10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2017

For three weeks in June, I traveled up and then down the eastern seaboard visiting ecological research sites. From Florida to Maine and back again I toured urban forests, marshes, estuaries, and more, stopping along the way to visit family and friends. Unsurprisingly, I am very fond of this small piece of natural habitat.

Virginia 100

Virginia Branding 2013 Blackbirds 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

The book is divided into three parts: “Introduction,” “Avifaunal Overview,” and “Species Accounts.” Most birders will go straight to the “Species Accounts.” It’s important to note that the 301 species selected for this section are those of historical and current importance to the core study area, the northwest Bronx.

New York City 146

New York City New York Birds Breeding 146

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It’s relatively easy to classify birds into family groups based on physical characteristics. We view them as our enemies when they eat our crops and as an extension of our family when we see them at our feeders. Jonathan Elphick and John Fanshawe provided “specialist research” and support.”

Birds 205

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 205

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

In late January of 2013 I spent some time with a pair of Whooping Cranes just off Canoe Creek Road in Osceola County, Florida. I have compiled the family trees of both birds below: Ancestry Chart of 1781, born in the wild in Central Florida. Today only 19 members of this dwindling flock remain.

Florida 217

Florida Buffalo Louisiana 2004 217

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

Birding by Impression is a conscious, deliberate method of identifying and recognizing birds based on the study and evaluation of “distinctive structural features and behavioral movements” and comparison with nearby and similar species. It is not a handbook, though it approaches species from a collective viewpoint. .* So say Kevin T.

Birds 168

Birds New Jersey Science Groups 168

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2020

It’s the bird family that most people don’t know is a bird family. I didn’t know much about Birds of Paradise either before 2013, when I accompanied a non-birding friend to a presentation at a local college, not really expecting much. Like Antpittas and Gnateaters by Harold F. Introduction.

Guinea 260

Guinea Birds Papua New Guinea Family 260

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2014

I write ‘focus-on-the-birds’ because it is highly probable that Harper had drawn birds before, but not in a highly focused manner that involved research, which he engaged in very seriously, and observation of bird behavior. Ammo Books; Anniversary ed edition; November, 2013 (originally published 1972, reissued 2008).

Betty Crocker 170

Betty Crocker Birds 2008 2007 170

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Covering 1,261 species with data and taxonomy current up to August 2017, the field guide is an exciting achievement. And, then there are the more familiar birds–Wood-warblers, sandpipers, hawks–some species migrants, some species with a wide range. Can you guess which of the species cited above are endemic?

America 211

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 211

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

The Peterson Reference Guide to Seawatching offers two types of information: Species Accounts–descriptions of 112 birds within 15 families as they appear over and on the water, and Where to Watch, brief descriptions of 47 sites on the North American eastern coast and interior recommended for seawatching. No rails or gallinules.

Ducks 225

Ducks Groups Species North America 225

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2014

The second edition of the National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition has one of the longest book names in bird bookdom: National Geographic Complete Birds of North America, 2nd Edition: Now Covering More Than 1,000 Species With the Most-Detailed Information Found in a Single Volume. This volume is no exception.

North America 177

North America America Birds Family 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2022

The taxonomy may have changed a bit since the guide was published in 2013, but the warblers are still the same, giving us extreme joy while driving us crazy as we try to identify them high in the canopy or zipping amongst lower branches. Page two of each species account offers “Distinctive Views”, “Additional Photos” and notes.

United States 204

United States North America Species 2013 204

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2015

Mack tells the story of how he set up a research station, and a life, in Papua New Guinea. Brit birder Goodie didn’t do an ordinary big year; he decided he would see every Pitta species in the world (32 at the time) in one year. This is also a good time to catch up on supplementary titles, such as guides to bird families.

Papua New Guinea 177

Papua New Guinea 2014 Penguins Birds 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

For my new book, due out in 2012 from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, I’ve been researching sandhill crane hunting. Hunting sandhill cranes in Kentucky is a bad idea from a public relations standpoint, considering the growing cadre of birders and nature enthusiasts for whom cranes are a touchstone species.

2011 239

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 239

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

Decades later, Richard Pough’s Audubon Bird Guide, Eastern Land Birds (I happily own the 1948 edition) included nest and egg descriptions for each species as well. And photographs of feathers in the species accounts, which surprised me. Text retrieved from the Hathitrust Digital Library. The first is accomplished well.

Eggs 220

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 220

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2013

I’m going to go right to a discussion of the Species Accounts, because I know that’s where you all want to be, with the warblers. I do love the fact that the table of contents lists all three names (all pointing to the same species account). The authors note when a species cannot be sexed or aged with certainty.

United States 230

United States North America Species New York 230

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

The latest edition of the Clements Checklist that I could find, last modified in August 2022, lists 965 species (a little more manageable!), including 355 endemics, 28 introduced species, 6 extinct species, and 77 globally threatened species. There are three to four species on each page, for the most part.

Australia 228

Australia Birds 2017 Groups 228

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2023

The family has about 37 species, but that includes several fulvettas – only 21 of the species have “parrotbill” in their names (and frankly, the bills of fulvettas do not look like those of parrots at all). A paper on breeding of the species was actually researched right here at Wawushan.

Pandas 194

Pandas Birds Eggs China 194

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