Africa Rocks Aviary at San Diego Zoo

It’s time for another big life change - we’ve made the move from San Diego in California to Baltimore, for a new postdoctoral position I’ve taken up. As we take the time to settle into a new city and get accustomed to our new surroundings, I will take the next couple of weeks to share some photos from my archives. In particular, I am excited to share some animal photography from the world-famous San Diego Zoo, where I spent many sunny days chasing birds with my telephoto lens. This weekend, I am sharing images from the African Rocks Aviary, featuring an assortment of species that inhabit the African continent, from the elegant North Carmine bee-eater to the oddly-named red-cheeked cordonbleu.

Royalty of the Wetlands

Rare as they are, even in their full breeding plumage, I’m afraid White Herons still can’t compete with Royal Spoonbills (Platalea regia) in my books. It’s a matter of personal opinion, of course, but to me these enormous birds are the uncontested kings and queens of the wetlands. I thoroughly enjoyed photographing these avian giants swooping between their nesting sites, and occasionally fighting each other, during our birdwatching tour with White Heron Sanctuary Tours.

Birds of New Caledonia

One of the perks of my work is that I get to visit some beautiful places and get to see some amazing animal species. For three years, I visited New Caledonia to work with the incredible New Caledonian crows, a species that crafts and uses sticks and hooks as tools to extract grubs from rotten tree trunks. Here are some images of these crows, and a couple other endemic bird species that can be seen in the Grande-Terre island.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary

The Orokonui Ecosanctuary in Dunedin is an excellent place to meet some of New Zealand’s most charismatic bird species. This is an open natural reserve where endemic birds can live and breed in a large predator-free area. There are also plenty of bird feeders to supplement the birds’ diets. The many walks at the sanctuary can easily provide a whole day’s worth of birdwatching, and are definitely worth a visit.

Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre

The Pukaha Mount Bruce Wildlife Centre is located in the region of Wairarapa. It houses a wide range of native New Zealand birds, including the rare kokako and takahe. It was a lovely afternoon stop on a cloudy day.

Here are some images of the New Zealand fauna which can be seen at the sanctuary.