10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2021

Alas, our rainy season seems to be slowing down — although I heard a rumble of thunder as I wrote the sentence — fingers crossed! Also, our winter visitor species are starting to arrive. They are always extremely handsome birds; one of my favorite local species, and surprisingly easy to see around Morelia.

Colombia 220

Colombia ALA Canada Mexico 220

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2021

Species formerly referred to as P. One recent study found that this species was sister to P. perdix , and also that race przewalskii (sometimes subsumed within suschkini , but generally paler) was basal to other taxa included within the present species. barbata , but present name has priority. So, I later looked this up.

China 245

China Birds Austria ALA 245

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. Last but not least, there were three species of shrikes, Red-backed , Lesser Grey and at least 2 Masked Shrikes , possibly 2 more, an entire family (not all were showing so well).

Greece 227

Greece Pelicans Birds Stray Dog 227

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2022

Alas – thick clouds in the rainforest only mean one thing: rain. I’m sure in many of my accounts on this blog this species appears in the early paragraphs. All the while it moved a grand total of three times – vastly differing from all my prior experiences with this species! White-necked Thrush.

Trinidad 228

Trinidad ALA Experience Experiments 228

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2021

Alas, our trip to the sea was not to be! On our way over, we had one Wedge-rumped Storm-Petrel and at least one Black Storm-Petrel along with Black Terns and a few other tern species. The evening before our trip, we received word of high winds and rough waters; seas much too rough for a boat. White-cheeked Pintail !

Costa Rica 199

Costa Rica ALA Peru Texas 199

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2022

I happen to have visited that country twice (both for ministerial purposes and, alas, before I started my second birding period). I told Ricardo we might see 50 species or more in one day, which would apparently be extraordinary in his native land. Of our 54 species seen, 51 were lifers for Ricardo. I was born in 1958.)

ALA 185

ALA Louisiana Adoptable Mexico 185

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Are you the sort of birder who takes comfort in the thought that you might find new species within driving distance of your home? Or are you the kind of completist who is driven to distraction by the knowledge of unseen species in your general vicinity? Alas, this bird doesn’t like rain! Don’t you love that feeling?

2019 113

2019 ALA Birds Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

The campus has a pond (above), partially covered by hyacinths full of Northern Jacanas , where I tried to spot at least one caiman (alas, without success), a botanical garden and manicured grounds (with quite a few Green Ibises ) together with a souvenir shop. Next goal: 1100 species, to cover about 10% of the total.

Costa Rica 231

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 231

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

The cows and their entourage of Cattle Egrets sloshed through the pastures, each time they moved we lurched forward hoping to see a disturbed Grey-breasted Crake hop into view – but alas, no such luck even though we were hearing the little skulkers consistently. Retreating hastily, I reverted to my clumsy ways and flushed the heron.

Livestock 209

Livestock Ducks ALA illegal 209

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2020

When choosing the top birding area of Serbia for a weekend visit, head for lowlands, Deliblato Sands and Labudovo Okno complex with 250 bird species. If you have 5-7 days, combine these two zones, adding wetlands around the village of Baranda (220 species). Alas, I am not among them. Serbia – the big picture. Birding overview.

Serbia 317

Serbia Sanctuary Birds Bosnia 317

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2021

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 When it comes to wrens, central Mexico has it pretty good. In other words, it is a bird photographer’s nightmare.

ALA 166

ALA United States Mexico Family 166

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2022

Not bad given that the 5 families in the inner circle of the laughingthrush family have a combined number of about 68 species. The Hainan version is sometimes considered a separate species, in which case it is classified as Near Threatened. 36, if my counting is right and there has been no very recent split or lump.

San Diego 203

San Diego Malaysia China Zoos 203

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. If so, we’d love to hear what you found there.

2015 145

2015 ALA Birds Experience 145

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2020

Just as your conationals up north are rejoicing over the return of hundreds of migratory species, you sadly say goodbye to the same. But alas, my garden Wilsons have not been seen here on the 4th of April. I have still seen each of these species out in the forest between two days and three weeks after they abandoned my yard.

Nashville 129

Nashville ALA Louisiana Mexico 129

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2021

Alas, the flowering plants had almost all dried up, and hummingbirds were few. Since I had seen neither species on my January visit to Lake Cuitzeo, these were year-birds. Surprisingly, both were FOY (first-of-year) species. Check in next week to see which species these were!

Woodpeckers 187

Woodpeckers Nashville Mexico ALA 187

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

Cocoa Woodcreepers are the largest species of woodcreeper in T&T, and they have a proportionately massive bill. Alas, he was gone before I had a chance to lift my camera. We just needed to find somewhere that was less cluttered to allow us some chance of seeing birds! And so, we continued. Definitely a hawk-eagle, but which?

Trinidad 162

Trinidad Eagles Bears Litter 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Its mood is not helped by the ambiguous review on eBird: “Although not actually pale, this brownish songbird is one of the plainer thrushes in its range” The Latin species name of the Dusky Thrush is eunomos (I guess that is Greek, but whatever) – meaning well-ordered. One page is dedicated to the Long-tailed Shrike.

Birds 193

Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 193

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2022

Alas, our Western Gull was nowhere to be found! Not that it one could expect to see one in Costa Rica but could the species be annual? When not loafing by the fish shops, the gull sometimes takes sun on a nearby roof, even perching on the roof of the ferry that crosses the Gulf of Nicoya.

Costa Rica 240

Costa Rica Fish Belize Nicaragua 240

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. This is partly due to hunting in China, where about 90% of the species winter (HBW). So, I need to find something else to say about this species.

Raccoons 211

Raccoons Birds Oregon China 211

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. I got a good dose of seaducks this weekend up at the mouth of Irondequoit Bay; the most interesting species amidst the mixed flocks was a lone Bufflehead hobnobbing with Common Goldeneyes.

2016 101

2016 ALA Arizona Horses 101

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2024

I have been slowly working up to my latest life list benchmark (2,000 bird species) and scoured eBird for a location within an 8-hour flight to get some lifers. We hoped that a Lesser Roadrunner would show up…but alas it was not meant to be. And somehow this directed us to Oaxaca. And with our targets found, we headed back into town.

Mexico 184

Mexico Birds Oregon Groups 184

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

We felt in high spirits after a gorgeous afternoon in the grassland, tallying up over 20 species of birds, including three lifers for me. Alas, they turned out to be Ring-billed Gulls , but as I turned back to the car another flock of white caught my eye. Add another species to the daily list!

Kansas 115

Kansas Pelicans ALA Cows 115

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2015

Even the first Common House Martin has been spotted and the flocks of returning Common (Eurasian) Cranes here and there – alas, not by me. I haven’t increased my life or country list, only my city list for one species (I don’t even know which one). At first you have a lot more species than lists, but afterwards (as a reward?),

Serbia 209

Serbia ALA Protection Collecting 209

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2019

And, alas, heat is one thing Mexico’s Pacific coast has in excess. Which explains why this birder, who lives only four hours from that coast, had only twice searched there for the region’s tropical and coastal species — both times on ministry trips I made without my wife. My wife hates heat. Mangrove Swallows.

Mexico 126

Mexico Alligators ALA 2019 126

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2015

Birds included common species such as Black Drongos , Jungle Babblers and a Hoopoe. Among teak and bamboo thickets, a winding forest road takes us deeper into the enchanted Snake Jungle, but alas, not a Tiger in sight. These days, the species shares habitats with Tigers, Snow Leopard, Bears, etc.

Tigers 235

Tigers Dogs India Snow Leopard 235

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2019

Here in Morelia, it seems laughable that I once only had access to less species than I could count on one hand. While they are only a fraction of the 359 hummingbird species in the world, I have seen fully 20 of these within an hour of my current home. Alas, we mostly get females; the males winter along the coast.

Minnesota 126

Minnesota ALA Mexico California 126

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. I used to live in Botswana, where there are about 450 bird species in an area a few dozen miles from the capital; then somewhat naively moved back to Serbia with mere 250 species around the capital.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

Alas, the only thing either of us found worth making a call about was the white cowbird, which I refound in one of the huge flocks of cowbirds and starlings that have been roaming around Fort Tilden. The best bird I could find was a common – and oft-hated – species with weird plumage. white Brown-headed Cowbird .

ALA 175

ALA Birds Species 175

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2013

Alas, Atlanta couldn’t seal the deal in the second half, but Baltimore bullied their way to the Big Game. Since there are only nine species of Raven in the world, Corey and I are going to host a quickie for the coolest corvids of all this week. I need your ravens by 6pm EST on Wednesday, January 23.

Falcons 150

Falcons Atlanta Baltimore ALA 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2012

Choosing among the hawks, eagles, and owls at the raptor residence (alas no rehab for these irreparably injured birds of prey) and the active late winter species in the park seemed impossible, until an impressive Pileated Woodpecker put on a powerful display of excavatory activity. Woodpeckers FTW!

2012 164

2012 ALA Woodpeckers Birds 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2019

a British expat birder who was living in Belgrade, for a suggestion: “The top species is undoubtedly White-tailed Eagle. commented further: “With a little work some species can be seen quite easily such as the divers, scaup, scoter, Goosander , Garganey and Long-eared Owl. Hence, I asked my friend B.C.,

Serbia 249

Serbia Birds Woodpeckers Breeding 249

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2016

Some don’t work as well as I would like, and others turn out to be birding gold mines, but no matter which species show, it’s always an adventure. Although information about the place often refers to it as a foothill site for species like Lattice-tailed Trogon , this is simply misleading. The view of the forested hillside.

Costa Rica 172

Costa Rica Birds Owls Litter 172

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

Lovely Cotinga is the flagship species at Pico Bonito, where it is perhaps easier to see than anywhere else within its range. More than 400 species have been recorded at the lodge to date. Central American Pygmy-Owl is another key species at the lodge. However, for me, there were birds to be seen. Photo by James Adams.

Honduras 162

Honduras Monkeys Birds America 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Alas, my miserable history with the mythical creature continues. In addition to a species of bird I really wanted to see but didn’t, there is also a beer garden at one of the Schlachtensee, perfect for refreshments as we made our way around the lake, a five-kilometer walk.

Woodpeckers 160

Woodpeckers Birds ALA Slaughter 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Many Nearctic species and families reach their southern terminus in the Northern Central American Highlands, such as Common Raven , Red Crossbill , Steller’s Jay , and even Brown Creeper. Alex also masterfully worked another tricky species into view for us during that first afternoon, Ruddy Crake (a close relative of the Black Rail ).

Honduras 212

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 212

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2014

During this time, the fish trapped in the shrinking pools of water attract hordes of herons, egrets, storks, and other wetland species. Raptors such as Savanna Hawk , Snail Kite , and Black-collared Hawk and up to five species of kingfisher also join the bonanza in one of the world’s great birding spectacles.

Brazil 165

Brazil Birds Blackbirds Paraguay 165

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2014

The Veliko Ratno Island birdlist is about 170 species long, of which more than 90 were observed from the Dorcol Promenade. Highlight species: Ferruginous Duck , Goosander , Red-breasted Merganser , Red-crested Pochard , Greater Scaup , Velvet Scoter , Black-throated Diver. If that is the case, why come here at all?

Serbia 231

Serbia Birds Ducks Eagles 231