10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2015

Add more than 350 pairs of White Pelicans to that picture, numerous herons and up to 700 pairs of Pygmy Cormorants breeding in the same reedbeds (cover photo)… It must be bursting with activity in spring, but I was there in mid-September. In all that swirling of swallows, I am not certain was there a third species, so I keep watching.

Greece 252

Greece Pelicans Geese Breeding 252

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2014

Defining Belgrade bird specialties is the hard part – there is no defined criterion, beside attractiveness which often comes from how uncommon some species is. E.g., a few weeks ago I guided a British couple around Belgrade, visited about four major sites and found more than 60 species. Black Stork – spring/summer.

Serbia 176

Serbia Eagles Birds Sparrows 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

For example, the White-headed Duck is nowadays a rarity in Europe (okay, excluding Spain, I know… that Spain …), but until some 50 years ago, it used to breed in Serbia. The hide overlooking the breeding colony of Red-footed Falcons.

Serbia 243

Serbia Birds Spain Hungary 243

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

It didn’t occur to me till I started reading The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird that there was also a possible threat to the eagle herself: poachers, who steal raptor eggs and chicks. McWilliam realizes he’s dealing someone special, a career falcon egg-thief.

Falcons 209

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 209

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

The Rose-ringed Parakeet’s European (=feral) range is surprisingly coherent for an introduced bird that is dependent on large metropolitan areas, and the species occurs in very decent numbers from UK’s London throughout the Netherland’s large cities all the way up along the Rhine to Germany’s Heidelberg.

Germany 244

Germany Netherlands Zoos Geese 244

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

Over 3,200 photographs have been used, most showing species in their habitats. There is also text, distribution maps, a dark red bar “warning” about similar looking rare species, and conservation symbols. So, how do you find the species account for Kestrel if falcons are not placed between woodpeckers and parakeet?

Ireland 143

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 143

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

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. A few weeks from now (it was early April), Eleonora’s Falcons will become a possibility, too, once they return from Madagascar. The Sun already sets and I haven’t seen a new species in a while.

Greece 233

Greece Malta Croatia Birds 233

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

Birds of the Iron Gates: While the best birding season here is the breeding period (May to June), the Iron Gates is also an important migratory stopover and wintering area. Trips birdfinder Europe Serbia' In the next guideblog: Where to watch birds in Belgrade.

Serbia 188

Serbia Turtles Birds Eagles 188

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

I got to see a beautiful female and owlet on a trip to a secret nest location near Howard Prairie Lake (human-made nest structures have enhanced local breeding for these huge owls whose nest success is boosted to 83% on artificial platforms vs. 66% at natural sites). The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY.

2014 188

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 188

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself. It keeps a monthly record of sightings, so I can tell you that it was in February that I recorded my highest monthly species total (106), while my lowest total was in August (39).

Estonia 225

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 225

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

Should you be impressed by this list and the underlying ambitions, take a look at the migration route of the Amur Falcon ( Wikipedia ). The falcon breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China but winters in Southern and East Africa. ” If in doubt, just classify species as LC? Still as impressed as before?

Falcons 242

Falcons Japan China South Africa 242

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2021

This is the hook that draws us into reading about and caring about migrant birds, that and the charisma of birds like Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Kirtland’s Warbler, Snowy Owl, and Amur Falcon. Many of these stories will be known to avid readers of environmental news items and social media. It is often hard to be positive.

Cyprus 251

Cyprus Slaughter Slaughtered Research 251

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2019

The Kerkini Lake National Park is my favourite birding area in the whole of the Balkans and while I’ve been here in April and again (migration), September (migration), October (coffee break), December and January (wintering), this was my first time in the breeding season, in May. But nowadays, they, too, breed here, about 20 pairs this year.

Greece 194

Greece Pelicans Buffalo Fish 194

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2015

Now I break (and think that I should put a „I break for birds“ bumper sticker), bins… a falcon! An Eleonora’s Falcon , light morph, makes several circles above the Olive grove and it is gone. I am exhilarated – I have had only a handful of chances to observe this species! Such a fascinating species.

Greece 225

Greece Falcons Madagascar Birds 225

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2019

In a warm Catalonian March (I was about to say Spanish, but among quite a few flags, I haven’t seen a single Spanish one), Barcelona was filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets , two charming but alien and invasive species. Steve answers: Bonelli’s Eagle !

Terrapins 181

Terrapins Eagles Europe Rats 181

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2019

Having come back to Mexico from Europe, I chose to make my first home outing to my local lake, Lake Cuitzeo. During the winter migratory season, I can always count on seeing at least 70 species of birds. Last week’s visit, on November 4th, resulted in 76 species, with a very conservative estimate of over 2,000 individuals.

Ducks 132

Ducks 2018 Pelicans Europe 132

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2018

On the opposite side is a smallish falcon, obviously too short-tailed for a Common Kestrel, a Eurasian Hobby first comes to mind… but a male Red-footed Falcon on migration it turns out to be. They do not build nests, but occupy old nests of Rooks and breed colonially among them. I must digress further.

Serbia 123

Serbia Eagles Falcons Farming 123

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2013

In a warm Catalonian March (I was about to say Spanish, but among quite a few flags, I haven’t seen a single Spanish one), Barcelona is filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets , two charming but alien and invasive species. Steve answers: Bonelli’s Eagle ! Garraf Natural Park.

Spain 218

Spain Terrapins Eagles Europe 218

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

I chalked up 132 species in a pretty relaxed eight days, during which birds shared the agenda with culture. With 154 eBirded species almost single-handedly spotted by the UK expat Geoff Laight, the Paljuvi is the latest addition to the top-5 list. With 154 eBirded species, the Beljarica shares the 4th place on the list.

Serbia 157

Serbia Birds Farming Bulgaria 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2017

Shallows provide an ideal spawning ground for almost 50 fish species and submerged islands breeding ground for more than 100 bird species. Beside several well-showing Red-backed Shrikes , the highlight was one uncommon Lesser Grey Shrike (highly localized ** , with only 700 to 1000 breeding pairs in Serbia). Or a falcon?

Romania 120

Romania Serbia Turtles Blackbirds 120

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2016

July is that boring period after the breeding and prior to migration season. So many beaches of Central Europe ended up here, mostly in the Deliblato Sands (Delibatska pescara) reserve in the southeast of the Vojvodina province – the largest sandy terrain of Europe. But first, where did all that sand came from?

Sheep 123

Sheep Turtles Squirrels Europe 123

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

There is a total of 235 different bird species in Greenland, most of them are migratory birds with approximately 60 species breeding within the land. Some of the most common breeding birds are White-tailed Eagles , Northern Fulmars , Black Guillemots , Common Eiders , Rock Ptarmigans , and Arctic Terns. Greenland’s Birds.

North America 177

North America Eagles Breeding Fish 177

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2016

Unlike other bird races where participants keep tight-lipped about bird species as mundane as a House Sparrow , this event gives a prize to the team that helps the most. But isn’t all of that data sharing counterproductive for a bird race where the team with the most species wins? Lichtensteins Sandgrouse : Say what?

Costa Rica 173

Costa Rica Eagles Birds 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2019

There had been works on falconry before Frederick’s time: treatises on falconry date back to the 10 th century in Europe, and King Harold of England (of Battle of Hastings fame) reputedly owned the largest collection of volumes devoted to the subject in all of Europe.

2015 113

2015 Italy Falcons Europe 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

Colombia is one of those countries that Dragan’s dreams are made of: it has 1,965 bird species – more than any other country in the world. Among them are 94 endemics and 101 near-endemics, four introduced species and only 42 vagrants. No matter how big your avian-related library is, this would be a terrific addition to it.

Birds 243

Birds Colombia Collecting Bald Eagle 243