Playful Gentoo Penguins. There is a large Gentoo Penguin colony on Cuverville Island on the Antarctic Peninsula. It is both noisy and very smelly. But these are amazing penguins. Behind me was the colony and many penguins were making their way down to the sea. I...
Penguin punch-up! All had been quiet at this Adelie Penguin colony on Yalour Islands on the Antarctic Peninsular. Chicks had been fed, parent pairs were displaying when all hell broke loose. A huge squabble broke out for no obvious reason and went on for several...
Arctic birds: Fulmars and Guillemots. In the Arctic, the temptation is to focus on the iconic species. But the birds are always fun to watch. Here Fulmars and Guillemots appear at one with the ice
Two polar bears vie for a seal carcass. Getting food is tough in the Arctic! On the ice near Svalbard, this large male polar bear had killed a beared seal and you can see from the state he is in that he had been feasting on the kill for some time. The younger male...
The Black Vulture (Coragyps atratus) can be found from the southeastern United States to Central Chile and Uruguay. Black vulture adults stand 64 cm high, weigh 1.8 Kg with a 1.33m wingspan. These were viewed in Costa Rica.
The rather quirky King Vulture. King vultures have very distinctive black and white plumage which makes them easy to identify. However, King Vultures are uncommon and difficult to find. At Laguna del Lagarto there is a hide and bait is put out each day. This attracts...
Black-mandibled Toucan. Toucans are the quintessential birds of the neotropics. The Black-mandibled Toucan is the largest of the Toucans. We saw this magnificent specimen in Costa Rica.
Collared Aracari. Toucans are the quintessential neotropic birds. The wonderful Collared Aracari is the smallest of the Toucans but nevertheless is a lovely bird to see. These were seen in Costa Rica.
White-necked Jacobin. Costa Rica enjoys a diverse range of beautiful hummingbirds. Perhaps the most spectacular is the White-necked Jacobin. Its royal blue head is a notable feature. In wet lowland and the foot hills of Costa Rica, these birds are reasonably common....
The Resplendent Quetzal is resplendent indeed! We watched these Resplendent Quetzals in the Savegre Valley of Costa Rica. They were visiting a wild avocado tree close to a small, gurgling stream. They feed mostly on members of the avocado family The striking males...
Magenta-throated Woodstar of Costa Rica. A lovely hummingbird! Costa Rica is a wonderful place to view hummingbirds. These birds feed on nectar and to do so have evolved the ability to hover and fly backwards. This and their striking colours make them a delight to...
An impressive bird of Costa Rica! Costa Rica is a wonderful place for bird watching. We had many encounters with the striking Keel-billed Toucan. This lovely bird has a bright and multi-coloured bill. A very impressive bird!
Coyote enjoys a feast in the snow. It was a cold, windy and snowy day in Yellowstone. This coyote had found the carcass of a trumpeter swan and was frantically digging it out of the snow. It was a good meal in this harsh environment. Two ravens looked on and grabbed a...
Vulture pandemonium! A zebra had clearly died of natural causes since there were no predators in the area. The vultures had found the carcass and were taking full advantage before predators arrived on the scene. Many vultures circled overhead and there was a...
This Bison carcass was providing welcome food for several animals. This Red Fox was enjoying the feast but was constantly having to chase away the Ravens which were also taking full advantage of an easy meal. Yellowstone's Red Fox is is the Rocky Mountain Red Fox...
Neko Harbour on the Antarctic Peninsular is a beautiful location to observe Gentoo Penguins. A white patch above the eye makes them unmistakable. The third largest Penguin, they reach up to 90cm tall and weigh up to 8.5kg. They breed in small colonies. They use a wide...
Salisbury Plain on South Georgia is home to 60,000 pairs of King Penguins and their chicks. One never forgets the sight, sound and smell of this enormous penguin colony. With its golden-yellow plumage at the neck and throat, the spectacular King Penguin stands up to...
St Andrews Bay on South Georgia is home to 150,000 pairs of King Penguins and their chicks. One never forgets the sight, sound and smell of this enormous penguin colony. The colony stretches away as far a the eye can see. With its golden-yellow plumage at the neck and...
We spent a full day around this huge colony of Black-browed Albatross on Steeple Jason on the Falkland Islands. The colony stretches for 5 kilometers along the coast and is some 200m wide. It contains about 100,000 breeding pairs. We got to see the full spectrum of...
We saw Rockhopper Penguins at several sites we visited in the Falkland Islands. This group were filmed on Saunders Island. It was remarkable watching them deal comfortably with the heavy surf. Whilst at times ungainly on land, however they have no trouble hopping up...