10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2024

My target at the start of the year was 200 species in the UK and 300 in Europe, so I’ve achieved the latter, while the chances of reaching the former are pretty good. That trip was fun, as it reminded me of the delights of watching birds like Golden Plover and even Meadow Pipit on their breeding grounds. Wood Sandpiper.

Cyprus 197

Cyprus Greece Spain Europe 197

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2021

I was especially interested in “To Hide From God,” the chapter on songbird slaughter and protection in Cyprus. 192) from the timing of seasons to the ferocity of weather to the shape of breeding, wintering, and stopover habitat to even the size of birds themselves. It is often hard to be positive.

Cyprus 243

Cyprus Slaughter Slaughtered Research 243

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2020

This is an uncommon species here – only about a dozen birds overwinter in the country annually. Well, this would be a fitting season for the second, then, this was the strangest Stonechat I ever saw (those birds in January already were in breeding plumage), and it’s either a 1st winter Common male or the Siberian Stonechat.

Serbia 258

Serbia Birds Cyprus Ducks 258

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2011

Among these white-headed/dark-winged gulls formerly lumped into the genus Larus , there were 18+ recognized species the last time I checked, sharing similarities that make telling them apart for the amateur birdwatcher very difficult. 1998), then the proper name for this species is L. fuscus – should be separated as species.

2011 157

2011 Cyprus Deer Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2013

The organization dismantled nearly 9,000 traps on Cyprus last year. Fearing that a natural disaster, introduced species, or disease could wipe this fragile population out, the U.S. The population of Millerbirds on Laysan has doubled , and breeding seems to be going well. Photo of the Nihoa Millerbird by S.

Cambodia 142

Cambodia Slaughtered Slaughter Cyprus 142

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 175

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 175

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2024

The next couple of months will of course see a boost to my British list, as summer migrants flood into England, while forthcoming trips to Cyprus, Greece and northern Spain will also turbocharge the European list. A lone Whooper Swan on a grey January day in Norfolk As for the ducks – I’m now up to 15 species.

Spain 130

Spain Eagles North America Ducks 130

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

Another 170 are in captivity, many of them breeding stock for reintroduction efforts. It may be as sick as deliberately targeting an endangered species for death. Birders know that the light’s not always perfect or even particularly good when you’re trying to tell one species from another. The big white one. It flies on.

2011 239

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 239

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2024

Only four species breed in Britain – the Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting and Cirl Bunting, but there are rather more in Europe, of which my favourite is the Black-headed Bunting. This is a Balkan special, and a bird I know well from Greece, Bulgaria and Cyprus. It’s easy to explain its upturn in fortunes.

Bulgaria 171

Bulgaria Greece Breeders India 171

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

Colombia is one of those countries that Dragan’s dreams are made of: it has 1,965 bird species – more than any other country in the world. Among them are 94 endemics and 101 near-endemics, four introduced species and only 42 vagrants. No matter how big your avian-related library is, this would be a terrific addition to it.

Colombia 238

Colombia Birds Bald Eagle Guyana 238