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Papua New Guinea Cruise Part 3 – The Conflict Islands
Louisiade White-eyeOn the return leg of our cruise to Papua New Guinea we stopped for the day on February 3 in the Conflict Islands, a chain of small islands that are part of the Louisiade...
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Ghana April 2023 Part 1: Accra to Kakum
Rufous-sided BroadbillFour years ago, I began planning a 21-day private tour of Ghana in West Africa in association with Ashanti, a highly regarded tour company based in the Ghanaian city of Cape...
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Ghana April 2023 Part 2: Rainforests of Ankasa Reserve
Nkulengu Rail The next stage of our 21-day tour of Ghana (see following blog post) was a four-night stay at Ashanti’s new lodge at the edge of the Ankasa Conservation Area, a 50,000ha rainforest...
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Ghana April 2023 Part 3: A tale of hope, angst and joy: The fabulous Picathartes
Our group huddled beneath the sandstone rock ledge of a cave deep in the rainforest, hoping to indulge one of nature’s great ornithological experiences: viewing the pre-dusk arrival of the beautiful...
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Ghana April 2023 PART 4: In search of a pangolin
White-bellied PangolinFollowing our successful encounter with the White-necked Picathartes (following post) our minds turned to another creature well-known from rainforests in the vicinity of Bonkro...
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Ghana April 2023 Part 5: Mole National Park
Forbes's PloverWe arrived at Mole Motel in Mole National Park in the northern savanna belt of Ghana late in the afternoon of Day 13 of our tour of the country for a four-night stay. Our rooms...
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Ghana April 2023 Part 6: Homeward bound: Daboya to Accra
Egyptian PloverFollowing our visit to Mole National Park in northern Ghana (following post) we headed north, passing many traditional villages, before reaching the town of Daboya on the White Volta...
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United Arab Emirates: Arabian Oryx & other desert gems
Arabian OryxFollowing a visit to Ghana (the next six posts on this blog), Bill Watson and I had two days in the United Arab Emirates to break the journey home – 23-24 April, 2023. We stayed in the...
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North-East New South Wales: May, 2023
Masked OwlWe spent a couple of weeks visiting four national parks in north-east NSW for three nights each that we’d missed in the past. First off was the Cypress Pine Campground in Boonoo Boonoo...
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Platypus are flourishing around the Sunshine Coast, but for how long?
Platypus in Petrie CreekThe Platypus is enjoying something of a population boom around Queensland’s Sunshine Coast following three years of above-average rainfall. However, the Queensland Government is...
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Western Queensland - Winter 2023 Part 1: Longreach to Mt Isa
Chestnut-breasted Quail-thrushWe set out with much anticipation for a string of bird, mammal and other wildlife targets in far western Queensland. Unseasonal rain prevented access to some planned sites...
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Western Queensland Winter 2023 Part 2 -Boulia to Cuttaburra Crossing
Letter-winged KiteFollowing our travels through Longreach, Winton and Mt Isa (following post) we headed south from Mt Isa to Boulia, with rain dashing hopes for further stops for Kalkadoon Grasswren....
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Europe 2023 Part 1 Wolverine
Wolverine had long been around the top of my must-see list of the world’s mammals. This hulking, shaggy, loping, secretive denizen of far-flung corners of the Palearctic is mesmerising. It’s the stuff...
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Europe 2023 Part 2 Birding Finland & Scotland
Hazel GrouseOur trip to Europe was more about culture and aesthetics than chasing critters, as there aren’t too many in Europe that I’ve not seen. A few though remained sought after, with Wolverine...
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Europe 2023 Part 3 Birding Portugal and Spain
White-headed DuckFollowing our visit to Scotland (following post) we checked out the English town of Liverpool before flying to Porto in Portugal. A few days sight-seeing here before hopping on to the...
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Birding Oman: Sociable Lapwing steals the show
Sociable LapwingAfter a lengthy tour of five European countries (Italy, Finland, United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain: see following posts) we had a few days in Muscat, Oman, on our way home. Our hotel...
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Ringed Plover Twitch to Bundaberg
Ringed PloverBirder Scott Fox did well to spot a small plover on the far side of a rapidly shrinking freshwater pool midway between Bundaberg and Bargara in south-east Queensland on November 24....
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Turquoise Parrot and 2023 Sunshine Coast critter highlights
The year 2023 ended on a high note with a male Turquoise Parrot seen this morning at Peregian Beach on the Sunshine Coast, in the Emu Swamp (southern) section of Noosa National Park. The bird was...
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More wetland protected on the Sunshine Coast
West Coolum WetlandIn a new win for the environment on the Sunshine Coast, an additional 120ha of wetland and grassland has been acquired by the Sunshine Coast Council for protection as environmental...
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Notes on the outlook for Coxen’s Fig-Parrot, Night Parrot & Buff-breasted...
The following is the transcript of my news feature in The Weekend Australian of 10-11 February, 2024.Coxen's Fig-ParrotA 17-year-old mystery surrounding the identity of a tiny parrot is having...
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