and Humming Birds, to name just a few. The site has the ambitious goal, to obtain video footage of every species in the world
If you enjoy bird watching and are interested in finding a Birdwatching Holidays, you will be spoilt for choice with our extensive listings.
I really cannot speak to highly of this site; much of the information, including bird identification, is of value to beginners and advanced bird watchers alike, wherever they happen to be in the world.
