Birds and Photography in 2006: The Top Ten list

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... And there goes 2006. Based on the idea of my good colleague and friend Guto Carvalho, author of Passarinhar blog, I decided to come up with a personal list describing the 10 most remarkable situations related to birds through which I have gone in this nearly-finished year!


Here we go (the list doesn’t follow any order of priority or preference):


1) Accompanying and photographing an active nest of Ornate Hawk Eagles (Spizaetus ornatus) with a chick at Maracaju Mountain Range, with a privileged view.

PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

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2) Accompanying and photographing an active nest of Harpy Eagles (Harpia harpyja) on the borders of Serra da Bodoquena National Park, with a privileged view.

PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

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3) Watching and photographing a pair of Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) with their backs covered by snow, in Germany (some folks told me that this is a quite rare scene to watch since the birds keep on diving to remove the snow before it builds up).

PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

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4) Being invited to set up exhibitions with some of my bird photos in Munich and at Avistar 2006 – I Brazilian Birdwatching Meeting.

PHOTO: © Ralf Tambke, 2006

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5) To be with Tietta when she concluded her Master’s dissertation about
"Birdwatching Tourism".

PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

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6) Being invited to write and provide pictures for the cover story of Atualidades Ornitológicas # 133, Brazil’s leading periodical publication about birds.

PHOTOS: © Daniel De Granville, 2004-2006

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7) To see the birdwatching market growing bigger and bigger in Brazil, be it by means of an increase in the interest of people and the media, or by the “boom” of printed and virtual publications about the subject.

ARTWORK: © Kiko Azevedo, 2005 with photos by
© Daniel De Granville, 2004-2005

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8) Visiting Cristalino Jungle Lodge and its incredible birdwatching tower over the canopy.

PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

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9) Being able to spend a total of about six weeks this year in the middle of the Pantanal (on duty, but right by the birds!).

PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2003

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10) Being able to watch a pair of Plumbeous Kites (Ictinia plumbea) everyday near my house – they seem to be nesting some dozen yards away from my front door (despite the fact that many trees around have been stupidly chopped down a few days ago).

PHOTO: © Daniel De Granville, 2006

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I hope that 2007 brings us all
more and more incredible situations in close contact with nature!
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