10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2023

Darlington’s project (which became bigger than she first had planned, and her peregrinations longer) culminated in The Wise Hours: A Journey Into the Wild and Secret World of Owls. An Englishwoman, she thought, originally, that she would stay within the British Isles, to see the five or six native species.

Barn Owls 113

Barn Owls Owls Serbia Finland 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2012

Typically these birds hunt at night and are very shy. So my first sighting of Pel’s Fishing Owl was highly appreciated. Our trip to Botswana produced some great owl species besides the reclusive phantom, including some of the smallest and some of the largest owls in Africa. Consider their name for a moment.

Owls 257

Owls Fish Botswana Barn Owls 257

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

It’s a small education Northern White-faced Owl that completely changes shape as zoo keepers bring by other types of owls that would be a predator for that species. For the only slightly larger Barn Owl the bird puffs itself up to look fierce and like a foe to be avoided.

Owls 270

Owls Barn Owls Agenda Zoos 270

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 230

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 230

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself. It keeps a monthly record of sightings, so I can tell you that it was in February that I recorded my highest monthly species total (106), while my lowest total was in August (39).

Estonia 239

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 239