10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2024

Curlews are birds of serious conservation concern in the UK, with numbers falling sharply this century. Curlews are long-lived birds, so their decline is not always apparent, with pairs returning annually to their favoured nesting area, despite not having fledged any chicks for years. Males have noticeably shorter beaks.)

Fox 183

Fox Finland Badgers Sweden 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2023

Superficially similar but unrelated to New World condors, it is huge, more pterodactyl-like than bird-like. Before I was born, it used to be a rare breeding species in mountainous areas south of Belgrade, but became extinct after the 1960s due to intensive poisoning of wolves. But it’s a huge bird.

Bulgaria 259

Bulgaria McDonalds Eagles Wolves 259

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2024

Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis breed on the Rock of Gibraltar and the late spring arrival of Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus coincides with the time that the gulls have chicks on their nests. These big soaring birds avoid long sea crossings but even the 14 km of Strait of Gibraltar can be demanding.

Pandas 197

Pandas Morocco Falcons Spain 197

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2024

Most serious bird photographers dislike taking pictures of birds wearing rings (or what on the other side of the Atlantic you call bands). I can sympathise, as a shiny new ring, clamped to a bird’s leg, rarely enhances its portrait. The information I received didn’t indicate the age of the bird.

Lithuania 130

Lithuania Iceland Morocco Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2020

The annual parade of birds is happening and the feathered participants are dressed in their best breeding suits. Now is when we can venture into the closest park and see birds of the deep woods, species that breed far from town. It’s a living festival and for the birds, 2020 is no different. Spring migration!

Costa Rica 194

Costa Rica 2020 Spain Panama 194

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2020

The next morning, through Yellowhammers and Eurasian Skylarks singing all around me, I went birding. Yes, yes, I know, not countable – it’s not a bird. Chamois is an agile goat-antelope with short hooked horns, found in mountainous areas of Europe from Spain to the Caucasus. Never mind, it’s not a bird.

Bears 262

Bears Serbia Birds Mammals 262

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

What do you think makes for a good bird hide? 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).

Serbia 233

Serbia Spain Birds Hungary 233

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2021

The southwest peninsula of Trinidad is unfortunately rarely birded by visiting birders. Let’s just say that the journey from the capital city, Port of Spain, to the said peninsula could easily run into 2.5 Bonus points if you figured out that the out-of-focus bird here is a Solitary Sandpiper. Such is birding.

Sea Turtles 243

Sea Turtles Bats Turtles Trinidad 243

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Back in July, my fellow 10,000 Birds contributor Dragan wrote a delightful piece about birding Lake Kerkini in spring. I first visited Kerkini and this bird-rich region of northern Greece 15 years ago, and have been returning regularly ever since. My photograph below is of a captive bird).

Greece 196

Greece Pelicans Buffalo Geese 196

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2020

A month ago, I was helping fellow birders see their first Emerald Tanagers , their lifer Sunbittern , and wondering where Mary and I could go next, which birds we could chase during the upcoming weekends. As always, they remind me of “winter finches” from birding days back in western New York and southern Ontario.

Costa Rica 211

Costa Rica Birds Spain New York 211

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2016

Instead of wintering in Africa and breeding in Europe, growing numbers of the birds now appear to be staying put in Spain and Portugal. Dependence on landfills means the birds spend less energy foraging, especially outside of breeding season.

Portugal 102

Portugal Spain Africa Europe 102

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

Bird blogging in May always gives me the creeps. This ridiculous focus of the Birding Internet on North American wood-warblers is boring on a quiet day and highly annoying during peak migration. It visits bird feeders, making it a worthy spark bird to new birders as they may see it closely. And do they ever try so hard.

Sparrows 206

Sparrows Italy Kyrgyzstan Asia 206

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2019

While the hunting of game with trained birds of prey can be a controversial topic among birders , falconry was a valuable early source of information on birds, and its history, culture, and imagery continue to fascinate bird lovers, as we shall see.

2016 124

2016 Portugal Belgium Falcons 124

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2012

So, yes, it was Spain. Specifically, rural northwestern Spain, at various points along the Camino de Santiago, an ancient pilgrimage route to the supposed burial place of Saint James the apostle and, before that, to the westernmost point in continental Europe, the supposed End of the Earth, the Finis Terra.

Spain 168

Spain Europe Rodents France 168

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Some time after the Spanish encounter with the Turkey, birds were brought back to Europe where they were raised and became an important source of food and fancy feathers. The one case that could have been an actual Turkey was a bird spotted in Honduras, where they may or may not have been, by our friend Christopher Columbus.

Turkey 196

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 196

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2016

Of course this is self-evident as you can never have enough gulls on a bird blog, but this blog here is in an especially dire need of more gull posts for the simple reason that I have a few nice pictures of gulls that would make for a few nice posts. As you can see by the brown markings, this bird is not an adult. No, not in this post.

Europe 117

Europe Spain Italy Ireland 117

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2011

Birds & birding were definitely the last thing on my mind. 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 Russia China 151

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Will Raup is a birder from upstate New York who helped Corey learn a lot about birds when Corey was first starting out as a birder. When you think of invasives, you think of the birds that have been helped by human beings to get where they are, such as House Sparrow or European Starling. There are two main subspecies, the nominate B.

Cattle 169

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 169

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

I had the good fortune to be asked to represent one of the UK’s national birding magazines ‘Birdwatching’ on a press trip to Southern Portugal earlier this month. On the last day we headed towards the border with Spain to the west and the village of Barrancos.

Portugal 245

Portugal 2000 Legislation Adoptable 245

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2024

Six months of the year have now slipped by, so time to review the state of my bird lists – my UK list, and my European list. An everyday bird, the Woodpigeon. One tends to take woodies for granted Brown but not boring: a Meadow Pipit An everyday bird it might be, but the c**k Blackbird’s song is one of the best.

Cyprus 194

Cyprus Greece Spain Europe 194

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2011

The next time a bird poops on your car, think carefully before you act. Historic claims to bird poop have led to conflict in the past and when the commodity is in such high demand, strategic and economic factors can escalate that conflict into war! Now where have I heard that before?

Bolivia 183

Bolivia Chile Spain America 183

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2012

A cherished handful of Central and South American locations enjoy international renown as absolutely mandatory destinations for adventurous bird watchers and nature lovers. T&T is a country any birding beach-lover can gladly visit without feeling deprived or compromised. And English is the national language!

Trinidad 240

Trinidad South America America Ecuador 240

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2024

Lesser Kestrels are one of those birds that have a special fascination for British birdwatchers. They are very rare birds in Britain, but have been recorded from Scilly in the south to Fair Isle in the north. Lesser Kestrel really is an appropriate name, for they are a lesser bird than the familiar Common Kestrel.

Falcons 182

Falcons Spain Europe Portugal 182

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2024

With the first three months of the year now gone, it’s time for a review of my birding efforts so far this year. At the time of writing, my British year list stands at a modest but satisfactory 139, while my European list is on 173, thanks to a visit to southern Spain in February.

Spain 130

Spain Eagles North America Cyprus 130

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

This thrush is extremely common in urban and suburban Germany and one of the most conspicuous bird species here, comparable to the American Robin in North America. A few dead birds were collected by authorities and sent to a laboratory for investigation. and species breeding in cavities are less affected.

Germany 159

Germany Blackbirds 2006 Denmark 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

It’s etched into my audio memory, which is quite a feat considering the problems I have recognizing even the most common bird cries. I look up and see three large green birds, the bright green contrasting with dark blue underwings, whitish-grayish foreheads and breasts shining in the winter sun, flying overhead. “We

Chicago 193

Chicago New York City Illinois New York 193

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2011

reduce traffic casualties amongst Badgers , get the White-tailed Eagle back as a breeding bird, increase the number of protected plant species etc.). Take these large savannah-like areas in Extremadura, Spain, for example (the Dehesas). so far you have focussed on European nature. Does this sound vague?

Badgers 145

Badgers Ethics Africa Spain 145

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2019

If it hasn’t begun already, the grape harvest should be getting underway in Spain this month. Our wine of the week – the 2017 Raimat Saira Albariño – features these graceful, long-necked birds on its label, where the storks take shape in a flying formation of lovely geometric abstractions reminiscent of the work of Charley Harper.

2017 114

2017 Spain California Condor Zoos 114

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2024

The sight, the sound and the smell, coupled with the sheer spectacle of seeing so many birds at once, makes viewing a big seabird colony an avian experience that can’t be compared with any other. These birds are all cliff nesters. Incidentally, there have been no recorded cases of bird flu at Bempton this year.

Puffins 172

Puffins Eggs Fish Culling 172

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

For the last two decades, Europe and the greater Mediterranean have been covered by one of the best field guides anywhere: “Collins Bird Guide” by Lars Svensson et al., published in the US by Princeton as “Birds of Europe”. Unlike “Collins Bird Guide” (CBG) with 416 pages and 1.7 And my first impression is: Wow!

Cyprus 240

Cyprus Saudi Arabia Europe Birds 240

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2013

Now nearing 50 and duly lost in a mid-life crisis, Dragan Simic took to birding rather late – only half a lifetime ago, after successfully testing his inadequate skills in other life threatening activities, such as rock climbing and vertical caving. In the valleys below, are small pine forests. Garraf Natural Park.

Spain 208

Spain Terrapins Europe Eagles 208

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, experts have determined that the current rate of bird extinction is somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 times the background rate. Globally, 1,313 bird species of a total of count of 10,064 are threatened, a frightening 13% of the total.

Endangered Species 181

Endangered Species Species Morocco South Africa 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2018

In 1987, only 27 were left in the wild and drastic action was taken to save the species: all remaining birds were captured, the California Condor was declared extinct in the wild, and a captive breeding program was begun, initially carried out by the San Diego Wild Animal Park and the Los Angeles Zoo.

California Condor 103

California Condor Oregon California Zoos 103

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2019

At a parking lot, Steve hears the song of a Sardinian Warbler (a species that I have rarely observed, often after the breeding/singing season, and as a rule, half-hidden in the foliage) and plays it back from his phone, so the warbler might be tempted to check which other male dares to enter his territory. Steve answers: Bonelli’s Eagle !

Terrapins 171

Terrapins Eagles Rats Europe 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2019

So, it just might be that pisco – the beloved South American grape brandy contentiously claimed by both Peru and Chile – is the only spirit named after birds. The etymology of the city name itself is debatable, but according to the Chilean linguist Rodolfo Lenz, it comes from the Quechua pishku , meaning “bird”.

Peru 120

Peru San Francisco Parrots Chile 120

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2022

This year, it seems I wrote one post on birding in Shanghai each month – and I am still not even sure anyone is interested in these. Probably the most interesting bird this month was a Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher showing up in the Shanghai Botanical Garden. I know – sexism is very common in the birding world.

Finland 147

Finland Birds McDonalds 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2016

Or a bit of a PR disaster for my birding skillz if I am not correct. Alba wagtails range widely and commonly from Greenland and Spain towards the east, far and wide, to the mighty river Yenisei in Siberia. And here is the series of pictures I was able to take before the bird took off. This has two consequences.

Germany 100

Germany Sharks Morocco Asia 100