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Vultures are large birds of prey that can be found in many parts of the world. They play an important role in the ecosystem, as they help to keep the environment clean by scavenging dead animals. There are several different species of vultures, each with its own unique characteristics. In recent years, vultures have been under threat due to habitat loss, illegal hunting, and the use of poisons. To help protect these magnificent creatures, many conservation groups are working to raise awareness and educate people about the importance of vultures. Here, you can find the latest news, articles, and videos about vultures.
No rain in Spain - 10,000 Birds
My aunt Greet gave me a book in 1975 that featured the 60 most endangered birds in Europe. Amazingly and quite contrary to what you would believe from the gloomy news most of these birds have since recovered and are doing well. Europe lost the Buttonquail (but abundant in Africa) but the Griffon, Cinereous Vulture
The Changing Fortunes of Europe’s Vultures – Part 1 - 10,000 Birds
By Clive Finlayson Growing up in Gibraltar, it is impossible not to notice large birds of prey, in the thousands, overhead. That, and his father’s influence, got Clive hooked on birds from a very young age. His passion for birds took him eventually to the Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology at Oxford University where
The Changing Fortunes of Europe’s Vultures – Part 2 - 10,000 Birds
I left my previous article asking what of the Yellow-legged gulls that had alerted me to the presence of migrating vultures over Gibraltar? Yellow-legged Gulls Larus michahellis breed on the Rock of Gibraltar and the late spring arrival of Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus coincides with the time that the gulls have chicks on their nests.
The Changing Fortunes of Europe’s Vultures – Part 3 The Egyptian Vulture - 10,000 Birds
The Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus has been one of my favourite birds since I was little. Look at it close up and it does look grotesque. I couldn’t describe it better than Willoughby Verner did in his book “My Life Among the Wild Birds in Spain” published in 1909: “It is when the Egyptian Vulture
Watching a Red-tailed Hawk nest - 10,000 Birds
Sometimes, patience and determination are rewarded. This is what happened to the hapless pair of Red-tailed Hawks who were nesting on the nearby hospital’s chimney’s catwalk. On 28 April, looking through my spotting scope, I saw a fuzzy, white head rising above the edge of their nest. I call them hapless because it took them four years to have a viable nesting season. I have been watching them each year from our 18th-floor condo in Toronto, Canada. The first year, the female sat on the nest from the beginning of March to the end of May before abandoning the nest. The next year, the catwalk underwent repairs and the nest was removed. The third year, the pair dropped a few sticks on the catwalk but didn’t do anything more. This year was different. At the beginning of April, we returned home from being away to see a big nest sitting on the platform. The female was positioned low and snug on the nest, even through all the month’s wind and rain. I’ve read that both parents will incubate the eggs, but I like to think that the female is more likely to be doing that. I saw her poking around in the nest which made me think she was turning the eggs. The male brought her food which I saw her eating. Also, he defended their territory. On 12 April, I watched him escort a pair of Turkey Vultures away from the nest. On the days before hatching, the male appeared to be bringing more food to the nest. The female was restless and kept looking into the nest. On 3 May, I saw the female feeding two nestlings. This was an exciting surprise because before that I had seen only one head popping up. So far, the pair has taken good care of the nestlings. I don’t always see the male dropping off food, but I see the female feeding the young. She rips off small bits which they take from her and gobble down. Afterward, I see the female fluff herself up before she broods the nestlings. In my next column, I will share more of my observations about the hawk family. Cover photo taken from Pexels. Other photos by Kinrys family.
Closing in on the Magic Double Century - 10,000 Birds
Six months of the year have now slipped by, so time to review the state of my bird lists – my UK list, and my European list. Three months ago the former was on 139, but it’s now grown to 180, while the European list was 173, but has now reached a much more satisfactory 303. 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. An everyday bird, the Woodpigeon. This one was photographed in my garden on a wet day in April. One tends to take woodies for granted Brown but not boring: a Meadow Pipit An everyday bird it might be, but the cock Blackbird’s song is one of the best. Blackbirds sing from February through to July My UK list is, in reality, an English list, as I haven’t wandered into the adjoining countries of Wales, Scotland and Ireland this year, and I have no plans to do so. Until last month it was an East Anglian list, as I hadn’t ventured far from home, but a trip to Northern England last month did add some northern specials, such as Dipper and Puffin. That trip was fun, as it reminded me of the delights of watching birds like Golden Plover and even Meadow Pipit on their breeding grounds. I see lots of Golden Plovers in the winter, but (like so many waders) they are birds transformed when in their breeding finery. Golden Plovers are so much more handsome when in full breeding plumage I’ve seen a mere 21 species of waders in the UK this year, compared with 35 in Europe, and it shouldn’t be difficult to add several of the birds I’ve seen in Europe to my UK list in the next few weeks, as autumn passage gains pace. I haven’t, for example, seen a Greenshank in the UK, nor a Spotted Redshank or Wood Sandpiper, all three of which are relatively easy to see on the Norfolk or Suffolk coasts in July and August. To be honest, this does highlight the slightly ridiculous practice of keeping two lists – why not just one? The answer is because BirdTrack (the bird- recording system I use most) reminds me whenever I log-in on the state of my British list, but I have to scroll down to Explore Data to check on how my overall World list (just Europe this year) is progressing. Wood Sandpiper. This bird was in Cyprus in April; I have yet to see one this year in the UK There are, inevitably, a few birds that I really should have encountered by now but have failed to do so. I have seen only a single species of diver (loon) this year, Red-throated, but if I try hard enough it shouldn’t be too difficult to add Great Northern and Black-throated to the list by the end of the year. Nor have I see a skua (jaeger) of any species. Both Great and Arctic Skuas are not difficult to find in Norfolk in September, as they are attracted by the tern colonies as they migrate south. Pomarine and Long-tailed Skuas are also possibilities, and the former occasionally winter in the North Sea, off the Suffolk/Norfolk coast. Though I have seen Red-throated Diver this year, I have yet to find either a Black-throated or Great Northern anywhere There are a number of birds that I’ve encountered just the once, but they were memorable encounters. One of the best was the Long-eared Owl which floated past me one evening when I was out looking for Nightjars on my local heath. It was too dark for photography, but great to see. Equally memorable was the Corncrake, rasping away at dusk on the Welney Washes in late June. Two centuries ago Corncrakes were common birds in Britain, but we now only have a small remnant population that survives on the islands of the Hebrides. The Corncrake I heard was part of a reintroduction project. For some people this devalues the bird, but it doesn’t for me, while this was the first time that I’d ever heard a Corncrake singing in England, with all my recent encounters in Eastern Europe. Crakes are among the most elusive of birds, and none are easy to see in the UK. In Cyprus in April I delighted in watching several Little Crakes plus a splendid Baillon’s Crake, all of which proved easy to see, if not photograph. Spring migration is the best time to see these secretive birds, as once on the breeding grounds they tend to stay in cover and rarely show themselves. Crakes are difficult to see on their breeding grounds. This Little Crake was on migration in Cyprus Raptors are always exciting to encounter, and I was delighted earlier in the year to enjoy a couple of sightings of wandering White-tailed Eagles in Norfolk. I haven’t done well with Golden Eagles, with just a single bird, seen briefly, in Greece, in May. For the first time in many visits I failed to see Griffon Vultures on Cyprus, where they are seriously endangered, but I have seen many in Spain this year in Andalucia and both Cantabria and Castile y León. Northern Spain also produced my best views of Honey Buzzards (I did see one briefly in Greece in May). Two years ago three summered in Norfolk, and I saw them several times, but there have been no reports this year, so this is one bird that seems unlikely to be added to my 2024 UK list. A wandering White-tailed Eagle in Norfolk in April. This was an unexpected encounter Griffon Vulture: common in Spain, but seriously endangered in Cyprus Shrikes are one of my favourite families of birds. My first shrike of the year was a Great Grey in the Brecks in March, not too far from home, while Kerkini in Greece gave me the opportunity...