10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

Birdlife South Africa has previously done two of these types of trips before, previously called Flock to Sea – Namibia in 2013 and Flock to Nowhere in 2017, in partnership with MSC Cruises. I learned of the trip right as it had been delayed and made a vow that I would be on that ship. Salvin’s Prion. Yellow-nosed Albatross.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2021

My response was to start looking for some portable guide to take with me into the field, and that need was fulfilled by the Birds of Southern Africa illustrated checklist by Ber van Perlo, published by HarperCollins. It is not a concept for a total beginner, more of a reminder to someone with some experience.

Birds 255

Birds Botswana Africa Ecuador 255

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

The Bearded Woodpecker (Mkuze, South Africa) does not really look any more bearded than many other woodpeckers. The name of the Cardinal Woodpecker (Letaba, South Africa) is misleading, as not all of them are Catholic or even cardinals. It is the most widespread woodpecker in Africa, claims the HBW.

Woodpeckers 245

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 245

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Central Africa has one of those birds. The Shoebill serves as the symbol of the magnificent wildlife experiences Uganda offers visitors, which may seem a bit odd. That honor goes to the Gray-crowned Crane , a very sexy species in its own right. Penguins are, obviously, penguins, which makes them awesome. Malachite Kingfisher.

Uganda 276

Uganda Africa Birds Penguins 276

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2019

Yes, we’ll be heading to Africa, more specifically the “Pearl of Africa,” Uganda. You may remember back in 2017 when Nate participated in this trip or maybe you followed along in 2018 as the Birdchick dazzled us with her experiences there. ” That helped, right?). (For ” That helped, right?).

Uganda 166

Uganda Africa Gorillas Reptiles 166

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2021

Birding Experiences. Capture Africa Safaris. Of course, we reserve the right to lightly edit any posts we receive and/or refuse to print anything that we don’t find appropriate for this site or purpose. There’s something for everybody! Costa Rica. Finca Luna Nueva Lodge. Arenal Observatory Lodge and Spa. Macaw Lodge.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Uganda Greece Ghana 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2021

I birded savannas of Southern Africa, I birded India and Central America, and I always missed having a local mammal guide with me. And birders spend a lot of their time watching the tree-crowns and, in the right place, spotting many other tree-dwellers. Yet, those bird guides are hefty.

Madagascar 253

Madagascar Mammals Lemurs Seychelles 253

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

I live in the southeast of Europe, for a while lived in the south of Africa and also have extensively birded western and central India. And I remembered that, back when I was a boy, I wanted to live in eastern Africa. Which leaves only East Africa. Some regions are politically unstable, e.g. most of Central and Western Africa.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2016

He may have been looking for the best way to sabotage a power supply, right? What made the story better (and a worse experience for him) was the fact that the cops had seen the Dogs of War. You noticed it: it doesn’t even live in Western Africa at all! Still, knowing his Latin names well, Jamie Shannon stayed alive.

Belize 241

Belize Birds Africa Dogs 241

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

Each chapter focuses on a specific geographic area of penguin population: (1) Antarctica, (2) South Georgia, (3) Falkland Islands, (4) South Africa and Tristan de Cunha, (5) New Zealand and Australia, (6) South America and Galapagos. It is not always easy to get the right color in printed photographs. Press, 2011).

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 278

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2020

I was trying to find that answer for a while and it turned into a very annoying experience. Being a land-locked country with 1400+ species is remarkable in its own right. Kenya (Masai Mara, Lakes Nakuru and Baringo, Arabuko-Sokoke Forest) and northern Tanzania (Ngorongoro, Serengeti) combined are the birding staple of East Africa.

Uganda 257

Uganda Bolivia Ecuador Indonesia 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

I’m sure you’ve all heard of Africa’s famous Big Five , but do you know there is also an equally fascinating Little Five ? Africa is famous for its large, charismatic mammals, and the Big Five epitomize the most sought-after of these fantastic beasts. This blog post will discuss both the Big and Little members of these quintuplets.

Buffalo 213

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2019

Getting to actually see four species, in the last two weeks, and to hear two more is almost unheard of in my experience. The Great Horned Owls that live in the palm trees right above our RV have returned and brought with them a pair of fledglings. That was no deterrent from landing right in the middle of the road.

Owls 161

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 161

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

All the inhabited continents except Africa have experienced bird extinctions; however the 2012 update of the IUCN Red List shows a startling, but not altogether unexpected, trend in that more and more of our bird species are facing extinction. A pair of Hooded Vultures in Selous Game Reserve, Tanzania by Adam Riley.

Endangered Species 200

Endangered Species Species South Africa Morocco 200

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

It is also fascinating to see how similar Old World trogons look to their New World relatives, right down to the same flamboyant color patterns. The Elegant Trogon prefers drier habitats, with a predominance of oaks rather than conifers, and in my experience is much harder to find.

Mexico 194

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 194

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

It’s six weeks to the day till I go to Africa, and of late conversations about the subject have taken a reliable and predictable detour. ” I’ll sometimes add “It’s in West Africa, I’ll be in South Africa. There will be outbreaks like the one happening in Africa, we can’t control that.

Humane 163

Humane Animal Africa Ukraine 163

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2014

I remember one guide in the south of Africa. One thing every guide should avoid – and it may be hard to resist, especially when it is some mega, is giving useless information like: “Right there, two weeks ago, I’ve seen an Elvis Bird.” He suffered from the lack of experience as a traveler and someone who has hired guides himself.

Birds 220

Birds Botswana Free Range Leopards 220

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Larry starts us off right with an owl that makes birders drool: I was able to see and photograph many great birds in 2014 but my Best Bird of the Year would have to be the Great Gray Owl , the largest Strix in North America. The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY. Below are our Best Birds of the Year.

2014 197

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 197

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2018

When we were planning this trip, New Zealand, Australia, and most certainly South Africa got all my attention. We had contacted the staff at the observatory, and with Jonnies help, arranged to stay right there in their newly built hostel type facility. It was an all around quality experience. South Africa species 219.

South Africa 100

South Africa New Zealand Costa Rica Qatar 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2011

I don’t think I’ve ever done a post on my home patch of Cape Town, South Africa. Endemic Cape Sugarbirds are especially prominent when the leucospermums are in flower and they are joined by one of the most brilliantly colored of all South Africa’s endemics, the Orange-breasted Sunbird. And rightly so.

South Africa 250

South Africa Penguins Birds Africa 250

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2024

With its striking combination of colour rings I suspected that it would be easy to find out more about this particular bird, and I was right. Audouin’s Gull is an attractive species restricted as a breeding bird to the Mediterranean, but many winter in North Africa. The information I received didn’t indicate the age of the bird.

Lithuania 130

Lithuania Morocco Iceland Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

Therefore I have decided to right my wrong by providing first and foremost some avian eye candy, and not talk. It breeds in a broad and not quite coherent band from Iceland in the west through central Europe and southern Scandinavia all the way to eastern Russia, wintering in Africa, parts of India, and Southeast Asia to Australia.

Germany 179

Germany Russia Iceland India 179

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2012

Our Barn Swallows are just starting to return from Africa, and are starting to put on a nice show, with this bunch of migrating birds alighting just a few metres from me. And then there were the 20-odd Black Redstarts ( Phoenicurus ochruros ) vying for our attention, and I just could not resist snapping off a few digiscoping photos.

Austria 204

Austria Birds Breeding Africa 204

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences. I would have known this right away if I was up to date on my Alexander Skutch. Which is why seeing them was such a great experience. We may have been wrong.

Honduras 256

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 256

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2011

We were visiting Doi Inthanon with Jan and Tu - two of Thailands most extraordinary birders (great people and wonderfully knowledgeable guides) - and as any birding tourist knows: the depths of the birding and peripheral experience is made all the greater by great company. Still no parrotbills. A bad photo of a good bird.

Thailand 195

Thailand Birds Montana Africa 195

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

My last blog has created quite a discussion among the readers, mostly from US, but also southern and eastern Africa and Europe (apologies if I forgot some region). I found those comments insightful and inspiring, valuable experiences and opinions worthy of sharing to a wider audience than the FB groups where they were initially posted.

Greece 216

Greece Birds Zambia Experience 216

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2012

Great Reed Warblers breed across huge chunks of Europe and Asia and winter across large swaths of southeast Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Many thanks to Swarovski Optik for inviting me along and letting me experience both some awesome new optics and the natural wonders of the wonderful country of Hungary. ……….

Hungary 161

Hungary Asia Europe Africa 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

We spent almost 4 months crossing the USA and had an amazing time, although it was not the right time of year for Wood-Warblers. We have a selection of books that we have found over the years in bookshops and one of our favourites was published in 1949 and is The Birds of South Africa by Dr Austin Roberts.

South Africa 159

South Africa United States Austin Alligators 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

On the contrary, if you are a traveling birder, you might just find your next birding destination right here on 10,000 Birds. PIP is situated right on a beautiful lake -- the place to be when its hot! Wicked, right? So, just because I’m being lazy, this does not mean that these posts will be of no use to you!

Portugal 178

Portugal 2011 Deer Birds 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

This would have allowed you to summarize your experience in sentences such as “A total of 98 boluses regurgitated by 52 chicks aged 1 day to 11 days after hatching form the sample and are shown to contain 323 food items.” Sounds like clever behavior by the parrotbills, right? This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway).

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Growing up within an hour of one of the world’s premier shorebird destinations -- West Coast National Park in South Africa -- helped for sure. Wicked, right? For me, there’s a few things that drive this fascination. Firstly, shorebirds present a significant ID challenge. Hat-tip to Stella.

Florida 200

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 200

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2011

For me there are few experiences more satisfying than releasing a fish that has put up a great fight. And every so often the experience is heightened by witnessing a challenging species doing something extraordinary, giving me a unique perspective into its shy life that is, for the most part, hidden from human eyes. It consumes me.

Ecuador 150

Ecuador South Africa United States Hunting 150

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2019

I birded Uganda, which was my first time on the continent of Africa. Let’s get right into it, shall we? Being in a boat, digiscoping a Shoebill in the rain, was one of the best birding experiences I’ve ever had, comparable only to feeding Maria. I saw 863 species of birds, bringing my life list to 1,820.

2019 142

2019 Barbados Uganda Costa Rica 142

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

In 2012, I reviewed The Jewel Hunter , an absorbing narrative in which author Chris Goodie travelled throughout Asia, Africa, and Australasia to observe and photograph every Pitta species in the world. Like all talented travel writers, Dunn is adept at drawing us into his experiences.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2018

(How do you find lions in Africa? I counted them very roughly, but I do have a lot of experience estimating flocks. I am scoping Great Cormorants roosting in their colony in the (now dry) flooded forest, there is one… eagle to the right of them. I am right, Kostas confirms, it is a Greater Spotted Eagle.

Greece 187

Greece 2017 Pelicans Geese 187

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

Veraguan Mango by Carlos Bethancourt Although the Neotropical region supports fewer bird families than Africa, there are considerably more bird species here than anywhere else on earth. Wicked, right? And some loyal Panamanian birders will tell you it still is! Hat-tip to Stella.

Panama 216

Panama Costa Rica 2011 Cleveland 216

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2011

These Blasts From The Past Lakes, lightning, locusts and lizards Great Birding Sites From Great Birding Bloggers Anderson River Park Never Disappoints Birding Kuwait The Other Antigua About the Author James A life-long birder and native of South Africa, James Currie has many years experience in the birding and wildlife tourism arenas.

Dominican Republic 194

Dominican Republic 2011 Birds Deer 194