10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Lake Kerkini National Park in the north of Greece is the very best birding area in the Balkan Peninsula and definitely among the top ten hotspots of Europe. Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. The lake lies at a mere 35 m / 115 ft a.s.l.

Greece 246

Greece Pelicans Birds Stray Dog 246

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

The Collins Bird Guide covers Europe, North Atlantic islands, much of North Africa and the Middle East. The Collins Bird Guide 2nd edition from 2009 was a much hated taxonomical revolution/nightmare, changing just about everything. I am still annoyed that no birds are where they used to be. the Corn Bunting plate).

Europe 264

Europe Birds Woodpeckers Ireland 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2020

Here`s another entry in the category “Rejected topics for bird-related coffee table books”, following my recent “Blue Birds” post. With remarkable accuracy, each of the photos below shows exactly two birds. Almost abstract bird patterns. I wonder if they think of themselves as European or as African birds.

South Africa 249

South Africa 2018 2019 China 249

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

managed to see it, his largest owl ever. How I managed to ID the Ural Owl so easily with such a short observation window, beats me. How I managed to ID the Ural Owl so easily with such a short observation window, beats me. Cover photo: Ural Owl Strix uralensis by Serge Serebro / Wikimedia Commons. Fortunately, B.

Owls 115

Owls Greece Serbia Woodpeckers 115

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2021

While making sure my kid didn’t launch himself off a high structure, I noted Eastern Bluebirds, Northern Cardinals, Red-bellied Woodpeckers, Downy Woodpeckers , and potentially a Brown-headed Nuthatch , though the latter only called once so I’m not 100% sure. New Hometown Birding Spot! The post Rainy Day?

Turtles 224

Turtles Florida Birds Woodpeckers 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2023

All fades under the blinding lights of new backyard birds, however. Regular readers will be well aware that I am a huge fan of sitting at home, sipping coffee, and birding. The benefits of long-term observation of the same birds have fertilized my psyche in ways I never thought possible.

Trinidad 246

Trinidad Barn Owls Owls Reptiles 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2023

This park protects the largest remaining tract of dry deciduous forest in the west of India, offering visitors 37 species of reptiles, 38 species of mammals and, not to be forgotten – almost 300 bird species. We’re here for the birds!” Yes, we did – so what? On the low acacia by the road, a Shikra keeps a watchful eye on us.

India 147

India Lions Boars Mammals 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2021

Volunteer Moya Kinnealy reached in nearly to her elbow and removed four tiny Red-bellied Woodpeckers. After a similar procedure, Moya’s watch-me-pull-a-rabbit-out-of-my-hat trick produced a fuzzy nestling Eastern Screech Owl. Imagine the nocturnal owls trying to sleep… ‘I told you we shouldn’t have moved near those woodpeckers!’

Wildlife 264

Wildlife Philadelphia Wildlife Rehabilitation Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2022

Habitats: Check Birds… well, more presumed what the possibilities are, than actually checked… Sleeping: Check Getting around: Check I will come back to these topics in a while. Nevertheless, I left gifts behind, two dozen copies of a common bird guide (which I wrote and published) for local wardens. It sounded birdy and I was game.

Serbia 264

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Romania 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2017

I just finished three days of guiding in Costa Rica, each of which was a day trip from the Central Valley, every one a bonanza of new birds. However I didn’t even need to push my vehicle, nor did we have to push ourselves past any sort of birding limit to connect with several quality birds. more birds, and so on!!

Costa Rica 177

Costa Rica Owls Birds Eagles 177

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Back in July, my fellow 10,000 Birds contributor Dragan wrote a delightful piece about birding Lake Kerkini in spring. I first visited Kerkini and this bird-rich region of northern Greece 15 years ago, and have been returning regularly ever since. My photograph below is of a captive bird).

Greece 244

Greece Pelicans Geese Buffalo 244

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2024

Starting the New Year by trying to see as many species as possible is something of a birding tradition. My diary notes that the New Year dawned grey and windy, but I rose early, walked six miles before breakfast and noted a modest 26 species of birds. One of my more memorable New Year’s days was in the Falkland Islands, back in 1989.

Birds 244

Birds Albatross Barn Owls Sparrows 244

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

MAY 4, 2011

Short answer: The woodpecker is most likely not crazy and noshing on the house is not what the woodpecker has in mind. Woodpeckers could be pecking on homes for a variety of reasons, all of which can drive a non birder a bit batty. So, why do woodpeckers peck on human made structures?

Woodpeckers 262

Woodpeckers Owls Blackbirds Raised 262

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2013

An Imposing Great Gray Owl, by Carlos Sanchez. Great Gray Owl , Northern Hawk Owl , Snowy Owl – this trinity captures the imagination of most birders with their imposing presence, unique adaptations, and beauty as among the most desired species of bird to see in the world.

Minnesota 220

Minnesota Owls Bald Eagle Hoarding 220

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2020

I can hear a Great Spotted Woodpecker calling. The next morning, through Yellowhammers and Eurasian Skylarks singing all around me, I went birding. Yes, yes, I know, not countable – it’s not a bird. Never mind, it’s not a bird. The first bird ever recorded in the park was the Wallcreeper by aforementioned J.

Serbia 264

Serbia Bears Birds Mammals 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2024

During our recent California trip, I enjoyed some excellent birding. Believe me, Staphylococcus aurea is not the kind of species I would choose to write about on 10,000 Birds. Believe me, Staphylococcus aurea is not the kind of species I would choose to write about on 10,000 Birds. onto my eBird report.

Pelicans 218

Pelicans Suffering California Woodpeckers 218

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2020

On the birding side of life, winter birds were still around, there will still chances at finding some rare owl or getting binoculars on an undulating bunch of crossbills but mostly, I was tired of the cold and just counting the days until Spring. In Costa Rica, February is a different birding story. Great Curassow.

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica Birds Panama Woodpeckers 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2021

He found some solace when, at age eleven, he became entranced with birds – specifically, with a Green Woodpecker — and that sighting, he says, “took me to another, safer world.” . More Birds Than Bullets: My Life With Birds is his account of the centrality of birds in all of these endeavors, and in his life.

Fox 216

Fox Kuwait Bosnia Afghanistan 216

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2019

This bird is known from only a dozen localities, with only a handful of individuals and a very fragmented habitat, hence the critically endangered status in the Red Book. This many birds at the same site (out of 250 of the reserve checklist) have lightened our spirits, but still – no owlet! What are the threats?

India 208

India Owls Tigers Cows 208

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2021

Early August is a bit of a dead time for birding in Shanghai unless you like your birds as little white spots at the far end of a telescope. So, I asked around and was told that Qinghai is the place to go to for birds in China in August. A Little Owl blocked the road and asked for our Covid health certificates.

Birds 264

Birds North Korea China Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2022

All birding is essentially good. Time spent watching any birds is time spent connecting with our natural surroundings, a time that can act as a relaxed escape as well as one of meditative focus. Such rare and special birding times can also include days when the birding doesn’t stop, when one finds one rare bird after another.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Birds Owls Geese 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

Birding in the Caribbean is about islands, beautiful beaches, extra special endemics, rum, and smiles. It could also be much more, maybe less, it all depends on how you want to rock an international birding trip. Go to Costa Rica and you will be looking at other birds but you can still get in some Caribbean slope birding.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Puerto Rico Birds Owls 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2020

One of the ways I could describe the unique mix of birds I can see here in southwestern Mexico, would be to divide our species into five categories. These are birds that are more related with the far north, but that somehow have resident populations here in Michoacán, farther south than Puerto Vallarta or Cancun.

Mexico 239

Mexico Birds Honduras United States 239

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2017

”) that we drive up to the Adirondacks so I could finally connect with a Great Gray Owl. With much trepidation I told her the owl was in Keene, about four-and-a-half hours away and I could call my folks and see if they would put us up for the night at their house, half-way back from the long-range twitch.

New York 104

New York Owls Beavers Puerto Rico 104

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2020

And this doesn’t mean you are obsessed or a little bit too much into birds because keeping track of a year list actually comes with some side benefits. Yeah, many of us living the birding life do so anyways because we can’t help it. Go birding! Middle American Screech Owl– Megascops guatemalae; Raptor Ridge, 6-Jan.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica 2020 Morals Farming 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2020

It has been a while since I wrote on where to watch birds (unbelievable, I know), and will now focus on the nature reserve of Deliblato Sands and the adjoining Labudovo okno Ramsar Wetland, about an hour east from Belgrade, Serbia. Dominant easterly winds have shaped the prominent dune relief rising from 70 m / 200 ft a.s.l. To be continued.

Europe 261

Europe Serbia Woodpeckers Birds 261

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2021

The adventure of the second European Breeding Bird Atlas, or EBBA2, was the topic of one of my first posts here at 10,000 Birds: In a warm Catalonian March, Barcelona is filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets. A portable speaker is placed on the top of the car, playing Tawny Owl calls from a smartphone.

Europe 264

Europe Breeding Denmark Birds 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2022

8 of them sent 153 lists, noting 645 species of bird across 7 countries (Mexico, UK, USA, Serbia, Australia, Costa Rica, Colombia). It has not resulted in extraordinary numbers of sightings personally, but the beats have been busy on their respective patches and have sent me their lists to collate. The year list finishes at 1628.

Sparrows 263

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Owls 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2015

This time I was lucky enough to join a fam trip organised by Natural Greece, an ecotourism company from Athens, and spend a few days at my favourite Kerkini Lake, which you already birded through my bins ( April and September ). Picture 5: European Scops-Owl – Otus scops. Picture 6: Little Owl – Athene noctua.

Greece 257

Greece Woodpeckers Eagles Birds 257

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2019

Lots of birds, a lot of really cool birds! Some local populations of birds and animals couldn’t adapt to the radical ecosystem-wide changes and just died out but a fair percentage did survive and continue to persist where green space lingers. Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl. An owl by day? Hoffmann’s Woodpecker.

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Sparrows 203

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

Having been penned in our house for the last month (and more), the last time we have been out birding seems like a distant memory. I was ardently working to finish a years-long project on the birds of T&T so those last few weeks have not been bird-less by any means. A tree that is loved by birds is also loved by the birder.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Hunting Venezuela Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2018

The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. Among travel guides, due to its extensive coverage of natural history and birding sites, recommendation goes to Laurence Mitchell’s Serbia: The Bradt Travel Guide (5th edition, 2017). Black Woodpeckers are still relatively easy to hear and see.

Serbia 184

Serbia Geese Owls Macedonia 184

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

…we bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird in the marsh the whole day thru. My birding list for November totals 15 species. 181 Barn Owl – Tyto alba. 182 Middle American Screech-Owl – Megascops guatemalae. 183 Crested Owl – Lophostrix cristata.

Sparrows 249

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Costa Rica 249

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2019

The toughest thing for me, as a local birder, was to choose the most attractive birds because those that attract my attention are generally all too common in the northwest of Europe, from where most visiting birders are coming. You could add Middle Spotted and Grey-headed Woodpeckers to the list. Hence, I asked my friend B.C.,

Serbia 250

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Breeding 250

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2020

Avoid windy days – the birds will be looking for cover. Birds of prey include European Honey-buzzard , Long-legged Buzzard , Short-toed Eagle , Booted Eagle , Montagu’s Harrier , etc. The post Finding birds in Deliblato Sands, part 3/3: along the eastern edge of the reserve appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

Mali 264

Mali Serbia Eagles Birds 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2011

• Explore These Related Posts Win a Copy of Hawks at a Distance Cats Are Still Public Enemy Number One, For Birds Crossley ID Guide Giveaway Winners World Sparrow Day 2011 Why are Birds So Important to People? Jennifer Clement Mar 21st, 2011 at 10:31 pm These owls are known to be highly opportunistic. Wicked, right?

Deer 144

Deer Owls 2011 New York 144