Tag: Whitehawk Birding
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Post-fledging behavior and prey of the Solitary Eagle
With just a few nests discovered to date, the Solitary Eagle (Harpyhaliaetus solitarius) is one of the least known birds of prey in the world. As such, there is very little information on the ecology and behavior of the Solitary Eagle at any stage in their lives. In 2009, our team of biologists was working…
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The Honey Buzzard Migration
Having the opportunity to spend long periods of time in strategic places for watching migrating birds is priceless for any birder. The spectacle of migration is something that happens almost continuously throughout the year in the Strait of Gibraltar. The peaks of activity are mainly in August and September during the fall migration. Then again…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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. …
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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…
