You should go to the Kimberley during wet season. Lush greenery, waterfalls, the most amazing tropical storms. And birds are just everywhere. Such a stark contrast to the dry season!
Number 1 in my bucket list is the Platte River basin in Nebraska in the month of February when 1 Million Sandhill Cranes pass through on their way to breed.
The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, in Gilbert, AZ. Egrets, herons, dowitchers, stilts, gallinules, avocets, kingfishers, northern Harriers, hummingbirds, gambles quail, and last year a lost roseate spoonbill turned up. Occasionally bobcats and coyotes, too. Great place to visit in the winter and fall months!
Well I must say that Werribee Treatment Plant is a must. With hundreds of ducks (sometimes thousands in late summer), terns, waders and many hawks, I recommend this place to everyone who is visiting Melbourne! Also Hong Kong is quite a nice place in the winter.
Super Video und tolle Bilder, das Video hat mir richtig Freude bereitet. Da bekommt man gleich wieder Lust vor die Tür zu gehen und hoffentlich bald wieder die Reisetasche packen zu können.
Was really interesting to hear the backstory to your photo of the five male Gouldians. You worked hard - for that Masterpiece ⭐️. Gives me courage to keep going. 👍🏻
I live in South Florida and agree with your assessment. Birds everywhere. I'm on the southern part of the east coast in Palm Beach County. If you come here again try to get to the St Augustine Alligator Farm during breeding season as they have a great rookery with everything including spoonbills. The birds breeding colors and plumage are amazing, especially the egrets. St Augustine is in NE Florida. Also during breeding season near where you were on your trip is the Venice Rookery-egrets, night herons, etc nest in this small space. Great stuff and thanks for all the great information you have! PS I have painted buntings in my back yard now although we are in the middle of a tropical storm today!
Yes, heard of St Augustine's, but never made it here. I did visit Gatorland. Venice we went, too and go some nice shots. Painted Buntings in the yard is so cool!
Ecuador, an amazing country for birds and bird photography. Galápagos, Pacific Coast, cloud forest, rainforest The high Andes. Dozens of species of humming birds. All packed into a country about the size of England (not Great Britain, just England)
That last comment about having to work hard for your shots in Australia is soo true! It really takes a lot of work and luck to get soo many of our amazing endemic species. Even something basic like thornbills which are everywhere where I live can take a bit of planning and hiking to get them in the right kind of terrain for a decent shot.
I can recommend Costa Rica. About 1000 species of birds plus varied mammals bugs etc. a small country but highly variable terrain & little micro climates tucked into unexpected places. For a first visit I recommend a guide. Thanks for sharing your experience nice pics.
Your channel popped up on my iPad possibly because I share my birding safaris on line. I am just back from a trip to the Great Rift Valley lakes in Kenya where I live. 180 species over 3 days. Lakes Baringo and Nakuru should be on everyone's birding bucket list. Best wishes.
Florida is amazing for birds. It would have to be my favourite hotspot. I saw my first Pileated Woodpecker at Fort Myers just beside the car park of a shopping mall.
What a great video; thank you; I live in the US and did not go to Florida yet. So this winter I will go in the areas you described; Been to Africa, beautiful and great birds
You won't regret it. If you do a bit of research you will find a lot more great spots there like St Augustine Alligator Farm, Gatorloand, Venice Rookery.
In 2018 I was 6 weeks in Australia, travelling from Darwin, to Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane and finally Sydney. A fantastic trip and a fantastic country. I love Crane birds and in my memory it has remained very much alive my trip to Hokkaido island in February 2018 to see Red-crowned Crane or Japanese Crane and Steller's Eagle. It a very cold, but I've had a great time
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing experiences. I have learned so much from your videos and I have started to enjoy taking bird pictures. I have been lucky enough to cross of a couple of my bucket list this year; Atlantic Puffins and Common Kingfisher. I would thoroughly recommend going to Costa Rica for bird photography. We saw such beautifully coloured birds when we went last year and it fired my enthusiasm for bird photography.
Favorite places I've been? Oooh, that's tough! Ecuador, for sure, which part doesn't matter: east of Andes (Amazon habitat), north-west of Andes, the coast, the south, they're all great places to bird. US, as you've mentioned but my Number 1 state is California with it's wide variety of habitats. India is great in many ways, but I've only been in the western part and mainly the Northwest. Bucket list? At the top is Australia and New Zeeland!
Years ago I did a springtime trip from NY does to Florida along the coastline. Man, regarding wildlife photography Florida stands out stellar! Worth every trip.
your water bird shots are so beautiful! i've always enjoyed travelling light for oversea trips, torn between bringing equipment and just enjoying the view...
I've done Florida in February the last two years, the weather is perfect that time of year and lots of wildlife to shoot. You definitely don't want to get into some of the water to get bird shots, lots of alligators and crocodiles in some areas.
Malheur Oregon during migrations. Canso Causeway, NS last wk Oct, 1st Nov., Denman Island Herring run. I grew up in the 'Glades...these are the only comparable places I have been to. Glad to have a way to thank you for your videos!
I am a little late to this but for anyone that might notice. There are a couple of other great spots in the SW FL area, just outside of Fort Myers there is Corkscrew Swamp, it is an Audubon run reserve it has the main boardwalk section (needs tickets for this) and another path area outside the main section. A 2nd place in the Fort Myers area is Ding Darling (also the lighthouse beach and Turner beach) on Sanibel Island which I hope is ok after the storm.
Fantastic Jan. Florida is on my bucket list for seeing birds. I’ve been birding all my life. Lived in Africa and enjoyed the birds in many African countries. Australia is now my birding haven. I’ve seen 736 Aus bird species and after watching your videos I’m saving like crazy for a R5 and 100-500 ..... one day:)
Lovely to see some of the birds in Norway in breeding plumage, have been photographing the Bar-tailed Godwit and Golden Plover here in Brisbane in their non-breeding plumage, so different.
Super Video of amazing locations, I visited Florida and saw the Skimmers exactly to your description. Its incredible they dont rip off that lower mandible. Superb images of the Finches considering how small they are. The group shots are awesome and very Inspiring.
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho from mid November to late December for the Bald Eagle migration where they come by the hundreds to feast on spawning Kokanee salmon.
Camas National Wildlife Refuge in Hamer, Idaho, has a "Come To Roost" in February every year where the Bald Eagles migrate through. We unusual see 80 or 90 Baldies flying in to the trees on their migration North.
Brilliant. You might want to publish a book of your finches. I’ve never seen so many beautiful examples in one video. But my favorite thing in this presentation is your water birds. Art.
Jan, first thank you for sharing your experiences and more importantly the knowledge. I only been to one of the three destination you mentioned, Florida. And I can not agree more with you. I think you probably already know this but here are couple tips for your next visit. Blue Cyprus Lake which is couple hours south of Orlando, for incredible Osprey photos specially during spring (March and April) if you could as that is when hundreds of them nest there for breeding. And for spoonbills - go to Stick Marsh which is in same area, and thank me later :)
Great video. Some places to add to my birding bucket list. My favourite birding place I've been to is Kaudulla National Park and Bentota mangrove swamps in Sri Lanka. It's the place which got me into wildlife photography. Really want to go back now I've learnt more and have better kit.
Fantastic video Jan - great tips, really useful - and some stunning images. Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to upload all of this information - it is really appreciated, and much admired - brilliant!
@@jan_wegener If you ever plan on coming to central Mexico let me know, we've got some cool spots with LOTS of migratory and local birds, a paradise for bird lovers :)
Excellent video as always Jan! My dream is to return to South Australia again but better prepared. I was working and only got to go out a few evenings and on the weekends. Next time I will extend a few days. That was incredible. I have never seen that many birds before and the colors were amazing. Then there are the mammals so many and so easy to find. If you ever return to Florida let me know and I will show you around some other amazing places you haven't been to.
This was so fun to watch - great ideas for my birding bucket list! Thanks for sharing this! There are TONS of hiking trails around Los Angeles and is an unexpectedly amazing place for birding - especially in the spring and fall when the warblers move through.
So, you have been to Varanger, Norway. It is one of my favourite places to photograph birds at the end of may. Preferably when the Red foxes have been culled to protect the Artic Foxes. That means a lot of ground nesting birds. Hornøya is a must when I visit. I spend time trying to do BIF with birds returning with fish in their beaks. Then we have Pasvik with owls along the road. With some luck a Brown Bear. I know where the Sibirian Jays might be. I tend to be most active around midnight if the weather permits. Kongsfjord mountain with waders and loons. And ducks. For mosquitoes, use Geraniol. I bought rose oil from Amazon which contained Geraniol as a filler. It works particularly well when there are people around which don't use it. I would also consider using Sunlight soap even if some Geraniol has been replaced by Citronella. Citronella smells nice, but does not scare the Air Force. It is interesting to watch the mosquitoes trying to get out of the car instead of into it. I can sleep with mosquitoes in the car and only be annoyed by the noise they make. Valdresflye is a southern version of Pasvik, but with fewer birds. And they are less easy to find. But there is an ample supply of mossies if there has been no frost.
Yes, it's been a whole now. We went to Hornøya as well, but it was also a tad late in the year. Hopefully I can get back one day and visit some more places up there!
India was amazing for birds, mostly at the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan India. I was there before the monsoon season in May so it was mostly resident birds but it was fairly easy birding. You can walk out or hire a bicycle rickshaw.
In Colombia you can find a lot of destinations. You can start with Jardin, a small town in the department of Antioquia.Mountains above 3000 ft above the sea level Thanks for sharing your work and experience
Awesome video Jan! Would love to go to all these places for bird photography.... perhaps after Covid. My preferred destinations for bird photography so far are the Falkland Islands... simply amazing destination, I love Alaska ( Nome, Barrow, St Paul Island and even all around Anchorage), I also loved my trip to Iceland also in 2019. These destinations with a good preparation and prime timing will provide a great return on the number of species in breeding conditions you get. Vancouver Island where I live, is also a great destination in the winter for ducks. We also have an eagle festival on the Mainland (Fraser Valley) Prime time is Mid November. Thanks for sharing some of your preferred locations.
My favorite *big* birding location I've been to near Sonoma, California involved ostriches, emus and peacocks. Someday I hope to see some wild kiwi birds in New Zealand.🥝 They're so unique 🥝
@@jan_wegener Costa Rica is great because it's a small country with several different micro-climates, in the mountains at 2600m you can observe the Quetzal. The trogon family has wonderful species. At the same place, it's also easy to see several kinds of hummingbirds.
I visit wetlands in and around New Delhi. Plan to go down to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary this winter. It has been declared as an UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
Awesome!! Since there homeoffice during Corona, I bought the 800mm f/11 and the R6 and I´m blown away by the image quality. Never took so many bird pictures successfully. Now I´m close to buy a telephoto lens like yours, maybe Mark III :-) Thank you for your inspiration!
Great video. One of my favorite places to see birds is in Alaska. We lived there for a few years. We live in Texas now and see a lot of wonderful birds on the shore
Really interesting video - Australia has some big distances and harsh country, but you are never lonely as there are billions of flies to keep you company ;) Heading out to Currawinya in Qld in a few weeks if its not too hot.
Thank you once again for sharing your experiences and images - wonderful. My latest and most wonderful bird photography and experience was on safari in Moremi - Botswana with a small group led by two professional photographers - just amazing.
Hallo Jan, Florida kennen wir auch sehr gut. Sind schon 5x dort gewesen. Die Orte die du in deinem Video beschreibst haben wir auch alle besucht. Ist schon eine andere Welt da drüben. Schade das es dieses Jahr wegen Corona nicht mit FL geklappt hat. Wir sind aber auch gerne in Norwegen unterwegs. Ganz anders aber auch sehr schön. Gruß aus GS
You found many of my favorite spots in fl. You need to check out Myakka River State Park, out at the Weir, where you have Gators and plenty of birds in season. Nice work.
@@jan_wegener Some days there are hundreds, other days not so much. The Weir (low Dam) is where a lot of birds feed for snails and other shells. Also around 10-12 Gators in that location. The best location in the park for Gators though is Deep Hole across the road. 2.5 mile hike to get there on sandy path. Park only lets in 30 visitors a day there. This is where the big boys are!
I go to Florida every year and come back with many great shots. As a practical matter I would like to know how you pack everything for travel. I have a couple of Pelican cases but the airlines will really tag you for overweight. Of course the best way is to carry your equipment onboard but often they will demand you check your bag - and all that glass and expensive equipment. It would be interesting to see how you transport your equipment, how you deal with the airlines and what you would recommend for traveling. Your videos are like your photography: excellent! Thank you.
It’s too bad that Venezuela is still too unstable to go to, because the Llanos of the southern part of the country are a bird photographer’s dream. Hato Cedral still runs tours for birders and photographers if you can get their safely. Thousands and thousands of birds concentrated in the shrinking water holes at the end of the dry season. I had 16 species of herons and egrets, including Agami, Stripe-backed Bittern, and Zigzag. Jabiru everywhere. Great Potoo, Scarlet Ibis, hundreds of caiman, Orinoco crocodile, capybara, giant anteater. An incredible place.
Amazing video Jan, thanks for sharing. I really miss all the Aussie birds. I always wanted to visit the Daintree region to photograph the little and paradise kingfishers, Cape York and Kimberly regions are definitely on the list in Australia. Antarctica is a dream destination to photograph the penguins one day. Did you ever think about doing a trip down there, just curious to hear about your thoughts. Thanks again 😀
Great video and better shots Jan! Worth the work for sure! I am currently living in South America and have a dream to get to the Brazilian/Paraguayan pantanal for a birding expedition. This continent is just full of birds and worth some thought if you run out of birding destinations. All the best!
A great location in the US is New Mexico for the sandhill Crane and Snow Goose season in the winter. Thousands upon thousands of canes and geese, but also several other great birds like the Greater Roadrunner,, Gambel's Quail and plenty of deer, coyotes and other wildlife. It's killing my wife and I that we can't go there this year due to COVID restrictions.
I am sure everyone heard about Danube Delta where, with a good guide you can find an shot a lot of birds! 218 different species are coming among the year and some are just amazing: white tale eagle, kingfisher, egrets, pelicans, storks (including the black one), owls, glossy ibis, bee eaters or European roller. Are too many to mention here...
Hi Jan I love the images of the bird with the small white feathers on a brown feathered head but I couldn't understand you when you told us what bird it was. I searched iNaturalist and found a possible match. It looks like a Striated Grasswren or maybe a Western Grasswren. Can you help me out? Thank you.
Hi Jan. I am so pleased that you chose southwest FL as one of your favorite spots! I have lived here about a year now, just in the middle pretty much between Sarasota and Fort Meyers. I am constantly amazed and there are many species I have yet to see. If you ever plan to visit here again, please message me. There are a few other amazing areas. Myakka River State Park is a mecca in the winter months, as is Ding-Darling Wildlife preserve on Sanibel Island. There is the Dry Tortuga area off the coast, and near Kennedy Space Center is the Merritt Island Wildlife Sanctuary which is amazing! I am in hog heaven living here and can't wait to explore many more areas.
This is an excellent video with so much valuable information! Thanks Jan for sharing. I live in California and have never been to Florida. Sounds like a great place for bird photography. But I heard that in Florida the crocodiles and alligators are everywhere especially in the water. What was your experience with this while you were there? Do you have any advice/caution for someone new to the area?
@@jan_wegener Best spot in Hong Kong, most noticeable species would be Black-faced Spoonbill and Spoon-billed sandpiper in my opinion. Fantastic for waders in general!
Florida,where I live is alive with birds,but do not come in the summer,the activity is minimal.Breeding season is about to begin within the next month with breeding plumage on display.
I love it! This just what I was looking for! Do you do workshops or 1:1 sessions? Hope to get back out to Aus at some point (Covid permitting) and I'd be interested.
You should go to the Kimberley during wet season. Lush greenery, waterfalls, the most amazing tropical storms. And birds are just everywhere. Such a stark contrast to the dry season!
Number 1 in my bucket list is the Platte River basin in Nebraska in the month of February when 1 Million Sandhill Cranes pass through on their way to breed.
The Riparian Preserve at Water Ranch, in Gilbert, AZ. Egrets, herons, dowitchers, stilts, gallinules, avocets, kingfishers, northern Harriers, hummingbirds, gambles quail, and last year a lost roseate spoonbill turned up. Occasionally bobcats and coyotes, too. Great place to visit in the winter and fall months!
Sounds awesome!
The Texas Gulf Coast during spring migration is spectacular. So many birds coming ashore from South and Central America.
Yes, I would love to see those places! I have been to Texas, but not during Migration time
First class Jan, I wish that you would start offering tours for us normal folk, your knowledge of locations is second to none. . .Bruce.
I had planned to do some more, but Covid put that on the back burner. But I do run private tours from time to time that I don't announce.
Well I must say that Werribee Treatment Plant is a must. With hundreds of ducks (sometimes thousands in late summer), terns, waders and many hawks, I recommend this place to everyone who is visiting Melbourne! Also Hong Kong is quite a nice place in the winter.
Yes, the WTP is a pretty great spot! Got many photos from there
Super Video und wie immer fantastische Bilder.
Danke!
Super Video und tolle Bilder, das Video hat mir richtig Freude bereitet. Da bekommt man gleich wieder Lust vor die Tür zu gehen und hoffentlich bald wieder die Reisetasche packen zu können.
Danke :) Deshalb hab ichs gemacht
Excellent video Jan and brilliant photography. Thanks for sharing.
Glad you enjoyed it
R5,R5 !!Others can mention in same time the R6 !
Was really interesting to hear the backstory to your photo of the five male Gouldians. You worked hard - for that Masterpiece ⭐️. Gives me courage to keep going. 👍🏻
Glad you enjoyed it!
I live in South Florida and agree with your assessment. Birds everywhere. I'm on the southern part of the east coast in Palm Beach County. If you come here again try to get to the St Augustine Alligator Farm during breeding season as they have a great rookery with everything including spoonbills. The birds breeding colors and plumage are amazing, especially the egrets. St Augustine is in NE Florida. Also during breeding season near where you were on your trip is the Venice Rookery-egrets, night herons, etc nest in this small space. Great stuff and thanks for all the great information you have! PS I have painted buntings in my back yard now although we are in the middle of a tropical storm today!
PS I've been on guided bird photography trips to Costa Rica five times!
Yes, heard of St Augustine's, but never made it here. I did visit Gatorland. Venice we went, too and go some nice shots. Painted Buntings in the yard is so cool!
Ecuador, an amazing country for birds and bird photography. Galápagos, Pacific Coast, cloud forest, rainforest The high Andes. Dozens of species of humming birds. All packed into a country about the size of England (not Great Britain, just England)
Yes, never been to South America, but it must be amazing!
Thanks Jan. A great video. My bucket list would be Kimberley, Orkney's (Puffins), Kakadu (done), and Borneo.
All great locations! Hopefully I get to see some of those, too.
That last comment about having to work hard for your shots in Australia is soo true! It really takes a lot of work and luck to get soo many of our amazing endemic species. Even something basic like thornbills which are everywhere where I live can take a bit of planning and hiking to get them in the right kind of terrain for a decent shot.
yes, I find it pretty challenging
The Pantanal in Brazil is a paradise for birding. And as a bonus you can also see Jaguars 😆 or the Atlantic forest near Rio de Janeiro.
I'd love to see all the macaws there!
I can recommend Costa Rica. About 1000 species of birds plus varied mammals bugs etc. a small country but highly variable terrain & little micro climates tucked into unexpected places. For a first visit I recommend a guide. Thanks for sharing your experience nice pics.
Yes, heard a lot of good things about CR. Cheers
Your channel popped up on my iPad possibly because I share my birding safaris on line. I am just back from a trip to the Great Rift Valley lakes in Kenya where I live. 180 species over 3 days. Lakes Baringo and Nakuru should be on everyone's birding bucket list. Best wishes.
Africa sounds amazing! Have to see it one day
Florida is amazing for birds. It would have to be my favourite hotspot. I saw my first Pileated Woodpecker at Fort Myers just beside the car park of a shopping mall.
that's such a cool bird!
@@jan_wegener It is. They have a lot of cool birds over there.
Incredible Jan. Enjoyed your video very much.
So glad!
What a great video; thank you; I live in the US and did not go to Florida yet. So this winter I will go in the areas you described; Been to Africa, beautiful and great birds
You won't regret it. If you do a bit of research you will find a lot more great spots there like St Augustine Alligator Farm, Gatorloand, Venice Rookery.
My bucket list is Norway, Peru, Africa, Sahara desert, and now Florida.
that's all great destinations!
In 2018 I was 6 weeks in Australia, travelling from Darwin, to Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane and finally Sydney. A fantastic trip and a fantastic country. I love Crane birds and in my memory it has remained very much alive my trip to Hokkaido island in February 2018 to see Red-crowned Crane or Japanese Crane and Steller's Eagle. It a very cold, but I've had a great time
Yes, the Steller"s Sea Eagles would be amazing to see.
Thank you so much for sharing your amazing experiences. I have learned so much from your videos and I have started to enjoy taking bird pictures. I have been lucky enough to cross of a couple of my bucket list this year; Atlantic Puffins and Common Kingfisher. I would thoroughly recommend going to Costa Rica for bird photography. We saw such beautifully coloured birds when we went last year and it fired my enthusiasm for bird photography.
Thank you! Glad you are enjoying my content. Costa Rica and South America in general are certainly on my list :)
Favorite places I've been? Oooh, that's tough! Ecuador, for sure, which part doesn't matter: east of Andes (Amazon habitat), north-west of Andes, the coast, the south, they're all great places to bird. US, as you've mentioned but my Number 1 state is California with it's wide variety of habitats. India is great in many ways, but I've only been in the western part and mainly the Northwest. Bucket list? At the top is Australia and New Zeeland!
I have to see South America one day!
SO many awesome places to visit, thanks for sharing
Years ago I did a springtime trip from NY does to Florida along the coastline.
Man, regarding wildlife photography Florida stands out stellar!
Worth every trip.
yep!
Thank you for sharing - the Florida info especially useful. Lovely shots throughout as always.
Glad you enjoyed it! Thank you
Fantastic! I hope to travel around after college for birding
I hope so too!
Stunning images, amazing locations. Thanks for sharing Jan!:)
My pleasure 😊
your water bird shots are so beautiful! i've always enjoyed travelling light for oversea trips, torn between bringing equipment and just enjoying the view...
Glad you like them! Yes, taking a lot of gear can be annoying!
I've done Florida in February the last two years, the weather is perfect that time of year and lots of wildlife to shoot. You definitely don't want to get into some of the water to get bird shots, lots of alligators and crocodiles in some areas.
hahaha! I did think about that when I edited the video! Should've said ocean waters at the beach!
Costa Rica !
Malheur Oregon during migrations. Canso Causeway, NS last wk Oct, 1st Nov., Denman Island Herring run. I grew up in the 'Glades...these are the only comparable places I have been to. Glad to have a way to thank you for your videos!
Hey, never been to any of those places! Still so many things to explore. Glad you enjoyed my video
Brilliant informative video and commentary Jan
Glad you enjoyed it
What a fantastic video. These are mostly birds that I had never seen before so such a pleasure. Thank you Jan
Glad you enjoyed it
Thank you for sharing this wonderful video. The bird photos are amazing, especially those in Australia.
Glad you enjoyed it
Wonderful video Jan. Time to go back to te Kimberley.
take me :D
... and did I say AMAZING IMAGES, exceptional, just exceptional !!!
thank you!
I am a little late to this but for anyone that might notice. There are a couple of other great spots in the SW FL area, just outside of Fort Myers there is Corkscrew Swamp, it is an Audubon run reserve it has the main boardwalk section (needs tickets for this) and another path area outside the main section. A 2nd place in the Fort Myers area is Ding Darling (also the lighthouse beach and Turner beach) on Sanibel Island which I hope is ok after the storm.
Thanks for the tips!
Great video and advice. I’m ready to go to Florida.
Thanks! It's an awesome place
Fantastic Jan. Florida is on my bucket list for seeing birds. I’ve been birding all my life. Lived in Africa and enjoyed the birds in many African countries. Australia is now my birding haven. I’ve seen 736 Aus bird species and after watching your videos I’m saving like crazy for a R5 and 100-500 ..... one day:)
That's an awesome number!
Hi Jan, fantastic video. It would be great to hear of some more local spots closer to home in NSW, VIC and SA.
Thanks. Yes, but they are just not as reliable. More small spots here and there that are hit and miss.
Lovely to see some of the birds in Norway in breeding plumage, have been photographing the Bar-tailed Godwit and Golden Plover here in Brisbane in their non-breeding plumage, so different.
Yes, it's an amazing journey and transformation they go through
Fantastic images and story telling! Thank you for sharing these beautiful birds and your tips.
Glad you enjoyed it!
Super Video of amazing locations, I visited Florida and saw the Skimmers exactly to your description. Its incredible they dont rip off that lower mandible. Superb images of the Finches considering how small they are. The group shots are awesome and very Inspiring.
Glad you enjoyed it! Yes, some cool birds in this world!
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho from mid November to late December for the Bald Eagle migration where they come by the hundreds to feast on spawning Kokanee salmon.
sounds amazing!
Camas National Wildlife Refuge in Hamer, Idaho, has a "Come To Roost" in February every year where the Bald Eagles migrate through. We unusual see 80 or 90 Baldies flying in to the trees on their migration North.
@@davespencer9658 wow, very cool!
Brilliant. You might want to publish a book of your finches. I’ve never seen so many beautiful examples in one video. But my favorite thing in this presentation is your water birds. Art.
That's a great idea! Glad you enjoyed them
Jan, first thank you for sharing your experiences and more importantly the knowledge. I only been to one of the three destination you mentioned, Florida. And I can not agree more with you. I think you probably already know this but here are couple tips for your next visit. Blue Cyprus Lake which is couple hours south of Orlando, for incredible Osprey photos specially during spring (March and April) if you could as that is when hundreds of them nest there for breeding. And for spoonbills - go to Stick Marsh which is in same area, and thank me later :)
Yes, I would've loved to see the Ospreys, but went too early in the year
@@jan_wegener there is always next time :) btw love the conversations you and Glenn do on the channel, keep them coming.
Great video. Some places to add to my birding bucket list. My favourite birding place I've been to is Kaudulla National Park and Bentota mangrove swamps in Sri Lanka. It's the place which got me into wildlife photography. Really want to go back now I've learnt more and have better kit.
Thanks! That must be an amazing piece of the world down there! Hopefully I can see it one day as well.
The image at 16:45 is unreal!! Stunning
Thanks :)
Fantastic video Jan - great tips, really useful - and some stunning images. Thanks so much for taking the time and effort to upload all of this information - it is really appreciated, and much admired - brilliant!
Glad it was helpful!
Great vid & pics! Mexico and Costa Rica are great places for birding.
Thanks. I definitely have to do South America at some stage!
@@jan_wegener If you ever plan on coming to central Mexico let me know, we've got some cool spots with LOTS of migratory and local birds, a paradise for bird lovers :)
@@ManuelJG Hopefully one day!
Great 👍👏
Thank you! Cheers!
Thanks for sharing nice bird pics and video, watching from Thailand.
Thanks for visiting
Excellent video as always Jan! My dream is to return to South Australia again but better prepared. I was working and only got to go out a few evenings and on the weekends. Next time I will extend a few days. That was incredible. I have never seen that many birds before and the colors were amazing. Then there are the mammals so many and so easy to find. If you ever return to Florida let me know and I will show you around some other amazing places you haven't been to.
Hey Bill,
thanks. I hope I will make it back there one day! Yes, South Australia has some stunning birds
This was so fun to watch - great ideas for my birding bucket list! Thanks for sharing this! There are TONS of hiking trails around Los Angeles and is an unexpectedly amazing place for birding - especially in the spring and fall when the warblers move through.
Awesome! Thank you! LA would be a nice place to visit
Awesome video!
Glad you enjoyed it
Great video Jan. Best birding I've had is either Okavango or Chobe in Botswana. Huge species count, and variety from Raptors to waterbirds.
wow, that sounds great!
Great video mate, I need to visit all 3 spots at some stage. Cracking shots as always.
thanks mate, lets go hehe
So, you have been to Varanger, Norway. It is one of my favourite places to photograph birds at the end of may. Preferably when the Red foxes have been culled to protect the Artic Foxes. That means a lot of ground nesting birds. Hornøya is a must when I visit. I spend time trying to do BIF with birds returning with fish in their beaks.
Then we have Pasvik with owls along the road. With some luck a Brown Bear. I know where the Sibirian Jays might be. I tend to be most active around midnight if the weather permits.
Kongsfjord mountain with waders and loons. And ducks.
For mosquitoes, use Geraniol. I bought rose oil from Amazon which contained Geraniol as a filler. It works particularly well when there are people around which don't use it.
I would also consider using Sunlight soap even if some Geraniol has been replaced by Citronella. Citronella smells nice, but does not scare the Air Force.
It is interesting to watch the mosquitoes trying to get out of the car instead of into it. I can sleep with mosquitoes in the car and only be annoyed by the noise they make.
Valdresflye is a southern version of Pasvik, but with fewer birds. And they are less easy to find. But there is an ample supply of mossies if there has been no frost.
Yes, it's been a whole now. We went to Hornøya as well, but it was also a tad late in the year. Hopefully I can get back one day and visit some more places up there!
great video and info. I would suggest Costa Rica and Ecuador, non stop birding and much much more species...
Thanks for the tips!
India was amazing for birds, mostly at the Keoladeo Bird Sanctuary in Rajasthan India. I was there before the monsoon season in May so it was mostly resident birds but it was fairly easy birding. You can walk out or hire a bicycle rickshaw.
I'd love to see India one day!
@@jan_wegener go for tigers at the same time, that was amazing too.
@@8Ricochet that would be amazing!
What about The Gambia and Cuba? Both countrys are paradise for birdphotographers! Nice video by the way!
Would love to see both of them!
In Colombia you can find a lot of destinations. You can start with Jardin, a small town in the department of Antioquia.Mountains above 3000 ft above the sea level
Thanks for sharing your work and experience
Yes, Colombia must be amazing. I really want to visit.
Awesome video Jan! Would love to go to all these places for bird photography.... perhaps after Covid. My preferred destinations for bird photography so far are the Falkland Islands... simply amazing destination, I love Alaska ( Nome, Barrow, St Paul Island and even all around Anchorage), I also loved my trip to Iceland also in 2019. These destinations with a good preparation and prime timing will provide a great return on the number of species in breeding conditions you get. Vancouver Island where I live, is also a great destination in the winter for ducks. We also have an eagle festival on the Mainland (Fraser Valley) Prime time is Mid November. Thanks for sharing some of your preferred locations.
Yes, Barrow is very high on my list. Sounds pretty amazing! I have been to Vancouver Island once, it was really good for ducks!
My favorite *big* birding location I've been to near Sonoma, California involved ostriches, emus and peacocks. Someday I hope to see some wild kiwi birds in New Zealand.🥝 They're so unique 🥝
Also dream of seeing the penguins of Patagonia. Such biodiversity in South America
Sounds great! Kiwis would be awesome to see!
Látrabjarg is certainly my all-time favorite place, but Hornborgasjön during crane migration is close second.
Iceland I'd love to see. Hornborgasjön I have visited once, but not as many cranes at that time
Nice review Jan. I have visited Costa Rica , both coasts, and birding is very diverse and worthfull
That is a country I’d love to visit.
yes, Costa Rica must be great!
@@jan_wegener Costa Rica is great because it's a small country with several different micro-climates, in the mountains at 2600m you can observe the Quetzal. The trogon family has wonderful species. At the same place, it's also easy to see several kinds of hummingbirds.
@@scherzomio yes! Sounds amazing!
agreed although "several" is a bit of an understatement. I believe there are more than 50 species of hummingbirds in CR :-)
awesome vlog buddy, some world class photos there!!! 👌😉👍🏼
thank you! :)
I visit wetlands in and around New Delhi. Plan to go down to the Bharatpur Bird Sanctuary this winter. It has been declared as an UNESCO Natural World Heritage Site.
Sounds great!
Awesome!! Since there homeoffice during Corona, I bought the 800mm f/11 and the R6 and I´m blown away by the image quality. Never took so many bird pictures successfully. Now I´m close to buy a telephoto lens like yours, maybe Mark III :-) Thank you for your inspiration!
I am just having a play with that lens, and it's pretty neat
Great video. One of my favorite places to see birds is in Alaska. We lived there for a few years. We live in Texas now and see a lot of wonderful birds on the shore
Alaska must be awesome. I stayed in Austin for a few weeks. Loved Texas!
You should visit Purbasthali of India or Gajolfoba for waterbirds
Jan, great video and wonderful pictures! I live near Florida..im going to take a drive down..thank you for the information!
You won't regret it!
Really interesting video - Australia has some big distances and harsh country, but you are never lonely as there are billions of flies to keep you company ;) Heading out to Currawinya in Qld in a few weeks if its not too hot.
Awesome! Hopefully we get to travel again soon as well! Those flies......yes....sigh...
Thanks for the great video Jan! You forgot our trip! 😂
The Kimberley is on my list! 😍
hehe! :D
Thank you once again for sharing your experiences and images - wonderful. My latest and most wonderful bird photography and experience was on safari in Moremi - Botswana with a small group led by two professional photographers - just amazing.
Never been to Africa. Most be amazing
@@jan_wegener You must go - but not resort style - camp in the bush - Okavango Delta is a must see for birds
@@christadrysdale2718 sounds amazing
Hallo Jan, Florida kennen wir auch sehr gut. Sind schon 5x dort gewesen. Die Orte die du in deinem Video beschreibst haben wir auch alle besucht. Ist schon eine andere Welt da drüben. Schade das es dieses Jahr wegen Corona nicht mit FL geklappt hat. Wir sind aber auch gerne in Norwegen unterwegs. Ganz anders aber auch sehr schön. Gruß aus GS
Hey,
ja Florida hat schon seinen besonderen Reiz. Hoffen wir mal dass das mit dem Reisen irgendwann wieder klappt!
I'd love to see the gouldians in the wild! Great video you should do another just based on Australian locations 😉
Thanks! i will see what I can do
You found many of my favorite spots in fl. You need to check out Myakka River State Park, out at the Weir, where you have Gators and plenty of birds in season. Nice work.
I did go there briefly, lots of vultures!
@@jan_wegener Some days there are hundreds, other days not so much. The Weir (low Dam) is where a lot of birds feed for snails and other shells. Also around 10-12 Gators in that location. The best location in the park for Gators though is Deep Hole across the road. 2.5 mile hike to get there on sandy path. Park only lets in 30 visitors a day there. This is where the big boys are!
@@gregdonoghue3464 thanks for the info!
I go to Florida every year and come back with many great shots.
As a practical matter I would like to know how you pack everything for travel. I have a couple of Pelican cases but the airlines will really tag you for overweight. Of course the best way is to carry your equipment onboard but often they will demand you check your bag - and all that glass and expensive equipment.
It would be interesting to see how you transport your equipment, how you deal with the airlines and what you would recommend for traveling.
Your videos are like your photography: excellent! Thank you.
So far I have always manage to carry it on. But I try to minimise what I take. I would probably use Pelicases as well as my second choice.
It’s too bad that Venezuela is still too unstable to go to, because the Llanos of the southern part of the country are a bird photographer’s dream. Hato Cedral still runs tours for birders and photographers if you can get their safely. Thousands and thousands of birds concentrated in the shrinking water holes at the end of the dry season. I had 16 species of herons and egrets, including Agami, Stripe-backed Bittern, and Zigzag. Jabiru everywhere. Great Potoo, Scarlet Ibis, hundreds of caiman, Orinoco crocodile, capybara, giant anteater. An incredible place.
Sounds amazing! Would love to visit some of these South American countries.
Amazing video Jan, thanks for sharing. I really miss all the Aussie birds. I always wanted to visit the Daintree region to photograph the little and paradise kingfishers, Cape York and Kimberly regions are definitely on the list in Australia. Antarctica is a dream destination to photograph the penguins one day. Did you ever think about doing a trip down there, just curious to hear about your thoughts. Thanks again 😀
Yes, would love to see Antarctica
brilliant, very nice, thank you
Many thanks!
Ding Darling at Sanibel is a good spot.
yes!
Great video. I’d love to go to O’Reillys in the Lamington National Park.
Yes, that's a great place! Just that road up there is a bit crazy!
Great video and better shots Jan! Worth the work for sure! I am currently living in South America and have a dream to get to the Brazilian/Paraguayan pantanal for a birding expedition. This continent is just full of birds and worth some thought if you run out of birding destinations. All the best!
Haven't been to South America yet, but would love to!
A great location in the US is New Mexico for the sandhill Crane and Snow Goose season in the winter. Thousands upon thousands of canes and geese, but also several other great birds like the Greater Roadrunner,, Gambel's Quail and plenty of deer, coyotes and other wildlife. It's killing my wife and I that we can't go there this year due to COVID restrictions.
Yes, seen many photos from there! Sounds amazing. Hopefully next year again!
Great video Jan, would you do birding in South Africa? I live in Cape Town and the birds are amazing.
I would love to visit
Very great insight 👌
Glad you think so!
Charleston South Carolina in spring us great for mating birds. Wading herons and such.
Conowingo Maryland great for eagles
sounds great!
I am sure everyone heard about Danube Delta where, with a good guide you can find an shot a lot of birds! 218 different species are coming among the year and some are just amazing: white tale eagle, kingfisher, egrets, pelicans, storks (including the black one), owls, glossy ibis, bee eaters or European roller. Are too many to mention here...
Yes! Heard a lot about it and almost went there myself, but didn't go in the end. Looks amazing tho
Hi Jan
I love the images of the bird with the small white feathers on a brown feathered head but I couldn't understand you when you told us what bird it was. I searched iNaturalist and found a possible match. It looks like a Striated Grasswren or maybe a Western Grasswren. Can you help me out? Thank you.
Hi Jan. I am so pleased that you chose southwest FL as one of your favorite spots! I have lived here about a year now, just in the middle pretty much between Sarasota and Fort Meyers. I am constantly amazed and there are many species I have yet to see. If you ever plan to visit here again, please message me. There are a few other amazing areas. Myakka River State Park is a mecca in the winter months, as is Ding-Darling Wildlife preserve on Sanibel Island. There is the Dry Tortuga area off the coast, and near Kennedy Space Center is the Merritt Island Wildlife Sanctuary which is amazing! I am in hog heaven living here and can't wait to explore many more areas.
That's a great area to call home. Looks like many more places for me to visit there :)
This is an excellent video with so much valuable information! Thanks Jan for sharing. I live in California and have never been to Florida. Sounds like a great place for bird photography. But I heard that in Florida the crocodiles and alligators are everywhere especially in the water. What was your experience with this while you were there? Do you have any advice/caution for someone new to the area?
At the spot where we were I didn’t see any. Only in the Everglades
Much less dangerous than the saltwater crocs here in Australia
@@jan_wegener Good to hear. Thanks Jan!
Outstanding. I almost felt I was with you.
awesome :)
I love your images can you give some information what kind of gear you use for your bird photography. Thanks a lot
Made a video about it :)
czcams.com/video/ch0SMtBW98s/video.html
My favourite spot is Mai Po Nature Reserve in Hong Kong!
Sounds lovely! What sort of birds do you find there?
@@jan_wegener Best spot in Hong Kong, most noticeable species would be Black-faced Spoonbill and Spoon-billed sandpiper in my opinion. Fantastic for waders in general!
@@benbechgaardlisse9351 nice!
Florida,where I live is alive with birds,but do not come in the summer,the activity is minimal.Breeding season is about to begin within the next month with breeding plumage on display.
Yes, I heard it's pretty hot and humid
I love it! This just what I was looking for! Do you do workshops or 1:1 sessions? Hope to get back out to Aus at some point (Covid permitting) and I'd be interested.
I do, you can send me a message once the dust has settled