10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2014

Malta, you might recall, has the dubious distinction of being a hotspot for illegal hunting of protected birds. Meanwhile, back in Malta, the carnage appears to be continuing. BirdLife Malta posted about the suspected shooting of a Short-toed Eagle. Like the felled Turtle Dove photographed above by the BBC.).

Malta 197

Malta illegal Hunting Laws 197

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2011

The national bird of Sweden is the Blackbird Turdus merula , otherwise known as the Common Blackbird or Eurasian Blackbird , though, of course, in Sweden it is not known by any of those names but as Koltrast.* The Blackbird became the Swedish national bird as a result of a newspaper poll in 1962.

Sweden 237

Sweden Malta Costa Rica Blackbirds 237

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2012

Though calling them hunters is too nice. Maybe jerks with guns ?

Hunters 154

Hunters Malta Killing Birds 154

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

We sail into the relative calm of a cliff, the mast takes an upright position, navigation becomes calm and quiet… quiet enough for our bird guide, Andrea Bonetti to pick up a voice of a Western Rock Nuthatch coming from the rock face. We come closer to it, but I cannot find the bird with binoculars. Chukar (c) Marius Bolck.

Greece 252

Greece Malta Croatia Italy 252

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2015

After a long hiatus that included a new cat, a new apartment, and enough time with the in-laws to last me quite awhile, here’s a rundown of April’s bird news: Funny, sad, and thought-provoking … an African-American ornithologist’s video tips for birding while black. Props on the sweet Barred Owl call, too.

Malta 230

Malta Barn Owls Fowl Cyprus 230