Australia
is a huge country with a wide variety of habitats, from temperate in Tasmania
to desert to genuinely tropical in the North.
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The
large number of living environments has resulted in a terrific variety
of bird species, from the familiar like emus, budgerigars and kookaburras
to the lesser knowns like rainbow birds. |
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Come
on in and take a look at birds in their natural habitats and even sharing
the habitat which we humans think of as our own!
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Belize
is famous for its coral reefs and scuba diving, but it's also a good place
to see water birds
like this roseate spoonbill. |
The
forests around the Maya ruins at Tikal in Guatemala are a great location
to see some of the local wildlife and jungle
birds.
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Even
though I didn't specifically go bird-watching while I was in Belize and
Guatemala, I still came away with a nice collection of photographs. |
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If
you're a bird in Japan, then you better get use to the idea of living near
people. |
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Plenty
of birds have adapted, and are living happily in the temple grounds and
on the ponds which are scattered everywhere.
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Some
birds have adapted so well that they've learned to make use of man's changes
to the environment, and have even learned to read Japanese! |
Mexico
has a huge range of habitats, ranging from desert to rainforest and high
mountains, providing living space for over a thousand species of birds.
The
birds are as varied as the habitats, ranging from inhabitants of the arid
areas like roadrunners to wading birds and jungle birds like this blue-crowned
motmot.
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Although
the pressures of human overpopulation have crowded many of the birds out
of some areas, there are nature reserves and other places where large numbers
of different birds can still be found. |
One
such place is the Rio Lagartos biosphere reserve on the northern coast
of the Yucatan peninsula.
Although
overshadowed by the more famous preserve at Celestun on the western coast
of the peninsula, Rio Lagartos is in many ways a superior option, and it's
certainly a great place to see water
birds of many types, including large flocks of the American flamingo.
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With
no land mammals for competition, New Zealand
was a bird paradise, until man arrived on the scene. New Zealand
has been home for some of the most unusual birds ever to live - the world's
largest bird, the moa, one species of which measured 11 feet tall; the
world's largest eagle (to prey on the moa?); the kiwi, the bird with the
largest egg relative to body size; and the wrybill, the only bird in the
world whose beak is twisted sideways. |
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The
native land birds here seem to fall firmly into one of two completely separate
camps - those who are afraid of people and those who exhibit no fear at
all. The kea is the world's only alpine parrot, and not only
is it not afraid, but sensible people (especially motorists and farmers)
are afraid of it!.
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New
Zealand is essentially a maritime country, so there's a good selection
of seabirds, including penguins, albatross and gannets. |
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Unfortunately,
I hadn't realized the potential of bird photography at the time I visited
the Solomon Islands, I was more focused on the military history of the
area and the underwater sights. |
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But
I did get a few photographs of the more gregarious and colorful avian inhabitants.
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And
the occasional trash talkin' bird virtually forced me to get a photo! |
Trinidad
has several world-renowned bird sanctuaries, including the Asa Wright Nature
Centre, and the Point a Pierre Wildfowl Trust, whose inhabitants include
the scarlet ibis, the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago.
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The
original inhabitants of Trinidad called the island "Lere", meaning "land
of the hummingbirds", and it certainly won't disappoint you on that score.
Because of its proximity to South America, there's a huge variety of brilliantly
colored birds with fantastic shapes, like Blue-Crowned Motmots, Rufous-Tailed
Jacamars, Crested Oropendolas and Purple Honeycreepers. |
Seabirds
are also present in some interesting shapes and colors.
An
especially good place to see them is on Little Tobago island, just off
the North-Eastern coast of Tobago.
You
can also see spectacular scarlet ibises in Caroni Swamp; anhingas; magnificent
frigatebirds and red-billed tropicbirds.
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The
USA
is a great place for raptors like eagles, hawks, falcons ... and vultures!
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More
herons, storks, egrets, ibises and other water birds than you can shake
a stick at. |
The
thing which surprised me when I arrived here was finding how many colorful
birds there are, like some tropical country.
Blackbirds
aren't just black, they're "red-winged" or "tricolored", and even the sparrows
seem to be splattered with red or yellow paint.
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