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. So, to claim that I birded Inner Mongolia is a massive exaggeration. Of course, seeing the Snowy Owl would alone be sufficient reason to cover this trip in a blog post. Always nice, for some reason.

Mongolia 181

Mongolia Hedgehogs Russia Morals 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2020

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mongolia by Dorj Ganbold and Chris Smith (2019) offers more than 500 species in one neat edition. While at the National University of Mongolia, he conducted research on illustrating birds in the field, including at bird-ringing stations. Dorj Ganbold is an ornithologist and professional illustrator.

Mongolia 268

Mongolia Falcons Birds 2019 268

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2014

This handsome little bird has a wide distribution, roaming from north of the Black Sea over central Asia and way, way into China and Mongolia. And here’s the kicker finish to this paragraph: this “vittata”-morph is not just a conventional morph, as in the Skuas/Jaegers, the Screech-Owls or Cuculus – cuckoos.

Kazakhstan 165

Kazakhstan Iceland Mongolia Wisconsin 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2016

This species, one of the heaviest birds able to fly, was once common through most of southern and central Europe and all the way to Mongolia, but was driven to extinction by hunting and changes in agricultural practises in most of its European range during the 19th and early 20th century.

Germany 101

Germany Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 101

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2023

Wikipedia points out that the Black-winged Kite has some similarities with owls, in particular, the “owl-like forward-facing eyes with red irises” On Chongming Island, some of them seem to be relatively unafraid of people, at least by the standards of raptors.

Birds 130

Birds Iraq China Ireland 130