Galapagos Islands 2012: Part 6

By kevinloughlin | September 24, 2012

      ABOVE IMAGES TAKEN BY PARTICIPANT KEITH COSTIGAN After we made it back to the boat a portion of the group went snorkeling along Bartolomé with Galápagos Penguins, sea lions, White-tipped Reef Sharks and various reef fish.           A second snorkel was offered after lunch and featured penguins, sharks,…

Galapagos Islands 2012: Part 5

By kevinloughlin | September 24, 2012

  On Santiago we learned about the region’s volcanic origins and continuing activity while we climbed over the beautiful “pahoehoe” lava formations. Along the way we came across Large Painted Locusts, Lava Cacti and a Candelabra Cactus.             photos © Kevin Loughlin text © Sarah Winnicki

Cradle of Birding 2012

By kevinloughlin | September 18, 2012

  This year’s Cradle of Birding event at the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge was another great success! The PA Young Birder’s were represented by me (Kevin Loughlin) and Debbie Beer. (Note: Adrian Binns is currently in Australia!) The PA Young Birders sponsored two bird walks for kids for a total of over 90 kids,…

Galapagos Islands 2012: Part 4

By kevinloughlin | August 31, 2012

Before breakfast we took a dinghy trip around Bartolomé to get good views of Galápagos Penguins, Lava Herons, Yellow-crowned Night-herons, Blue-footed Boobies and, of course, sea lions. One sea lion was even inquisitive enough to jump into our dinghy on this trip!     When we had all tested our camera work on the bouncy…

Galapagos Islands 2012: Part 3

By kevinloughlin | August 22, 2012

Blue-footed Boobie (male) After breakfast we headed off via dinghy to North Seymour Island. Before we even made it to the shore we were granted sightings of Blue-footed Boobies, Magnificent Frigatebirds, Brown Noddies, Lava Herons, Swallow-tailed Gulls and sea lions. Magnificent Frigatebird displaying Magnificent Frigatebird (juv) Great Frigatebird (juv) Blue-footed Booby freshly hatched chick Once…

Galapagos Islands 2012: Part 2

By kevinloughlin | August 20, 2012

Warbler Finch We left the hotel early for a flight out of Quito to the Galápagos through Guayaquil. After we landed in San Cristóbal and got to our boat, we had lunch on our luxury yacht Xavier III before taking a bus into the highlands of San Cristobal. We stopped to view the Galápagos Miconia…

Galapagos Islands 2012: Part 1

By kevinloughlin | August 16, 2012

Note from Kevin: This year’s Galapagos trip report is by our newest intern, Sarah Winnicki. Sarah is one of the Ohio Young Birders I met several years ago at a conference held by the Black Swamp Bird Observatory (BSBO). BSBO is headed up by Kim Kaufman, with help from famous husband Kenn and a great…

Wildside Leader Gets Hitched!

By kevinloughlin | August 13, 2012

Yup… that’s right, it happened! Wildside leader Paula Mandracchia and Mark Osowski tied the knot on August 11, 2012. Congratulations and we wish you well along your new journey! photos © Kevin Loughlin

PA Young Birders: Pottstown Boys & Girls Club

By Adrian Binns | July 18, 2012

PA Young Birders was recently invited to lead a morning bird program for the local Pottstown Boys & Girls Club.  I was delighted for the opportunity to help connect several dozen kids to birding and nature.  After an introduction and practice using binoculars, the group was soon engaged in watching Chimney Swifts and American Goldfinches…

Bostwana : Moremi Game Reserve

By Adrian Binns | July 9, 2012

In this final Botswana episode of Birding Adventures TV, the crew and I head to Chitabe Camp on the edge of the Moremi Game Reserve in the Okavango Delta.  We enjoyed many animal experiences, including tracking leopards for several miles, and observing a pride of lions on a kill.  Endangered Wattled Cranes were one of…

Botswana : Makgadikgadi Pans

By Adrian Binns | July 6, 2012

The Secretarybird may be the oddest raptor on earth, with its habit of walking the savannah on long legs. This enigmatic species was just one of the highlights of our stay at Jack’s Camp on the edge of the Makgadikgadi Pans in the Northern Kalahari Desert.  Birding Adventures TV 3rd episode of my Botswana trip features this…

Botswana : Okavango Delta

By Adrian Binns | July 5, 2012

The 2nd episode of Birding Adventures TV program from my recent trip to Botswana, featuring our time at Xigera Camp in the heart of the Okavango Delta. The rare and stunning Pel’s Fishing Owl was a major highlight. Other footage includes the elusive Lesser Jacana, the regional endemic Slaty Egret as well as a plethora…