10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

The female isn’t quite so unreal but is still a cool little bird in her own right. Plumaged like various other small female hummingbirds from North America, the lady Snowcap is pale gray below, pale glittering green above, and with a tail that flashes bits of white.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

It actually makes a lot of sense, the geographic features of the isthmus between North America (including Mexico, because Mexico is part of North America) and South America cut across political lines, as do birds. It is the first bird field guide to every country of Central America (plus the islands governed by those countries).

America 211

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 211

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 261

New York South Carolina North Carolina Massachusetts 261

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2023

But in 2020 I personally saw thousands of Waxwings in a dozen or so sites, and every one of my birder friends across the country had a similar experience. And, gee, I do hope I am right. Most years, there are no more than a few dozen reports of this species across the region. This year, the sightings are less, so far. (I

Mexico 147

Mexico 2020 2012 Parrots 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2021

It is also fascinating to see how similar Old World trogons look to their New World relatives, right down to the same flamboyant color patterns. The Elegant Trogon prefers drier habitats, with a predominance of oaks rather than conifers, and in my experience is much harder to find.

Mexico 177

Mexico Indonesia North America Arizona 177

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

In this first installment, I will focus on my impressions and experiences in the highlands portion of our tour. Before finally connecting to the South American continent about three million years ago, Central America consisted of a series of volcanic islands. In short, the mountain birding in Honduras promised a slew of cool new birds.

Honduras 207

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 207

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

The Durango Highway is arguably one of North America’s great birding roads due to the great variety of habitats, the spectacular mountain scenery of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the numerous Mexican endemics one can target. The birds we observed were nesting right into the cliff face. Photo by Andrew Spencer.

Mexico 186

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 186

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

But I am afraid to post my photos of these with IDs, since I am never quite sure I got them right.). Birders throughout the Americas can experience the chalenges of Gull, Tern, New World Warbler, and Tyrant Flycatcher identification. Not to mention the four Myiarchus flycatchers present in the same area. As is this one.

Mexico 136

Mexico Argentina Experience Experiments 136

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2022

Oddly enough, it is the Western Bluebird that bears the taxonomic name of Sialia mexicana ; but in my experience, the Eastern Bluebird ( Sialia sialia ) is much more common in most of Mexico. While Michoacán doesn’t offer the spectacular tropical tanagers of Central and South America, those we have are also very colorful.

South America 185

South America Sparrows Mexico Bears 185

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2020

Kroodsma waited for years for the right opportunity to record its different songs, a “cascade of sweet and liquid notes,” one naturalist said, “like the spray of a waterfall and sunshine.”. Good field guides to bird sounds are certainly available, particularly Nathan Pieplow’s for eastern and western North America.)

Virginia 234

Virginia Boston North America 2020 234

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

Galápagos: A Natural History, Second Edition by John Kricher and Kevin Loughlin gives the traveling naturalist the tools needed to fully appreciate and experience the Galápagos Islands. I wish I had read this book. They complement Kricher’s text.,

2006 239

2006 Tortoises Sea Lions Sea Turtles 239

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2018

Of the 300 hummingbird species across the globe, North America only sees fewer than two dozen of them. Many fly through these Texas hotspots, transforming physics into magic right before our eyes! Then, I learned that over 400 species of birds have been identified in and around these islands. Rufous hummingbird, Photo © Robin L.

Texas 168

Texas North America Alaska America 168

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2016

If you are not familiar with the story, it’s about an Anglo-Irish mercenary, Jamie Shannon (played by Christopher Walken), hired to overthrow the regime in a fictional Western African country (it was actually filmed in Belize, Central America) and prior to the real thing, he was doing a reconnaissance trip posing as a “rare birds photographer”.

Belize 230

Belize Birds Africa Dogs 230

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2021

A nice bird for sure, a bird with an evocative name and one that would be a lifer for many birders from North America, but not the bird we had hoped it to be. And yet there it was, shining white as soft atoll sand, my much wanted lifer White Tern foraging in front of us, foraging next to the boat, even flying right over the boat.

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica Dolphins Sea Turtles Turtles 263

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

There is a Chinese proverb stating “Laws control a lesser person, right conduct controls a greater one.” However, if out of courtesy one of the other woodpeckers switches the talk to another favorite topic, ants, the Ground Woodpecker is happy to share its experience.

Woodpeckers 221

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2015

A species that lives in both Costa Rica and South America but might be two separate species. (3). However, the paper didn’t deal with birds from southern Central America. Check out recordings of Clapper Rail from North America and Costa Rica. Two subspecies of the same species that differ within Costa Rica. (4).

Costa Rica 205

Costa Rica Species South America America 205

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

Tody Motmot is perhaps one of the most charismatic bird species in all of Central America, and Honduras is perhaps one of the best places to see it. Lesser Roadrunner is another spectacular species of the thorn forest scrub of the Aguan Valley, which we observed at length right along the main road! Photo by James Adams.

Honduras 162

Honduras Monkeys Birds America 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2012

The dichotomous republic of Trinidad and Tobago may be something of a cipher to anyone unfamiliar with the point where the Caribbean ends and South America begins. I’ve been privileged to travel somewhat extensively through the Americas, but I still pulled a ton of lifers from the veranda before my first breakfast.

Trinidad 242

Trinidad South America America Ecuador 242

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Sure, this is my first trip to North America, but still, who could find fault with 20+ wood warblers in a day? And so when we heard that there were Woodcocks displaying in the Maumee Bay State Park, we naturally jumped on the opportunity to get out there and experience the action live in person. Unsatisfying.

Ohio 178

Ohio North America Birds Owls 178

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011

But even more bitter is a birder’s envy… Jealousy makes up so much of the birding experience that I imagine the green-eyed monster derives its color from parrot plumage. But the envy that gnaws at me right now stems not from the thought of the 9,000+ birds that I haven’t yet seen that others have.

Emotional 160

Emotional 2011 ALA Ohio 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

A professional hawkwatcher for many seasons, his passion and knowledge saw him invited to join the board of the Hawk Migration Association of North America in 2013. In my experience non-birders connect with the travel, visiting beautiful places and spectacle of birding and hawkwatching often entails all three.

Bald Eagle 232

Bald Eagle Los Angeles Connecticut Eagles 232

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

Nonetheless, a birder’s initial experience in Honduras sets him or her on an inexorable course towards the only species currently named for this gem of a country. The emerald put on an amazing show, buzzing right up to some of us and darting past others. That is how the saying goes, right? ECO FINCA LUNA DEL PUENTE.

Honduras 131

Honduras Birds Farming America 131

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences. I would have known this right away if I was up to date on my Alexander Skutch. Which is why seeing them was such a great experience. We may have been wrong.

Honduras 242

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 242

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

Right now great flocks of wood-warblers are making their way north from the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America to breed across the United States and Canada. Read about them here but also get out and experience them. You won’t regret it! ———————————————————————————————————————————————— a.

United States 155

United States South America 2011 2012 155

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2011

Right now great flocks of wood-warblers are making their way north from the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America to breed across the United States and Canada. Read about them here but also get out and experience them. You won’t regret it! ———————————————————————————————————————————————— a.

United States 178

United States South America Cooking Family 178

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2014

In my experience, parrots form a visibly and numerically important component of the Brazilian bird fauna. The monotypic Short-tailed Parrot is one of these species, occurring only swampy forests and river islands right along the Amazon River and wider sections of its largest tributaries.

Parrots 167

Parrots Brazil Mauritius Dominica 167

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Audubon Associate Naturalist, have led this tour many times, through tornados, droughts, questionable restaurants, and, sadly, the advent of fracking, and every one of my friends who has participated over the years has raved about the experience and the birds (in fact, one member of our group was on his third or fourth trip, I lost count).

North Dakota 134

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 134

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2011

My anger at the TSA is that I think the grope is a violation of my civil rights, low wage employees get to legally do to me something that any other stranger could be arrested for and I see it as bad theater meant to make me feel safe. Being a white guy in America is super hard. To which my friend TJ said, “Yeah, dude.

Laws 226

Laws Colorado America Kazakhstan 226

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2013

I’ve spent a fair bit of time on the ocean on right side of North America. Having never birded west of Arizona, there were many bird experiences I was looking forward to, but chief among those was the opportunity to get offshore aboard the Grande to see what was hiding beyond that blue horizon.

San Diego 159

San Diego Los Angeles California North America 159

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Larry starts us off right with an owl that makes birders drool: I was able to see and photograph many great birds in 2014 but my Best Bird of the Year would have to be the Great Gray Owl , the largest Strix in North America. The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY. What was yours?

2014 183

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 183

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2011

It breeds across Canada’s boreal forest and most winter in the Caribbean, though some spend the cold months in Central America. Right now great flocks of wood-warblers are making their way north from the southern United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America to breed across the United States and Canada.

Tigers 158

Tigers United States Jamaica Pennsylvania 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2015

That’s how important the lifer experience is and I suspect most other birders who started out young feel the same. Hailing from North America, for me, this super avian distance migrant was long overdue. The most likely culprit is the El Nino effect happening right now in the eastern Pacific. My lifer Arctic Tern !

Costa Rica 150

Costa Rica Birds Pennsylvania North America 150

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2014

The National Wildlife Refuge system is one of America’s greatest treasures. and provides diverse nature experiences for visitors from around the world. You would think they would look at these numbers and try to figure out a way to tap into that huge demographic right? It preserves habitat, protects wildlife.

Ducks 212

Ducks Wildlife Hunting Fish 212

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2014

For others, it is the desire to have a different birding experience from home without needing a passport. In the ABA region, southeast Arizona and the lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas host many sites right along the Mexican border that fit this description.

Thailand 166

Thailand Birds 2013 China 166

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

In a time of little published information about the rainforests of Central and South America aside from scientific journal articles and the works of 19th-century naturalists, the “little green book,” as it was called, became a must-read amongst nature-oriented travelers and researchers. is remarkable.

South America 143

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 143

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2013

Travis got to experience things he normally wouldn’t (like spending about 5 hours every day in a pool) and seeing the world famous Canadian Forces Snowbirds aerobatic team (I can post a photo of them right? This pair first appeared four years ago, and are amongst the most northerly known breeding Pacific Loons in North America.

Abandon 165

Abandon Abandoning Abandonment Eggs 165

Critter News

JUNE 20, 2010

A study released by the associations that accredit zoos across North America said that the occurrence of deaths was not a fluke. There were also reports that the zoo may have concentrated too hard on enhanced visitor experiences without being sure that exhibits were up to par — something that could have led to many of the deaths.

Zoos 100

Zoos Animal Abuse Bats Goats 100