10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

Nowhere else in Africa do the preconceived ideas of the continent really exist in such living detail; tall, red-robed Maasai herding their skinny cattle, endless grasslands studded with flat-topped Acacia trees and grazed by herds of zebras and wildebeest, and dramatic volcanic calderas brimming with big game and fierce predators!

Tanzania 228

Tanzania Africa Stud Leopards 228

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

Only in Africa is it really easy to see a big variety. Lion – much easier to see than an Aardvark In contrast to East Africa, encounters with mammals while out birding in Europe are relatively few. It was an exciting experience, though a remarkably chilly one, as winters in Castile and León can be very cold.

Fur 199

Fur Bulgaria Otters Estonia 199

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

The Bearded Woodpecker (Mkuze, South Africa) does not really look any more bearded than many other woodpeckers. The name of the Cardinal Woodpecker (Letaba, South Africa) is misleading, as not all of them are Catholic or even cardinals. It is the most widespread woodpecker in Africa, claims the HBW. ”).

Woodpeckers 245

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 245

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

These birds also invite one to sites that are unique within the United States – the climate, vegetation, and landscapes all add context and heighten the experience of seeing one’s first Elegant Trogon or Painted Bunting. North America is home to many amazing bird species, including several which require a special effort to see and appreciate.

America 264

America Arizona North America United States 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2021

My response was to start looking for some portable guide to take with me into the field, and that need was fulfilled by the Birds of Southern Africa illustrated checklist by Ber van Perlo, published by HarperCollins. It is not a concept for a total beginner, more of a reminder to someone with some experience.

Birds 255

Birds Botswana Africa Ecuador 255

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2016

Madikwe , in South Africa, wasn’t a site of importance before it came into existence. And so South Africa’s fifth largest park came to be (it’s worth remembering that its largest park, Kruger, is the size of Israel) on marginal land that no one in particular could do much with. There are very few trees left.

South Africa 159

South Africa Leopards Giraffes Africa 159

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

’s bird family tree in a new tab and follow along as you read. In 2008, Nick Sly published a review of Hackett et al. titled Avian relationships – What do we know? Now it’s late 2014, six and a half years later, and here’s what we know today. Open Jarvis et al.’s Ratites, Tinamous, and Fowl. Jarvis et al.

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2024

Having learned from my Namibian experience I walked away briskly. As an aside, outside Africa “bird parties” are called “mixed feeding flocks” – it says it all, doesn’t it? The reservoir provides drinking water to the town of Chimoio and process water to my client. It’s just the warm-up.

Mozambique 231

Mozambique Birds Ghana Namibia 231

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

But, unlike most books focused on a bird family, this one is organized geographically. Each chapter focuses on a specific geographic area of penguin population: (1) Antarctica, (2) South Georgia, (3) Falkland Islands, (4) South Africa and Tristan de Cunha, (5) New Zealand and Australia, (6) South America and Galapagos. Press, 2011).

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 278

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Adam will be leading 10,000 Birds readers on an amazing odyssey into Africa starting… now! To the uninitiated, Africa conjures up images of underdevelopment, poverty and hardship. I was fortunate to have been born and raised in Africa, and although I have traveled extensively around the world, it remains my home and in my blood.

Papua New Guinea 231

Papua New Guinea Madagascar Africa Equatorial Guinea 231

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

He is also a serious birder (and a birding friend), and his birding observations and adventures are used throughout the book to introduce evolutionary questions and illustrate the mental interplay between personal experience and scientific curiosity. The book is smartly organized into 12 chapters. This is a book that requires attention.

Science 228

Science Albatross Research Birds 228

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

The Trogon family (and order, since the order only includes one family) is quite widespread, being found in all the tropical (and some subtropical) regions of the world. The Elegant Trogon prefers drier habitats, with a predominance of oaks rather than conifers, and in my experience is much harder to find.

Mexico 194

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 194

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2012

Before self-rule it was administered by South Africa and known as South-West Africa. After a brutal colonization that included genocidal campaigns against the Herero (80% killed) and Nama (50% killed) tribes, the Germans lost control when South Africa invaded soon after the declaration of the First World War.

Namibia 260

Namibia Angola Lovebirds South Africa 260

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2019

Perhaps just once in a decade, the UK experiences an invasion of Painted Ladies , Vanessa ( Cynthia) cardui. Any individuals found in Britain are immigrants or progeny of emigrants from Europe and Africa and thus receive exalted status. as I have some from the family in my garden. For that we turn to the Nymphalidae.

Ireland 125

Ireland South America North America Groups 125

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. I’m wondering as I write if you are shaking your head, uneasy that all these FACTS will interfere with your love of observing owls, an experience that easily borders on the mystical for some of us. But what do we know beyond these commonly seen and heard behaviors?

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

Over a decade since I was last there, I am finally heading back to Africa late this year. As has been the case every time I’ve been to Africa before, I won’t be there just for play. Volunteering provides a very different experience to tourism though. Ugandan Mangabeys were part of my family once.

Uganda 162

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

If you had your choice of one bird family to pursue, to seek out and observe and photograph and kvell over, which one would you choose? A passion for one bird family is also very useful. Like all talented travel writers, Dunn is adept at drawing us into his experiences.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

What a way to sum up what is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest birding sites and certainly my favorite in southern Africa. However, the great birding experience that is Sani starts lower down. A family of endangered Wattled Cranes might be a highlight of the lower sections of the Sani Pass road, by Adam Riley.

Lesotho 178

Lesotho Africa Birds Rats 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2019

Getting to actually see four species, in the last two weeks, and to hear two more is almost unheard of in my experience. Last week, a good friend, Dan Weisz gave me a tip on the location of a family of Burrowing Owls that were extremely easy to access. It all started in getting to photograph the Northern Pygmy-owls in Madera Canyon.

Owls 161

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2012

The family Picathartidae consists of two very unusual birds; White-necked or Yellow-headed Picathartes , endemic to the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa; and Gray-necked or Red-headed , restricted to Lower Guinea forests of Central Africa. They are also believed to be related to the Rail-Babbler of Tropical Asia.

Sierra Leone 272

Sierra Leone Ghana Cameroon Equatorial Guinea 272

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

I’m sure you’ve all heard of Africa’s famous Big Five , but do you know there is also an equally fascinating Little Five ? Africa is famous for its large, charismatic mammals, and the Big Five epitomize the most sought-after of these fantastic beasts. This blog post will discuss both the Big and Little members of these quintuplets.

Buffalo 213

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 213

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

So, it sometimes comes to South Africa to relax and enjoy relative anonymity. While hoopoes are in their own family, DNA studies suggest that the hoopoe diverged from hornbills, and the wood-hoopoes and scimitarbills from the hoopoe. Of course, the second explanation makes a lot more sense. USD) net profit per month.”

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences. We saw a smaller member of the potoo family, Northern Potoo , Nyctibius jamaicensis , at Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, boating and birding the Salado River.

Honduras 256

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 256

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

I had spent several holidays with my family in the USA in the 1980′s and then worked in Maine during the summer of 1985-beware the poison ivy and the snapping turtles! We have never been to South Africa, but it is a lovely book to look at and dream! Read about them here but also get out and experience them.

South Africa 159

South Africa United States Austin Alligators 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

Veraguan Mango by Carlos Bethancourt Although the Neotropical region supports fewer bird families than Africa, there are considerably more bird species here than anywhere else on earth. This means that there are some astoundingly large families of birds in Central and South America.

Panama 216

Panama Costa Rica 2011 Cleveland 216

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2020

While I don’t have a lot of experience with tropical terns, I believe that narrows it down to Sandwich Tern ( Thalasseus sandvicensis ), a bird that – while still quite rare in the Northeast – seems to be occurring with greater frequency , along with an increasingly northward incursion of Royal Terns ( Thalasseus maximus ).

India 174

India Squirrels North America America 174

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

I don’t think I’ve ever done a post on my home patch of Cape Town, South Africa. So much so that the two species are placed within their own family, Chaetopidae. If you happen to be lucky enough to find yourself in Cape Town, choose a windless day and experience the magic of this place and its birds.

South Africa 250

South Africa Penguins Birds Africa 250

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2019

I birded Uganda, which was my first time on the continent of Africa. I also spent a week in northwestern Costa Rica on a family vacation, a long weekend in Barbados, a week in Georgia, and two week-plus-long trips to visit relatives in southern California. Such are the travails of a birder traveling with a non-birding family.

2019 142

2019 Barbados Uganda Costa Rica 142

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Growing up within an hour of one of the world’s premier shorebird destinations -- West Coast National Park in South Africa -- helped for sure. Filming the plovers of Estero Lagoon Plovers are a significant part of the shorebird family, comprising 66 species worldwide. Firstly, shorebirds present a significant ID challenge.

Florida 200

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 200

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

The reality is that it’s if pretty difficult to see most penguin species, excepting the wonderfully accessible African Penguins at Boulders Beach outside Cape Town, South Africa and the Galapagos Penguins, ironically one of the rarest and most commonly seen species. That’s a lot of books about a bird family that cannot fly.

Penguins 209

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

Catbirds are not the unfortunate result of unwise experiments with radioactivity. Birds called catbirds include two species in the New World family, Mimidae, four from the bowerbird family, Ptilonorhynchidae, and one from the Old World babblers, Timaliidae. We can start first with what catbirds are not. So what are catbirds?

Papua New Guinea 191

Papua New Guinea Ethiopia Guinea Cats 191

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2016

The following pictures were taken at Hannover Zoo recently, showing just that – feeding and preening, for a family-friendly birding experience. The “Zambezi River” boat tour takes you through the heart of darkness Common Moorhen terrain at Hannover Zoo. Beware of Crocodiles.

Zoos 100

Zoos Germany California Condor Lions 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2011

By age 2 she could identify over 10 species of birds in our Johannesburg, South Africa, yard by call alone. Astounding because she picked up birding before she could speak and surprising because this ability was definitely not inherited from anyone in my family, myself included. And perhaps 20 others by sight.

Birds 279

Birds Game Wildlife Family 279

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa).

Ethiopia 249

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 249

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

Ballantine and Hyman explore how birds communicate and summarize studies on how that communication functions in diverse bird families all over the world. Research experiments are described without citing the names of the researchers themselves or any other background information.

North America 279

North America Research Birds Groups 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

This may be before the Fairy-Wrens developed the ability to detect Cuckoo young in the nest, an ability recently described by ornithologists, or this family may be one of the 60% who don’t detect Cuckoo chicks. .” Elizabeth Coxen was born in England on 18 July 1804 (a significant date since I also was born on July 18th!)

Australia 202

Australia Birds Europe Collecting 202

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

It’s my fantasy and it’s yours: Quit the job, say good-bye to the family, and bird. I get my own idea of the lunacy of Gooddie’s quest when I talk to a friend who has birded Asia and Africa. If it were just the birds, I’d grab my bins and be on the next plane to Asia or Africa. It’s what I dream of every Monday morning.

Hunters 202

Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 202