Date: 17 to 19 June 2011
Location: Lee Vining
State: California
Country: United States of America

Related posts:

1. 2011 Urban Bird Festival
2. 2011 San Diego Bird Festival/Audubon California Assembly
3. 2011 ABA Young Birder’s Camp in Colorado

For more information, visit the Birdlife SA website at http://www.birdlife.org.za/page/6090/fundraisers.

Date: 17 August 2010
Venue: Irene Country Lodge
City: Irene
Country: South Africa

Related posts:

1. British Bird Fair 2010
2. Birds Down Under 2010
3. Stanford Strettons Bird Fair 2010

Hundreds of bird species will benefit from the Americas IBA Directory, as it will be a guideline for both conservationists and for authorities. The directory covers 57 different countries and has 2 345 of the most significant areas listed that need to be protected at all costs. Authorities will be able to refer to the directory to find out which of their areas are vital to the survival of birdlife, which bird species are located in that area and the biodiversity of the area, to enable them to take the right steps in protecting the natural habitat and the birds. Some areas that have been listed are significant in the migratory patterns of certain species, while others are crucial nesting sites for numerous endangered birds. Due to a number of these areas being inhabited by local communities, also relying on the natural resources such as water, authorities can assist these communities with sustainable development that will not only benefit the communities but the birdlife as well.

Hundreds of organizations have provided support and assistance in the compiling of the Americas IBA Directory. President of Bird Studies Canada, George Finney, explained: “From breeding grounds in Canada, to wintering sites in the south, and all points in between, it is imperative that we understand what is happening to bird populations and the forces that drive change. Bird Studies Canada is proud to work closely with our international partners on this issue, so that better management decisions and conservation actions can be taken.” A large number of agencies will be working together as IBA Caretakers, tracking migratory patterns and data in regard to bird populations, to note changes being made by the birds, and keeping the IBA Directory as up to date and accurate as possible.

Related posts:

1. Conservation Crossing Borders
2. One in Eight Birds in Danger of Extinction
3. International Migratory Bird Day 2008

First time bird watchers and avid birding enthusiasts will be able to enjoy this festival that is focused on sharing the spectacular birdlife of Monterey with visitors. For more information, kindly visit the festival website at http://www.montereybaybirding.org/ .

Date: 24 – 27 September 2009
Venue: Watsonville Civic Plaza
City: Monterey
Country: North America

Related posts:

1. Monterey Bay Birding Festival
2. Borneo Bird Festival 2009
3. BOAF Bird Show 2009

Bird lovers looking for a fantastic long-weekend getaway should look no further than the 15th Annual Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival. The festival will take place, as always, in Harlingen, Texas, and will provide plenty of great, nature-orientated activities for young and old.

So what can you expect to enjoy at the Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival? The weekend’s events are a combination of field trips, keynote lectures, workshops, seminars, children’s programs and a trade show, so there really will be something for everyone. What’s more, the programs and activities have been specially designed to cater to the needs of backyard, novice and veteran birder’s alike; so no matter what your skill level you will find the program to be insightful, informative and fun. The Birder’s Bazaar is one of the places where you will be able to while away hours while updating your equipment, having some fun and learning more about the environment. Nature artwork, trusty field guides, new optics and plenty of birding gear will be available from the more than 60 vendors who have traveled to the show from across the nation to participate in the festival. For those interested in photography, the Eagle Optics and Swarovski Optik digiscoping contest that will be held throughout the festival represents the opportunity of a lifetime. There is simply no shortage of great things to see and do at the festival.

Of course the real reason for the festival is the abundant birdlife that is present in Rio Grande Valley. More than 250 species were sighted at last year’s festival – something which proves that the area is a birding hotspot! To help you in your quest to spot some of these amazing birds, there will be a number of world-class guides leading field trips into the valley and sharing their invaluable information with you. Another good reason for attending the festival is the opportunity to surround yourself with plenty of like-minded individuals. There will be many opportunities to make new friends and meet new people. The event will get underway with a Welcome Reception held at the Harlingen Arts & Heritage Museum on Wednesday, November 5, between 5 and 7 pm. The weekend’s activities will wind down to an enjoyable ending on November 9, after five great days of bird-watching excitement. So make the most of this annual event and make sure that you participate in this year’s Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival.

Related posts:

1. Rio Grande Valley Birding Festival
2. Georgia’s Colonial Coast Birding & Nature Festival
3. Monterey Bay Birding Festival

Primarily due to its abundant wildlife, Kenya is a popular tourist destination, and there are many different types of organized tours available, with the classic wildlife safari being the most sought after. The main objective of going on a classic wildlife safari is to spot the “Big Five” – lion, elephant, Cape buffalo, leopard and rhino – and while this in itself is exciting, the focus is on the animals and not the birdlife, which can be frustrating for the keen birder.

Appreciating the fact that many people visiting Kenya want to focus on bird watching, a number of tour companies offer specialized birding tours and the trick is to find the tour that is right for you. Do you want to stop and watch the birds in a relaxed manner, seeing how they interact with one another in their natural habitat? Or do you want to spot as many species as possible in the shortest period of time possible? While given the number of species resident in Kenya, the latter may be tempting, the first option is considered by many birding enthusiasts to be the most rewarding. Whichever choice you make, make sure that the tour you pick will suit you.

From a birding point of view, one of the most popular of the eleven reserve areas in Kenya is Lake Baringo, which is situated about 290 kilometers north of Nairobi. It is not uncommon to spot around 300 different species of birds in the Lake Baringo area in a single day. Birding enthusiasts can expect to see Vereaux’s Eagle, Heuglin’s Courser, Three-banded Courser, Lichtenstein’s Sand-grouse, Spotted Thick-knee, Paradise Flycatcher, African Fish Eagle, Marabou Stork, Hemprich’s Hornbill, African Skimmer and much more.

Tsavo is Kenya’s largest game reserve and one of the largest wildlife sanctuaries in the world. In addition to the fascinating wildlife that are resident in Tsavo, birders can look out for Golden-breasted Starlings, Evergreen Forest Warbler, Kenyan Ostrich, Common Ostrich, Somali Ostrich, Hartlaub’s Bustard, Sooty Falcon and Eleonora’s Falcon.

Many of the lodges in Kenya have a resident guide who is knowledgeable with regard to local birds and can give guests an informative tour of the lodge area. The best time for birding is between October and April each year when over 120 Northern hemisphere migrant species arrive for the summer. Between April and October migrants from the southern hemisphere and Madagascar flock to Kenya, many of which are in breeding plumage at that time.

Kenya certainly has plenty to offer birding enthusiasts, and many birders return year after year to explore a new area each time – and are never disappointed.

Related posts:

1. Spectacular Birding on the Isle of Mull
2. Brilliant Birding in Malaysia
3. Exceptional Birding in Cuba

Terms such as global warming, carbon footprint and climate change are becoming part of every day vocabulary as people become more aware of the far reaching consequences of mankind’s abuse of the planet. Researchers at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Durham University and Cambridge University have been monitoring the effect of climate change on bird populations in the United Kingdom and have reached some disturbing conclusions.

Researchers have found that birds which favor warmer climates, such as the Cirl Bunting, Cetti’s Warbler and Dartford Warbler, are becoming more common across quite a varied range of habitats in Britain as temperatures rise. Although birding enthusiasts in these areas may welcome their new visitors, it is an indication that climate change is affecting birdlife, and not necessarily for the good. In the case of some northern species, this climate change is having a decidedly negative effect which can be seen in the falling numbers of species such as Fieldfare and Redwing, as well as the Slavonian Grebe, a bird whose range traditionally extended its southern margins as far as Scotland.

Researchers examined population trends of 42 bird species in relation to climate changes over a period of twenty-five years and their findings confirmed what they had suspected – the changes in climate over the past twenty years has had a profound effect on birdlife. Professor Brian Huntley from Durham University’s Institute of Ecosystem Science says that, taking into account that the U.K. is in the middle latitudes of Europe, researchers involved in this project expected that the ongoing climatic warming would favor bird species from the south of Europe, while adversely affecting northern bird species and the results of the research confirmed this. Professor Huntley has used the results of the research to assist him in compiling “A Climatic Atlas of European Breeding Birds”, which points to potential changes in distribution of Europe’s regularly occurring nesting birds and confirms that urgent action needs to be taken to minimize climatic change in order to avoid catastrophic impacts on birds.

With a lot of attention being focused on governments to resolve these environment-altering issues, hopefully something will be done before it is too late for many of the little feathered creatures that share our planet.

Related posts:

1. Conservation Crossing Borders
2. Experts Estimate Birds Will Be Grossly Affected By Global Warming
3. Birding in the fascinating Republic of Malta

The Republic of Malta consists of an archipelago of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea of Southern Europe. With its warm Mediterranean climate and varied habitats, Malta is a superb birding destination. As the islands lie along one of the main European-African migration flyways, it is an ideal location to observe annual bird migrations. The country is also rich in history and culture, having been occupied by a number of ancient cultures through its history, including Sicilians, Romans, Phoenicians and Byzantines, all of which left their mark on the island, making it a fascinating place to explore.

BirdLife Malta count stands at 384 species, of which 21 are regular breeders. These include the Cory’s Shearwater, Yelkouan Shearwater, European Storm-petrel, Zitting Cisticola, Cetti’s Warbler, Reed Warbler, Spectacled Warbler, Sardinian Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher, Woodchat Shrike, Common Starling, Spanish Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Common Chaffinch, Corn Bunting, Moorhen, Little Ringed Plover, Yellow-legged Gull, Short-toed Lark and Collared Dove.

More than 170 species of migrating birds from at least 47 countries pass over Malta during migration seasons, with some of them staying over for the winter period. BirdLife Malta has a ringing station and bird observatory on the small rocky island of Comino, which is designated as a Bird Sanctuary. An abundance of migratory birds are attracted to Comino, including Rock Thrushes and Black-eared Wheaters. In spring, birders may see Garden Warblers, Icterine Warblers, Spotted Flycatchers, Pied Flycatchers and Woodchat Shrikes. The island of Gozo has striking sheer cliffs to the southwest that are home to large numbers of breeding Cory’s Shearwaters.

The non-governmental organization BirdLife Malta, as a partner of BirdLife International, was established in January of 1962, first as a study group and going on to become an agency dedicated to the protection of Malta’s birds. As is the case in many countries around the world, man is fast encroaching on the habitats of birds with no regard for their welfare. As Malta is an island-nation which is already densely-populated, BirdLife Malta faces a monumental task when dealing with habitat destruction through the building of hotels, golf courses, new roads and other developments, as well as defending the birds against hunting and trapping which is common on the islands.

Education through schools, special campaigns, the media and bird-specific publications, as well as an active junior volunteer membership are some of the ways that BirdLife Malta are raising awareness about the plight of the country’s birds. They also manage the Ghadira and Is-Simar wetland nature reserves and have various projects to reclaim and rejuvenate degraded habitat. Moreover their continued research is instrumental in identifying more areas for protection. BirdLife Malta also works along with Maltese authorities in drafting and promoting bird-protection legislation and then work with the police to enforce these laws. All these measures are taken by a team of dedicated bird-lovers who want to ensure that the rich bird-life of Malta is protected for current and future generations.

Related posts:

1. The Fascinating Kirtland’s Warbler
2. Spectacular Birding on the Isle of Mull
3. Eurobirdwatch 2007 across Twenty-Eight Countries

The more than 100 kilometer long Serrania de los Yariguies Mountain Range in Columbia has remained unexplored until fairly recently when, under the auspices of Fundacion ProAves, researchers began a survey focusing mainly on the birdlife in the area. So far, these efforts have yielded two new bird species and a new species of butterfly. The first new bird discovery has been named the Yariguies Brush-Finch, while the latest discovery has been named in honor of conservationist Robert Giles – Scytalopus griseicollis gilesi.

Scytalopus griseicollis gilesi is a subspecies of the Pale-bellied Tapaculo. It was discovered by researchers Jorge Avendano and Thomas Donegan during a ProAves organized exploration of the Yariguies Mountains. ProAves is the Columbian bird conservation organization which was instrumental in setting up the ProAves Cerulean Warbler nature reserve based in the Yariguies, as well as numerous other conservation projects throughout Columbia. ProAves are supported by the BP Conservation Program which is collaboration between BP, BirdLife International, Conservation International, Fauna & Flora International and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

The description of the newly discovered subspecies was published recently in the Ornitología Colombiana, a scientific journal. The plumage of this subspecies is primarily grey with rufous (reddish-brown) on the vent and rump and a darker black, longer tail than the other Pale-Bellied Tapaculos. Another distinguishing factor of the new subspecies is some of its calls, which are distinctly different from the Pale-Bellied Tapaculos.

Researchers on the expeditions that brought to light the two new bird species and the new butterfly, have also discovered quite a number of what are believed to be new species, but are awaiting scientific description and confirmation before these can be published. In addition to these discoveries, the expedition team found what are considered to be the world’s most viable populations of a number of critically endangered bird species. These discoveries led to the establishment of a 78,837 hectare National Park, in addition to the ProAves 545 hectare nature reserve which is located adjacent to the National Park.

The discovery of the new subspecies resulted in a substantial revision of the taxonomy of both Colombian and Venezuelan Tapaculos being undertaken. Because the plumage of different species of Tapaculos is often quite similar, these birds are among the least known of all Colombian birds. It is mainly their songs that help birders to differentiate between species.

Researchers are finding exploration of the Serrania de los Yariguies Mountain Range in Columbia very rewarding, and birding enthusiasts will no doubt be interested to learn of further discoveries.

Related posts:

1. New Bird Species Discovered in Eastern Nepal
2. New Bulbul Species Discovered
3. The Large-Billed-Reed-Warbler Rediscovered

According to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), one in eight bird species is currently facing extinction. The most recent update of the Red List of threatened bird species listed 190 bird species as ‘critically endangered’. Eight of the birds on this list were added this year and a further sixteen species have been given a higher threat status. In sharp contrast, only two species were found to have improved prospects of survival. Clearly things are spiraling out of control.

Stuart Butchart of BirdLife International, an organization which helped IUCN compile the list, sighted the destruction of natural habitats and climate changes brought about by global warming as the biggest factors in this unfortunate trend. Sadly things seem unlikely to change anytime soon. Burchart noted that the resulting fragmented populations become even more susceptible to climate changes and this, in turn, can bring about a higher level of localized extinctions. He further added that to ultimately turn things around, we would have to see “broad-scale climate-change mitigation measures” as well as a change in “society’s values and lifestyles.” However, while there has been an ever-increasing trend amongst first world countries to go ‘green’, it is unlikely that we will see these changes implemented on a large-enough scale to prevent this wave of destruction.

There are approximately 10 000 known bird species. Of these over 1200 are now considered to be ‘threatened’. At least eight species have been bumped up the list to the status ‘critically endangered’. The statistics include the Floreana mocking bird, which is limited to a tiny population of only 60 animals, and the Mallee emuwren – of which there are only about 100 individuals still left in the wild. These are two of the most endangered species on the list, but more familiar bird species also merit attention. The sandpiper and albatross are also listed as endangered, and the spotted kiwi in New Zealand has had its status marked up from near threatened to vulnerable.

One of the birds marked down was the Marquesan imperial pigeon. The change from ‘critically endangered’ to ‘endangered’ comes as the result of determined conservation efforts. This shows that conservation can be effective, but it has to be implemented for all these endangered species if we are going to see any major changes. While activities, such as the clearing of forests to make way for palm-oil plantations, continue to destroy vital bird habitats, BirdLife has set a program in motion to try and stop this ongoing trend in its tracks. Called the “Preventing Extinctions” program, the aim is to find groups who will be willing to protect each of the 190 birds that are listed as critically endangered. Bird lovers can only hope that the new program will prove to be a success.

Related posts:

1. Black Grouse Saved from Extinction
2. Farmers Could Save Endangered Ibis
3. Experts Estimate Birds Will Be Grossly Affected By Global Warming