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

OCTOBER 1, 2013

The cahow is one wild and crazy bird. And, all the while it vocalizes with the strange-sounding, weird cries that give the bird its name, cries so bizarre sounding that they once kept Spanish explorers from settling the island. other birds that collided with a tower and a radio antenna. You’ve never heard of the cahow?

Birds 170

Birds Rats Breeding 2012 170

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

Will it come back in 2012? And, as a bonus question, from what blog post on 10,000 Birds is the picture taken? Good luck and may you see a flock of wood-warblers today! ———————————————————————————————————————————————— This week, 8 May – 14 May 2011, is Wood-Warbler Week on 10,000 Birds! Below is the logo.

United States 155

United States South America 2011 2012 155

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 201

Trinidad Birds South America Research 201

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!

Michigan 235

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 235

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

Some time after the Spanish encounter with the Turkey, birds were brought back to Europe where they were raised and became an important source of food and fancy feathers. The one case that could have been an actual Turkey was a bird spotted in Honduras, where they may or may not have been, by our friend Christopher Columbus.

Turkey 207

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 207

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2016

From our experience the greatest risk is when the shorebirds take off in a panic flight and clip each other’s wings and several fall into the sea. Most of the Red Knot are in very good breeding plumage now and they do stand out very well on the grey rocks.

Taiwan 100

Taiwan Breeding Japan 2017 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2012

How to Be a Better Birder is a very different kind of birding book, and, once you think about it, the perfect book to be written at this particular moment in the birding universe. But, think about it: how much has been written about the process of birding, the skills required to find birds and to learn about birds in the field?

New Jersey 241

New Jersey Science United States Birds 241

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2024

Lesser Kestrels are one of those birds that have a special fascination for British birdwatchers. They are very rare birds in Britain, but have been recorded from Scilly in the south to Fair Isle in the north. Lesser Kestrel really is an appropriate name, for they are a lesser bird than the familiar Common Kestrel.

Falcons 204

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 204

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

Tara Tanaka described the experience of digiscoping this spoonbill as such: Tara Tanaka : Merritt Island NWR was the last stop on a 10-day Florida birding trip last winter. It was by far the most exciting time I’ve ever had photographing a bird. and content (not just what the bird IS, but what it is DOING).

2011 236

2011 Eagles Bald Eagle Owls 236

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

Of course, I jest a bit in the above paragraph because as a sometime New Jersey birder I have birded the Delaware Bay and seen sights such as the memorable image below, in which thousands of Red Knots, Dunlins, and Short-billed Dowitchers fly up as if connected telepathically. You simply cannot bird the Delaware Bay and walk away unaffected.

Delaware 181

Delaware New Jersey Research Eggs 181

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

It actually makes a lot of sense, the geographic features of the isthmus between North America (including Mexico, because Mexico is part of North America) and South America cut across political lines, as do birds. It is the first bird field guide to every country of Central America (plus the islands governed by those countries).

America 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 214

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. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds!

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2012

Sitta canadensis isn’t just irrupting out of its far northern home but exploding southward, with reports in every southern state except for Florida, including birds on the outer banks of North Carolina, on Grand Isle, Louisiana, in a suburb of Atlanta, and on the Gulf Coast of Texas. Bird bloggers from Wisconsin to Massachusetts.

United States 270

United States Owls Atlanta New York 270

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

I’ve never been to the Indonesian Archipelago, but I really like the birds there. Lynx Edicions, the ornithological (and now mammal) publisher that gave us the Handbook of the Birds of the World , has now published Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea , by James A. So, this is no ordinary bird guide.

Indonesia 131

Indonesia Brunei Birds Malaysia 131

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 196

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 196

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2018

In addition to my monthly posts here, I have also written short pieces and feature articles that rely on bird-related scientific literature. Other papers are locked behind paywalls.) That research ultimately led to an article about the conservation efforts regarding the Laysan Duck in the June 2017 issue of Birding.

Transported 113

Transported 2011 Research 2012 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

Are there birders out there who do not dream of birding Australia? Possibly birders who have already birded Australia (but, wouldn’t you want to go back?) or birders who live there (but, how can you bird it all?). So, I welcomed the opportunity to review The Australian Bird Guide.

Australia 108

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 108

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2018

What do you do when you are a bird guide in a Central American country incredibly rich in birds and other natural resources but which has no birding field guide? selling original art plates, and sponsorships and donations from birding and conservation companies and agencies from the U.S., You write your own. Gallardo did.

Honduras 105

Honduras Birds 2015 Family 105

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2013

But no, Jim’s eyes only light up when I talk about the Red-tailed Hawk that observes feeder birds from the top of the pine tree behind our building, or the Northern Harriers that in fall kettle over that grasslands preserve. Sometimes, I’ll reply with a story about the sparrows found in a local grasslands preserve.

North America 218

North America Bald Eagle Falcons Owls 218

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2012

As 2012 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 and 2011 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds! Sound good?

2012 152

2012 Birds Guatemala Florida 152

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2012

Fortunately, Alan Tilmouth, a beat writer with pelagic experience, expressed an interest in the book as well. So, you will be reading two reviews of this book in 10,000 Birds. To be fair, Howell has also written about hummingbirds and finding birds in Mexico, which to my mind are a little easier to comprehend.

North America 159

North America Albatross America Species 159

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2021

Consider that Paulson’s Dragonflies and Damselflies of the East (2012) covers 336 odonate species and think about the difference in geographic size and you get a sense of the concentrated diversity in Costa Rica (though the authors note that the rate of diversity is still less than the increase in diversity for butterflies and orchids).

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica North America Family America 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2012

I caught glimpses of lots of fine, fine birds including a heroic Killdeer protecting a nest and my first Willow Flycatcher of the season. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2012 159

2012 New York Fish Birds 159

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Non-bird watchers without binoculars and experience are notoriously bad sources of information. The new offspring of that year hang back and leave later, finding their way to their wintering grounds using something other than experience, and something other than being taught by their parents. More alarm calling. Apparently.

Humane 212

Humane Eagles Investigation Research 212

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

Are seabirds the last frontier of bird identification? They say so right here in the Preface of Oceanic Birds of The World: A Photo Guide —seabirds are “some of the most challenging of all birds to identify.” Which makes the publication of Oceanic Birds of The World: A Photo Guide a significant and happy event.

Albatross 163

Albatross North America Birds Groups 163