10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2015

Turtle Doves have been declining in Europe since the 1970s, and in this century alone, the continent has lost 40% of its population of the species. Since this spring’s revision of the European Red List, the Turtle Dove is listed as a vulnerable species. Money and effort are being invested in that protection.

Serbia 270

Serbia Slaughter Slaughtered Turtles 270

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2015

Worried by the lack of appropriate action by the authorities (as described in the previous post ), this year I invited two more wildlife protection organisations to take part in the annual census of Pygmy Cormorants in Belgrade. “The Pygmy Cormorant is a strictly protected bird species in Serbia, as well as in the European Union.

Serbia 187

Serbia Protection Europe 2015 187

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2021

Of the thirty or so members of the family Icteridae that go by the name “oriole” on the western side of the Atlantic Ocean, several species are partial enough to fruit that they even visit feeders that offer it as jelly, as the sugar-preserved form usually reserved for human consumption is known.

2017 218

2017 Portugal Europe Africa 218

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2023

This park protects the largest remaining tract of dry deciduous forest in the west of India, offering visitors 37 species of reptiles, 38 species of mammals and, not to be forgotten – almost 300 bird species. It belongs to the same species as those in Europe, but a smaller subspecies ( Sus scrofa davidi ).

India 147

India Lions Boars Mammals 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2020

This is a bit of a dilemma for local authorities – on the one hand, they would presumably like to protect the birds, on the other hand, they also want to draw as many tourists to the place as possible. Black-bellied Plover: Known as Grey Plover in Europe and Asia. Cuckoo species (Common?): Far Eastern Curlew: Endangered.

China 287

China Birds Fish Asia 287

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2019

someone capable of telling the CGI masterminds that the crows at the corpses couldn’t be the Carrion Crows of Western, but the Hooded Crows of Eastern Europe? I do count, write and eBird all crow species I encounter, but, I admit, without much excitement. And protect them, too. True, I do not pay much attention to crows.

Protection 162

Protection Elephants Owls Laws 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2019

And here in Europe, they are the real deal, an indigenous species and not domesticated animals gone wild. These handsome finches breed in the far north of Europe and come here for the winter only. Annex II of the Bern Convention lists 45 of Beljarica’s bird species, with a further 91 species in Annex III.

Serbia 246

Serbia Otters Boars Eagles 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I live in the southeast of Europe, for a while lived in the south of Africa and also have extensively birded western and central India. I am talking 600 or 700+ bird species.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2021

Once I observed a man walking his two small dogs here, passing by a perched White-tailed Eagle but looking down at grass and not noticing the largest raptor in Europe at all. The eagle seemed well-used to people and paid no attention either.

Otters 264

Otters Protest Protesting Protesters 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2015

In that first year, about 95 bird species were recorded here, not to mention the Otter, listed as the Near Threatened species in the IUCN Red List. The Reva is not protected. In May I plan to discuss the possibilities of the legal protection with the city officials and your comments and views may strengthen that case.

Otters 183

Otters Serbia Fish Mammals 183

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2015

Birds included common species such as Black Drongos , Jungle Babblers and a Hoopoe. During the Pleistocene, Dholes were found across the Northern Hemisphere, including Europe and North America, sharing their space with sabre-toothed cats. These days, the species shares habitats with Tigers, Snow Leopard, Bears, etc.

Tigers 246

Tigers Dogs India Snow Leopard 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2014

With about 110 recorded species, the Kozara becomes truly magical place when the Danube swells and reclaims what is rightfully his. On the other side of the river, underneath the very buttresses of the Belgrade Fortress, with its 170 recorded bird species lies the Veliko Ratno Island (44°49’53.20″N, 20°26’4.98″E).

Serbia 245

Serbia Stray Dog Protection Botswana 245

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

The aim was to ring as many gulls as we could, to provide some reading material for birders all around Europe. When you count some 40,000 gulls of four species and find the fifth or the sixth species among them, represented by only one individual – that one becomes the most interesting. Birds city birds Europe gulls Serbia'

Serbia 167

Serbia Birds Ukraine Europe 167

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

The majority are clearly Mallards , followed by Garganeys , with one and possibly more Green-winged Teals , also Ferruginous Ducks … Surprises among them are one Common Shelduck , a species that most likely breeds some 15 mi from here (and my first shelduck of the year) and an even greater surprise: two Eurasian Wigeons.

Serbia 177

Serbia Protection Eagles Ducks 177

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2015

My guess is, those nervous ones were some migrants, while the majority were locally breeding birds – the southernmost population of Europe! In all that swirling of swallows, I am not certain was there a third species, so I keep watching. The smaller part of the flock was nervous and soon took flight, while the majority remained.

Greece 252

Greece Pelicans Geese Breeding 252

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

This is “the deep cradle of Western ornithology: the birthplace of bird study,” he tells us as he writes about gazing at the 8,000-year old depictions of “flamingos, herons, raptors, avocets and many other species” (p. Common Guillemot research at Skomer Island, Wales. Birkhead knows that these are sensitive topics.

Dissection 235

Dissection Birds Research Europe 235

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2022

Iron Gates, after the ancient Roman name for the gorge, Porta Ferrea) National Park lies in the north-eastern Serbia, where the Danube has incised the longest gorge of Europe, extending for over 100 kilometre (62 mi), stretching from the medieval Golubac Fortress to the Roman castrum Diana. Other species include Grey Wagtail and Marsh Tit.

Serbia 254

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Romania 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2020

Foreboding superstitions about the waxwing persisted into the twentieth century: an irruption of this species in Great Britain during the winter of 1913-1914 was viewed in hindsight as a harbinger of World War I, which broke out the following summer, as depicted in Pestvogel (2016) by American artist Walton Ford (born 1960).

Farming 173

Farming New York Humane Europe 173

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2014

Up to the mid-20th century, Pygmy Cormorants were a common breeding species of wetlands around Belgrade… until the wetlands were drained and the birds were lost, at one moment – from the whole of Serbia. Since the roosts of Pygmy Cormorants should receive official protection, how bright is the future? Or wiser, perhaps?

Serbia 200

Serbia Protection Legislation Europe 200

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

I observed this species in the Little Rann of Kutch in India and since then, have been burning with desire to see them back home. The world record holder is the town of Kikinda, further north, with 700 birds in their town square which has recently become an officially protected owl habitat – a small, urban nature reserve.

Serbia 244

Serbia Owls Rodents Eagles 244

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. It seems that this is another species for which the standard phrase of scientists anywhere, “more research needed”, applies.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

I was given my first real field guide to the birds of Europe by my parents, a guide beyond the species found at backyard feeders and city ponds. … Birds chickadees chickadees and tits Europe tits For better. Much better.

Europe 100

Europe Birds Kazakhstan Russia 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2020

A somewhat more credible selection to be sure, as lions actually do exist, but one that sadly snubs the native Scottish wildcat in favor of a felid that’s been extinct in Europe since antiquity. While it has no official status – at least not yet – many Scots regard the Golden Eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ) as their national avian mascot.

Eagles 164

Eagles Lions Hunting Lamb 164

Critter News

MAY 9, 2010

The European Commission said on Wednesday it is pursuing legal action against Portugal for breaching nature protection legislation. The resort falls within a site protected by the Habitats Directive and in the vicinity of a Special Area of Conservation for wild birds (Costa Sudoeste sites). But I'm glad the EU is calling them on it.

Portugal 100

Portugal Endangered Species Legislation 2000 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2014

Restricted to northern Europe, their real stronghold is in Britain where more than half of the world’s flowers can be seen during early May. The English Channel acted as a barrier to prevent other flowers from recovering their former footholds, so our wildflower species count is low, but the blooms are magnificently profuse.

Laws 166

Laws Europe America Protection 166

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2016

After the Common Starling , my second bird of the morning becomes the largest eagle of Europe, the White-tailed Eagle , this one with a fairly white tail, yet still dark beak, that I estimate to be in its 3rd calendar year. Looking miserable with its feathers soaked, one yellow and blue European Bee-eater sits on a dead branch.

Serbia 138

Serbia Sheep Birds Eagles 138

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2016

The country of Mexico as a whole, is host to 27 different species of doves, with the California Baja Sure home to six. With a large number of sub-species in many of these doves, I have listed the actual sub-species for this area. A common migratory species, is the Mourning Dove , Zenaida macroura marginella.

San Jose 100

San Jose North America Mexico America 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2012

Specifically, rural northwestern Spain, at various points along the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route to the supposed burial place of Saint James the apostle and, before that, to the westernmost point in continental Europe, the supposed End of the Earth, the Finis Terra. My journey started off in the city of Leon.

Spain 177

Spain Europe Industry Rodents 177

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

In May 1992 European Union governments adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe. Noudar has recorded 184 different species since 1999. This legislation is called the Habitats Directive and complements the Birds Directive adopted in 1979.

Portugal 253

Portugal Legislation 2000 Adoptable 253

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2011

It is a fascinating book that teaches while it entertains, that offers research-informed arguments for bird protection and conservation in the guise of vibrant design. And so, I learn from this page that each bird’s scientific name is unique, a combination of its genus and species names. We are a BirdLife Species Champion!)

Albatross 206

Albatross Birds Campaign Protection 206

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2013

If you are a migratory bird in Europe and western Asia, this is your sweet spot. Fearing that a natural disaster, introduced species, or disease could wipe this fragile population out, the U.S. The survival of songbirds depends in part upon eliminating illegal hunting. Photo by David Guttenfelder, courtesy of National Geographic ).

Cambodia 145

Cambodia Slaughter Slaughtered Cyprus 145

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2022

Hopefully, seeing these birds and learning about them will also make you understand that it is important to protect them and nature in general. This is often the case in birds – for the young birds, it is more important to be invisible than to impress the other birds of the same species. The Oriental Magpie-Robin is a small songbird.

Birds 162

Birds Fish Germany China 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

A range of hills protects the cove from the eastern wind, yet, the bushes are swaying in the rythm of it. Nick finds a bird-shaped protrusion at the top of the rock – Black-eared Wheatear , not exactly a species I expect to observe from a boat deck. The Sun already sets and I haven’t seen a new species in a while.

Greece 243

Greece Malta Croatia Birds 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2017

Belonging to the Caribbean foothills biome, Rancho Naturalista has the fourth longest eBird list among the hotspots of Costa Rica: 478 species, including 36 raptors and 38 hummingbirds. Curious to see what the combined list would show, I used the eBird polygon tool to sum them all up to 502 bird species.

Costa Rica 170

Costa Rica Woodpeckers Farming Owls 170

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

Even among the protected areas of Serbia, the Iron Gates National Park (in Serbian: Djerdap) stands out as better preserved. Keep in mind that the special nature reserves (dark green on the park map) enjoy the highest level of protection and are off limits to visitors (possible only with research permits issued by the park authorities).

Serbia 198

Serbia Turtles Birds Eagles 198

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Africa has more than its fair share of storks, with 8 of the world’s 19 species gracing the continent. Storks are typically viewed as wetland species and whilst some storks are restricted to aquatic habitats, others are not. This is another wetland species that nests in sometimes huge colonies atop trees bordering rivers and lakes.

Africa 246

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 246

Critter News

SEPTEMBER 6, 2009

In a co-ordinated protest, members of the League for the Protection of Birds (LPO) destroyed hundreds of traps and set free the birds inside. The hunting and selling of ortolans, which have suffered a Europe-wide decline of 40-50% in the last 40 years, has been illegal in France since 1999. From the Guardian.

France 100

France Endangered Species Protest Protesting 100