10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. Every one of my 171 species was a bird that I found myself. It keeps a monthly record of sightings, so I can tell you that it was in February that I recorded my highest monthly species total (106), while my lowest total was in August (39).

Estonia 223

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 223

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2024

Secondly, much of the appeal is that this is a bird we don’t see in the UK very often, for Waxwings are an irruptive species, and in most years only a few ever reach our shores from their breeding grounds in the boreal forests of Scandinavia. I’ve managed to see them, too, on their breeding grounds in Finland in summer.

Finland 208

Finland Estonia Bears Ireland 208

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2024

Explaining the increase in the number of sightings is difficult, as the Siberian breeding population is declining. Vagrants are typically found in flocks of Brent Geese or Barnacle Geese so the winter distribution map mimics the stopover and wintering areas of those species.” That was in October 1991.

Bulgaria 130

Bulgaria Geese Romania Ukraine 130

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2019

These globally threatened raptors breed from Ukraine eastward through Siberia and only a few come to overwinter here. Here in Serbia, in the south of the continent, this species is a proper rarity. And I didn’t pay enough attention because one very dark eagle flew by at the same time, an adult Greater Spotted Eagle.

Geese 143

Geese Serbia Ukraine Estonia 143

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2014

Obviously many species of birds can be quite elusive, but this may be your best bet at getting you close to where you’ll need to be. This book doesn’t aid in descriptions or checklists of species, but is more of an insider’s guide of where to go and what you might see. Old Town Tallinn, Estonia.

Finland 164

Finland Estonia Birds Europe 164