10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2015

Further down the road, we reach a derelict building with a large veranda hidden among the trees – an abandoned hunting lodge (if I were in a situation to invest, I would choose to upgrade this into a luxury wildlife lodge). One White-eyed Buzzard has turned its back to us. It is too early to show.

Tigers 251

Tigers Dogs India Snow Leopard 251

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2016

In the most of Europe, Brown Bear is a mythical creature that lives only in mediaeval tapestries and folk tales. Like many others, this village was totally abandoned and only recently repopulated, with a current population of only 18 people. In the European Union there are only 10,000 mature bears (source: IUCN). Not at all.

Bears 271

Bears Greece Europe Slovenia 271

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2012

Neither even makes their own nesting cavities; they use the abandoned holes of other woodpeckers. Eurasian Wrynecks are found breeding across the temperate zones of Europe and Asia. Instead they forage on the ground, like flickers, for ants, or focus on rotted wood for ants and other insects.

Hungary 180

Hungary Asia Woodpeckers Africa 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2019

The toughest thing for me, as a local birder, was to choose the most attractive birds because those that attract my attention are generally all too common in the northwest of Europe, from where most visiting birders are coming. and the first skyscraper built in Southeast Europe, in 1939. Hence, I asked my friend B.C.,

Serbia 250

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Breeding 250

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2014

No, seriously, a brown warbler with stripes in central Europe really means you are either looking at a Grasshopper Warbler or a Sedge Warbler. However, these are so rare in most of Europe that thinking you are looking at one essentially means you are fooling yourself and should return to considering Sedge and Grasshopper Warblers again.

Europe 238

Europe Kazakhstan Sparrows Abandon 238

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2016

I am not entirely sure whether most birders outside Germany know or realize that Germany still has a decent population of one of Europe’s most attractive and desired bird species: the Great Bustard Otis tarda. Follow the track through a gap in the pine tree plantation and immediately turn right.

Germany 102

Germany Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

He blogs at The Nightjar – The tales of an Upstate New York Birder and otherwise stays busy being an eBird reviewer, taking care of his kids, and, recently, planning a trip to Europe where he hopes to see lots of new birds. For reasons that are not quite clear, this species underwent a massive range expansion.

Cattle 171

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2015

This species is still uncommon in the Balkans and despite the recent spread, Kalamas is the most reliable site for it in Greece (and this made my only second ever observation of them in Europe). Further north, I reach the Kestrini River and turn left. Finally, a bit of shade – the only one for miles around.

Greece 239

Greece Dogs Pelicans Fish 239

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

My last blog has created quite a discussion among the readers, mostly from US, but also southern and eastern Africa and Europe (apologies if I forgot some region). This one was so bad, that we abandoned the idea of seriously birding and just enjoyed our vacation. And also to be patient with older people whose vision is fading. “A

Greece 231

Greece Birds Zambia Experience 231

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2012

The White-backed Woodpecker is the hardest resident woodpecker to find in Europe. Dendrocopos leucotos is absent from western Europe but is found in northern, central, and eastern Europe and across Asia as far east as Japan and Korea.

Woodpeckers 196

Woodpeckers Hungary Europe Japan 196