10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2019

In mid-December, I was birding along the Beljarica levee (Beh-LYAH-ritza), my local patch north of Belgrade, when something other than birds attracted my attention: three wild boars , appearing all black because they had just swam through the swamp to reach the bottom of the levee. I barely started when some sulphur (a.k.a.

Serbia 244

Serbia Otters Boars Eagles 244

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2014

Our Snow Leopard sat, quite Cheetah-like, before stalking off and once again rolling in the gravel, apparently an indication of the desire to mask its scent before a hunt. We could not believe our fortune, could we really be treated to a Snow Leopard hunt – this was beyond our wildest dreams?

Snow Leopard 279

Snow Leopard Leopards Hunting Sheep 279

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

“Target birds” The term can foster excitement but is easily contentious. Aren’t all birds worth watching? There’s nothing wrong with appreciating and watching every bird but there’s also nothing wrong about going to great efforts to see lifers only found in dreams. Why 25 and not ten?

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Panama Birds Eagles 202

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2016

And then, two canids appeared in my scope field of view… My plan was that the downpour should finally be over in the morning, so I could go birding. They are sitting in the wet grass at the edge of the water, observing the bird movements around them. I am thrilled: this is more than just birding, this is a full-scale safari!

Serbia 127

Serbia Sheep Birds Eagles 127

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

The main attraction for birders here are the hornbills – I have written about them before , so this post will be more on the other birds I saw there in 2017. Anyway, it is a very cute-looking bird if you are big enough not to be among its prey of (mostly) insects. I have written about the hornbills of this area before.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2022

Roebuck Bay is a well-known location for bird-watching around Broome. At the farthest point of Roebuck Bay to the south there is often a flock of Pied Oystercatchers that number several hundred birds. The area is used as a hunting ground for large raptors including the White-bellied Sea-Eagle and Brahminy Kite.

Breeding 147

Breeding Family Hunting Eagles 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

It is near a river, attracting some birds that like to eat wet food. As the national bird of Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the African Fish Eagle is usually very busy whenever it stays in these countries, giving speeches, opening shopping centers, etc. The birds I asked about this pretended not to be related to anyone though.

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2015

” these brown, long-tailed, noisy birds are small enough to hitch rides on backs of the real deal. This spectacular, turkey-like bird roams the floor of tropical forests from eastern Mexico south to northwestern Ecuador. That changes in Costa Rica, where the vulnerable Great Curassow is easily seen at several protected sites.

Costa Rica 170

Costa Rica Turkey Ecuador Hunting 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2018

As you know, I started to bird from a canoe, exploring the Danube backwaters in Belgrade, Serbia. It is a fascinating world of swampy forests of willow and poplar, inhabited by Black Storks , White-tailed Eagles , Eastern Olivaceous and Icterine Warblers (above), among more than 200 other species. Nevertheless, Nagy was right.

Beavers 119

Beavers Serbia Eagles Hungary 119

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It took me a while to wrap my mind around the concept of Birds and People , Mark Cocker and David Tipling’s book that, in 592 pages, explores the intersection of just that—birds and us. Nor have I overlooked “sightings” of birds in movies mouthing other birds’ calls. I’m not sure why.

Birds 211

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 211

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2022

It stops those thousands of migrating birds flying across the Gulf of Mexico and directs them right onto the trees, fields, sanctuaries, beaches along the Bolivar Peninsula, where they hopefully find food and fresh water. And us, the birders who travel here from March to May to worship the birds as they seek to survive.

Houston 208

Houston Texas Sanctuary Sparrows 208

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa).

Ethiopia 240

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 240

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

Birds are supposed to have feathers and birds without feathers look incomplete, like they left home with shaving cream on their ear and toothpaste spots on their shirt. The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. T urkey Vulture, photo by Dawn Puliafico.

California Condor 179

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 179

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2021

The White-tailed Eagle is one of the easiest birds to observe in Belgrade, Serbia (almost guaranteed). Ten pairs mean 20 territorial adults staying here year-round, plus usually 20 young birds every spring, plus more than 20 immatures overwintering in the Danube backwaters. There are about ten pairs around the city.

Eagles 263

Eagles Bald Eagle Eggs Serbia 263

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

2014 has been a good year for us at 10,000 Birds. We’ve traveled to lots of places, seen lots of great birds, and met lots of great birders. So, as we’ve done for the last several years we thought we would share our Best Birds of the Year with you. Below are our Best Birds of the Year. What was yours?

2014 187

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 187

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2013

It was not the first note I have published, but was the only one about a bird I have never laid my eyes upon! However, these birds used to live in my country and I still wanted to see them closer to home. During my lifetime, this species was rare in my native Serbia, too. All Egyptian Vulture populations in the world are decreasing.

Sudan 223

Sudan Macedonia Serbia Botswana 223

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Furthermore we have another very special stork-like bird, the regal Shoebill , previously known as the Whale-headed Stork but now placed in its own family. Sometimes they have to protect their catches from piratic African Fish Eagles who swoop down as soon as they that see a Saddle-bill has successfully caught a fish.

Africa 238

Africa Tanzania South Africa Uganda 238

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2016

I dipped a bird recently – possibly a lifer. First I noticed a red cap – a male, then striped flanks and pale-red undertail, but couldn’t see its wing because some part of the bird remained hidden by a branch at any given time. It’s the boar hunting season. We started from the village at, perhaps 50 m a.s.l. What to say?

Greece 251

Greece Woodpeckers Boars Eagles 251

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 193

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 193

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. Some of them were always uncommon in the region, others are highly localised, some are hard to notice among thousands of similar birds, but others were abundant recently and one of them still is, despite the decrease in numbers.

Serbia 200

Serbia Greece Montenegro Bulgaria 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?! Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?! Tomorrow, MARCH 15, 2011, is the deadline for public comment on a proposal to hunt sandhill cranes in Kentucky. Martin, U.S.

2011 244

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 244

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Instead of going on about zip lines and other modern, adventure tourism attractions, the birding crowd talks about taking photos of Resplendent Quetzals , seeing dozens of hummingbird species, and the seemingly odd absence of raptors in Costa Rica but nope, we don’t really talk about extinction. Must be a joke, right?

Costa Rica 216

Costa Rica Species Panama Birds 216

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2021

Given this Blog is 10,000 Birds I would like to share, over time, some of the 350 plus Sunshine Coast birds and my favourite birding locations plus some mammals and other critters of my greater area. I’m also going to write about myself and my birding life – even if it involves leaving the Sunshine Coast!

Australia 252

Australia North America Cooking Fish 252

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

Thankfully, travel writer Mia Petersen has offered us the inside scoop on what makes birding Greenland special. There is a total of 235 different bird species in Greenland, most of them are migratory birds with approximately 60 species breeding within the land. Kitsissunnguit Is Greenland’s Bird Sanctuary.

North America 176

North America Eagles Breeding Fish 176

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2014

When you are able to find a lagoon that is land-locked and offers great birding and you are able to walk around the edge it is a delight. The view from Sayer Road used to be very open and offered little protection many years ago and we contributed to the planting of small native trees in 1998 when we lived in Palmerston. Pied Herons.

Geese 161

Geese Pelicans Ducks Hunting 161

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2015

I must admit that I was astonished as I had never considered Ghana a potential birding destination, nor knew of any birders who had ever been there. My clients insisted that they wanted to go to Ghana as they had heard that the birding was great. We also knew we had discovered Africa’s next hot birding destination.

Ghana 191

Ghana Hunters Guinea Gambia 191

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2013

The aim of the game was to band raptors, and specifically to band Golden Eagles. To assess their populations, draw their blood, test them for lead, and discover what kind of impact feeding on gut piles might have on these iconic raptors, particularly the young ones, as hunting season begins in Montana. “Is the Starling ok?”

Eagles 173

Eagles Tethering Science Wounded 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2011

Orlando is so rich in roadside and overhead birds that I kept a list of species seen from the car which ran to 30+ on the first morning and included a Bald Eagle nonchalantly sitting on a street lamp by a Target store. The colonies at “Gatorland&# include other large wading birds too.

2011 116

2011 Alligators Florida Deer 116

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2011

Besides the American bison that the refuge was founded to protect, there are pronghorns, elk, bighorn sheep, mule and white-tailed deer, and black bears. There are also rattlesnakes, amazing views, fascinating tales of history and prehistory, and of course, many birds.

Rattlesnake 164

Rattlesnake Bald Eagle Mules Mammals 164