You’ve seen it all before in television documentaries, but watching a cheetah stalk and hunt its prey in the epic theatre of the African savannah is a whole other trip! Continue reading Savannah Sprinter – A day at the office with the cheetah
Daytime wildlife spotting in the rainforest can be luckless. But then, walking the coastal trail at Bako National Park, we met the extraordinary Colugo aka the Sunda Flying Lemur Continue reading In Borneo, we met the Colugo – the Flying Lemur that isn’t
Mangrove forests are among the most inaccessible habitats. But it was one at Pranburi in Thailand that I met the Golden-bellied Gerygone singing its lush, soulful song Continue reading Encounter – Golden-bellied Gerygone
That’s no crow. That’s a Crow-billed Drongo. Notice the thick, slightly down-curved bill, very like a crow’s. In every other aspect of behaviour, it’s one hundred percent drongo Continue reading Encounter – The Hair-Crested Drongo
Hailing from a family known as the ‘beautiful squirrels’, the Hoary-bellied Squirrel is handsome enough despite the plainness of its coat. To see this mammal in the wild, head for the forests of northeast India Continue reading Encounter – Hoary-bellied Squirrel
Meeting Anna’s Hummingbird, with its startling metallic pink head and dazzling green plumage, is nothing short of birding epiphany Continue reading Encounter – Anna’s Hummingbird
Meet the only eucalyptus species native to the northern hemisphere, the Mindanao Gum Tree or Rainbow Eucalyptus, so known for the vibrant colored patterns left by its peeling bark Continue reading In Rainbows – The Mindanao Gum Tree
In the foggy ruins of time, most memories can get blurred, or muddied entirely. But not a birder’s remembrance of a cherished bird. Every time I see the Blue-capped Rock Thrush, I am reminded of myself at twelve, a scruffy, itchy pilgrim gazing in rapture at a sprite, a vision, a gift of the forest. It’s a story that involves God, Darwin and Salim Ali — all playing significant bit-parts. Continue reading Encounter: God, Darwin, Ali and the Blue-capped Rock Thrush
My love of owls has made me peer into abandoned quarries, tree hollows, rafters of old barns, and dilapidated houses. Last year, I watched three Indian Eagle Owl chicks grow from featherballs to subadults. We waited a whole year to … Continue reading Two hoots in a deserted quarry
When the dim, shadowy silence of the leaf-litter suddenly takes wing, it’s either a ghost or a nightjar that sets your heart racing. Our search that began in the hunt for a peacock feather took us to the adorable Large-tailed … Continue reading Encounter: Large-tailed Nightjar