Bird watching is a favorite hobby of thousands of people in this world. There are at present more than ten thousand different bird species in this world. Illegal poaching and adverse natural environment has made many of the bird species extinct. Bird sanctuaries have been created to protect the birds from harm and help them reproduce in a safe environment. Bird-lovers travel long distances to visit bird sanctuaries. You can see different types of birds in various places in the world. Some birds fly over countries to reach a safe zone in winter months. You can travel to such locales to get a glimpse of exotic and extremely beautiful birds. In the following, we have listed the top five places for bird watching.
Kruger National Park, South Africa:
The Kruger National Park is not just an ideal destination for spotting animals but it is also a great place for bird watching. Many very rare birds are natives at this National Park like the saddle-billed stork, kori bustard, southern ground hornbill, lappet faced vulture, southern ground hornbill and martial eagle. These birds are quite big and that is why even amateur bird watchers will spot them in a moment. If you are more interested in colorful birds then look out for the weavers, Bee-eaters, Lilac breasted Rollers and Kingfishers. You may avail the bird watching tours offered inside the park. Carry a binocular and zoom lenses for better views of the exotic birds.
Papua New Guinea:
Papua New Guinea may be small and remotely located, about 160 km above the giant continent of Australia but it is still very popular among bird watchers. It is a small archipelago in the southern hemisphere where you can find more than a thousand different birds and animals. The biodiversity of this archipelago has made it such a popular bird watching destination. There are over 40 species of birds, including mynahs, colorful parrots, doves, honeyeaters and cassowaries, in this island. The male birds dance, jump and show off their colorful feathers to the females to attract them for mating.
Manu National Park:
The location of the Manu National Park makes it one of the most ideal bird watching destinations. It is a tropical forest spread over 15,000 square kilometers of land. The forest is quite inaccessible for normal travelers and very dense. You can watch birds on the sides of a long road that come down from tundra regions to the Amazonian rain forests a little above the sea level. The great variety of birds in this forest will surely amaze any traveler.
Rift Valley, Kenya:
If you are a bird lover then you must have watched the wonderful Rift Valley footages that show the lovely flamingoes walk in a funny manner. The birds that you can find at this region are Paradise Flycatcher, Gabar Goshawks, Marabou Storks, Shikra, and African Fish Eagles. Go to the Lake Nakuru if you want to get beautiful snaps of pink flamingoes.
Cairns Bird watching:
Cairns is a city in the north eastern parts of Australia that anyone can use as a base point for traveling through the dense Daintree Rainforest and Atherton Tablelands. Over 400 different bird species enjoy their winter vacation at the esplanade of this city. You will get to see many very rare birds in the rainforests.
Summary:
Bird watching is a very nice hobby and there are many great places for capturing pictures of rare birds. All you need is a good high-resolution camera and lots of patience.