10,000 Birds
NOVEMBER 13, 2011
I had the good fortune to be asked to represent one of the UK’s national birding magazines ‘Birdwatching’ on a press trip to Southern Portugal earlier this month. In May 1992 European Union governments adopted legislation designed to protect the most seriously threatened habitats and species across Europe.
10,000 Birds
DECEMBER 29, 2023
I only scored 43 in March, but that was because I was away birding in Portugal and Estonia. I failed to score any lifers in 2023, which isn’t really surprising as there are very possibilities left for me in Europe, or even the Western Palearctic. My overseas trips did boost the overall year list considerably. These are Dunlins.
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10,000 Birds
MARCH 15, 2024
If you see a flock of kestrels in southern Europe, then the chances are that they will be Lessers, for the Common Kestrel never flocks, though occasionally in summer you will see a family hunting together. On their breeding grounds in Spain, Lesser Kestrels are very much city birds, for 95% of the population nests in towns.
10,000 Birds
APRIL 26, 2024
Tucked away at the extreme eastern end of the Mediterranean, Cyprus is regarded politically as part of Europe, but when it comes to birds it’s very much Middle Eastern in flavour, with a number of species that are hard or even impossible to find in Europe, plus a trio of endemics. It was strange to hear it here in Cyprus.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 1, 2024
Black-tailed godwits winter in large numbers on the estuaries of both Norfolk and Suffolk, and we know that nearly all these birds breed in Iceland. In breeding plumage islandica godwits develop a deeper red plumage than their limosa cousins. However, I doubt if it will be returning to Northern Europe this spring.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 29, 2019
After three visits to southern Italy, followed by a lone excursion to Belgium, we’ll head back south to end our month-long “Grand Tour” of falconry-themed wine and ales in Portugal. Portugal has a long history of both falconry and winemaking. Portugal was a source of less poetic, practical information on falconry, as well.
10,000 Birds
MARCH 16, 2016
Instead of wintering in Africa and breeding in Europe, growing numbers of the birds now appear to be staying put in Spain and Portugal. Dependence on landfills means the birds spend less energy foraging, especially outside of breeding season. And it enables them to begin breeding earlier, at the best nearby nesting sites.
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