10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2012

On this final day of 2012 it is time, just like it was on the final days of 2010 and 2011 , to share your Best Birds of the Year. 2012 was one of my best years for birding in Costa Rica. A whole bunch of you responded and shared your best birds either in blog post form, email form, or in our comments.

2012 133

2012 Ghana Ireland Birds 133

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2011

Or These Blasts From The Past A Birding High For Lowe’s Best Bird of the Weekend (Second of March 2011) Bird-Blogging Against Racism Best Bird of the Weekend (Last of March 2010) Where Are You Birding This Third Weekend of December 2010? How cool’s that!? Pat ODonnell Mar 18th, 2011 at 11:47 am Awesome migration image!

2011 150

2011 Deer Birds South Dakota 150

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

& updated (PUP, 2010); you can find a full list of his publications and listing of number of plates contributed on Dyer’s web site. First of all, there are the classics, cited in the Introduction as important resources and models for the authors: A Guide to the Birds of Costa Rica by Gary Stiles and Alexander F.

America 211

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 211

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2017

John Schmitt has illustrated the diurnal raptors in Birds of Peru (PUP, 2010), the Cornell Lab or Ornithology Handbook of Bird Biology, 3rd ed., You can download some of his papers from the Peregrine Fund web site. In addition to co-authoring the raptor field guide, N.

Mexico 155

Mexico America North America Falcons 155

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

Pat ODonnell Mar 9th, 2011 at 10:09 am My Bbest bird for the weekend was a Long-tailed Woodcreeper seen at Carara National Park in Costa Rica. Where Are You Birding This First Weekend of March 2011? Falling through the ice could not have been fun.

2011 153

2011 New York Deer Birds 153

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Still, I have been stuck trying to identify a dragonfly I photographed in 2010. Some odonates (dragonflies and damselflies) are included in Costa Rica nature guides, but there are hundreds of these beautiful creatures flying around the diverse habitats of Costa Rican and there has not been a guide devoted just to them till now.

Costa Rica 256

Costa Rica North America Family America 256

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2013

A lone Smooth-billed Ani, dubbed the ‘Orphan Ani’ by locals, that lingered for months at Anhinga Trail in 2010. Last, a young Greater Ani was photographed in Key Biscayne in December of 2010, but was immediately dismissed due to questions on provenance.

Florida 184

Florida Virgin Islands Miami Breeders 184

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

As 2013 draws to a close we here at 10,000 Birds thought that it would be a great idea if we, like we did in 2010 , 2011 , and 2012 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. Since that trip, I’ve seen Rose-throated Becard in Costa Rica, but not with the rosy throat. I never saw the bird. Well, maybe a bit of a wing.

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2018

Jessie Barry writes that “with practice, experts can identify nearly all gulls by size and shape alone” in her 2010 article for the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. And, Karlson himself has a section on gulls in his 2015 book (co-authored with Dale Rosselet) Bir ding by Impression.

North America 193

North America America El Salvador Nicaragua 193

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

However, it wasn’t until the infamous year of 2020 that I finally laid eyes on it in the marshes of Las Pangas in southern Costa Rica. A non-bird Best Bird of the Year? Preposterous! This weird little skulking waterfowl is a species I had hoped to chance upon in various places for quite some time.

2020 221

2020 Birds Germany Costa Rica 221

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2018

The two most prolific contributors, Pat and Tom, have been sharing their birding space in Costa Rica. During October, 7 countries (Costa Rica, Australia, USA, India, Hong Kong, UK, Serbia) were birded by 11 beats who shared 135 checklists and noted 697 species. The beats have now contributed more checklists than birds.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2018

9 beats shared 100 checklists from 8 countries (Costa Rica, USA, UK, Brazil, Serbia, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Australia. In an unusual turnaround during September, more birds were seen in USA than in Costa Rica. Please remember to give migrating birds the space that they need. Western Australia.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 113

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

In reverse order, the medals were awarded for “most species seen in a country”, to Australia with 420, USA got the silver, scoring 556 while the runaway winner was Costa Rica with 646 species. May I extend my thanks to all the beats. Rufous-collared Sparrow – Zonotrichia capensis. San Joaquin coffee. 12 Jan 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2018

Tom and Pat were toe to toe in Costa Rica , so the numbers from there outshone anything else on the list for November, with over 60% of the month’s total shared between them. They birded 6 countries; USA, UK, Costa Rica, Serbia, Australia, and Mexico. 8 beats shared 126 checklists accounting for 704 species.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2016

Contributions this month have come from; Costa Rica, USA, Australia, Mexico, Serbia, South Africa, UK, Botswana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Iran. Redgannet missed an opportunity to contribute when he was completely washed out at Lekki Conservation Centre in Nigeria. Road to PN Volcán Poás. 08 Feb 2016. Bosque de Tlalpan.

2016 154

2016 Sanctuary Australia Ghana 154