Bird Observer – by Gyorgy Szimuly (Szimi)

Study reveals new technique to identify individual night-flying birds for the first time Millions of birds invisibly migrate through the night sky each autumn, most flying in near silence toward their wintering grounds. Now, scientists have developed a way to see and identify many of thos...

phys.org/news/2026-03...

How We Plan Birding Through Colombia How do you plan a birding journey through one of the most diverse countries on Earth? This is the method we used for our Colombia trip.

How do you plan a birding journey through one of the most diverse countries on Earth?
This is the method we used for our Colombia trip.
bird-observer.org/how-we-plan-...

#birds #ornithology #birding #birdobserver #tropicalbirding

Introducing the Thousand Birder Circle The Thousand Birder Circle is a new way for readers to support thoughtful ornithological writing and the continued development of The Ornithologist.

The Thousand Birder Circle is a new way for readers to support thoughtful ornithological writing and the continued development of The Ornithologist.

Introducing the Thousand Birder Circle theornithologist.org/introducing-...

#birds #birding #TheOrnithologist #ornithology

What Happens When You Stop Chasing Birds Observing birds carefully — and repeatedly — can reveal far more about a landscape than chasing the next rare sighting.

I’ve launched Bird Observer on Substack.

A new space for field notes and reflections on birds, landscapes, and bird conservation.

The first post explores what happens when we stop chasing birds and start watching a place instead.

open.substack.com/pub/gyorgysz...

#birding #birds #ornithology

Bird Observer A personal birding journal exploring field observations, ornithological ideas, conservation thinking, and the quiet discipline of watching birds.

A life observed through birds: Field Notes, Birding, Ornithology & Ideas
Free to sign up.

bird-observer.org
#birding #birds #ornithology #birdconservation #birdobserver

Where People Live, Hooded Vultures Survive – For Now New research shows that just 11.6% of The Gambia remains highly suitable for Hooded Vultures – and most of it lies within human landscapes.

New research shows that just 11.6% of The Gambia remains highly suitable for Hooded Vultures – and most of it lies within human landscapes.

theornithologist.org/where-people...

#TheOrnithologist #birds #birding #birdconservation #hoodedvulture #vultureconservation

The Slender-billed Curlew I Knew Might Vanish — And Did A personal reflection on the extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew and what the decline of the European Turtle Dove reveals about acting before it is too late.

A personal reflection on the extinction of the Slender-billed Curlew and what the decline of the European Turtle Dove reveals about acting before it is too late.

bird-observer.org/the-slender-...

#birds #birding #ornithology #BirdObserver #slender-billedcurlew #birdconservation

Upstream of Science: The Role of Bird Art in Understanding — An Interview with Szabolcs Kókay How wildlife art and illustrations shape memory, education, and the foundations of ornithology — an interview with wildlife artist, Szabolcs Kókay.

How wildlife art and illustrations shape memory, education, and the foundations of ornithology — an interview with wildlife artist, Szabolcs Kókay.

theornithologist.org/upstream-of-...

#ornithology #birds #wildlifeartist #birdart #TheOrnithologist #birding #kokayart

Bird Observer A personal birding journal exploring field observations, ornithological ideas, conservation thinking, and the quiet discipline of watching birds.

Bird Observer is my personal journal on birds, birding, ornithology, conservation & my bird-related projects, and it’s completely free to read. The portal requires a subscription with the FREE tier for reader management only.

bird-observer.org

#birds #birding #ornithology #birdwatching

An African Finfoot and a Twenty-One-Year-Old Promise The African Finfoot and a Twenty-One-Year-Old Promise. Two continents, two moments, one ethical lesson in birding. A new reflection on Bird Observer.

The African Finfoot and a Twenty-One-Year-Old Promise.
Two continents, two moments, one ethical lesson in birding.
A new reflection on Bird Observer.

bird-observer.org/an-african-f...

#birdwatching #birds #birdingtrip #birding #TheGambia #birdobserver

The Ornithologist Launches ‘Conceptual Notes’: Exploring the Unanswered Questions in Ornithology A new Conceptual Notes series in The Ornithologist explores the questions and uncertainties that sit just beyond conventional scientific publishing.

A new Conceptual Notes series in The Ornithologist explores the questions and uncertainties that sit just beyond conventional scientific publishing.

theornithologist.org/conceptual-n...

#TheOrnithologist #Birds #Birding #BirdScience #ornithology

White-throated Dippers are already very territorial and start singing in the streams of Southern Uplands, Scotland. Shot by an iPhone.

#birds #birding #whitethroateddipper #scottishbirds #scotland #ornithology

Despite our struggles with our car, we loved it. I’ve never seen the Milky Way so clearly than there. 😍

Beautiful. 😊

A New Continent at Thirty: Notes from a Moroccan Birding Trip A 30th birthday in Morocco. From Atlantic cliffs to desert plains, following the PatchBird Explorer method – and finally meeting a long-awaited Cream-coloured Courser.

A father–son journey through Morocco at thirty – landscapes, method, missed species, and a long-awaited Cream-coloured Courser.

bird-observer.org/notes-from-a...

#birds #birding #PatchBird #PatchBirdExplorer #ornithology #AfricanBirds #Morocco #BirdingTrip #birdwatching

How European Is the European Roller? A short conceptual note on naming, migration, and the European Roller’s shifting centre of gravity.

CORRECTION!
A short conceptual note on naming, migration, and the European Roller’s shifting centre of gravity.

theornithologist.org/how-european...

#Birding #ornithology #TheOrnithologist

Despite winter is back, birds are already holding territories in the Southern Uplands. Greylag Goose, White-throated Dippers and Northern Lapwings.

#birds #birding #Scotland

Is Woodpecker Drumming More Than Noise? We hear woodpecker drumming everywhere, but rarely ask what it truly signals. This Conceptual Note looks at what we know — and what we don’t.

We hear woodpecker drumming everywhere, but rarely ask what it truly signals. This Conceptual Note looks at what we know — and what we don’t.

theornithologist.org/is-woodpecke...

#birds #birding #Woodpeckers #TheOrnithologist #ornithology

American Oystercatchers Take to the Rooftops: A Desperate Response to a Shrinking Coastline American Oystercatchers are nesting on Florida rooftops as beaches disappear—an extraordinary but precarious response to coastal development.

American Oystercatchers are nesting on Florida rooftops as beaches disappear — an extraordinary but precarious response to coastal development.

theornithologist.org/american-oys...

#ornithology #TheOrnithologist #Shorebirds #Waders #ShorebirdConservation #Birds #Birding

Appeal for citizen scientists to track oystercatchers The Marine Institute is seeking the help of "citizen scientists" to track the movements of oystercatcher birds in Dundalk Bay.

www.rte.ie/news/regiona... #birds

At Risk in the Canopy: The Vulnerability of Hungary’s Nesting White-backed Woodpeckers Among Hungary’s last mature forests, the elusive White-backed Woodpecker faces mounting threats. This piece explores their fragility, habitat pressures, and why their conservation matters more than ev...

Among Hungary’s last mature forests, the elusive White-backed Woodpecker faces mounting threats. This piece explores their fragility, habitat pressures, and why their conservation matters more than ever.

bird-observer.org/the-vulnerab...

#birding #birds #ornithology #woodpeckers

PatchBird Surveys | Surveying the Overlooked Landscape The PatchBird Surveys advances bird conservation through citizen science and structured patch birding. Using the eBird platform and a standardised survey method tied to UTM grids, PatchBird collects c...

The BirdUTM Project has been renamed to PatchBird Surveys.
www.patchbird.org

Standing Still: How PatchBird Changed the Way I Bird What began as a personal adjustment changed the way I bird — and how fifteen minutes of stillness can reveal far more than constant movement.

What began as a personal adjustment changed the way I bird — and how fifteen minutes of stillness can reveal far more than constant movement.
bird-observer.org/standing-sti...

#birding #patchbird #patchbirdsurveys #birdobserver #birds #ornithology

Sound-based surveys uncover fine-scale habitat selection in the declining Crested Tit Listening to forests can change how habitat quality is understood. A Finnish study shows Crested Tits respond to fine-scale forest structure rather than forest age.

Listening to forests can change how habitat quality is understood.
A Finnish study shows Crested Tits respond to fine-scale forest structure rather than forest age.

theornithologist.org/fine-scale-h...

#TheOrnithologist #Birds #Birding #ornithology

The Ornithologist The Ornithologist is an independent online magazine exploring bird science, conservation, migration, and the fascinating world of birds – delivered through thoughtful articles and expert insights.

Most people see birds.
Few understand what they’re really doing.

Discover the deeper stories behind birdlife at The Ornithologist.
theornithologist.org

Globally, no single day in 2025 was cooler than its 1991-2020 average.
climate.copernicus.eu/global-clima...

Choosing Survival: Habitat Shifts in Wintering Taiga Bean Geese When winter bites, survival becomes a question of access, not abundance. New research shows how Taiga Bean Geese rely on winter cereal fields during the harshest cold spells.

When winter bites, survival becomes a question of access, not abundance. New research shows how Taiga Bean Geese rely on winter cereal fields during the harshest cold spells.

theornithologist.org/habitat-shif...

#ornithology #TheOrnithologist #birds #birding

Two anchor dates to join PatchBird in 2026 PatchBird Surveys have always been about flexibility. You choose when to survey, and how deeply you want to be involved. That will not change. In 2026, however, we are introducing two optional anchor ...

Two easy ways to join PatchBird in 2026 — no long-term commitment.

We’re introducing two optional anchor dates:
• Midwinter Counts (17–18 Jan)
• Global Big Day (9 May)

One grid or more, one 15-minute survey per grid – full flexibility.

Details:
www.patchbird.org/post/two-anc...

Bound by Coastlines: Genetics and the Hidden Structure of Mexico’s American Oystercatchers Genetic data from Mexico’s coastlines reveal that American Oystercatchers are far more anchored to place than their mobility suggests.

Genetic data from Mexico’s coastlines reveal that American Oystercatchers are far more anchored to place than their mobility suggests.

theornithologist.org/genetics-and...

#TheOrnithologist #ornthology #Shorebirds #birds #Birding

Cormorants: Evolutionary Failure or Underwater Mastermind? Cormorants are often dismissed as poorly designed divers because their feathers let in water. This article reveals why that “flaw” is actually a refined evolutionary strategy, contrasting their diving...

Cormorants’ wettable feathers look like an evolutionary mistake, yet they form a brilliantly efficient diving strategy unlike ducks, loons or penguins.

theornithologist.org/cormorants-e...

#TheOrnithologist #ornithology #evolution #Birds #birding