10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2012

Having jumped around a bit while writing up my trip to Hungary – sharing a few galleries , a trip to find an elusive woodpecker , and the most exciting news in optics since Galileo discovered Jupiter’s moons – I thought it was time to go back to the beginning of the trip and proceed chronologically.

Hungary 160

Hungary United States Birds Woodpeckers 160

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2012

My week-long trip to Hungary was a familiarity trip organized by the wonderful folks at Swarovski Optik to introduce their new line of superior spotting scopes, the ATX and the STX modular telescopes , which were used to digiscope all of the images in this post. Few are as easy to figure out! …

Hungary 160

Hungary Asia Europe Africa 160

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2012

… I wanted to explicitly point out that Swarovski Optik flew me and a bunch of other birders to Hungary for a week of all-expense-paid birding with the new scopes. It is not every day that a birder gets to play with a prototype scope made by one of the premiere optics companies in the world.

Hungary 225

Hungary 2013 Groups Game 225

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2012

My week-long trip to Hungary was a familiarity trip organized by the wonderful folks at Swarovski Optik to introduce their new line of superior spotting scopes, the ATX and the STX modular telescopes. Fine, my best bird was a White-backed Woodpecker , alright? … We visited Hortobágy National Park, the Bükk Hills and places in between.

Hedgehogs 169

Hedgehogs Hungary Opossums North America 169

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2012

While on my trip to Hungary I was pleased to bird with and spend time with Tim Appleton, the co-founder and co-organizer of the Birdfair, the world’s largest birding event. Having never been to Birdfair I figured I would ask him why someone would want to go.

Hungary 158

Hungary Rights Birds 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2012

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was the last bird he paid attention to in Hungary on Saturday morning before flying back to the United States, a European Goldfinch singing in a tree outside of his hotel. Oh, you didn’t know we were keeping score? It was a great way to end a wonderful week in a new (to Corey) country.

Hungary 167

Hungary 2012 Miami United States 167

Animal Person

APRIL 20, 2009

In " Hungary's Spirits Are Back Up, on a Horse ," the New York Times' Nicholas Kulish reports that a thoroughbred known as Overdose, who is owned by Hungarian Zoltan Mikoczy, has become "the Hungarian Seabiscuit. Overdose has become a celebrity and a symbol and a sign of hope for Hungary.

Horses 100

Horses Hungary New York Times Ethics 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2013

Still, in recent decades, the Great Black-backed Gull has become a regular migratory and wintering wanderer of neighbouring Hungary and Croatia. Is it because the number of birds is increasing? Or the number of birders is increasing? Or better optics becomes more readily available?

Serbia 188

Serbia Croatia Hungary 2012 188

Critter News

DECEMBER 22, 2008

In one of the biggest undercover inquiries into pig-farming, CIWF visited 60 farms across five big pork-producing states, Spain, the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary and Britain. Overall, Spain had the worst conditions, followed by the Netherlands, Germany, Hungary and Britain. Jaime Oliver is doing a show about the issue in Britain.

Pigs 100

Pigs Europe Investigation Factory Farm 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2012

After Corey shared his story of his hedgehog experience in Hungary I thought you may like to see some rather adorable pictures of a young European Hedgehog in England. It appears that hedgehog numbers in the UK have dropped by 25% in the last 10 years , so every hedgehog that can be saved is extremely worthwhile.

Hedgehogs 167

Hedgehogs RSPCA The Blue Cross Hungary 167

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2018

The Pastures of Great Bustard occupy 6770 ha of extensive steppe, bordered by meadows, pasture, arable fields and seasonally inundated depressions in the north of the country, towards the triple border with Romania and Hungary. That area should be able to support ten times larger population of bustards.

Serbia 104

Serbia Romania Hungary Hunting 104

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2013

Fortunately, she had the presence of mind to get a picture (not the one at the top of this post, which was taken in Hungary). White Storks are long distance migrants but this would be an astounding record if it were a wild bird.

New York 166

New York Hungary Zoos Asia 166

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2012

The answer may lie in locations, like Hungary … where rufous cuckoos are more numerous than in the UK. Perhaps the rufous cuckoo is not as good a predator imitator as the gray cuckoo, and thus cannot fool the hosts as well. Or perhaps the rufous females have some physiological or reproductive disadvantages compared to the gray females.

Hungary 174

Hungary 2012 Science Eggs 174

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 9, 2011

Komondorok have been bred as livestock guard dogs originating from Hungary, and when threatened they reveal sheer athletic muscularity and a deep, ferocious bark that is sure to scare anyone. To read Jaime’s full open letter to Zuckerberg (or anyone else contemplating these beautiful breeds) – click here.

Dogs 100

Dogs Dog Training Hungary Livestock 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2012

I do try to experience and learn as much as I can on every trip and my week in Hungary was no exception. Rather than force you to go all the way to Hungary to learn on your own the five main lessons I learned I figured sharing them here on the blog would be worthwhile. Common House Martins have feathered legs and feet.

Hungary 157

Hungary France Woodpeckers Birds 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

June – Hungary. In June I went to Hungary. I also appreciated Mississippi Kites not too far from my job, great birds on the coast of Queens , and more wood-warblers. Despite all that birding I had some time to try to guess what my next eleven birds in Queens would be. Finally, I learned not to feed the birds.

2012 143

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 143

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

I have asked myself that same question many times over the last six months, until last week, when I was involved in an opening ceremony of five new bird hides at the Palic Lake, by the town of Subotica in the very north of Serbia, along the border with Hungary (all photos are from that area). Comfort?

Serbia 244

Serbia Birds Spain Hungary 244

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2012

While the Northern Lapwing wasn’t a year bird for me (I was lucky enough to see a couple in Hungary ) it was a new bird for my ABA list , number 495. Eventually we decided to make one more visit to the lapwings and we watched them for awhile again before they took off and headed to the north pasture. I can almost taste 500!

North America 136

North America Hungary New York America 136

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2018

But, published in 1921 in Budapest, Hungary, it was written in Hungarian. It didn’t stop me, although I could understand only dates, some place names (many others have changed) and some bird names (the birds were mentioned by their scientific names and you can imagine how they have changed).

Beavers 120

Beavers Serbia Eagles Hungary 120

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

It subsequently spread to Budapest/ Hungary (2005, 2006), Zürich/ Switzerland (2006), and north-east Italy (2008/2009). The Usutu Virus has spread considerably in central Europe over the last 10 years. The first detection outside Africa occurred in Vienna/Austria between 2001 and 2006.

Germany 160

Germany Blackbirds 2006 Denmark 160

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2012

Attila Steiner, who I was lucky enough to meet while I was in Hungary , was ecstatic to see a rare rail in Ghana: It was my last afternoon in Ankasa Reserve, Ghana. A whole bunch of you responded and shared your best birds either in blog post form, email form, or in our comments.

2012 133

2012 Ghana Ireland Birds 133

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2016

Today, birders wanting to see this avian gem usually venture to the healthy populations of the Iberian peninsular or travel to Hungary.

Germany 101

Germany Deer Abandon Abandoning 101

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2012

White-backed Woodpecker was one of the major target birds of the Bükk Hills portion of the trip to Hungary and though I would probably have preferred seeing what I now believe to be the mythical Black Woodpecker , the White-backed Woodpecker was a nice consolation prize. No one had access to my thought processes or to the previous footnote.

Woodpeckers 178

Woodpeckers Hungary Europe Japan 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2012

We, and by we I mean me and a gang of about ten other birders, found this youngster along the edge of Lake Tisza on the grounds of Tisza Balneum, a marvelous hotel where we had the good fortune to stay for two nights of the Hungary trip. source ) Those scoundrel Barred Warbler fathers!

Hungary 169

Hungary Eggs Abandon Abandoning 169

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

Gorman also leads bird tours in central and Eastern Europe and posts photos and updates on his work on his own website and, as I said before, Facebook.

Woodpeckers 234

Woodpeckers Hungary Europe Thailand 234

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2012

And while I can still remember the first time I saw one in 2007, in the company of Jochen and Hendrik in a pine forest on the coast of the Baltic Sea, it took until this year’s trip to Hungary before I managed to get a decent image of one. It’s because they like to crack open or “hatch” nuts for food. …

Hungary 127

Hungary Europe Portugal Georgia 127

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

Preliminary Study of Slaughter Value and Meat Characteristics of 18 Months Ostrich Reared in Hungary. Here are a few examples: The Ostrich Communal Nesting System. Medicinal and commercial uses of ostrich products in Tanzania. Studies on improving ostrich egg hatchability. Ostriches originated in Asia. Ostrich industry in Egypt.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2014

Black Woodpecker – This is a bird that has eluded me on two trips to Germany – both of which included exploring forests where they were supposed to be present – and a trip to a region of Hungary where they are supposed to be common. and now Dragan is getting in on the act as well.

Costa Rica 195

Costa Rica Hungary Birds Honduras 195

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 24, 2009

A team led by cognitive scientist Josef Topál of the Research Institute for Psychology in Hungary recently ran an experiment to study how 10-month-old babies pay attention to people. Along the way, the dogs’ social intelligence became eerily like ours, and not just in their ability to follow a pointed finger.

Wolves 100

Wolves Dogs Fox Puppies 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2013

In the same period, neighbouring Hungary had more than 60 pairs of them. Today, Serbia’s population has risen to 4 to 5 pairs, while Hungary’s went up to 130+ pairs! In other words, this globally threatened species barely made it in Serbia. We must be doing something wrong?

Serbia 204

Serbia Eagles Hungary Cooking 204

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2011

The Crossbill Guide Foundation is a publishing NGO, founded by Dirk Hilbers, and they currently have 10 Crossbill Guides for great European birding/nature areas, including the Finnish Lapland, Hungary’s Hortobagy, France’s Loire Valley and the Biebrza Marshes in Poland. Wholeness, interconnectedness, wonder, beauty.

Poland 185

Poland Transported Hungary France 185

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2017

And if I dip again? Well, that doesn’t even bear thinking about.

Woodpeckers 100

Woodpeckers Austria Europe Hungary 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Conversely, many American hunters refer to the gray/grey bird as the Hun, a shortened version of Hungarian, for Hungary was the source of many of the birds introduced to the Americas. These are hardy birds – they have to be to survive a Canadian winter.

Hungary 158

Hungary Eggs Fox India 158

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2018

Yet, it takes great logistical effort to organize the census all the way from Germany to Austria, Hungary and Serbia in the same day, to count on numerous volunteers and hope for the best February weather. I feel that there must be some more good looking girls to attract some boys from Hungary, but I no longer dare to hope.

Hungary 146

Hungary Serbia Austria Eggs 146

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 18, 2012

Foundation of Animal Protection – Fuzesabony, Hungary. The six shelters chosen this year are: Bobbi and the Strays – Glendale, New York. Castaway Critters – Blairsville, Georgia. Forever Home Feline Ranch – Springfield, Illinois. Cat Shelter – Cumberland, Maine. Kyrenia Animal Rescue – Girne, Turkey.

2012 100

2012 Hungary Shelters Georgia 100