10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2019

Gyrfalcons have long been prized for their ability to hunt prey considerably larger than themselves, as depicted in this painting by Louis Agassiz Fuertes, where the unlucky victim is a Gray Heron (note the jesses on the falcon). Exactly why the name Grifalco was chosen by this Basilicatan winemaker is unknown.

2016 100

2016 Iceland Falcons Europe 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Its natural range in Europe was restricted the the surroundings of the Baltic Sea and the Black Sea, and in Asia it ranged from Asia Minor to central China. Within its European range, it was heavily hunted until the late 19th century, and the Mute Swan was subsequently a very rare bird to encounter in the wild.

Feral 169

Feral Europe Asia North America 169

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2015

This may not sound like much, but it is really good compared to just a few decades ago, when hunting had significantly reduced its range and overall population. After all, many may have depended on the marshes to provide food for their families, and thus acted in self-defense when they eradicated the Purple Swamphens.

Spain 157

Spain Hunters Africa Hunting 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2017

Even when hunting in sub-freezing temperatures on the edge of the Mongolian border or doing her chores around the family ger (yurt) in the isolated Altai Mountains, Aisholpan beams. It’s constructed in three acts: Home, Festival, Hunting. Aisholpan will not be considered a true Eagle Hunter till she successfully hunts.

Eagles 102

Eagles Mongolia Hunters Hunting 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2016

After the Common Starling , my second bird of the morning becomes the largest eagle of Europe, the White-tailed Eagle , this one with a fairly white tail, yet still dark beak, that I estimate to be in its 3rd calendar year. Looking miserable with its feathers soaked, one yellow and blue European Bee-eater sits on a dead branch.

Serbia 130

Serbia Sheep Birds Eagles 130

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2012

Specifically, rural northwestern Spain, at various points along the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route to the supposed burial place of Saint James the apostle and, before that, to the westernmost point in continental Europe, the supposed End of the Earth, the Finis Terra. There are many big birds, many pretty birds.

Spain 172

Spain Europe Industry Rodents 172

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2012

The Edwards’s Pheasant is a rather smart blue-black member of the pheasant family and it may be on the edge of extinction. Leading scientists, conservationists and aviculturalists from Europe and South-east Asia met at Walsrode in Germany recently to formulate a rescue plan.

Vietnam 155

Vietnam 2000 Germany Asia 155

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

One thing you must do is hire a local guide, as while you can hunt for yourself you’ll see a hell of a lot more with one. On the drive I had picked up the flamboyant Red-collared and Long-tailed Widowbirds , extraordinary members of the weaver family who’s ridiculous tails make them easy to spot even from a moving car.

South Africa 145

South Africa Africa Falcons Family 145

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Originally a hunting term, the Big Five were the most dangerous and prized targets of the great white hunters on safari. However it is now one of the world’s rarest animals after decades of relentless hunting and poaching. This hulking massive bovid has caught many a wanderer unawares, often with fatal consequences.

Buffalo 204

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 204

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2011

The Hyacinth Macaw is more than just another pretty face; these birds are social with strong family values. The Hyacinth Macaw doesn’t start a family until it is seven years old. They like to fly in pairs or groups and in the evening they come together in big groups to roost in a favorite ‘dormitory’ tree.

Protection 188

Protection Brazil Parrots Paraguay 188

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

But I do have rules about whether I can have said to have visited a country, ie does the country “count” which I have inherited from my family, particularly my Dad. I have caught a bus across Europe, but I can’t really claim to have “been” to Germany or Belgium.

Botswana 162

Botswana Birds Lesotho Elephants 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. One would think that for a species as common in Europe as the Grey-headed Woodpecker , the HBW would spend some effort to update the species entry.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Furthermore we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill , previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family. It breeds on chimneys, roofs, buildings and trees throughout Europe, parts of Asia and even North Africa. They are also attracted by fires and can gather in thousands.

Africa 241

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 241

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2018

I love the challenge of “the hunt” and the satisfaction of the find but I also have the ones I want to see the most, my biggest targets if you will. At least I felt that way before my first trips to Europe. Yellow-breasted Crake – Along with most other members of their reclusive family.

Costa Rica 101

Costa Rica Bald Eagle Eagles Birds 101

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. And unlike the Common Kestrel, Lessers are highly gregarious.

Falcons 198

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 198

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2015

Barker, and Carroll Henderson is a well-researched, copiously illustrated, engaging study of bird feeding practices, personalities, inventions marketing, and companies that developed in the United States from the late 19th century to the present day, with a little bit of Canada, Europe, and South America thrown in. Fish and Wildlife Service.

America 231

America Industry Squirrels Birds 231

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

The species are taxonomically divided into two families: Tytonidae, Barn-Owls, and Strigidae, Owls, encompassed in one order, Strigiformes. They are also hunted. They roost and hunt, at night (mostly) when we can’t see them. Sprigs of Wolf Lichen spring from the Douglas firs, a gorgeous, almost iridescent lime green.

Owls 213

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 213

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. We are cautioned to keep the location of the eagle a secret. 2019), and now this book.

Falcons 211

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 211

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?! Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?! Tomorrow, MARCH 15, 2011, is the deadline for public comment on a proposal to hunt sandhill cranes in Kentucky. Kentucky Dept.

2011 247

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 247

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2020

This boldness isn’t restricted to exchanges with other grouse, either: in some locales, members of this circumpolar family are astonishingly foolhardy around humans. The controversial management of Scotland’s grouse moors for these hunts is discussed in last week’s edition of Birds and Booze.).

Sheep 199

Sheep Branding Ireland Fowl 199

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2016

It’s the boar hunting season. By the cliffs we find several Eurasian Crag-Martins and a consolation species – a family of Golden Eagles in the air! After all, it is rather bulky and very dark and not quite Lesser, so I later checked with Giorgos who confirmed my suspicion – the Greater it is, my first in Europe.

Greece 253

Greece Woodpeckers Boars Eagles 253

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2012

The wonderful family Meropidae contains 27 dazzling species, of which Africa is endowed with no less than 20 species, the balance occurring across Asia and with one as far afield as Australia. After breeding they also disperse over the rainforests and savannas of West and Central Africa, where they hunt for aerial insects.

Africa 264

Africa Gabon South Africa Uganda 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2011

Outside of the Cinclus , Ouzel is also a common name sometimes applied to a variety of Turdus thrushes including the Common Blackbird of Europe, so the literal meaning of the name is “Water Thrush&#. But it sounds so much more sophisticated to say Ouzel. These are just a handful of the better-documented vernacular names.

Hunters 182

Hunters Falcons Ducks Montana 182

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2016

Yes, that really is a bird and it doesn’t have anything to do with a tiny country in Europe. I should also mention that Eilat was easy to visit, service excellent and professional, the cuisine likewise excellent, and the surroundings safe enough to visit with the entire family. Thick-billed Lark! And yes, the need is desperate.

Costa Rica 175

Costa Rica Eagles Birds 175

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

Chamois is an agile goat-antelope with short hooked horns, found in mountainous areas of Europe from Spain to the Caucasus. Luckily I wasn’t affected too severely by the current pandemic: I lost neither life nor family members to Covid, only my job which was replaced the same day I lost it. A non-bird Best Bird of the Year?

2020 233

2020 Birds Germany Costa Rica 233

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2024

But not in Europe either. One of these pages is dedicated to the harm and benefit the species has for humans, while a full page is dedicated to instructions on how to hunt the bird: The translation of the first sentence indicates the general tone: “They are not very shy, and easy to shoot.” Not an in-vitro photo.

Birds 192

Birds Research Science Europe 192

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2022

While the HBW describes the bulbul family as “often rather plain”, I find them usually quite attractive, though in an understated way that may not appeal to the flashiness-seeking HBW authors. The Black Drongo is a very common member of the family. Going with a Chinese friend or guide is thus recommended.

Birds 173

Birds Woodpeckers Kangaroos Madagascar 173

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

This is how, I think, the “Crossley technique” works best—coverage of specific bird families that pose identification challenges to birders at all levels of skill. And Hybrids: Waterfowl tend to hybridize to a greater degree than most other bird families, and the guide does an excellent job of covering hybrids.

Ducks 119

Ducks North America Geese Hunters 119