10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2022

One of the old jokes I always hear at Christmas Bird Count dinners pops up we get to the ducks, which is now pretty early in the compilation thanks to the current taxonomic order. “Summer or Wood Duck” from The Birds of America by John James Audubon (1785-1851).

2018 233

2018 Ducks France New York 233

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2019

Now, I do hope you have stayed with me to this point, because there is a moral to this story: How much do you like your ducks, grebes, sandpipers, and plovers? So, in many cases, their survival depends at least as much on the qualities of wetlands in Latin America. The post Who cares for your ducks in the winter?

Ducks 116

Ducks Blackbirds United States Pelicans 116

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2015

Three White-faced Whistling Ducks showed up in Villa Marshes in Lima-Peru. However, the ducks’ behavior killed the festive mood for some and left others with a glimmer of hope. Three White-faced Whistling Ducks are currently on the southwest pool of Villa Marshes! Ducks at Villa Marshes. Ducks at Villa Marshes.

Ducks 157

Ducks South America Peru Adoptable 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2017

Having grown up in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York, I made the reasonable assumption that the Black Duck Porter made by Greenport Harbor Brewing Company was named for the American Black Duck , a locally common dabbler found throughout the East End’s many bays and saltmarshes. Or at least enough time for a quick tipple.

Ducks 128

Ducks San Francisco New York Legislation 128

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2016

The Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America by Jesse Fagan and Oliver Komar, illustrated by Robert Dean and Peter Burke, does just that. Peterson Field Guide to Birds of Northern Central America covers 827 species, including resident, migratory, and common vagrant birds.

El Salvador 235

El Salvador America Costa Rica Honduras 235

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2014

I knew that I could count the introduced Muscovy Ducks in front of me but did I want to? You see, Muscovy Ducks are countable in the American Birding Association area due to wild birds from Central America making their way up into Texas. feral Muscovy Duck at Blue Heron Wetlands, Titusville, Florida.

Feral 185

Feral Florida Ducks Texas 185

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2017

The potholes and associated grasslands create North America’s most productive habitat for breeding waterfowl, making it an area of global significance for Mallards , Northern Pintails , Blue-winged Teals , Gadwalls , Northern Shovelers , and others. The region has justifiably been referred to as the “Duck Factory of North America.”

Factory 118

Factory Ducks North Dakota Nebraska 118

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2024

Few areas in North America support such dense concentrations of waterfowl; more than half the mallards in the Pacific Flyway overwinter at some time in this portion of the Columbia River Basin. There were many other species of waterfowl, including a large number of Ruddy Ducks. (My My eBird checklists are here and here.)

Washington 228

Washington Oregon Birds Wildlife 228

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2014

And – let’s face it – chances are you live in North America. Like … the Tufted Duck ! See how it went… Arriving at the scene, it was easy to spot a few Tufted Ducks, but hard to get decent views at them. Then desaster struck: a vagrant, stage hog Ring-necked Duck! Well, thank you.

Germany 174

Germany Ducks North America America 174

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2014

The National Wildlife Refuge system is one of America’s greatest treasures. Due to some erroneous numbers thrown about by Duck Stamp advocates, I feel that some explanations are in order. To be clear, Duck Stamp proceeds make up only a portion of the 3% of refuge land purchased by the MBCF. million, a 37% reduction 3.

Ducks 231

Ducks Wildlife Hunting Fish 231

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

The Green-winged Teal ( Anas crecca carolinensis ) is North America’s smallest dabbling duck and taken by hunters second only to the Mallard. I love ducks of all kinds but I think the Green-winged Teal drake is one of the most handsome ducks around. Click on photos for full sized images. www.youtube.com/watch?

Ducks 175

Ducks North America Hunters California 175

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Wood Duck ( Aix sponsa ) Female Incubating Eggs in a Nest Box “Many species of cavity-nesting birds have declined because of habitat reduction. The wood duck was very scarce in many portions of its range, at least in part, for the same reason and probably owes its present status to provision of nest boxes and protection from overhunting 1.”

North America 226

North America America Barn Owls Falcons 226

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

Baird’sSandpipers can only be seen here in August and September, as they stop on their way from the Arctic Circle to southern South America; they do not normally visit central Mexico on its way back north. So does this Mexican Duck (NOT a Mallard sub-race, according to the 2020 AOS decision): Note the (lack of) depth of this water.

South America 239

South America Ducks 2020 Mexico 239

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

For most avian migrants heading south towards Mexico, Central and South America, crossing thru the Arizona desert areas can provide very few water, food and resting areas. On my last couple of visits, California Gulls, Ring-billed Gulls, Ruddy Ducks, Common Gallinule, Western Grebe, Eared Grebe and Pied-billed Grebes were on the water.

Mexico 136

Mexico Tucson Arizona Ducks 136

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

and Canada and winter in northeastern Mexico, while the sedentary wrens of central Mexico, Central America, and South America are now to be identified as Grass Wrens. But the Mexican Ducks say otherwise. The name Sedge Wren is to be used for the migratory wrens that summer in the U.S. Did they show up for us? Why yes, they did!

Barn Owls 262

Barn Owls Owls Mexico Leopards 262

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2017

Answers will be forthcoming, but for now, I can tell you that they are all members of the mallard complex , a roster of about 20 closely-related Anas -species ducks around the world. The mallard is a mighty duck indeed, successful all across its broad range from the Americas through Eurasia down into Australia and New Zealand.

Purebred 133

Purebred Ducks New Zealand 2011 133

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2015

Of course the drakes get all of the glory in the duck world but I think the females are just as beautiful in their own way with their heavily patterned feathers. Blue-winged Teal breed over a large portion of North America but occur irregularly or at low densities in many portions of their range. Click on photos for full sized images.

Sacramento 152

Sacramento Wildlife North America Ducks 152

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2012

Like you, I’ve seen a lot of ducks in my life, but it wasn’t until 2006 that I first beheld the the wondrous waterfowl that I’d come to regard as my favorite duck, bar none – the White-cheeked Pintail. Like most southern ducks, this one is not dimorphic which means the males and females are equally enchanting.

Bahamas 235

Bahamas Ducks South America 2006 235

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2020

Our three summer Duck species, Mexican, Ruddy, and Fulvous Whistling-Duck , expand to as many as thirteen species. There were only six Duck species to be seen, but there were fourteen different shorebirds. And Wilson’s Phalaropes are supposed to spend the winter in South America, but nobody told this group.

Mexico 146

Mexico South America Ducks Groups 146

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2014

They are dabbling ducks which feed by upending and, you guessed it, dabbling. Unlike most other dabbling ducks however, the Northern Shovelers strain aquatic vegetation, plankton, and tiny invertebrates through the comb-like edges of their shovel-shaped bill. References: 1 Birds of North America Online , 2 Defenders of Wildlife.

Sacramento 171

Sacramento Defenders Of Wildlife Ducks Wildlife Rehabilitation 171

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2020

Mandarin Ducks, Munich, Germany. And they aren’t nearly as famous as the vagrant/escaped Mandarin Duck of Central Park. But they were still Mandarin Ducks! But the Great Swallow-tailed Swift is one of the largest Swifts in North America. Plus a few truly difficult species. I think all Swifts are cool.

Austria 153

Austria Spain 2019 Birds 153

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2019

The blackpoll, “a bird with a body just a little larger than your thumb,” doesn’t stop until South America. ” Other birds are the subjects of Kaufman’s wonder, too, such as the early ducks — pintails, green-winged teal, and various diving ducks. “The As Kaufman says: “Four nights and three days in the air.

Ohio 202

Ohio Bats Legislature Ducks 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2023

Between March and May, we say goodbye to more than half our duck and wood warbler species, as well as about half of all our shorebirds, vireos, hummingbirds, buntings, sparrows, and orioles, and many members of other avian families. For a few, only a few, species actually winter in Central and South America, and summer up here in Mexico.

South America 176

South America Pigs Mexico Species 176

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2013

Green Cay Wetlands at sunrise for the specials – Limpkin, Purple Gallinule, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks and of course the ever-reliable (at this time of year) male Painted Buntings. Nearly every species of heron and egret in North America forage only feet away, some of them in their dazzling breeding displays.

North America 233

North America Factory Alligators Trafficking 233

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2012

One of the sweetest subsections of the duck family has to be the sawbills, formally known as mergansers. Common Merganser female by John Borg There are six living species of mergansers, three of which are commonly spotted in North America: The Common Merganser ( Mergus merganser ) ranges widely throughout the northern hemisphere.

North America 238

North America Thailand Russia Ducks 238

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2019

Despite their foreign origin, introduced gamebirds in North America seem to enjoy a better reputation among birders than other nonnative birds. And because of the resemblance they bear to their New World cousins in the family Phasianidae , they even look the part of an “authentic” wild bird in North America.

North America 113

North America Vermont America Farming 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

I purchased my first Sibley— The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America —in 2003. My Eastern Sibley served me well, replacing the Peterson’s with which I learned my ducks and waders. No longer are whistling-ducks under “W,” ground-doves under “G” and rosy-finches under “R”; look instead under “Duck,” “Dove,” and “Finch.”

North America 172

North America 2003 Birds America 172

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

So off to the lake I went, to see which ducks and shorebirds were still here, and which had already left. This meant that the remaining banks of ducks were beyond the clear range of my optics. Of all North America’s Plovers that may migrate, only the Snowy and the Killdeer breed this far south. The Peeps are still here.

Mexico 171

Mexico Breeding Ducks North America 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2014

The Sunda Teal is a brown duck. This may make it very popular amongst European birders who can relate, but it doesn’t make it much of a deal within such an illustrous group as the dabbling ducks. Birds dabbling ducks Indonesia waterfowl' Now, “restricted to the islands of…” does not sound very extensive.

New York City 165

New York City Los Angeles Timor Indonesia 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2021

“ So wrote John James Audubon of the Roseate Spoonbill ( Platalea ajaja ) in The Birds of America , his epochal printed and pictorial account of North American birdlife published in serial form between 1827 and 1838.

New York 264

New York South Carolina North Carolina Massachusetts 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2012

It is now more important than ever to draw on the diverse group of refuge advocates around the country to safeguard America’s wildlife heritage 1. ” Elizabeth Jackson of the Duck Stamp Program is not optimistic about birders or non-hunters embracing the Duck Stamp as hunters have.

Wildlife 212

Wildlife Hunters Ducks Hunting 212

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

.” The Cinnamon Teal ( Anas cyanoptera ) is one of the least abundant dabbling ducks in North America. More than three million ducks and one million geese migrate to the Sacramento Valley every fall. References: 1 Birds of North America Online , 2 U.S. I’m sure it would help these Cinnamon Teals rest easier!

Sacramento 178

Sacramento Wildlife United States North America 178

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2021

The survey was commissioned by National Flyway Council (NFC), which implements the North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP), which, in turn, aims to maintain abundant waterfowl populations in North America. But only 13% purchased a Duck Stamp. “A This is not a surprising result.

Minnesota 264

Minnesota Research Pennsylvania Ohio 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 10, 2022

At this time to year, the rice fields are still wet enough to host Spotted Rail , wintering Sora , and Wilson’s Snipe as well as various ducks. A Whole Lot of Pishing Going On. Speaking of small lost birds, to find them, there will have to be a lot of pishing.

Costa Rica 147

Costa Rica Birds Panama North America 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2012

This blind in particular is usually good for ducks, geese, waders and shorebirds. As the sun rose somewhere behind those thick clouds, it began to get a bit lighter on the water and I got some pretty good shots of what I think is one of the most handsome of dabbling ducks, the Northern Pintail ( Anas acuta ). Just look at this drake.

Sacramento 105

Sacramento Wildlife North America Ducks 105

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2021

There are many species of waders and ducks, vultures, raptors and storks. Due to its range of habitats, over 500 species (573 eBirded so far) have been recorded and it is often possible to see over 100 species in a day, including a good selection of pelicans, storks, waders, ducks, kingfishers and hornbills. Serengeti National Park.

Africa 213

Africa Kenya Uganda Tanzania 213

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2012

In North America, the Greater White-fronted Goose breeds in open tundra areas of the low Arctic from Point Barrow, Alaska to northeastern Keewatin, Northwest Territories, and it winters south to Chiapas, Mexico, thus having the broadest latitudinal range of any arctic-nesting goose 1. I was not disappointed! Great birding!

Geese 171

Geese Wildlife Sacramento South Dakota 171