10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2020

Then again, you may have passed Saturday and Sunday in quite the same way you spend all your weekends: looking at birds and communing with nature. Alas, the pickings were slim apart from one freezing raptor counter. Corey got out a bit on Saturday morning in the midst of the Corona Virus quarantine to do a bit of birding on the coast.

2020 168

2020 ALA Birds Experience 168

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2020

The coronavirus has locked us all in, literally, doing something that was totally unthinkable only a few months ago: it has prevented us from birding abroad! I am talking of the very heart of the Balkans and the final birding frontier of Europe: Serbia. Birding overview. Belgrade – weekend birding break. Top-20 birds.

Serbia 316

Serbia Sanctuary Birds Bosnia 316

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2020

Alas, these gentle rains may not always speed spring migrants on their way to breeding grounds far from the equator. Corey could have chosen one of the several new birds for the year he saw as his Best Bird of the Weekend. Now that’s a bird that is worthy of Best Bird of the Weekend! Any luck this weekend?

2020 160

2020 ALA Blackbirds Birds 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2024

So I was delighted when the Seminary grounds turned out to host at least 6 of these beautiful birds. Alas, this little lovely perched on a wire just outside the window of the classroom where I was teaching at the moment, so no photos were taken. We were happy to experience three birds of prey on this jaunt.

Barn Owls 193

Barn Owls Mexico Parrots ALA 193

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Chinese Penduline T**s are not particularly woke birds. White’s Thrush is described as “burly” on eBird – not entirely unjustified, I guess, but this description fails to capture the way the intricate patterns of the bird make for great camouflage and also for its own kind of beauty. Maybe the grandparents help.

Birds 182

Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 182

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

Alas, although I was once a California boy, I have never seen a California Condor. Vultures, you see, are safe birds for smaller creatures. first appeared on 10,000 Birds. Here in Mexico, I can almost always count on Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures to pad each outing’s list by two species. Which I find fascinating.

Turkey 184

Turkey California Condor Mexico Meat 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2022

In the English translation, the story is titled “Little Fable”: “Alas,” said the mouse, “the whole world is growing smaller every day. If you think it is rather pretentious to start a birding blog post with a Kafka story, I fully agree with you. I just want to point out it could be much worse. Depressing.

Raccoons 200

Raccoons Birds Oregon China 200

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2022

As is my self-declared tradition of speaking of groups of birds within the species gamut of Trinidad & Tobago, allow me to introduce you to yet another group of three. Alas – both Trinidad and Tobago each have two Myiarchus flycatchers. The perfect situation of course is for the birds to vocalize, as each is quite distinct.

Trinidad 197

Trinidad ALA Groups Species 197

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2019

Alas, I won’t be anywhere near penguins this weekend, so I’ll have to make do with whatever uncommon shorebirds trickle through Lake Ontario. Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding? Also be sure to come back Monday to share your best bird of the weekend ! appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

2019 122

2019 Penguins ALA Birds 122

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

I definitely fall into the former category, willing to cache new birds away like an Acorn Woodpecker stores oak nuts. This week, my travels took me within the orbit of a very special bird that’s been on my rainy day list. Alas, this bird doesn’t like rain! appeared first on 10,000 Birds. How about you?

2019 113

2019 ALA Birds Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2015

Alas, the team named for a bird fell short of the crown in Super Bowl XLIX. The non-Seahawk birds that caught my eye this weekend were Northern Cardinals , which always look their best burning crimson against a blanket of white snow. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

2015 173

2015 ALA Birds Humane 173

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2022

I backed up quite a bit and photographed the bird from various angles. Alas, I must wait for another opportunity. Joanne looked at me, confused – but with the awareness that I would only stop for some creature. I whispered to look up, and she was greeted by the underbelly of a Striped Owl. So we waited, and waited.

Owls 190

Owls ALA Birds Trinidad 190

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

My latest posts have tended to the thematic, rather than offering up lots of photos of the cool birds I am seeing. That is not due to a lack of birding; I am still going out every Monday. But very rainy weather during August made it harder to see exciting birds, and often resulted in poor photos of those I did see. and Canada.

Colombia 208

Colombia ALA Canada Mexico 208

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2021

An unfortunate side effect of birding in the developing world, is the amount of habitat destruction you are likely to see. Alas, only 12 plants remain from that season, victims of my inexperienced care. Alas, this is what I must trim. The post Afforestation appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

ALA 181

ALA 2016 Free Range Livestock 181

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2015

Alas, the winds blew nothing exceptional my way. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was any of the four Cave Swallows he saw in Queens, part of an amazing invasion of the northeast by this species after sustained southwest winds for nearly a week. What was your best bird of the weekend? Were you hither? Were you yon?

2015 145

2015 ALA Birds Experience 145

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2015

Alas, the long slog to spring will take many, many more frigid, blustery weeks. At least we have birds… My desire to see boreal specialties pales in comparison to my passion for staying warm and dry. This does not bode well for my birding weekend. Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding?

2015 161

2015 ALA Hunting Birds 161

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2023

On BirdTrack, the British equivalent of e-Bird, the list of birds provided does allow for Tufted Duck x Ferruginous Duck to be recorded, but not Tufted Duck x Pochard. However, there had been reports of a Scaup mixed in with the flock, which at first glance I thought this bird might be. My hunch was Tufted Duck x Pochard.

Geese 175

Geese Ducks Falcons Latvia 175

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2018

Perhaps summer still has plenty of air left in it and school in the upper latitudes won’t begin for another month, but birds really will be taking up their autumnal migrations soon. Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding? Also be sure to come back Monday to share your best bird of the weekend !

2018 100

2018 ALA United States New York 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2022

As we all know, birding is very much a lottery. Sure there were birds. Gradually I was able to get a visual on some of the birds as they flitted about. Alas – thick clouds in the rainforest only mean one thing: rain. They’re consummate skulkers, the embodiment of heard-but-not-seen birds.

Trinidad 217

Trinidad ALA Experience Experiments 217

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2013

The weather outside is frightful, but winter birds are so delightful… guess that’s as good a reason as any to brave the cold. Alas, I had no time outdoors this weekend, which leaves House Sparrows sheltering a giant wreath as my Best Bird of the Weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2013 158

2013 ALA United States North America 158

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2013

Some of us love to chase down preposterous vagrants, while others eschew bird chasing for contemplation of standard local fare and seasonal specialties. I raise this perennial issue because I found myself twitching a rare ABA bird this weekend. Alas, they both kept their heads down until long after we’d left.

Oakland 184

Oakland 2013 ALA Birds 184

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2016

Alas, now that the Arizona Cardinals have fallen to the Carolina Panthers, we face the prospect of a Super Bowl without bird-themed football teams. Such a rare bird is always a good sighting! What was your best bird of the weekend? So, do you prefer rambunctious horses or big cats better? How about you? How about you?

2016 100

2016 ALA Arizona Horses 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2021

According to the unwritten ancient rules of birding, whether your pelagic trip gets cancelled or not, as long as you go birding, there will always be highlights. Alas, our trip to the sea was not to be! Tailless or not, we were pleased to see this uncommon bird. On both ferry trips, we had a few pelagic birds.

Costa Rica 190

Costa Rica ALA Peru Texas 190

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2013

As daylight dwindles in the Northern Hemisphere, birds proliferate and then progress out of the frame. Birds and the birds of the winged trees flying my name. This verse and many of the others in Thomas’s Poem in October references birds. Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding? And I rose.

2013 154

2013 ALA Horses New York 154

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2013

When the birds of summer grow stale, a birder’s fancy turns to leps and odes. If you don’t know what those terms mean, think about the most colorful and fascinating flying creatures that aren’t birds. Rumor has it the falls are fantastic for gulls, but alas only in winter! Birding July weekend'

2013 165

2013 ALA Trinidad North America 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2022

The birding in Costa Rica is always golden but some days, you really do strike gold. Go birding in the humid, moss decorated forests of the Caribbean slope and the feathered nugget might take the form of a Bare-necked Umbrellabird. Focus on birds in the southern Pacific region and treasure might be a Turquoise Cotinga.

Costa Rica 229

Costa Rica Fish Belize Nicaragua 229

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2019

The toughest thing for me, as a local birder, was to choose the most attractive birds because those that attract my attention are generally all too common in the northwest of Europe, from where most visiting birders are coming. In no particular order, here they are: Where to watch the top-20 birds of Belgrade.

Serbia 246

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Breeding 246

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2022

In fact, it was birding that brought them into our lives. I happen to have visited that country twice (both for ministerial purposes and, alas, before I started my second birding period). But finally, three weeks after their arrival, the day arrived when Ricardo and I could go birding together. I was born in 1958.)

ALA 177

ALA Louisiana Adoptable Mexico 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2012

Or join in… Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was, what else, his first Red-headed Woodpecker in Queens ! I had my share of best birds while visiting Wild Wings at Mendon Ponds Park. What was your best bird of the weekend? Woodpeckers FTW! Who says there’s no truth in advertising?

2012 163

2012 ALA Woodpeckers Birds 163

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2013

Those of us perched precariously at the intersection of birds and sports couldn’t help but hope for a Bird Bowl, where both teams competing in Super Bowl XLVII were named for birds. Alas, Atlanta couldn’t seal the deal in the second half, but Baltimore bullied their way to the Big Game.

Falcons 150

Falcons Atlanta Baltimore ALA 150

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Slowly, the shapes of birds were beginning to materialise. We just needed to find somewhere that was less cluttered to allow us some chance of seeing birds! We observed as this bird methodically peeled off sizeable chunks of bark in search of breakfast. Alas, he was gone before I had a chance to lift my camera.

Trinidad 162

Trinidad Eagles Bears Litter 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2013

Have you noticed that, at certain times of the year, many of us share similar weekend birding highlights? But I still love the serendipity of sharing best birds with the best birders out there. This is not to say that Corey ranks with the best, though I don’t mind saying that his birding mojo is strong.

2013 138

2013 ALA Birds Laws 138

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

On that glorious day, I observed ten critically endangered birds, representing 8% of their Costa Rican, or 2% of their global population!! In my previous post , I dealt with Rancho Naturalista Lodge itself and birding within their private reserve. But, let’s start at the beginning. My OCD would not stand that!

Costa Rica 220

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 220

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2021

It’s unusual to find a bird that is mostly seen, not heard, and yet has so much attitude when you do see it. In other words, it is a bird photographer’s nightmare. And when you do get it to come within sight (alas, with playback, always), it can be as bold as any other member of this cocky family.

ALA 162

ALA United States Mexico Family 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

Just under a fortnight ago, I saw a report on the local bird alert of a sighting of a group of approximately 20 Nacunda Nighthawks at a wetland not more than 20 minutes from where I live. It seemed to be good birding judgement to scan the seasonally flooded wetland in the couple hours of daylight available before the storm arrived.

Livestock 198

Livestock Ducks ALA illegal 198

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2020

But, alas, the Novel Coronavirus did not respect my plans. It occurred to me, as I drove uphill, that I might be able to see the Rose-breasted Grosbeaks that seem to turn up every spring there; and they were, indeed, the first bird I saw when I made a quick stop. The post Consolation species appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

Species 156

Species Mexico Jordan Turkey 156

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

In September, I had the fantastic opportunity to travel to an increasingly popular destination for birding: Honduras. Chris Lotz, the owner of the international bird tour company Birding Ecotours , invited me to join him on a familiarization trip that included several highland sites as well as Pico Bonito Lodge.

Honduras 203

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 203