article thumbnail

Fur and Fangs rather than Feathers and Beaks

10,000 Birds

Lion – much easier to see than an Aardvark In contrast to East Africa, encounters with mammals while out birding in Europe are relatively few. Over the years, though, I have enjoyed a number of memorable mammal sightings in Europe. I viewed them at dusk, through a telescope, from a ridge overlooking the area they were hunting.

Fur 187
article thumbnail

“The Wise Hours” — a review

10,000 Birds

She accompanies Luke on his Barn Owl counting, a heartening and optimistic chore now that British farmers have learned to prefer owls, as a pest control method, to strychnine, which kills rats but also the owls that feed on them. By Miriam Darlington. Tin House, Portland, Oregon, 297 pp., US $27.95, CAN $36.95.

Barn Owls 113
Insiders

Sign Up for our Newsletter

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Trending Sources

article thumbnail

The slaughter tourism trade in Serbia

10,000 Birds

As we speak, in Serbia these birds are still hunted in August and September. Turtle Doves have been declining in Europe since the 1970s, and in this century alone, the continent has lost 40% of its population of the species. Local bird protection NGOs have been demanding a hunting ban on both Quails and Turtle Doves ever since.

Serbia 270
article thumbnail

Birds and Us: A 12,000 Year History from Cave Art to Conservation–A Book Review

10,000 Birds

the development of field-based ornithological research in Europe and Great Britain; a quick step back through the history to look at bird protection, conservation, and our precarious future, with a focus on Birkhead’s long-term (50 years!) The difference seems to be that Selous had previously killed birds and she had not.

article thumbnail

The Final Days of the Danube backwaters in Belgrade: Chinese Belt and Road Initiative is coming to Serbia

10,000 Birds

And here in Europe, they are the real deal, an indigenous species and not domesticated animals gone wild. When I reached the levee earlier that morning, I met an elderly hunter from whom I learned that there was an ongoing duck and pheasant hunt, but no one was shooting from, nor towards the embankment, hence I should be safe there.

Serbia 245
article thumbnail

The Feast of Stephen

10,000 Birds

It’s Christmas Bird Count season, and if you know Christmas Bird Counts you have probably heard the tale of how Frank Chapman invented this winter tradition to replace the older and considerably less optimal for birds tradition of the Christmas side hunt. Various bits of Europe celebrate the day in various ways. Sleigh rides.

Ireland 132
article thumbnail

Brouwerij Verhaeghe: Duchesse de Bourgogne

10,000 Birds

While the hunting of game with trained birds of prey can be a controversial topic among birders , falconry was a valuable early source of information on birds, and its history, culture, and imagery continue to fascinate bird lovers, as we shall see. During the hunt, Mary’s horse lost its footing, throwing her from the saddle into a ditch.

Hunting 113