10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2016

For the sake of family peace, I left my bins at home, which meant that the tastiest species I could put a name to was Dark-eyed Junco , which I’ll be seeing a ton of over the coming months. Based on social media, I’d say a whole lot. Corey had an easy choice for his Best Bird of the Weekend.

2016 124

2016 Birds Owls Experience 124

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2017

Way back in the days when blog posts still got a lot of comments, I wrote a piece on why field guides that arrange species in a more or less strict taxonomic order regularly frustrate me. Taxonomy is constantly changing and so does the order of species in field guides. van Balen, N. Brickle & F. It was a nightmarish thing to do.

Brunei 156

Brunei 2009 2016 2014 156

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2022

Within 140 ac / 60 ha of Rancho Naturalista’s Reserve, there are 500 bird species – or 55% of the nation’s total! She started guiding at Rancho in 2016, only to embark upon a Costa Rica Big Year in the next, 2017. Located within its private premontane forest reserve at 3000 ft / 900 m a.s.l. mi / 500 m (Pepper Road) to 1.6

Costa Rica 249

Costa Rica Rats Parrots Raccoons 249

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2017

For the last several years, I have produced a small run of calendars for my fiends and family. The ones that will be in the calendar, the elite 12 are selected by not only the quality of the image, but most colorful, most unique, and in the case of a couple of birds cut out this year, species that appeared in last years Calendar.

2017 126

2017 Culling 2016 Birds 126

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2016

I noticed plenty of species I hadn’t seen all winter, but was most surprised by an energetic Northern Mockingbird. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was either of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers that he saw at the Ramshorn Livingston Sanctuary in Catskill, New York, while he was on a walk with his family. How about you?

2016 100

2016 Sanctuary New York Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2018

I have observed this species many times (my eBird says 28 times this year alone) and never had one landing near me. Before (May 2016, by Zeljko Stanimirovic)…. Cover photo : Made at the same place and time of the year, I observed this young White-tailed Eagle coming from the same nest in 2016.

2016 172

2016 Eagles Birds Otters 172

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.” That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India!

Bolivia 174

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 174

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2017

The year 2016 is done and gone and 2017 beckons us onward, bright and new and shiny, hopefully full of birds. I had a bunch of birds to choose from this weekend as I spent the afternoon hiking upstate with the family and all morning on Sunday building up my new year list.

2017 124

2017 2016 New York Birds 124

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. It’s fascinating stuff.

Research 225

Research Birds Science Costa Rica 225

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2016

Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America covers 827 species, including resident, migratory, and common vagrant birds. The end result is that the whole “biographic” area (NCA plus southern Mexico and northern Nicaragua) is home to 41 endemic bird species.

El Salvador 233

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 233

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 162

North America 2003 Birds America 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 222

Dissection Birds Research Europe 222

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 173

Ecuador Wildlife Reptiles Birds 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2020

Sedge Wren – There are records of this species in Queens, generally along the coast in fall. Great Shearwater – At this point, seabirds are my weakest family in Queens with the most species having reported in the borough that I have not seen. It leaves Barnacle Goose as the last remotely possible goose species for me to add.

2018 160

2018 2015 Birds 2019 160

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2020

A pair of Pestvogelen : Bohemian Waxwings ( Bombycilla garrulus ) from Nederlandsche vogelen (“ Dutch Birds” ) by naturalist and illustrator Cornelius Nozeman (1720-1786) and Christiaan Andreas Sepp (1700-1775) and Jan Christiaan Sepp (1739-1811) of the famous Amsterdam publishing family.

Farming 167

Farming New York Humane Europe 167

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 150

New York City New York Birds Breeding 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2016

India was not on my list of places to go in 2016. The species is crepuscular and nocturnal, but can sometimes be seen during the day. I had not planned on birding India in 2016, but I’m very happy I did. So, I birded India, land of Indian Peafowl , Saag Paneer (my favorite Indian dish) and Tigers. It was a big owl.

India 189

India Tigers Birds Owls 189

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

where and when the species is likely to be seen on the east coast, flight style, size and structure as compared to similar species. Of the 426 species on the official state checklist, this guide covers 252. Attention is also paid to when and where each species is likely to be seen in the state.

Pennsylvania 168

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 168

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 145

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 145

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2016

The year 2016 has been a pretty good year. I opened the year in California and even though I flew out in the evening on New Year’s Day I did see some species out there that I would otherwise not have seen for the year. Winter birding around New York City was just so-so but I did add one species to my Queens list.

2016 131

2016 Puerto Rico New York City New York 131

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 110

2016 India Ducks Birds 110

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 213

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 213

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 263

2016 2015 Nicaragua Mexico 263

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

The scientific species name of the Golden-throated Barbet is franklinii , commemorating Capt. The HBW section on this species’ behavior mostly repeats the phrase “more information needed” Though of course scientists, hungry for grants and topics, say that all the time. Ok, I made that up. Then, on to nuthatches.

Birds 177

Birds China Woodpeckers Breeding 177

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

A brief personal digression: I moved back into the house I grew up in back in 2014, my parents vacated at the end of 2016. With that logic those trees, if left to grow, should produce something of use to at least one or two species of birds. Of course, various species of bats as well. A Yellow-crowned Parrot digs in.

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Hunting Reptiles 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

” Writing about owls means writing about roughly 250 species (I counted 245 on the 2022 Clements spreadsheet, but I might have missed a few, and we all know that each classification system is different). These are behaviors that are most likely to vary across species and topics that make for compelling stories.

Owls 213

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 213

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2023

The photos in this post were taken in 2015 and 2016 – I was not only an amazingly attractive, almost young person then, but also a surprisingly bad photographer. I also only managed to see rather common bird species at Shennongjia, a nature reserve in Hubei province, China. “Hey, it’s such a beautiful sunny day!

China 174

China Birds Eggs Woodpeckers 174

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2017

I saw Painted Wolves again, my favourite species ever. In particular they evoke the New Hampshire lake my extended family descends upon each summer and has done so from before I was born. The Orange-fronted Parakeet is a critically endangered species that I came agonisingly close to seeing but didn’t. I went to Ethiopia.

United Arab Emirates 100

United Arab Emirates Ethiopia 2016 New Zealand 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2023

Sometimes I just want to hug eBird, or more specifically, whoever writes the short species descriptions (even though I am not the typical hugging kind of person, trust me on this). The Plain Sunbird is the plain vanilla version of the otherwise often very colorful family (ok, a very low-budget sort of joke). “Dull, me?

Los Angeles 187

Los Angeles Birds Woodpeckers Owls 187

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2016

Each species account includes common and scientific name, size and weight (all metric), and information boxes on Key Identification Features (including how to differentiate the species from similar creatures), Habitat in Kruger, Habits (nocturnal or crepuscular or diurnal, social or loner, feeding behavior) and Diet.

Rhinos 241

Rhinos Mammals Animal White Rhinos 241

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 127

Indonesia Brunei Birds Malaysia 127

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. The USVI are smaller and have fewer habitats and, as a result, fewer bird species. All Americans Should be Full Members of the ABA Family. Because it is much larger, this will focus on Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico 154

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 154

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

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 170

Research Birds Hoarding Sweden 170

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2017

The guide covers 520 species of birds regularly found in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada, including, interestingly, a number of exotic species. There is also a traditional index to bird species, by common and scientific name. Species Accounts are arranged taxonomically, grouped by family.

North America 170

North America America Birds New York 170

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2018

It gives species accounts for 761 birds (I counted, but I could have missed a couple) out of the 763-770 species documented in the country (eBird lists 763 and Gallardo says there were 770 at the time of publication). Species Accounts. The Species Accounts are arranged in a rough AOS taxonomic order.

Honduras 104

Honduras Birds 2015 Family 104

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 188

New York City Birds Owls Fox 188