10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

One of my favorite parts of fall is the long, drawn out duck migration, which seems to never end, with many birds staying put for winter or only moving out when their ponds and lakes are frozen. In particular, I love ponds loaded with dabbling ducks, the teals and pintails, wigeons and black ducks, mallards and gadwalls.

Ducks 183

Ducks New York Breeding Birds 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2014

Resident mallards are considered an “exotic duck” in Florida and have the potential to drive the native mottled duck (Anas fulvigula) to extinction through hybridization. These wild birds migrate out of Florida to northern breeding areas in the spring and are not present in Florida during the mottled duck breeding season.

Florida 201

Florida Ducks New Zealand Feral 201

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2016

I admit that sometimes I am pretty negative about ducks. But this, this above all redeems ducks: they sit still long enough that you can show them to your non-birding friends. Ducks, on the other hand, have a charming tendency to just sit. And in spring, there are such lovely ducks to show them.

Ducks 103

Ducks Montana New York Geese 103

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2023

While the P-a-P Wildfowl Trust’s main thrust is the breeding and release of five duck species, the habitat encourages a number of native wetland birds to inhabit and proliferate the area. Commonly domesticated, wild versions of the Muscovy Duck historically inhabited wetlands across Trinidad.

Trinidad 258

Trinidad Birds Ducks Fish 258

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2019

Now, I do hope you have stayed with me to this point, because there is a moral to this story: How much do you like your ducks, grebes, sandpipers, and plovers? In the case of birds that breed in the Arctic, they may only spend a fourth of the year up north. The post Who cares for your ducks in the winter?

Ducks 115

Ducks Blackbirds United States Pelicans 115

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2013

Some domestic duck breeds, however, present new forms of beauty unseen in their wild counterparts. And, like most domestic ducks, she presents a lot more of it that the wild ducks she towers over! And, like most domestic ducks, she presents a lot more of it that the wild ducks she towers over!

Ducks 126

Ducks Breeding Species Birds 126

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2024

Then sometimes when you see these birds actively regaining their energy and getting ready for defending territories and breeding, they give the impression that their migration had just been a short jog around the block rather than a marathon across desert, mountains, and oceans.

Soreing 169

Soreing Owls Woodpeckers Eagles 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2013

In the UK, we have a long-running soap series called ‘Coronation Street’ A set of three flying ducks graced the muriel (sic) on the wall of Hilda Ogden’s back room at No.13, Greatly loved by Hilda, she credits the ducks and her scenic wall, for keeping her ‘hand from the gas tap’ on her bad days.

Ducks 166

Ducks Geese Suffering Canada 166

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

On BirdTrack, the British equivalent of e-Bird, the list of birds provided does allow for Tufted Duck x Ferruginous Duck to be recorded, but not Tufted Duck x Pochard. However, that’s exactly what I guessed the duck swimming in front of me had to be. My hunch was Tufted Duck x Pochard.

Geese 181

Geese Ducks Falcons Latvia 181

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2023

It is an excellent site in the winter months in particular, when seabirds including ducks, divers and grebes are quite reliable here. I’ve seen this bird many times now but I still always take my time looking at them, as even in their non-breeding plumage they look very elegant.

Netherlands 174

Netherlands Birds Ducks Breeding 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

These lands support countless birds, either year-round, as migratory stopovers, or as breeding grounds. Many refuges are strategically located along major flyways, allowing ducks and geese to hopscotch their way up the continent to northern breeding grounds and back down again. But what else should birders know?

Virgin Islands 203

Virgin Islands Alaska United States Endangered Species 203

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2017

Not only have the Magpie-larks been busy building their mud nests and the Tawny Frogmouths been breeding at the supermarket car park, but other birds arrived and started to breed. This has included Magpie Geese , Wandering Whistling Ducks and some very tiny Black-winged Stilt chicks.

Breeding 100

Breeding Geese Australia Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

The Green-winged Teal ( Anas crecca carolinensis ) is North America’s smallest dabbling duck and taken by hunters second only to the Mallard. Luckily for them, even though they nest on the ground, they usually breed far from human habitation, under heavy vegetative cover. Click on photos for full sized images.

Ducks 172

Ducks North America Hunters California 172

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

The little stiff-tails are almost year-round at Jamaica Bay though almost all leave to breed in the summer and in the depths of winter, when the ponds are almost completely frozen, they tend to head for open water. She was essentially cream-colored, much lighter than the typical female Ruddy Duck. Go check it out! Get yours today!

Ducks 150

Ducks 2011 Jamaica Deer 150

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

After a very good Wet Season with substantially more rain than normal over the first few months of 2017 the land was flooded and a huge variety of birds arrived in the Broome area to take advantage of the ideal conditions for breeding.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Greater flamingoes winter in large numbers Kerkini’s wintering Flamingoes probably breed in Turkey Forty years ago Flamingoes were rare visitors to Greece: several thousand now winter on Kerkini Lake Kerkini is an artificial lake, its depth varying considerably throughout the year. Both Bewick’s and Whooper Swans occur in good numbers.

Greece 202

Greece Pelicans Geese Buffalo 202

4 The Love Of Animals

APRIL 30, 2013

Ducks and geese may not be a particularly unusual sight in the wild, but have you ever thought about keeping them as pets? Ducks and geese make excellent pets because it is interesting to watch them as they go about their activities and engage with their environment. They can make excellent, if slightly quirky, pets.

Geese 100

Geese Ducks Pets Chickens 100

4 The Love Of Animals

APRIL 30, 2013

Ducks and geese may not be a particularly unusual sight in the wild, but have you ever thought about keeping them as pets? Ducks and geese make excellent pets because it is interesting to watch them as they go about their activities and engage with their environment. They can make excellent, if slightly quirky, pets.

Geese 100

Geese Ducks Pets Chickens 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

Ducks and divers The bottom of the city is, naturally, the lowest point or course of the Danube (around 74 m / 240 ft above sea level), the best area being the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, around the War Islands Reserve. Otherwise, the foothills (bus stop “Avala”) are reachable by city buses 401, 403, 405, 407 and 408.

Serbia 294

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Ducks 294

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2020

It was the month of March, 2017, when I went to Lake Cuitzeo to check up on our migratory waterfowl and shorebirds one last time before they travelled north to breed. Lake Cuitzeo is Mexico’s second largest lake, and its uniformly shallow waters make it a powerful magnet for dabbling ducks and shorebirds. This was once my lake.

Rights 261

Rights 2017 2020 Blackbirds 261

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2020

A strange duck, let’s see… an eclipse male Red-crested Pochard ! This was the last of the local ducks that I managed to find (it took me years of birding), and ever since I have seen it only once in every 2-3 years. Nearby are four very dark brown ducks… Tufted Duck females!

Serbia 262

Serbia Birds Ducks Cyprus 262

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2021

That green grass is not a meadow; it is growing in water deep enough for swimming ducks. The dot in the center of the second photo is a lone Mexican Duck flying just over the water. It is too early for some ducks ( Wigeons , Gadwalls , and Green-winged Teals , plus Redheads and Canvasbacks with some luck) to arrive.

Ducks 196

Ducks Battery Species Groups 196

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2022

As it turned out, the remaining water was too shallow for ducks, except a few Northern Shovelers. Admittedly, early May is too late to find most duck species in Michoacán, even in a good year.) In fact, I can see many more of these ducks, much closer to home. It was only a bit better for shorebirds and egrets.

Ducks 206

Ducks Mexico Fish Species 206

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Zone-tailed Hawks breed in the southwestern United States and northern Mexico, but they winter from Mexico to Brazil. But two weeks ago, my Cuban ornithologist friend and church member went to check for ducks at the pond near our auditorium, after our Sunday service ended. Then they drop out of the flock, and pounce.

Turkey 191

Turkey California Condor Mexico Meat 191

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2020

Adams, the refuge is one of the few breeding locations for Sandhill Cranes in Washington. The refuge now supports most of the nesting Sandhills in Washington, with around 25 breeding pairs. There are a few breeding pairs elsewhere in the state, including a rare pair at Ridgefield NWR this year.

Washington 159

Washington Portland Birds Deer 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Ring-billed Gulls in Breeding Plumage Ring-billed Gulls in Breeding Plumage By Corey • March 8, 2011 • 3 comments Tweet Share It should come as no surprise to readers of 10,000 Birds that I do not love gulls.

Breeding 145

Breeding 2011 Deer New York 145

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2021

In mid-summer, the refuge is full of breeding birds, including Canada Goose, Mallard, Wood Duck, Blue-winged Teal, Pied-billed Grebe, Virginia Rail, Sandhill Crane, Black Tern, Tree Swallow, Barn Swallow, Yellow Warbler, Common Yellowthroat, etc. of Horicon NWR was purchased with MBCF funds ( i.e., Duck Stamp funds).

Wisconsin 262

Wisconsin LACS Milwaukee Birds 262

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

So off to the lake I went, to see which ducks and shorebirds were still here, and which had already left. This meant that the remaining banks of ducks were beyond the clear range of my optics. But it was the Long-billed Dowitchers who were really rocking their breeding plumage. How on earth do they breed so quickly up north?)

Mexico 162

Mexico Breeding Ducks North America 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2022

We know that Yellow-billed Spoonbills breed further south and no doubt start to roam around once they leave the breeding colony. I have observed thousands of Plumed Whistling-Ducks heading to the Poo Ponds this week. The stand-out bird species for the day was definitely the large flock of Royal Spoonbills , though.

Breeding 180

Breeding Ducks Species Birds 180

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

Nisqually NWR is a major staging area for migratory birds , a wintering area for many ducks and geese, and a breeding area for numerous songbirds. There’s a $3 day-use fee, but it is free if you have a Duck Stamp. Fortunately, the refuge was awash in beautiful Autumn colors.

Washington 229

Washington Portland Birds Geese 229

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

Some of the birds who depend on the lake itself, such as ducks and shorebirds, have scattered to every remaining reservoir, pond, or puddle in the area. Both species can theoretically breed in central Mexico, but in my experience are almost exclusively winter visitors. And it brought friends.

Mexico 209

Mexico Investigation Science Experience 209

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2021

The Red-shouldered Hawks , the quick flapping Accipiters and the legions of blackbirds and ducks moved through the cool airs of March and April but the orioles, grosbeaks, and wood-warblers wouldn’t show up until the trees had their buds and many had their leaves. Wilson’s Plovers are in Breeding Plumage.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica West Virginia Baltimore Virginia 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Once it was over, in the last few days of January I visited Beljarica floodplain (cover photo), my local patch by the Danube in Belgrade, to find Meadow Pipits in bright breeding plumage, a young Northern Goshawk in low flight, perhaps 2 metres above the raft of ducks, which, seeing an inexperienced immature bird, ignored it totally, not even a nervous (..)

Otters 254

Otters Croatia Eagles Protection 254

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2015

.” The fact that they are monogamous and pair up by November, 4 to 5 months before breeding, probably endears them to some. I’m posting this video I shot at Delevan NWR in case you haven’t seen these elegant ducks in action. Dapper indeed! v=HcgOFQtcyAo. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company.

Wildlife 206

Wildlife Ducks 2006 New York 206

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

A simple, useful world map in outline shows approximate breeding ranges in yellow and wintering ranges in blue, and for some birds, permanent resident ranges in green. Some birds with populations on different breeding grounds move not to the same winter quarter but to far-distant ones – such as the Red-necked Phalarope.

Alaska 200

Alaska Breeding Kenya Africa 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2015

Of course the drakes get all of the glory in the duck world but I think the females are just as beautiful in their own way with their heavily patterned feathers. Blue-winged Teal breed over a large portion of North America but occur irregularly or at low densities in many portions of their range. Click on photos for full sized images.

Sacramento 151

Sacramento Wildlife North America Ducks 151

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

Contrary to alleged preferences among humans, the golden-headed cisticola has a shorter tail during the breeding season ( source ). “She monitors Pied Oystercatchers breeding along a 23km stretch of beach by bicycle and on foot.” It breeds in tree holes, presumably explaining the more commonly used name for it.

Australia 181

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 181