2016 marks the 100th Anniversary of our US National Park Service!   The official date is not until August 25, the day Congress passed the “National Park Service Organic Act” in 1916, but we, along with all the National Parks and Monuments plan to celebrate all year long! If you watched the Tournament of Roses…

I’ve called out many a “leaf bird” in my travels, but few resembled this handsome one! Flashing brightly-coloured wings and tail, Orange-bellied Leafbirds use their long, slender, decurved bill to glean insects from the canopies of deciduous, broadleaf forests. The 7 1/2 inch long Orange-bellied is one of 11 species in the Leafbird family, found…

One of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles takes place in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. Each August and September, more than a million Wildebeest migrate across the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem in a ceaseless search for fresh grass. During our tour last August, vast herds of Wildebeest were grazing on the western side of the Mara, within the Burungat…

August 18, 2016 – Maasai Mara NR, Kenya     Patience pays off!  For the afternoon game drive we returned to the crossing point along the Mara River. We arrived in time to see a couple of dozen Zebra cross the river and could see a few others were thinking about returning back!   A mother…

Born in 1959, Scott Weidensaul (pronounced “Why-densaul”) has lived almost all of his life among the long ridges and endless valleys of eastern Pennsylvania, in the heart of the central Appalachians, a landscape that has defined much of his work. His writing career began in 1978 with a weekly natural history column in the local…

  Recognizing the buoyant flight of the Galapagos Petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia) is the best way to ID this large, long-winged ‘gadfly petrel’ as it floats effortlessly over the Pacific in search of food. Squid, fish and crustaceans make up their diet. Once considered a subspecies of the Dark-rumped Petrel (Pterodroma phaeopygia phaeopygia) it was split…

  One of my favorite raptors, the Black-collared Hawk (Busarellus nigricollis) is found in wetlands from southern Mexico south through the Amazon and all the way to the Pantanal of Brazil. Though widespread, populations can be very local throughout the Amazon and its tributaries.     A lazy fisherman, Black-collared Hawks perch low over shallow…

While in Arizona for the Tucson Audubon Bird and Wildlife Fest, a barely got out to shoot or view any birds. However, Sunday evening after closing down the vendor area and packing up, I drove to Madera Canyon to seek the Elegant Trogons that still had young in their nest. Upon arrival at the location,…

  It doesn’t happen often, fortunately, but tours can be interrupted by unexpected circumstances. Last week out group had barely begun a week-long photo workshop in Glacier National Park, in northwestern Montana, when a forest fire broke out.   After the group arrival on Sunday we had a wonderful, jam-packed day of photography on Monday…

Edison and Kevin just returned from a great road-trip cross country. Kevin was teaching a photo workshop in the Grand Tetons and Edison, Wildside’s top South American birding guide, stayed in the USA to join him to learn a bit more about photography and to enjoy seeing more of the USA’s scenic wonders, wildlife and…

Day 11 / Oct 12: Ruiz Cortines; Las Barrancas     On this last day of our Veracruz trip we visited one of the best birding sites in the region, the cloud forest at Ruiz Cortines. There we were met by Braulio Malega, local guide, Tuxtla Quail-Dove expert, and great friend. The cool drizzly weather…