10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2024

This post starts like every birding blog post should start – by showcasing some bulbul species. According to the highly successful book ” 7 Habits of Highly Successful Birding Blog Post Writers”, only about 50% of birding blog posts should start with bulbuls). Yes, I am joking.

Birds 142

Birds Owls China Research 142

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

Most of the birds I spotted this weekend are the same species I’ll be hanging out with all winter. Corey spent the last weekend before his son started school camping with family and friends in the western Catskill Mountains. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

Breeders 213

Breeders Birds Owls Experience 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

I was looking for a title for this third part of a blog post on the birds of Baihualing, and thought that the made-up term “Trequel” would sound fitting. Somewhat confusingly, its Latin species name is boulboul – a word that stands for nightingale but of course is also the name of a large bird family, the bulbuls.

Horses 191

Horses Family Blackbirds Species 191

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Species formerly referred to as P. One recent study found that this species was sister to P. perdix , and also that race przewalskii (sometimes subsumed within suschkini , but generally paler) was basal to other taxa included within the present species. barbata , but present name has priority. So, I later looked this up.

China 243

China Birds Austria ALA 243

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 207

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 207

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2023

At vulture family gatherings, it is always a bit of a bother for the organizers to cater to the needs of the Palm Nut Vulture. There are actually much nicer photos of the Purple-crested Turaco in another blog post of mine, Birding Mkuze. But the same species was never found again. The name is dutch-german for hammerhead.

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa Birds 2018 147

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2023

If you want to pretend to combine learning Mandarin and learning about this species, watch this video. There is also the usual article about the first sighting of the species at a new location. If you want to guess the name of this species, please follow my instructions. How exciting. Take out a magnifying glass. Here they are.

Birds 214

Birds Deer China Owls 214

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

Shorebirds – or “shorbs” for the cuteness factor (as if that needed any enhancement) – remain one of the most fascinating families of birds for me. Obliging species like Grey-headed Kingfisher , Long-crested Eagle , and even a pair of Greater Blue-eared Starlings ensured we didn’t get anywhere quickly.

Buffalo 264

Buffalo Kenya Trinidad 2019 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2021

Corey was extremely pleased to finally get out and about birding again after his family all caught COVID and recovered. Whatever species it turns out to be it is Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

Texas 167

Texas New York Birds Owls 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2022

If you wonder how such a self-referential and obscure joke survived the editing process for this blog post, the explanation is simple: There is no editing process). Anyway, it seems to work reasonably well for the two species I saw here. Apparently, the complete lack of any field marks is a clear indicator that it must be this species.

Birds 204

Birds 2017 Fish Species 204

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2020

Ivy and I couldn’t shake an owl out of Owl Woods but we walked away with all kinds of FOY species such as the unexpected Yellow-bellied Sapsucker calling high in a tree. But it was during an outing to Rockaway Beach with his family on Sunday afternoon that he saw his Best Bird of the Weekend, his first Piping Plover of the year.

2020 173

2020 Birds Owls Experience 173

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2022

This is how blog posts would ideally start. Instead, they usually just describe species seen at a specific location, with the vague notion that these descriptions might be interesting to other birders. It looks quite distinct compared to some of the other recently discovered species. “Mother died today.

China 200

China Birds Vietnam Asia 200

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2023

Such an embarrassingly populist title of a blog post should obviously be followed by some dry facts. Here goes: Paradise Flycatchers are a genus in the broader (and rather large) family of Monarchidae. There are 17 different species of them, a few of them endangered, particularly some island endemics. not their own).

Japan 130

Japan China Guinea Germany 130

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2020

A Field Guide to the Birds: Giving Field Marks of All Species Found in Eastern North America was published in 1934 by Houghton Mifflin (note–Peterson was 26 years old), after being rejected by four publishers. Adding the 76 new species in the Hawaii section, this makes coverage of approximately 884 species.

North America 202

North America America Hawaii Birds 202

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

Or would be, had I encountered more of them – so far, I have seen only a very small share of the approximately 233 woodpecker species, and got decent photos of an even smaller number – not much more than 10% of all of them. The main point of having self-imposed rules when writing a blog is to break them whenever desired.

Woodpeckers 225

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 225

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

Insects and a host of other invertebrate life have evolved with these plant species, and thus depend on them. A White-browed Scrubwren ; one of the insectivorous passserines in my yard that will benefit from more native plant species. Locally native plants are the base part of the local ecology. The sad part of the story? POST SCRIPT.

Wildlife 262

Wildlife North America Mammals Breeding 262

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2014

April bears the most fruit for my family tree, including my own bad apple birthday this week. Does your family celebrate a lot of April birthdays? While I didn’t notice any Neotropical migrants this weekend, I was pleased to spot a Tufted Titmouse , a species I tend to miss during winter. The wood-warblers are back!

New Jersey 173

New Jersey 2014 Louisiana Bears 173

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Some other members of the shrike family were a bit less testosterone-driven at Nanhui – like this Bull-headed Shrike … … this rather attractive-looking Tiger Shrike … … or one of the many Brown Shrikes passing through Nanhui on migration. Then, I was not sure whether this was the right thing to do.

Birds 222

Birds LACS France Japan 222

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2021

Good news for those frightened by the title of my last blog post – we are now back in the safe and boring world of highly descriptive headers. It helps that there is a little bird hide almost on top of the hill, guarded by a Chinese lady and attracting a substantial number of species of birds and birders. You are welcome.

China 261

China Birds Zebras Germany 261

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2021

Similarly, the Alpine Leaf Warbler is one of the more attractive species in an otherwise almost indistinguishable family of identical leaf warblers. (“But the difference in wing bars, Kai!”). If you think you have already seen enough photos of Elliot’s Laughingthrush, you may not be the right reader for this blog.

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Birds North Korea China Woodpeckers 232

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2021

Of course, it is hard to justify such an obsession in a blog post ostensibly all about birds. I stopped at the Red Crossbill , realizing that the species indeed “occupies an immense range, including North America, Eurasia, and northern Africa” (HBW) – including Baxi forest, China. Progress of sorts, I guess.

China 222

China Birds Nevada North America 222

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2022

Thus, this study on the feeding ecology of African Harrier-hawk is imperative for understanding the species adaptation to environments and also a crucial factor to be considered while examining their economic status.” I guess blushing is easier if you have a bald face like this species. 300 birds (HBW).

South Africa 147

South Africa Niger Birds Mice 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2018

On my wanderings I picked up quite a few species that were new for my year list but my Best Bird of the Weekend was one that countered cruelty with happiness. Mike, too, chose a bluebird as his Best Bird of the Weekend, though his was a different species seeing as he and his family avoided the cruelty of April by being in California.

North Carolina 113

North Carolina Cruelty 2018 United States 113

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2017

Rochester is still wintry, but bird activity among the common species has picked up quite a bit. On Saturday he dragged his family to the Adirondack Mountains to see a stake out Great Gray Owl in Keene, a first for all three in the family. My best sighting was a Hairy Woodpecker puffed up to fight the cold.

2017 110

2017 Owls Birds Woodpeckers 110

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

The message she relayed made me blurt out a string of words that cannot be repeated on this blog – let’s just say that my priorities immediately shifted. Typical of the species. Both species seemed content to observe each other though. I was washing the dishes at the time, so my wife took the call.

Trinidad 198

Trinidad Birds Squirrels 2012 198

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2015

Just like we did last year my family spent this past weekend camping at North Lake State Park, up in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains. And, not surprisingly, the breeding birds present were largely the same species as last year which was not a problem at all! Not because of the species but because he knew the species!

Birds 162

Birds New York Family Sparrows 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2018

July often means travel, which sometimes means tourist attractions, which occasionally means exotic or introduced bird species. The reason I ask is because my family and I visited the Bronx Zoo this weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Following me here?

2018 100

2018 Zoos Birds Raised 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

While I saw some pretty special species this weekend, the most special was the Gray Catbird because my sweet 7-year niece totally got into finding one; I think I’ve found the next generation birder in the family! If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

2014 199

2014 Birds Experience Experiments 199

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2013

Maybe the name of this blog should be 10,015 birds. That would reflect the number of new species discovered in the Amazon rainforest over the past five years or so, according to scientists. The 15th is grouped in the Bucconidae family and appears similar to a Striolated Puffbird. Birding Birds News Amazon birds new species'

Bolivia 180

Bolivia Brazil Peru Birds 180

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2014

I ask because, despite my deep affection for warmth, indoor plumbing, and uninterrupted Internet access, I found myself and my family enjoying an overnight out of doors. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Why is camping so interesting? How about you? Birding best bird weekend'

2014 192

2014 Philadelphia Birds Experience 192

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2015

Actually, signs that winter won’t release its icy grip so readily are also apparent… my traditional Easter family hike was canceled on account of snow. 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. How about you?

2015 181

2015 Jamaica New York Birds 181

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

I know that families in the United States are already fretting/anticipating September’s arrival. What elevated the kings of kings above other species this time around was their gregarious behavior. Now that we’re later in the season, they are grouping either in family clusters or anticipation of migration.

2013 170

2013 United States Birds Family 170

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2021

Apparently, Longcanggou is a great place to see a variety of parrotbill species. I can only partly confirm this, with my sightings restricted to two species. Like many of the largest species within bird families, the Great Parrotbill looks somewhat plain, at least in the weather I encountered it. Yes, there were.

Pandas 201

Pandas Birds Mammals China 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2017

Way back in the days when blog posts still got a lot of comments, I wrote a piece on why field guides that arrange species in a more or less strict taxonomic order regularly frustrate me. Taxonomy is constantly changing and so does the order of species in field guides. Order of bird families, non-songbirds.

Brunei 151

Brunei 2009 2016 2014 151

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2015

He yelled a relatively unintelligible explanation as he ran to the car, abandoning his family, and sped to Jamaica Bay where he parked and ran out to the breach of the West Pond where he relied upon the kindness of other birders, who let him use their scopes while he got his breath back. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2015 162

2015 Jamaica Canada Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2022

However, I rarely get to travel with family or friends who share my obsession. The only drawback, for blogging purposes, was that all the action would be happening to the west, straight towards the setting sun, and with powerful glare from the ocean. Anytime I travel, I do what it takes to get in some birding.

San Francisco 147

San Francisco California Battery Ducks 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

The month and this particular period is all the more auspicious for me and mine, as so many friends and families celebrate spring birthdays. My family took our annual post-Easter Egg hunt hike at Powder Mills Park, where I spied several gorgeous matched pairs of Wood Ducks along with lots of different woodpecker species.

2012 180

2012 Birds Eggs Hunting 180