10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2023

Trying not to inhale so much of the dust cloud that envelops us, I am sporting a bandana tied bank-robber style. A winding track through dense woodlands takes us to the Telia Lake in the southeast of the Tadoba Tiger Reserve in Maharashtra. Our guide is standing on his seat, scanning the area with binoculars. All of a sudden, in a hushed voice he says one word only: “ Tigers!

India 130

India Wildlife Tigers Reptiles 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2023

Here in Broome we observe a good selection of ducks and the most prolific at the Broome Poo Ponds is usually the Plumed Whistling-Duck. One of our favourite ducks is the Pink-eared Duck. There are also Hardheads , Wandering Whistling-Ducks , Grey Teal , Australian Wood Ducks and the occasional influx of Freckled Ducks or an Australian Shoveler. The other duck species that we observe often is the Pacific Black Duck and this duck is one of the most versatile ducks in Australia and can be found in

Ducks 130

Ducks Australia Eggs Raised 130

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2023

As you probably are aware, male Lady Amherst’s Pheasants regularly get into fights with other birds. The typical scene is something like this: the pheasant enters a bird bar and orders a beer. Some other bird in the bar asks for its name, and it gives an honest answer: Lady Amherst’s Pheasant. Laughter followed by ridicule followed by a fight.

China 250

China Research India Zoos 250

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. If this does not put you off from reading this post, you are hopeless anyway, so just proceed … The Brown-breasted Bulbul might well be the most common bird at Shennongjia, so it seems appropriate to start with it

China 187

China Birds Eggs Woodpeckers 187

10,000 Birds

JUNE 10, 2022

A birding trip is more than arriving to your destination and watching birds. It’s also getting ready for the trip and in a sense, once you buy that plane ticket, when you begin with serious planning, you are on your way! A successful birding trip is a process, one that requires a fair degree of planning and as much studying as you want (or can handle).

Costa Rica 261

Costa Rica Birds Panama Rights 261

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2022

I have continued to enjoy all of the birds that have been coming to feed on the Hakea macrocarpa in Cygnet Park this week. Last week I introduced you to all of the honeyeaters that had been feasting on the nectar. The tree has a few less flowers now after some unseasonal rain this week, but continues to attract the birds. The header photo is of an Olive-backed Oriole that has been feasting on the nectar.

Birds 147

Birds Australia 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2022

High Island in April requires Weather, so I was told. A very specific type of weather–north winds, a cold front, rain. It stops those thousands of migrating birds flying across the Gulf of Mexico and directs them right onto the trees, fields, sanctuaries, beaches along the Bolivar Peninsula, where they hopefully find food and fresh water. And us, the birders who travel here from March to May to worship the birds as they seek to survive.

Houston 233

Houston Texas Sanctuary Sparrows 233

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2022

Dongfang is a smallish coastal city on the west coast of Hainan – with one or two main roads, some massive and apparently empty apartment blocks right next to the beach – and some strange swampy area pretty close to the main road. Apart from the birds, to which I will get in a moment, the most interesting aspect of this place for a cynic like me is that it has not one but two Playboy brand stores as well as two different fake Playboy stores, one with the marginally sensible name R

Branding 199

Branding Micronesia Birds Buffalo 199

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2022

2022 is here, the future is now! I look at that date and as with many others who were born in or before the 70s, I wonder where the time has gone and realize we are living in times that were often illustrated with utopian visions of flying cars and world peace. Not quite there yet… perhaps some day but not until most of us humans live in a sustainable manner that does not excavate and alter basic ecosystem functions we depend on.

Costa Rica 235

Costa Rica Parrots Birds Squirrels 235

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2022

There is nothing better than waking up to the sound of rain, especially when it has been so many months without rainfall. At 1:30am on New Year’s Eve the overnight temperature suddenly dropped from 30c to 27c and the raindrops fell! Instead of the torrential rain we often get in our wet season it rained steadily for about an hour. It dropped around 15mm of rain depending on what part of town you live in.

Ducks 229

Ducks Rights Birds Australia 229

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 26, 2021

Although the official paperwork has not been completed with the Rarities Committee it appears that we have the honour of a Ringed Plover in Broome at the moment! In 2009 when the Semi-palmated Plover came to Broome for its first visit it was initially thought that it may have been a Ringed Plover , but it was finally identified as a Semi-palmated Plover.

Australia 211

Australia 2009 Rights Birds 211

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

November’s end signals an end to a season of change and the beginning of a time of stability. Birds are still, as ever, on the move according to their own rhythms, but the next few months should bring some familiar friends to you, wherever you are. I finally had a chance to visit my brother and his family in their beautiful new home in Westchester.

Birds 205

Birds Experience Experiments Family 205

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2021

Every fall weekend bears a bite of bittersweet wonder around here. The thrill of a wave of migrants also brings a pang of worry that these may be the last songbirds we see for a while. No worries, though, as long as the next season brings its own suite of specialties. Plus, fall has a lot more to offer all of us. I finally tracked down Black-bellied Plover , a shorebird species that had been eluding me for the county for years, plus a bonus bird in the form of a very infrequent Forster’s T

Bears 240

Bears Birds Experience Experiments 240

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

After a lifetime of lockdown measures we’re all surely chomping at the bit to get back out and slip back into that birding groove. I for one have been cautious, probably overly so. Nevertheless, I have taken my fair share of chances in life thus far. I shall not get into those, as we may never get to the birds! A few weeks ago a local birder let us know of a pair of Pearl Kites that had seemed to take up residence about 40 minutes from where I live.

Birds 257

Birds Owls Litter Trinidad 257

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2021

I got back into birding less than a decade ago, long after moving to Mexico in 1983. So I can hardly speak with authority on birding in the U.S. But even I have heard of how exciting southeast Arizona is for American birders. You fly to Phoenix, or Tucson, rent a car (or ride a bike cross-country, if you are Noah Strycker), drive to the tiny towns of Patagonia and Sierra Vista, and voila!

Arizona 264

Arizona Mexico Los Angeles Dallas 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2021

July in New York City is generally an unpleasant experience. The heat and humidity of summer combine with the concrete and concentrations of people you find in the five boroughs and the resulting stew of sweat, smells, and stickiness is decidedly gross. This is why New Yorkers in summer have fled the city for the mountains upstate, the beaches on Long Island, or, really, anywhere, for as long as New York has been a metropolis.

Jamaica 264

Jamaica Birds New York City New York 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2021

Once I was fully vaccinated and air travel became an option, I looked for a location for my first birding trip since 2019. I have a running list of trips to do, but many are best in spring, fall, or winter, not summer. And I wanted to be able to fly directly from Portland, so I would not lose a day to travel. Thus, I limited my options. I settled on Wisconsin, which is home to one of the Top 25 NWRs for Birding that I have not visited: Horicon NWR.

Wisconsin 264

Wisconsin LACS Milwaukee Birds 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2021

Flaming June is busting out all over. Insects were held back by weird spring weather, but now the warmth returns and the birds are feasting on the late stirring bugs. June saw 8 beats get their birding boots on and share 90 checklists for your pleasure. Between them, they found 389 species in 5 countries. The year list remains low, at 1425 but the life list was bolstered this month by Donna’s Antillean Nighthawk and has reached 4069. 1 Little Tinamou – Crypturellus soui 2 Black-belli

Woodpeckers 259

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Niger 259

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2021

When it comes to wrens, central Mexico has it pretty good. We share seven resident species with different parts of the United States: the Rock , Canyon , Cactus , (Brown-throated) House , Marsh , Sedge , and Bewick’s Wren can all be seen within a half hour of Morelia. (I confess, I have yet to see Rock or Sedge Wrens here — but I know they are there.

ALA 179

ALA United States Mexico Family 179

10,000 Birds

JUNE 13, 2021

Last week I told you about our lucky find at the Fortescue River between Nullagine and Newman in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. It was our first encounter of Yellow-billed Spoonbills breeding and they had found the perfect environment. Of course, it was not just perfect for them, but many other birds. We only walked about 700 metres from the Fortescue River Bridge, but encountered a lovely variety of birds.

Pelicans 149

Pelicans Australia Zebras Ducks 149

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2021

With the sad passing of Prince Philip this week I thought I should share with you a book that we own that he wrote. This book was gifted by my father, Philip, to his father, Harry, for his birthday on 4th October 1962. Many of you may not be aware that Prince Philip was an avid bird-watcher and photographer. He wrote a book that was published in January of 1962 about his journeys around the world in the Royal Yacht Britannia in 1956-1957 and 1959.

Penguins 264

Penguins Seals Birds Elephants 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2021

Extremes of weather nor “stay at home” orders can keep the beats from their mission. A Northern Mockingbird was sighted in Cornwall, UK during February and resulted in criminal charges being brought against a number of twitchers who travelled unnecessarily during lockdown to see it. 9 beats from 8 countries (Australia, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, China, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico), shared 138 checklists for 703 species.

Woodpeckers 199

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Parrots 199

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

When I got back into birding about six years ago, I would not have predicted the personal bonds a birder can form with certain species. While all birds bring us joy, and we certainly want to see as many as we can, some species just seem more… special. They are especially beautiful, rare, or hard to find. Or, perhaps, they hold a special place in our personal birding story.

Mexico 163

Mexico Birds South America Turkey 163

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2021

One of the advantages of cycling around Broome on the many bike paths is that you observe more birds than you would if you travelled by vehicle. For most of the year the weather is perfect for cycling and when there is cyclonic weather about it is not recommended that you travel at all. Over recent weeks we have been watching the activity at a telecommunication tower between the airport and Frederick Street opposite the Broome Senior High School.

Breeding 149

Breeding Collecting Family Birds 149

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2020

In a year with so much uncertainty around the world we are all lucky that we can still enjoy nature. Maybe you can’t go far from home, but nature will come to you. As Christmas fast approaches I wondered what bird would be appropriate to share with you this year. A few years ago I shared a Little-Bronze-Cuckoo. I have decided to go with Mistletoebird for obvious reasons.

Australia 263

Australia Birds 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2020

We have had some very hot and dry days this past week with temperatures around 40c most days and also humidity as low as 6%. It is always hotter as you move away from the coast and more challenging for the birds as the last of the ephemeral lakes dry up. There has been no rain for months now and the foggy mornings are over for now. Fog provides much needed water for some birds, but now it is getting harder for them to survive until the rain arrives.

Rescue 283

Rescue Zebras Birds Species 283

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2020

Dear U.S. and Canadian birding friends: I feel your pain. I understand that my gain is your loss. Although, technically, I mostly felt your pain… for the past four months, while about a dozen beautiful migratory Wood Warblers were nowhere to be found here in central Mexico. What I feel right now is joy at their return. With a little bit of sorrow for those of you, up there, who will not be seeing them again until next spring.

Mexico 183

Mexico Nashville Virginia Shelters 183

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2020

If you were betting on the most beautiful weekend of the year, you could do worse than put money on the one we’re heading into. Early September tends to provide a tremendously pleasant backdrop to early avian migration. And many Americans will be enjoying a three-day weekend. What’s not to love? I may take a trip out to Montezuma NWR this weekend, both because I haven’t been there all year and on account of the shorebirds that tend to stop over.

2020 199

2020 Birds Sparrows 199

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2020

Last week, I shared with you some photos of Blue-black Grassquits , doing their jump-song routine. Those photos were from a trip to Paso Ancho, my nearest site fully within Mexico’s Tierra Caliente (“Hot Country”). The reason for said trip was to see if I could catch some Sinaloa Martins on their way south to their unknown wintering grounds.

Owls 159

Owls Woodpeckers Mexico Falcons 159

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2020

There is a thing parents know very well – how important it is to choose the right name for a child. E.g. one Croat birder I know, Vedran – I never met a guy so well described by his own name, which loosely translated as “joyful”. Or Fleming – he has chosen “Bond”. It seems to me that Lynx Edicions must know Vedran, too, and it was with him in mind that their authors, David W Winkler, Shawn M Billerman and Irby J Lovette, chose the “Bird Families of the World: A Guide to the Spectacular Diversity

Family 298

Family Birds South America Breeding 298

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2020

Have you noticed that “pishing” is far less efective when one is wearing a mask? Do you think that the pish is muted, dispersed or in some other way deprived of its urgency? Anyone got a mask tanline yet? 8 countries were birded by 11 beats and I am delighted to include Faraaz and Trinidad and Tobago in those stats. Faraaz’s shared checklists pushed the lifelist to 4036 and increased the Countries/Kingdoms/Emirates/Principalities/Protectorates/Territories and Special Administ

2020 159

2020 Blackbirds Sparrows Woodpeckers 159

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

Last Saturday, May 16th, it was a three tide day, so there was very little tidal movement. On our biggest tides in Broome there is almost ten metres of tidal movement. That is a lot of sea coming in and going out over a few hours. We chose to take a long walk at the northern end of Cable Beach heading to Willie Creek on the south side. Over recent months the beach has changed so dramatically that we can no longer walk all the way up the beach due to a breach in the sand spit.

Species 155

Species Birds Australia 155

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2020

While some parts of the world set the second weekend of May apart for celebration of mothers, you’re going to have to restrict adoration of your favorite maternal units to Sunday. Saturday is Global Big Day , which has to be all about the birds. Maybe you can really spread the love by persuading the moms in your life (or your children if you are a mom) to go birding?

2020 161

2020 Birds 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2020

Many people consider May to be one of the year’s better months, but birders seem more attached. The birding is just that good, or at least can be. Did your month get off to an auspicious start? I was quite pleased to pull my first New York state warblers for the year from the early bird menu. Best of the prosaic bunch was a Black-and-White Warbler looking extra sharp against the drab gray and brown of bare branches at Firehouse Woods.

2020 173

2020 New York Birds Sparrows 173

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2020

If you haven’t noticed, an epic drama has been playing out over the last two months in community after community in virtually every country on Earth. We hope you and yours have been able to weather this crisis with your health and sanity intact. If you have, please take a moment to appreciate another global phenomenon currently moving untold millions of individuals across the world: zugunruhe.

2020 167

2020 Birds Humane Rights 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2020

It’s been a long winter. Lucky for us, we’ve spent much of that time here at Birds and Booze comforted by robust red wines, warming spiced ciders, strong whiskies, and dark, rich beers. And while winter’s still not over yet — with another fortnight to go before the vernal equinox — thoughts are turning to warmer weather across the Northern Hemisphere, and to lighter, refreshing food and drink, as well.

2016 150

2016 California Birds 150

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2020

Have you ever had one of those weekends where every project you took on failed, perhaps spectacularly? Some weeks, Monday feels more like a respite than a burden. At least I didn’t have to travel far for great birds; my whole family thrilled to the sight of an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk chowing down on an unspecified rodent in our yard. Corey enjoyed his weekend at his parents’ house in the Hudson Valley though he didn’t see too many birds.

2020 181

2020 New York City Rodents New York 181