10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2019

The Species per Square Mile Approach. While Colombia may have almost 2000 bird species, it is a huge country with, still, complicated long-distance travel logistics. On the other hand, small countries with relatively long bird lists offer higher species densities per square mile. And why 1000?

Gambia 246

Gambia Equatorial Guinea Species Rwanda 246

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

That was a wild cat, a wild Wildcat, the cat that lives in the wild because that is where it is from and where it belongs, at the southern end of its pan-African range that extended at one time well into Europe and Asia. Also, feral Cats on islands seem to be a serious problem, causing the extirpation of some indigenous species.

Feral Cats 257

Feral Cats North America Feral Cats 257

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2016

I want to alert you to a recent study (from April) that looks at the plight of bird populations under conditions of climate change in Europe and North America. The study looked at common birds, and used data divided by either state (in the US) or country (in Europe). Stephens et al. Let’s look at that first.

North America 149

North America Europe America United States 149

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

For Europe, only very few books exist that cover the topic at all. So here it is, the review of Tracks and Signs of the Animals and Birds of Britain and Europe by Lars-Henrik Olsen. Those were amongst the most annoying field guides to use on the “continent” as so many potentially confusing species were left out.

Europe 167

Europe Mammals Animal Reindeer 167

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2024

Those of us who have lived long enough to see significant changes to bird populations will have personal recollections of this or that species. I’m sure many in Europe will remember a world without Collared Doves (Streptopelia decaocto) but the younger ones will never have experienced a world without these ubiquitous town birds.

Europe 312

Europe Species Birds 312

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2021

And, some time later, during the final stages of the bird-atlassing work, computer models of Serbian ranges for some 150 bird species were produced for the first time ever: Some bias was created because of the large data set from Belgrade and environs where the majority of active eBirders live. The consequences were amusing.

Europe 264

Europe Breeding Denmark Russia 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2024

My main interest lies in the endemic species and subspecies, trying to understand why some species got there and others didn’t. When we look at the breeding birds, they are all Palaearctic, either mainland species or endemics that evolved from mainland species. They stay in south-west Europe and north-west Africa.

Cape Verde 289

Cape Verde Europe Breeding Africa 289

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

Since the 2nd edition of the Collins Bird Guide (published as “Birds of Europe” in the US) from 2009, the field guide market for European guides is practically dead. 850 illustrations by Tomasz Cofta are both accurate and stunning, and 2,400 photos by Michal Jakuj and 189 other photographers from Europe and Asia are good documentary shots.

Europe 264

Europe Asia Cyprus Turkey 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2024

There are 154 species of cuckoos in the world, and they’re all a fascinating bunch. It’s not a species you are likely to overlook, either, as it is extremely noisy, its cackling call carrying great distances. I wonder whether birds that breed in Europe ever meet up with those nest in southern Africa?

Cyprus 246

Cyprus Africa Europe Asia 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2024

Take a quick look at the breeding distribution of European birds and you will see that there are a surprising number of species that are restricted to the Balkans. It is these Balkan specials that are the target species… Source

Herzegovina 244

Herzegovina Bosnia Albania Macedonia 244

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

The Collins Bird Guide covers Europe, North Atlantic islands, much of North Africa and the Middle East. There was one odd reprint in 2018, when the Subalpine Warbler was split into the Eastern and Western species, but the changes in the guide weren’t sufficient to call it a 3rd edition, so it remained the updated reprint of the 2nd edition.

Europe 264

Europe Birds Woodpeckers Ireland 264

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”. Following the IOC taxonomy (Gill and Donsker 2018), Birds of Cyprus deals with 405 species.

Cyprus 264

Cyprus Saudi Arabia Europe Birds 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 17, 2013

While it might fall within the autumn migration, if you are in the south of Europe, it isn’t in full swing. Barn Swallows and Sand and House Martins left us in September, together with most heron species. This timing suites Britain and Netherlands well, I suppose, but Europe is somewhat larger than that.). source: EBW2013.

Serbia 244

Serbia Europe Netherlands Eagles 244

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2014

There’s no way around it as the various species are reasonably common, and you will surely want to identify them. No, seriously, a brown warbler with stripes in central Europe really means you are either looking at a Grasshopper Warbler or a Sedge Warbler. Sedge Warbler (left) and Grasshopper Warbler (right – duh!).

Europe 250

Europe Kazakhstan Sparrows Abandoning 250

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. Nor have I see a skua (jaeger) of any species. An everyday bird, the Woodpigeon. This one was photographed in my garden on a wet day in April. Wood Sandpiper.

Cyprus 245

Cyprus Greece Spain Europe 245

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I live in the southeast of Europe, for a while lived in the south of Africa and also have extensively birded western and central India. I am talking 600 or 700+ bird species.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2020

It can still be an entirely opposite end of a continent, but – if you are residing in Europe – the flight can be as short as one (from Germany) to two hours (from UK). I am talking of the very heart of the Balkans and the final birding frontier of Europe: Serbia. Serbia – the big picture. Birding overview. Top-5 hotspots.

Serbia 317

Serbia Sanctuary Bosnia Birds 317

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Nestled right in the middle of Europe, we have a little bit of everything, a nice cross section of Europe’s avifauna. Greater Rheas, a species the Germans call Nandu, are very popular in Germany and frequently kept in zoos as well as private enclosures. Nonetheless, this week will be chock full of invasive species.

Germany 263

Germany 2000 South America Birds 263

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2024

There’s also a much greater variety of species of deer living here now than than there were four or five hundred years ago, for along with our native Roe and Red Deer we also have large populations of Fallow, Sika, Reeves’s Muntjac and Chinese Water Deer. Reeves’s Muntjac , a highly successful invasive species in the UK.

Fur 245

Fur Boars Deer Estonia 245

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2019

It’s a rush any new birder experiences: that of every species being a lifer. But the opportunities to see new species become more difficult with each one seen. But the opportunities to see new species become more difficult with each one seen. Even so, I was able to see 54 species, of which fully half were lifers.

Spain 214

Spain Europe Sparrows Mexico 214

10,000 Birds

JUNE 13, 2013

Serbia holds 13 per cent of the European breeding population of this “electrified” species which is not only Endangered in Europe but also listed as Globally Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Conservation Europe falcons Serbia' We were searching for the territories of Saker Falcons. Illustrations.

Falcons 254

Falcons Serbia 2007 Europe 254

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2015

In its natural old-world range, the House Sparrow offers an interesting identification challenge and has vagrant potential since it is a polytypic species with a highly complex taxonomy. The genus Passer has several well-recognized and recognizable species in Europe, and still holds several enigmas.

Sparrows 255

Sparrows Italy Kyrgyzstan Asia 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2013

Between finishing one graduate program and begining another, he embarked on a whirlwind tour of Europe. Here’s his first stop: Before starting graduate school at the end of June, I planned a whirlwind trip this spring, visiting the major cities in Northern Europe. Of course, birding was on the itinerary!

Iceland 230

Iceland Puffins Europe Birds 230

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

With more than 312 so far recorded bird species, Lake Kerkini National Park offers great birding year-round. In spring, a huge heronry of 10 species (including Spoonbill , Glossy Ibis , Squacco , Purple , and Night Heron , Pygmy Cormorant , etc.) Kerkini is one of the most important wintering areas throughout Europe.

Greece 264

Greece Wildlife Boars Otters 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2023

Nearby western Turkey may have some extra, more exotic species …, but the birding in Greece is much more enjoyable because of the far greater numbers of raptors, warblers, buntings, shrikes and, especially, waterbirds. Gosney writes: ‘‘When I revisited northern Greece in 2014 I was reminded just how exceptional it is for birding.

Greece 251

Greece Macedonia Bulgaria Albania 251

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2011

Originally considered monotypic, two species are now recognized. Drakensberg (or Orange-breasted) Rockjumper is a Drakensberg Mountain species whose range is shared with the tiny landlocked kingdom of Lesotho. Males of this species are more brightly colored in their non-breeding winter plumage. the Rockjumpers.

South Africa 257

South Africa Lesotho Swaziland Africa 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2013

Against the European regulation, the Northern Goshawk is a huntable species in Serbia, which is used as an excuse to indiscriminately shoot all medium-sized raptors (especially buzzards) because they are all colloquially called “goshawks”. Here it is a strictly wintering species, and the first individual I have seen this winter.

Serbia 246

Serbia Hoarding Europe Woodpeckers 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2011

The continent of Atlantis was about the size of today’s Western Europe, and it sunk into obscurity off the Iberian Peninsula some time between 700 – 750 AD. It was not Europe, but it was Europe-like.&# It is not about Europe at all. They tell you that it was written in Atlantis in the 6th century AD!

Mammals 267

Mammals Europe Groups Family 267

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2020

And I am in the southeast of Europe. This is an uncommon species here – only about a dozen birds overwinter in the country annually. published in the US as “Birds of Europe”), shows only a male in breeding plumage. Oh, who’d go back home now? My favourite poplar tree. mi2 of the Danube backwaters in Belgrade, Serbia.

Serbia 298

Serbia Birds Cyprus Ducks 298

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Now, it is much easier for me to achieve first-time sightings of species in Europe than it is in Mexico, at this point of the game. So I might have assumed I would not see new species in the Palmones wetlands. The first gave me eight new species for Spain, of which four were lifers. But this time, I could.

Spain 229

Spain Mexico Europe North America 229

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2015

You see, the Great (White) Heron/Egret is a polytypic species with four subspecies: alba in Europe, egretta in the Americas, melanorhynchos in Africa, and modesta in Asia and Oceania. The Intermediate Egret – by the way – now resides in isolation within its own genus Mesophoyx. Just so you know.

Asia 212

Asia Europe Germany Breeding 212

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

On my 21-day Kenyan safaris we reckoned to find around 600 species of birds and around 60 mammals, both impressive totals. Lion – much easier to see than an Aardvark In contrast to East Africa, encounters with mammals while out birding in Europe are relatively few.

Fur 238

Fur Otters Bulgaria Estonia 238

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2025

Red-crested Pochard (Netta rufina) is a striking diving duck species native to Europe and Asia. Red-crested Pochard, February 25, 2025, Mehsana, India Eurasian Teal, February 28, 2025, Kutch, India Greater Flamingo, March 01, 2025, Jamnagar, India Photos by Ming Li. I took the photo from a small boat in the river.

India 151

India Asia Europe Ducks 151

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2024

There haven’t been any reports of Turtle Doves locally this year, which isn’t really surprising as this species has declined by a staggering 97% in the last 20 years, and it’s eventual loss as a breeding species in the UK is a distinct possibility. All very confusing.

Greece 246

Greece Turtles Breeding Europe 246

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. This is not entirely unknown among domestic animals, but many domesticates have no living wild version.

Turkey 243

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 243

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2020

Birders normally care about species and make species lists, how do families fit into those? Adding more species brings a lot of excitement, as long as you bird your own country or a continent. 11,000 species require lots of money and a good portion of one’s life. That gamble is rigged, so the house always wins.

Family 299

Family Birds South America Breeding 299

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2013

In a warm Catalonian March (I was about to say Spanish, but among quite a few flags, I haven’t seen a single Spanish one), Barcelona is filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets , two charming but alien and invasive species. Trips Catalonia Europe Spain' Steve answers: Bonelli’s Eagle !

Spain 253

Spain Terrapins Europe Eagles 253