About Graham Clarkson

Born & brought up in Marshside, I started birding there in the mid 1970s & made my first birding trip to Martin Mere in 1977. I've lived, worked & birdied in Abu Dhabi, Northern Ireland & Gloucestershire & I've spent time working in Kazakhstan & Madagascar. I enjoy birding my various West Lancashire patches, making frequent birding visits throughout the north-west of England and North Wales. I stray elsewhere in the UK & enjoy birding abroad from time to time. I'm particularly interested in wildfowl (especially pink-footed geese) with an interest in waders & raptors, bird counts & surveys & conservation. I'm trying to get the hang of photography & digiscoping - I'll get there eventually.

My degree from Edge Hill University is in conservation biology. I've guided on numerous birding days out & trips & guided birding holidays to Lesvos, Andalucia, Extremedura, Majorca, Camargue, Hungary, Finland & Florida. I enjoy showing people birds & habitats & helping them learn more about birds & enjoy birding. I'm currently involved with the Birdwatching and Beyond course at Edge Hill and a brand new venture; Skein Birding.

As well as birding I'm interested in captive breeding & reintroduction projects & zoos, how they're managed & how they contribute to conservation. I'm a proud Lancastrian & love the Lancashire countryside & landscapes. I'm an Evertonian & also keep up with what's happening at Southport, PNE & Bristol Rovers. Gardening, dogs (I have a Labrador & a Tibetan Terrier) and keeping chickens (especially Marsh Daisys & Scots Dumpy Bantams). Ruth & I have two marvellous boys who both love nature too. I hope you find the blog and subjects covered interesting; please feel free to leave a comment.

Friday 3 January 2014

Edinburgh zoo - some other special mammals

Seeing any Rhino is special. I remember seeing wild Black Rhinos in Kenya in 1995 and being over excited. I haven't made it to Nepal or Northern India so I've had to settle for seeing Great Indian Rhinos  in captivity - and what special beasts they are. To imagine they were one distributed from the Marshes of Mesopotamia across to Siam is amazing considering they're now restricted to a few national parks. The usual problems of hunting (partly for the horns), habitat destruction and fragmentation, lack of protection etc are to blame for their demise. 

 

A beautiful Grevy's Zebra

A Pygmy Hippo calf hiding beneath mum.

A Goral? A Serow? I can't remember 

Banteng bull


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