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Anyone attempting some sort of Big Year Bird List who works for an airline and wants to see as many birds as possible (eg me, myself, I) needs to make at least one trip out to the Middle East, and preferably either in April or September/October, and even more preferably be able to hook up [...]

Long-tailed Shrike Lanius scach scach
Hong Kong, 10 November 2006

The Long-tailed Shrike Lanius scach has a huge breeding area, from central Asia to the Chinese Pacific coast, Southeast Asia, and New Guinea. It is normally a scrub species associated with lightly wooded country, cultivated areas, and gardens. Generally a bird of lowland areas the nominate form [...]

Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus
Tankwa Karoo, South Africa. September 2006.

The wonderful Bokmakierie Telophorus zeylonus is an endemic bushshrike of southern Africa, found mainly in South Africa and Namibia, with an isolated population (the dark and rare form restrictus) in the mountains of eastern Zimbabwe and western Mozambique. It is a species of open habitats, including karoo scrub, [...]

Khao Yai National Park
12 October 2005

Bangkok - hmmm…

Apologies in advance to any Thai reading this, but I remember the first time I went to Bangkok - in early 1990 and just six months into my new airline job - sitting on the crew coach from the airport to the crew hotel and being incredibly [...]

10 May 2005
Local time: GMT +4
Approx noon temp: 30C
Weather: Sunny with a few scattered, light clouds
 

 
Just before I left for this trip I got a mail from Steve James, an old mate who now lives in the UAE, saying that there had been a huge “fall” of migrants in the emirates, and that - with [...]

Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator
Portland, Dorset May 2005
 
A rare spring and autumn migrant on Portland, there have been just over 50 previous records - the majority in May, though there have been records as early as March.

This bird was aged as a first-summer male because of the slight scaling on the flanks, retained (and worn) flight [...]