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Definitively the Egyptians!

10,000 Birds

But, from the existing data, the authors have drawn a different conclusion – there is no proof that the breeding population ever existed, that the south of Africa was beyond the species range and that that all observations were of vagrant individuals. During my lifetime, this species was rare in my native Serbia, too.

Sudan 220
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Invasive Species Week Wrap-Up

10,000 Birds

Perhaps our outrage at invasive species can be a bit hypocritical at times. What would birding be without the prospect of twitching the occassional vagrant, which is by definition an uninvited, though in these cases welcome, guest. This is probably too much to think about every time you encounter what we consider an invasive species.

Species 160
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Yellow-billed Spoonbills breeding

10,000 Birds

One bird species that we occasionally observe around Broome is the Yellow-billed Spoonbill, but we had not seen one for a few years until recently. We soon observed several bird species and then a Yellow-billed Spoonbill flew overhead. Not only is it a bird species we rarely encounter, but we had never found a breeding colony before.

Breeding 235
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The Usual Suspects

10,000 Birds

Still, the outing did not produce any new species for the year, or enough good photos for a post here. Instead, I have chosen to write about an idea I’ve had percolating for a while: to tell you what the most common species are down here. Cattle Egrets are very common outside of the most urbanized areas.

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Birding Lake Kerkini, Greece: Three Lazy Days

10,000 Birds

Lake Kerkini National Park in the north of Greece is the very best birding area in the Balkan Peninsula and definitely among the top ten hotspots of Europe. Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. The lake lies at a mere 35 m / 115 ft a.s.l.

Greece 223
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The return of the Old Man

10,000 Birds

They were my target species, and I remember being delighted in not only seeing them well, but finding feeding flocks that were remarkably unconcerned about being watched. On a visit in October 2022, I found ibises feeding with cattle in scruffy roadside paddocks adjacent to the marismas ( photographs below ).

Morocco 217
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A World Turned Upside Down

10,000 Birds

After all, on a normal year this body of water only offers a good number of American Coots , a handful of hybrid, semi-domestic ducks, a few Pied-billed Grebes, Cattle, Snowy and Great Egrets, a Great Blue Hero n or two, and perhaps a few Spotted Sandpipers and Killdeer. But here they were, above only a few hectares/acres of water.

Ducks 130