10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2024

My aunt Greet gave me a book in 1975 that featured the 60 most endangered birds in Europe. Amazingly and quite contrary to what you would believe from the gloomy news most of these birds have since recovered and are doing well. Southern Spain has been suffering from a long-term drought for a few years already.

Spain 208

Spain Ducks Morocco Europe 208

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2024

I’ve been a regular visitor to the island of Cyprus for over 25 years, making around a dozen trips during this period, every one in search of birds. I made my most recent visit earlier this month, arriving with my three birding companions, Martin, Mike and Chris, on a warm spring evening.

Cyprus 203

Cyprus Breeders Falcons Italy 203

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

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 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

JULY 2, 2020

That is the trickiest moment for him: what if there’s a bear right next to the dirt track? 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. Never mind, it’s not a bird. Yet, not the bear, I’ll have to return for it.

Bears 262

Bears Serbia Birds Mammals 262

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

JULY 17, 2019

In April of this year, I had the crazy idea of submitting this article to 10,000 Birds for their consideration. Since I will still be enjoying my last couple of days in Spain on this week’s deadline, I thought it might be the moment to share it with all of you. Three birds, in real time. That must be a primo stick!

Giraffes 185

Giraffes Spain Abandoning Abandonment 185

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 206

Dissection Birds Europe Eggs 206

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2020

That trip was to take my wife and I to Turkey, Jordan, and southern Spain, with stopovers near Paris. And while it was to be a work (ministry) trip, I had still managed to schedule it right during the migratory peak along these two major corridors. The post Consolation species appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

Species 156

Species Mexico Jordan Turkey 156

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2012

As soon as I knew that I was heading to Spain, my mind jumped to Lammergeyers. Of course, Spain is home to other vultures. That is to say, they look like the vultures I used to see on nature programs, those iconic shots of birds squabbling over a deceased wildebeast or zebra. Then I sent him a picture to explain my excitement.

Wildebeasts 194

Wildebeasts Spain Turkey ALA 194

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

JANUARY 15, 2013

What if there was an international multi-day Birding competition? Enter the inaugural Peru Birding Rally Challenge , the first international birding event of it’s kind in the world. Think the Birding World Cup or the International Birding Open. Think the Birding World Cup or the International Birding Open.

Peru 215

Peru 2012 Bears Falcons 215

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Funny story about that – though they did take widely divergent paths they have come back together : Three of the birds, Chris, Martin and Kasper, flew down through Italy and straight across the Sahara desert. The other two, Clement and Lyster, went to Spain and down the Atlantic edge of the continent, more than 1,000 miles to the west.

Congo 162

Congo Italy Spain Africa 162

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

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

JUNE 6, 2013

The most flamboyant of all hummers, the Marvelous Spatuletail will be one of the many endemic bird highlights along the route of the Second International Birding Rally Challenge in Peru. I can’t convey how thrilled I am about the upcoming International Birding Rally Challenge in Peru. Photo: Courtesy of Dubi Shapiro.

Peru 173

Peru 2013 Louisiana South Africa 173

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2012

The Great Bustard ( Otis tarda ) is one of the largest flying birds on the planet, topped only by the Kori Bustard ( Ardeotis kori ) and, possibly in some cases, by the Mute Swan ( Cygnus olor ). But what is even more spectacular than the sheer size of this bird, is its absolutely crazy lekking display. Think: breakdance dance-off.

Austria 169

Austria Spain Ducks Rights 169

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2011

Here is just a small handful of some of the wonderful images that have moved me this year: The subtle brown hues in mclaudio’s (Italy) Dotterel ( Charadrius morinellus ) image wonderfully place the bird within a habitat – and imagined landscape – context.

2011 186

2011 Puffins Costa Rica Italy 186

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2011

The next time a bird poops on your car, think carefully before you act. Consider who the rightful owner of this rich resource might be and weigh the consequences of hasty action. Under the pressure of time and tonnes more poop deposited on top, the guano solidified into a phosphate rich commodity. Now where have I heard that before?

Bolivia 183

Bolivia Chile Spain America 183

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

After weeks of preparation (and not writing many 10,000 Bird posts), my wife and I are finally in Spain. Algeciras, Spain, to be specific — right around the bay from Gibraltar. And in between, you can stop at the Cazalla Soaring Bird Observatory ( Cazalla Observatorio de Aves Planeadoras ). Black Kite.

Spain 147

Spain Birds Mexico Eagles 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2012

Continuing with my theme of common birds who were, in a sense, my companions throughout this trip, I would now like to turn my attention to the Motacilla — literally, “moving tails” — aka wagtails. They may be less famous than some other birds I encountered, but this had hurt their self-confidence not a bit.

Spain 163

Spain Cows Humane Family 163

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

JULY 1, 2014

I enjoy collecting children’s books about birds and nature that I come across in the expected (book stores) and unexpected (academic library conference reports) places. The Taínos named the birds Iguacas, after their call. Spanish settlers arrived in 1493 and called the birds Coterras. The birds thrive.

Puerto Rico 224

Puerto Rico Parrots New York City 2013 224

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2022

Our 9-day trip to Turkey in September was short, and it was not about birding. The historic center of Istanbu l offered urban and coastal birds. Several days later, I saw woodland birds in a forested valley. And that meant a whole new set of birds. There, to our right, was an Isabelline Wheatear , my first of this group.

Turkey 200

Turkey Pelicans Birds Spain 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Spring is for Wheatears Spring is for Wheatears By Dan • March 18, 2011 • 3 comments Tweet Share What is true in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US holds true for Cyprus as well: Spring is prime-time for Passerines.

Cyprus 145

Cyprus 2011 Deer New York 145

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.). They don’t profess this to be the only right way of looking at an area, they merely want to hand a reference of valuing an area. so far you have focussed on European nature.

Badgers 145

Badgers Ethics Africa Spain 145

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2019

Once you’ve been around the birding block a few years, your appreciation for the lifer experience deepens greatly. Even in my species-rich territory of central Mexico, I only average about one lifer each month now, after five years of birding the area. I had a work trip to southern Spain earlier this month.

Spain 185

Spain Europe Sparrows Mexico 185

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. Sardinian Warbler by Szabolcs Kokay. In the valleys below, are small pine forests.

Spain 208

Spain Terrapins Europe Eagles 208

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2019

And indeed, a slender grey bird with black tail and head, red eyes and legs, comes to within a few meters of us to check us out. Still, the bird isn’t too cooperative, glides low over the ridge and disappears behind it. A pair of these eagles breed nearby, but this bird shows no wish to reappear and show itself better.

Terrapins 171

Terrapins Eagles Rats Europe 171

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

AUGUST 18, 2011

You and your colleagues are experts on the history of France, Poland, Spain, all those European countries. Recently, the news came out that beloved Archaeopteryx is not really a bird ancestor. This has happened before, Archaeopteryx and the bird family tree have had an often tenuous relationship. Imagine you study history.

Mammals 238

Mammals Europe Groups Family 238

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In this post, we’ll share the most positive of the positives, at least for those who write for 10,000 Birds who decided to share. Of all the birds that make the list for a given year one of those birds must be the Best Bird of the Year. We are always content bird-watching around Broome anyway!

2020 218

2020 Birds Costa Rica Germany 218

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2015

In reality I’ve returned from filming the second Champions of the Flyway Bird Race. Compared to the 135 participants of this, arguably the most grueling 24-hour birding competition in the world. Cyprus is the third largest island in the Mediterranean and is a crucial stop-over for migrating birds. And I had it easy.

Cyprus 257

Cyprus illegal Raised 257

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

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

After my grim exposing you last month to Europe’s fifty shades of brown, I felt it incumbent upon me to right my wrong by introducing you to Europe’s most attractive bird, the Red-billed Leiothrix. Clearly, some scientists should never have been granted the privilege of assigning common names to bird species.

Italy 176

Italy Europe France Spain 176