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Birding
/ˈbəːdɪŋ/
the observation of birds in their natural habitat as a hobby.
I am not sure how exactly my love for birds started, but it was certainly driven by my photography. Back in Germany, birds were the most readily available wildlife to photograph, and I somewhat naturally gravitated towards them. This curiosity has turned into a passion (maybe obsession?), and today, I am a birder through and through.
While I have photographed hundreds of species across the world, I want to share just a few images here as examples of my work. For those interested in diving deeper into the world of birding, viewing more sightings and finding additional info on my birding activities, head to my eBird or Inaturalist profile, two citizen science platforms I regularly use and highly recommend.
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The first photo ever.
The New Britain Goshawk.
In 2024, while on assignment for WWF-Pacific in Papua New Guinea, Tom made history with one of his photos. For the first time ever, he photographed the New Britain Goshawk, a rare bird that was on the “Lost Species” list. This great conservation news went viral and where shared by dozens of news outlets across the world, garnering hundreds of millions of social media impressions.
Read the WWF Press Release here.
COMING SOON!
A POCKET GUIDE TO FIJI BIRDS
Available mid-2025!
This waterproof, foldable guide to Fiji’s common and endemic bird species is the only available bird guide of this kind in Fiji. Previous guides are unavailable and/or outdated. Each bird was hand-drawn by an artist, and this guide has been in the making for nearly 1,5 years.
With a growing number of nature-minded tourists visiting Fiji and hundreds of thousands of families undertaking nature-related activities, this cheap guide will be a staple buy among many visitors and should be readily available at popular tourist hotspots.
Brochure Specifications
10 x 20 cm
11 extendable pages printed on both sides
88 bird species shown with their common English names, their Fijian names and Latin names
Includes basic birding tips
Fiji’s Birds
My very first days in Fiji back in 2015, I had an interest in the country’s bird life. Over the years, that has grown into a deeply-rooted passion and a few years back, I launched a motivational project - Project Manumanu Vuka - with the aim to photograph all species occurring in Fiji.
Thanks to my assignments, I was able to visit many areas throughout the entire country, and wherever and whenever feasible, I dedicate some time to birding, even if my schedule only allows for a few minutes. There are still many species left to photograph, especially some endemics that only occur on certain islands, but I am nearly at 70 species which may well be the most complete image collection of Fiji’s birds. I should add that I only count images that are of a good enough quality, similar to the ones shown below.
COMING SOON!
FIJI Bird Posters
These two posters are the first of their kind in Fiji. One is focused only on endemic bird species that are only found in Fiji and nowhere else on Earth.
The other birds also include Common bird species.
Brochure Specifications
40 x 60 cm
Birds are shown with their common English names, their Fijian names and Latin names
Finding Fiji’s rare Pink-billed parrotfinches
The elusive Pink-billed parrotfinch (Erythrura kleinschmidti) is only found on Fiji's largest island Viti Levu and had never been filmed. Thanks to Fiji's leading ornithologist, Vilikesa Masibalavu, who had previously identified an active nest in the Sovi Basin in Fiji's Naitasiri Province, we were able to capture many stills and video of two individuals tending to their nest at about 9m height in an African Tulip tree. The pink-billed parrotfinch is listed as 'Vulnerable' on IUCN's Red List of Threatened Species, mainly due to increasing deforestation and resulting habitat loss in its small distribution area on Viti Levu.
Where is Fiji’s Kulawai?i
This film documents the quest of Fiji’s first local Non-Governmental Organisation NatureFiji-MareqetiViti to find a long-lost bird that is of national importance. Last seen more than 20 years ago, the Kulawai (red-throated lorikeet) is a small, elusive parrot that might still be located in areas of Fiji’s vast and dense forests.
Screenings & Awards:
2023 - ‘Highly Honoured’ at Nature’s Best International Photography Awards
2021 - Wildlife Conservation Film Festival - Official Selection