Pre 2010 Blog
 

Jeff Blincow's Blog - pre 2010
An enjoyment of the wildlife on our extraordinary planet.
Posts
Up-to-date Blog 2010-today
Namibia - August 2009
Peru - August 2008
Christmas Island - July 2007
Borneo - July 2007
India - April 2007
Brazil - August 2006
Tunisia - April 2006
Spain - April 2006
Arizona - August 2005
Greece - August 2005
Burren - May 2005
Poland - April 2005
New Zealand - July 1998
Madagascar - August 1995
Bolivia - August 1994
Australia - September 1991
Galapagos - January 1991

Interesting records

Convolvulous Hawk-moth


Crosswort


Cushion Star


Dyer's Greenwood


Early Bumblebee


Hazel Dormouse


Garden Cross Spider Araneus diadematus


Grass Snake


Hazel Dormouse


Hornet


Iris Sawfly



Lady Orchid


Painted Topshell


Pill Woodlouse


Pygmy Shrew


Sea Hare


Wild Carrot


Slow-worm


Spiny Starfish


Whitebeam


Bottle-nose Dolphin


Broad-bodied Chaser


Eurasian Bullfinch


Burchell's Zebra


Chicken of the Woods


Common Frog


Common Raven


Crimson-breasted Gonolek


False Grayling


Honey Fungus


Hawk Owl


Jelly Babies


Mosaic Puffball


Narrow-billed Tody


Nail Fungus


Orange-tailed Clearwing


Purple Club


Reed Leopard


Honey Fungus


Trumpet Gentian


Whooper Swan

Blackening Waxcap

Black-footed Limpet

Common Darter

Common Lobster

Common Crossbill

Cryptocephalus bipunctatus

Dusky Puffball


Fan-bearing Woodborer


Figwort Sawfly


Many-headed Slime Mould


Metatropis rufescens


Oak Cherry Gall


Orangutan


Plumose Anemone


Purple Sandpiper


Common Toad


Delicate


Lactarius deliciosus


Lesser Stag Beetle


Lion's Mane Jellyfish


Mallard


Merveille du Jour

Yellow Rattle


Stink Beetle


Radula complanata


Spix's Macaw


The Moon

     

Namibia - August 2009
A rather pleasant trip with Nigel and Sissel. Took in all of the standard sites, with an extension to the Caprivi Strip at the end. Etosha is as good an african wildlife experience as anywhere else. The Skeleton Coast was interesting and it's a must to take in Welwitschia.

 

Lion
 
Steinbok
 

Black Korhaan

Rüppell's Bustard
 
     
Peru - August 2008
Loads of lovely birds everywhere. We covered most of the classic areas apart from the Amazon. Nazca Lines and Machu Picchu were bonuses and Spatuletail was the best.
 

Machu Picchu

Marvellous Spatuletail
 

Waved Albatross

Inca Tern
 
     
Christmas Island - July 2007
The Golden Bosunbirds are a golden-coloured subspecies of White-tailed Tropicbird that only occur on Christmas Island. This pair was indulging in a mirror display for several minutes. All of the pairs displaying at Flying Fish Cove were golden. The white White-tailed Tropicbird
on the island were elsewhere.
 

Golden Bosunbird
 
Red-footed Booby - white-tailed brown morph
 
Christmas Island Blue Crab Discoplax celeste

Christmas Island Frigatebird
 
 
Borneo - July 2007  

Rafflesia
 
Probosis Monkey
 

Kinabatangan River
 
Tree Nymph
 
Asian Pied Hornbill   Leopard Cat  
 
India - April 2007
A ten day trip looking for tigers. We visited Kanha and Bandhavgarh and were successful at both.
 
Tiger   Chital  
Indian Roller   Nilgai  
 
Brazil - August 2006
Pantanal and the Amazon. In the Pantanal the Jaguars were after the caiman and we were after them.
 

Giant Anteater

Hyacinth Macaw
 

Harpy Eagle

Jaguar
 

Sunbittern

Brazilian Tapir
 
 
Tunisia - April 2006
A mammal trip covering most of the country. Rüppell's Fox, Addax and Oryx were the best mammals, Egyptian Nightjar was the avian highlight. A few dragonflies and butterflies finished off a rather fine trip quite nicely.
 
Wiegmann's Burrowing Lizard   Anthia sexmaculatum  
Bir Soltaine   Julodis aequinoctialis  
Egyptian Nightjar   Scimitar-horned Oryx  
Selysiothemis nigra   West of Douz  
 
Spain - April 2006
A week in Extremadura. Lots of lovely birds everywhere but Mole Cricket got top billing.
 
Chapman's Ringlet Lesser Kestrel  
Long-spurred Orchid Spanish Festoon  
 
Arizona - August 2005
This was a birding trip to all of the classic sites. All of the normal hummers showed up as did plenty of fungi.
 
Broad-tailed Hummingbird   Convergent Lady Beetle  
Flame Skimmer   Frost's Bolete  
Mojave Rattlesnake   Painted Redstart  
Tarantula Hawk and Desert Tarantula
  Regal Horned Lizard  
 
Greece - August 2005
Mostly I was in Northern Greece looking for Butterflies.  Mount Phalakron and the Rhodopi Mountains were the main areas. Globe Skimmer and Predatory Bush-cricket were highlights. This was my 13th trip to Europe where I had looked for this Rock Partridge and finally success! It was almost a disappointment - what am I going to look for next?
 
Grecian Foxglove   European Souslik
 
Carpenter Bee Balkan Marbled White  
Predatory Bush-cricket   Rhodopi Mountains  
Red-veined Darter   Rose Chafer  
Scarlet Darter   Silver-washed Fritillary  
 
Burren - May 2005
A bit early in the year for lots of flowers, but there was plenty to enjoy. A superb flying display watching the Fulmars at the Cliffs of Moher.
 

Early Purple Orchid
 
Chough
 

Mountain Hare
 
Common Guillemot
 
 
Poland - April 2005
Spring happened while we were there. This was a mammal trip with a few nice birds thrown in. Lynx, beaver and bison were rather special in one trip. I intend to visit one autumn for fungi.
 

Collared Flycatcher
 
Eastern Hedgehog
 

Fomes pinicola
 
Grass Snake
 

Map Butterfly
 
Three-toed Woodpecker
 
 
New Zealand - July 1998
My second trip to NZ - one of the best places on the planet. The scenery, people  and wildlife are unique. Tiritiri Matangi was a highlight and I would like to go back there. Seabirds were good on trips out of Kaikouri and Dunedin. Kea's rule!
 

Takahe
 
Taiaroa Head
 

Kea
 
Weta
 

Buller's albatross
 
Wandering Albatross
 
 
Madagascar - August 1995
A month to explore this paradise of the unusual. Vangas, couas, ground-rollers and lemurs are widely distributed, so a full tour is necessary. We organised a visit to the Masoala Peninsula that had not been visited much before - this was made worthwhile by a sighting of Madagascar Serpent-eagle. Indrii made the ground shake.
 

Indrii
 
Oustalet's Chameleon
 

Ring-tailed Mongoose
 
Lowland Streaked Tenrec
 

Parson's Chameleon
 
Tomato Frog
 
 
Bolivia - August 1994
An excellent four week trip talking in the high altiplano and Lake Titicaca, the Yungas, the Amazon and the Beni savanna. Blue-throated Macaw was a nice end to the trip.
 

Altiplano
 
Altiplano Soda Lake
 

Blue-throated Macaw
 
Andes
 

Jaguarundi
 
Old Corioco Road
 
 
Australia - Sept 1991
I bought a Holden and did a tour of Australia. Seabirds were excellent as I got out on two fishing boats and five seabird trips. The interior was warm and dusty.
 

Inland Dotterel
 
Red-necked Pademelon
 

Koala
 
Large-tailed Nightjar
 

Agile Wallaby
 
Regent Bowerbird
 
 
Galapagos - January 1991
I've done two trips to Galapagos which is a little over-doing it, however, it is the best of the best. I managed to organise a sail-by of Champion to get the mockingbird - must have been one of the first trips to do this.
 

Isla Bartolomé

Blue-footed Booby
 

Galapagos Penguin

Galapagos Giant Tortoise
 

Marine Iguana
 
Land Iguana
 

Pacific Green Turtle

Swallow-tailed Gull