10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2021

As I mention each year at this time, the beginning of the birding year, up north, is the end of Mexico’s peak birding season. So how did the winter of 2020-2021 shape up down here? As I have mentioned in previous posts, this winter’s biggest story was a tremendous abundance of Cedar Waxwings throughout central Mexico.

Mexico 259

Mexico Trafficking Sparrows Virginia 259

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2021

The most common one, Manila tamarind, is wildly inaccurate, since the tree is native to southwestern Mexico, not Manila, and its only connection to tamarind trees is that both are in different subfamilies of the huge legume family. Pithecellobium dulce is a tree with many English names.

2016 276

2016 2020 Mexico California 276

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2023

And now, in my long-term home of Michoacán, Mexico, we have experienced a one-year drought unlike anything I have seen in my 30 years here. Our 2020 drought taught me that any body of water, no matter how small, might host these “drought refugees” in dry years. Last winter was a historic flooding winter.

Ducks 130

Ducks Mexico California Fish 130

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

Baird’sSandpipers can only be seen here in August and September, as they stop on their way from the Arctic Circle to southern South America; they do not normally visit central Mexico on its way back north. So does this Mexican Duck (NOT a Mallard sub-race, according to the 2020 AOS decision): Note the (lack of) depth of this water.

South America 231

South America Ducks 2020 Mexico 231

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2020

Lake Cuitzeo, some 30 km (19 miles) north of Morelia, is Mexico’s second largest lake. Unlike, say, Mexico’s famous Cuatro Ciénegas lakes, Lake Cuitzeo is not technically an ephemeral lake, expected to dry up and then reappear each year. Will that be enough for the lake to come back for 2020-2021?

Mexico 197

Mexico Ducks 2017 2020 197

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

In 2020, our Birdathon efforts came in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, when lockdowns and restrictions remained common. Marsh grasses added a Marsh Wren to my list, while I picked up seabirds – including a Northern Gannet – from the Gulf of Mexico-side beach. Ending the day at St.

Florida 154

Florida 2020 Mexico Raised 154

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

So, on April 13th, I chose to go back to the same site I visited on my first outing of 2020, Lake Cuitzeo. Both are beginning to show their reproductive plumage, which is a rare sight here in Mexico. There were Least Sandpipers on the lake’s south shore, and Western Sandpipers on the north shore. And there were lots of them!

Mexico 167

Mexico Breeding Ducks North America 167

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2020

And since this philosophy has worked well for me, I thought I would share some tips with you, while amusing myself with some song titles from my youth (my age is showing): Macarthur’s Park is melting: Most urban parks designed for people, not nature, were never the best choices for birding, and are even less so in 2020.

San Francisco 164

San Francisco 2020 Experience Experiments 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2020

It’s the only one in all of Mexico. And here we are, in 2020, being told to shun human contact as much as possible. (It’s in San Miguel de Allende, and it’s lovely; I must write about it someday.) The nearest Audubon Club chapter? That would also be in San Miguel de Allende.

Birds 132

Birds Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 132

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2021

The checklist of the Louisiana Ornithological Society was at 485 as of August 2020.) With two of North America’s major flyways, Mississippi and Central, overhead, and with almost 400 miles of coastline Louisiana is one of those states where you can see Eastern and Western birds and a hell of a lot of shorebirds and waterfowl.

Louisiana 264

Louisiana Species Mississippi Alabama 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2020

11 beats collaborated to enter 163 checklists from 8 countries (UK, USA, Costa Rica, Australia, Serbia, China, Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago). They noted 719 species between them. This brings the yearly running total to 1723 and the life list has reached 4038. 2 Black-bellied Whistling-Duck – Dendrocygna autumnalis.

2020 291

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds 291

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2020

For 2020, the list will only contain the relevant month’s sightings to avoid huge, bulky posts as the year progresses. The year has started well with 10 new birds from India, China, Hawaii, Mexico and Costa Rica. These are the opening stats for 2020. 17 Jan 2020. 05 Jan 2020. 28 Jan 2020. 05 Jan 2020.

2020 160

2020 Wildlife Reserve Tigers Wildlife 160

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

The rest of Mexico is not included, nor is Hawaii (which isn’t in North America, after all, but has been accepted as part of the American Birding Association area). It does seem like the order is concurrent with the 61st Supplement, which came out in 2020, but Northwestern Crow is included as a full species. GUIDE COVERAGE.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

While not my quite my first sighting of an Olive-sided Flycatcher for 2020, this difficult species is always a welcome find as it makes it way through Mexico to reach Central and South America. The post Where I Went Birding that Third Weekend of September 2020 appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Brown-backed Solitaire.

2020 272

2020 Birds South America Reptiles 272

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2020

I’m not sure what they think of 2020’s low water levels, but they looked happy! But now, as if by magic, there were thousands of Northern Shovelers , as well as a good number of Blue-winged and Green-winged Teals , and some early Northern Pintails. That’s a lot of Northern Shovelers. Northern Pintail , female).

Ducks 258

Ducks 2020 Eggs California 258

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2020

7 countries (Costa Rica, China, USA, UK, Mexico, New Zealand and Serbia) were birded by 11 beats during October. Included in the numbers are 2 new life-listers; a Long-tailed Koel from Duncan and a White-throated Rock-Thrush from Kai. This brings our all-time total to 4040. They submitted 124 checklists for 671 species of bird.

2020 129

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots 129

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

I have not left the state of Michoacán since January of 2020. Cedar Waxwing: For most birders in Mexico, 2021 will be remembered as the year of the Waxwings. This is the only migratory warbler to live entirely within Mexico, breeding in the northeast and wintering in the southwest. Corey, I can do you one better. In my garden!

Mexico 226

Mexico Birds Virginia Barn Owls 226

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

Those infinitely patient saints who read all my ramblings know that over the past year I have been obsessed with the gradual disappearance of Mexico’s second-largest lake, Lake Cuitzeo, just north of my home city of Morelia. And yet, less than halfway through our 2020-2021 winter dry season, Lake Cuitzeo had essentially dried up.

San Francisco 264

San Francisco 2018 Mexico Ducks 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2020

The Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America, Second Edition covers 807 species in the United States and Canada (like most field guides labelled ‘North America, it doesn’t include Mexico and Central America). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; April 2020. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of North America, Second Edition.

North America 215

North America America Hawaii Birds 215

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2023

I achieved five lifers in Michoacán in 2019, four in 2020, three in 2021, and only two in 2022. And the town’s dry tropical heat means that you need to arrive early, which, along with Mexico eliminating Daylight Savings Time this year, means you must stumble out of bed at 5 am, and be on the road by 6. (An

Bats 130

Bats Mexico ALA 2020 130

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2020

Once I got home and confirmed the species I had seen, I realized that my first-of-year Godwits, Black-bellied Plovers, the Vesper Sparrow, and a couple of Dunlins have brought my total species for 2020 to 301.

2020 258

2020 Ducks Sparrows 2019 258

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2021

The first words describing this species in Wikipedia are “poorly-documented” Before 2015, when I first saw it in Paso Ancho, it had only been reported twice on eBird outside of its Sierra Madre Occidental breeding range: once from Taxco, Mexico, and another report from Nicaragua. This is the Cacique. And this is its nest.

2016 263

2016 2015 Nicaragua Mexico 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2022

So I was excited to finally get to take a trip to Spain and the Middle East that we had originally planned… for the ill-fated month of March, 2020. I really should have encountered these families in Mexico, as they both occur here. Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula hosts a large population of American Flamingos.

Turkey 162

Turkey Spain Mexico Agenda 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2021

It seems Common Mergansers are similarly lazy birds – according to a study quoted in the HBW, wintering individuals in New Mexico spent 58.6% The banded one on the photo was banded at Qilianshan (across the lake, about 250 km north of where the photo was taken) in August 2020. Maybe we all have the wrong jobs (or skills).

China 226

China Birds Fish 2006 226

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2020

We call this a “lump” But hey, this is 2020. But you pretty much must come to Mexico to see the Mexican Duck , which I see every time I go to our nearest lake. Bullock’s Oriole , once considered the same species as the Black-backed Oriole , is actually more closely related to Mexico’s Streak-backed Oriole.

San Diego 179

San Diego San Francisco Mexico Baltimore 179

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2022

That number was a bit better than my first-day total from 2019, though a bit worse than 2020’s total. So, as they say here in Mexico, we got out of bed on the right side! But it sure beat the 41 species I saw last year, when the lake was dry.

Falcons 188

Falcons Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 188

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2021

It yielded 88 on January 1st, 2020.) I was delighted to see a lovely Yellow Warbler just after arriving, since I did not see a single one in 2020. I correctly suspected that Lake Cuitzeo would be too dry this year to give me its usual 75+ species in the deep of winter. (It But Las Mesas did indeed come through, with 79 species.

2020 264

2020 Birds Ducks Abandon 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2023

Except in the sad year of 2020, when Lake Cuitzeo had almost entirely dried up by January 1st.) Here are some of the factors that allowed us to pass the century mark in a single morning: Winter : If you want to rack up the species in central Mexico, you should bird here in the winter, when northern species have come down for their off season.

Blackbirds 147

Blackbirds 2020 Ducks Mexico 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

Lovette (2020). “IOC World Bird List (v 11.1)” Retrieved January 14, 2021; cited in “Hummingbirds,” Wikipedia, retrieved July 4, 2021; Birdlife International “Datazone,” [link] retrieved July 4, 2021; Winkler, D. Billerman, and I.J. Hummingbirds (Trochilidae), version 1.0. In Birds of the World (S.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2020

Press, 2020, 304p. The bird names have changed some, the essay format has broadened, the authors are more diverse, but the ecstasy in writing about the intersection of human and bird remains intact. When Birds Are Near: Dispatches from Contemporary Writers , edited by Susan Fox Rogers. Comstock Publishing/Cornell Univ.

New York City 192

New York City Birds Owls Fox 192

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

December’s numbers looked like this; 10 beats visited 11 countries (Bahrain, New Zealand, USA, UK, Costa Rica, China, Mexico, Australia Nigeria, Uganda and Serbia) during December. A big thank you goes out to The Management and beats for their contributions and may you all have a happy and productive 2020. Alphabetic Taxonomic.

2019 172

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 172

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

The guide covers over 650 species, most of the breeding birds in the United States (minus Hawaii) and Canada (like most guides with ‘North America’ in its title, it does not include Mexico or the Caribbean). Martell (2020). There are also drawings of nests and eggs in the introductory chapters. Poulin, R. Millsap, and M.

Eggs 237

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 237

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2020

The public can comment until July 20, 2020. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) is in the midst of overhauling its interpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) and it recently issued a draft environmental impact statement (EIS) on its proposed interpretation. The image at the top (via Wikipedia ) is a U.S.

Industry 328

Industry Birds Laws Maryland 328

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2021

The Sunshine State isn’t known for its massive snow drifts, nor for the massive flocks of Snow Geese that grace states like Texas and New Mexico every winter. 2020 was that year for me! 2020 was a tough year, but at least it had Snow Geese! I arrived at St.

Geese 170

Geese Florida Tampa New Mexico 170

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2022

Most Marbled Godwits breed in inland North America, and winter along the tropical coasts of Mexico and the Caribbean. Last year, there were eight Hudsonian sightings reported on eBird for Mexico. Only one, in Mexico City, was far from the coast. 2020 yielded a single sighting; 2019, two; 2018, four.

Mexico 226

Mexico 2018 Ducks Breeding 226

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2018

They birded 6 countries; USA, UK, Costa Rica, Serbia, Australia, and Mexico. Elephant Butte Dam area, New Mexico. Hwy 469, near Tucumcari New Mexico. 8 beats shared 126 checklists accounting for 704 species. The year and life lists have been pushed to 2214 and 3564 respectively. Alphabetic Taxonomic. 11 Apr 2018. 01 Jan 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2016

Contributions this month have come from; Costa Rica, USA, Australia, Mexico, Serbia, South Africa, UK, Botswana, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Saudi Arabia and Iran. La Paz, Mexico. La Paz, Mexico. La Paz, Mexico. UNAM Botanical Gdns, Mexico. UNAM Botanical Gdns, Mexico. Western Australia. 19 Jan 2016. Hollywood Beach.

2016 154

2016 Sanctuary Australia Ghana 154