10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2024

Research by the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust has shown that predation by Foxes (of both eggs and chicks) is one of the most serious factors limiting the success of nesting Curlews. It is surrounded by a Fox-proof fence No one seems quite sure how many pairs there are today, but my guess would be between 20 and 30.

Fox 189

Fox Badgers Finland Eggs 189

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

Looks like a scaup of some sort, but it’s not quite right My bird certainly had the peaked crown characteristic of a Lesser Scaup; the feathers on its head looked black at a distance, while closer inspection revealed a purple sheen. Lesser Scaup has only a slight black tip to the beak, while this bird had a clear black band.

Geese 181

Geese Ducks Falcons Latvia 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2024

Then it’s a matter of doing a little research on the internet to find who rang the bird you saw, and then emailing the details of your sighting. With its striking combination of colour rings I suspected that it would be easy to find out more about this particular bird, and I was right.

Lithuania 130

Lithuania Morocco Iceland Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2015

Tristram believed that his specimen was the same bird and nobody thought any different until over a century later when researchers established that the newly-described species was about 10 percent different from that of the Hume’s owl , a surprisingly large genetic variation. As for the results of the race, it sure was a close one.

Cyprus 257

Cyprus illegal Birds 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Given the complexity of the research, the result feels like a bit of a letdown – “northern populations start migration earlier than southern populations, especially in autumn” The species name of the Chestnut-eared Bunting is fucata , from the Latin “fucare”, to paint red.

Birds 200

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 200