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Avian squatters at the end of Europe

10,000 Birds

The Cuckoo Cuculus canorus has a bad reputation because of its habit of laying its eggs on the nests of other birds, who then raise their young. But in south-west Europe there is a bird that kicks out the sitting tenants and takes over the nest altogether. Curiously, they also breed in Iberia today. White-rumped Swift in flight.

Europe 299
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Cyprus Delights – Part III

10,000 Birds

Perhaps the most curious thing about the Great Spotted Cuckoo is its distribution, for it is both a non-breeding Palearctic migrant to Africa, and a trans-Africa migrant. According to The Birds of Africa Volume III , “In much of the tropics present throughout the year, with breeding and non-breeding birds usually indistinguishable”.

Cyprus 246
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Seabird City Spectacular

10,000 Birds

Here in the British Isles we are lucky enough to have some of the largest and most important seabird colonies in Europe. Preparing for the perfect landing Brakes on, landing gear down The Gannets are present at Bempton from the end of February through to October, for their breeding season is an exceptionally long one.

Puffins 234
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Birding Lake Kerkini, Greece: Three Lazy Days

10,000 Birds

Lake Kerkini National Park in the north of Greece is the very best birding area in the Balkan Peninsula and definitely among the top ten hotspots of Europe. However, during a storm the chains that kept it anchored broke off and the raft is now stranded on the shore, accessible to stray dogs and not used for breeding.

Greece 246
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Africa’s endangered species

10,000 Birds

Image by Adam Riley Of the 115 African species now listed as Endangered or Critically Endangered, nearly half occur on the islands surrounding Africa or are non-breeding migrants to Africa. This strange but beautifully plumaged bird was widely known throughout Europe as the Waldrapp (meaning “Forest Crow”).

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Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres at Brigantine

10,000 Birds

Either that, or I see them in spring with hordes of other shorebirds feeding on the eggs of Horseshoe Crabs. In Europe the Ruddy Turnstone is known simply as Turnstone because it is the only turnstone they have, while in the United States you can occasionally find old-timers who call them Calico Birds for obvious reasons.

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Mediterranean Gull – Coming to a Coast Near You Soon?

10,000 Birds

July, as all northern hemisphere birders appreciate, is the month when the egg timer flips and everything starts pouring back out again in a steady stream south. One of Britain’s recent colonisers the Mediterranean Gull begins to arrive in bigger numbers every year as post-breeding dispersal takes hold.

Poland 157