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.
The New Britain Goshawk
In 2024, while on assignment for WWF in Papua New Guinea, I was the first person to ever photograph the New Britain Goshawk, a rare bird that hadn’t been seen for over 55 years. The photo went viral, garnered several hundred million social media impressions and was shared by more than one hundred international news outlets.
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.
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
