10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2024

Although an attractive bird, this species was not of particular interest to me as I’ve seen it countless times when I lived in South Africa (and is not present there at this time of year anyway), but the area has much more on offer. A Grey-headed Woodpecker called from a clump of trees that also held a Mistle Thrush.

Squirrels 201

Squirrels South Africa Germany Ducks 201

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2019

Africa boasts its own legendary birding road: Uganda’s Budongo Forest Reserve AKA the Royal Mile. Its profligate array of flora and fauna—especially avifauna—combined with superior accessibility, visibility, and proximity to both Entebbe and Murchison Falls NP make this location a must for any birders considering central Africa.

Uganda 212

Uganda Africa Monkeys Birds 212

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

The Collins Bird Guide covers Europe, North Atlantic islands, much of North Africa and the Middle East. Another difference, an odd one, some woodpeckers gained weight, could it be a time to consider a diet?

Europe 256

Europe Birds Woodpeckers Ireland 256

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2019

Murchison Falls NP earns all sorts of superlative accolades: most powerful waterfall in the world, top 5 game park in Africa, and some of the most gorgeous sunrises and sunsets you’ve ever seen. The 5,000 sq km of exquisite savanna and bush may hew more closely to your ideal vision of Africa than any other spot on the continent.

Uganda 189

Uganda Senegal Africa Game 189

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Photos courtesy of Mosetlha Bush Camp A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. They raise their trunks, sniffing the air.

South Africa 220

South Africa Africa Game Elephants 220

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

Trogons and quetzals are an ancient, colorful bird family that occurs in forests and other wooded habitats from the American tropics to Africa to Southeast Asia.

America 263

America Arizona North America United States 263

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

Only in Africa is it really easy to see a big variety. Lion – much easier to see than an Aardvark In contrast to East Africa, encounters with mammals while out birding in Europe are relatively few. At the time we were looking, without success, for White-backed Woodpeckers.

Fur 187

Fur Otters Bulgaria Estonia 187

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2016

Late last month, while searching for bears , woodpeckers and spirits of Greece, I deliberately avoided checking any news, especially from my home country. In Africa, one elephant is being killed every 15 minutes. Even worse is the situation with Forest Elephants Loxodonta cyclotis of jungles of Central and West Africa.

Elephants 187

Elephants Botswana Zimbabwe Africa 187

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2015

I found out on my second day in Mkuze, a great game reserve in South Africa, earlier this year when on my first dark night, poor visibility, uneven ground and unsteady footing resulted in a twisted ankle and a day in camp keeping weight off it. Cardinal Woodpecker. I wasn’t going to be seeing a Cheetah on my ass back at camp!

South Africa 145

South Africa Tortoises Woodpeckers Birds 145

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2012

There are two species in the Old World woodpecker genus that sounds like birds that birders would never be able to see. Neither even makes their own nesting cavities; they use the abandoned holes of other woodpeckers. They migrate to warmer climes in Africa and south Asia to winter.

Hungary 173

Hungary Asia Woodpeckers Africa 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2013

The six living species are all found in Sub-Saharan Africa. ’s “land bird clade,” with passerines, parrots, falcons, woodpeckers, the Coraciiformes (kingfishers, hornbills, bee-eaters, etc.), Birds Africa genetics taxonomy and systematics' But to what other birds are mousebirds related?

Kenya 173

Kenya Parrots Africa North America 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2021

From the mangroves of the coastline to the rainforests of Iwokrama to the open Rupununi savannahs that are reminiscent of the Serengeti of east Africa to the magnificent Kaeiteur Falls and to the mystery of mount Roraima, there is something for everyone in this fantastically diverse country. The scenery is diverse and sublime.

Guyana 278

Guyana Otters South America Colombia 278

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2012

Woodpeckers are phenomenally well-represented in Colombia and the country holds anything from 42 to 44 of the world’s woodpecker species, depending on which list you follow. That’s over 20 % of all the woodpeckers found worldwide. Like the true woodpeckers, piculets share several traits common to the family.

Colombia 173

Colombia Woodpeckers South America Family 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2012

It certainly looks good on birds from the Americas ( Elaenia , Flatbill , Greenlet , Piculet , Piha , Siskin , Thornbill ) to Africa ( Flycatcher , Thrush ). How about the Bronze-olive Pygmy-Tyrant , Golden-olive Woodpecker , Pale-olive Greenbul , or Grey-olive Greenbul ? The attraction is obvious.

Cameroon 162

Cameroon Comoros Africa Woodpeckers 162

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

What a way to sum up what is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest birding sites and certainly my favorite in southern Africa. Buff-streaked Chats and Cape Rock-Thrushes sing from boulder tops, and family huddles of Ground Woodpeckers emit their rather gull-like shrieks. A lovely male Cape Rock Thrush by Adam Riley .

Lesotho 170

Lesotho Africa Birds Rats 170

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

I don’t think I’ve ever done a post on my home patch of Cape Town, South Africa. Endemic Cape Sugarbirds are especially prominent when the leucospermums are in flower and they are joined by one of the most brilliantly colored of all South Africa’s endemics, the Orange-breasted Sunbird.

South Africa 244

South Africa Penguins Birds Africa 244

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2012

Ethiopia , a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. The Abyssinian Empire was the only African nation to survive what is now known as the Scramble for Africa, and was never colonized (it did endure 6 brutal years under Fascist Italian occupation).

Ethiopia 269

Ethiopia Eritrea Africa Mammals 269

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2020

Anyway, I don’t even have an app for the European birds at the moment, but for the Birds of Southern Africa. A bulge in a tree fork behind, likely a broken branch… no, it’s a Black Woodpecker. Okay for the second, I had another, smaller notebook in my rucksack, but the phone? Oh, who’d go back home now? My favourite poplar tree.

Serbia 272

Serbia Birds Ducks Cyprus 272

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2024

I’d love to have known where and when the Great Spotted Woodpecker in my photograph below was ringed, but though the ring is clearly visible, the number stamped on it isn’t. Audouin’s Gull is an attractive species restricted as a breeding bird to the Mediterranean, but many winter in North Africa.

Lithuania 130

Lithuania Iceland Morocco Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

The highest diversity is found in Africa, where the family is believed to have originated from. This is in contrast to those that burst out of Africa and colonized the globe as hemisphere spanning dynamos chasing blooms of insects from continent to continent. Northern Rough-winged Swallow , photo by Corey Finger.

Jordan 186

Jordan Iowa Birds Africa 186

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2011

These Blasts From The Past Lakes, lightning, locusts and lizards Great Birding Sites From Great Birding Bloggers Anderson River Park Never Disappoints Birding Kuwait The Other Antigua About the Author James A life-long birder and native of South Africa, James Currie has many years experience in the birding and wildlife tourism arenas.

Dominican Republic 187

Dominican Republic 2011 Birds Deer 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Growing up within an hour of one of the world’s premier shorebird destinations -- West Coast National Park in South Africa -- helped for sure. For me, there’s a few things that drive this fascination. Firstly, shorebirds present a significant ID challenge.

Florida 192

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 192

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

After leaving Africa, I was fearing a real let down in my birding. New Zealand had been good, Australia was incredible, and South Africa was almost life altering. Where do you go from there? Well, for us, we went to Doha, Qatar. Speaking of Bank Swallows , here is one of those family groups.

Qatar 116

Qatar Sparrows South Africa Africa 116

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2011

The terms “hooded&# and “headed&# are often only loosely applied in birding nomenclature and I shall return to “ Brown-hooded Cowbird , Red-hooded Woodpecker and Black-chinned Oriole at a later date when the urge to be pedantic strikes again.

South Africa 174

South Africa Pedigree Africa New York 174

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2018

When we were planning this trip, New Zealand, Australia, and most certainly South Africa got all my attention. We were visited by a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers. South Africa species 219. The last few visits were almost after thoughts, and boy was that a mistake! Here is that very Eurasian Nuthatch. US Species 101.

South Africa 100

South Africa New Zealand Costa Rica Qatar 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2013

A dusty-red road leads me through Marico bushveld deeper into the 750 square kilometers large wilderness of the Madikwe Game Reserve – the 4th largest reserve in South Africa, home to 350 bird and 66 mammal species, some 4 hours’ drive from Johannesburg. Trips Mammals South Africa' They raise their trunks, sniffing the air.

Africa 193

Africa South Africa Elephants Rhinos 193

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

The Rose-ringed Parakeet naturally occurs in two isolated areas: a thin strip across Africa just south of the Sahara, and south Asia where it is mostly found in India with smaller ranges in adjacent countries. We are therefore talking true evil here when we are talking about Germany’s Rose-ringed Parakeets.

Germany 246

Germany Netherlands Zoos Geese 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2012

There are seventeen species of hedgehog found across Europe, Asia, and Africa, the only places where hedgehogs are native. Fine, my best bird was a White-backed Woodpecker , alright? … New Zealand has a host of hedgehogs but they are introduced. The most familiar hedgehog to Americans is probably the European Hedgehog E.

Hedgehogs 169

Hedgehogs Hungary Opossums North America 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

Anderson River Park Never Disappoints Barbados The Other Antigua About the Author James A life-long birder and native of South Africa, James Currie has many years experience in the birding and wildlife tourism arenas. James is currently the host and owner of Nikons Birding Adventures TV and he resides in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Portugal 173

Portugal 2011 Deer Birds 173

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2015

But if they obeyed the rules, which may be too strict – in the Kruger Park in South Africa, the limit is 50 km/h (31 mi/h) – they would not manage to show tourists much of the reserve in about three hours in the morning and the afternoon, which would reflect on their tip.

Tigers 250

Tigers Boars India Chickens 250

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2014

These included Sunbird (United Kingdom), Birding Ecotours (South Africa), Aviatur (Colombia), and two teams from the USA; FieldGuides and Surbound Expeditions. Magpie Tanager. This Birding Rally’s competitors were companies that specialize in birding and nature tours. Our team was composed of Adam Kent, Tim Towles, a local guide, and myself.

Peru 186

Peru Birds United Kingdom South Africa 186

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2015

I have to admit, I didn’t think it could when I left for Africa last year. I had a copy of Sasol’s eBirds of Southern Africa on my iPhone (and iPad), but I had bought it to brush up on my African birds in my spare time, like on bus trips or particularly long meetings. See a new woodpecker you can’t identify?

Africa 153

Africa South Africa Zimbabwe Penguins 153

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2017

A month ago I was in the Iron Gates National Park in eastern Serbia, where one Black Woodpecker flew across the road, right in front of us (proving it is an extant taxon). There were three of us and in order to make the most out of a short winter day, we were all assigned different roles.

Serbia 183

Serbia Geese 2001 Ducks 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2011

That is why it is such amazingly awesome news that the British Birdwatching Fair raised £242,000 to help conserve a species that could become the first recorded bird extinction in mainland Africa. Here’s hoping the Liben Lark defies the odds and long graces the grassy plains of Ethiopia! RECENT POSTS More Habitat for Snowy Plover?

Ethiopia 145

Ethiopia 2011 Deer New York 145

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2013

Eurasian Sparrowhawk contemplating species-reassignment surgery to join the migratory flocks of Levant Sparrowhawks that spend the winter in sub-Saharan Africa. . You’ll have to take my word for it, and it may come very unexpectedly, but for reasons beyond human comprehension this bird is called a “ Green Woodpecker” .

Germany 145

Germany Birds Pandas Kittens 145

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

Visited this month were; Germany , France , Austria, South Africa, Hong Kong, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, Australia, China, Indonesia , Switzerland and Singapore). The year list has reached 2403 , a boost of 174 and the life list now stands at 3875 after beats’ efforts in Indonesia, South Africa and China added 39 ticks.

2019 116

2019 China Battery Jamaica 116

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2013

In the end, it was birding that has taken him from his native Serbia, across the Balkans and Turkey, to the very borders of the Old World: East Anglia and Spain, southern Africa and, in the instance of this epic report, India. We look forward to many more missives from Dragan. Several more Langurs, but not a trace of an owlet.

India 257

India Owls Tigers Endangered Species 257