10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2012

What’s not to like about cobblestone streets, great architecture, wonderful friends, lots of beer and delicious food, unfamiliar birds, and not working for ten days? Mandarin Ducks are countable in Germany. There is some pretty cool bird graffiti in Berlin. Watch out for a full gallery of this bird soon.

Germany 165

Germany Ducks Birds New York 165

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! It can still be an entirely opposite end of a continent, but – if you are residing in Europe – the flight can be as short as one (from Germany) to two hours (from UK).

Serbia 317

Serbia Sanctuary Birds Bosnia 317

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In this post, we’ll share the most positive of the positives, at least for those who write for 10,000 Birds who decided to share. Of all the birds that make the list for a given year one of those birds must be the Best Bird of the Year. We are always content bird-watching around Broome anyway!

2020 245

2020 Birds Costa Rica Germany 245

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2016

I recently saw and photographed what appears to be a Baikal Wagtail ( Motacilla alba-or-not baicalensis ) in Germany. Or a bit of a PR disaster for my birding skillz if I am not correct. Now, if you quickly call to mind the pattern of Asian species reaching Europe as vagrants, you will remember that most are from Siberia.

Germany 100

Germany Sharks Morocco Europe 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

That is very cold for the south of Germany. This thrush is extremely common in urban and suburban Germany and one of the most conspicuous bird species here, comparable to the American Robin in North America. A few dead birds were collected by authorities and sent to a laboratory for investigation.

Germany 161

Germany Blackbirds 2006 Denmark 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2021

It is a well-known birding spot, and a low-budget alternative to Baihualing. While Baihualing is much better for birds, foreigners are currently prohibited from going there, presumably as we all carry Covid-19, even if like me we have been in China the whole year. Anyway, another topic I wanted to mention in this post is birds.

China 264

China Birds Zebras Germany 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Germany is underrated as a birding destination. Nestled right in the middle of Europe, we have a little bit of everything, a nice cross section of Europe’s avifauna. We have, for instance, very beautiful birds, like European Bee-eater , Blue Tit , and Kingfisher. Turns out, it wasn’t.

Germany 254

Germany Birds 2000 South America 254

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2020

When it comes to one’s most exciting bird sightings, of course, it all comes down to context. I wouldn’t change my central Mexican endemics for any other region’s birds. So my favorites for 2019 includes a good number of birds that are rather common elsewhere, but were firsts for me. But it still is not easy.

Austria 153

Austria Spain 2019 Birds 153

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2021

Fortunately, China still has lots of interesting birding locations left for me. But of course, it is also nice to remember past birding trips. One in November 2018 included a one-day birding trip in the Drakensberg area, a mountain range in the border area between South Africa and Lesotho. That does not make much sense, I know.

South Africa 246

South Africa Africa Lesotho Nigeria 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2024

Given how far Hokkaido is from Europe, it seems a bit surprising how many bird species wintering on this Japanese island have a name starting with “Eurasian” Or how many of these species I have also seen in my parents’ garden in Germany. Like the Eurasian Nuthatch.

Research 130

Research Germany Iran Humane 130

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 234

Dissection Birds Research Europe 234

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2017

Birding in Germany was okay during the first half of the year but essentially came to an end in June due to several issues, most significantly a move to a different appartment within Heidelberg. You can see my birding activities abroad and within Germany on the maps at the top of this post.

2016 101

2016 Germany Italy Netherlands 101

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

As I mentioned last week, my wife, son, and daughter-in-law spent much of the month of October in Europe. Visiting the continent after the end of most of the autumn migration meant that the number of bird species I could see in northern France, Switzerland, southern Germany, and Austria was much reduced.

Austria 129

Austria Switzerland Europe Geese 129

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2022

For some reason that I do not quite understand myself – given that I really rather dislike children and am not too positive about the rest of humanity either – I recently put up a little display of bird photos inside my Shanghai compound, which I share (as the only foreigner) with about 1700 Chinese. Some Birds of Shanghai.

Birds 162

Birds Fish Germany China 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2023

February 2023 was a slow month for birding in Shanghai, at least for me – so slow that I almost put the Spotted Dove , possibly my least favorite bird here, on the cover. Not a cover species The Black Kite is not actually black, but of course, misleading bird names are not exactly rare. Maybe those should be protected too?

Birds 130

Birds Iraq China Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2017

This special place in a birder’s heart or on a list of best birds of the year certainly pertains not only to their extravagant lifestyle but also to the fact that most birders – particularly visiting birders – often struggle with finding them. You see, we get two different subspecies of dippers in Germany.

Germany 100

Germany 2016 Hamburgers Austria 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2014

When I started birding in earnest during the 1980s in south-west Germany, no one talked about Egyptian Geese. During the early 1990s, rumours surrounding the occurrence of a few Egyptian Geese in far north-western Germany emerged, the result of an increasing and spreading Dutch feral population. This was great! I was in shock.

Germany 150

Germany Geese Netherlands Kenya 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2018

The only way these birds could be less fun is if there were an Intermediate Scaup. And even if such a bird existed and were endangered no one would want to see it. Here on 10,000 Birds, where we love all birds, the paucity of posts about scaup stands out. They are unattractive, ubiquitous, and uninteresting. Scaup suck.

Ducks 213

Ducks New Zealand France Germany 213

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2021

It’s a beautiful Spring morning… humming insects, calling birds. Maggie Ciarcia, a solo wildlife rehabilitator in Carmel, NY specializing in small mammals and game birds, received a notice from New York State Electric and Gas that tree trimming was scheduled for her neighborhood and someone would contact her. Ah, Europe!

Wildlife Rehabilitation 264

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Game Laws 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2015

And the squirrel I will post about is indeed what it seems : a cute, little, ferocious, nest-predatory, butt-kicking, cuddly and adorable native critter of Europe, the Eurasian Red Squirrel. Germany, like most of Europe and very much unlike North America, is home to only one species of squirrel. Our winter birds are doing fine.

Squirrels 162

Squirrels North America Germany Europe 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2016

I am not entirely sure whether most birders outside Germany know or realize that Germany still has a decent population of one of Europe’s most attractive and desired bird species: the Great Bustard Otis tarda. Never mind the slight over-exposure: look at this bird!

Germany 101

Germany Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2017

However, one of the little sweet candies Germany still enjoys today from its own disastrous colonial past is the Common Guillemot, or Common Murre. Germany has only one high seas island it calls its own, the mighty (from a birding perspective) island of Heligoland.

Germany 100

Germany Denmark Namibia Breeding 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

I was given my first real field guide to the birds of Europe by my parents, a guide beyond the species found at backyard feeders and city ponds. However, all my keen travel plans and strategies frequently hit a snag roughly two-thirds into the book when I got to the page depicting a fine, delicate bird: the Azure Tit.

Europe 100

Europe Birds Kazakhstan Russia 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2013

Purple Herons Ardea purpurea are an old world element of the Ardeidae and range widely throughout sub-Saharan Africa, South and Southeast Asia, and parts of Europe and central Asia. Within Europe, they are mostly found in the South (around the Mediterranean), and the East. Birds Germany herons and egrets Waghäusel'

Germany 155

Germany Asia Europe Africa 155

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

Here in Germany, we don’t wish we had. Yes, Germany has parrots, or parakeets to be more precise. Unlike North America, Germany has never had naturally occurring psittacines that went extinct, and the one we have is a true and complete invasive alien introduction. Because we never have had. Very stupid thing to do.

Germany 251

Germany Netherlands Zoos Geese 251

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2016

Birds wanting to make more birds often do crazy stuff, and birders are well accustomed to encountering splendid plumage features, impossible feather structures, crazy dances, mad calls and complex songs on the birds they watch. I’m glad Germany managed to hold on to some of her large white chunks of plastic garbage.

Germany 154

Germany Birds Europe 154

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2016

Birders tend to miss things outside the birding universe, what with being out and about in the woods and using our smartphones to check rare bird alerts and eBird lists rather than the news. Of course such a clear case of misjudgement would never have happened here in the Olde Europe.

Hawaii 163

Hawaii Albatross Europe America 163

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

After my grim exposing you last month to Europe’s fifty shades of brown, I felt it incumbent upon me to right my wrong by introducing you to Europe’s most attractive bird, the Red-billed Leiothrix. Clearly, some scientists should never have been granted the privilege of assigning common names to bird species.

Italy 183

Italy Europe France Family 183

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2012

From the time he can remember, every camping, hiking, or simple trip outside was focused on finding wildlife with herps, mammals, birds and native fish as his primary interests. When it comes time to for me to plan a vacation I first figure out what herps occur in the area and then what birds and mammals I can also find.

Salamander 140

Salamander Germany Birds Blackbirds 140

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

Citril Finches used to be rather common on the sub-alpine meadows of the Black Forest, but their population is undergoing a serious decline and it is currently feared they will soon be extinct in Germany outside the German Alps. Therefore, a grim reminder to all birders in Europe: look after your songbirds!

Europe 162

Europe Germany 2011 Rights 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2015

You see, the Great (White) Heron/Egret is a polytypic species with four subspecies: alba in Europe, egretta in the Americas, melanorhynchos in Africa, and modesta in Asia and Oceania. Modesta should be considerably smaller than alba , which the gaudily-coloured birds are not. Just so you know. Which sounds fine.

Asia 185

Asia Europe Germany Breeding 185

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2014

I have been relatively fortunate in my birding life in that I don’t have a single nemesis bird that has vexed me. But I had seen one in 2006 and I have since seen them twice more so the species never rose to the level of nemesis bird for me. Below I share my five nemesis birds to be. A nemesis bird is frustration.

Costa Rica 204

Costa Rica Hungary Honduras Birds 204

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2018

We were heading to the Djerdap (Iron Gates) Gorge National Park, stretching along the south bank of the Danube in eastern Serbia, to do the 400 km / 250 mi bird tour interconnecting possibly the very best sites around Belgrade reachable within a day. The deep beech forest of Djerdap was still full of birds.

Serbia 121

Serbia Woodpeckers Birds Bears 121

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2013

Mike invented Corey a few years ago to firstly promote the idea of a multi-authored bird blog and secondly so he could make up extremely productive birding trips to make the blog more exciting to read. Here in Germany, we are currently experiencing the darkest winter on record, since sunlight hours were first recorded in 1951.

Germany 145

Germany Birds Pandas Kittens 145

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

Of course this is self-evident as you can never have enough gulls on a bird blog, but this blog here is in an especially dire need of more gull posts for the simple reason that I have a few nice pictures of gulls that would make for a few nice posts. Regarding the latter, I’ll try to make them nice.

Europe 129

Europe Spain Italy Ireland 129

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

I fully realize that my last post was not a bird post in the strictest sense. That’s why I won’t talk too much this time – just the birds. Birds Germany godwits shorebirds' Therefore I have decided to right my wrong by providing first and foremost some avian eye candy, and not talk.

Germany 179

Germany Russia Iceland India 179

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2015

Germany is currently experiencing something for which the English have no nice expression. The specificities of languages … Anyway, so Germany this year is essentially filled with mice, like the one shown here, which – so far as I know – is a vole where you come from. You’re not a vole or a gerbil.

Fox 164

Fox Rodents Gophers Germany 164