It has a brownish head with black streaks, beautiful turquoise wings and a completely red bill. The male has a black back whereas the females and juveniles have brown backs. Below is a video I filmed of a pair of Kingfishers: Brown Hooded Kingfisher Size: It weighs around 50g to 75g and the size is…Read More
Tag: birdwatching
Submit Your Birding Story
Do you have a birding story that you’d like to get published on Birding Planet? It could be anything: * a simple walk you took where you saw some wonderful birdlife * a dedicated birding holiday/cruise/trip that you participated in * some interesting bird behavior you’ve noticed * highlights from your garden bird feeder *…Read More
Great Blue Heron – Videos, Photos, Facts
The Great Blue Heron (scientific name: Ardea herodias) is a large wading bird in the heron family Ardeidae. Their conservation status is listed as Least Concern. Their populations are quite widespread and on the increase and therefore do not require special protection. As a migratory species, they are protected under the United States Migratory Bird Treaty Act.…Read More
Birdwatching in West Malaysia (part 1)
by Mat Wilson In March 2005, I went birdwatching in West Malaysia for the second time in 16 months accompanied by my dad John, with the view of filling some of the holes in our birding lists without straining ourselves too much, as my dad is 72 now and not in the best of health.…Read More
Birding in Southwest Iowa
A Day in the Life of a Birder in Rural Southwest Iowa by Phyllis Davis Camera….check, hiking shoes….check, tripod….check, multiple layers….check, bright sun in the sky….check. Looks like the perfect day to scan the beautiful, rural, southwest Iowa countryside for some of my favorite feathered friends. I climb into my Forester, camera always at arms…Read More
Bird Photographer of The Year – Shortlist
Bird Photographer of The Year Announces The Magnificent Shortlist Competing Photos of 2020 For the fifth year now, the prestigious Bird Photographer of the Year (BPOTY) announced the shortlist photographs of 2020. 15,000 images were submitted by photographers from over 60 countries worldwide. (If you haven’t already joined the Birding Planet Facebook group, click here to join)…Read More
Olive Woodpecker pecking bark and finding insects (video)
This is a male Olive Woodpecker I filmed in East London, South Africa. I filmed him from my yard as part of the #LockdownBirdingChallenge in our Facebook Group. He was pecking away at the bark and seemed to find a small feast of ants and insects. He has a grey head, olive body and red…Read More
Join Birding Planet’s “Lockdown Birding Challenge”
This is for beginners and pros alike, any skill level and photo quality e.g. cellphone, DSLR, Drone, anything is welcome! For those of you who are in countries where you are not allowed to leave your property, here is the Lockdown Birding Challenge. 📸🎥🦆🦅🐦 LOCKDOWN BIRDING CHALLENGE Take a photo or a video of any…Read More
Bronze Mannikins balancing while eating grass seeds in the wind
I filmed these Bronze Mannikins at my local estuary. While the Mannikins are very common, I just enjoyed being able to see them pick the grass seeds off at such a close range. I marveled at how well they balanced on such a slender stem of grass which was swaying so much in the wind.…Read More
Cape Batis video
This was another lifer for me; the Cape Batis. It is a Flycatcher-like bird which is closely related to helmetshrikes and bushrikes. It has a large head and a thick, black eye-mask and golden eyes (female’s eyes are reddish). It has a black breast band. HD Video of the male Cape Batis:
Buff-Spotted Flufftail bathing and drinking (HD Video)
This Buff-Spotted Flufftail was a very exciting bird for to me film as it was a lifer for me; the first time I had ever seen it. When I first saw it in the shrubbery I thought it was perhaps a juvenile spurfowl or some type of Frankolin. But once it made its way into…Read More
Long Crested Eagle Video – East London
I filmed this Long Crested Eagle at our local estuary. I have filmed one before in the Drakensburg, one at Chintsa and a few times in Stutterheim, but this was the first time I had captured him on film in East London. It is one of the more sluggish eagles and spends most of its…Read More
Crowned Hornbill eating a grasshopper HD Video
I filmed this Crowned Hornbill eating a grasshopper or locust at Mansfield Game Reserve in Port Alfred, South Africa. There were another two hornbills in close proximity, but this guy was refusing to share! Watch the Crowned Hornbill video in HD below: It is a dark brown hornbill with a white belly and long, red…Read More
Spectacled Weaver taking a bath on Birding Planet
I filmed this Spectacled Weaver taking a bath at a local nature reserve. It is bright yellow with an olive green back which is similar to many of the other Weaver species. The Spectacled Weaver is easily identified by the black “spectacles” around its eyes. Spectacled Weaver info They are monogamous and are usually seen…Read More