10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2014

million years old, over one and a half times older than the earliest remains of most living species of birds. The Cuban Sandhill Crane , Grus canadensis nesiotes and the Mississippi Sandhill Crane , Grus canadensis pulla are listed as endangered species. The oldest unequivocal Sandhill Crane fossil is 2.5

Mississippi 169

Mississippi Endangered Species Florida Wildlife 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2020

It’s all good, as of April 6, my yard list has more than 60 species and will certainly grow in the coming days. More likely are a suite of sparkling hummingbirds, the eye-catching Flame-colored Tanager , acrobatic Red-faced Spinetails , and various other species. Barred Antshrike. Flame-colored Tanager. The Caribbean Lowlands.

Costa Rica 247

Costa Rica Birds Mississippi Woodpeckers 247

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2014

There’s no species of bird more associated with the North American desert than Greater Roadrunner. But Warner Brothers cartoons aside, Greater Roadrunner is a much more adaptable species that we give it credit for. But Warner Brothers cartoons aside, Greater Roadrunner is a much more adaptable species that we give it credit for.

Missouri 199

Missouri Mississippi Agenda Rodents 199

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

There’s a new proposal before the American Ornithologists’ Union’s North American Classification Committee to split Painted Bunting into two species (yay! — maybe, more later) and to name the new species “Eastern Painted Bunting” and “Western Painted Bunting” (no!).

Mississippi 265

Mississippi Mexico Alabama North Carolina 265

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2019

I generally wait until I have at least a dozen species on my year list before having my first drink of the year. But which species of crow is our Old Crow – Fish or American? By my reckoning, 500 miles up the Mississippi River as the steamboat goes only gets you as far as the Mississippi-Louisiana-Arkansas tripoint.

Mississippi 116

Mississippi Kentucky New York Tennessee 116

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

There are 35 raptor species that have a presence in the United States and Canada, 56 (more or less) if you count by subspecies, and they are all covered in admirable, exhausting, unbelievable detail in B irds of Prey of the East: A Field Guide and Birds of Prey of the West: A Field Guide by Brian K. Species Accounts.

North America 186

North America Birds Mississippi Bald Eagle 186

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2016

Swallow-tailed Kite is an enigmatic species in North Carolina. Swallow-tailed Kites, and their equally graceful but less ostentatious cousins from Mississippi, have been found in at least a half-dozen fields in North Carolina in the last couple weeks, including a field not more than an hour from my home.

North Carolina 101

North Carolina Mississippi 2016 Charlotte 101

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2013

How are seasons like species? Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a Mississippi Kite , though 17-year cicadas came a close second. In both instances, we can have trouble telling where one ends and the other begins. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2013 157

2013 Mississippi Birds Experience 157

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. After an initial period when all species are new, the lifers begin to follow a pattern. Thus, I can pinpoint my first pelagic trip, as it added 13 new species. and Canada. I’ve submitted 448 such checklists.

Puerto Rico 144

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 144

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2015

The official Florida checklist counts over 500 species, and thus Florida citizens had a wealth of State Bird candidates to choose from when they named the Florida state bird in 1927. This common bird is also the state bird for Arkansas, Texas (another avian hot spot), Tennessee, and Mississippi, so Florida even misses points for originality.

Florida 165

Florida Legislature Arkansas Mississippi 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2014

I was happy to read that the wood stork ( Mycteria Americana ), a bird near and dear to me, was down-sited from the status of endangered to threatened species. Fish and Wildlife Service is down-listing the wood stork from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a biologist working for the U.S. Photo: U.S.

North Carolina 192

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 192

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2015

Along with Snows, Greater White-fronted Goose are one of the most abundant species here. Geese, of course, are known to be down to get down with other species, because they’re kinky like that. A handful of “blue” Snow Geese can be expected as well.

Geese 194

Geese Fowl Ducks Mississippi 194

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2012

Today, the species has all but disappeared east of the Mississippi River and has declined in western parts of its range, most likely caused by the expansion of the House Wren which destroys and removes their eggs from nest sites 1. A century ago, the Bewick’s Wren was beloved as the “house wren” of the Appalachians and the Midwest.

Mississippi 172

Mississippi North America Eggs America 172

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

falcinellus ) in Mississippi © David J. The other two living species, the Andean Puna Ibis and the White-faced Ibis occur in the Americas. The other two living species, the Andean Puna Ibis and the White-faced Ibis occur in the Americas. A cryptic species? White-faced and Glossy ibises ( Plegadis chihi and P.

Louisiana 193

Louisiana Mississippi America Pelicans 193

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

I am shocked to be writing this post already, and doubly shocked that I’ve seen six new species for Queens since I guessed what my next five Queens birds would be just eight months ago, back in March. Eastern Whip-Poor-Will : It’s kind of amazing how rarely this species is reported in Queens. I’ll make it three!

New York City 151

New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 151

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2014

I work part-time for the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area and here are some stunning views of our very urban park along the Mississippi River through the Twin Cities in Minnesota: This video is not only remarkable for the views, but also the places they take the small drone–behind waterfalls, are you kidding me?

Bald Eagle 191

Bald Eagle Mississippi Eagles Ducks 191

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. It leaves Barnacle Goose as the last remotely possible goose species for me to add. (0

2018 158

2018 2015 Birds 2019 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2015

Though I have been birding for a few years now, I had only birded west of the Mississippi once before my recent trip to Austin, Texas. I didn’t realize how many new species I would see within the city itself! Given how far west I found myself, I was hoping for at least a handful of new birds.

Austin 108

Austin Texas Birds Non Human 108

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2015

In February of 2013, I wrote a piece outlining my thoughts on which exotic bird species should be added to the American Bird Association (ABA) checklist. In 2014, the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) voted to add this species to the Florida state list. The ABA Checklist Committee quickly followed suit.

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Miami San Francisco Florida 154

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2016

The proximity of both slopes also facilitates seeing a lot of different species in a short span because the montane barrier has resulted in differences in terms of species and habitats. This small antbird species is common in Panama to Ecuador but rare in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 165

Costa Rica San Jose Panama Birds 165

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

In New York and Connecticut spending hours of my time hawkwatching in all kinds of conditions has allowed me to see some amazing species: Golden Eagle, Sandhill Crane , Mississippi Kite , Gyrfalcon , Yellow-headed Blackbird , Bridled Tern , American White Pelican and White-winged Dove.

Bald Eagle 234

Bald Eagle Los Angeles Connecticut Eagles 234

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2014

Sure, Miami and the Florida Keys do not boast any endemics ( ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow is close) at the species level. Many visitors who come through Orlando or Tampa see maybe eight or ten species on a winter trip. However, few realize how unique and how good the birding can be here.

Florida 171

Florida Miami United States Stray 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2015

The justification was ridiculously laughable: in order to further study the species. The unique behaviors this mysterious species might exhibit? Researchers observing (live) Mississippi Kites provide very useful information on the timing, paths, and correlation with fronts that I use when releasing my kites.

Collecting 240

Collecting Wildlife Rehabilitation Solomon Islands Texas 240

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2013

states and thirty-seven counties, and added a whopping ninety-two species to my life list. Despite that, I managed to see 511 species in 2013 , which is not half-bad. Hopefully I will see at least that many species in 2014! Finally seeing my 300th species in Queens. a 17-Year Cicada. You will not be disappointed.

2013 171

2013 New York City New York Trinidad 171

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

The species name is long enough to be the middle line of a formal English haiku. You also learn that for birds that spend most of their lives drifting above the ocean and sleeping on the wing, the species isn’t exactly aquatic. So we used MAFR, the American Ornithological Union’s 4-letter code. Oil was everywhere.

Los Angeles 240

Los Angeles Killing Wildlife Rehabilitation San Francisco 240

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

Along that stretch, we enjoyed Fork-tailed Flycatchers and other species in the open fields and marshes including Harriss’s Hawk , the local Nicaraguan Seed-Finch , and, best of all, a pair of normally sneaky and secretive Yellow-breasted Crakes walking in the open through a grassy marsh!

Costa Rica 118

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 118

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2014

That’s when the state and feds demand that we fill out complicated forms detailing every bird we’ve taken in during the year, supposedly using the North American Ornithological Society’s abbreviation for each species.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 226

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Mice Vet 226

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

The Refuge is now home to nearly 200 species of birds, over 50 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, and a wide variety of insects, fish and plants. The Louisiana black bear’s threatened status warrants protection under sections 7 and 9 of the Endangered Species Act.

Fish 143

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 143

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2011

One of them is a waterfowl usage survey over the upper Mississippi conducted by plane…or as I like to call it: Duckmaggedon! Our job is to fly above the Mississippi River at a about 120 feet going about 100 mph and count and ID ducks. Can you make out any species in the above photo? Here’s an example of what we see.

Mississippi 204

Mississippi Ducks Minnesota Science 204

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

This morning, they have seen some 10,000 Broad-winged Hawks , mixed up with two dozen Swainson’s Hawks , several Mississippi Kites and one or two King Vultures , Swallow-tailed and Double-toothed Kites , Merlins and Peregrine Falcons. But why would someone look for that, an easy and common one among the 920+ bird species of Costa Rica?

Costa Rica 134

Costa Rica Reptiles Farming Mississippi 134

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2016

Yes, that would be Golden-winged Warbler , a species seen more easily during a Costa Rican winter than anywhere during migration up north. On the raptor front, whirling flocks of Mississippi Kites , and massive groups of Broad-winged Hawks are passing through, and Ospreys are patrolling the beaches.

Costa Rica 157

Costa Rica Morals Birds Mississippi 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

So: we have bird identification shorthand, which is usually the bird’s North American Ornithological Society abbreviation, but which could be just one particular rehabber’s nickname for the species.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 209

Wildlife Rehabilitation Turtles Turkey Wildlife 209

4 The Love Of Animals

MAY 18, 2011

The Cuban sandhill and Mississippi sandhill are both subspecies of cranes that are listed as endangered and are protected under the Endangered Species Act. SeaWorld Orlando’s Aviculture Team plans to release the adult and chick together, once the chick learns to fly and the adult is fully recovered.

Rescue 100

Rescue Mississippi Endangered Species Humane 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2012

Listservs across the state suddenly lit up with posts about where and how many of these alcids were being seen, with records streaming in from such unlikely places as Dry Tortugas National Park, Key West, Fort de Soto, and as far west as Pensacola — there had been only one previous record of this species in the Gulf of Mexico before 2012.

Florida 211

Florida Cuba 2012 Bahamas 211

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

Seeing 525 species was nice, as was the fact that I birded in four countries, nine of the fifty states in the United States, and fifty-one counties. I want to reach 500 birds in the ABA, get my Queens list to 295, see a total of at least 500 species, and get my World Life List to 1,100. But how did I see so many species this year?

2012 143

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 143

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2012

The last time I saw a Mississippi Kite was way up in Root, New York, back in 2009. There was a pair that were believed to be breeding and the following year successful breeding was confirmed, the first record of the species breeding in New York State. Nate also had s ome good shots of Mississippi Kites in North Carolina recently.

Mississippi 168

Mississippi New York North Carolina New Jersey 168

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2011

She lived on a stretch of the Mississippi River near a power plant that keeps the river open all winter long (even when it’s below zero). Do neighbors refer to you as bird species + Lady or Guy? A great example was the Swan Lady in Monticello, MN Sheila Lawrence. Are you the local Goose Lady? Grackle Guy?

Bald Eagle 239

Bald Eagle Birds Deer Minnesota 239