10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2015

Twenty years ago, flocks consisting of a thousand European Turtle Doves were a common sight in Serbia in spring. As we speak, in Serbia these birds are still hunted in August and September. 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.

Serbia 270

Serbia Slaughter Slaughtered Turtles 270

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2019

And here in Europe, they are the real deal, an indigenous species and not domesticated animals gone wild. The only wildcat I found was illegally killed by hunters during closed season. Annex II of the Bern Convention lists 45 of Beljarica’s bird species, with a further 91 species in Annex III.

Serbia 242

Serbia Otters Boars Eagles 242

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2016

The gamekeeper drives by, I wave my greetings but do not mention the jackals I am observing at the moment: this animal is not protected in Serbia and is allowed for killing year-round (one may say “hunting” instead, but I am having problems trying to spot the difference).

Serbia 123

Serbia Sheep Birds Eagles 123

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

” Writing about owls means writing about roughly 250 species (I counted 245 on the 2022 Clements spreadsheet, but I might have missed a few, and we all know that each classification system is different). These are behaviors that are most likely to vary across species and topics that make for compelling stories.

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200