WHitehawk Birding blog

Welcome to the Whitehawk Birding Blog! Here we share fun birding and nature facts and news in posts that we hope you find of interest. We hope you enjoy!

  • Into the Wild Desert: Merzouga

    Into the Wild Desert: Merzouga

    One of the best places to enjoy desert avifauna is Merzouga. For most people, the desert represents one of the final frontiers. They might see it as a lifeless place of harsh extremes. But nothing is further from reality. It is true that the fauna in deserts is less abundant than in other ecosystems. However,…


  • A Naturalist and other Beasts

    A Naturalist and other Beasts

    For anyone dedicated to the world of conservation, George B. Shaller is more than just an idol. He is a legend. In his book, “A Naturalist and Other Beasts”, he guides us through the numerous projects on which he has embarked. He reveals the usually less than glamorous life of a field biologist. And shares…


  • La Janda, a Magical Place

    La Janda, a Magical Place

    Without a doubt, the loss of La Janda Lagoon was an environmental catastrophe for southern Spain. Those who made the decision to drain the largest lagoon in southern Europe for its use as farmland cared little for the fact that it was a refuge for millions of resident and passing birds and located in a…


  • Working with the Canarian Houbara Bustard

    Working with the Canarian Houbara Bustard

    In late 2011, Whitehawk began collaborating with GREFA, a Spanish NGO. We partnered with them to help carry out a population census of the Canarian Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis fuertaventurae undulata) on the islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, Spain. An Endemic Subspecies of the Houbara Bustard The Canarian Houbara Bustard is an endemic subspecies. It inhabits…


  • Underwater Adventure in Caye Caulker, Belize

    Underwater Adventure in Caye Caulker, Belize

    The water is the blue found in dreams. It is warm and so clear that we can see to the white sand bottom of the sea. Fish of all colors swim languidly beneath the ripples our boat creates on the otherwise still sea. Today, we are not in search of birds. Today, we are heading…


  • The Solitary Eagle

    The Solitary Eagle

    The Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius) is one of the least known raptors in the Neotropics. In fact, prior to the Belize Raptor Research Institute’s (BRRI) 2011 discovery of an active nest for this species, only two other nests had been found. Both more than fifty years ago!  Luckily, BRRI researchers discovered this nest before the…


  • New Snow Leopard population discovered

    New Snow Leopard population discovered

    We live in an age when most of the news we get on T.V. and in the papers is bad news. This is often particularly true when it comes to the environment. We hear about another species becoming extinct in the wild. Or read about how climate change could be wreaking havoc on the planet. …


  • Crested Eagle Feeding a  Young Harpy Eagle

    Crested Eagle Feeding a Young Harpy Eagle

    Interspecific interactions between large forest eagle species are fascinating. Follow this link to read an interesting paper written by one of our colleagues. Learn about a Crested Eagle (Morphnus guianensis) feeding a young Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja), in Darien, Panama. These two species are among the largest raptors in the Neotropics. They are similar in…


  • Morocco – Migration from the Other Shore

    Morocco – Migration from the Other Shore

    Right after we picked up our first guests, Kitty and Marshal, in Malaga, we headed to the Strait of Gibraltar. Here, we would begin our Morocco Migration from the Other Shore Tour. During the tour, we would be able to see one of Nature’s greatest shows, the migration of hundreds of thousands of raptors and…