SmartBirds
Over the past weekend, European Birdwatch brought together thousands of bird enthusiasts in 34 countries across Europe and Central Asia. At events organised locally, participants had the opportunity to witness the spectacular autumn migration of millions of birds heading to their wintering grounds.
The first consolidated data reveal the scale of this year’s event. Twenty-eight BirdLife Partners submitted data from 927 events, involving 23,667 participants and recording 4.8 million birds. All national data were collected and processed by the event’s coordinating partner, which this year was BirdLife Slovakia.
TOP 3 – most events
- MME/BirdLife Hungary (176)
- Vogelbescherming Nederland (150)
- Natuurpunt/Natagora Belgium (87)
TOP 3 – most participants
- MME/BirdLife Hungary (3,807)
- SVS/BirdLife Switzerland (3,414)
- HOS/BirdLife Greece (2,800)
TOP 3 – most observed birds
- BirdLife Finland (1.6 million)
- BirdLife Sweden (742,877)
- MME/BirdLife Hungary (628,635)
TOP 3 – most abundant bird species
- Barnacle Goose (Branta leucopsis) (750,000)
- Common Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) (515,000)
- Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) (428,000)
In Bulgaria, more than 150 people took part in the nine events organised over the two-day weekend, recording more than 21,000 birds. The three most numerous species were Common Starling (3,000 individuals), Common Shelduck (2,280) and Eurasian Coot (1,320).
Among the notable observations recorded in the country were Red-throated Diver, Red-breasted Flycatcher, White-backed Woodpecker, Osprey, Eurasian Spoonbill, Golden Eagle and White-tailed Eagle.
Photo: BSPB
Rare and Interesting Observations
This year, numerous interesting sightings of rare species were once again recorded across different parts of the continent. Highlights included a mass migration of Red-flanked Bluetails, as well as sightings of Richard’s Pipit and Green Warbler in Belgium, Denmark and the Netherlands. Yellow-browed Warblers were recorded in Denmark, Switzerland and Malta. In Greece, more than 73 Lesser White-fronted Geese and three Egyptian Vultures were observed, while notable sightings in Italy included Bonelli’s Eagle and Marbled Duck. Several species that are exceptionally rare in the region were recorded in Scandinavia, including Cream-coloured Courser and Black-faced Bunting. In Turkey, an intense migration of birds of prey was recorded, including 1,128 Lesser Spotted Eagles.
For the 34th year, European Birdwatch once again demonstrated how spectacular autumn migration can be and how much can be learned about birds when observers across Europe collect data simultaneously.
The initiative is implemented within the framework of the “Together for Nature: Citizens for a Green Future” project, supported by the Swiss-Bulgarian Cooperation Programme, the Citizen Engagement and Transparency Mechanism (CETM) 2024–2029. The views and opinions expressed are solely those of the participants in the discussions and do not necessarily reflect those of the Governments of Switzerland and Bulgaria.
