Julian Sykes Wildlife Holidays

26/07/2015

Superb place, great wildlife...

09/07/2015

Very lucky and priviliged to be part of an expedition to Russia's North Pacific coast where very few foreign visitors are allowed to go. This is the first of a few albums on this area, just need time to sort them out!
if you are interested in joining me there next year please visit the Speyside Wildlife website for further details...

25/04/2015

Great start to the Valencia Short Break with great birding straight from the airport. Highlights include White-headed Duck, Red Crested Pochard, Squacco Heron, Purple Swamphen, Iberian Green Woodpecker, Little Owl, Pallid Swift, Blue Rock Thrush, Sub-alpine Warbler, Nightingale, Pied Flycatcher and Woodchat Shrike plus lots more.
Fingers crossed for tomorrow...

17/04/2015

A few more images from Jordan taken by me

15/04/2015

Just back from an excellent trip to Jordan and posting a few images with more to follow. Highlight of the trip was obviously visiting the incredible historic site of Petra but a close second was finding a Crested Honey-buzzard (potential country 2nd or 3rd) and a gorgeous Striated Heron. Thanks to Abed for providing these images.
More to follow later....

05/04/2015

Best of the rest from India - Tigers and Taj Mahal

04/04/2015

Our Tiger reserve Tadoba NP offered us many lasting memories but none more so than seeing this family party of Indian Wild Dogs (Dhole) around an old carcass just metres from the jeeps - just awesome

02/04/2015

First quarter of the year is over and realised I had seen 7 cats - quite chuffed.
Bengal Tiger, Jungle Cat, Northern Lynx, Snow Leopard, Asiatic Lion, Iberian Lynx and Leopard

01/04/2015

Second part of the holiday with a fabulous visit to the Chambal River, next up Tadoba Tiger Reserve...

30/03/2015

Fabulous second trip - Incredible India did not disappoint with 28 mammals, 200+ birds, 40+ butterflies says it all really...

29/03/2015

Fabulous early March tour to Ladakh in the Indian Himalayas finding 4 Snow Leopards, Northern Lynx, 2 Himalayan Wolves, Argali, Woolly Hare, Lammergeiers, Himalayan Snowcocks, Tibetan Partridge, etc, etc, etc.

23/02/2015

Two back to back visits to this wonderful reserve have been very successful. Apart from excellent views of at least 6 cats we also saw Mouflon, Spanish Ibex, Otter, Spanish Imperial & Golden Eagles, Black & Griffon Vultures, Great Spotted Cuckoo, Citril Finch etc

12/11/2014

Taking some doing but getting there!!!

11/11/2014

We enjoyed a fabulous inaugural trip to Tasmania and Victoria seeing so much wildlife, including 250+ bird species and 20+ mammal species including the very rare Tasmanian Devil, Fat-tailed Dunnart, Spot-tailed Quoll, Koala, Wombat and Southern Right Whale.
More to come later...

02/10/2014

Sat at Heathrow's T4 waiting for our flight to Australia, visiting Tasmania and Victoria over the next 3 weeks.
Been really looking forward to this trip for such a long time with the prospect of seeing Tasmanian Devil, Eastern & Spot-tailed Quolls, Koala, Platypus, Echidna, Wombat, possums, wallabys and kangaroos. Bird species could include the incredibly rare Orange-bellied Parrot, plus Plains Wanderer, Malleefowl, Lyrebird (superb!) and 12 Tazzy endemics.
Many thanks to Swarovski Optic for getting my telescope back to me in double quick time, your after-sales standards still excel.
Look out for more posts from this fabulous adventure.

29/08/2014

29/08/2014

Iberian Wolves from last week's trip, many thanks to Kathy Farrell for doing such an awesome job with this footage - it is sublime with what she had to play with!!!

Great views of Iberian Wolves (albeit from a distance) in the Picos de Europa, Northern Spain. All shots taken using an HTC phone with phone adaptor, and Pan...

10/08/2014

Great week in N/W Spain seeing not just a mother Cantabrian Brown Bear with 3 gorgeous young cubs but also Iberian Wolf, Wildcat, Badger, Southern Chamois, Snow Vole, Wallcreeper, Lammergeier, Snowfinch, Iberian Rock Lizard and the stunning Apollo butterfly to name just a few.
Sadly there were no photo opportunities with the wolf and wildcat sightings - hopefully next time?

30/07/2014

Thinking of Australia in October, looking for stuff to take and found this from years ago, arguably my best ever days birdwatching. So sorry for the quality and the cheesiness! The music's from Brassed Off, one of my favourite films.

18/07/2014

Always good to try and put something back and promote good initiatives that enhance the endangered wildlife of Spain.
Thank you very much for your sponsorship and holiday tips, which have boosted the amount of this contribution.

04/07/2014

Incredible India 2015

Following the success of finding 6 Snow Leopards this year In March 2015 we are again visiting Ladakh searching for the rare and elusive Grey Ghost of the Himalayas. There are just four spaces left available on this trip but it does require a certain amount of fitness and endurance - however it is w…

02/07/2014

Fabulous few days in the Spanish Pyrenees at the pleasure of top wildlife photography Javi Montes. His set up with photographic hides is superb and this is a taste of whats possible. If you're interested in a small group photographic trip for lekking Capercaillie, Griffon & Egyptian Vultures, poss Lammergeier, Middle Spotted and Black Woodpeckers etc in May 2015 please contact me.
Hope you like Red Squirrels!

18/06/2014

One brilliant week in two fabulous areas of Northern Spain, the photos speak for themselves!

06/06/2014

Last full day completed in the land of the midnight sun finishing Owls 6 - Woodpeckers 5. Scorers were Great Grey, Short-eared, Ural, Pygmy, Tengmalms and Hawk Owl in extra time to the peckers Black, Great Spotted, Lesser Spotted, Three-toed Woodys and super-sub Wryneck. Great game in a fabulous place, especially when you add in Capercaillie, Rustic Bunting, Siberian Tit, Blyth's Reed and River Warblers etc

05/06/2014

With a day and a half left of the short break it's tied at Owls 5 - Woodpeckers 5 and everything to play for!!!
In addition to these we have also seen Red-flanked Bluetail, Terek Sandpiper, Smew, Little Gull, White-tailed Eagle, Hobby and Muskrat.

02/06/2014

Brilliant start to the Finland - Owls and Woodpeckers short break with a female Great Grey Owl and chick, one adult and two juvenile Black Woodpeckers, Short-eared Owl, Boreal Willow Tit and Waxwings.

30/05/2014

Spent two fab weeks in the Spanish Pyrenees for Speyside Wildlife seeing all the speciality species and much more.