10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2020

In the chill morning of late January, I am driving east of Belgrade towards the Two Towers section of the Danube and the best waterfowling bonanza in the whole of Serbia. Actually, I visited the Two Towers twice, had about 50 bird species each time and about 60 in total, so this is sort of a composite tour description.

Serbia 264

Serbia Geese Eagles Louisiana 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2018

This October, a previously unknown name shined in the eBird alerts in Serbia: Raphael Nussbaumer. Here is how he prepared for his tour of Serbia: Guest-author : Raphael Nussbaumer. This was the feeling I had last October, when we travelled to Serbia with my wife for a week. There was none in Serbia. Stage 2 – Detailing.

Serbia 134

Serbia Switzerland Farming Montenegro 134

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

“I would certainly recommend Serbia to visiting birders. I chalked up 132 species in a pretty relaxed eight days, during which birds shared the agenda with culture. With 154 eBirded species almost single-handedly spotted by the UK expat Geoff Laight, the Paljuvi is the latest addition to the top-5 list. eBird bar chart. #4

Serbia 154

Serbia Bulgaria Farming Turtles 154

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2019

And here in Europe, they are the real deal, an indigenous species and not domesticated animals gone wild. Annex II of the Bern Convention lists 45 of Beljarica’s bird species, with a further 91 species in Annex III. Finally, 24 species in Annex I of the EU Bird Directive were recorded in this area.

Serbia 244

Serbia Otters Boars Hunters 244

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2019

Where to find shorebirds around Belgrade, Serbia? So far, 33 species have been eBirded in Serbia. Let me add that the only ever ringed Critically Endangered (yet, possibly extinct) Slender-billed Curlew was ringed in northern Serbia (Carska bara Ramsar site) in the 1970s. North: Pecena Slatina pond by the Baranda Village.

Serbia 151

Serbia New Jersey Europe Hunters 151

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2018

Serbia has 317 eBirded species so far, or 89% of the 356 in the national checklist. The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. Spring migration March to April , 270 eBirded species.

Serbia 150

Serbia Macedonia Geese Owls 150

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2022

About 120 species have been recorded so far. About 180 species have been recorded so far. Almost 230 species have been recorded so far. Raptors to look for in this reserve are Golden Eagle and Short-toed Snake Eagle , European Honey-buzzard and Peregrine Falcon. Use the Zrenjanin road to reach the area.

Serbia 259

Serbia Woodpeckers Owls Eagles 259

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2023

The night temperatures in Belgrade, Serbia, were already below minus 10 Celsius / 14 degrees Fahrenheit for two weeks. Up to the mid-20th century, Pygmy Cormorant was a common breeding species of wetlands around Belgrade until most wetlands were drained and the birds were lost, at one moment – from the entire territory of Serbia.

Protection 278

Protection Serbia 2004 Legislation 278

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2021

Also, it is a part of the international ecological corridor and the “Confluence of the Sava and the Danube Rivers” Important Bird Area (IBA), already proposed for a nature reserve by the Government’s Institute for the Protection of Nature of Serbia. It is a spacious floodplain between the River Danube and the levee, 2.1

Serbia 274

Serbia Boars Deer Otters 274

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

In Belgrade, Serbia, winter months offer surprisingly good birding possibilities. Other species expected in December include Velvet Scoter , the last flocks of Common Cranes , perhaps a Red-breasted Merganser , Long-tailed Duck or a Smew (if the winter gets cold), as well as the still missing Red-throated Diver.

Serbia 296

Serbia Woodpeckers Ducks Birds 296

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2022

In February 2022, the Collaborative submitted 127 checklists in 7 countries ( Costa Rica , United States , Mexico , Trinidad and Tobago , United Kingdom , and Serbia ). The Collaborative’s all-time country with the most species observed is Costa Rica , with 784 species, out of 911 observed on eBird overall!

Costa Rica 213

Costa Rica United Kingdom Trinidad Serbia 213

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2023

In 2022, the 10,000 Birds eBird Collaborative submitted 1,837 checklists from 9 countries ( Australia , China , Costa Rica , Mexico , Saint Lucia , Serbia , Trinidad and Tobago , United Kingdom , and the United States ) and observed 1,273 species. The Collaborative life list increased to 4,140.

Saint Lucia 193

Saint Lucia Costa Rica United Kingdom Trinidad 193

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2023

Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia, offers several great birding spots and here are some recommendations for areas to go birding in and around the city, how to get there by public transport, and some of the bird species you might expect to see. It is home to almost a hundred bird species, including woodpeckers and songbirds.

Transported 253

Transported Woodpeckers Serbia Birds 253

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

The coastal delta includes low, scrub-dominated hills and brackish marshes, the habitats with the greatest species richness in moderate zones. These birds have already left my native Serbia, further north, and this is not just the only one I have seen in Greece, but my last bee-eater of the season.

Greece 162

Greece Serbia Hunters Cows 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2020

Last month, I birded my favourite local patch, Beljarica – the best eBird hotspot in Belgrade city and the 3rd best in Serbia – four times. Before I start, my readers are already asking themselves why are they familiar with the name of this locality? With more than 30 birds, Black Storks became truly common. Photo: Gordan Pomorisac.

Serbia 266

Serbia Boars Otters Birds 266

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2023

Before I was born, it used to be a rare breeding species in mountainous areas south of Belgrade, but became extinct after the 1960s due to intensive poisoning of wolves. There’s an eagle… a White-tailed Eagle , a relatively common and numerous breeding species of riparian forests along large water courses and fishponds.

Bulgaria 262

Bulgaria McDonalds Eagles Wolves 262

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2022

Belgrade City Environmental Secretariat accepted the initiative and the Institute for the Protection of Nature of Serbia produced the study and the official proposal for the protection of 18.6 It took 12 years to reach this point. The initiative to protect this area was launched in 2010. sq km / 7.2 sq mi of the Danube Backwaters in 2014.

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Protection Serbia Protesters Protesting 263

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2020

mi2 of the Danube backwaters in Belgrade, Serbia. This is an uncommon species here – only about a dozen birds overwinter in the country annually. Out of my total of 15 observations ever, this is only the third within Serbia (the rest were half in India, the other half in Greece). And I am in the southeast of Europe.

Serbia 265

Serbia Birds Cyprus Ducks 265

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2022

Once upon a time, vast forests of Quercus robur , known as common, pedunculate, European or English oak blanketed the Sava River floodplain, all the way from Croatia down to the river’s confluence in Belgrade, Serbia. And that is where Q. and I were heading this morning. We had a Common Cuckoo and several Northern Lapwings by the roadside.

Croatia 222

Croatia Serbia Shelters France 222

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 17, 2020

along the Carska Bara Nature Reserve, Serbia, a Common Reed Bunting awaits me on a low branch… and then performs a real dance, twitching its tail sideways and following it in a series of quick steps! Here it is a strictly wintering species, and the first individual I have seen this winter. A way to beat the cold?

Serbia 261

Serbia Deer Birds Woodpeckers 261

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2015

Here is a joint media release: WWF, Decembar 11, 2015 – This December, 3,800 Pygmy Cormorants are wintering by the river Sava in Belgrade, Serbia, representing 2 percent of the global population and 5.4 “The Pygmy Cormorant is a strictly protected bird species in Serbia, as well as in the European Union.

Serbia 180

Serbia Protection Europe 2007 180

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2015

Serbia has a large number of pigeon fanciers and a long history of lack of law enforcement in the field of wildlife crime ( Newsweek on poaching in the Balkans ). This time it is not in Serbia, but in Zurich, Switzerland, where this particular Serbian pigeon fancier / blogger lives. Painting (c) by Paschalis Dougalis.

Switzerland 191

Switzerland Serbia Feral Falcons 191

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2019

Some five years ago I was involved in a project of ecotourism evaluation of the river Danube in Serbia, which included the city of Belgrade, founded at the bank of this river. a British expat birder who was living in Belgrade, for a suggestion: “The top species is undoubtedly White-tailed Eagle. Hence, I asked my friend B.C.,

Serbia 248

Serbia Woodpeckers Albania Eagles 248

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2020

Part of the Labudovo okno Ramsar Wetland and protected within the Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve , this section of the Danube, downriver from Belgrade, Serbia, is unique for its wide shallows, before the river narrows downstream from the village of Ram. eBird list of the recorded species. eBird list of the recorded species.

Mali 264

Mali Serbia Eagles Turtles 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2018

I had just a split-second glimpse of this species – my only second ever – yet immediately knew what is it, but I was driving through a snowbound countryside and had another car behind me, therefore I stopped a good 50 metres later to eBird it. Fortunately, B. managed to see it, his largest owl ever. Am I satisfied?

Owls 104

Owls Greece Serbia Woodpeckers 104

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 Denmark Breeding Russia 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

The majority are clearly Mallards , followed by Garganeys , with one and possibly more Green-winged Teals , also Ferruginous Ducks … Surprises among them are one Common Shelduck , a species that most likely breeds some 15 mi from here (and my first shelduck of the year) and an even greater surprise: two Eurasian Wigeons.

Serbia 164

Serbia Eagles Protection Boars 164

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2014

Some 40 km north of Belgrade, Serbia, I am driving to the very end of an oxbow lake with the intention of looking for the Ruddy Shelducks ( Tadorna ferruginea ) that were found here the day before. I already have a history of searches for this species. Ruddy Shelducks do not normally show up in Serbia.

Serbia 235

Serbia Ducks Poland Kazakhstan 235

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 used to live in Botswana, where there are about 450 bird species in an area a few dozen miles from the capital; then somewhat naively moved back to Serbia with mere 250 species around the capital.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2018

Turning off the asphalt, I enter the Deliblato Sands steppe, between the Danube and the Carpathian Mountains in the northeast of Serbia, where the first bird to greet me is a Northern Wheatear , followed by a Crested Lark. They are quite a rare breeding species in Serbia, declining as we speak, but one pair breeds nearby.

Serbia 121

Serbia Eagles Falcons Breeders 121

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2020

First, 800 km of driving from Belgrade through Bulgaria to very NE corner of Greece and the Dadia Forest National Park with its 36 species of diurnal raptors, out of Europe’s 38. From there to the nearby Evros River Delta, at the very border with Turkey, with more easterly species such as the Spur-winged Plover.

Greece 230

Greece Bulgaria Serbia 2000 230

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2020

It has been a while since I wrote on where to watch birds (unbelievable, I know), and will now focus on the nature reserve of Deliblato Sands and the adjoining Labudovo okno Ramsar Wetland, about an hour east from Belgrade, Serbia. eBird list of the recorded species. the altitude of the Danube) up to 200 m / 650 ft a.s.l.

Europe 223

Europe Serbia Turtles Woodpeckers 223

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2021

Not just mine, but all the most active birders of Belgrade, Serbia, were visiting this site at least 2-3 times a month: it is so conveniently close to the city, and even reachable by the city bus 108. Reva Pond was my favourite local patch until, a few years back, construction works started there.

Otters 260

Otters Protest Protesters Protesting 260

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2014

These days I am busy with something called the “avitourism product“ of Belgrade, Serbia. Defining Belgrade bird specialties is the hard part – there is no defined criterion, beside attractiveness which often comes from how uncommon some species is. Pygmy Cormorant – winter (it breeds in Serbia, but overwinters in Belgrade).

Serbia 174

Serbia Eagles Sparrows Falcons 174

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2014

While there are some two dozen birding spots in Belgrade, Serbia, that stand out, in this guideblog I will focus on the river Danube and its floodplain, inside the Important Bird Area “Confluence of the Sava and the Danube Rivers”. In comparison to the Dorcol Promenade, number of both species and individuals here is smaller.

Serbia 231

Serbia Ducks Birds Eagles 231

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2015

The city of Belgrade, Serbia, has about 1.7 Less than two years ago, I wrote here how I found the 4th GBBG for Serbia. When you count some 40,000 gulls of four species and find the fifth or the sixth species among them, represented by only one individual – that one becomes the most interesting. For the day, at least.

Serbia 166

Serbia Ukraine Europe Birds 166

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2019

eBird doesn’t offer such an option, so I used the second best: the species was observed in one month only. The next specialty is the Red-footed Falcon in the Deliblato Sands Nature Reserve in the east of Serbia: “Two European Rollers await us on the wires, while one Eurasian Hoopoe flies by. No, they weren’t in raspberry fields.)”.

2018 117

2018 Serbia Greece Falcons 117