10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2024

Most serious bird photographers dislike taking pictures of birds wearing rings (or what on the other side of the Atlantic you call bands). I can sympathise, as a shiny new ring, clamped to a bird’s leg, rarely enhances its portrait. The information I received didn’t indicate the age of the bird.

Lithuania 130

Lithuania Morocco Iceland Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

It has been more than 5 years since I last went to Australia, and I was even less of a qualified bird photographer then than I am now. So, the basic idea is to show 15 species of Australian birds in each post and give you the usual trivia about them. The female looks a bit duller but I was assured it has a beautiful soul.

Australia 198

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 198

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2022

This year, it seems I wrote one post on birding in Shanghai each month – and I am still not even sure anyone is interested in these. Probably the most interesting bird this month was a Grey-headed Canary-Flycatcher showing up in the Shanghai Botanical Garden. I know – sexism is very common in the birding world.

Finland 147

Finland Birds 2016 McDonalds 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Since 2016, the Rustic Bunting has been listed as Vulnerable, as data suggested rapid population declines (HBW). I did not find much about this bird online except for a paper with the exciting title “A new quill mite Torotrogla emberizae sp. And what can you expect of a species named Dusky Thrush ?

Birds 221

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 221

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

It was a good birding year. Many sad and unfortunate things occurred in 2016, but the birding was good. I started the year in Florida, traveled to India with the ABA in February, combined family and birding in an August trip to California, and in-between saw very good birds in New York and New Jersey.

2016 113

2016 India Ducks Birds 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2018

Thankfully due to the long life span of this bird species the population appears to be somewhat stable at the moment. It is not unusual for only one Pied Oystercatcher chick to survive throughout the whole breeding season despite in excess of sixty eggs being laid by sixteen pairs. Pied Oystercatcher nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding 2018 Eggs 2016 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2024

Sixteen species that have been recorded in the United States are covered: six Myiarchus flycatchers and ten Kingbird ( Tyrannus ) flycatchers. As with the first volume, I was surprised to see the inclusion of a species that has only been seen in the U.S. Introductory Material Sixteen species, 190 pages.

Los Angeles 190

Los Angeles North America Species America 190

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The chapter titles of Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds represent both ends of the spectrum: “A World Full of Poisons,” “Malaria,” “Forest Intruders,” “Lead Shock,” “Shot.” Conservation. It’s not easy. This is the most intense, tragic section.

California Condor 190

California Condor Falcons California Birds 190

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

Once upon a time, bird field guides included nests. 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. There are many reasons to inquire about bird nests (and eggs) and how to identify them.

Eggs 244

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 244

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2021

On April 16, 2021, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the American Ornithological Society (AOS), had a “ Community Congress on English Bird Names ” to discuss whether certain bird names should be changed and, if so, how quickly. One of the stated goals was to “understand diverse perspectives.”

Birds 264

Birds Russia Hawaii Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2021

What I didn’t realize, at the time, was that this pulp is also enjoyed by many bird species. I go there every year around this time, because in 2016 I saw Sinaloa Martins migrating north to breed. This species is rarely seen and almost unstudied. Usually these birds are a bit harder to see up close.

2016 278

2016 2020 Mexico California 278

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2023

I recently asked ChatGPT some questions about the best birding locations in the United States and the results were decidedly mixed. Here are the queries and the ChatGPT responses are below: What is birding? What is a “nemesis bird” in birding? What is a “big year” in birding?

United States 147

United States North America Birds America 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’ve been fortunate to encounter many owls in my birding life, sometimes because I’m looking for them, sometimes happily by happenstance. It’s also about human-owl interaction on an individual level and a wider sociocultural level, and ultimately how we can use all this for habitat and bird conservation.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

It actually makes a lot of sense, the geographic features of the isthmus between North America (including Mexico, because Mexico is part of North America) and South America cut across political lines, as do birds. It is the first bird field guide to every country of Central America (plus the islands governed by those countries).

America 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 214

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2017

Joshua Malbin has been birding in Brooklyn, NY for more than 10 of his 15-plus years doing it so far. A New York City Parks Department contractor just wiped out a breeding population of sparrows in tons of trouble already, on land owned by the parks department that was supposed to be protected as “Forever Wild.”

New York City 217

New York City New York Sparrows 2016 217

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2020

Here are some of the things I learned reading Birds in Winter: . Birds who store food in advance of winter (corvids, t**s, and nuthatches) have a larger hippocampus (the brain structure that regulates memory) than non-storing birds do. Author Roger F. The book is organized logically by seasonality.

Research 176

Research Birds Hoarding Sweden 176

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2019

The striking Golden-cheeked Warbler nests only in the hills of central Texas near Austin but a substantial part of those breeding grounds have leveled in favor of development. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) declared the Golden-cheeked Warbler “ endangered ” under the Endangered Species Act. On December 27, 1990 , the U.S.

Austin 183

Austin Texas Endangered Species Birds 183

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

One of these days, Jeopardy will feature a category called “Field Guides” and the first clue will be: “This landlocked South American country finally got its own bird field guide in 2016, but it wasn’t available in the United State until 2019.” Bolivia doesn’t come up much in discussions of birding travel.

Bolivia 181

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 181

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

Happy New Year, 10,000 Birds readers and writers! Everyone is looking back on their best birds of 2019, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at a book that looks back a little further: Urban Ornithology: 150 Years of Birds in New York City , by P. The Bronx also has a special place in birding history.

New York City 156

New York City New York Birds Breeding 156

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2016

Out of just under 200 bird species I observed this year in SE Europe, there are 6 threatened species. Some of them were always uncommon in the region, others are highly localised, some are hard to notice among thousands of similar birds, but others were abundant recently and one of them still is, despite the decrease in numbers.

Serbia 203

Serbia Greece Montenegro Bulgaria 203

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2016

Birds know habitat. They don’t read treaties or draw maps or build walls and, as far as we can tell (since we can’t talk to birds, yet), they have no concept of political boundaries. 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.

El Salvador 234

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 234

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. Regular readers of 10,000 Birds may remember Jochen’s posts about keeping taxonomy out of field guides. The 224-page book is organized by habitat and behavior, not taxonomy.

Ecuador 180

Ecuador Wildlife Reptiles Birds 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2019

Over recent decades there has been a sharp decline in the population of Eastern Curlew visiting Australia during their non-breeding months each year. The Eastern Curlew is the largest of the migratory shorebirds to visit Australia and really can’t be mistaken for any other species. Eastern Curlew and Bar-tailed Godwits.

Australia 113

Australia 2016 Breeding Species 113

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 171

North America 2003 Birds America 171

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2016

I want to alert you to a recent study (from April) that looks at the plight of bird populations under conditions of climate change in Europe and North America. The study looked at common birds, and used data divided by either state (in the US) or country (in Europe). Stephens et al. Stephens, Philip, et al. 352:6281(84-87).

North America 122

North America Europe America United States 122

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

There are 35 raptor species that have a presence in the United States and Canada, 56 (more or less) if you count by subspecies, and they are all covered in admirable, exhausting, unbelievable detail in B irds of Prey of the East: A Field Guide and Birds of Prey of the West: A Field Guide by Brian K. Structure & Organization.

North America 198

North America Birds Mississippi Bald Eagle 198

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2016

Photo: This area holds 3 to 4 breeding pairs of White-tailed Eagles , which represents the biggest density per square mile anywhere in the country. Wigeons are only migrants and not a breeding species in Serbia and August is a bit too early for any longer distance duck movements. Photographed by Szekeres Levente. and one ad.).

Serbia 177

Serbia Protection Eagles Ducks 177

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

British birders are very serious about birding and their birds. This is a very good thing; it means they publish a lot of books about birds (probably more at this point than U.S. This is a very good thing; it means they publish a lot of books about birds (probably more at this point than U.S.

Ireland 150

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2017

The point is, the field guide I grabbed without hesitation was the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition by Jon L. No other field guide to North American birds does rarities so comprehensively and so well. (To I miss the shorebird and get it a few days later, but that’s not the point of this story.

North America 187

North America America 2017 Birds 187

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 16, 2018

The general consensus among birders is that this particular Peregrine Falcon is a different sub species and is most likely Falco peregrinus calidus. There has been a previously accepted record by the Birdlife Australia Rarities Committee in regards to a Peregrine Falcon observed in the Northern Territory on November 4th 2016.

Falcons 113

Falcons Australia 2016 Investigation 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2016

For those who happen to be faithful followers of posts about birding in Costa Rica, no, you haven’t accidentally browsed to the wrong place. Today, I am writing about another very birdy place and an event that I was very fortunate to have experienced, the Champions of the Flyway Bird Race in Eilat, Israel. Nope, not one bit.

Costa Rica 181

Costa Rica Eagles Birds 181

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2017

The Peterson Field Guide to Bird Sounds of Eastern North America by Nathan Pieplow is innovative, fascinating, and challenging. The guide covers 520 species of birds regularly found in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, including, interestingly, a number of exotic species. But, first the basics.

North America 178

North America America Birds New York 178

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2018

What do you do when you are a bird guide in a Central American country incredibly rich in birds and other natural resources but which has no birding field guide? selling original art plates, and sponsorships and donations from birding and conservation companies and agencies from the U.S., You write your own. Gallardo did.

Honduras 106

Honduras Birds 2015 Family 106

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

We had observed Common Redshank in Broome in 2015 and 2016 and we know you can often observe them close to the Common Greenshanks in Roebuck Bay. Common Greenshank congregate in Roebuck Bay just beyond the Broome Bird Observatory in good numbers and it is an ideal location to look for Common Redshank. Shorebirds roosting.

2018 114

2018 2016 2015 Australia 114

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2017

This special place in a birder’s heart or on a list of best birds of the year certainly pertains not only to their extravagant lifestyle but also to the fact that most birders – particularly visiting birders – often struggle with finding them. Crazy, I know. And you know what? A silly name from a German prespective.

Germany 100

Germany 2016 Hamburgers Austria 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 14, 2016

Last year, the Cornell Lab Of Ornithology had this really cool idea to get as many people counting as many birds as they could, in as many places as possible. This call to massive birding was known as the Global Big Day and it was meant to be the first of many GBDs to come. No, everyone should be out birding.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica 2016 2001 Battery 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2017

Germany has only one high seas island it calls its own, the mighty (from a birding perspective) island of Heligoland. However, these breeding colonies were not always German breeding colonies. But what is it about the species that makes the Germans think it is a bit dim-witted?

Germany 100

Germany Denmark Namibia Breeding 100