Chris Townend (Wise Birding)
@wisebirding
Tour Leader / Freelance Ornithologist. Love all wildlife, particularly birds, the challenge of rarity finding & searching for elusive cats, especially Lynx & Snow Leopard. Bird & Mammal Tours: www.wisebirding.co.uk Beaver Walks: www.devonbeavertours.co.uk
One of my favourite photos from this year’s beaver season on the River Otter, East Devon. #Mammals
An exciting morning on the patch finding this Caspian Tern. Only on site for around 25 minutes and a 1st for the Otter Estuary NR. 7th for Devon I think….Unringed too, so different to bird on the Exe last month. #DevonBirds #UKBirding #Birds
Incoming Hobby in the patch this evening. Always a treat when I see them and one of the best falcons! #Birds #DevonBirds
A nice surprise on the Otter Estuary NR tonight was this adult Wood Sandpiper. A scarce bird here and my first in June. #UKBirding #DevonBirds
Wise Birding Borneo, Sabah birding tour, it’s a wrap as they say! So many fabulous birds and mammals too. Now the long journey home. Public trip report out soon…… #Birds #Birding #Borneo #WiseBirding
The Bornean Bristlehead is a real must see endemic bird when visiting Sabah, Borneo. Although never easy to see! We had seen it earlier in the tour, but distantly, so today’s views were outstanding at Tabin Forest. #Birds #Borneo #WorldBirding #WiseBirding
Amazing to watch one of two Peregrine Falcons catching bats at Gomantong Caves, Borneo yesterday. Such incredibly dark birds of presumed “ernesti” subsp. #Birds #WorldBirding #Borneo #WiseBirding
Another day, another fabulous Pitta. The endemic Black-crowned Pitta at Sepilok today on our continuing birding tour of Sabah, Borneo. #Birds #WorldBirding #Borneo #WiseBirding
Another unforgettable morning in Sabah, Borneo today as we watched this stunning male Bornean Peacock-Pheasant from a forest hide. #Birds #WorldBirding #Borneo #WiseBirding
More from our ongoing Sabah, Borneo Birding tour with some fabulous quality birds at Mount Kinabalu NP with the giant of all Broadbills, Whitehead’s Broadbill and the stunning Whitehead’s Trogon. #Birds #WorldBirding #WiseBirding #Borneo
The first day of our Borneo Birding tour started with a bang today with this Bobby dazzler!😎 The endemic, Bornean Banded Pitta. What a start to the tour!😮 #Birds #WorldBirding #Borneo #WiseBirding
Another couple of highlights from the Kinabatangan River, Sabah on our Mostly Mammals tour were a group of Bornean Elephants feeding by the river and a nice Oriental Bay Owl distraction. Now time for the start of our birding tour……… #Mammals #Birds #WiseBirding
Not the target mammal we were looking for along the Kinabatangan River in Sabah, Borneo last night, but what a fantastic surprise, Banded Linsang! A really tough mammal to connect with anywhere. Thanks to tour participant John B for sharing his photo.😮 #Mammals #Borneo #WiseBirding
Great to be backing Borneo! Our Mostly Mammals tour has started very well with some great sightings in Sepilok including a daytime Sunda Colugo, Red Giant Flying Squirrel & Western Tarsier. Plus quality birds like Banded Kingfisher. #Mammals #WiseBirding
Bonaparte’s Gull again on the Otter Estuary NR again, this evening but literally for seconds only, on its flight path to roost on the sea. #UKBirding #DevonBirds
Chuffed to find a Bonaparte’s Gull on the patch last thing this evening. I’ve been looking hard the last few weeks, so finally paid off. 😊 #OtterEstuaryNR #UKBirding #DevonBirds
Despite monsoon rain and very strong wind in Sierra de Andujar, our perseverance finally paid off and we had some special views of two Lynx together late this afternoon. A well deserved result for a great team! #Mammals #IberianLynx #WiseBirding
Great to finally see some Greater (Euro) White-fronted Geese on the patch, thanks to Ranger Rick 👍🏻 A flock of 22 birds in total. Last time only the patch was back in December 2021, so a very welcome sight on an otherwise miserable grey and windy day. #DevonBirds
Come and join us in Mongolia in May/June 2026 and see some fabulous birds, amazing landscapes, wonderful people and some great mammals too. It really is a fabulous country! #Birds #Mongolia #WiseBirding
A couple of South African Shelduck on the patch late this evening. I was hoping they were going to be Ruddy Shelducks, as a talking point at least! 😂 Sadly not, despite the right hand bird looking superficially like one. Though could even by a hybrid.🙄 #DevonBirds
We have just had 2 places come available for our South Pantanal and Emas NP Mostly Mammals Tour in July. Please contact us if interested for this guaranteed departure at discounted price and just group size of 5: www.wisebirding.co.uk/brazil-emas-... #Mammals #WiseBirding
This evening, I managed to get closer to the Little Stint I found on the Otter Estuary NR yesterday. An interesting plumage for UK of what appears to be Juv moulting to 1st winter plumage. Be interesting to see if it stays the whole winter….. #UKBirds #DevonBirds
An unseasonal and slightly odd plumaged Little Stint on the Otter Estuary NR late this afternoon was a surprise. Always distant & fading light, but couldn’t turn it into anything rarer….. #UKBirds #DevonBirds
Great to see the Slavonian Grebe again on the patch today, feeding on what I think are Sand Goby? #Birds #DevonBirds
Happy Days. A mighty patch tick and pretty certain it’s a first for the Otter Estuary too. Slavonian Grebe 😊 Thanks AJ👌🏻 #DevonBirds #Birds
Snow Leopard on your wish list for the New Year? We have a guaranteed departure in Feb: www.wisebirding.co.uk/mongolia-win... #Mammals #SnowLeopard #WiseBirding
There are certainly plenty of domestic cats out in Oman and often in remote places, but this male was one of the best candidates for the Arabian subspecies of African Wildcat during our recent trip. #Mammals #Oman #WiseBirding
Male Pallid Harrier, Oman. What a cracking harrier 😍 #Birds #Oman #WiseBirding
More exciting birds from our current Oman tour with this fabulous Desert Owl😍 #Birds #Oman #WiseBirding
