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Bring back the Blue Tit

10,000 Birds

I’m a long-time champion of the IOC World Bird List as a standard for bird names. They give short shrift to New Zealand’s birds, lumping them with odd names no one here uses because the names are shared elsewhere and God knows America isn’t going to take a hit for us. But the Blue Tit was different.

Iran 132
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The Search for the Holy Grail

10,000 Birds

Grey Hypocolius is a Holy Grail of Middle Eastern birding. Part of its attraction lies in it being a monotypic bird in the family Hypocoliidae – there are no other bird species in its genus and family. No, birds are way too smart for that stupid trick. But I have never seen any bird with anything like it!

India 227
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A Woodchat Shrike, and how to almost miss it

10,000 Birds

The Woodchat Shrike Lanius senator can be found all around the Mediterranean, including many parts of North Africa, and its range extends East into Iran. It also used to be a rather common bird in the South of Germany, but the German population has crashed and collapsed (almost?) This was also the case for the Woodchat Shrike. .”

Cattle 119
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Combined Beats’ List – September

10,000 Birds

Electric storms closed the new walkway there and he amassed a total list of just 3 birds! Contributions this month have come from; Costa Rica, USA, Australia, Mexico, Serbia, South Africa, UK, Botswana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Should the fancy take you, you could call up a 10,000 Birds life list (from 2016 onwards.

2016 154
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Collaborative List – August 2017

10,000 Birds

9 beats, birded 9 countries this month; Belize , Guatamala , Costa Rica, UK, Iran, USA, Greece, Australia and Mexico. Those are the numbers, here come the birds; Alphabetic Taxonomic. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Ota Ward–Tokyo Port Wild Bird Park). Cattle Tyrant – Machetornis rixosa.

2017 100