10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2014

The list kinds crystalized during my first big trip, on which I knocked off my two big targets (the manta ray and whale shark) but since then beyond seeing an antelope (and then many other different kinds), it hasn’t budged much at all. A beaked whale. Any beaked whale. Hammerhead shark.

Sharks 173

Sharks Leopards Whales Whaling 173

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The boat is called the Legacy and it is an 80 foot whale watching vessel that generally seats 115, but takes about 70 for birding trips. My recollection of prior trips is that we used relatively small fishing boats and had 20-25 birders, plus the leaders. This was much larger.

San Diego 147

San Diego Los Angeles Cooking North Carolina 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Offshore Sea Life ID Guide: West Coast is designed to be a quick, handy resource for use on whale watching and one-day pelagic trips. Tail, fin, blow, and back for whales; fin, back, leaping whole body, and tail splashes for dolphins and porpoises. We saw two Blue Whales on our trip, quickly identified by the boat’s crew.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Whales Whaling Porpoises 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Soon afterwards a confident shout heralds the sighting of the first albatross of the day… This is usually a Shy Albatross as sweeps in slow and graceful flight over the wake before veering away on motionless wings giving all the opportunity to see the characteristic axillary ‘thumb-print’ on the mainly white underwing.

Albatross 182

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 182

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

And then there are the crazy-awesome Dippers and one should not forget the great diving birds like Gannets and Albatrosses. Looking through some of my photos from my last trip to Thailand, I got to wondering what birds the various fish and creatures would be if they were feathered.

Sharks 193

Sharks Thailand Dolphins Fish 193

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

Yes, the same Kaikoura I keep banging on about that is a great place to see albatrosses. But mostly it was that I had swam with dolphins a bunch of times already, usually in crystal clear tropical waters, and money was a bit tight after seeing sperm whales and albatrosses, so I decided to enjoy the Hector’s Dolphins from the boat.

Dolphins 155

Dolphins Sharks New Zealand Albatross 155

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

In Hawaii I stood on a beach as albatrosses fledged and Tiger Sharks prowled for the less successful ones. In California I smelt the breath a Blue Whale as it passed feet beneath my boat. This Laysan Albatross died from ingested plastic. In the Bahamas I swam in a pod of feeding dolphins. I still have that marker.

Uganda 161

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2012

Along with Humpback Whales you have the chance of seeing Antipodean Albatrosses , Wilson’s Storm-petrels and Providence Petrels. Antipodean Albatross ( Diomedea antipodensis gibsoni ) off the continental shelf. Monthly pelagic trips leave from the city, and the nearby town of Wollongong, out to the continental shelf.

Australia 164

Australia Albatross Birds Pelicans 164

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

Rats had previously preyed on eggs and young of practically every defenseless seabird on the island, and had taken to even attacking adult albatross as they sat on their nests. Albatross chicks will no longer have to endure slowly getting eaten alive, unlike this poor bird.

Animal Rights Movement 210

Animal Rights Movement Animal Rights Rights Wildlife 210

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2014

Albatrosses. Then I got tired and lied down and when I woke up two hours, a Bridled Tern , a Minke Whale , and a Loggerhead Sea Turtle had went by. Red Phalarope – The last phalarope for me to see, this bird was a long shot as it was a bit too early to expect one. I could dream though! European Storm-Petrel. It was awesome.

New York 179

New York Sea Turtles Whales Whaling 179

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

At sea there are also New Zealand Sea Lions and Southern Right Whales. Creative Commons Attribution Share-alike) Dunedin You don’t have to go very far to see spectacular seabirds in this southern city, the adjoining Otago Peninsula is home to the only mainland colony of albatrosses in the world.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Seals 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

It was somewhere after the Cassin’s Auklets and before the Black-footed Albatrosses that I realized I was doomed to be seasick no matter how many meds and ginger chews I ingest (and, no, the patch doesn’t work either). But, I saw the bird! I even managed to get a single photo. (9) 9) Cory’s Shearwater.

2016 110

2016 India Ducks Birds 110

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

It is acceptable to point out other sea creatures–dolphins or whales or dragonflies–but the main goal is the observation and identification of the birds. Extreme rarities, such as Yellow-nosed Albatross are excluded. It is a challenging activity. No rails or gallinules. There are Eiders, King and Common.

Ducks 233

Ducks Groups Species North America 233