Author: Harriet Denison
2. Among the Eucalypts
Five days into our trip, Chris Dahlberg, the naturalist with Daintree Nature Tours, drove us north from Cairns on the coastal road to Port Douglas and Mossman. We were looking for birds that inhabit a eucalyptus dry forest, rich with birds not seen on Queensland’s wetter Atherton Tablelands. Australia is home to about 900 species […]
3. Avian Architects and Artists
A short drive from the campground with the tawny frogmouths, we pulled over again. Twenty feet off the road, Chris pointed to a fascinating structure made of twigs tucked under the overhanging limbs of a leafless shrub. He explained, “This is an old bower, probably made by a Great Bowerbird, native to Australia and one […]
4. Cranes, Wetlands and Australian Tucker
After almost two weeks birding around Queensland, Steve said he had a surprise for us. He wouldn’t give more details except that the surprise would occur at the end of the day. First, we would to try and find the few birds missed on earlier tours on the Atherton Tablelands. To find the greatest variety […]
5. Tasmania’s Rare Outback Birds
After an exhilarating two weeks in Queensland, our birding group flew south to Sydney for a connecting flight 650 miles across the Bass Straight to Hobart, the capital of Tasmania. Several American researchers on our connecting flight were on their way to Antarctica via Hobart, which claims to be the gateway to Antarctica. In November, […]
6. A Critically Endangered Species
Our second morning on Bruny Island, we all loaded onto two small bush planes for a scenic flight to the home of one of the rarest birds we would encounter, the Orange-bellied Parrot. Fifty miles down the south coast of Tasmania our plane descended onto the gravel airstrip at Melaleuca, an abandoned mining settlement that […]
7. Tasmanian Devils, Holey Ground and a Barbie
Two birding friends of Steve’s who lived in Mole Creek, a small township north of Hobart, had invited us to a real Australian barbie—their version of a barbeque. Mole Creek is conveniently located not far from Cradle Mountain National Park, the final stop of our tour, so we headed north after one more night on […]
Introduction to Bhutan
Bhutan is one of those mysterious countries I first encountered as a youngster reading National Geographic. The people’s colorful clothing and their old ornate architecture featured in the magazine’s photos opened my eyes to another fascinating culture in a far off place in the world. As an adult, occasional news items mentioned Bhutan, in particular […]
1. A Unique and Gentle Country
Blazing white, snow-covered peaks of the legendary Himalayan Mountains spread in every direction below our plane. Our destination, Bhutan, is situated on the edge of this massive mountain range, the natural border that separates the Tibetan Plateau from the Indian subcontinent. After two days of travel from Portland, Oregon, and one day for me to […]
2. On the Rough Road to Thimphu
We all knew from the morning briefing that after birding at the higher altitudes we would return to the Paro Valley for more birding. After lunch we would drive to Thimphu, the capital of Bhutan. It would be another full day, as usual on a birding trip. “Our drive to Thimphu will be interesting,” Richard […]
3. Punakha Dzong & Buddhism
On the West Coast of the United States where I live, any structure standing for 100 years is considered old. Imagine how I felt when we visited some of Bhutan’s traditional dzongs (pronounced zong), first built in the 12th century. These are enormous stone structures built as fortresses and administrative centers, often on top of […]