Photo: Anita EricsonI've been interested in nature and especially birds since the late 70's. Travels, birdwatching and photography has become a lifestyle I can’t give up. I have always new plans for future trips. I prefer travelling in a small group of friends, or perhaps even more so just me and my wife Anita. She shares my passion for birds, nature and photography. Since we met in 2011, we have made 32 trips together, visiting 43 countries!

My photo interest got a boost with the digital revolution at the beginning of this millennium. Starting with “digiscoping” I went on to DSLR’s and long tele lenses. From 2014 and onward, my preferred gear has been a Canons EOS 7D mk2 along with Canon EF 500/4L IS II USM. This equipment has served me well, but now I'm trying out the mirrorless technique and purchased the Canon Eos R5 with the RF 100-500 mm lens.

Climate change subjects arise new questions regarding the impact we make on our planet when we are using aircrafts for travelling. Sir David Attenborough and Greta Thunberg are my heroes and brave role models. Indeed, we need to do better and reduce our CO2 emissions, preferably down to zero or below that! But the issues are so complex. For example, what would happen to that little patch of protected forest in a third world country if the global Eco Tourism ceased? What would happen if the local community lost their income from their restricted range, threatened birds?

Not a long time ago I was birdwatching with my friends along a forest road in Peru. There we met a large group of people from a nearby village. They had come together with tools and gear to build a new lodge. They had noted that foreigners came back to their land to watch birds, and now they saw an opportunity to save the forest, instead of cutting it down to be replaced by pastures and cultivation. The bottom line is that I will continue to travel to support conservation around the world, but in the “greenest” way I can.

Completed trip


2024 Sri Lanka

2024 Colombia-Santa Marta to Bogota

2023 Guatemala

2023 USA-Canada Roadtrip

2022 Paraguay and Bolivia

2022 Socotra, Yemen with Abu Dhabi

2022 Cambodia

2021 Oman

2021 Southern Italy and northern Greece, combined.

2019 Northern Ecuador and Central Peru

2019 Northern Spain and Andorra

2019 Indonesia (West Java, Sumatra) and Westmalaysia

2019 Jordan

2018 New Zealand with Chatham Island

2018 Samoa, Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia

2018 Vietnam with a pre-tour week in Thailand

2018 Gran Canaria & Western Sahara

2017 São Tomé & Príncipe

2017 Taiwan & Japan

2017 Cyprus

2017 Western Sahara

2016 Spain (Andalucia)

2016 Angola

2016 Alaska

2016 Spain (Extremadura and Andalusia)

2016 Northern and Western India

2015 Solomon Islands

2015 Malaysia (peninsula)

2015 Spain (Majorca)

2014 Kenya and Zanzibar & Pemba

2014 Papua New Guinea-remote

2014 Canary Islands (Tenerife, La Palma and Fuerteventura)

2014 Ecuador

2013 West Papua, New Guinea

2013 Indonesia (West Java)

2013 Caucasian Georgia

2013 Corsica & Sardinia

2013 Ghana

2012 South Africa

2012 Swiss and French Alps

2012 Cameroon

2011 US (California & Arizona)

2011 Ethiopia

2010 Indonesia (Lesser Sunda Islands)

2010 Portugal (Madeira)

2009 Peru (south)

2009 Syria

2009 Brazil (north-east)

2008 Colombia (with Rio Javari, Brazil)

2008 Russia (sea of Okchotsk)

2007 Ethiopia

2007 Poland

2007 Venezuela

2006 China (Qinghai)

2006 India (north-east)

2005 Iceland

2005 Australia (south-east with Tasmania)

2004 Argentina & Chile

2003 Portugal (Azores)

2003 US (Texas)

2002 Madagascar

2002 Mexico

2002 Philippines

2001 Jamaica & Cuba

2001 Bulgaria

2000 Spain (Tenerife, Canary Islands)

2000 Brazil (south-east)

1999 South Africa

1999 Indonesia (Java, Halmahera and Sulawesi)

1999 Sri Lanka&India (south)

1998 Colombia

1998 Malaysia (Peninsula and Borneo)

1997 Gambia

1997 Israel

1996 Spain (south)

1995 South America. My “Big Year” with seven months in Ecuador including two intence 3-4 week trips in the country including Galapagos. Also a month in central/northern Peru, three months in Bolivia, ten days in Paraguay and a week at Iguazu Falls (Argentina)

1994 Venezuela

1993 Costa Rica

1992 US (northern states)

1992 Kenya

1991 Mexico

1991 Spain & Portugal

1991 China (Sichuan and north-east)

1990 US (California)

1990 Greece & Hungary

1990 US (Florida)

1989 Morocco

1989 Israel

1988 Spain (Canary islands)

1988 Turkey

1987 Tunisia

1986 Gambia

1985 Spain (Majorca)

1983 Spain (Majorca)

Photo: Stefan "Ludde" Andersson
Me and Anita are having a relaxing moment in the back of the bus during the Ecuador tour 2013-14.

Photo: Anita Ericson
In company with legendary birdman Daniel Wakra in Papua New Guinea. After fantastic birding in Huon peninsula there were no reason to look less happy!

Lists (IOC version 5.3) by September 2015

Lists are an essential part of most birdwatchers life. And that was the case also for me. But many years ago I just stopped. I decided to just enjoy birding as it was without thinking about numbers or ranking. But when Anita moved into my life, all that changed again. She had been a keen worldwide birder and enthusiastic lister for years and inspired me to revise and update my lists, but now in an excel sheet, not in an old book like before. Now I really enjoy knowing exactly what I have seen and what I can look forward to....

Lists