10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

If you had your choice of one bird family to pursue, to seek out and observe and photograph and kvell over, which one would you choose? A passion for one bird family is also very useful. Like all talented travel writers, Dunn is adept at drawing us into his experiences. Is all that material on Selkirk needed?

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

I realized a curious thing while researching some of the creatures in this guide–some of the common names given for the flying fish appear to have originated with co-author Steve N.G. Howell; I can’t find them anywhere else on the Internet. Pennsylvania is one of the most heavily birded states in the U.S.,

Pennsylvania 158

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 158

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

The archipelago consists of 17,000 islands stretching out over 2500 miles along the Equator with a varied history of avian research and study, most on the under- or not-studied side. And, there is A Photographic Guide to the Birds of Indonesia: Second Edition by Morten Strange (2012). Co-author Frank E. Species Accounts.

Indonesia 121

Indonesia Brunei Birds Malaysia 121

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Within families, the species are arranged less taxonomically and more in line with “design and space considerations,” (Introduction), and on the plates themselves, species are arranged to facilitate comparison. Text is on the left, plates are on the right. ” It does not, as I noted above, include bird anatomy terms.

America 211

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 211

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

Illustrations were created using diverse visual and physical source materials–skin collections from Australian museums and a database of over 300,000 photographs (plus, of course, the artists’ years of field experience). Each family group begins with a small box summarizing the characteristics of the family in Australia.

Australia 105

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 105

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 256

Costa Rica North America Family America 256

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

I strongly suspect that the rate of attrition on this Loon family is inversely proportionate to the abundance of ducklings in the bay. Non-bird watchers without binoculars and experience are notoriously bad sources of information. But now there is some research on that. And, every now and then one of the Loons disappears too.

Humane 201

Humane Eagles Investigation Research 201

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

.” And, if you don’t believe them, just take a look at some of the photographic comparisons of species they present: Or, of albatross plumages: Or, read about the taxonomic confusions and scientific lapses in research on petrels, Albatrosses, storm-petrels, and diving-petrels. Coverage of all families is not comprehensive.

Albatross 149

Albatross North America Birds Groups 149