10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2023

With my recent relocation to the central forests of Trinidad, I have been afforded the incredible opportunity of observing three oft-confused species in close proximity to one another. In reality these species are rarely in the same place at the same time, however!

Trinidad 144

Trinidad Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 144

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2018

Thankfully due to the long life span of this bird species the population appears to be somewhat stable at the moment. It is not unusual for only one Pied Oystercatcher chick to survive throughout the whole breeding season despite in excess of sixty eggs being laid by sixteen pairs. Nest site with a view. Eggs in the nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding 2018 Eggs 2016 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Species formerly referred to as P. barbata , but present name has priority. 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.

China 241

China Birds Austria ALA 241

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2023

The Marsh Sandpipers are currently feeding up ready to migrate and breed in the Northern hemisphere. Marsh Sandpipers are a smaller and more delicate version of the Common Greenshank , which are also present in smaller numbers. Below you can see a photo for both species for a size comparison.

Breeding 130

Breeding Australia Species Birds 130

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2016

In Costa Rica, June is breeding bird count season. As one might expect with a breeding bird count, it also gives me an idea of which birds are where, and whether or not other species are still around (side benefits for guiding on that same route as well as future Big Days). Finch a la yellow thighs.

Breeding 101

Breeding Costa Rica Birds Panama 101

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2021

On our recent walks along Cable Beach checking on the pairs of Pied Oystercatchers that are currently breeding we have often observed a Little Egret. The water is clear and it would be easy for the Little Egret to see the fish that are present. Our sub species is Egretta garzetta immaculata. Little Egret.

Fish 218

Fish Australia Breeding Species 218

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2022

The Black-tailed Godwits that we observe here in Australia breed in east Siberia and Mongolia. Both the female Black-tailed Godwit and Bar-tailed Godwit are larger than the male of the species. It also has a bi-coloured bill unlike the Asian Dowitcher , which is also present amongst our flocks of shorebirds.

Mongolia 147

Mongolia Australia Breeding Asia 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2022

The Willie Wagtail – Rhipidura leucophrys is one of Australia’s most widespread bird species, but it is not observed all year round close to our home in Broome. Willie Wagtails are present across much of the mainland and they are a large fantail.

Australia 238

Australia Species Breeding Birds 238

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For the nature lovers and birders who participate in breeding bird surveys, the atlas represents hours, often hundreds of hours, of volunteer time spent within a community of citizen scientists doing what they love, observing birds. So, what exactly does a breeding bird atlas contain?

Pennsylvania 222

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 222

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2014

In Australia we definitely have our fair share of invasive species and the main problem is that we are such a huge land mass with such a small population. The population of Australia is concentrated mainly around the city areas along the coast and many invasive species have been able to spread with ease.

Australia 157

Australia Species Feral Cats Feral 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

So, the basic idea is to show 15 species of Australian birds in each post and give you the usual trivia about them. This species has also eliminated the need for childcare – the chicks emerge from this pile on their own and never even get to see their parents. Admittedly, it is mostly grey.

Australia 181

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 181

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

The first step in preparing for the breeding season is getting ready for courtship. Even species that do not undergo visible changes (to us, at least) begin to behave differently. Gifts are presented, heads are bowed, and tails are cocked. White plumes sprout from the back of its head, adding to its irresistibility.

Cattle 178

Cattle Bears Breeding Animal 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2022

There were a total of 69 Royal Spoonbills and 2 Yellow-billed Spoonbills , but you had to look carefully to see the two different species. We had encountered a Yellow-billed Spoonbill in the area last year that appeared to have a stick embedded in its breast, but we have no idea if this is one of the birds now present.

Breeding 180

Breeding Ducks Species Birds 180

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. Tallamy presents data to demonstrate the stark difference between native trees and exotic trees in their ability to support insects. Locally native plants are the base part of the local ecology. Black capped Chickadee.

Wildlife 261

Wildlife North America Mammals Breeding 261

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Also, our winter visitor species are starting to arrive. Fortunately, lots of other cute birds were present. These little Tyrant Flycatchers, present from Mexico through Colombia, never fail to charm, with their jaunty crests and characteristic “chewY-chewY!” Tufted Flycatchers could be poster-birds for cuteness.

Colombia 215

Colombia ALA Canada Mexico 215

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2022

Black-faced Cuckoo-shrikes – Coracina novaehollandiae are a common bird species around our home in Broome, Western Australia. They are present throughout much of Australia and as their name would suggest they have a black face! They are often nearby and breed locally, but we don’t always have them at the water.

Australia 219

Australia Zebras 2014 2012 219

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2014

The next hour plus netted me a host of other species, including my two other targets, Virginia Rail and Common Gallinule. After Gumear Falls Road I crossed Route 209 to the Linear Park and tracked down an Alder Flycatcher that is always present there, my eighth flycatcher species of the morning.

Breeding 152

Breeding New York Breeders Downers 152

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2022

In pastures of the hot lowlands, they tend to be lines of stunted Gumbo-Limbo trees or some other heavily pruned species. In addition to those birds and the Squirrel Cuckoo pictured above, the following are some of the more common hedgerow species of Costa Rica. Rufous-tailed Hummingbird and other hummingbird species.

Costa Rica 253

Costa Rica Birds Sparrows Woodpeckers 253

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 206

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 206

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

The obvious choice was the Mallard , that plucky familiar northern hemisphere species that is the father of the even more familiar domesticated duck. In fact, as the species was quickly identified as as creating hybrids with Grey Ducks, the opinion was by the 1920s that the species shouldn’t be released further.

Species 165

Species New Zealand Ducks Game 165

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 25, 2021

A lot of birds take a shorter trip to Florida and the Caribbean, many spend the winter in southern Mexico, and some species even fly all the way to southern Amazonia (this drink is for you Veerys). Pretty uncommon and greatly outnumbered by the Mourning Warbler but still present in brushy habitats of the highlands. Worm-eating Warbler.

Costa Rica 221

Costa Rica Kentucky Louisiana Species 221

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2023

A vagrant Isabelline Wheatear was present on the island the day before I arrived, so I felt that I at least deserved the warbler (another Isabelline Wheatear was found a few days after I left Texel, so they are clearly messing with me). I also saw Eurasian Woodcock , Northern Goshawk , and Hen Harrier in the vicinity. maurus and S.

Birds 224

Birds Groups Ducks Rights 224

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

This year we have continued to monitor the breeding of several pairs of Pied Oystercatchers along the coast in Broome from Gantheaume Point to Willie Creek on the south side. This species are long living and so the population appears to be sustainable at this stage despite the predation.

Breeding 158

Breeding Eggs Camels Raised 158

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2023

There was one odd reprint in 2018, when the Subalpine Warbler was split into the Eastern and Western species, but the changes in the guide weren’t sufficient to call it a 3rd edition, so it remained the updated reprint of the 2nd edition. I haven’t noticed changes in the few descriptions of harder to ID species that I compared.

Europe 249

Europe Birds Woodpeckers Ireland 249

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

The Purple Swamphen now is considered a superspecies, with each of its six races are designated full species – and in the strange world of birding, a superspecies is rather less than a species, not more. This is despite the most likely African origin of the species. Swamphen yes, but Grey-headed? Again: Grey-headed?

China 255

China Florida Kenya India 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2022

Most of the usual birds seem present, a frog or two call from a small wetland, and a few other expected animals are there too. Even so, in the short term, it can be hard to accept that hundreds of species are close to being extinguished from this irreplaceble tapestry of life, that hundreds more are headed for the same eventual abysmal stop.

Costa Rica 251

Costa Rica Parrots Albatross Birds 251

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2019

They are not present in Western Australia or the Northern Territory, so not a bird species that we get to observe very often. They head north from Victoria and New South Wales to Southern Queensland and return in July and August to breed. Yellow-faced Honeyeaters migrate in huge numbers between March and May.

Australia 202

Australia Breeding Species Rights 202

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

As soon as I looked at it more closely it was quite clear that it wasn’t a scaup of any species, despite its resemblance to a North American Lesser Scaup. I hadn’t considered the possible parentage more than the two probable species involved, but intriguingly a Pochard drake x Tufted duck looks quite different.

Geese 181

Geese Ducks Falcons Latvia 181

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2022

For species with more than one subspecies in the region, the separate resident/breeding ranges of the distinct subspecies are indicated on the map. To give more attention to local taxa, all subspecies groups present in the region have full entries as well.

Thailand 147

Thailand Colombia 2018 Groups 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2023

The islands of the Caribbean are home to 176 species of endemic birds unevenly distributed across the region. Some islands host one or two species, others more than twenty. For some species, conservation actions are well underway and we are seeing some measure of positive impact as a result. On the volcanic island of St.

Grenada 130

Grenada Parrots Trinidad 2010 130

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2022

I was surprised that this species is named for its vocalization – which sounds like laughter. For example, the Diamond Dove is the world’s second-smallest species of the columbidae order ( source ). The Latin species name haematonotus (“blood-backed”) sounds a bit more exciting but not necessarily more accurate.

Australia 147

Australia Birds Parrots Ostriches 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2023

One step away from swifts are hummingbirds, and at least 13 species of these winged jewels flutter about from sunrise to sunset. White-necked Jacobin A sizeable vervain/verbena attracts several species to the main entrance, including Blue-chinned Sapphire , Ruby-topaz Hummingbird , and Tufted Coquette. Interesting.

Trinidad 223

Trinidad Barn Owls Owls Reptiles 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2020

One of the ways I could describe the unique mix of birds I can see here in southwestern Mexico, would be to divide our species into five categories. The invasive species are few, but, unfortunately, very numerous. But there is a final group of species here, about which I have not written very much.

Mexico 187

Mexico Birds Honduras United States 187

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2022

It’s a long drive, at least an hour of steadily climbing twists and turns; but there are high-altitude species I can only see there. I was not disappointed, as four FOY (First Of Year) species turned up. So why am I focusing on that species in this post? So eventually, the pilgrimage must be made. And full they were.

Mexico 185

Mexico South America Species America 185

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2019

One of the ironies of birding in North America is that the easiest way to see many species that breed on the shores of the Arctic Ocean is to go to tropical coastlands. Whimbrels, Sanderlings, and Semipalmated Plovers are all species that breed in the extreme north, but there they were in the suffocating heat of Lázaro Cárdenas.

North America 120

North America Mexico Breeding America 120

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2020

The annual parade of birds is happening and the feathered participants are dressed in their best breeding suits. Now is when we can venture into the closest park and see birds of the deep woods, species that breed far from town. Now is the special time that birders look forward to all year long. Summer Tanagers also migrate.

Costa Rica 199

Costa Rica 2020 Spain Panama 199

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

With 500 pages, this guide is a bit on the heavy side, but still not too much, having in mind that half of the region falls into the tropics and the edition is dealing with almost a thousand species (989 to be exact). Distribution maps show the relative abundance of a species in the region and also indicate resident or visiting status.

Africa 264

Africa South Africa Swaziland Lesotho 264