10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2012

Just to keep that sweet paternal vibe going, I’m going to award double points to anyone whose best bird of the weekend was seen in the company of a dad or by a dad with his child. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

Hungary 169

Hungary 2012 Miami United States 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

What do you think makes for a good bird hide? I have asked myself that same question many times over the last six months, until last week, when I was involved in an opening ceremony of five new bird hides at the Palic Lake, by the town of Subotica in the very north of Serbia, along the border with Hungary (all photos are from that area).

Serbia 254

Serbia Birds Spain Hungary 254

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2012

Yet, somehow, that is what I found myself doing on the grounds of Tisza Balneum, the gorgeous hotel on the shore of Lake Tisza in Hungary where Swarovski Optik had decided to unveil to a gathered group of European and American birders the scope for which we had all been waiting, even if we didn’t know we had been. That is just insane.

Hungary 235

Hungary 2013 Groups Game 235

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2012

Rather than trying to learn them North American birders are well-advised to do all of your birding in areas where old world warblers might be encountered in the company of old world birders. If you want to see more great images of birds check out our big and growing page of photo galleries, 10,000 Clicks ! … That is obvious.

Hungary 161

Hungary Asia Europe Africa 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

Two-thousand-twelve was a pretty darn good year for me birding-wise and otherwise. Seeing 525 species was nice, as was the fact that I birded in four countries, nine of the fifty states in the United States, and fifty-one counties. I went to the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida. Mottled Duck ?

2012 145

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 145

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2012

While on my trip to Hungary I was pleased to bird with and spend time with Tim Appleton, the co-founder and co-organizer of the Birdfair, the world’s largest birding event. And, being the bird blogger that I am, I took video of his answer so I could share it with you.

Hungary 159

Hungary Rights Birds 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2012

I will say, however, that several of the European birders took offense at my saying that the hedgehog was my best bird of the trip…there were even grumblings about it being like saying a White-tailed Deer was the best bird of a trip to North America, which I think is totally different but, yeah, I get the point.

Hedgehogs 170

Hedgehogs Hungary Opossums North America 170

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2013

This bird differs from the Baltic race of the LBBG Larus f. Still, in recent decades, the Great Black-backed Gull has become a regular migratory and wintering wanderer of neighbouring Hungary and Croatia. Is it because the number of birds is increasing? Birds Europe gulls Serbia' Or the number of birders is increasing?

Serbia 198

Serbia Croatia Hungary 2012 198

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to get a picture (not the one at the top of this post, which was taken in Hungary). White Storks are long distance migrants but this would be an astounding record if it were a wild bird. That’s a lot more fun than a bird that sneaked out of the zoo, isn’t it?

New York 170

New York Hungary Zoos Asia 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2018

I am preparing for the new census of one of the rarest birds of Serbia, the globally threatened Great Bustard , taking place two days from now. Together with African Kori Bustard (which I observed on a camping trip in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve), this is the heaviest flying bird in the world. m–8 ft 10 in).

Serbia 106

Serbia Romania Hungary Hunting 106

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2012

It is thought that the gray morph mimics a bird eating hawk. And, thus, they can learn that the Cuckoo is not really a bird-eating raptor. She has an advantage once the intended host birds are on to the other morph. The answer may lie in locations, like Hungary … where rufous cuckoos are more numerous than in the UK.

Hungary 175

Hungary 2012 Science Eggs 175

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2012

On this final day of 2012 it is time, just like it was on the final days of 2010 and 2011 , to share your Best Birds of the Year. Well, actually, your Best Bird of the Year will only be shared here if you took the time to respond to the post in which we here at 10,000 Birds shared our Best Birds of the Year.

2012 133

2012 Ghana Ireland Birds 133

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2012

After Corey shared his story of his hedgehog experience in Hungary I thought you may like to see some rather adorable pictures of a young European Hedgehog in England. Friends of theirs had an encounter with a young hedgehog in June and have kindly given permission for their pictures to be used on 10,000 Birds.

Hedgehogs 168

Hedgehogs RSPCA The Blue Cross Hungary 168

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2018

As you know, I started to bird from a canoe, exploring the Danube backwaters in Belgrade, Serbia. When inundated, in spring, it is exciting to paddle through the trees, yet birds that often forage on the ground will be pushed away. But, published in 1921 in Budapest, Hungary, it was written in Hungarian.

Beavers 127

Beavers Serbia Eagles Hungary 127

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2012

It is the insensible birder who doesn’t learn something on each and every birding outing. And on a week-long trip especially devoted to birding in a place that a birder has never been the amount a birder can learn is pretty much unlimited. Without further ado then here are… Five Things I Learned While Birding in Hungary 1.

Hungary 157

Hungary France Woodpeckers Birds 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Driving to the eastern extremity of New York State with the hope of seeing a bird, rare for North America, is an odd and entertaining way to spend the predawn hours. I had just said commented on how bad our lapwing search was going when Gene pointed out the two birds that had just taken off from behind a tree and YES!

North America 137

North America Hungary New York America 137

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

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. Some birds can be completely bald, resembling vultures.

Germany 161

Germany Blackbirds 2006 Denmark 161

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! But even then, patience will usually pay off.

Germany 101

Germany Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 101

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. This bird is represented in an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph. Can’t say that it is a particularly obvious name from seeing the bird.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2012

White-backed Woodpecker was one of the major target birds of the Bükk Hills portion of the trip to Hungary and though I would probably have preferred seeing what I now believe to be the mythical Black Woodpecker , the White-backed Woodpecker was a nice consolation prize.

Woodpeckers 184

Woodpeckers Hungary Europe Japan 184

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

The Eurasian Wryneck is the woodpecker that doesn’t look like a woodpecker, the bird with the portmanteau name that is also a medical condition (and which may remind some people of a Nora Ephron essay). They are slim and small-headed birds and their bills are fine, not strong and dynamic.

Woodpeckers 247

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 247

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2012

Just look at this bird: Do birds get any blander? We, and by we I mean me and a gang of about ten other birders, found this youngster along the edge of Lake Tisza on the grounds of Tisza Balneum, a marvelous hotel where we had the good fortune to stay for two nights of the Hungary trip.

Hungary 172

Hungary Eggs Abandon Abandoning 172

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, 2012

And while I can still remember the first time I saw one in 2007, in the company of Jochen and Hendrik in a pine forest on the coast of the Baltic Sea, it took until this year’s trip to Hungary before I managed to get a decent image of one. The woodpeckers never showed but I did enjoy photographing the nuthatch.

Hungary 128

Hungary Europe Portugal Georgia 128

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

I have never before had a true nemesis bird. Sure, occasionally a bird has given me problems, like Black-backed Woodpeckers back in 2007 when I was doing an alleged Big Year in New York State, but not seeing a bird for a single year does not make it a nemesis. I better not miss this bird again. But Black Woodpecker ?

Woodpeckers 100

Woodpeckers Austria Europe Hungary 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2013

The biggest number of these birds ever seen at once was nine, in the spring of 1910. In the same period, neighbouring Hungary had more than 60 pairs of them. Today, Serbia’s population has risen to 4 to 5 pairs, while Hungary’s went up to 130+ pairs! No, just a Common Buzzard , beautiful bird itself – but not an eagle.

Serbia 215

Serbia Eagles Hungary Cooking 215

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2011

In preparing for our birding trip to Extremadura this February (as part of the EL50 Swarovision launch ), I had bought a copy of the first edition of the Crossbill Guide to Extremadura and, quite unexpectedly, read it from cover to cover within hours of buying it. Practical Part. But there is more to the Crossbill than meets the eye.

Poland 195

Poland Transported Hungary France 195

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

David Tomlinson If you are American then you will no doubt know Perdix perdix as the Gray Partridge , an introduced game bird now widespread on the prairies of Canada and the northern states of the USA. These are hardy birds – they have to be to survive a Canadian winter. There are just a few areas left where it still thrives.

Hungary 167

Hungary Eggs Fox India 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2018

The idea behind is simple, some birds may move and if counted within a week or a month, double counting is almost guaranteed. Yet, it takes great logistical effort to organize the census all the way from Germany to Austria, Hungary and Serbia in the same day, to count on numerous volunteers and hope for the best February weather.

Hungary 157

Hungary Serbia Austria Eggs 157