10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2014

Ron Pittaway has published his winter finch forecast for the winter of 2014-2015. 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.

2014 264

2014 2015 Alaska New Hampshire 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2014

The year 2014 is approaching its imminent end, which means different things for different people. For those of us interested in observing avifauna, the last six or so weeks of a year offer enough time and opportunity to finish up with the year list we’d love to look back on. Have you been working on yours?

2014 236

2014 Bald Eagle Eagles Birds 236

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2014

Less than two weeks into the new year and I’m already used to writing 2014 instead of 2013. That must be a new record! This weekend, I took time to appreciate the sight of ten American Robins congregating in a leafless tree.

2014 227

2014 Blackbirds 2013 Birds 227

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2014

Ready to close the books on the summer of 2014, northerners? Keep your eyes to the skies for chickadees and t**s. We in the United States like to usher out the season in style with a three-day weekend. Hope you’re on board!

2014 235

2014 Pennsylvania United States Collecting 235

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2014

The calendar says that this is the last weekend of the winter of 2014. I’m writing this still aching from shoveling the 18+ inches that blanketed Rochester yesterday. And yet I can say with confidence and delight that spring is nigh.

2014 233

2014 United States New York Birds 233

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

The 17th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival will take place from the twenty-second of January until the twenty-seventh of January in 2014. Will you be there? I sure as heck will! I haven’t been to Space Coast since 2012 and man did I miss it last year.

2014 200

2014 Bald Eagle Florida Wildlife 200

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2014

I visited Hong Kong from February 20-27, 2014. Despite impressive, often rampant development, Hong Kong reserves 40% of its land as greenspace. The result is a nature lover’s paradise rich with mountains, beaches, and birds. Lots and lots of birds! My itinerary was as follows: Feb 22: Macau (including Guia Hill and Barra Hill).

2014 252

2014 Eagles Asia China 252

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 185

2013 2014 Alaska Canada 185

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2025

Båtsfjord Brygge Arctic Resort, since 2014 How best to travel to your lodge? Which bird species do you think is the biggest attraction to visitors of your lodge (please only name one species)? The King Eider What is the name of your lodge, and since when has your lodge been operating?

2014 130

2014 Birds Species 130

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2014

One of the many ancillary benefits of becoming a birder, apart from an elevated social status and encyclopedic knowledge of taxonomy, is a subtle grasp of phenology. But you don’t have to be wise to nature’s ways to realize that spring is mighty slow to fully bloom in some parts of the world.

2014 255

2014 Birds Experiments Experience 255

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2014

We birders seem to keep our own arcane calendar, with weeks and months symbolized not by numbers but rather by avian avatars. Each phenological totem evokes the confluence of time, climate, and geography that tells a richer story of a place than simply its position relative to the sun.

2014 254

2014 Kentucky Canada Birds 254

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2014

What a weekend for those of us experiencing the exhilaration of spring migration! Assuming that your over-worked eyes are as blurry as mine at the moment, we should get right down to business and talk birds… The best of the many warblers I uncovered at Cobbs Hill this weekend was an entirely improbable Kentucky Warbler.

New York City 250

New York City 2014 Kentucky New York 250

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2014

Why is camping so interesting? I ask because, despite my deep affection for warmth, indoor plumbing, and uninterrupted Internet access, I found myself and my family enjoying an overnight out of doors. Camping and birding both fall under the category of “nature” activities, yet the two seem only tangentially related.

2014 250

2014 Philadelphia Birds Family 250

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

We’re a little slow to discuss this weekend’s birding because many of us in the U.S. are still enjoying a beautiful Memorial Day. But if you’re eager to share the spoils of your recent avian adventures, let the bird bragging commence!

2014 249

2014 Birds Family Experiments 249

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Now that autumn has fallen, my part of the world feels like summer. Hopefully, October offers more of the same! My best birds this weekend were American Goldfinches on purple coneflowers, which is where I like them best.

2014 248

2014 Birds Experiments Experience 248

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

I wonder how many of you enjoyed this weekend as much as I did. Was the joy a natural result of a delicious Easter brunch or the welcome warmth of a dilatory spring? Perhaps the weekend’s pleasure proceeded from the arrival of birds not seen here for months.

2014 247

2014 Birds Family Rights 247

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2014

Quick show of hands… how many of you in the U.S. kept a special eye out for Bald Eagles ? My favorite sighting this weekend was not of the regal representative of my nation’s pride but rather a single brilliant Indigo Bunting at Lake Skaneatles.

Bald Eagle 246

Bald Eagle 2014 Jamaica 2008 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2014

Some may consider talking about the weather banal, but I can’t help complaining during a winter like this. While March earns a reputation for coming in like a lion, the season rarely seems as wild and cold as Winter Storm Titan threatens to be over the next few days in the American Northeast, Midwest, and Mid-Atlantic.

2014 246

2014 Lions Owls Birds 246

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2014

Hopefully it was as cool as the Short-eared Owl above, which was my first bird of 2014! After all, 2014 was a pretty great year and there is no reason 2014 can’t be the same! After all, 2014 was a pretty great year and there is no reason 2014 can’t be the same! Happy New Year from all of us at 10,000 Birds!

2015 230

2015 2014 Birds Owls 230

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

As much as I love hearing about and sharing Best Birds of the Weekend, sometimes I have cause to ponder just what that term means. Obviously, the birds themselves are not jockeying for recognition. Rather, we designate best birds according to our priorities and perceptions of value.

2014 244

2014 Feral Asia China 244

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2014

James Russell Lowell famously wondered , “And what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days…” Of course, he was on the mark concerning the quality of June days, but don’t you think he might have overlooked September?

2014 242

2014 Abandoning Abandon Abandonment 242

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2014

Hopefully, those of you who observe St. Patrick’s Day by doing more than donning green didn’t “celebrate” so much this weekend that you’re suffering today.

2014 242

2014 Geese Jamaica Turkey 242

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2014

Now that Winter Olympic fever has gripped the global imagination, I can’t help but wonder why we don’t have more international birding competitions like the International Birding Rally in Peru. You’ve got to imagine that the only thing better than winning a gold medal would be getting the gold AND a bunch of lifers.

2014 241

2014 Peru Killing Birds 241

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2014

Keep your eyes to the skies for uncommon birds like this leucistic Bald Eagle ! Daylight Savings Time falls this weekend in those areas that observe this tradition. Remember, springing forward means one less hour of sleep this weekend, not one less hour of sleep! I’ll be out and about in the Rochester area enjoying this sudden influx of sun.

Bald Eagle 252

Bald Eagle 2014 New York Eagles 252

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2014

The final weekend of October positively burns with activity, from spectacular seasonal fare to sports extravaganzas to Halloween hullabaloo. How does a person even find time to look at birds? I was able to spare a few moments to appreciate the Northern Cardinals that, while always present at my home, seem so much more welcome once days turn gray.

2014 238

2014 Birds Experiments Experience 238

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2014

This is an interesting time of year when people are coming and going while birds mostly sit still. Except, of course, that some birds are also coming and going too. The trick is to make sure your path crosses those of the right birds at the right time.

New Jersey 237

New Jersey 2014 Virginia Birds 237

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

American fashion dictates that we retire our white shoes and frocks once the sun sets on Labor Day. Most blame snooty millionaires and sloppy September weather for the changes, but we birders know better. Fall migrants are on the wing, which brings the teeming multitudes of avian observers out in force. What’s the connection?

2014 250

2014 Birds 250

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2014

Let a hot Merritt Island sunset keep you warm! Here in the northeastern United States, stultifying forces assail us from every side. Not only has the polar vortex established a permanent chill in our collective bones, but those who care about such things must also endure the winter doldrums.

Soreing 250

Soreing United States 2014 Collecting 250

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2014

Signs of a changing season are busting out all over, but I can’t see any of them with all the snow that fell last night. We weary winter warriors need some serious respite. Shouldn’t someone be sending St. Bernards with brandy barrels on their collars to help us get through this? Like the fabled honey badger, grackles don’t care.

Badgers 235

Badgers 2014 Birds Experiments 235

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2014

The solstice serves as a sunny reminder of the mutable nature of our days. Some of us enjoyed our year’s longest stretch of daylight this weekend, while others endured their longest night. To paraphrase an insightful innuendo, it’s not the length of the day but how you spend it. I hope you spent your solstice well.

2014 235

2014 Endangered Species Birds Experiments 235

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2014

What a thrilling weekend, rich with epic snow and playoff football and all those other things that happen in January to people who don’t live near me. Hope you enjoyed at least part of the excitement! From atop a terrific sledding hill, I enjoyed watching American Tree Sparrows lend class and native charm to flocks of House Sparrows.

2014 222

2014 Sparrows Birds Experiments 222

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2014

While spring is widely revered as the season of rebirth, many of us celebrate birth during this time as well. My son’s birthday ushering in spring and my daughter’s showing it out serve as bookends to a seemingly endless parade of parties. April bears the most fruit for my family tree, including my own bad apple birthday this week.

New Jersey 233

New Jersey 2014 Louisiana Bears 233

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2014

Can the best bird of your weekend be one you didn’t see? Obviously, not seeing a desired bird can place the offender in the Worst Bird of the Weekend category. We’ve all been there, right?

2014 232

2014 New York Birds Experiments 232

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2014

Summer, by which I mean accepted as opposed to seasonal, surges towards its inevitable end and I find myself wondering when real summer, by which I mean hot weather, will arrive. Somehow, I suspect fall migrants and summer heat will arrive at the same time… sounds awesome!!

2014 232

2014 Birds Experiments Experience 232

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2014

My part of the world and many others still anguish under the icy rule of the polar vortex. What good, though, is a polar vortex if it doesn’t come attended by polar birds? Where, I ask you, is my Ivory Gull ?

Bald Eagle 232

Bald Eagle 2014 Eagles Hunting 232

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2014

When asking “Where Are You Birding This Weekend?” ” on Friday, I botched my comment about Daylight Savings Time. The insightful point I meant to make is that springing forward means losing an hour of sleep, not an hour of birding. Apparently, I needed the sleep more than the time outside… how about you?

2014 231

2014 Geese Birds Experiments 231

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2014

Those of you who follow such things should be pleased to learn that this weekend was quite auspicious for sports teams named for birds. Until now, only one National Football League team out of a total of five had ever won the Super Bowl.

Seattle 231

Seattle 2014 Owls Birds 231