Locally known as the whistling schoolboy for the long piercing, eerily human, whistling calls they make at dawn. The #WhistlingThrush is a large bird usually found along streams in forested hills and mountains. It is a beautiful dark purple with tiny silver spangles on head, back & wings. The bill color varies with range. They frequently fan their tail while standing on an exposed perch such as a waterside rock or overhanging branch.

#wildartworks, #whistlingthrush, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #thrush, #bluewhistlingthrush, #malabarwhistlingthrush, #thrush

The Loyang Rock is a traditional nesting site for the rare Black-naped Terns (Sterna sumatrana),an oceanic tern, which arrive in March. These birds start roosting on the rock between April to August, before leaving for the South China Sea after. They have a habit of following passing large ships en masse. When a vessel approaches, a great number would shadow the stern. They appear to be attracted to the wake stirred up by the ship’s passing. Could it be that the movement of the large ship forces up benthic or other marine organisms to the surface, thus giving the terns, which do not dive very deeply, easy pickings?

#wildartworks, #blacknapedterns, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, # oceanicterns, #terns, #loyangrock, #LoyangRocks, #Loyang,

It’s easy to assume, with bird names, that we know what they mean, and often that assumption is quite correct. Woodpeckers peck wood & bee-eaters feed on bees. Other names seem almost wilfully obscure: what on Earth does the name puffin mean? Yet, while researching the origins of bird names one unearths all sorts of fascinating stories about them. The reason these names appear puzzling is down to the Norman Conquest of Britain. Thus, the Anglo-Saxon “red steort” (meaning red tail) turned into #redstart

#wildartworks, #redstart, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #whitecappedwaterredstart, #whitebelliedredstart, #plumbeousredstart, #thrush

#Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes, which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers adapted for silent flight. Exceptions include the diurnal northern hawk-owl and the gregarious burrowing owl. A group of owls is called a "parliament."

Featured here are some owls I have been fortunate to capture over the years and like always some were easy, some were all night stands, some were in the freezing cold, some were a long walk through dense jungles, with some there was light, with some there was none.

#wildartworks, #owls, #birdsofprey, #nocturnal, #Owl, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #raptor

The word Halcyon, which is also the genus for Tree #Kingfishers, is a term for peace and tranquillity. Being extremely territorial, these active little birds are anything but tranquil; nor are they quiet, as their calls can often be heard from the tree-tops in an otherwise peaceful wilderness. 

Subscribe if you would like to continue reading the #stories.

#wildartworks, #kingfisher, #birdphotography, #naturephotography, #birdinginthewild, #nature, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #earthcapture, #canonasia

Myths & misconceptions surround this diminutive bird, which can hide in plain sight despite its dazzling plumage. The most enduring #kingfisher myth owes its 2,000-year history partly to Aristotle, who claimed that the bird made its nest on the sea surface in a period of winter calm.

Subscribe if you would like to continue reading the #stories.

#wildartworks, #kingfisher, #birdphotography, #naturephotography, #birdinginthewild, #nature, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #earthcapture, #canonasia

#Kingfishers are a family of small to medium-sized, brightly coloured birds in the order #Coraciiformes. They have a cosmopolitan distribution, with most species found in the tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Oceania. The family contains 114 species and is divided into three subfamilies and 19 genera. I have been able to photograph a few of these across Asia Pacific with some coming quite easily and some coming after waiting for hours, damp and cold but worth every bit the wait. Featured here are a few species, some easily seen and some rare, threatened and critically endangered.

Subscribe if you would like to continue reading the #stories.

#wildartworks, #kingfisher, #birdphotography, #naturephotography, #birdinginthewild, #nature, #wildlife, #conservationphotography, #earthcapture, #canonasia

Blakiston’s fish owls, the largest living species of #owls in the world, an endangered species that lives in some of the hardest-to-reach corners of northeast Asia. There are thought to be less than 1000 pairs of these birds remaining in the wild, with very few individuals held in captivity. Found only in northeast Asia, this secretive species has a fragmented distribution in the remote forests of Hokkaido in northern Japan, the Russian Far East, and northeastern China. #wildartworks, #Bubo_blakistoni, #birdinginthewild, #birdphotography, #nature, #wildlife, #raptor, #owl, #endangered