10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2016

As a boy growing up, I scoured every bird book I could get my hands on. I guess it is that gruesome boyhood interest in any bird that would use thorns and barbwire to impale its prey on. In 2011, my wife and I sailed into a beautiful little anchorage here in the Sea of Cortez, on Isla Espritu Santos. Migrans and L.i.

Butcher 112

Butcher Birds North America Mexico 112

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2013

Podicipediformes, aka Grebes, are freshwater diving duckish birds that are not ducks. That of course is true of many birds.) Like many birds, Grebes are mainly preyed on by other birds, but also, because Grebes liv in and on and near (mostly) fresh water, they are also preyed on by the smaller carnivores such as ferrets.

2010 198

2010 South America 2011 Argentina 198

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2014

When people are invested in identifiable individual birds, there’s always the chance that nature will do as nature does, and a beloved bird will not survive the perils of migration or will meet with mischance in the winter months. Birds nests Ospreys web cams'

Eggs 165

Eggs 2011 Science Falcons 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2016

In 2011, a collaborative effort among state and federal wildlife agencies teamed up with Louisiana’s Department of Wildlife and Fisheries to begin releasing captive-bred birds into the White Lake Wetlands Conservation Area. A pair from the released batch set up housekeeping last month and lo and behold, eggs gave way to chicks.

Louisiana 106

Louisiana 2011 Suffering Wildlife 106

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2015

There are sixteen pairs of Pied Oystercatchers and they have varying success at raising young birds. To the north they are very unlucky with predation before the eggs even hatch out, but to the south the eggs hatch out and then the predation occurs on the chicks.

Feral Cats 158

Feral Cats Eggs Feral Cats 158

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2013

All four major flyways in North America — the aerial migration routes traveled by billions of birds each year — converge in one spot in Canada’s boreal forest, the Peace-Athabasca Delta in northeastern Alberta. About three billion birds fly north to the Boreal Forest each spring to build nests and lay eggs. Water withdrawals.

Obama 239

Obama 2008 United States Industry 239

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

As of 27 August 2013 the California Bird Records Committee has voted to add the introduced Nutmeg Mannikin to the state checklist. Or, as Seagull Steve puts it : The dreaded Nutmeg Mannikin has been added to California’s official state list by the California Bird Records Committee (aka Bird Police).

California 190

California Los Angeles 2013 Eggs 190

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2011

From what I read, birds are the class of Aves [feathered, winged, bipedal, warm-blooded, egg-laying and vertebrate animals]. Also, and this is pretty cool, there are extinct birds that have different characteristics [no wings, for example. But how many families of birds are there?” Who knew?]. you might ask. Three times.

2011 110

2011 Family Eggs Rights 110

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2014

I have followed the breeding activity of the Pied Oystercatchers in Broome along Cable Beach since July 2000 when I found the first nest site and the birds have continued to use the same territories, though there have been some partner changes. A second egg was laid the following day and the two eggs hatched at the end of the month.

2007 167

2007 Eggs 2014 2002 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2011

Fried-egg-on-a-sidewalk hot. It’s hot. Really hot. Sticky hot. Painfully hot. Hate-the-sun hot. Disgustingly hot. Wander-the-apartment-in-just-underwear hot. In other words, it is once again summer in New York City. Like last year I am doing my best to stay cool and thought I would try to help all of you wonderful readers do the same.

New York City 167

New York City New York 2011 Eggs 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

This involves the sighting of these birds both here and overseas resulting in some incredible life stories. She hopes to spread the word about the dangers the shorebirds face as they migrate north each year and the changing bird seasons experienced throughout the year. Get yours today! Seriously cool critters.

Australia 149

Australia 2011 Sharks Deer 149

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2016

After getting to spend some time with a few of these birds recently, I decided to feature them in my story this week. Like many birders, ever since I was a child, these wonderful, shy birds have been known as the Common Moorhen. That and the fact that I have barely been able to get out in the field for the last three weeks.

Chile 100

Chile Breeders Asia Mexico 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2013

There are usually only one or two birds when they do venture into the southern Kimberley, but they have bred here in the past. A typical distant photograph was taken in May 2011 at an ephemeral lake near Broome. Lily Creek Lagoon is in the centre of town and surrounded by parkland, which is also extremely good for birding.

Australia 162

Australia 2011 Eggs Species 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

The first time we ever observed an Australian Painted Snipe was on Grant’s birthday in 2011 near Broome and since then we have had numerous other encounters, but this year for the first time we have seen them both nesting and with young. Australian Painted Snipe nest with four eggs. Four eggs in the Australian Painted Snipe nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2014

More than 99% of the population of Tricolored Blackbirds ( Agelaius tricolor ) live within the state of California and form the largest colonies of any North American passerine bird 1. Therefore the actual numbers of birds killed are grossly underestimated. The California population estimate derived from the Survey was 145,000 birds.

Blackbirds 185

Blackbirds California 2014 2013 185

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2013

Early April is a fairly typical time for the earlier-migrating Osprey to arrive (both birds at Dunrovin are already onsite,) but eggs probably won’t appear until late April or early May. Birds baseball inland west Ospreys' And Osprey love them some nest platforms. Adaptation has its privileges!

Bald Eagle 194

Bald Eagle Idaho Eagles Primates 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

There were three profound questions my birding group discussed while we birded Trinidad and Tobago, back in December 2012: (1) How many Bananaquits could fit on a banana? (2) 3) What was the best guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago? The bird guide question was a conundrum.

Trinidad 189

Trinidad Birds South America Research 189

Critter News

JULY 8, 2011

July 8, 2011 – In a groundbreaking move that should result in the greatest advancement for farmed animals in U.S. history, the United Egg Producers (UEP) has agreed to support national legislation that will, upon enactment, improve the welfare of all laying hens in the nation.

Welfare 100

Welfare Farm Sanctuary Battery Cages Factory Farm 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

Oil begins to wash up on the beaches throughout May and June of 2010 May 6, 2010 Oil washes ashore on the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, an important nesting and breeding area for many bird species. October 26, 2011 BP is awarded a permit to drill another exploratory well in the Gulf of Mexico.

2010 226

2010 Louisiana 2012 2011 226

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Any worthwhile discussion of baby birds will wisely lean heavily towards young shorebirds, which are surely among the most adorable of all immature avifauna. And despite our evident New World bias here at 10,000 Birds, we have a fondness for Old World shorebirds like thick-knees. We raised this little fella to a young adult.

Senegal 207

Senegal Cats South Africa Experience 207

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For birders, it’s the extremely large book, shelved in a place where it can’t crush the field guides, used to research the history of a bird in their area. Corey did just this in this 2011 posting about Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus in New York State.

Pennsylvania 220

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 220

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

And reports of birds nesting – not owls, of course, those weirdo snow fetishists, but other birds nesting – light up my life. With a hardiness that belies their delicate looks (but helps explain their phenomenal success), these pioneering pigeons are already sitting on eggs at at least one location in Montana.

Montana 132

Montana 2011 New York Bahamas 132

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

We birders are very particular about the birds that we count. We can count introduced species that have met the criteria of the “Bird Police” for the area to which they are introduced. There are lots of birds we can’t count. There are lots of birds we can’t count. We can’t count caged birds.

Chickens 192

Chickens Florida Feral Species 192

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2014

I enjoy collecting children’s books about birds and nature that I come across in the expected (book stores) and unexpected (academic library conference reports) places. Here are three excellent but very different children’s books I enjoyed this year (two were published in 2013, one in 2011). The birds thrive.

Puerto Rico 227

Puerto Rico Parrots New York City 2013 227

Animal Ethics

JULY 19, 2011

To the Editor: Re “ Egg Producers and Humane Society Urging Federal Standard on Hen Cages ” (Business Day, July 8): I’m a vegetarian who turned vegan after coming to terms with the fact that just because I was eating hormone-free, antibiotic-free, even free-range organic eggs didn’t mean that egg-producing hens were living a cruelty-free life.

New York Times 40

New York Times New York Factory Farm Factory Farming 40

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

Yes, the warbler formerly known as Dendroica kirtlandii , now Setophaga kirtlandii , is one of those birds that make birders’ hearts pulse quicker and their legs churn faster. Look what happened when the bird made the first of three appearances at the Biggest Week in American Birding at Magee Marsh! photo by Lynn C.

Michigan 221

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 221

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2012

These were the sounds I heard as I walked around a small pond in Amherst, Massachusetts last week, looking for dragonflies, listening for birds. If you’ve been to the Amazonian rainforest on a birding tour, then you have probably seen the brilliant colors of the tiny Poison dart frogs, the deep brilliant reds and blues and yellows.

Reptiles 182

Reptiles Madagascar Family New York City 182

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Beautiful Blue Backyard Bird Beautiful Blue Backyard Bird By Jochen • March 10, 2011 • 9 comments Tweet Share There is a lot of whining associated with colours and Europe’s birds.

2011 158

2011 Birds Deer Europe 158

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2013

Since 2001, at least five additional DNA studies have upheld this proposed relationship, and in 2005, George Sangster proposed the name “Mirandornithes” for the flamingo-grebe group, from Latin and Greek roots meaning “wonderful” (also, “admirable”) and “bird.” Zusi and Robert W.

2001 217

2001 2006 2010 Eggs 217

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2011

I was looking out a car window the other day and noticed that of all the wildlife most of it was bird. A squirrel skittered by … a squirrel is not a bird. So the thought occurred to me that there is a lot of bird on the landscape, in terms of numbers of individuals as well as sheer biomass. Paul islands, studied by Darwin.

Mammals 172

Mammals Rodents Birds Reptiles 172

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

The Eurasian Wryneck is the woodpecker that doesn’t look like a woodpecker, the bird with the portmanteau name that is also a medical condition (and which may remind some people of a Nora Ephron essay). They are slim and small-headed birds and their bills are fine, not strong and dynamic. copyright © 2022 Gerard Gorman.

Woodpeckers 224

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 224

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

There are few bird names that will elicit great big smiles and Penguin is one of them. Other contenders are Kookaburra, Shoebill, and Umbrellabird, but people smile when they hear these names because they know a song or because they can’t believe these are real names of real birds. <pause> Do I have your attention now?

Penguins 277

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 277

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2011

Acrocephalus palustris is the old world Marsh Warbler, and is one of the birds in the Chernobyl area. Alternatively, imagine I set the dial to produce simple heat, like the kind that comes out of your stove to cook your scrambled eggs. A recent study, Chernobyl Birds Have Smaller Brains , looks at this in birds at Chernobyl.

Mammals 225

Mammals Birds Fish Cooking 225

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

birds that we are lucky to have with us today, species that seem to have beat the odds and have been migrating on the long and bumpy road to recovery. Not only were they a common bird, they were a common bird nearshore; indigenous peoples hunted them up and down the coast. Here are some U.S. is on a boat in the Aleutian chain.

Albatross 198

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 198

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

Once upon a time, bird field guides included nests. Decades later, Richard Pough’s Audubon Bird Guide, Eastern Land Birds (I happily own the 1948 edition) included nest and egg descriptions for each species as well. But somewhere along the way, nests and eggs got dropped from our field guides. Harrison. (A

Eggs 220

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 220

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, experts have determined that the current rate of bird extinction is somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 times the background rate. Globally, 1,313 bird species of a total of count of 10,064 are threatened, a frightening 13% of the total.

Endangered Species 183

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 183

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2014

This would be our only opportunity to go birding together in Perth and whilst many people from the country head to the city to go shopping that was the last thing on our mind! Herdsman Lake is an excellent site to see the Black Swan , which is the Western Australian bird emblem. Black Swan and cygnet. Great Crested Grebe.

Ducks 159

Ducks Birds Australia Pelicans 159