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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 230
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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 239
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Some Hokkaido Winter Passerines

10,000 Birds

Given how far Hokkaido is from Europe, it seems a bit surprising how many bird species wintering on this Japanese island have a name starting with “Eurasian” Or how many of these species I have also seen in my parents’ garden in Germany. Like the Eurasian Nuthatch.

Research 130
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The 20 best birds of Belgrade and where to find them

10,000 Birds

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. Cranes breed in very small numbers in UK but are always impressive en masse. Hence, I asked my friend B.C.,

Serbia 250
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The 20 most common birds in Shanghai (Part 2)

10,000 Birds

Even in the comparable wilderness of coastal Shanghai, it is far more likely to see the tree sparrow near an abandoned hut than in a more pristine spot. It looks fairly flashy in its breeding plumage, much less so in winter. It is much more likely to be found in larger flocks, at least outside the breeding season.

Latvia 127
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Rarer than Tigers: the Indian Wild Dog

10,000 Birds

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 245
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A “Thank You” is All You Need

10,000 Birds

Over a few obstacles, we follow the dirt track into an abandoned and overgrown claypit. Although quite a few species will have a second brood ( European Starlings among them), in the lowlands, mid-June is the end of the breeding season for many small passerines. Yet, Starlings cannot dig and are happy to use abandoned cavities.

Abandon 156