Tag: nature
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A Short Summary of Two Months in Spain!
This summer I spent a full 2 months (June 1-July 25) in Alicante, Valencia in a Spanish immersion program. I stayed with a host family and attended classes at a local university, and on the weekends pursued activities with other members of the program. This was my first time experiencing full, long-term independence and while…
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Borneo (2023): the Kinabatangan River
Malaysia’s second-longest river, the Kinabatangan, and its surrounding floodplain forests, are two exquisite ecological gems constituting the jewel-studded crown of Borneo. I was grateful to spend two nights exploring this incredible ecosystem on my March 2023 Borneo trip. The Kinabatangan River possesses an ecosystem so bountiful in wildlife that it is often marketed as ‘Asia’s…
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Borneo (2023): Selingan Island and the Sepilok Sanctuaries
Welcome to part 2 of my March 2023 Borneo adventure! Hopefully you’ve read through part 1 and are up to date on the beginning of the trip for some background information. This post marks roughly the middle of the weeklong vacation: day 4 and half of day 5. We had a wide range of experiences…
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Borneo (2023): the West Coast of Sabah
To start my recounting of this trip, I’ll recite an excerpt from my journal: “When you love a place without having ever truly explored it, and finally get a chance to see it for yourself, you will almost certainly face disappointments and enchantments beyond anything you could’ve pieced together through imagination. This is what I’ve…
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Short, Wet Birding Trip to Pasir Ris Farmway
Sometimes a shorter birding outing is really what I need, as opposed to a half-day species and rarities haul. With schoolwork and studying consuming most of my time lately, I’ve been having less and less energy for bigger birding expeditions. Not to worry though, I’m still in the market for birding when I can get…
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A Productive Weekend of Migratory Birds
I’m not kidding when I say that sometimes my passion for the natural world is the only thing keeping me sane through high school! It’s a crazy time of my life; my whole future laid out before me as a path with many difficult obstacles to overcome. The good news is I’m certain my future…
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Palm Trees and a Blast of Polar Air: Birding in the Sunshine State on Christmas Eve
Before I get into this interesting and productive birding outing, I just wanted to say thanks for taking the time to read my blog! This my first post of 2023. It’s been almost a year since I started this blog, with the intention of cataloging my wildlife watching (primarily birding) outings, and other eco-adventures across…
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Birding and Plant Hunting in Singapore’s Last Virgin Rainforest
It’s been a busy semester for me. Busy to the point where, in the past month or so, I hadn’t gone out birding or nature-exploring much. Unusual for me. More on my mind in recent weeks toward the end of the term have been grades, friends, college, and did I say grades? But nevertheless, the…
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A Day of Wildlife Watching at Sungei Buloh (Owls, Otters, Crocodiles and Waders)
Last Sunday, the 30th of October, I embarked on a morning birding quest to Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve with my girlfriend, determined to log some lifers. We planned to arrive at low tide, around 8:30am, in time to see Sungei Buloh’s famous migratory wading birds foraging on intertidal mudflats. Altogether, we had a truly amazing…
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An Intriguing Birding Trip to Singapore’s Botanic Gardens
Who would’ve thought that the world’s first tropical botanical garden inscribed as an UNESCO World Heritage Site, would be an absolute hotspot for birding? I for one did! Located roughly around the most built-up area of the city, Singapore’s botanical gardens, established here in 1859, played a key role in the early history of the…
Bennett Gardner Wildlife Watching 