10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2014

In a funny twist of fate, it seems that 2014 will be much the same as 2012 and 2013 have been, with family trips to somewhere in France and business trips to Indonesia and Kazakhstan. I will also likely scale back on my birding madness in Germany, and might therefore see less species than I did in the last two years. The Birding Diary.

2014 145

2014 France Germany Indonesia 145

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2024

There’s also a much greater variety of species of deer living here now than than there were four or five hundred years ago, for along with our native Roe and Red Deer we also have large populations of Fallow, Sika, Reeves’s Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer. Reeves’s Muntjac , a highly successful invasive species in the UK.

Fur 214

Fur Deer Boars Estonia 214

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2022

While there are 8 species of woodcocks worldwide, only two – the American and the Eurasian ones – are widespread. Shanghai is just at the Northern edge of the species’ wintering range, so the birds shown here may stay for the winter or move further south. A bird serves one person.”

Italy 173

Italy Deer Russia France 173

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2020

On its label are sketches of five gulls of indeterminate species frozen in various flight poses, eagerly going after what appear to be oranges suspended in midair, of which some are still attached to their twigs and blossoms. Everything is fair game to gulls, as shown in this vintage advertisement for Paillette, a brewery in Normandy, France.

Connecticut 250

Connecticut France Game Humane 250

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2018

” In other words, the New Zealand Scaup is so embarrassed by its association with the other scaup species that it not only tries to hide its affiliation with them but attempts to get out of being a diving duck altogether. Two species, neither of which is rare or difficult to see and we have a total of two posts about either species!

Ducks 212

Ducks New Zealand France Germany 212

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2024

Most of the time it’s sheer luck or coincidence that determines what you will see – I saw my first Black Redstart outside a meeting room in France, for example. My Kenya list of 69 species consists entirely of birds I saw during business trips to Nairobi. You can favour fortune, be bold and pick your hotel wisely.

Birds 159

Birds Nashville Unwanted Kenya 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2020

We can’t be sure by which route pheasants first came to Portugal — either overland or by ship — but in any case, it stands to reason that this far-flung edge of the continent was one of the last places in ancient Europe to be populated by this introduced species.

2015 157

2015 Portugal France Europe 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2023

An Englishwoman, she thought, originally, that she would stay within the British Isles, to see the five or six native species. As she notes, Eastern Europe contains significant pockets of agriculturally undeveloped land, and thus has a far greater diversity of species “from invertebrates to large carnivores” than in Northern Europe.

Barn Owls 113

Barn Owls Owls Serbia Finland 113

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Northern France is another area with a strong population. The two species are only distantly related, for Grey Francolins are true francolins, hence the name Francolinus pondicerianus. There are just a few areas left where it still thrives. How the war is affecting it nobody seems to know.

Hungary 161

Hungary Eggs Fox India 161

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2019

This corner of southwest France is best known for its rich, dark reds, as well as Sauternes, the sweet, white wine produced from grapes affected by noble rot. The estate of Château de Colombe is in the village of Sainte-Colombe, a name it shares with many other places throughout France.

2017 115

2017 France Lifestyle Feral 115

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

I pointed at the bird shown below but he insisted it could not be that species – no long tail … For people of a certain age, gender and background, at some point The Smiths were the most important band in the world. Other species, such as this juvenile Light-vented Bulbul , seem to have more ambiguous feelings about molting.

Birds 235

Birds LACS France Japan 235

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2022

Second note: Inner Mongolia has a land area larger than that of France and Germany combined, and I only spent one week there. Like many other species, the Chinese Nuthatch is expected to be affected by climate change. The species is named after Peter Simon Rosefinch – no, that is wrong. Third note: no more notes.

Mongolia 194

Mongolia Hedgehogs Russia Morals 194

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2024

Various species can be found in dry grassland habitats in Africa, Eurasia, and Australia, so it is fun for a North American to stumble upon this not frequently-seen-bird. Scissor-tailed Kites – while not threatened now – are a vulnerable species. Habitat degradation is a huge possible threat to the species.

Senegal 202

Senegal South Dakota Gambia Birds 202

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

On my 21-day Kenyan safaris we reckoned to find around 600 species of birds and around 60 mammals, both impressive totals. In 2023 I attempted to keep a year list of mammal encounters: the list barely exceeded 20 species, while it became complicated by seeing bats and voles that I was unable to name specifically.

Fur 191

Fur Bulgaria Otters Estonia 191

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Visiting the continent after the end of most of the autumn migration meant that the number of bird species I could see in northern France, Switzerland, southern Germany, and Austria was much reduced. And I did manage to get my first glimpses of some of the species listed in my European bird guides. Boy, was I glad I got photos!

Austria 126

Austria Switzerland Europe Geese 126

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2017

If there’s one common theme to this week’s bird news items, it’s their collective bizarreness: The eagle has landed—on the drone, as France trains birds to take out drones that stray into restricted airspace. Scientists ponder the feasibility of genetically engineering chickens to lay the eggs of endangered bird species.

Penguins 100

Penguins Argentina France Stray 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2023

This leaves Shanghai in June with basically just the year-round species and the summer breeders, maybe with a few added ultra-lazy individuals of migratory species. Fortunately, there are a few more such breeding species than most Shanghainese are aware of. Such as the Black-winged Cuckooshrike.

Birds 130

Birds Eggs Breeders Breeding 130

Critter News

JULY 20, 2009

We've been overfishing the bluefish tuna to near-extinction along with many other species. Tags: oceans bluefish tuna marine life seafood endangered species. I used to work for a seafood company and my current work still brings me in contact with the industry. Greedy, anti-government, and anti-regulation monstrosities.

Marine Life 100

Marine Life France Endangered Species Industry 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2019

Ship-to-table: A spice-laced medieval feast from the Grandes Chroniques de France of Charles V. It’s not an obvious likeness of any species in particular, but I think most birders would identify the drab bird appearing on the label as a familiar House Sparrow. though there probably is some range overlap between bird and bark.

Sparrows 142

Sparrows France Asia Europe 142

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2019

For one, it’s made not in Poland, Russia, or Scandinavia, but in France, a country better known for distilling spirits from grapes and apples. His formula calls for French soft winter wheat grown in Picardy, a region in the northeast of France known as the breadbasket of the country. This may be your Anser.

Geese 135

Geese Branding France Poland 135

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

The text goes far beyond just those two birds, however, as Doug works his way through the puzzles presented by the incredibly wide diversity of bird behavior, even within species, citing current research and new and old theories, reasoning out the most likely and unlikely answers. The six middle chapters are my favorite reading. ” (p.

Science 221

Science Albatross Research Birds 221

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2016

Out of just under 200 bird species I observed this year in SE Europe, there are 6 threatened species. point to just one problem source, one over-abundant and highly invasive species – Homo sapiens. point to just one problem source, one over-abundant and highly invasive species – Homo sapiens.

Serbia 202

Serbia Greece Montenegro Bulgaria 202

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2012

Take the fossil horse Hipparion , found in France and Florida. Clearly this needed explaining, and the explanation that the geologists settled on was that a land bridge has risen up between Florida and France. How did it end up in those two places and nowhere else? How far could those horses swim? Indeed it was part of that family.

Horses 166

Horses France North America Fiji 166

Critter News

OCTOBER 9, 2010

A coordinated international law enforcement operation has led to the arrest of 25 individuals suspected of taking part in the illicit trade of tigers, one of the world's most endangered species. Tags: wildlife smuggling tigers interpol asia endangered species.

International Fund For Animal Welfare 100

International Fund For Animal Welfare Tigers IFAW Nepal 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Other species have certainly expanded their ranges, but never in such a rapid and global scale. For reasons that are not quite clear, this species underwent a massive range expansion. In the east, this species can be found along the east coast of Africa, the Nile Valley,and into parts of the middle east and India and southeast Asia.

Cattle 170

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 170

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Clearly, some scientists should never have been granted the privilege of assigning common names to bird species. And while most of these introduction attempts failed, the species has now become firmly established as a “countable” species in several areas of France and Italy, and even Spain so far as I was able to find out.

Italy 181

Italy Europe France Family 181

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 10, 2015

In the Old World, Horned (Slavonian) Grebe breeds in a wide belt stretching from Scandinavia to Kamchatka and it spends winters along sea coasts, from Japan to China and from Norway to France, plus the Adriatic and the Black Sea (west and east of the Balkans, respectively). As a consequence, this species is only a rare vagrant in Serbia.

Serbia 171

Serbia Norway France Japan 171

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. It has also found its way to Japan where it is considered to be an invasive species. It is sometimes known as the European Catfish.

Fish 206

Fish Birds Whales Whaling 206

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

I found this out last year, on a trip to France with my daughter Sarah. I couldn’t wait to give names to all my new species. I tried using the Internet, but found it frustrating for all the usual reasons; websites either didn’t include all species or were difficult to use for identification.

Ireland 176

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 176

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2018

Personally, I love exploring new hotspots and discovering new or unusual species when visiting a country. This phase is to familiarize with the species that can be seen. Search for species (or subspecies) endemic to the area visited. Search for my target species (i.e. This is usually easily found on Google.

Serbia 139

Serbia Switzerland Farming Birds 139

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2012

Rather, it could be considered the aythyian background noise against which to discern the other, more appreciated species. Because of all the places it could have called its winter home, it chose the Rhine separating Huningue and Weil am Rhein, the border triangle of Switzerland, France and Germany.

Switzerland 123

Switzerland Germany France Ducks 123

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2016

Driving from France or Germany to Greece, you are likely to pass through my hometown of Belgrade and continue south following the E75 through the FYRO Macedonia. Other species of interest include the southernmost breeding population of Greylag Goose in Europe, Goosander (at bigger and deeper Megali Prespa), Hazel Grouse (at Mt.

Greece 177

Greece Albania Macedonia Europe 177

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2020

Foreboding superstitions about the waxwing persisted into the twentieth century: an irruption of this species in Great Britain during the winter of 1913-1914 was viewed in hindsight as a harbinger of World War I, which broke out the following summer, as depicted in Pestvogel (2016) by American artist Walton Ford (born 1960).

Farming 169

Farming New York Humane Europe 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2011

From France he wrote to his daughter expressing his displeasure: For my own part I wish the Bald Eagle had not been chosen the Representative of our Country. The banning of DDT and subsequent management of the species led to Bald Eagles being the poster child for the success of the Endangered Species Act.

United States 190

United States Bald Eagle Eagles Seals 190

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2014

In the High Arctic we find several migrating species that break that mould. Their journey between the Arctic and Africa takes them from here, across Greenland and the North Atlantic, onto Great Britain and then south through France, Spain, across the Mediterranean and down into Sub-saharan Africa.

Africa 200

Africa Somalia North America Nigeria 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2017

The nominate form can be seen in Spain and southern France. In keeping with most of the species in the genera, it is only the male that carries water. The bird featured today is a female of the eastern race P.a. caudacutus which includes northern Africa and the Middle East within its range. It was introduced into UAE.

UAE 100

UAE France Spain Sanctuary 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2011

The Black Stork ( Ciconia nigra ) has a very wide distribution in the Old World, ranging from Spain (an isolated population) and northern France through central and eastern Europe all across northern and central Asia to the Pacific coast of Russia and China.

Germany 151

Germany Asia China Russia 151