10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2016

Robert Gallardo’s self-published Guide to the Birds of Honduras came out in 2015, and is the first bird field guide dedicated to that country. (I Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America covers 827 species, including resident, migratory, and common vagrant birds.

El Salvador 235

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 235

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2017

Birds of Kruger National Park covers the 259 species most frequently seen in the park, about half of the total number of birds documented there. This still leaves the user flipping through sections, looking for the species in question, though I don’t think there are many species with this habitat overlap.

Ecuador 184

Ecuador Wildlife Reptiles Birds 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2016

In the summer of 2015 our investment paid off. After five years of waiting and watching, we were so elated with this news of a successful breeding at the preserve that we applied for another grant from Audubon California. A pair of Burrowing Owls fledged six young! Imagine how excited I was when I heard the news!

Owls 102

Owls California 2010 Colorado 102

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

Over 3,200 photographs have been used, most showing species in their habitats. There is also text, distribution maps, a dark red bar “warning” about similar looking rare species, and conservation symbols. So, how do you find the species account for Kestrel if falcons are not placed between woodpeckers and parakeet?

Ireland 155

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 155

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

In addition to splits, selected rare visitors have been added (Lesser Sand-Plover, Zenaida Dove, Red-vented Bulbul and African Collared-Dove are some of the species new to the East book, Streaked Shearwater, Stonechat, Red-flanked Bluetail and Japanese White-eye are some of the West adds), and selected exotics.

North America 177

North America 2003 Birds America 177

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2016

I am not entirely sure whether most birders outside Germany know or realize that Germany still has a decent population of one of Europe’s most attractive and desired bird species: the Great Bustard Otis tarda. I’ve once seen Grey Partridges there, and the meadows have breeding Montague’s Harriers.

Germany 102

Germany Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2021

Of course, I also go there several other times each year; I have, after all, seen 160 species at this endemic-rich site. The reason for this annual pilgrimage is a single species, the Sinaloa Martin. All sightings southeast of the species’ Puerto Vallarta-to-Los Mochis breeding area are of migrating birds.

2016 264

2016 2015 Nicaragua Mexico 264

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 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 214

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2020

This includes current research (up to about 2016, but mostly earlier) on how climate change and human change are affecting the birds’ ecology and behavior. There are too many buts, excepts, and maybe’s, a lot of research on some species and very little on others.

Research 181

Research Birds Hoarding Sweden 181

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

The USVI are smaller and have fewer habitats and, as a result, fewer bird species. Puerto Rico has a checklist of 269 species, 207 of which are migratory and the USVI has a checklist of 149 species, 124 of which are migratory. Herbert Rafaelle includes 284 species in his field guide , which covers both territories.)

Puerto Rico 170

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 170

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2016

They are in large flocks when they roost of several thousand birds, but often they will roost among their own species. These two species are renowned for preferring to lie flat on the wet sand once the tide drops rather than stand around waiting for the tide to drop. Grey-tailed Tattler “35” in 2016.

Taiwan 100

Taiwan 2012 2015 2014 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2018

Guide to the Birds of Honduras was self-published in 2015, text by Gallardo and artwork by John Sill, Michael DiGiorgio, and Ian Griffiths. Species Accounts. The Species Accounts are arranged in a rough AOS taxonomic order. Each index entry gives the page number of the species account and the plate number in bold print.

Honduras 107

Honduras Birds 2015 Family 107

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago covers 1,417 species, 601 endemics, 98 vagrants, 8 introduced and 18 undescribed species. Only one bird species has become extinct (Javan Lapwing), but many others are endangered, with some considered close to extinction (not surprising in an area with species restricted to one or two small islands).

Indonesia 140

Indonesia Brunei Birds Malaysia 140

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

And, the whole question of subspecies, which in the Northeast tends to focus on the Cackling Goose, but which I’m sure is a topic of fascination with other waterfowl species in all other parts of the world. The publicity material says 84 species, but I counted and recounted, and I only see 83.

North America 167

North America Asia Europe America 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2017

The year 2016 was not a particularly birdy year for me, mostly because I didn’t get to go on business trips to Indonesia or Kazakhstan, as was frequently the case during the last few years. I did not see any lifers whatsoever in 2016, making it my first lifer-free year since around 2010. 1, my best bird of the year… 10.

2016 102

2016 Germany Italy Netherlands 102

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. Harrison in 1978 (it is now in its second edition, 2015, PUP). And photographs of feathers in the species accounts, which surprised me. Baicich and Colin J.

Eggs 250

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 250

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

The Crossley ID Guide: Waterfowl covers every residential, migrating, vagrant, exotic, and introduced swan, goose, dabbling and diving duck in North America (Canada and the United States): 62 Species Accounts on four swan species and one vagrant subspecies; 15 goose species; 46 duck species; plus accounts for hybrid geese, ducks and exotics.

Ducks 128

Ducks North America Geese Hunters 128