I'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
2025 Philippines "remote" (up-coming trip)
2025 South Africa - South Atlantic and Eastern Cape (up-coming trip)
2024 Western Australia with Christmas Island
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)
Me and Anita are having a relaxing moment in the back of the bus during the Ecuador tour 2013-14.
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....
