10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Reading over my email from that period, I can’t believe I ended up there at all–I was working on a chaotic project at work, the economy was in crisis (well, the economy is always in crisis, but this was the summer of 2011, as in Black Monday crisis), and the tour itself was not confirmed till two months before the start date.

2006 257

2006 Tortoises Sea Lions Sea Turtles 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

2011 is about to become 2012 and birders the world over are taking a look at their year lists and reminiscing about the awesome sightings and devastating dips that they have experienced. Not only did we not expect to see this seabird this far inland, it was a life bird for me! We would like you to join in!

2011 188

2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 188

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

All the local avian characters have been extra-antsy despite the weather, all contending for best bird of the weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. Where Are You Birding This First Weekend of March 2011?

2011 155

2011 New York Deer Birds 155

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2016

Can you remember any birding movie before Schrodinger’s Cat? For me, the only “birding” movie that I knew of were the Dogs of War (1980). I knew about the movie since my early birding days although it was more than ten years later before I saw it. Finally, the Schrodinger’s Cat is, of course, The Big Year (2011).

Belize 239

Belize Birds Africa Dogs 239

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birding / Where Are You Birding This Third Weekend of March 2011? Where Are You Birding This Third Weekend of March 2011? By Mike • March 17, 2011 • 24 comments Tweet Share Happy St.

2011 150

2011 Birds Deer South Dakota 150

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2011

Corey’s best bird of the weekend was a wicked Chuck-will’s-widow at Prospect Park on Saturday. My own best bird was Caspian Tern , right on time along Lake Ontario. For those of you playing along at home, this gives me 17 new ABA birds for a total of 467 as of May 1, 2011.

2011 157

2011 Mississippi ALA Sparrows 157

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2019

The full title of this exceptional book by Marie Read is Mastering Bird Photography: The Art, Craft, and Technique of Photographing Birds and Their Behavior. As a birder who photographs, rather than a bird photographer, this never occurred to me before and I find the idea intriguing.

Birds 196

Birds Ethics 2019 Experience 196

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2011

Must be the way you’re dressed… The best bird of my weekend was Tufted Titmouse , which has become more prominent here as we approach winter. I forgot how much bigger these birds are than the other species like chickadees they pal around with. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 178

2011 Birds Experience Experiments 178

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2011

And we still get to enjoy fall migrants knowing well that the birds of winter aren’t far away. Corey and I could both say that the best bird of the weekend was a mighty, mighty Cardinal , but that would be too easy. What was your best bird of the weekend? Good times!

2011 189

2011 United States Turkey Birds 189

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2011

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend™ was a rather suspect Eurasian Wigeon in Queens. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2011 188

2011 New York Birds Experience 188

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

The results of the Swarovski Optik Digiscoper of the Year 2011 have just been published and once again, they show just what is possible with a telescope and everything from a cheap compact camera to a semi-pro DSLR. It was by far the most exciting time I’ve ever had photographing a bird.

2011 236

2011 Eagles Bald Eagle Owls 236

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2011

Don’t you just love sharing your best bird of the weekend with people that actually appreciate exciting sightings? Three scoter species and two loon species are nice, but my favorite sighting was a Great Cormorant , a bird I don’t see nearly enough. What was your best bird of the weekend? 0001% (Occupy ABA , anyone?),

2011 172

2011 Owls Birds Experience 172

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

My Best Bird of the Weekend™ had to be White-breasted Nuthatch. These tasteful treehuggers are no strangers to my bird feeders, but I much enjoy them out on the hiking trail, which is where I found them yesterday. What was your best bird of the weekend? Enough phenology… let’s get down to some field ornithology!

2011 172

2011 Jamaica New York Ducks 172

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2011

So much for my weekend… Unless you like House Sparrows more than I do, you won’t be impressed by my best bird of the weekend. After a brief moment of Corey thinking Will had gone off the deep end Corey saw the bird too. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 172

2011 Philadelphia Sparrows Birds 172

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

The best birds of my weekend were Seahawks, Eagles, Falcons, Cardinals, And Ravens. Corey had a hard time choosing his best bird of the weekend. But the birds he most appreciated were three American Golden Plovers , two of which are pictured below: What was your best bird of the weekend?

Bald Eagle 167

Bald Eagle New Jersey 2011 New York 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2011

Ever have one of those weeks so full of unbelievable birding that the prospect of ogling even one more avian seems untenable, if not entirely insane? My experience of just half of the Week Competition of this year’s gtbc utterly drained me.

2011 145

2011 Laws Sparrows Birds 145

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2012

Not only am I suffused with the pleasant warmth that comes with watching one’s favorite sports team clinch the playoffs, but I also managed to shake off a scant night’s sleep to chase some birds this morning. My best bird of the year so far is selected from the plentiful waterfowl spotted at and around Montezuma NWR.

2011 168

2011 2012 New York Birds 168

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2012

But since these sorry birds are giving avifauna a bad name, I should mention the sleek Cooper’s Hawk I spotted at Turning Point Park. Corey’s newest gaudy vagrant and Best Bird of the Weekend™ was a Barnacle Goose in Eastport, Suffolk County, Long Island. Not a bad bird at all!

Debeaking 164

Debeaking Atlanta 2011 United States 164

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2011

Summer thankfully persists in the Northern Hemisphere, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the birding remains dull. I didn’t run into anything unusual this weekend, so my best birds of the weekend were probably the Barn Swallows wheeling and dealing above the Sterling Renaissance Festival. But probably not too soon, right?

2011 160

2011 Washington Birds Experience 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2011

The best bird had to be an American Goldfinch pulsing overhead that Mason identified by song… amazing! Frankly, I had no idea he even paid much attention to birds. Corey can’t really choose his best bird of the weekend since he had a blast at the Midwest Birding Symposium.

2011 163

2011 Birds Experience Experiments 163

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2011

A number of lovely midsummer birds crossed my path this weekend, but the one that elicited the most delight was an Eastern Bluebird keeping pace with our car as we visited Hamlin Beach State Park up on the lake. What was your best bird of the weekend? Our annual ration of glorious June weekends is now half-spent.

2011 157

2011 Jamaica Birds Experience 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2011

Perfect weeks like the hot (but not too hot) one we’ve just enjoyed here in western New York remind me how good summer is for so many things other than birding. My best bird of the weekend was the energetic Red-tailed Hawk that appears to live right beside the pool my kids and I visit. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 162

2011 Jamaica New York Birds 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2011

Fall surely has much to recommend it like migrating birds and mulled cider, but today we in the Northern Hemisphere celebrate the end of endless summer days. My best birds of the weekend were a bevy of Eastern Bluebirds in adult azure and immature mottled brown, beauteous birds any time of year. Having fun?

2011 154

2011 Birds Breeding Experience 154

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2011

We got out a lot this weekend, yet my best bird of the weekend was right in my backyard: the kids and I encountered a juvenile Blue Jay in the care of what we assume to be its parents. Corey’s best birds were three self-found Wilson’s Phalaropes at Jamaica Bay. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 157

2011 Jamaica Birds Experience 157

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2011

He lost nearly a day off of his trip but I am sure that he managed to see some birds once he arrived. Let’s assume that he saw something delightful and tropical like, say, the national bird of Costa Rica. Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

Costa Rica 178

Costa Rica New York City Atlanta 2011 178

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2011

What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Then again, anyone would struggle selecting from Lark , Vesper , and Nelson’s Sparrow.

2011 150

2011 Sparrows Birds Experience 150

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2011

Would you believe my best bird of the weekend was a Screaming Piha ? but my best bird of the weekend was in Baltimore, specifically the Aquarium. The Baltimore Aquarium boasts, among its many phenomenal attractions, a tiny but terrific rainforest populated by some outstanding birds. What was your best bird of the weekend?

Puffins 163

Puffins Baltimore 2011 Washington 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2011

Corey’s best birds of the weekend may be his best birds of the year in the NYC Metro area: read all about his life Band-rumped Storm-petrel , Leach’s Storm-petrel , Bridled Tern , and Sooty Tern along with other gaudy sightings in his account of Hurricane Irene Birding in New York.

2011 154

2011 New York Birds Experience 154

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

Finally getting out to look at some birds at the start of the season may just herald an auspicious autumn! I got out to the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory banding station to observe some masters at work. A BTBW in the hand is worth two in the bush… What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 157

2011 Connecticut Sparrows Birds 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2021

Louisiana is a magical place to bird. At the same time I was ogling Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Upland Sandpipers, Marybeth Lima was also birding Louisiana. Chapter Two is a potpourri of stories about nemesis birds, birding by ear, birding for science, under the rubric of birding ‘for the love of it.’

Louisiana 264

Louisiana Species Mississippi Alabama 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2011

Truly, there are few more constructive ways to spend your Monday morning than firing up the computer, leaning back with a hot, hopefully caffeinated beverage, and watching the weekend birding reports roll in. But why does birding always have to be about appreciating birds? Allow me to kick off the festivities.

2011 157

2011 Birds Experience Experiments 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2011

Now how about those birds… Corey has really beaten the summertime birding blues by focusing on the best of what the season of resident breeders has to offer: baby birds! What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2011 157

2011 Breeders Suffering Birds 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2011

My best bird of the weekend was a lovely clutch of baby American Robins being attended to by their parents. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. At least that’s the story on this side of the equator. Send more worms!

2011 160

2011 Chickens Laws Birds 160

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

Wood-Warbler Week has drawn to a close here on 10,000 Birds , yet all around the world the warbler watching remains hot and heavy. Ivy and I visited a new hiking trail in hopes of decent birding, but got completely skunked warbler-wise. What was your best bird of the weekend?

Skunks 154

Skunks 2011 Birds Experience 154

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2011

Corey carved time out of his complicated schedule to bird Central Park with Nate. The birding gods rewarded them both with a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Central Park’s ramble, though a White-throated Sparrow , a good bird in June, was a close second. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 160

2011 Falcons Blackbirds Game 160

10,000 Birds

MAY 29, 2011

Considering that we’re also celebrating Memorial Day here in the States (which extends our weekend a full day) I’m tempted to declare the soaring adult Bald Eagle I spotted to be my best bird of the weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? However, an Osprey won my admiration with impressive aerial acrobatics.

Bald Eagle 157

Bald Eagle 2011 Kentucky Birds 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2011

This bird was the size of an American Crow, consorting with an American Crow, and in an area only frequented by American Crows. For teaching me something new about birds, the horde of hungry young crows that have beset my block are my best birds of the weekend. However, it whined like a Fish Crow.

2011 157

2011 United States Fish Birds 157