10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2024

They can be challenging to identify, especially if you haven’t seen one before, though with experience they are not really so difficult. 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.

Falcons 210

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 210

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

A Greek Wild Cat , photographed near Lake Kerkini I’ve had a few encounters with wild cats, too, in both France and Greece. I viewed them at dusk, through a telescope, from a ridge overlooking the area they were hunting. It was an exciting experience, though a remarkably chilly one, as winters in Castile and León can be very cold.

Fur 199

Fur Bulgaria Otters Estonia 199

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

In parts of Western Europe, it is considered to be “exotic” because it has been introduced, possibly by anglers, in lakes and rivers in France and the Iberian Peninsula. Now and then individual catfish of various species hunt nearer the surface and larger catfish such as the American Channel Cat will take a duck or other water bird.

Fish 210

Fish Birds Whales Whaling 210

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Dates of first arrival listed by Schorger (1966) are: Italy 1520, Germany 1530, France 1538, England 1541, Denmark and Norway 1550, Sweden 1556. The believability of this is underscored by the fact that the Pilgrims and their guides listed among their possession numerous “fowling pieces” … for hunting wild birds. Kiva 78(1):37–60.

Turkey 210

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 210