EuroBirdwatch 2009
Enjoying birds across Europe…

Report on the EuroBirdwatch09 weekend (3 & 4 October):
"Thousands of Europeans said goodbye to the travelling birds….”

Despite the stormy weather across Europe over the past weekend, more than 63.000 adults and children from 35 countries set out to bid farewell tobirds as many flew south for the winter. BirdLife organizations from Portugal to Turkey and from Malta to Norway together organised more than 1700 different events, ranging from bird watching excursions for young and old to bird ringing demonstrations.

A total number of 2.640.944 birds were counted during the past weekend. Russia recorded most sightings in the whole of Europe (nearly 900.000) followed by Hungary(495.453). Russia also held most events (837) and Spain attracted most visitors in Europe(30.000). Each country gave their top three of observed birds. The most frequent number one on those lists was European Starling (Sturnus Vulgaris). Second and third positions went out to the Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and the Coot (Fulica atra).”

- BirdLife's Press Release EuroBirdwatch 2009 (6 October)
- European Results of EuroBirdwatch 2009
- BirdLife press release announcing EuroBirdwatch (17 Sept)

Well-known travellers across Europe

 

Jose Sousa

The barn swallow: a sign of summer Barn swallows arrive in the Europe mid-April, having flown 10,000 km from their winter quarters in southern Africa. The journey takes about four weeks. By early May, most swallows have started breeding. The Barn swallow is well known for symbolising the start of summer in Europe. By early September, most Swallows are preparing to migrate. They flutter about restlessly, and often gather on telegraph wires. But a few stragglers may hang around into October. The return journey to Africa takes about six weeks.

The White stork: the mythical migrant White storks migrate during the winter to the south – they have to look for food that is not easy to find in the northern parts of Europe. Some of them spend their winter in the south of Spain, and some of them go further south to the central Africa. They can travel up to 12 000 km! In autumn you can see flocks of up to 10 000 birds at a time! According to European mythology, the 'stork' is responsible for bringing babies to new parents….

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