10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

I only scored 43 in March, but that was because I was away birding in Portugal and Estonia. It wasn’t a year tick, of course, as I had seen them in Estonia, but it was the last new bird of the year for my British list, and a highly satisfying one at that. My overseas trips did boost the overall year list considerably.

Estonia 223

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 223

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

Some years ago I was surprised to see one while birding in Matsalu National Park in Estonia. It must have been one of the first to reach Estonia, but I gather that they are now well established there. I viewed them at dusk, through a telescope, from a ridge overlooking the area they were hunting.

Fur 182

Fur Otters Bulgaria Estonia 182

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2019

Several poachers were waiting in ever thickening darkness (Serbian legislation forbids night hunting). Barnacle geese breed mainly on the Arctic islands of the North Atlantic, while the nearest wintering areas also lie along the northern coasts of Europe: the Netherlands and the Baltic Sea (Estonia, Finland, Denmark and Sweden).

Geese 143

Geese Serbia Ukraine Estonia 143

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2023

I have a strong hunting instinct, and digiscoping gave me the satisfaction of bagging my quarry. Eurasian Nuthatch – a pin-sharp shot with the 100-400mm lens, taken hand-held at maximum magnification and with a shutter speed of only 1/100sec Lesser Spotted Woodpecker in Estonia, with 100-400m lens plus 1.4

Cyprus 229

Cyprus Portugal Birds Poland 229