10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2024

Counting the Birds I was in my teens when I undertook my first bird-survey: it was field work for the British Trust for Ornithology’s The Atlas of Breeding Birds in Britain and Ireland. The breeding and wintering birds of Britain and Ireland. Published in 1976, The Atlas was, I believe, the very first work of its kind.

Ireland 227

Ireland Turtles Geese Farming 227

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2011

They occur mainly in western and southern portions of North America, breeding inland in colonies on remote islands and wintering along warm southern coasts 1. In breeding plumage, adult American White Pelicans have a distinct “centerboard&# or “horn&# on the ridge of their bill. They are already nesting.

Pelicans 165

Pelicans Fish California Condor North America 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. And it raises a question: if all the birds are having a party over there, am I in the wrong spot? Many of them are heavenly islands, alas, with 100 or less bird species. Why am I here?

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257