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 182

Serbia Protection Europe 2015 182

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. The turn-off is about 1 km / 0.6 eBird list of the recorded species.

Mali 264

Mali Serbia Eagles Birds 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Photo: This area holds 3 to 4 breeding pairs of White-tailed Eagles , which represents the biggest density per square mile anywhere in the country. Wigeons are only migrants and not a breeding species in Serbia and August is a bit too early for any longer distance duck movements. Photographed by Szekeres Levente. and one ad.).

Serbia 167

Serbia Protection Eagles Ducks 167

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 193

Serbia Protection Legislation Europe 193

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. Habitat destruction combined with hunting has pushed them away from their former breeding grounds. Bustards are being counted in February because their breeding season starts in March.

Serbia 104

Serbia Romania Hungary Hunting 104

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2019

The next specialty was the Great Bustard at the Pastures of Great Bustard Nature Reserve in the north of Serbia: “The Association for the Protection of the Great Bustard had just about enough counters to cover the reserve and the neighbouring areas (birds often spend the winter in arable fields outside the reserve).

2018 117

2018 Serbia Falcons Greece 117

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2015

One Common Raven is disappearing towards its nest among the branches of the poplar plantation, only to reappear a few minutes later to give a good chase – aerial acrobatics included – to its first neighbour, the White-tailed Eagle which breeds in the vicinity. The Reva is not protected. Birding Europe Mammals otters Serbia'

Otters 177

Otters Serbia Fish Mammals 177

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 169

Turtles 2002 Serbia Eagles 169

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2014

Consequently, my first local patch becomes a largish Danube River floodzone opposite to Belgrade (Serbia) city centre (cover photo: April 1992). It is a winter trap for rare gulls and that is where I found the 4th Great Black-backed Gull for Serbia this winter, as well as the 6th Pallas’s Gull two winters ago.

Serbia 241

Serbia Stray Dog Protection Botswana 241

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

And used the opportunity to send an open letter to the City Mayor, enquiring about his still-unfulfilled promise of this particular area finally becoming protected. At the end of the month my list stood at a ridiculous 45, instead of 100 or more. I usually forget about the World Wetland Day, 2nd of February, but this year I remembered.

Otters 258

Otters Croatia Eagles Protection 258

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2017

That is hardly a surprise: this area holds 3 to 4 breeding pairs of White-tailed Eagles, which represents the biggest density per square mile anywhere in the country! While Serbia claims to strive towards the EU membership, it is back to the Chinese credit and Chinese environmental standards.

Eagles 167

Eagles Campaign Otters Serbia 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2018

As you know, I started to bird from a canoe, exploring the Danube backwaters in Belgrade, Serbia. Nowadays this species is declining in Serbia and the biggest number I ever saw at once was 6 and that area most likely has the highest population density – 3 pairs – anywhere in the country.

Beavers 120

Beavers Serbia Eagles Hungary 120

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I used to live in Botswana, where there are about 450 bird species in an area a few dozen miles from the capital; then somewhat naively moved back to Serbia with mere 250 species around the capital.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2013

In short, the accepted view used to be that a small breeding population of Egyptian Vultures inhabited Southern Africa, but has vanished facing the spread of towns, roads and farms. During my lifetime, this species was rare in my native Serbia, too. The work is expected to take two months, after which the killer line will be removed.

Sudan 226

Sudan Macedonia Botswana Serbia 226

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2015

No, I took a paddle and discovered the Danube backwaters (cover photo: 1995), the very same area I am fighting to protect now, but the Government, it seems, has an interested investor… Seeing the most valuable habitats disappearing in front of our eyes, environmentalists are quite prone to depression, but that is another story.

Serbia 189

Serbia Bosnia Research Lions 189

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2017

Strictly speaking, they were always forbidden for driving, but there is a difference between me, driving along the very top of the dyke and collecting scientific data for the first national breeding birds atlas and someone exploring the possibilities of his flashy new 4×4 while driving figures of eight along the embankment slopes.

Rights 116

Rights Serbia Collecting Abandon 116

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

Even among the protected areas of Serbia, the Iron Gates National Park (in Serbian: Djerdap) stands out as better preserved. 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. Milovanovic and M.

Serbia 188

Serbia Turtles Birds Eagles 188

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2017

A narrow bluff-top buffer zone is also protected. They are declining in Serbia and in these lowlands, they are nowadays commonly spotted only on migration, but have mostly retreated from the plains (except some steppe pastures) and in the breeding season are common in the mountains above the upper forest line.

Serbia 117

Serbia Breeding Woodpeckers Feral 117

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

“I would certainly recommend Serbia to visiting birders. Nonetheless, I visited some excellent habitats, especially the flooded wetlands, and saw some good birds,” wrote the UK Birdwatch Magazine journalist Mike Unwin of his bird tour of northern Serbia 15 years ago. Black Stork and three pairs of White-tailed Eagles breed here.

Serbia 157

Serbia Birds Bulgaria Farming 157

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. This shearwater is a Mediterranean endemic, breeding from Sardinia and Corsica to the Adriatic and the Aegean. Still, we are sailing out of the marina soon and I should have some coffee before that.

Greece 234

Greece Malta Croatia Birds 234

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. mi, to the Vrbovski turnoff. We continued on to Sakule.

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Farming Birds Fish Boars 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2021

The White-tailed Eagle is one of the easiest birds to observe in Belgrade, Serbia (almost guaranteed). One pair even breeds on the island at the very confluence of the Sava and the Danube rivers, less than a mile from the central city square. There are about ten pairs around the city.

Eagles 263

Eagles Bald Eagle Eggs Serbia 263

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2016

For example, I simply cannot comprehend how such seemingly common species such as the Common Pochard (yes, for the third time, the common), still allowed for shooting in Serbia and many other countries, found its way into the Red List of Threatened Species. Disturbance on breeding grounds (e.g. Lesser White-fronted Goose by Ingar Oien.

Serbia 201

Serbia Greece Montenegro Bulgaria 201

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). I like driving.

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. I know that you believe that Serbia is a land-locked country, but Belgrade city was actually built on an island in the sea. Sandy terrains are at their best during spring migration and this is the off season for such habitats.

Sheep 123

Sheep Turtles Squirrels Europe 123

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2017

At the southeast part of the lake is a breeding colony of Black-crowned Night , Purple and Squacco Herons. Status: Proposed for protection , but threatened by plans for a large scale development. Status: Veliko Ratno Island is a protected nature reserve, while Kozara is proposed for protection. +. eBird checklist.

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Birds 2017 Eagles Otters 206

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2018

Yet, it takes great logistical effort to organize the census all the way from Germany to Austria, Hungary and Serbia in the same day, to count on numerous volunteers and hope for the best February weather. The idea behind is simple, some birds may move and if counted within a week or a month, double counting is almost guaranteed.

Hungary 146

Hungary Serbia Austria Eggs 146