10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2022

In August, we took a family trip to beautiful San Diego, seeing SeaWorld , LegoLand , and the San Diego Zoo. On August 13, 2022, I woke up early, snuck out of the hotel room without waking the rest of the family, and was at Seaforth Landing on Mission Bay by 7:00 a.m. This was much larger.

San Diego 147

San Diego Los Angeles Cooking North Carolina 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2014

The list kinds crystalized during my first big trip, on which I knocked off my two big targets (the manta ray and whale shark) but since then beyond seeing an antelope (and then many other different kinds), it hasn’t budged much at all. A beaked whale. Any beaked whale. Hammerhead shark.

Sharks 171

Sharks Leopards Whales Whaling 171

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2013

People ascribe near mythic status to the members of the family Delphinidae (and other related families). Yes, the same Kaikoura I keep banging on about that is a great place to see albatrosses. Which has always mystified me slightly. Dolphins are basically just smart sharks that breath air.

Dolphins 154

Dolphins Sharks New Zealand Albatross 154

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

In Hawaii I stood on a beach as albatrosses fledged and Tiger Sharks prowled for the less successful ones. In California I smelt the breath a Blue Whale as it passed feet beneath my boat. Ugandan Mangabeys were part of my family once. This Laysan Albatross died from ingested plastic. I still have that marker.

Uganda 160

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 160

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

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. I tested the waters before my California pelagic, with a brief Atlantic Ocean voyage, a whale watching trip from Montauk, N.Y.

2016 108

2016 India Ducks Birds 108

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

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. Extreme rarities, such as Yellow-nosed Albatross are excluded. It is a challenging activity. No rails or gallinules. There are Eiders, King and Common.

Ducks 228

Ducks Groups Species North America 228

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

But what I have long wanted to do is get out on a boat in California, the fabled land of albatrosses, murrelets, and auklets. I’ve been on a whale-watching trip in Orange County , twice gone out to Santa Cruz Island , and even visited Protection Island off the Olympic Peninsula in Washington. Black-footed Albatross (LIFER!!!!!!)

Whales 108

Whales Whaling Albatross Dolphins 108