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 216

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 216

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 213

North America Birds Owls Canada 213

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

With the EU funds, the restoration started in 2009 when embankments were built to create one large and six more small reservoirs. The lake IBA has about 230 so far eBirded species. It was an odd feeling to be back at the “former lake” which I birded in 2019, before the pandemic.

Greece 230

Greece Eagles Turtles 2019 230

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2021

In 2009 when the Semi-palmated Plover came to Broome for its first visit it was initially thought that it may have been a Ringed Plover , but it was finally identified as a Semi-palmated Plover. It was not confirmed to an exact species until more people observed it and photographed it recently.

Australia 193

Australia 2009 Rights Birds 193

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

This species qualifies as Critically Endangered because extensive habitat destruction and capture for the cagebird trade are causing extremely rapid and continuing population declines. Coming to Costa Rica, I needed only a few dozen species to cross my first big threshold: a thousand species. 2010; Macaw Recovery Network 2019).

Costa Rica 237

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 237

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2017

Way back in the days when blog posts still got a lot of comments, I wrote a piece on why field guides that arrange species in a more or less strict taxonomic order regularly frustrate me. Taxonomy is constantly changing and so does the order of species in field guides. van Balen, N. Brickle & F. It was a nightmarish thing to do.

Brunei 156

Brunei 2009 2016 2014 156

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2022

The book covers all of China, which given the large number of species (1484 are covered in the guide), the relatively low level of bird knowledge and also the limited market for such a book in English language (MacKinnon claims in one interview that the Chinese edition sold ten times more than the English one) is quite an achievement.

China 203

China Brazil 2000 Birds 203

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2012

Before arriving in the town of Copan Ruinas, Honduras, on February 27, 2009, I had only ever heard Inca Doves. Juveniles might be confused with other species, as they lack the scaled appearance, but they also lack the dark spots on their sides that one immediately notices when looking at the ground-doves. Go check it out!

Honduras 177

Honduras 2009 California Species 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2013

Ten species of these iridescent ebon irritants, most in the genus Quiscalus , are distributed throughout the New World. Have you written about a species of grackle or captured a photo that does this dashing dastard justice? The grackle is the ultimate American bird, adaptable, intrepid, and obstreperous. If so, show us your grackles!

Coyotes 220

Coyotes United States Blackbirds 2009 220

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2017

All of 2016 only netted me one new species for Queens, a Greater White-fronted Goose. I will see at least 500 species for the year. I saw 425 in 2016, 510 in 2015, 560 in 2014, 517 in 2013, 529 in 2012, 375 in 2011, 601 in 2010, 609 in 2009, 313 in 2008, and 459 in 2007. That really sucks. I will get at least 30 life birds.

2017 103

2017 Puerto Rico 2016 Austria 103

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

According to eBird , I have been an eBirder since December 23, 2009, so today is my 10th eBird anniversary. 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. and Canada.

Puerto Rico 148

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 148

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2012

Queens, New York, May 2009 May is the month of migration in North America. My spring has been pretty amazing so far with 146 species spotted since April 1 and Cerulean , Worm-eating , and Yellow-throated Warblers and a host of other species spotted before May even arrived, but the first couple of days in May have been even better.

New York City 157

New York City New York 2009 Litter 157

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2013

Twenty two species are distributed among six genera, depending on what happens to be extinct, and for the most part one grebe is like another. This makes Grebes vulnerable to climate change and the predation of invasive species. It is easy to see how Minks set lose in a welcoming habitat could eat an entire species.

2010 202

2010 South America 2011 Argentina 202

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2013

If so, will it be given full species status or be lumped as a subspecies of Audubon’s Shearwater ? We wrote last year about a study that suggests the White-breasted Nuthatch is actually a complex of up to four species. Tern Split? Sandwich (Cabot’s) Tern ( Thalasseus sandvicensis acuflavida ) by David J. Split Sage Sparrow.

Sparrows 191

Sparrows North America 2009 America 191

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2015

It is believed that the sub species most likely to be visiting the north of Australia is curonicus. Little Ringed Plovers are being observed more often across the north of Australia nowadays over our summer months, but that could easily be more people spending time looking and reporting the species.

Australia 150

Australia 2009 Rights Species 150

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Kazakhstan – May 2009 After our excellent time at the Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve we bid a fond farewell to its gorgeous grassy terrain and made our way to a location where Sociable Lapwing were known to breed. Above is the area where the three pairs we observed were nesting which we were told was rather typical for the species.

Kazakhstan 128

Kazakhstan Cows 2009 Endangered Species 128

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2015

In fact, of all the world’s pelican species, only the Brown Pelican and Peruvian Pelican perform those plunges. To try to regain the species, state officials even brought in fledglings from Florida , a program that continued until 1980 ! In 1970 the Brown Pelican was listed as nationally endangered.

Louisiana 160

Louisiana Pelicans Legislature United States 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2012

I must say, it is one of the coolest species I have ever seen! In the meantime, enjoy another, rather heavily cropped shot, of the Great Potoo which shows the three, count ‘em, three, notches in its eyelids which allow the potoo to see without opening its eyes and giving away its position. How cool is this bird?

Honduras 202

Honduras 2009 Birds Species 202

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2015

Yep, those two guys identified 331 species in one small area, sans vehicle. Can you imagine even identifying more than 250 species while walking and using a canoe in one day? Essentially, their record was broken in 1986 by Terry Stevenson and John Fanshawe when they recorded 342 species during one calendar day in Kenya.

Costa Rica 166

Costa Rica South Africa Kenya Ecuador 166

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2012

The Bronx was beset by hordes of Black Squirrels , melanistic members of this common species. This post was first published in February 2009, but we can’t bear hiding something this good in the archives. So black squirrels have never been a surprise to me. Yes, the mythical white squirrel does indeed exist.

Squirrels 199

Squirrels Rodents Mammals Bears 199

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

I wasn’t having any luck at all though I was enjoying the typical assortment of wetland species that make we New York birders a bit jealous of our southern compatriots. And there it sat until 2012 when the Florida Ornithological Society’s Records Committee reviewed the status of several introduced species in 2012.**

Feral 180

Feral Florida Ducks Texas 180

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 208

Costa Rica Cooking Birds Chickens 208

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 270

Mississippi Mexico Alabama North Carolina 270

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2020

A Field Guide to the Birds: Giving Field Marks of All Species Found in Eastern North America was published in 1934 by Houghton Mifflin (note–Peterson was 26 years old), after being rejected by four publishers. Adding the 76 new species in the Hawaii section, this makes coverage of approximately 884 species.

North America 210

North America America Hawaii Birds 210

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2015

The Brown Pelican and the Peruvian Pelican are closely related and once were considered the same species. The plight of pelicans, raptors, and other species led to a ban on DDT in 1972 and a reduction in endrin use, allowing pelican numbers to rise. In 1970, Brown Pelicans were federally listed as endangered.

Pelicans 157

Pelicans North America Peru Fish 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2018

We had not observed a Powerful Owl since we were living in Portland, Victoria for a few months in 2009, so once the opportunity arose to go looking for one at the Royal Botanical Gardens in Sydney we took it! Powerful Owls are the largest nocturnal bird in Australia and the largest of the owl species.

Owls 113

Owls Portland Australia Transported 113

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2013

New World populations of the widely distributed Sandwich Tern ( Thalasseus sandvicensis ) are treated by some authorities (including the British Ornithologists’ Union) as a distinct species: Cabot’s Tern ( T. Proposal 2013-A-3 recommends adopting that split on the basis of a 2009 study (I wrote about it back in the day here ).

2013 186

2013 Sparrows Owls Stray 186

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2019

With so much of the environment in Australia that is inaccessible at any time of year it does beg the question as to how many different bird species do arrive and then leave and never get observed! There had also been an increase in bird numbers since the previous survey in 2008/2009 and the number of birds had doubled.

Australia 113

Australia Ducks 2018 2014 113

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2012

Kazakhstan, May 2009 During the two days spent out in the steppe in Kazakhstan I couldn’t help but notice the sheer number of flowers that dotted the grassy steppe. It turns out that the steppe is one of the places tulips come from and is a center of tulip species diversity. No, no, and no! How did tulips arrive in Holland?

Sri Lanka 197

Sri Lanka Kazakhstan 2009 Portugal 197

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2013

Mike photographed this Unmarked Dagger ( Acronicta innotata ) at his family’s annual “Chicken Inferno” in 2009. Others turn their binoculars on the myriad species of butterflies and moths that seem to flit about without a care in the world. Wonder what he’ll find this year! Are you a birder who hates summer?

United States 150

United States North America Chickens 2009 150

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2013

It is easy to tell when some species become extinct — a Martha or a Lonesome George dies and there are no more, not now, not ever (until science fiction kicks in.) Extinction is sometimes more confusing than it looks. So not utterly hopeless, either.

Myanmar 191

Myanmar Bangladesh Ducks Wisconsin 191

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

Florida is a great place to bird in January because in addition to the year-round species there are a host of birds that winter in the relatively balmy climate that Florida has in winter. Ever since I met Julie in Honduras back in 2009 I have wanted to get out birding with her again. Get my Florida list to 180 species.

2015 199

2015 Wildlife Florida Birds 199

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2012

The New Jersey Bird Records Committee (NJBRC) documents 465 species of natural origin. Used in conjunction with the species distribution maps, this is a helpful feature in evaluating field observations. That Cattle Egret I found in Somerset County, August 2009? There are, sadly, entries for extinct species.

New Jersey 192

New Jersey Birds 2009 Bald Eagle 192

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Since 2009, International Bird Rescue has released over 1,100 California Brown Pelicans with blue bands from their wildlife hospitals! If you spot one of these blue banded birds, you can help by reporting it and contribute to this important citizen science project helping the conservation of this amazing species.

Pelicans 197

Pelicans Bird Rescue Rescue Birds 197

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2012

Sometimes a species just stops you in your tracks. … This post was originally published on 24 May 2009, but we hate to keep posts this good buried in the archives ! So it was with a superlative, breeding-plumaged, male Scarlet Tanager today at Jamaica Bay. ……… a.

Jamaica 170

Jamaica Collecting 2009 Breeding 170

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Conservation organizations continue to work toward some compromise that will reduce pressures on declining species. Machi getting fitted with transmitter in 2009. Shorebird hunting within these areas continues to be unregulated to the present time. Machi was, of course, only one bird. Image courtesy of Barton Paxton. … a.

Hunters 240

Hunters Barbados South Carolina Hunting 240

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Oddly enough, the Common Redpoll ( Acanthis flammea ), my first ever twitch back in the winter of 2009, was spotted within a mile or so from the Snow Bunting on the same road in McArthur. I make this statement with this addendum; I would not post the location of a species that could be targeted during hunting season.

California 100

California North America Wildlife 2016 100