You are browsing the archives of 2005 February.

Kuwait is a relatively small State (17,818 square kilometers (6,880 square miles), including the Kuwaiti share of the Neutral Zone (2,590 sq km)) at the top of the Arabian Gulf, and is almost entirely flat desert.

Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a UN coalition [...]

Rio de Janeiro Botanical Gardens, Brazil. 16 February 2005.

A short shuttle flight from Sao Paulo up to Rio and back again today, giving me about four hours birding time! Four hours in Rio is a frustratingly short time, but thanks to a mate of mine - Peter Lewis-Jones, who lives with his wife and kids [...]

What a difference a week makes! Last weekend, we visited Croton Point Park in search of both of Rough-legged Hawk and Short-eared Owl. We saw an abundance of the former, but none of the latter. With spring drawing nigh, the window for spotting the short-eared owl at Croton Point may be rapidly closing. So, since [...]

Plain Parakeets Brotogeris tirica
15 February 2005, Sao Paulo, Eastern Brazil

Although geographically restricted to that area of South East Brazil that used to be covered in Atlantic Rain Forest, the Plain Parakeet is one of the few birds that seem to have adapted to the destruction of 95% of this critical habitat and survives very well [...]

The New York birderati have been buzzing lately about the spectacular avian activity at Croton Point Park in northern Westchester. Croton Point is famous for its robust colonies of wintering Bald Eagle but this former landfill also attracts an abundance of rodent-hunting raptors. Reports from the field describe loads of Rough-legged Hawk along with scads [...]