Birding Western Palearctic

Autumn Thrill

Thumbnail image for Autumn Thrill by YoavPerlman 20 October 2012

Autumn birding in Israel is just as exciting as in spring. The combination of huge numbers of migrants, great species richness and good rarity-hunting means birding is so much fun. While in spring exhausted migrants concentrate in southern Israel after crossing 2000 km of harsh desert before continuing north to their breeding grounds in Eurasia, [...]

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Turkish Delight

Thumbnail image for Turkish Delight by YoavPerlman 28 July 2012

Join Yoav Perlman’s birding experiences in Turkey Last month I went on a short weekend trip with three of my mates to Turkey. Our main target bird was Brown Fish Owl. I am not a keen WP lister but this is an almost mythical bird for Israeli birders. I was born just a few months [...]

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Spring – summer

Thumbnail image for Spring – summer by YoavPerlman 1 July 2012

Yoav Perlman enjoys massive late spring migration and cool breeding birds in Israel In my previous post I went mental about what happened here in March and April, and May was just as good. The massive flood of migrants continued to pour over southern Israel. Huge numbers of migrants were on the ground and overhead. [...]

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How many Longeared Owls fit in a tree?

Thumbnail image for How many Longeared Owls fit in a tree? by DaleForbes 3 June 2012

At least 200. With space for a Short-eared Owl. Well, at least if you are in the little Hungarian town of Hortobagy in Winter. We were in the steppes of Hortobagy earlier this year and our guide – Balazs Szigeti – couldn’t wait to get us in to the quaint village of Hortobagy to show [...]

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Spring mania

Thumbnail image for Spring mania by YoavPerlman 2 May 2012

Yoav Perlman shares his exciting spring migration experiences from southern Israel Israel is world-famous for the huge volume and variety of migration, as entire populations flying between Eurasia and Africe funnel through the country twice a year. This amazing phenomenon is what makes Israel so great for birding, and as a young birder I grew up [...]

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Snowfinch: THE bird of the Alps

Thumbnail image for Snowfinch: THE bird of the Alps by DaleForbes 29 April 2012

The White-winged Snowfinch (Montifringilla nivalis) has got to be just about the most mountain-y bird found in the Alps – occurring exclusively above 1800m above sea level. Where trees stop, the Snowfinch stops. In fact I have only once seen a Snowfinch near a tree and that was in the depth of winter when three [...]

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RSPB Spring Concert in Suffolk

Thumbnail image for RSPB Spring Concert in Suffolk by TomMckinney 23 April 2012

Well this isn’t so much a blogpost, but more a shameless act of bare-arsed, narcissistic self promotion. Anyway, it’s my blogpost, so I can write what I like. On Saturday 28th April the City of London Sinfonia are performing their annual spring concert for the RSPB near Aldeburgh at Snape Maltings in Suffolk. The concert [...]

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* insert witty title with a pun in or something *

Thumbnail image for * insert witty title with a pun in or something * by TomMckinney 2 April 2012

The other day I had an email asking why I haven’t written a post for some time. I was asked whether I’d stopped birding. Well no, I haven’t stopped birding. It is actually possible to go out birding without having to write a blogpost, Tweet or Facebook status update about it. So yes, I am [...]

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Stars of the night

Thumbnail image for Stars of the night by YoavPerlman 27 March 2012

Israel nightbirds Daytime birding in Israel is as exciting as it gets in the WP. Migration in full swing, rarities being found every ten minutes, great birders from all over the world (many Finnsticks among them). But the real action begins when the sun goes down. Night birding is so full of adrenalin. The main [...]

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Sexy Sylvia

Thumbnail image for Sexy Sylvia by YoavPerlman 13 March 2012

Little Brown Jobs? Not Sylvia. Western Palaearctic warblers are terrible birds: Acrocephalus warblers are brown-grey; Hippolais warblers are olive-grey; Phylloscopus warblers are greenish-grey; and Locustellas are just brown. They are a true nightmare for identification, even in the hand. They hybridize and mix. And they just look so boring! If you find some streaks or [...]

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Inspired by Birds

Thumbnail image for Inspired by Birds by TomMckinney 27 February 2012

Here’s a programme I made with producer Jo Meek for BBC Radio 3. It’s available on iPlayer for another 5 days: Inspired by Birds Hope you enjoy it.

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Beautiful winter birding in Bükk Hills, Hungary

Thumbnail image for Beautiful winter birding in Bükk Hills, Hungary by DaleForbes 26 February 2012

Last weekend I got to spend a wonderful day out in the Bükk Hills National Park (Bükki Nemzeti Park) in eastern Hungary. Snowfall overnight had coated the entire area in fluffy white powder, and the clouds had parted to make for absolutely stunning light and beautiful dappled colours pouring through the woodland. and later in [...]

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The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 10

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 10 by TomMckinney 30 January 2012

The Greatest Lie Ever Told by Morton Cubberd Chapter 10 “Liz? What’s going on?” The effects of the tranquiliser dart were wearing off, and Paddy Rogue opened his eyes to see the bloodbath in the parlour of Bramblebay Castle. “Are you okay, Rogue?” Liz asked. “What’s going on?” he slurred. “You were shot with a [...]

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The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 9

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 9 by TomMckinney 27 January 2012

The Greatest Lie Ever Told by Morton Cubberd Chapter 9 Thick red fluid ran along the cracks in the ancient oak floorboards forming deep puddles, deep enough to see your reflection before the puddles dried. Shards of bone, sinew, flesh and bullet holes peppered the walls, spitting specks of deep crimson over centuries of priceless [...]

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The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 8

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 8 by TomMckinney 21 January 2012

  The Greatest Lie Ever Told by Morton Cubberd Chapter 8 Huggins the butler returned to the parlour with a dust pan and brush to clean up the shattered glass from Sir Wilkins Bramblebay’s monocle. Bramblebay was sat on an antique Louis XV bergeres chair, worth tens of thousands of pounds, and straightening out his [...]

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The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 7

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 7 by TomMckinney 18 January 2012

The Greatest Lie Ever Told by Morton Cubberd Chapter 7 Tiny Lizzie McAubrey was running back from the shops. It was a Saturday morning and her mother had allowed her to spend her meagre three pence of pocket money in Skanky Stan’s sweet shop at the end of the road. By the time she got [...]

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The Greatest Lie Ever Told – the story so far

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Lie Ever Told – the story so far by TomMckinney 16 January 2012

Confused as to what’s happened in the previous six chapters? Baffled by the most convoluted nonsensical plot ever dreamed up? Just landed here by mistake and got absolutely no idea what this is all about? Well here’s a synopsis of the story so far. Don’t worry, this whole ridiculous thing should hopefully be wrapped up [...]

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The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 6

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 6 by TomMckinney 9 January 2012

The Greatest Lie Ever Told by Morton Cubberd Chapter 6 Something really wasn’t right at all. Detective Inspector Paddy Rogue was more than accustomed to waking up feeling nauseous and with a thumping headache, but this was altogether more serious. The pulse in his temples was banging harder than David Lombardo from Slayer beating the [...]

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The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 5

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 5 by TomMckinney 5 January 2012

The Greatest Lie Ever Told by Morton Cubberd Chapter 5 Maurice Wagon, Kilmister-on-Belford – DECEASED Jock MacDogkennel, Asstermowth – DECEASED Monty Quim, North Yorkshire – DECEASED Lillian Adverse-Camber, Scurby – DECEASED Richard Tube, Lemmyster – DECEASED Roland Keyboard, Maidenrule-on-Thames – DECEASED Cassy O’watch, Argos – DECEASED Detectives Paddy Rogue and Timmy Keen sat in the [...]

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The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 4

Thumbnail image for The Greatest Lie Ever Told – chapter 4 by TomMckinney 30 December 2011

The Greatest Lie Ever Told by Morton Cubberd Chapter 4 “Please state your names and the purpose of your visit,” the voice said through the intercom. Two closed-circuit surveillance cameras swiveled into position to look down at the two detectives standing at the gated entrance to Bramblebay Castle. “Detectives Paddy Rogue and Timmy Keen,” Rogue [...]

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