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Cyprus Delights – Part III

10,000 Birds

Perhaps the most curious thing about the Great Spotted Cuckoo is its distribution, for it is both a non-breeding Palearctic migrant to Africa, and a trans-Africa migrant. According to The Birds of Africa Volume III , “In much of the tropics present throughout the year, with breeding and non-breeding birds usually indistinguishable”.

Cyprus 226
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The Changing Fortunes of Europe’s Vultures – Part 1

10,000 Birds

Griffon Vultures have a long breeding season. The chicks need six months to develop so the adults lay their eggs in January. Isn’t it a bit late to breed? Why bother with such a risky journey if you aren’t going to breed? These are African, sub-Saharan, vultures that were unknown in Europe until recent times.

Africa 244
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The return of the Old Man

10,000 Birds

According to Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills of the World , a handsome volume written by James Hancock, James Kushan and Philip Kohl and published by Academic Press in 1992, Geronticus eremita “once nested in the mountains of central Europe, across northern Africa and into the Middle East. But this range is now much reduced.

Morocco 232
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Don’t Ignore the Barnacles – they’re Real Birds

10,000 Birds

The European Breeding Bird Atlas 2 makes interesting reading. Originally confined to the Arctic, breeding [of Barnacle Geese] is now confirmed throughout much of the Baltic coast S North Sea. A pair did lay infertile eggs in Iceland in 2018, but that’s about the only record I can find).

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A covey of Greys

10,000 Birds

I don’t know how many Gray Partridges there are in America, but here in Britain (and Europe, too) we wouldn’t mind if some were sent back to their home countries, as this delightful little game bird has declined catastrophically throughout much of its range during the last 50 years. I guessed that his mate was close by, incubating her eggs.

Hungary 163
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The Wryneck: Biology, Behaviour, Conservation and Symbolism of Jynx torquilla: A Book Review

10,000 Birds

They may eat other insects if they have to, but all they really want are ants and Gorman lists 24 species of ant that are part of their diet in Europe, any life stage will do. Gorman also leads bird tours in central and Eastern Europe and posts photos and updates on his work on his own website and, as I said before, Facebook. .”

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Birding Lake Kerkini, Greece: Three Lazy Days

10,000 Birds

Lake Kerkini National Park in the north of Greece is the very best birding area in the Balkan Peninsula and definitely among the top ten hotspots of Europe. However, during a storm the chains that kept it anchored broke off and the raft is now stranded on the shore, accessible to stray dogs and not used for breeding.

Greece 236