10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2017

This lucky youngster from Massachusetts has almost 300 ticks, but just added his favorite— a Great Gray Owl his supportive family drove hundreds of miles to glimpse. contemplating the pretty blue eggs are American Robins are soon to lay is a good coping strategy.). And as a ferocious storm bears down on much of the northern U.S.,

Massachusetts 100

Massachusetts Eggs Falcons Rights 100

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. Similarly, the Grey Shrikethrush is neither a shrike nor a thrush.

Australia 194

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 194

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. The National Audubon Society Birds of North America covers all species seen in mainland United States, Canada and Baja California. The press material says it covers over 800 species, so you know I had to do a count.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2022

I have written about the interesting sex life of these jacanas a few times already (short version: female mates with male, lays a bunch of eggs for him to incubate and raise the chicks, leaves him, finds another male, repeat). Apparently, after a male first mates with a female, he throws out the first one or two eggs she lays in their nest.

Birds 147

Birds China Eggs Breeding 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2020

It didn’t occur to me till I started reading The Falcon Thief: A True Tale of Adventure, Treachery, and the Hunt for the Perfect Bird that there was also a possible threat to the eagle herself: poachers, who steal raptor eggs and chicks. McWilliam realizes he’s dealing someone special, a career falcon egg-thief.

Falcons 219

Falcons United Kingdom Zimbabwe Eggs 219

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

In late July, I travelled a half hour north of Morelia to Lake Cuitzeo (kweet-SAY-oh) to see if our two inevitable first migratory species from up north, Baird’s Sandpiper and Wilson’s Phalarope, had begun arriving. At that point, neither species was yet present, and there wasn’t much of a lake, either. So trusting.

Ducks 260

Ducks 2020 Eggs California 260

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Then, I was not sure whether this was the right thing to do. 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.

Birds 238

Birds LACS France Japan 238

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2014

When you monitor a species of birds over many years you learn a lot from your observations and you soon become aware of the fact that some birds are just better at parenting than others. There is egg predation, chick loss and sometimes possibly just some “bad parenting”!

Eggs 165

Eggs Raised Breeding Family 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2019

And, I looked at my eBird list and realized I’ve seen nine species of Antpitta and one of Gnateater. Antpittas and Gnateaters covers 64 species in six genera and two families. (I The Species Accounts feature highly detailed text by Harold Greeley, distribution maps, and over 250 photographs by a number of photographers.

Research 146

Research Eggs South America Costa Rica 146

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2017

The grass is green, the wildflowers are spectacular and now we have numerous species of dragonfly to enjoy as the season starts to change. Masked Lapwings have been busy breeding for some months now and some may well be on their second clutch of eggs. Masked Lapwing nest with eggs and chicks. Masked Lapwing on a nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Protection Cows 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

The holidays started early this year, with the first night of Hannukah coming right at the end of Thanksgiving weekend! Colombia is one of those countries that Dragan’s dreams are made of: it has 1,965 bird species – more than any other country in the world. Each image is accompanied by a page of prose detail on the bird (e.g.,

Birds 245

Birds Colombia Collecting Bald Eagle 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2020

At mid-life crisis, the mother, Lili, decides to leave her husband (Gabe’s father) and return to take up farming on her family estancia in eastern Uruguay, far from the delights of Montevideo where most of her rambunctious, rollicking family resides, overseen, not always approvingly, by Gabe’s quirky abuela. Gabe agrees to come along.

Uruguay 155

Uruguay 2001 Bald Eagle Science 155

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2015

Once you reach Coconut Wells the road bears to your right and just as the bitumen ends you take a left turn towards the beach. Last weekend we went by vehicle to check on the Pied Oystercatchers that breed along that stretch of beach and there has been continued egg loss over the past few weeks. Pied Oystercatcher shading an egg.

Eggs 140

Eggs Birds Investigation Bears 140

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2019

While I harbor mixed feelings about zoos in general, this facility seems to make the best effort possible to keep animals in interesting enclosures, move them to different areas of the zoo to maintain novel surroundings, and invest money and space into a 30 acre mixed species enclosure, where the animals can move freely.

Geese 113

Geese Zoos Canada Rhinos 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 229

Dissection Birds Research Europe 229

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2019

Travel to Tiquicia for birding is high on the list of most birders because it’s not too far from Canada or the USA, there is good tourism infrastructure, and most of all, it’s pretty easy to see hundreds of eye-catching bird species. Watch that one and keep an eye on the others because all sorts of species can show at any time.

Costa Rica 215

Costa Rica Cooking Birds Chickens 215

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

They are part of a family of New World Quail which includes Gambel’s, Mountain, Scaled and Montezuma Quail, as well as the Northern Bobwhite. In California, coveys break up and pairs begin forming in February or March, followed by nest building and egg laying in May or June. References: 1 Baicich, Paul J. and Harrison, Colin J.

California 227

California Eggs Gophers Rattlesnake 227

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

Hongbenghe is a very small village in Yunnan, right next to the border with Myanmar. I saw two Pitta species at Hongbenghe, both among the slightly less glamourous among the pitta family: The Blue-naped Pitta … … and the closely related Rusty-naped Pitta. “It is not deep enough yet!

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

Our recent bush-walking has involved some long muddy walks and are always productive as far as birds and wildflowers go and we have found several species nests. Australian Painted Snipe nest with four eggs. Four eggs in the Australian Painted Snipe nest. Two birds on the right and one on the left-note the bills!

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2014

yanked the steering wheel to the right, slammed on my brakes, grabbed my binoculars, and threw myself out of the car. A half-hour boat cruise around Eastern Egg Rock gave me a glimpse of seabird paradise, then yanked it away. There are boat trips to Eastern Egg Rock, as well as to other small islands. Soon the girls emerged.

Puffins 274

Puffins Eggs Wildlife Rehabilitation Bald Eagle 274

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2017

The most common member of the Grebe species around Broome is the Australasian Grebe- Tachybaptus novaehollandiae and it has taken advantage of our exceptionally good Wet Season early this year and has been breeding very successfully. This is a bird species that much prefers to dive instead of fly, so taking photographs can be problematic.

Breeding 100

Breeding Geese Ducks Eggs 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2012

It seems strange that I’ll miss the return of the Sun this year, as I leave this week for a trade show and then a short trip out west to see my family. Right now we’re pretty much a three species town, Ravens with a chance of Hoary Redpolls and a sprinkling of Rock Ptarmigan. “Do you mind?

South America 161

South America Eggs Family Raised 161

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2018

There are important details within that dictum that we will ignore here, but this has to do with knowing when a characteristic doesn’t really tell you about the relative position of species on a “tree of life” vs when the characteristic works for that purpose. Therefore, humans are fish with feet, right? So, here’s the thing.

Monkeys 142

Monkeys Gorillas Whales Whaling 142

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2018

I have observed this species many times (my eBird says 28 times this year alone) and never had one landing near me. Personally, I wasn’t happy, but I do not live there and do not have a septic tank in my backyard, so I felt that I have no right to complain against something that would obviously improve the lives of local inhabitants.

2016 176

2016 Eagles Birds Otters 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2011

Life, Domain, Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species. From what I read, birds are the class of Aves [feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying and vertebrate animals]. No surprise: there are about 10000 different species of birds in the world currently living. And counted each and every family.

2011 116

2011 Family Eggs Rights 116

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2020

Sedge Wren – There are records of this species in Queens, generally along the coast in fall. Great Shearwater – At this point, seabirds are my weakest family in Queens with the most species having reported in the borough that I have not seen. Western Tanager – Pretty unlikely but a guy can dream, right? 0 out of 1!).

2018 162

2018 2015 Birds 2019 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species. Within each group, birds in the same family are grouped together and birds in the same genus “usually occur consecutively.” 210-531), indicated by brown page tabs.

Australia 108

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 108

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2011

As far as I can tell it is the most northern breeding record for the species. Last year the nest failed, the eggs apparently not viable, never hatching. I had crossed the stream and was approaching for a quick look to see how many eggs were in the nest this year. A quick peek revealed a rapidly growing family of six nestlings.

Porpoises 185

Porpoises Eggs Family Birds 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Here they are a common breeding bird, one of our two species that migrate from here to Europe and then south. I had hoped to have some Semipalmated Plover chick photos for comparison but as of last night they seem to be still at the egg stage. These ones had a head start, nesting right near the shore. With some serious legs.

Eggs 192

Eggs North America Breeding Europe 192

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2015

Picidae, Woodpecker, is one of those charismatic bird families that everybody gets excited about. Woodpeckers of the World: A Photographic Guide is the first major guide to family Picidae in 20 years. The Species Accounts vary in length from one to three pages. The taxonomy is tricky, as Gorman notes in the introduction.

Woodpeckers 249

Woodpeckers 2002 Europe Research 249

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 25, 2022

Echidna-egg laying mammal-500th post. More than three hundred bird species have been recorded in Broome and there is plenty of variety. Over time we have noticed changes in the bird species that visit and different times of year offer different species. Here are some links to some of those bird species.

Australia 147

Australia Singapore Birds Battery 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

I had spent several holidays with my family in the USA in the 1980′s and then worked in Maine during the summer of 1985-beware the poison ivy and the snapping turtles! We spent almost 4 months crossing the USA and had an amazing time, although it was not the right time of year for Wood-Warblers.

South Africa 159

South Africa United States Austin Alligators 159

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species? Not a great place for a family vacation, though I think Duncan will disagree. The Indexes show images of the most common birds of the area against a painted background, with page references to species accounts. Now, I’m not so sure. Back to the field guide!

Brunei 177

Brunei Birds Asia China 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2011

In southern Africa, there are two species. As I watched, it slowly moved into a patch of dried vegetation and I noticed that it was settling over a single egg. Two or three eggs may be laid and either bird may incubate. I too am fascinated by the name of this species. Go check it out! How do we know this? Have a nice day.

2011 168

2011 Deer Africa Peru 168

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2016

I used the family summer cottage as a base camp, placed in an old orchard where no branches are ever cut off, even when old or rotten – only supported from below. As a result, I had 15 species in the first hour. She was half-right, it turned out. The only question is, is the town of Lajkovac left or right?

Turtles 116

Turtles Serbia Breeding Breeders 116

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

I couldn’t wait to give names to all my new species. I tried using the Internet, but found it frustrating for all the usual reasons; websites either didn’t include all species or were difficult to use for identification. Each species account is 2-pages long, one page of text and one page of photographs.

Ireland 177

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 177

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

Although designed as a field guide, it is a hefty book, 376 pages long, covering 336 species. Many species are dimorphic, with females looking different from males. Many species also differ with age. And, there are some odonate species that include andromorphs, females which look like the males. Yes, 675 photographs.

United States 238

United States Costa Rica Massachusetts North America 238