Birding Journal

Every autumn, the most impressive wildlife spectacle plays out over a narrow strip of water that separates two continents. Over the Strait of Gibraltar, where Europe and Africa draw nearest to each other, tens of thousands of raptors gather every year, flying southward in order to get through 14 kilometers of a narrow channel, where […]

There are some birds that disappear without making any noise. Not only do they never make headlines or earn a farewell sighting, but they also fade away slowly until people realize this particular bird hasn’t been seen in a long time. This was the case with the Red Weaver until July 3, 2026, when two […]

People familiar with Ondiri generally know it for what it actually is, namely Kenya’s sole quaking bog, a section of land close to Kikuyu town that literally shakes beneath your feet and at the same time serves as the quiet origin of the Nairobi River. The fact that fewer people are aware is that seven […]

Some birds are beautiful. This one looks like it was dipped in a gemstone. Where to find it. Widespread across sub-Saharan Africa, favoring woodland edges and savanna, often spotted perched high on exposed branches. Why it’s interesting.The male Violet-backed Starling is covered in a deep, iridescent violet-purple that shifts and shimmers depending on the light, […]

Picture a lake that isn’t blue. It’s pink – every inch of it, shore to shore, as if someone tipped a vat of candy floss into the Rift Valley. Then the “lake” exhales, and a million pairs of wings lift at once in a sound like a slow round of applause from the gods. This […]

Meet the bird that lies for a living — and gets away with it, every time. Where do you spot it?Common across sub-Saharan Africa, often seen perched on open branches or fence posts, watching everything around it. What makes it interesting?  The Fork-tailed Drongo has built an entire survival strategy around deception. It mimics the […]