10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2012

Corey’s best bird of the weekend was a Lark Sparrow , highly unusual at his current coordinates. The real highlight of my weekend, out of many worthy contenders, had to be Elegant Trogon. Multiple groups of trogons with young in the United States seems surreal, but is entirely possible in the right place. How about you?

2012 169

2012 United States New York Birds 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2012

It is now, on 20 March 2012, spring! Song Sparrow singing for spring Tree Swallows are suddenly everywhere along the coast Northern Mockingbird singing for spring Even some shady characters I noticed lately were feeling the spring season upon us. Take that, southern hemisphere! Where are the wood-warblers ?

New York 203

New York 2012 Sparrows Birds 203

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2021

The book focuses on two listing events: her 2012 Louisiana Big Year and her 2016 Louisiana 300 Year. Chapter One is all about Marybeth’s 2012 Big Year, an adventure she shares with Lynn, a fishing enthusiast who is probably the most supportive big year/300 year birding partner in the history of listing.

Louisiana 264

Louisiana Species Mississippi Alabama 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2012

Two of the four Lark Sparrows I have seen in Queens Two out of ten is not good enough, leaving me smack-dab on the Mendoza Line. Here they are in chronological order: Grasshopper Sparrow - 21 May 2011 – A bird I wasn’t even thinking of until I found one singing at Edgemere Landfill. I must do better!

Connecticut 171

Connecticut 2011 2012 Jamaica 171

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2012

Tucson, AZ, August 2012 – When you get a bunch of bird bloggers together, which you do you imagine comes first: birds or blogs? Such an observation explains why the hottest bird of the day happened to be a sparrow, not even the most attractive one we spotted. I believe there’s a life lesson to be learned here.

Tucson 154

Tucson Arizona North America Sparrows 154

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2017

I started keeping year lists – not just blogging about them but really keeping track of what I see each year – as late as 2012, roughly 30 years into my birding career. Therefore, the 2012 list itself was never the focus of my year listing, it was competition and blogging. House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.

2017 100

2017 Germany 2012 2013 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2012

The 2012 event was held at Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge. The conference timed nicely with sparrow migration and everyone was anxious to get views of reported Nelson’s Sparrows that were obligingly hanging out in some mud along a beaver pond. It’s a pleasant way to spend and hour on the refuge.

Family 159

Family Beavers Minnesota Sparrows 159

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

My second twitch, during the winter of 2011, was also in the area of McArthur where an American Tree Sparrow ( Spizella arborea ) was spotted during a Christmas Bird Count. This leads me to my third twitch for the celebrated Falcated Duck ( Anas falcata ) at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge in January of 2012. This was a no-brainer.

California 100

California North America Wildlife Campaign 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2014

Just don’t embarrass yourself by hearing a Chipping Sparrow and confidently declaring that you just got your first Pine Warbler of the year. By the way, all of the shots in this post were taken in New York this spring, with the exception of the Yellow-throated Warbler , which was digiscoped in 2012 in Florida.

New York 221

New York United States New York City Breeding 221

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

I had a great time back in 2012 and even more fun in 2014. That means grassy fields are loaded with sparrows, hummocks are filled with wood-warblers, and wetlands teem with waterfowl. Who knows what great birds 2015 will bring?

2015 197

2015 Wildlife Florida Birds 197

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

2012), and (4) Waterfowl of Eastern North America, 2nd ed. 2020, all also published by Firefly); children’s books and books on bird feeding.

North America 209

North America Birds Owls Canada 209

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

According to Corey Finger (author of the soon-to-be-published ABA Field Guide to Birds of New York , and we’re all very excited about it), selection of species is one of the more challenging parts of writing an ABA field guide and I was happy to see my favorite Pennsylvania bird, Henslow’s Sparrow amongst the 15 sparrow species covered here.

Pennsylvania 165

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

Corey did just this in this 2011 posting about Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus in New York State. You can see the Species Account for Henslow’s Sparrow above, in the banner photo. The most common bird in the state is the Song Sparrow, followed by Chipping Sparrow and Red-eyed Vireo, with American Robin coming in fourth.

Pennsylvania 227

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 227

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2016

Le Conte’s Sparrows “look particularly dapper” from September to March; American Rosefinches “are rabid songsters”; Pelagic Cormorant is “potbellied and long tailed, possessing a very skinny neck and an equally small, fine head.” I myself will be starting with the chapters on Marsh Sparrows.

Birds 190

Birds Groups 2015 North America 190

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2012

Now before any of you think that I must be really old or dying to have a bucket-list I must assure you that before April 9th 2012 I was still in my thirties. An unusual bird that is seldom seen on the Dry Tortugas was a solitary Lincoln’s Sparrow. That means I used to be very young. Almost infantile. Now I’m just young.

Florida 244

Florida Kentucky France North America 244

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2018

Looking through this compact yet extensive guide, I realized that I have been amiss in not reviewing the first book of this series, the Peterson Field Guide to Moths of Northeastern North America by David Beadle and Seabrooke Leckie (same authors, order reversed), published in 2012. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, April 2012, $29.

North America 100

North America America Oklahoma Missouri 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2013

SINGAPORE, DECEMBER 2012 – Ask any birder where you should go birding in Singapore and the short list will always include Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve , this city-state’s finest wetlands. Winter can be particularly auspicious, since that’s when migratory shorebirds descend upon the area.

Singapore 135

Singapore Zebras Zoos Owls 135

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

Over the next few days, I found increasing numbers, goldfinches, juncos, white-throated sparrows. ©2012 Donna L. I was shocked when I found the first body, a female Towhee. I hoped it was an anomaly. Were they always there and I just never noticed?

New York City 253

New York City Birds Illinois Science 253

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. Rest assured that those 10,000 Beat Writers who did not submit a Best Bird of the Year will see only coal in their stockings and nary a life bird in 2012!

2011 181

2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 181

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

Species order follows the AOU Checklist of North American Birds up to the 2015 supplement (so warblers come before sparrows), with a variation– certain subspecies are treated as full species (Eurasian Teal, Western Willet, Audubon’s Warblers, Red Fox Sparrow, and more). . Which is true.

New York City 149

New York City New York Birds Breeding 149

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2012

What was your biggest surprise in 2012? The Harris’s Sparrow in Dryden. I also realized that there are a very large number of talented, knowledgable and generous birders in New York and I wanted to meet and learn from as many as I could. Getting anywhere near the state Big Year record, let alone exceeding it.

New York 174

New York Puerto Rico 2011 Japan 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

Henslow’s Sparrow – Considering the decline that this bird has had in the eastern part of its range it is kind of a miracle that one was at Fort Tilden to be seen and considering how skulky they are it was even more of a miracle that it was found and identified. Brown Pelican, 3 Jul 2010, 11 Apr 2011, 15 May 2012, NOT YET SEEN!

2013 160

2013 2010 2012 2011 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2013

In addition to providing a pathway for identification, the “Identification Tips” occasionally talk about bird behavior, a feature not usually included in the individual species descriptions: Spizella sparrows tend to fly high when flushed, Robins eat berries in winter.

Birds 157

Birds North America Groups Falcons 157

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2022

Two of those birds were lifers ( Worm-eating Warbler and Grasshopper Sparrow ). Virgin Islands in July 2012 , which was our honeymoon. The links are clickable and sortable, so I can, for example, instantly see that I observed just one Worm-eating Warbler on a single checklist and that I also submitted an audio file. were new to me.

District of Columbia 162

District of Columbia Virgin Islands Maryland Delaware 162

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2014

It is in this habitat that birders seek out goodies like Red-cockaded Woodpecker and Bachmann’s Sparrow. In 2012 I was successful, with the help of Doug Gochfeld, in finding all of those species in and around Three Lakes , and I hoped for a repeat performance but with better views of Bachmann’s Sparrow. Repeatedly.

Wildlife 187

Wildlife Sparrows Woodpeckers Florida 187

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2012

This led to a correspondence with Spencer Fullerton Baird, then assistant secretary of the Smithsonian, the mentor of many naturalist/scientists of Ridgway’s generation, himself a disciple of John James Audubon, and, yes, the Baird of Baird’s Sparrow. Yale University Press, 2012. 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 with illustrations. ISBN: 9780300175523?

Collecting 148

Collecting Illinois United States Science 148

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2013

In fact, the last one was back on 15 May 2012 when my Queens list stood at 289 and I guessed what my next eleven birds would be that would get me to 300. 3 July 2010 31 October 2010 11 April 2011 15 May 2012. John’s the Divine Cemetery.

2012 158

2012 2013 New York City Jamaica 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2018

And in the middle of a heatwave of the 2012 summer, I was heading to Sarajevo and Jahorina Mountain, a major venue of the 1984 Winter Olympics. Right: Water Pipits landing on my car and sliding down the windscreen. Yet, Bosnia and Herzegovina was the very heartland of former Yugoslavia, with Sarajevo in its geographical centre.

Bosnia 142

Bosnia Croatia Herzegovina Slovenia 142

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2013

Resourceful as ever the prospect of birding more locally or birding without a car seems to have inspired several and not one but three birding and listing ‘challenges’ all with a local theme have sprung up organically in the final days of 2012.

Birds 171

Birds Transported 2012 Mammals 171

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2012

On 26 January 2012, my first full day in Florida for the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival, I had a mission for the evening. The refuge, which was created to protect the now extinct Dusky Seaside Sparrow , is not normally open to the public, which helps keep the rails and other wildlife from being unduly bothered by the public.

Florida 158

Florida Wildlife Groups 2012 158

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2012

NARITA, JAPAN, DECEMBER 2012 – The art and science of layover birding deserves more rigorous study and perhaps a federal grant. From what airports should one sally forth during a layover of many hours? Better yet, what airports are worth converting that layover to a full-fledged stopover of 24 hours or more?

Japan 119

Japan Birds Stud Ducks 119

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark – Eremopterix nigriceps. Rufous-winged Sparrow – Peucaea carpalis. Stripe-headed Sparrow – Peucaea ruficauda. Cassin’s Sparrow – Peucaea cassinii. Grasshopper Sparrow – Ammodramus savannarum. Olive Sparrow – Arremonops rufivirgatus.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2018

Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark – Eremopterix nigriceps. Stripe-headed Sparrow – Peucaea ruficauda. Cassin’s Sparrow – Peucaea cassinii. Grasshopper Sparrow – Ammodramus savannarum. Olive Sparrow – Arremonops rufivirgatus. Green-backed Sparrow – Arremonops chloronotus.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2018

Cassin’s Sparrow – Peucaea cassinii. Sagebrush Sparrow – Artemisiospiza nevadensis. LeConte’s Sparrow – Ammospiza leconteii. Baird’s Sparrow – Centronyx bairdii. Henslow’s Sparrow – Centronyx henslowii. Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark – Eremopterix nigriceps.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2018

Sagebrush Sparrow – Artemisiospiza nevadensis. LeConte’s Sparrow – Ammospiza leconteii. Baird’s Sparrow – Centronyx bairdii. Henslow’s Sparrow – Centronyx henslowii. Black-crowned Sparrow-Lark – Eremopterix nigriceps. 07 Sep 2018. 03 Sep 2018. 03 Sep 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2018

Donna was first amongst beats to reach North Dakota and brought the number of Lower 48s to 32, adding Sharp-tailed Grouse , Sprague’s Pipit and LeConte’s Sparrow to the life list. LeConte’s Sparrow – Ammodramus leconteii. Baird’s Sparrow – Ammodramus bairdii. Still all mainland though.

2018 101

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 101

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2011

May 2012 bring you even better best birds and lots of them! We were walking through a field of dry grass in a Hamilton County park, looking for sparrows and pursuing three Bobolinks when we flushed a Yellow Rail , literally right at our feet. Here, without further ado, are your Best Birds of 2011, in no particular order.

2011 161

2011 Birds Ohio North Dakota 161