10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2016

They call it a shell pit because of the vast array of fossilized mollusks who once lived and died there, then became a resource to be mined as gravel and fill. But the Macasphalt (or APAC) shell pit just east of Sarasota, Florida contains plenty of vertebrates as well – the mortal remains of the extinct (various species of kingfisher and duck and gull, Titanis walleri ), the extirpated ( California Condor, Southern Lapwing ), and a few species that are still well-known and well-loved in Fl

California Condor 159

California Condor Mississippi Florida Montana 159

Animal Ethics

NOVEMBER 28, 2016

I started this blog 13 years ago today. There have been 310,008 visits, which is an average of 23,846.7 visits per year, 457.0 visits per week, and 65.2 visits per day (taking leap years into account). Here is the first post, on 28 November 2003.

2003 52

2003 52

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2016

I have always considered the American Avocet , Recurvirostra americana , one of the most elegant waders that we see here on the Baja. With its gray legs and black and white coloring, this large member of the stilt family is an occasional visitor to our area. In my past trips to the reserves and wetlands in the US, I have seen these birds gather in very large number after the breeding season, but rarely do we see mort than a few birds here on our tidal flats and brackish pond edges.

Breeding 136

Breeding Family Birds Mexico 136

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Hi all! In addition to birding as much as I can and my full-time job in Okaloosa County, I also work part-time for Voices for Biodiversity , an online magazine. If you’re like me, you’ve been a bit unsettled by the recent anti-environment rhetoric thrown around the American political arena, but Voices for Biodiversity (V4B) is adding more pro-conservation voices to the conversation by funding up and coming researchers and writers from around the world.

Campaign 136

Campaign Indonesia Colombia Florida 136

Speaker: Steve Romanco

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10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2016

Snow has touched down in some places up north, up there on the breeding grounds of Mourning Warblers , Baltimore Orioles , and Sharp-shinned Hawks. Although some of the tougher Sharpies stayed behind to risk stalking Black-capped Chickadees and Blue Jays in a winter landscape, millions of orioles, grosbeaks, and wood-warblers with a strong instinct for survival flew the coup back in September.

Costa Rica 135

Costa Rica Baltimore Illinois Honduras 135

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

As the long Thanksgiving weekend ends (at least around here) and an excess of conspicuous consumerism ensues, we’ll all do well in the coming weeks and months to consider how best to close out this calendar year. What are your values? More important, are you living them? For those of us who love nature, these questions matter a lot. My core values demand that I get outside often enough to experience the real world, rather than what I see while watching football.

2016 134

2016 Squirrels New York Birds 134

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2016

After spending the first three days of the long Thanksgiving weekend in my hometown of Saugerties I decided I would spend Sunday morning in downtown Manhattan, specifically in City Hall Park searching for some recently reported rarities. Though I had seen four different Western Tanagers in New York and had seen one out west this year already I hadn’t seen one in New York this year.

New York 133

New York New York City Birds Sparrows 133

Animal Ethics

DECEMBER 1, 2016

Here are the posts from December 2006.

2006 40

2006 40

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

One of the great advantages of writing for this website is that you can actually write in advance! In fact you can write quite a long time in advance, so if you know you are going to be in the bush and nowhere near electricity or the internet for an extended period of time you can plan ahead and have a post going up regardless of your location. Another good reason to write in advance is if you are going on a break to see family and you don’t know if time will allow you to write.

Ducks 140

Ducks Birds 2016 Dogs 140

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2016

If all that turkey talk last week didn’t tip you off, the holiday season is upon us. Don’t worry; you don’t have to start handing out gifts tomorrow, but you should certainly be thinking about your decorating strategy. You might also want to plan for how you’ll fit in the fun you enjoy all year long (e.g. birding). Remember that spending time in nature is the gift that keeps on giving!

2016 124

2016 2017 Turkey Birds 124

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