Naturally Adventurous

Charley & Ken welcome their first guest: Keith Barnes. Keith is a South African world traveller and birder who is one of the owners of Tropical Birding. He has an insane arsenal of adventure stories. In this episode, he tells two, involving a hippo (Amadeus), and a leopard (no name). We also chat about the effects of covid on ecotourism, and the way forwards to resuming global travel.  Episode Photo Gallery: https://www.ken-behrens.com/podcast-episode-8 Two links with some info about Tropical Birding's vision for the resumption of travel:  http://www.tropicalbirding.com/birding-reimagined/  http://www.tropicalbirding.com/safetypolicy/ If you wish to support this podcast, please check out our patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true Birding Nature Travel Adventure

Find out Ken's top 3 lifetime birding experiences, including an unforgettable day on the Atlantic seaboard, and a breathless sprint up a mountainside in Spain.  To review, here is Ken's whole top 10 to this point: 4) Great Gray Owl - Minnesota, USA; 5) Rail-Babbler - Peninsular Malaysia; 6) Southern Cassowary - West Papua; 7) Red-tailed Newtonia - Madagascar; 8) Sharpbill - Bolivia; 9) Scaly Ground-Roller - Madagascar; 10) White-crowned Hornbill - Bornean Malaysia Episode photo gallery: https://www.ken-behrens.com/podcast-episode-7 If you wish to support this podcast, please check out our patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true Birding Nature Travel Adventure

Charley's top 3 includes two of the most critically endangered birds on Earth. Hear about the agony of missing them 20 years ago, and the ecstasy of finally sighting them nearly 20 years later.  Episode photo gallery: https://www.ken-behrens.com/podcast-episode-6 To review, here is Charley's Top 10:  1) Helmeted Hornbill, Malaysia   2) Okinawa Rail, Japan  3) Philippine Eagle, Philippines   4) Horned Guan, Guatemala   5) Crested Ibis, Japan   6) Royal Cinclodes, Peru   7) Banded Ground-Cuckoo, Ecuador   8) Marvellous Spatuletail, Peru   9) Udzungwa Forest Partridge, Tanzania   10) Blue-throated Macaw, Bolivia If you wish to support this podcast, please check out our patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true Birding Nature Travel Adventure

Ken & Charley discuss their parallel experiences in moving sight-unseen to a continent that they had barely experienced before. Africa has more big mammals that can easily kill you than any other place on Earth, which adds a certain spice to birding on foot!  Advisory: Be warned that this podcast contains a detailed description of a lion kill. Episode photo gallery: https://www.ken-behrens.com/podcast-episode-5 If you wish to support this podcast, please check out our patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true Birding Nature Travel Adventure

Ken Behrens tells Charley Hesse about a bloody but exhilarating quest for Rail-Babbler, and an unforgettable "Harry Potter meets Hitchcock" spectacle in the North Woods of Minnesota. Episode photo gallery: https://www.ken-behrens.com/podcast-episode-4 If you wish to support this podcast, please check out our patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true Birding Nature Travel Adventure

Charley tells Ken about achieving his lifetime goal of seeing wild Crested Ibises in Japan, and they share epic adventures of searching for the "Unicorn Bird". If you wish to support this podcast, please check out our patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true Birding Nature Travel Adventure

Ken Behrens tells Charley Hesse some of his most memorable birding experiences. Hear how he ended up with amoebic dysentery searching for the elusive Sharpbill in Bolivia, travelled the worst road of his life only to get eaten alive by leeches in Madagascar, and came face to face with the "killer" Southern Cassowary in West Papua. He sure is ..... NATURALLY ADVENTUROUS. Episode photo gallery: https://www.ken-behrens.com/podcast-episode-2 Birding Nature Travel If you wish to support this podcast, please check out our patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true

Charley talks about 5 of his top 10 lifetime bird sightings. Most of these are great adventure stories, in which the chase is more important than the thing being chased. Camping at 13,000 feet in a budget sleeping bag, with only a candle for warmth... all to see a little brown bird... definitely!  In places, the audio is rough in this pilot episode. It will be greatly improved in future episodes.  Birding Nature Travel If you wish to support this podcast, please check out our patreon page at: https://www.patreon.com/naturallyadventurous?fan_landing=true