10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2014

Here’s his third stop: In June of 2013, we arrived in Helsinki, the capital and largest city in Finland, and our third destination on our European getaway. The spectacle, hosted by The Association of Samba Schools in Finland, includes over 1,000 dancers and musicians and draws a crowd of 20-30,000 with the goal of promoting Samba in Finland.

Finland 162

Finland Estonia Birds Europe 162

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2019

These globally threatened raptors breed from Ukraine eastward through Siberia and only a few come to overwinter here. Here in Serbia, in the south of the continent, this species is a proper rarity. And I didn’t pay enough attention because one very dark eagle flew by at the same time, an adult Greater Spotted Eagle.

Geese 139

Geese Serbia Birds Estonia 139

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2024

Secondly, much of the appeal is that this is a bird we don’t see in the UK very often, for Waxwings are an irruptive species, and in most years only a few ever reach our shores from their breeding grounds in the boreal forests of Scandinavia. I’ve managed to see them, too, on their breeding grounds in Finland in summer.

Finland 201

Finland Estonia Bears Ireland 201