10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2019

This week offers the ideal opportunity to look back at your most recent wildlife watching adventures; next weekend, the game begins anew. I recently despaired of ending this calendar year without seeing a single Wild Turkey when that species used to be so reliable in my part of New York. How about you?

2019 140

2019 Nevada Turkey New York 140

4 The Love Of Animals

NOVEMBER 24, 2011

Nat Geo Wild is airing an amazing show tonight called Shark Attack Experiment: LIVE! It is home to some of the most concentrated and diverse shark populations in the world, including species with a reputation for attacking people, such as great white, bull, tiger, black tip, ragged tooth and dusky sharks. Will you be tuning in?

Sharks 100

Sharks Experience Experiments South Africa 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2019

Of what he did see, a pair of Bald Eagles at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge was the highlight, a species that didn’t used to be around in June in Queens at all. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. So, Bald Eagles as his Best Bird of the Weekend. How about you?

2019 115

2019 Bald Eagle Jamaica Eagles 115

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2015

Corey had quite a few species to choose from this weekend but decided that his Best Bird of the Weekend was the simple Tree Swallow. In particular, he picked one of the many that has already staked out a claim to a nest box at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. This time, we spotted two shaggy cranes flying across the wetlands.

2015 188

2015 Jamaica New York Birds 188

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2017

For example, I saw all kinds of special species this weekend, but nothing impressed me more than displays of the tyranny of tiny birds. Corey enjoyed visits to the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge on both Saturday and Sunday. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2017 113

2017 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2015

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend could have been any of a multitude of species spotted on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2015 145

2015 Baltimore Jamaica New York 145

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2018

Not only did I bag the beautiful bird I expected, but I also encountered a tasty species I never expect there until I see it every year: Olive-sided Flycatcher. Speaking of OSFL, Corey had quite a haul of species to choose from this weekend after leading two walks for New York City Audubon and doing a ton of birding on his own on Sunday.

New York City 100

New York City 2018 Jamaica New York 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2016

I got a good dose of seaducks this weekend up at the mouth of Irondequoit Bay; the most interesting species amidst the mixed flocks was a lone Bufflehead hobnobbing with Common Goldeneyes. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Such a rare bird is always a good sighting!

2016 101

2016 ALA Arizona Horses 101

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2017

It could have been any of those from among the over 100 species that crossed Corey’s path this weekend but of them all he chose the singing Henslow’s Sparrow at the Shawangunk Grasslands National Wildlife Refuge as this state-threatened species is hard to see and it gave Corey the best looks he ever had of the species.

2017 101

2017 Louisiana Birds Breeding 101

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2013

The natural attractions of midsummer seem more subtle than those enjoyed during the frantic peregrinations of the world’s migratory species. Of course, the reasons why robins might mob a crow are obvious, but I never attributed a mob mentality to that species! How refined are your tastes in nature? How about you?

2013 155

2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 155

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2017

Corey had a great Saturday morning on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge which has still not filled back up after being drawn down for shorebird season this summer. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Better lay out some suet once the real cold arrives.

2017 100

2017 Neglecting Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2022

So armed with some knowledge from the “ Access Considerations for Birding Locations ” page on the Birdability website and some research, I twice visited the Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge near Portland, Oregon with accessibility in mind. It is an eye-opening experience to view a familiar place from a new perspective.

Portland 199

Portland Oregon Laws Experience 199

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2014

I’ve only been in Virginia Beach for a few days and I’ve already knocked down most of my targets, including Blue Grosbeak and Yellow-breasted Chat at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge. It is the first record of this invasive species for New York City and it served as a nice contrast to the hordes of pigeons in the neighborhood.

New York City 166

New York City 2014 Breeders Virginia 166

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2013

With the foresight to get my taxes taken care of early, I was free to enjoy the cold spring weather and lingering winter species around here. He was walking along a trail at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge when he saw a flash of yellow up ahead. It’s nice to see that Red-breasted Nuthatches still haunt my home turf.

2013 197

2013 United States Jamaica Birds 197

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2013

Of course we should seek reasons to celebrate every bird species we share our weekends with, but is the species that delights us most always the most memorable? He was very pleased to get such close looks at such a cool shorebird species with the sun low in the sky behind him. What was your best (or worst) bird of the weekend?

2013 173

2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 173

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2016

Even though I only had an hour before work, I racked up just about all the warblers I wanted; any weekend I see a Blackburnian Warbler , I know which species is my favorite. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2016 100

2016 Jamaica New York Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2016

This weekend, millions of people, young and old alike, were driven to explore the most unlikely corners of the world in a relentless, unquenchable thirst to track down species they hadn’t ticked before. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

2016 100

2016 Michigan Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2015

Coincidentally, this species was Corey’s Best Bird exactly one year ago. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2015 162

2015 Jamaica Canada Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2012

My weekend was devoted to a seemingly endless celebration of my son’s 8th birthday, which meant that my best bird was bound to be a backyard species. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his first Osprey in New York State this year, seen perched on a nesting platform at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in early morning fog on Saturday.

2012 175

2012 Jamaica New York Birds 175

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Newly surrounded by wildlife, he found his love of birds reignited. His blog is still intermittently updated at www.underclearskies.com. In my experience non-birders connect with the travel, visiting beautiful places and spectacle of birding and hawkwatching often entails all three.

Bald Eagle 244

Bald Eagle Los Angeles Connecticut Eagles 244

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2016

So close to the pole only a handful of bird species can survive, and even so, death toll is very high, hence their populations must be huge (millions). There are 11 species of birds that breed in the Ross Sea region. Finally – the Seabirds. As a consequence, the Ross Sea has one of the highest concentrations of seabirds in the world.

Russia 178

Russia Penguins Whales Whaling 178

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2017

For most readers of this blog, Pete Dunne hardly needs an introduction. Instead it’s one you’re likely to turn to on coming home after a long day to find out a bit more about one of the species you spotted – or to consult before a trip to learn the little quirks of a target species.

North America 103

North America Falcons America Eagles 103

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2012

I’ll admit that I rarely reach 20 bird species a day, especially this time of year. This weekend, however, I needed to take my mind off all those gaudy birds Corey was scoping down at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2012 163

2012 Birds Medical Owls 163

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

If you don’t have a blog either give a 100-word description of your Best Bird of the Year in the comments below or email a description to corey AT 10000birds DOT com by 31 December (you can include an image if you want – just make it a maximum of 630 pixels across). My best bird of the year is based on the sighting rather than the species.

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

For Corey, this was a weekend without a single standout species but with many birds that were pretty darn neat. The Snow Geese at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge will soon be winging their way north, so he spent some quality time with them, his best birds of the weekend. Though I only managed a rather poor photo for the blog!)

2011 133

2011 Deer Birds Owls 133

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2012

A whole bunch of you responded and shared your best birds either in blog post form, email form, or in our comments. I even managed to shoot a video with hands trembling of excitement, probably a first of the species. I have chronicled the experience on my blog. It was a mythical bird I didn’t ever expect to see.

2012 133

2012 Ghana Ireland Birds 133

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Finally, the Similan Islands are perhaps one of the most beautiful islands in the world and form a stunning backdrop to this species, one of the loveliest pigeons in the world. The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY. I also blogged about that dreamy day. Adam’s BBOTY – Lammergeier.

2014 194

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

The USVI are smaller and have fewer habitats and, as a result, fewer bird species. There are arguments for adding all territories, but experience demonstrates that the ABA moves glacially when it comes to the ABA Area. Herbert Rafaelle includes 284 species in his field guide , which covers both territories.) Postal Service.

Puerto Rico 160

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 160

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

If you don’t have a blog either give a 100-word description of your Best Bird of the Year in the comments below or email a description to corey AT 10000birds DOT com by 24 December (you can include an image if you want – just make it a maximum of 600 pixels across). To that end please follow the directions below. Sound good?

2012 153

2012 Birds Guatemala Florida 153

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

Corey encountered a bunch of winners, but 24 Common Redpolls at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, in almost the exact same spot he saw them a couple of years ago, feeding on birch inflorescence by the East Pond, were easily his best birds of the weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2011 155

2011 New York Deer Birds 155

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2016

Both are declining species who have attracted the attention of birders and conservationists, and both are hanging on, showing the remarkable spirit that I think characterizes New Yorkers throughout the state. Neither is Gyrfalcon, and I’m hoping we will see much more of both species so Corey will have to write an expanded 2nd edition.

New York 100

New York Bald Eagle Birds New York City 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Thankfully the days of visiting Africa purely for slaughtering its wildlife have mostly come to a merciful end, and safari operators have adopted the Big Five term to market tours that offer sightings of the fortunate remanants of Africa’s once teeming great herds.

Buffalo 209

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 209

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Also, I somehow doubt that whether I am stuck at work or not really influences how everyone else experiences spring but this is my blog post so I can use whatever criteria I want to measure how well spring has gone. Spotting 57 species of birds in the couple of hours we put in to seeking out birds was never so ho-hum in my life.

New York City 165

New York City New York Walruses Birds 165

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

Informed literature bears out my experience that most birds are seen singly or in pairs. The resolution has been reduced for the blog, but in high-res, 2 or 3 dark filaments are visible. The nom de blog Redgannet was adopted to add an air of mystery and to make himself more attractive to women. Very interesting species.

2011 188

2011 Deer India New York 188

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2011

Or These Blasts From The Past A Birding High For Lowe’s Best Bird of the Weekend (Second of March 2011) Bird-Blogging Against Racism Best Bird of the Weekend (Last of March 2010) Where Are You Birding This Third Weekend of December 2010? Turkeys, 3 or 4 species of woodpeckers, all kinds of song birds grace our view constantly.

2011 150

2011 Deer Birds South Dakota 150

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2012

The new edition adds 11 species, birds such as Zone-tailed Hawk, Short-tailed Hawk, and California Condor that are only seen in specific areas of North America. Individual species accounts follow, featuring a description of the hawk’s range, a little of its history in North America, sections on Identification and In Flight.

North America 231

North America Bald Eagle Birds Eagles 231

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

and share their expertise , or do big years or write excellent blog posts. Over 3,200 photographs have been used, most showing species in their habitats. There is also text, distribution maps, a dark red bar “warning” about similar looking rare species, and conservation symbols. The design focuses attention on the photographs.

Ireland 148

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 148