10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2024

The days are longer and warmer, flowers fill the meadows, and the birds are back. True, most of our migrant breeding birds start to return in April, but in May even the late arrivals – Turtle Doves, Swifts, Spotted Flycatchers and Nightjars – finally appear. Alas, they were too distant to photograph. Spot the doves.

Greece 218

Greece Turtles Breeding Europe 218

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Fortunately, I share this preference with birds, which we found away from the lake, mostly in some semi-desert areas. “ Not the bird’s fault, I guess. Possibly my favorite bird on the whole Qinghai trip was this Mongolian Ground Jay – thanks a lot to Bella from Alpinebirding for finding it.

China 250

China Birds Austria ALA 250

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2020

That trip was to take my wife and I to Turkey, Jordan, and southern Spain, with stopovers near Paris. But, alas, the Novel Coronavirus did not respect my plans. The post Consolation species appeared first on 10,000 Birds. I was soooo excited about getting to know the Middle East, as well as some of its exotic species.

Species 160

Species Mexico Jordan Turkey 160

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2012

As soon as I knew that I was heading to Spain, my mind jumped to Lammergeyers. Alas, it was not to be. Of course, Spain is home to other vultures. That is to say, they look like the vultures I used to see on nature programs, those iconic shots of birds squabbling over a deceased wildebeast or zebra. Lammergeyers!

Wildebeasts 205

Wildebeasts Spain Turkey ALA 205

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2024

The sight, the sound and the smell, coupled with the sheer spectacle of seeing so many birds at once, makes viewing a big seabird colony an avian experience that can’t be compared with any other. These birds are all cliff nesters. Incidentally, there have been no recorded cases of bird flu at Bempton this year.

Puffins 187

Puffins Eggs Fish Culling 187

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2012

I, alas, did not have time to make the full journey on foot, so I cheesed out and caught a bus. According to some legends, the path was first trodden by pagan seekers following a route indicated by the sun and the Milky Way to the westernmost edge* of the continent — in their view, the end of the world, Finis Terra.

Portugal 164

Portugal ALA 2007 Sparrows 164