10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2016

My family and I indulged this weekend in the kind of deep-fried treats you can only find at the New York State Fair… bacon-wrapped corn dog, anyone? If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Then comes what will likely be a very warm fall. What was your best bird of the weekend?

New York City 100

New York City 2016 New York Birds 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

A logical and outstanding successor to The Genius of Birds (2016), Ackerman’s award-winning book about bird cognition, The Bird Way explores the diversity of bird behavior, the norm and the extremes, with an emphasis on cutting-edge research and findings that explode assumptions. Superb Lyrebird by John Burgoyne ©2020 .

Research 213

Research Birds Science Costa Rica 213

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2016

India was not on my list of places to go in 2016. For most of the birders in our group, visiting the Taj Mahal was the fulfillment of a bucket list experience, and they left feeling ecstatic over its beauty. I had not planned on birding India in 2016, but I’m very happy I did.

India 187

India Tigers Birds Owls 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2017

Aisholpan Nurgaiv is a graceful, rosy-cheeked 13-year old girl with a magic smile who makes living on the edge of nowhere and forever look like the easiest experience in the world. Eagle hunting is a family tradition that goes back at least 12 generations, part of the larger nomadic Kazakh culture.

Eagles 101

Eagles Mongolia Hunters Hunting 101

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

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. I think this might be my best bird of 2016.

2016 108

2016 India Ducks Birds 108

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

The Introduction follows the usual format, quickly introducing new birders to the process of bird identification and anatomy and summarizing the Pennsylvania birding experience; a month-by-month outline of the birding year in Pennsylvania, lists the best sites to bird seasonally (Piney Tract, Clarion County in June for grassland birds).

Pennsylvania 158

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 158

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2024

They can be challenging to identify, especially if you haven’t seen one before, though with experience they are not really so difficult. If you see a flock of kestrels in southern Europe, then the chances are that they will be Lessers, for the Common Kestrel never flocks, though occasionally in summer you will see a family hunting together.

Falcons 186

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 186

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. I’m wondering as I write if you are shaking your head, uneasy that all these FACTS will interfere with your love of observing owls, an experience that easily borders on the mystical for some of us. But what do we know beyond these commonly seen and heard behaviors?

Owls 200

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 200

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

My librarian self is partial to a more strict taxonomic organization, but with no hope that the constant shifting of families will end in the near future, this type of sequence is making more and more sense. WildGuides, Princeton University Press, summer 2016. by Rob Hume, Robert Still, Andy Swash, Hugh Harrop & David Tipling.

Ireland 140

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 140

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Within families, the species are arranged less taxonomically and more in line with “design and space considerations,” (Introduction), and on the plates themselves, species are arranged to facilitate comparison. Text is on the left, plates are on the right. Both genus names and species names are listed.

America 211

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 211

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. Two sobering chapters on “Conservation” and “Climate Change” end the text section of the book, followed by a 36-page Bibliography and a detailed Index.

Research 165

Research Birds Hoarding Sweden 165

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2016

Another good reason to write in advance is if you are going on a break to see family and you don’t know if time will allow you to write. We were to spend a few days with my sister and family that had travelled from Sydney and my parents, who had not been able to travel to Australia this year. Common Eider. Common Snipe.

Ducks 140

Ducks Birds 2016 Dogs 140

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2020

I should add that the Big Owls taking over NYC social and even hard print media, dominating conversations with my nonbirder friends and family, are not the only owls in the five boroughs, but like a musical, the closer you are to Broadway, the closer you are to fame and fortune (and maybe even a higher quality rodent for dinner, who knows?).

New York City 180

New York City Birds Owls Fox 180

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2017

The four authors, themselves field ornithologists, conservationists, birders, and writers with years of experience in southeast Asia, researched scientific studies ranging from early 19th-century descriptions of the birds of Java to the latest phylogenomic studies. Co-author Frank E. Where is the Indonesian Archipelago? Species Accounts.

Indonesia 121

Indonesia Brunei Birds Malaysia 121

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Both Puerto Rico and the USVI have active birding communities that are currently excluded from full membership in the ABA family. All Americans Should be Full Members of the ABA Family. Adding Puerto Rico and the USVI would largely achieve the goal of bringing all Americans into full membership of the ABA family. Conclusion.

Puerto Rico 146

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 146

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2018

It isn’t clear exactly which taxonomy of which year was used and there is not table of contents of families, so the best way to find a specific species is to use the scientific and common name indexes in the back of the book. These descriptions are quite helpful, especially if you are not familiar with the family group.

Honduras 103

Honduras Birds 2015 Family 103

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2016

In addition to that warm, fuzzy feeling, here are some other highs and lows from March 29th, 2016 in southernmost Israel: No rain : Coming from deluge-prone Costa Rica, this was a personal highlight. Sharing those special birds with so many like-minded people of all ages may have been the most magical experience on race day.

Costa Rica 166

Costa Rica Eagles Birds 166

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2016

While Americans gear up for the face-stuffing family time that is Thanksgiving the rest of the world looks on in horror as the Trump administration starts to take shape. Will 2016 never end? Will you survive Thanksgiving with your politically opposite family? Will anything survive four years of Trump?

2016 149

2016 United States Geese Birds 149

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2016

The ability to relax, enjoy time with friends and family, travel, watch birds, or indulge in any expression of recreation derives from liberty from oppression few of us really understand. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. What was your best bird of the weekend?

Cuba 100

Cuba 2016 Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2016

However, I did learn that the Carolina Wren that raises a family in my yard during warm months decided, perhaps unwisely, to stick around for the holidays; I hope my garage is providing enough cover! If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2016 100

2016 Birds Raised Experience 100