10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2011

I had spotted a Turkey Vulture ! Well, I had looked out the sliding glass door that leads to my balcony and spotted a large bird that seemed to have the flight pattern of a Turkey Vulture but I needed to drop the darned phone and grab the binoculars that live near the door for exactly this purpose. What had happened? … a.

Turkey 145

Turkey Species Birds 145

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2023

Dave Gosney’s Finding Birds Series covers mostly the Western Palearctic and describes birding in various regions of Portugal, Spain, Morocco, France, Finland, Estonia, Poland, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, etc., with some additions, namely South Texas, The Gambia, and Goa (India).

Greece 192

Greece Bulgaria Macedonia Gambia 192

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2024

But here goes, a list of my favorite sightings for 2023: You stole my heart, you rascal you: We made a major trip to Europe, North Africa, and Turkey in late October, November and early December, combining work with some down time. In 2022, while in Turkey for our first time, I saw my first Dipper , a White-throated Dipper.

Morocco 169

Morocco Birds Turkey Mexico 169

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Had it not been for the Wild Turkey, for instance, the first Pilgrims to America, the English ones, would not, possibly, have survived, he says. FYI, the occasionally-reliable www says that the term was invented because the goose-bumps on withdrawing addicts’ flesh resembles that on the necks of turkeys.)

Bald Eagle 152

Bald Eagle Montenegro Campaign Turkey 152

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2022

And I did manage to see a large number of new birds — 45 new species, to be specific. I will start by telling you about encounters in Turkey with two special bird families. But no, I had to travel to Turkey to meet them in the wild. Turkey can get really hot in the summer. (It New places, new birds!

Turkey 162

Turkey Spain Mexico Agenda 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2020

Since the migratory season ended down here, I have not managed to see more than 20 species in any single day from my yard. The above-mentioned Rufous-naped Wren added some melodious notes to the mix, along with Tropical Flycatchers and several other species. Turkey Vulture. A Zone-tailed Hawk imitating a Turkey Vulture.

Turkey 242

Turkey Mexico Uruguay Guatemala 242

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

More than 150 bird species are known to have become extinct over the past 500 years, and many more are estimated to have been driven to extinction before they became known to science. The Gray Crowned-Crane is a new addition to the list of the world’s Endangered species, creeping up a category from Vulnerable.

Endangered Species 187

Endangered Species Species Morocco South Africa 187

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

Nesting is now confined to Morocco, irregularly in Boghari in Algeria and in Birecik, Turkey.” (The Sadly, they no longer breed in Algeria, while in Turkey no free-flying birds remain. (In But this range is now much reduced. There’s no information as to when these European colonies died out, but we do know that it was a long time ago.

Morocco 220

Morocco Austria Algeria Germany 220

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2020

And while this poisonous species is usually red and spotted, older examples can lose their spots and take on an orange hue. My Laurelito trip was topped off by my discovery, when I walked back to my car, that it had been turned into a turkey perch. So I’m glad I didn’t taste my first examples.

Turkey 259

Turkey Birds Elephants Eggs 259

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2021

have our minds on turkeys right about now. Plenty of other species stopped by, of course, but they were sorely outnumbered. Songs of turtledoves and swans a’swimming are not far off, but we in the U.S. A mundane weekend makes for mundane birds, so I had to settle for watching House Sparrows chew through my feeders.

Soreing 197

Soreing Turkey Falcons Birds 197

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Next Thursday is the American Thanksgiving holiday – which means it’s time to trot out that old legend concerning Benjamin Franklin’s opinions on two iconic American birds: The Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) and the Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ). Except that it didn’t really happen that way, exactly.

2017 151

2017 Bald Eagle United States Turkey 151

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2023

Since I have limited experience with eastern Mexico, and even less experience with tropical species, I enthusiastically accepted. By week’s end I had 30 new species on my life list. And the final species, seen in the neighborhood in which I was housed, gave me my 500th species in Mexico. Good choice! Go figure!

Mexico 130

Mexico Tigers Birds Cows 130

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

Black and Turkey Vultures soared overhead, joined by the occasional Osprey. Per usual, the Canada Geese proved to be the most prevalent species – and the loudest. And a lone American White Pelican , its impressive wing span reminding me for the umpteenth time of the hugeness of this species. . A fine start to GBBC!

Florida 249

Florida Birds Pelicans Geese 249

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2023

The bike path (listed as Ruta de Bicicleta a Playa Linda on eBird’s hotspot map) begins by a very artificial water-storage pond, but even so, I managed to see several hoped-for species there. It used to be considered a single species with the Broad-billed Hummingbirds that visit my garden in Morelia every day.

Birds 237

Birds Mexico Turkey Species 237

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2022

Both Trinidad and Tobago share over a hundred species but within the mix are many that are found on one island and not the other. The disparity in species could be stark, for example if one were to bird on different sides of the planet. I don’t keep lists but one of my guests did and the final tally was 166 species.

Trinidad 251

Trinidad Turkey Squirrels Species 251

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2020

In Costa Rica, Thanksgiving isn’t an official holiday but on account of the many people from the USA who live there, a birder can enjoy turkey, mashed potatoes and authentic stuffing at any number of places. The turkey, stuffing, and all the rest were wonderful. Even so, I rarely celebrated this special holiday in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 226

Costa Rica Turkey Iceland Eagles 226

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2019

I recently despaired of ending this calendar year without seeing a single Wild Turkey when that species used to be so reliable in my part of New York. Luckily, we spied a large flock of turkeys from the highway between Syracuse and Binghamton.

2019 137

2019 Nevada Turkey New York 137

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2023

First, we had our five-week trip to Spain, Turkey and Jordan in September and October. This meant I saw some truly domesticated species there, like these Graylag and African (domesticated Swan ) Geese : Fortunately, all the other birds I saw there were truly wild. To summarize, I managed to see 42 species with a quick two-hour visit.

Jordan 192

Jordan Mexico Birds Ohio 192

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Still, the outing did not produce any new species for the year, or enough good photos for a post here. Instead, I have chosen to write about an idea I’ve had percolating for a while: to tell you what the most common species are down here. I’ll take the most common native species in taxonomic order.

Woodpeckers 323

Woodpeckers Mexico Cattle Species 323

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2022

The mountains are named after ancient Bunya Pines Araucaria bidwillii , a common species [pictured above] within the forests and one that dominates the skyline from the main accommodation area. By the forest edge another macropod species appears, the less common Black striped Wallaby [below]. Noisy Pitta was heard but sadly not seen.

Parrots 189

Parrots Birds Turkey Farming 189

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

When I got back into birding about six years ago, I would not have predicted the personal bonds a birder can form with certain species. While all birds bring us joy, and we certainly want to see as many as we can, some species just seem more… special. I’ll start with two species that are especially hard to find.

Mexico 156

Mexico Birds South America Turkey 156

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2022

As I write this, on March 8th, my 2022 year list includes 230 species. After ten major outings this year, I am still picking up 5-7 new species each week. (No What I did not manage was decent photos of either species. I never know quite what to think when Turkey Vultures show such a strong interest in me.

Turkey 190

Turkey Falcons Mexico Species 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2013

In truly absurd, I am not making this up news, villagers in Turkey recently accused a bird of being an Israeli spy. There’s a joke in here somewhere stemming from the fact that the country’s name is Turkey. Interestingly, this wasn’t the first time a stray Israeli-banded bird has come under suspicion in Turkey.

Turkey 175

Turkey Austin ALA 175

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

When you see a photo of a Snowcap, it’s easy to see why this species is a perennial top target for birding trips to Costa Rica. However, as with so many other bird species that must be seen to confirm their improbable existence, the Snowcap can be elusive. I’m sure several other species also occur.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 25, 2022

In the end, it gave me 44 lifers: 10 from Turkey and 8 from Jordan, which I had not visited before, and 26 from Spain, which I had visited previously, but in which we spent much more time. This peak lines up with the arrival of multiple migratory hummingbird species. Most reach peak bloom as the rains end, in September or October.

Spain 147

Spain Jordan Turkey Species 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2020

BOC has 95 colour plates illustrating more than 400 species (three country endemics, Cyprus Wheatear , Cyprus Scops Owl and Cyprus Warbler , among them), with text and distribution maps on facing pages. His work in Iraq, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey remains inspirational to researchers throughout the region.

Cyprus 248

Cyprus Saudi Arabia Europe Birds 248

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

At least most of the resident species can still be seen right along the road, you just have to keep an eye out for cyclists and vehicles on their way up and down the volcano. This shimmering mega species is regular on Poas and, when feeding, is often joined by the Black Guan , an arboreal black turkey-like bird with a blue face.

Costa Rica 257

Costa Rica Birds Cows Hunters 257

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. Maybe it’s important to note that Turkey Vultures , in particular, were well-loved by , and even inspirational to , the people that lived here before Europeans arrived. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things.

California Condor 178

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 178

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2021

There is also a short description of each bird species (which may be quite detailed where necessary) covering the size, structure and shape, colouration, flight (the flight manner of individual birds), flock (the structure and behaviour of flocks), transliterations of flight calls followed by sonograms, and with QR code to 131 online recordings.

Europe 237

Europe Asia Cyprus Turkey 237

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2021

If we hadn’t we might be there still — stuck, perhaps, in Turkey or Jordan. The Indigo was even on its way to becoming my default species for any indescript female LBJ. But, until 2020, I almost never saw it, which is frustrating with such a loud species. But then things went crazy, and we cancelled the trip.

Mexico 163

Mexico 2020 2019 Turkey 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

The official Ontario bird checklist, produced by Ontario Field Ornithologists , June 2022 listed 506 bird species**, putting it in the top tier of U.S. Small Species Accounts: Each species is allotted one page (with certain exceptions) offering basics–bird names and size, one or two photographs, and a one-paragraph description.

North America 206

North America Birds Owls Canada 206

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2019

The tropical habitats of Costa Rica are home to a surprising number of raptor species. Although the country is around the same size as West Virginia, 39 species of diurnal raptors are on the list. As is often the case for tropical ecosystems, there may be hundreds of species of birds at a site, but many of them are naturally rare.

Costa Rica 178

Costa Rica Eagles West Virginia Opossums 178

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2016

As with mammals, the avifauna of the tar pits is heavy on individuals from predatory and scavenging species who were perhaps drawn to the struggles of dying mammoths and ground sloths. The long-gone American Vulture (more closely related to old-world Vultures than anything we have today) and the still-healthy Turkey Vulture.

California Condor 175

California Condor Coyotes Eagles Turkey 175

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2021

Now this is not the first time Facebook has or is being used to showcase beautiful pictures of birds, to allow conversations between birders and to highlight the location of uncommon or rare bird species. Obviously the winner for each year has taken pictures of the greatest variety of bird species within the zone in the calendar year.

Birds 263

Birds 2020 Australia Species 263

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2016

With wild populations in the Middle East estimated in the mere hundreds, any and every threat can have devastating results to the species’ long-term survival. A breeding program in Turkey has been successful, but civil war in neighboring Syria seems to have posed a significant hazard.

Syria 100

Syria Turkey Hunting Humane 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2013

As I emerged from the woodland into coastal heath they came, first an Eastern Spinebill , a common enough species here although not one I get closer to the city. These two species are super abundant in coastal heath, and you quickly recognize their calls as they chase each other around (something honeyeaters do a lot).

Turkey 140

Turkey Bats Australia Species 140

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 183

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 183