10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2020

The coronavirus has locked us all in, literally, doing something that was totally unthinkable only a few months ago: it has prevented us from birding abroad! I am talking of the very heart of the Balkans and the final birding frontier of Europe: Serbia. Birding overview. Belgrade – weekend birding break. Top-20 birds.

Serbia 317

Serbia Sanctuary Birds Bosnia 317

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

David Tomlinson The recent announcement by the American Ornithological Society that it intends to replace names of all birds named after people has caused quite a stir here in the UK. I have a fascinating little reference book called Whose Bird? Collecting birds was clearly a dangerous pastime. We don’t need any more.

Falcons 230

Falcons Collecting 2003 Wounded 230

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2012

Talking to Jan Södersved the editor of the Birdlife Finland magazine Linnut whilst we were both in Portugal in early October suggested that all of the owl species in Finland had had a very productive breeding season. The numbers we have wintering in Britain are certainly bearing that out.

Barn Owls 184

Barn Owls Finland Owls Portugal 184

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

Pre-Internet, I got all my birding info from print magazines; and WildBird was my go-to back in the day. One particular issue had a feature on the birds of Madera Canyon, Arizona. Up to 256 bird species, deer, black bears, foxes, big cats, Gila Monsters, and 16 species of bats call this area of southeastern Arizona home. (

Arizona 147

Arizona Tucson Birds North America 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2018

In 1987, only 27 were left in the wild and drastic action was taken to save the species: all remaining birds were captured, the California Condor was declared extinct in the wild, and a captive breeding program was begun, initially carried out by the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo. With enough room for another, of course.

California Condor 105

California Condor Oregon California Zoos 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2013

Does birding make you happy? And it is certainly possible to imagine compulsive joyless birding, and I think most of us may have encountered it on occasion. I’m going to assume that most people reading this enjoy watching birds. You may be outraged by the suggestion, but let’s face it, birders love not birding.

Birds 167

Birds Research Hawaii Albatross 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2020

Birds, butterflies, flowers, reptiles – you name it, Gehan has covered it. No doubt, the big five of Sri Lanka include the biggest of the big ever – the Blue Whale , followed by Sperm Whale , Asian Elephant , Leopard and Sloth Bear. Okay, okay, huge and hard to miss aside, but what about birds? And where to look for the birds?

Sri Lanka 207

Sri Lanka Whales Whaling Leopards 207