Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka
Conservation Tourism
Bird of the Day: Red-billed Hornbill (Mole National Park, Ghana)
My Tiger Trail Camping Experience: Team Kathy, Douglas, Fred and Salim
Camping Team from left to right: Kathy, Douglas, Fred and Salim
I’ve passed the half-way point of my managment training with RAXA Collective and since our focus is conservation tourism part of my training has been understanding what the Periyar Tiger Reserve has to offer. I recently had the opportunity to experience the overnight Tiger Trail, probably the very best that PTR has to offer. This was made even more interesting by joining a pair of experienced travelers who were here to enjoy Kerala’s biodiversity. Needless to say I had very high expectations! Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Tiny Sunbird
Mole National Park, Ghana
Bird of the Day: Antillean Siskin
Parque Valle Nuevo, Dominican Republic
So I’ve arrived at Cardamom County
This week, I arrived in Thekkady, at the frontier between Kerala and Tamil Nadu. My name is Allegra I’m a french professional who decided to take a break from hectic Paris to learn about entrepreneurial conservation and eco-tourism. I’ll spend the next two months at Cardamom County with Raxa Collective. Cardamom County borders the Periyar Tiger Reserve. As it nears the center of a bustling spice-trading town, I sometimes forget we’re in a forest. Nature always finds a way to remind you though. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: White-spotted Flufftail (Mole National Park)
Bird of the Day: Blue-tailed Bee-eater (Outskirts of Nagarhole National Park, Karnataka)
Travel For The Marine Biodiversity, Support Conservation in Baja California Sur
We’ve posted about the biodiversity of this spectacular region before so when we came across this article highlighting the Cabo Pulmo National Marine Park it definitely drew our attention.
The park is
a 27.5-square-mile ecosystem with an unusual history and an uncertain future. At least 226 fish species live in the park, and it is home to the only living hard coral reef in the Sea of Cortez. But environmentalists fear that a major resort development could significantly alter this delicate fringe of Baja, both above ground and underwater. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: Togo Paradise-whydah (Mole National Park, Ghana)
Bird of the Day: African Village Weaver – Female (Kakum National Park, Ghana)
Photo Credit: John Mason
Bird of the Day: Indian Cormorant with catch
Lalbagh Botanical Gardens, Bangalore
Lost and Found In Ghana
White-necked Picathartes – Photo Credit: David Shackelford Rockjumper Birding Tours
In March we’d introduced the White-necked Rock Fowl in our Bird of the Day series, and then neglected to tell the full story behind this charismatic bird. Shame on us! But better late than never I’m happy to share it now.
West Africa’s Upper Guinean forest block stretches along the coast from Sierra Leone to Ghana, and along with the Congolian forest block is considered a biodiversity hotspot. Up until the mid-1960s-early 1970s it is believed there were at least 200-300 breeding pairs of the endemic white-necked picathartes in Ghana alone. But up until 10 years ago there hadn’t been reports of the bird for nearly 4 decades, leading conservationists to believe it eradicated from the region.
Our colleague John Mason from the Nature Conservation Research Centre (NCRC) in Ghana has provided us with this fascinating story:
Efforts to locate rockfowl were not successful until 2003, when a research team from Louisiana State University, working in collaboration with NCRC and WD, re-discovered rockfowl in Ghana. A single individual was mist-netted and one breeding site was recorded in the Subim Forest Reserve. Subsequently the Ghana Wildlife Society located two additional colonies near this first site. Continue reading
Bird of the Day: African Emerald Cuckoo (Mole National Park, Ghana)
Bird of the Day: Grey Plover (Mole National Park, Ghana)
Bird of the Day: Verditer Flycatcher
Lalbagh Botonical Gardens, Bangalore, Karnataka
Bird of the Day: African Wattled Lapwing (Mole National Park)
Bird of the Day: Red-billed Firefinch (Mole National Park, Ghana)
Bird of the Day: Red-wattled Lapwing with Nest
Periyar Tiger Reserve, Kerala
Lake Vembanad
Photo Credits: Ramesh Kidangoor
Lake Vembanad at sunset is a vision of coconut palms reflected on calm water. Famous for its boat races, marine products and ubiquitous coir industry, this land of lush paddy fields is also referred to as the “Rice Bowl of Kerala” and one of the few places in the world where farming is done below sea level. Continue reading
Organikos 