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. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2013 176

2013 New York 2014 Birds 176

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2021

The adventure of the second European Breeding Bird Atlas, or EBBA2, was the topic of one of my first posts here at 10,000 Birds: In a warm Catalonian March, Barcelona is filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets. In a very short time, we get two responses, two birds calling from opposite directions.

Europe 264

Europe Breeding Denmark Birds 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2024

I’ve been a regular visitor to the island of Cyprus for over 25 years, making around a dozen trips during this period, every one in search of birds. I made my most recent visit earlier this month, arriving with my three birding companions, Martin, Mike and Chris, on a warm spring evening. It was strange to hear it here in Cyprus.

Cyprus 246

Cyprus Breeders Falcons Hunters 246

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. The scope is to give you the illusion you might be able to work out the species). Borneo did turn up some great birds, as expected, but it still turned out to be quite hard to pick a winner.

2013 208

2013 Birds Rhinoceros Thailand 208

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

For several years I lived and birded in the south of Africa , and still have my battered second edition (1997) of the Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, the most trusted local field guide. Distribution maps show the relative abundance of a species in the region and also indicate resident or visiting status.

Africa 264

Africa South Africa Swaziland Lesotho 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2012

Ron Pittaway has published his winter finch forecast for the winter of 2012-2013. Though Ron is based in Ontario his reports are eagerly anticipated by birders across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada because it takes into account a vast array of data to figure out which irruptive species might show up where.

2012 255

2012 2013 Canada United States 255

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2022

According to Wikipedia, the national bird of Australia is the Emu – which I have not seen yet. Duncan – in a 10,000 Birds post – apparently also thinks it would make a good national bird. Duncan – in a 10,000 Birds post – apparently also thinks it would make a good national bird.

Australia 147

Australia Birds Parrots Ostriches 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2021

Among all the birding locations I have found, Pino Real was my first love. I was just getting back into birding, and had only gone to some urban sites, during 2012 and 2013. Since it was the first link in this chain, Pino Real was where I met many of Michoacán’s flagship species. That chain continues to this day.

2013 196

2013 Emotional Abandon Abandoning 196

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2022

This section of the Great Northern Highway has an impressive list on eBird of 191 species along the length of highway that crosses Roebuck Plains. In 2013 we had a very wet day in June. There are so many mysteries in the birding world. It is not just the water birds that arrive en masse, but also the birds of prey.

2013 260

2013 Collecting Hunting Species 260

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. I made my way to the coast to Hotel Jamaican Colors just north of Manchioneal for the night having seen 23 of my target species already.

Jamaica 206

Jamaica Puerto Rico 2013 Birds 206

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2019

But there is an old quote I always carry with me when I bird: “In the kingdom of the blind, the one-eyed man is king” (Desiderius Erasmus). and I never bird on an empty stomach. I rarely bird more than an hour from my home, because my wife expects me back by 2 p.m. I am, you see, only a mediocre birder. or the U.K.;

Mexico 164

Mexico Birds 2013 Lamb 164

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? Birding best bird weekend'

2013 203

2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 203

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2022

Gazetted as the “nature monument” in 2013, one of the few remaining – Bojcinska Forest by the village of Progar covers 670 ha / 1650 ac, with around 108 bird species and some 60 species of mammals. The most numerous birds are Common Chaffinches. And that is where Q. and I were heading this morning.

Croatia 264

Croatia Serbia Shelters France 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2021

It must indeed have been a bit kafkaesque for a bird that is clearly primarily purple to wake up one morning, see itself in the mirror and learn that it is now a Grey-headed Swamphen. In 2013, it was even included in the birdwatching list of the American Birding Association.

China 264

China Florida Kenya India 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2020

The next morning, through Yellowhammers and Eurasian Skylarks singing all around me, I went birding. Yes, yes, I know, not countable – it’s not a bird. Never mind, it’s not a bird. There are more than 1100 plant species, the most valuable being the 76 endemics. Yet, not the bear, I’ll have to return for it.

Serbia 264

Serbia Bears Birds Mammals 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2013

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. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a total surprise. You can imagine Corey’s shock when he got a better look at the bird and it was, indeed, a Yellow-breasted Chat.

2013 236

2013 United States Jamaica Birds 236

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2013

Ron Pittaway has published his winter finch forecast for the winter of 2013-2014. Though Ron is based in Ontario his reports are eagerly anticipated by birders across the northeastern United States and eastern Canada because it takes into account a vast array of data to figure out which irruptive species might show up where.

2013 166

2013 2014 Alaska Canada 166

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2013

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. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend' How about you?

2013 216

2013 North America Birds Eggs 216

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a Least Tern that flew over his apartment, only the second he ever saw from the comfort of his balcony. My best birds were Eastern Kingbirds , which usually catch my attention in summer. What elevated the kings of kings above other species this time around was their gregarious behavior.

2013 211

2013 United States Birds Family 211

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 233

2013 Birds Owls Experience 233

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2022

It doesn’t always offer the most interesting set of birds, but it is nearby. The voice isn’t very musical — it sounds a bit like the wind-up of a tornado alarm — but the bird who owns it is called a “spectacular, large vireo” by eBird, and I agree. It is even harder to see, and much less common.

2013 249

2013 2012 Birds Species 249

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2013

The most flamboyant of all hummers, the Marvelous Spatuletail will be one of the many endemic bird highlights along the route of the Second International Birding Rally Challenge in Peru. I can’t convey how thrilled I am about the upcoming International Birding Rally Challenge in Peru. Photo: Courtesy of Dubi Shapiro.

Peru 218

Peru 2013 Louisiana Birds 218

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 ). I told her that I had three target birds left to see, and she gestured at a tree near the guesthouse where three Jamaican Owls were roosting.

Jamaica 162

Jamaica 2013 Parrots Birds 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2013

We’re particularly interested in recognizing bird species that were of significant conservation interest in 2013, but that also had a compelling story and rallied the public around it.” If this bird doesn’t deserve this conservation award, I don’t know what species does.

California 255

California Owls 2013 Factory 255

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2013

To all you hardy naturalists who have already logged Christmas Bird Count hours in service to citizen science, I salute you! Those of you willing to eschew creature comforts to tally birds across your ice-rimed count circles are my heroes. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

2013 185

2013 Shelters Birds Science 185

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. The birds I admired most this weekend were Barn Swallows swooping over strawberry fields. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2013 193

2013 Birds Suffering California 193

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2013

A Carolina Wren hopped cheerfully around my front lawn this weekend, establishing that species’ half-hardy credentials. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend wasn’t one bird, or even one species, but the hordes of ducks he saw at Baisley Pond Park in Queens. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2013 163

2013 Ducks Birds Experience 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2014

Nearly every country or region has an area on its periphery that regularly attracts a tantalizing assortment of vagrants or a set of species that just barely make it over an international border. For others, it is the desire to have a different birding experience from home without needing a passport.

Thailand 171

Thailand Birds 2013 China 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2013

The natural attractions of midsummer seem more subtle than those enjoyed during the frantic peregrinations of the world’s migratory species. The best birds of my weekend, believe it or not, were American Robins mobbing a crow. What was your best bird of the weekend? How refined are your tastes in nature? How about you?

2013 169

2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 169

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2013

How are seasons like species? We’re in the midst of a shoulder season right now, which can be almost as much fun as finding a cool hybrid or intergrade bird in the wild. The bird I was happiest to see this weekend was Eastern Kingbird , a flycatcher that screams summer to me (awesome photo above by Carlos Sanchez ).

2013 181

2013 Mississippi Birds Experience 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2013

Corey’s selection for Best Bird of the Weekend this weekend was easy. The first Elegant Tern ever spotted in New York State is an amazingly good bird, especially when it is one of eight tern species for the weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2013 178

2013 New York Birds Experience 178

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

I purchased my first Sibley— The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America —in 2003. Am I willing to give up the field guide which bears the mud and dirt of so many falls on so many birding trips? Am I willing to give up the field guide which bears the mud and dirt of so many falls on so many birding trips?

North America 189

North America 2003 Birds America 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2013

Corey had way too many birds to choose from for his Best Bird of the Weekend, with exactly 100 species for the four-day weeekend. The shrike, on the other hand, is a species I’ve seen only a few times and thus earns the honor of my Best Bird of the Weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2013 154

2013 Turkey New York Owls 154

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2013

Birding tends to be an extremely freeform activity, demanding only we pursue our bliss to the best of our means and ability. This, the weekend of the Great Backyard Bird Count , is one of those times: tell us how you contributed to citizen science. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2013 182

2013 Science Ducks Birds 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 29, 2019

In my last post, I introduced you to some of my favorite birds from the tiny town of Paso Ancho, Michoacán. It was impossible to show you all my favorite Tierra Caliente species in one post, so I only shared those that are mostly seen in the drier area a couple of miles south of the town and river. Then it got an upgrade.

Squirrels 113

Squirrels Birds Mexico 2013 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2013

I saw a few birds as well, the best of which was a spritely American Redstart. Corey had an absurd array of avians to choose from as his Best Bird of the Weekend considering that between Friday and Sunday he saw 148 species in his journeys around Queens, the Bronx, and Sullivan, Ulster, and Orange Counties. How about you?

New York City 177

New York City 2013 New York Birds 177

10,000 Birds

JUNE 13, 2013

My choice is always to allow my kids to bask in my fatherly glory, so I’ll be birding wherever I can bring the team along. He and his family will be in California, where he has his eye on a few West Coast species that have thus far eluded him. Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding? Birding June weekend'

2013 181

2013 Birds California Australia 181