10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

I bring this up not to boast (well, not much) but because I think that this approach to wildlife travel is somewhat neglected in birding circles. Read most accounts of how birders see birds outside their patch and one way or another, they’re tourists. Volunteering provides a very different experience to tourism though.

Uganda 163

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 163

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

The boat is called the Legacy and it is an 80 foot whale watching vessel that generally seats 115, but takes about 70 for birding trips. If I saw that bird, I did not appreciate it, so it is not on my list. That is, incidentally, my universal experience on pelagics, as everyone has been very good and very experienced on all my trips.)

San Diego 147

San Diego Los Angeles Cooking North Carolina 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

Some birders like to see just birds, while others like birds, but don’t mind stopping or even taking detours to see other creatures along the trail. I like to see birds for a long time and hear their vocalization; even if these are common species. Elliott’s and Possibly a Markham’s Storm-petrels (bird on the left).

Peru 198

Peru Birds Albatross Experience 198

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2018

About six-and-a-half years ago I had the privilege of watching a young Waved Albatross on the Galapagos island of Española learning how to fly. The sight of the large bird, so awkward on the ground, trying to launch itself with the coaching of an indefatigable parent, was funny, charming, and amazing in its uniqueness.

Albatross 114

Albatross Penguins Research Breeding 114

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2012

Nature lovers who love to travel know that few experiences are more enjoyable than preparation for a big trip. The mundane details that actually allow a trip to happen are tedious, but researching all those potential birds… huge fun! Because I’ll be birding Japan this weekend en route to Singapore!

New Zealand 138

New Zealand 2012 Singapore Japan 138

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 25, 2016

Of course it also means that there is only one week left of birding to top up your year list and I am not really expecting to add anything new to my year list over the next week unless the tropical low that is buffeting the north-west of Western Australia throws something our way. It is quintessentially a Christmas bird! Common Snipe.

2016 158

2016 Geese Birds Ducks 158

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2012

Buller’s Albatross ( Thalassarche bulleri ) and Cape Petrel ( Daption capense ) at Kaikoura. The focus of today is one of the guys above, but since I have already done a story on Buller’s Albatrosses before it is going to be about the other guy. This post is not about albatrosses!

New Zealand 159

New Zealand Albatross South Africa Brazil 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2013

I am back home and recovered from the Birding Rally Challenge in Northern Peru (Rally). Well, I will start by saying I am not new to non-stop birding; some friends and I tried to break the 24-hour record number of birds in Florida (Big day). Photo: Peru Birding Rally. Photo: Peru Birding Rally.

Peru 258

Peru Birds South Africa United Kingdom 258

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Birding has been an all-consuming interest for Patrick Cardwell since boyhood days spent in a wildlife-rich environment. In this epic post, Patrick depicts just how dynamic the pelagic birding is off Cape Point in South Africa.

Albatross 192

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 192

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2017

Drag some other bird bodily out of a hollow tree and thrash the feathers off them? They want an authentic nature experience, but a relatable authentic nature experience. They leave comments on your videos and give you cute names like Ozzie the Osprey and Wisdom the Albatross. Steal and eat their eggs? We all need this.

Bald Eagle 101

Bald Eagle Belize Iowa Eggs 101

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

I had my first swim with Inshore Bottlenose Dolphins in Northland’s Bay of Islands back in 2000, and it was a tripy experience. Yes, the same Kaikoura I keep banging on about that is a great place to see albatrosses. So if you are after a unique dolphin experience you could do worse than this New Zealand speciality.

Dolphins 158

Dolphins New Zealand Sharks Albatross 158

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Birds of California , the new volume in the ABA series, arrived the day I returned. Every bird book seems to be about the west coast this month!) With the boat speed what it was, and being the only birder on board, to stop watching meant I might miss an interesting bird. That’s 22 Marine Mammal species and 43 Seabirds.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Whales Whaling Porpoises 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

And Flamingos and Hornbills and a Secretarybird and birds with names like Hamerkop and Thick-knee and Eremomela (which I know is a scientific term, but which, when pronounced correctly, reminds me of a Yiddish term of endearment my grandmother used). And so, I went on the American Birding Association Safari to South Africa.

South Africa 255

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 255

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

In a recent post, Corey listed five things to do when it is too cold to go birding and one of those things is planning birding travel. Here in Portland, Oregon, it is more frequently too rainy rather than too cold to go birding, at least comfortably. Thus, my “good birds” are likely the opposite of an eastern birder.

San Francisco 100

San Francisco Portland United States Puerto Rico 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2011

“This clumsy, ungraceful bird was displeasing to observe” – Carol F. There is nothing in birding like a pelagic…you never know what to expect. You can end up basking in a rare bird bliss that may linger for weeks, or you basically experience a living hell. Red-tailed Tropicbird. Pelagic trips.

Puffins 250

Puffins Albatross Penguins Experience 250

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

If there is one thing that Kiwis care about, it’s birds. No, wait, not birds. One thing visitors love to see in New Zealand is Kiwi, the national (sort of) bird, and they also enjoy seeing some of the other birds the place has to offer. Kiwis care about rugby. A good place to see the enigmatic Kokako.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2011

When a pelagic trip is short of great new birds to watch there is almost always the chum scrum to entertain the despondent birder. Whatever brings in birds is what will be used for chum. Chum monkeys are those who are paid to keep the chum flying off the back of the boat.* What, exactly, is chum? … a.

Monkeys 150

Monkeys New York Albatross Fish 150

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2012

On Friday night Seth Ausubel, my frequent birding buddy, and I discussed our birding options for Saturday morning. A little after 6 AM we had both checked the weather radar and decided that the rain had stopped and that I would pick him up at 6:30 and we would go birding somewhere on the coast. In the meantime, sooties!

Cape Verde 167

Cape Verde New York New York City North America 167

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

There are few bird names that will elicit great big smiles and Penguin is one of them. Other contenders are Kookaburra, Shoebill, and Umbrellabird, but people smile when they hear these names because they know a song or because they can’t believe these are real names of real birds. <pause> Do I have your attention now?

Penguins 279

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2012

Fortunately, Alan Tilmouth, a beat writer with pelagic experience, expressed an interest in the book as well. So, you will be reading two reviews of this book in 10,000 Birds. To be fair, Howell has also written about hummingbirds and finding birds in Mexico, which to my mind are a little easier to comprehend. (To

North America 159

North America Albatross America Species 159

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

As 2013 draws to a close we here at 10,000 Birds thought that it would be a great idea if we, like we did in 2010 , 2011 , and 2012 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds! Sound good?

2013 168

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2016

At Sea With the Marine Birds of the Raincoast opens with the unexpected appearance of a Laysan Albatross. We are all suckers for an albatross, at least in the United States. The author, conservation biologist Caroline Fox, is observing the albatross’s shadow to the side of the boat. Do I need to say anything more?

Fox 100

Fox Albatross Geese Bald Eagle 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

It was a good birding year. Many sad and unfortunate things occurred in 2016, but the birding was good. I started the year in Florida, traveled to India with the ABA in February, combined family and birding in an August trip to California, and in-between saw very good birds in New York and New Jersey. 1) Dusky Eagle-Owl.

2016 115

2016 India Ducks Birds 115

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

The magnificent history and diversity of birds on Earth came into sharper focus this month with the publication of 28 new scientific papers in Science and other journals. One of the central papers, Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds (Jarvis et al. American Flamingo photo by Dick Culbert).

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

This, I am told, is seawatching , a birding activity in which one stands in one place, sometimes for hours, and watches for birds of the sea and lake and river. It is acceptable to point out other sea creatures–dolphins or whales or dragonflies–but the main goal is the observation and identification of the birds.

Ducks 242

Ducks Groups Species North America 242

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

You start hearing and catching glimpses of birds as soon as you land, particularly the fast moving Tui. One bird I apparently heard at the landing (although it didn’t register to me) was the Fernbird , New Zealand’s only Old World warbler (or more accurately megalurid warbler ). Get yours today!

New Zealand 150

New Zealand 2011 Deer Cats 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2014

Any doubt I had about the need for a book about rare birds in the United States And Canada were wiped out on a Sunday evening in early February with two birding friends. My friends had many more years of birding on me and had many stories to tell. I kept wishing I had Rare Birds of North America , by Steve N.

North America 261

North America America Birds United States 261

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2021

Some people read cookbooks though they have no intention of whipping up a mushroom risotto, some people read bird guide books, even when the likelihood of actually seeing the creatures in those guides is remote. It covers 434 species across 9 orders and 18 families of birds. SCOPE & SPECIES ORGANIZATION.

Albatross 279

Albatross Penguins Family Groups 279

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2013

Does birding make you happy? And it is certainly possible to imagine compulsive joyless birding, and I think most of us may have encountered it on occasion. I’m going to assume that most people reading this enjoy watching birds. You may be outraged by the suggestion, but let’s face it, birders love not birding.

Birds 171

Birds Research Hawaii Albatross 171

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2019

Are seabirds the last frontier of bird identification? They say so right here in the Preface of Oceanic Birds of The World: A Photo Guide —seabirds are “some of the most challenging of all birds to identify.” Which makes the publication of Oceanic Birds of The World: A Photo Guide a significant and happy event.

Albatross 172

Albatross North America Birds Groups 172

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

Penguins was preceded by Albatross: Their World, Their Ways (2008), co-authored with Mark Jones and Julian Fritter; the Penguins book was conceived with Jones and Cornthwaite as a successor to Albatross. There is also a great deal of biological and ecological information encapsulated within De Roy’s experiences.

Penguins 214

Penguins New Zealand South Africa Albatross 214