10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Ron Pittaway has published his winter finch forecast for the winter of 2012-2013. WINTER FINCH FORECAST 2012-2013 The theme this winter is that each finch species will use a different strategy to deal with the widespread tree seed crop failure in the Northeast. It will be a quiet winter in the eastern North Woods.

2012 261

2012 2013 United States Canada 261

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2013

As the year 2013 accelerates towards its imminent endpoint, I find myself deluged with end-of-year tasks both mundane and inspired. Instead of easing into the last days of December and out of 2013, you might consider redoubling your efforts to end this year on a triumphant note.

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2013 New York 2014 Birds 206

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2013

After all, this is National Moth Week 2013! If you don’t know what those terms mean, think about the most colorful and fascinating flying creatures that aren’t birds. Summer is sweet for dragonflies, butterflies, and moths, the last of which deserve your attention over the next seven or so days.

2013 220

2013 ALA Trinidad North America 220

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2013

What will you do this weekend to improve your 2013 year list? This penultimate weekend of the year inspires last-minute panic: how are you going to get everything you need before time is up? Some folks will go to extraordinary lengths to cross off everything on their sizable lists. How about you?

2013 193

2013 Birds Rights 193

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2013

So as many of my loyal readers know, I have a very mixed relationship with vagrants and the chasing thereof. Nevertheless, when a Baikal Teal was reported by the illustrious Radd Icenoggle just outside Missoula, I couldn’t very well ignore the siren call.

Ducks 214

Ducks Hunting 2013 Birds 214

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

Ron Pittaway has published his winter finch forecast for the winter of 2013-2014. Interestingly, I found a Blue Jay feather stuck on a hazelnut north of Toronto on 11 August 2013. Below is a slightly elided version which removes some of the Ontario-specific information and leaves just the meat of the forecast. RED-BREASTED NUTHATCH.

2013 185

2013 2014 Alaska Canada 185

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2021

I unearthed this 2013 Laguna de la Nava, a Spanish Gran Reserva wine bottled by Bodegas Navarro Lopez in Valdepeñas, a Denominación de Origen Protegida region in the province of Ciudad Real, about one hundred miles south of Madrid. Bodegas Navarro Lopez Laguna de la Nava Gran Reserva (2013). Good birding and happy drinking!

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2013 Belgium Spain Ducks 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

One of the perks about living in Miami is that plane tickets to the bird-rich Caribbean, Central, and South America are often cheaper than going to places like Arizona, Colorado, or California.

Jamaica 236

Jamaica Puerto Rico 2013 Cuba 236

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2014

I’m at a yearly disadvantage when it comes to deciding my Best Bird of the Year (BBOY) here on 10,000 Birds. This is because unlike most of the writers here I live in the Southern Hemisphere, which means that like a lot of people over here I take my yearly long break over the Christmas period.

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2013 Rhinoceros Thailand Birds 234

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. The end of the year is nigh and birders the world over are looking over their checklists and reminiscing about their amazing sightings and devastating dips.

2013 180

2013 Costa Rica Birds India 180

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2013

Snowy Owl in Queens, New York, 1 December 2013. Snowy Owl in Queens, New York, 1 December 2013. The midwestern and northeastern United States, especially coastal regions and areas along the Great Lakes, is currently experiencing an invasion of Bubo scandiacus. If I were in Newfoundland I would probably be going crazy.

Owls 278

Owls North Carolina Rhode Island New Hampshire 278

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2012

I had a great time and hoped to be back again in 2013 but life gets in the way sometimes and we don’t always get what we want. Fortunately for you the 16th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival promises to be every bit as good as the 15th and I highly recommend that you go check it out January 23-28, 2013.

Wildlife 262

Wildlife Alligators 2013 Reptiles 262

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2013

Here in the United States, April 15 is Tax Day, which means that countless Americans have toiled through the last 48 hours to prepare their taxes. Some are surely at it still. What a way to ruin a weekend! With the foresight to get my taxes taken care of early, I was free to enjoy the cold spring weather and lingering winter species around here.

2013 250

2013 United States Jamaica Birds 250

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2013

One question every self-described birder must grapple with is to twitch or not to twitch. Some of us love to chase down preposterous vagrants, while others eschew bird chasing for contemplation of standard local fare and seasonal specialties. I raise this perennial issue because I found myself twitching a rare ABA bird this weekend.

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Oakland 2013 ALA Raised 249

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2013

Winter in the temperate portions of the Nearctic ecozone might be cold, but fine birds choose to visit no matter what the weather. I’ve always equated winter with big predatory birds like Snowy Owls and Rough-legged Hawks. But on second thought, smaller birds like Horned Larks and Lapland Longspurs spring to mind.

2013 245

2013 Owls Birds Experience 245

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

Were there any birds about this weekend? The only ones that concerned me were Ravens, Falcons, Seahawks, Cardinals, and Eagles. Welcome back, NFL football! Of course I still kept my eyes out for other types of birds. This time of year is perfect for finding juvenile Eastern Bluebirds , which I was happy to do.

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2013 Falcons Eagles Birds 244

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2013

No need to draw this question out. Many of us are still enjoying the final weekend of May, so let’s cut to the chase and talk about our best birds. My best bird this weekend was an Eastern Wood-Pewee calling from a bare branch.

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2013 North America Eggs Birds 236

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2013

No matter where you live in the world, you’ve probably noticed how interesting the unfolding of this season is becoming. True, many of you live in locations that are verdant and vibrant all year long or cold and white most of the time. But from pole to pole, creatures are on the move and blossoms and berries are bursting to greet them.

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2013 Birds America Experience 236

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2013

Before this lovely June weekend began, I bemoaned the evident end of spring migration. What I failed to recognize were all the great things that happen around here when the waves of migrants subside. For example, the local farmers’ markets are back in action! If you can’t get fresh birds, at least enjoy fresh produce.

2013 235

2013 New York Birds Experience 235

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2013

At last, we stand on the threshold of a new season, moving inexorably into a period of phenological flux. Nature lovers love those magical months between winter and summer, so get your affairs in order… migration is either coming or may have already come!

2013 234

2013 Blackbirds Birds Experience 234

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

Another long, lovely summer weekend has slipped into history. Midsummer will be giving way any moment to late summer. I know that families in the United States are already fretting/anticipating September’s arrival. How do you feel about it?

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2013 United States Birds Family 232

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2013

Can you handle it? It is fall, the time of year when wood-warblers are at their most difficult, and I have curated three images of wood-warblers for you to destroy yourself upon, pulling out your hair as you frantically flip through your field guides.

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2013 Birds 219

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2013

I’m wondering if Best Bird of the Weekend is too restrictive a way to consider the avians we encounter from Friday to Sunday. Of course we should seek reasons to celebrate every bird species we share our weekends with, but is the species that delights us most always the most memorable?

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2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 229

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2013

How’s May migration treating you so far? We’re early in the month, but many birds are late compared to last year, at least in my part of the world. Then again, migratory birds arrived very early last year. So I frankly have no idea what to expect.

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2013 Ohio Birds Family 229

10,000 Birds

MARCH 28, 2013

Keep your eyes to the skies for fun celestial bodies! Did you see Pan-Starrs? Clare Kines spotted the charismatic comet above Admiralty Inlet in Nunavut!). Spring is here! I know this not from the gradual appearance of robins, grackles, and blackbirds around me, but rather from the fact that our local schools are about to embark on spring break.

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2013 Blackbirds New York Eggs 241

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2013

Is it coincidence or conspiracy that Father’s Day falls on a weekend where very good birding can still be found in most areas? You be the judge… I got into a bunch of great grassland and forest birds this weekend. Honors go to American Redstart which somehow escaped me for the year until now.

2013 228

2013 California Birds Experience 228

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2013

Birding and wildlife watching can be, as we all know, a solitary activity. And our practices, though familiar to anyone in our phenologically-attuned culture, can seem strange, sometimes even threatening, to the uninitiated.

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2013 Birds Wildlife Experience 227

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2013

Heading out of Ecclesdown Road on the second day of my trip, I had nailed all of my targets save four species ( Caribbean Dove , Yellow-billed Parrot , Jamaican Owl , and Stolid Flycatcher ).

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Jamaica 2013 Parrots Bahamas 190

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2013

One weekend does not dictate the tempo of a year, but it never hurts to get a year off on the right foot. How did that work out for you this weekend? Are you looking forward to more like it or hoping for better? I’ve spent most of my weekend beating my head against this blog (in a metaphorical sense of course.)

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2013 Birds Experience Experiments 213

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2013

This weekend had something for everyone: celebrations, congregations, and migrations. And also sports! Please tell me you found something special to do… I took my kids on our traditional Easter morning hike, though the timing this year meant that spring has scarcely sprung.

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2013 Birds Experience Experiments 224

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2013

When citizens of the United States tout the superiority of our country, we tend to focus on debatable issues of culture, economy, and government. However, if we’re being fair, one of the irrefutable elements that makes America great is our proliferation of Northern Cardinals.

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St. Louis 2013 United States Arizona 224

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2013

Even the solo birders out there have to appreciate that birding together is often better than birding alone. Corey and I don’t get out in the field together much, since we’ve determined that the ongoing security of 10,000 Birds requires the two of us to live in separate cities. Blog security is serious business!

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New York City 2013 Nashville New York 223

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2013

Summer, the season that we in the Northern Hemisphere are currently enjoying or suffering depending on your latitude and state of mind, is a time when birds often take a backseat to other diversions. But we naturalists notice them no matter what we’re doing. Aren’t we lucky?

2013 221

2013 Suffering California Birds 221

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2013

I made some uncharitable and in some ways inaccurate comments about the month of February last week which were starkly contradicted by some excellent birding reported in different parts of the world. However, I don’t take any of it back. In any case, we won’t have February to kick around any more once this week moves us into March.

2013 220

2013 Sparrows Birds Experience 220

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2013

Keep your eyes to the skies for flying pink birds like these Roseate Spoonbills , which are really ibises with big flat bills ! Excited about the equinox? One half of our global population will be surrendering minutes and then hours of daylight for darkness while the other half enjoys the inverse transaction.

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2013 Birds 231

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2013

Winter may not technically begin for another couple of weeks, but frigid temperatures and wicked snow are assailing various parts of North America. The weather outside is frightful, but winter birds are so delightful… guess that’s as good a reason as any to brave the cold.

ALA 219

ALA United States 2013 North America 219

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 11, 2013

I don’t know about you, but I’m exhausted. Must be from all that shoveling this weekend. But when life becomes most inconvenient, I become most impressed with those who blow past those inconveniences to pursue their passions. How did you pursue your (non-Valentine) passions this weekend?

2013 219

2013 United States Sparrows New York 219