10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

Last month, I birded my favourite local patch, Beljarica – the best eBird hotspot in Belgrade city and the 3rd best in Serbia – four times. but because this large spillway protects the city from flooding. One consequence of being near the city is the widespread feeding of birds with what is junk-food for them – bread.

Serbia 292

Serbia Birds Boars Otters 292

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2018

Our destination lies further west, along the Drina River, which marks the border between Serbia and Bosnia. Common Chaffinches and Great T**s are calling from several directions at once, but even such extrovert birds are surprisingly hard to spot among young leaves. And the cliff was white with bird droppings. They are huge!

Serbia 112

Serbia Herzegovina Bosnia Sheep 112

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 124

Serbia Woodpeckers Birds Bears 124

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2020

Part of the Labudovo okno Ramsar Wetland and protected within the Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve , this section of the Danube, downriver from Belgrade, Serbia, is unique for its wide shallows, before the river narrows downstream from the village of Ram. Avoid windy days – the birds will be looking for cover.

Mali 264

Mali Serbia Eagles Birds 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2015

Worried by the lack of appropriate action by the authorities (as described in the previous post ), this year I invited two more wildlife protection organisations to take part in the annual census of Pygmy Cormorants in Belgrade. “The Pygmy Cormorant is a strictly protected bird species in Serbia, as well as in the European Union.

Serbia 189

Serbia Protection Europe 2015 189

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. In a very short time, we get two responses, two birds calling from opposite directions.

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Europe Breeding Denmark Birds 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2020

LABUDOVO OKNO Ramsar Site and an Important Bird Area represents a section of the Danube floodplain downriver from Belgrade, Serbia, and situated in the south of the Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve. Dubovacki Rit (Dubovac Wetland) is a part of the Labudovo okno Ramsar Wetland and protected within the Deliblato Sands Reserve.

Turtles 187

Turtles 2002 Serbia Eagles 187

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2019

What qualifies a bird to be included in the top-5? This version extended the list a bit and it turned out that almost every fourth bird was an one-monther. Somewhat unfairly, the second criterion was that I described the observation at 10,000 Birds. My first criterion was that I observed it only once during the year 2018.

2018 121

2018 Serbia Falcons Greece 121

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Wigeons are only migrants and not a breeding species in Serbia and August is a bit too early for any longer distance duck movements. Are these very early migrants or possibly breeding birds of a wider area? Okay, obviously a bird-productive area, but what about the title? White-tailed Eagles by Szekeres Levente.

Serbia 184

Serbia Protection Eagles Ducks 184

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

The city of Belgrade, Serbia, has about 1.7 Less than two years ago, I wrote here how I found the 4th GBBG for Serbia. The best afternoon bird was, again, one Great Black-backed Gull on the water, this time an adult (hence, we have at least two of them overwintering here now). Birds city birds Europe gulls Serbia'

Serbia 167

Serbia Birds Ukraine Europe 167

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2023

Why should something so unimaginable in Germany be possible in Serbia? Ecka Fish Farm by Mileta Cekovic Soon we reached the Ecka Fish Farm, a part of the wider Carska Bara Important Bird Area (yet, not a part of the protected Carska Bara Reserve). Protest indeed!

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Protest Protesting Protesters Germany 207

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2014

The night temperatures in Belgrade, Serbia, were already below minus 10 Celsius / 14 degrees Fahrenheit for two weeks. Up to the mid-20th century, Pygmy Cormorants were a common breeding species of wetlands around Belgrade… until the wetlands were drained and the birds were lost, at one moment – from the whole of Serbia.

Serbia 210

Serbia Protection Legislation Europe 210

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2021

Not just mine, but all the most active birders of Belgrade, Serbia, were visiting this site at least 2-3 times a month: it is so conveniently close to the city, and even reachable by the city bus 108. Reva is also a part of the local Important Bird and Biodiversity Area “Confluence of the Sava and the Danube Rivers”.

Otters 264

Otters Protest Protesting Protesters 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2015

I am parked at the bridge over the Reva Pond in the suburb of Belgrade, Serbia, mere 150 metres away from the nearest buildings behind me, but facing the fascinating undeveloped 1.2 They have pointy tails, almost eel-like, I do not notice any tail flipper… whatever, they aren’t birds. The Reva is not protected.

Otters 193

Otters Serbia Fish Mammals 193

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2016

And then, two canids appeared in my scope field of view… My plan was that the downpour should finally be over in the morning, so I could go birding. They are sitting in the wet grass at the edge of the water, observing the bird movements around them. I am thrilled: this is more than just birding, this is a full-scale safari!

Serbia 149

Serbia Sheep Birds Eagles 149

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

Beside birds, in this park you stand a chance of spotting the Eurasian Lynx , Brown Bear and Gray Wolf ! Even among the protected areas of Serbia, the Iron Gates National Park (in Serbian: Djerdap) stands out as better preserved. Well, do you really? So, yes – it is possible, but by no means easy.

Serbia 209

Serbia Turtles Birds Eagles 209

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2014

Since I have started to bird by kayak, it took me a lot of time to realise that paddling is not the synonym for birding and that I can bird without a paddle, although I cannot paddle without a pair of binoculars. Which birds can be seen there? But, more than just quantity, this spot offers some quality birding, too.

Serbia 247

Serbia Stray Dog Protection Botswana 247

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2017

I have been there several times last month, but barely ever managed to do any proper birding! So, the Belgrade press become acutely interested in birding? While Serbia claims to strive towards the EU membership, it is back to the Chinese credit and Chinese environmental standards. Photo: Gordan Pomorisac.

Eagles 185

Eagles Campaign Otters Serbia 185

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 108

Serbia Romania Hungary Hunting 108

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

In the more normal years, I would spend January visiting the very best wildfowling spots along the Danube and seeing the best birds there are, so in February I would be well saturated with birds and feeling: Still winter? I observed White-tailed Eagles likely a few thousand times, and this didn’t strike me as the dark young bird.

Otters 264

Otters Croatia Eagles Protection 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2015

While February offers some good birding (wintering waterbirds, gulls), it is a kind of an anticlimax after the intensive and hectic schedule of the January IWC counts – the International Waterbird Census, that is. Yet birding is slim, songbirds, such as the first Northern Wheatears , haven’t arrived yet. Birding eBird Serbia spring'

Serbia 235

Serbia ALA Protection Collecting 235

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

And where all those birds are? This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. And it raises a question: if all the birds are having a party over there, am I in the wrong spot? I am talking 600 or 700+ bird species. Why am I here?

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2014

Birding that starts with the largest eagle of the continent certainly bears promises… The next stop is the town park in Opovo, north of Belgrade, where local bird expert Ceda Vuckovic reported one, locally rare, Short-eared Owl. Sakule is almost fully enclosed by its fishfarm and it is a tranquil home for numerous birds.

Serbia 247

Serbia Owls Rodents Eagles 247

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. Perhaps the best example of such habitats may be the Central Beljarica floodplain hotspot.

Beavers 137

Beavers Serbia Eagles Hungary 137

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2015

Even the first bird club was founded several years later. Two years passed before I found myself looking for a new outdoor pursuit, something to do from a sitting position… And took birding? And from the kayak cockpit, I started to bird. I knew nothing of it – but the fact that it had a geriatric image.

Serbia 190

Serbia Bosnia Research Lions 190

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2016

Oddly, in 1936 this mountain was declared a national park, the first in Serbia, but in 1946 it was stripped of its title and got a lower protection status, further confirmed in 2007. But the bird does not bother to linger anywhere for more than a second! Can I get 6 more birds? Hence, the first stop becomes Mt.

Woodpeckers 255

Woodpeckers Serbia 2007 Species 255

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! During my lifetime, this species was rare in my native Serbia, too. However, these birds used to live in my country and I still wanted to see them closer to home.

Sudan 245

Sudan Macedonia Botswana Serbia 245

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2017

I bird, therefore I am. Birding defines me, that much is clear. Yet, for the last month and a half I don’t remember doing any birding (my longest pause in the several years, for sure). But what happened to birding? Basically, I managed to cut myself off my favourite birding area.

Rights 130

Rights Serbia Collecting Abandon 130

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

A range of hills protects the cove from the eastern wind, yet, the bushes are swaying in the rythm of it. We come closer to it, but I cannot find the bird with binoculars. Nick finds a bird-shaped protrusion at the top of the rock – Black-eared Wheatear , not exactly a species I expect to observe from a boat deck.

Greece 249

Greece Malta Croatia Birds 249

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

“I would certainly recommend Serbia to visiting birders. My own trip was not an intensive birding experience, and August is clearly not the most productive month. I chalked up 132 species in a pretty relaxed eight days, during which birds shared the agenda with culture. What has changed in the meantime? eBird bar chart. #2

Serbia 181

Serbia Birds Bulgaria Farming 181

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2016

Here it goes: Second: Get to know your birds. I used to bird almost exclusively by kayak and since I published a few papers on birds of that area, I made the stats on how much I paddled (published in the “Methodology” chapter). The tricky part of the IBA process is trying to protect it.

Protection 137

Protection Eagles Jamaica Farming 137

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2017

Bank Swallow) holes, among 60+ other bird species. However easy they might be, I was there so early and the sun was so low that their white undersides were bright-WHITE and I had to observe several birds in a row just to be sure. In the Bird Identification guide, it is deservedly described as an introvert.

Serbia 132

Serbia Breeding Woodpeckers Feral 132

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2014

My best bird of the weekend was a Great Black-backed Gull , a rarity in a land-locked Serbia, with less than 10 observations so far. Alright, it did focused on the weldings of the barge and not the bird, but it was still amazing. (I The choice of a scope reflects one’s approach to birding.

Greece 170

Greece Battery Experience Experiments 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2021

The very best wetland birding around Belgrade, Serbia, is not to be found in the locally famous and tourist-promoted Obedska or Carska Bara Ramsar areas, but at Beljarica Backwaters and the fish farm triangle of Centa, Baranda and Sakule villages, in the Tamis River floodplain.

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Farming Birds Fish Boars 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2020

The potential for contagion through clicking on links has long been acknowledged and with a desire to protect our precious readers, the links have been discontinued. 7 beats contributed their sightings from 7 countries (Hong Kong, UK, China, USA, Serbia, Australia and, of course, Costa Rica). Blue-black Grassquit (Volatinia jacarina).

2020 157

2020 Sparrows Niger Woodpeckers 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2021

The White-tailed Eagle is one of the easiest birds to observe in Belgrade, Serbia (almost guaranteed). Ten pairs mean 20 territorial adults staying here year-round, plus usually 20 young birds every spring, plus more than 20 immatures overwintering in the Danube backwaters. There are about ten pairs around the city.

Eagles 264

Eagles Bald Eagle Eggs Serbia 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2017

I am a birder and I can claim that out of Serbia’s total of 350+ bird species, highly urbanised inner city areas of Belgrade hold almost 100 birds, while the outskirts have more than 200 species. eBird says that, at the time of writing (April 2017), there are some ten hotspots that have crossed the 100 bird species mark.

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Birds 2017 Eagles Otters 213