10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

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. However, during a storm the chains that kept it anchored broke off and the raft is now stranded on the shore, accessible to stray dogs and not used for breeding.

Greece 234

Greece Pelicans Birds Stray Dog 234

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2023

Having seen them in Europe, I knew it was a Merganser. Fortunately, two species of Mergansers sometimes stray to Cuba, and so my friend suggested, correctly, that ours was a female Hooded Merganser. The addition of a family of Least Grebes was a nice touch. This duck had a long, ever-so-thin bill, and a surprising brown crest.

Mexico 190

Mexico Morocco Cuba Jordan 190

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2019

And of course, there are Cattle Egrets ( Bubulcus ibis ) and several species of cowbirds that rarely stray too far from livestock. Grassland birds continue to lose habitat as small, family-run farms are replaced by large-scale, corporate agriculture interests, or are bought up and consigned to real estate development.

Vermont 120

Vermont Belgium Farming Europe 120

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 202

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 202

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. But in 2020, with all my travel plans cancelled and pretty much everything shut down, I wasn’t straying too far from Albany, New York for birding. Yes, yes, I know, not countable – it’s not a bird. Preposterous!

2020 238

2020 Birds Germany Costa Rica 238