10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2013

Still, in recent decades, the Great Black-backed Gull has become a regular migratory and wintering wanderer of neighbouring Hungary and Croatia. Is it because the number of birds is increasing? Or the number of birders is increasing? Or better optics becomes more readily available?

Serbia 241

Serbia Croatia Hungary 2012 241

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2011

In the Scandinavian countries where Pine and Spruce take up the greater part of the forests, several Crossbill species have managed to answer two of life’s most pressing questions: how to get food and avoid direct competition. It is used like scissors to cut open pine cones and eat the seeds that are unobtainable for other birds.

Poland 237

Poland Transported Hungary France 237

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

Seeing 525 species was nice, as was the fact that I birded in four countries, nine of the fifty states in the United States, and fifty-one counties. I want to reach 500 birds in the ABA, get my Queens list to 295, see a total of at least 500 species, and get my World Life List to 1,100. But how did I see so many species this year?

2012 185

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 185

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

I have asked myself that same question many times over the last six months, until last week, when I was involved in an opening ceremony of five new bird hides at the Palic Lake, by the town of Subotica in the very north of Serbia, along the border with Hungary (all photos are from that area).

Serbia 268

Serbia Spain Birds Hungary 268

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2012

They are a European species of plover that rarely, when the winds are right, make their way to North America, usually putting down in the first place that they see land. While the Northern Lapwing wasn’t a year bird for me (I was lucky enough to see a couple in Hungary ) it was a new bird for my ABA list , number 495.

North America 173

North America Hungary Geese Blackbirds 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2018

It is a fascinating world of swampy forests of willow and poplar, inhabited by Black Storks , White-tailed Eagles , Eastern Olivaceous and Icterine Warblers (above), among more than 200 other species. But, published in 1921 in Budapest, Hungary, it was written in Hungarian. Locations, dates, species and numbers, right?

Beavers 180

Beavers Serbia Hungary Eagles 180

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. The African Spoonbill is one of the six global spoonbill species, and the main African one (there are also some Eurasian Spoonbills in Africa).

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Eggs Africa 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2012

Attila Steiner, who I was lucky enough to meet while I was in Hungary , was ecstatic to see a rare rail in Ghana: It was my last afternoon in Ankasa Reserve, Ghana. I even managed to shoot a video with hands trembling of excitement, probably a first of the species. It was a mythical bird I didn’t ever expect to see.

2012 133

2012 Ghana Ireland Costa Rica 133

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2016

I am not entirely sure whether most birders outside Germany know or realize that Germany still has a decent population of one of Europe’s most attractive and desired bird species: the Great Bustard Otis tarda. All other harrier species may also be around, including Pallid Harriers which are recorded each year as (semi-)vagrants.

Germany 124

Germany Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 124

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 24, 2009

Understanding a pointed finger may seem easy, but consider this: while humans and canines can do it naturally, no other known species in the animal kingdom can. It’s no coincidence that the two species that pass Hare’s pointing test also share a profound cross-species bond.

Wolves 100

Wolves Fox Dogs Apes 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2012

White-backed Woodpecker was one of the major target birds of the Bükk Hills portion of the trip to Hungary and though I would probably have preferred seeing what I now believe to be the mythical Black Woodpecker , the White-backed Woodpecker was a nice consolation prize. Not only that but I managed to get more horrible photos!

Woodpeckers 237

Woodpeckers Hungary Europe Japan 237

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2012

There are two species in the Old World woodpecker genus that sounds like birds that birders would never be able to see. Until a month ago I had never seen the Eurasian Wryneck either, but the trip to Hungary took care of that gap on the life list easily. They are literal jinx birds in that their genus name is “ Jynx.”

Hungary 224

Hungary Asia Woodpeckers Africa 224

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2023

Conversely, many American hunters refer to the gray/grey bird as the Hun, a shortened version of Hungarian, for Hungary was the source of many of the birds introduced to the Americas. The two species are only distantly related, for Grey Francolins are true francolins, hence the name Francolinus pondicerianus.

Hungary 235

Hungary Fox Norway Eggs 235

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

It’s a unique bird, even its scientific name is wonderful, so it’s not surprising that Gerard Gorman, Woodpecker Expert Supreme, has written a book all about the species. I was surprised to learn that there are two Wryneck species in the Jynx genus: Eurasian Wryneck, Jynx torquilla, and Red-throated Wryneck, Jynx ruficollis.

Woodpeckers 264

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand Europe 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2013

In other words, this globally threatened species barely made it in Serbia. In the same period, neighbouring Hungary had more than 60 pairs of them. Today, Serbia’s population has risen to 4 to 5 pairs, while Hungary’s went up to 130+ pairs! We must be doing something wrong?

Serbia 240

Serbia Eagles Hungary Cooking 240

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2018

Yet, it takes great logistical effort to organize the census all the way from Germany to Austria, Hungary and Serbia in the same day, to count on numerous volunteers and hope for the best February weather. I feel that there must be some more good looking girls to attract some boys from Hungary, but I no longer dare to hope.

Hungary 189

Hungary Serbia Austria Eggs 189

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

This thrush is extremely common in urban and suburban Germany and one of the most conspicuous bird species here, comparable to the American Robin in North America. Because this was such a common species, we lacked quantitative data to be certain that this lack was an actual “situation” and not just the ordinary seasonal variation.

Germany 197

Germany Blackbirds 2006 Denmark 197

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Storks, Ibises and Spoonbills goes on to give greater detail of the former nesting sites in Europe: it could once be found “in southern Germany and Austria, in the valleys of the upper Rhine and Danube Rivers, and in the Alps of Switzerland, Italy and Germany, and perhaps in Hungary and Greece”.

Morocco 246

Morocco Austria Algeria Germany 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2025

What is your favorite bird species? Gabor Orban – during the last 20 years I seasonally migrate like a special bird and live half a year in Costa Rica, Latin America, and half a year in Hungary, Central Europe. Resplendent Quetzal … and Eurasian Roller What is your name, and where do you live?

Costa Rica 245

Costa Rica Hungary Europe America 245

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2024

Which bird species do you think is the biggest attraction to visitors to your lodge (please name only one species)? Saker Falcon What is the name of your lodge, and since when has your lodge been operating? Ecotours Kondor Ecolodge, since 2008. How best to travel to your lodge?

Hungary 246

Hungary 2008 Falcons Birds 246