10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2013

An afternoon is already growing old while I am driving downhill to the Livadi marsh at the island of Kefallonia, Greece. I am watching from the main coastal road and do not see much – several Little Egrets and Grey Herons , one Common Kingfisher … is he going to be my best bird here? Trips falcons Greece' Of course you do!

Falcons 188

Falcons Greece Madagascar Game 188

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2013

It was not the first note I have published, but was the only one about a bird I have never laid my eyes upon! However, these birds used to live in my country and I still wanted to see them closer to home. During my lifetime, this species was rare in my native Serbia, too. All Egyptian Vulture populations in the world are decreasing.

Sudan 241

Sudan Macedonia Botswana Serbia 241

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2016

I dipped a bird recently – possibly a lifer. While crossing Gramos Mountain in northern Greece, a Dendrocopos woodpecker flew over the road and landed in a pine tree. So, I wrote to my friend Giorgos Spiridakis, a bird guide living by Kerkini Lake , further east, if he could help me with this elusive woodpecker. What to say?

Greece 258

Greece Woodpeckers Boars Eagles 258

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

However, I have to put it in perspective by explaining that during the year I hardly ventured out of East Anglia, and almost every bird was seen in Suffolk or Norfolk – I live on the county boundary. I’m not a twitcher, either, so I rarely, if ever, go in search of a bird, or birds, that someone else has reported.

Estonia 240

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 240

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2023

In short, it was the perfect day to go birding, so I grabbed my binoculars and camera and set off for the forest. The trouble with mature pine forest is that it isn’t really very good for birds, and in winter there’s little to be found there apart from Goldcrests and Coal T**s.

Barn Owls 232

Barn Owls Rats Japan Owls 232

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2024

Lesser Kestrels are one of those birds that have a special fascination for British birdwatchers. They are very rare birds in Britain, but have been recorded from Scilly in the south to Fair Isle in the north. Lesser Kestrel really is an appropriate name, for they are a lesser bird than the familiar Common Kestrel.

Falcons 218

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 218

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2016

Out of just under 200 bird species I observed this year in SE Europe, there are 6 threatened species. Some of them were always uncommon in the region, others are highly localised, some are hard to notice among thousands of similar birds, but others were abundant recently and one of them still is, despite the decrease in numbers.

Serbia 203

Serbia Greece Montenegro Bulgaria 203

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2024

With the first three months of the year now gone, it’s time for a review of my birding efforts so far this year. The next couple of months will of course see a boost to my British list, as summer migrants flood into England, while forthcoming trips to Cyprus, Greece and northern Spain will also turbocharge the European list.

Spain 130

Spain Eagles North America Ducks 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2016

For those who happen to be faithful followers of posts about birding in Costa Rica, no, you haven’t accidentally browsed to the wrong place. Today, I am writing about another very birdy place and an event that I was very fortunate to have experienced, the Champions of the Flyway Bird Race in Eilat, Israel. Nope, not one bit.

Costa Rica 185

Costa Rica Eagles Birds 185

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2023

Though it’s more than 50 years since my first bird photograph was published, I’ve always remained a birdwatcher who photographs birds, not a photographer whose favourite quarry has feathers. However, 400mm wasn’t really long enough for bird photography, so I eventually bought myself a secondhand Nikon 600mm f5.6

Birds 243

Birds Cyprus Portugal Estonia 243