Nature's Gems

New Zealand Bird Travel Diary 2025

Last month I had the privilege of travelling back to New Zealand after many years.  My purpose was to visit old friends, revisit some bird hotspots and look for new New Zealan bird species.  My […]

Plum-headed finch
Nature's Gems

Plum-headed Finch

Australia is home to approximately twenty species of finch.  In my travels over the years, I have been lucky enough to observe nearly all of them in a wild setting.  South-east Queensland is home to […]

Nature's Gems

Tiger Snake (Notechis scutatus)

In the last month, I have arrived back from a successful wildlife watching trip to Tasmania. For this trip, I had two target bird species (Hooded Plover and Australasian Bittern) which I was keen to […]

Barking Owl
Nature's Gems

Barking Owl

South-east Queensland is home to seven species of Owl. Being nocturnal, Owls are never easy to see and most of the encounters I have are when I hear the birds calling at night. Recently, I […]

Australasian Bittern
Nature's Gems

Australasian Bittern

Throughout my travels looking at wildlife in Australia, I have seen some incredible creatures. However, Australia is a big country and there is always something new to see. Recently, I decided to focus on learning […]

Apostlebird
Nature's Gems

Apostlebird

One of the most endearing and funny birds that I have encountered in my birdwatching travels in Australia is the Apostlebird. These medium- sized birds are easily recognized by their grey colour and harsh, metallic […]

New Caledonian Horned Parakeet
Nature's Gems

New Caledonian Horned Parakeet

Recent events in New Caledonia have left me with extremely sad to see such a beautiful place in so much turmoil.  In 2013, I travelled to New Caledonia to volunteer with its national bird the […]