10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

Decades later, Richard Pough’s Audubon Bird Guide, Eastern Land Birds (I happily own the 1948 edition) included nest and egg descriptions for each species as well. And photographs of feathers in the species accounts, which surprised me. Text retrieved from the Hathitrust Digital Library. The first is accomplished well.

Eggs 239

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 239

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2021

I am hoping that there is an appreciative audience here, willing to learn a little about down-under birds and wildlife. So, while I am lucky enough to live with my wife and family near the village of Mapleton, in the Blackall Ranges, first join me for a little journey to part of the coast. The Little Wattlebird was also conspicuous.

Australia 258

Australia North America Cooking Fish 258

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2011

And it looks even better in my hands while I dream about a visit to regions of Brazil I had scarcely heard of before being provided with a review copy of the first volume of the Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil.* Each family of birds has a short introductory paragraph and most genera get a sentence or two of description.

Brazil 208

Brazil Wildlife 2011 Birds 208

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2022

” are the big questions at the heart of Vagrancy in Birds by Alexander Lees and James Gilroy, an impressive, fascinating book about what ornithologists and wildlife biologists have found out about avian vagrancy so far and their theories explaining this phenomenon. The Family Accounts are the fun part of the book.

Birds 262

Birds Compassion Eagles Science 262

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2021

And apart from local people, primate researchers sometimes spot it, but it is a species seen by fewer than ten living birders. The rest of the 216 pages long book is devoted to various African bird families and half a dozen individual species. He has authored several other books and many articles, largely on natural history.

Congo 264

Congo Africa South Africa Madagascar 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2018

There are 258 species documented; half of which nest in the park. Canada Goose family. For a disturbing summation of the damage done to our national parks, monuments, and wildlife refuges in one short year, consider this infographic of political maneuvering by Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke…. As the first U.S. Mountain Chickadee.

Canada 154

Canada 2018 Birds Protection 154

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2024

The first bird to draw my eye was a fine adult Grey Plover, or what is known in America as a Black-bellied Plover, sitting characteristically hunch-backed just a few yards from my car, on the edge of the tide. The latter is half the size of the Grey, but with its stout beak and prominent eyes shows a distinct family likeness.

Geese 193

Geese Russia Breeding Unwanted 193

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2022

The latest edition of the Clements Checklist that I could find, last modified in August 2022, lists 965 species (a little more manageable!), including 355 endemics, 28 introduced species, 6 extinct species, and 77 globally threatened species. There are three to four species on each page, for the most part.

Australia 248

Australia Birds 2017 Groups 248

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2017

Starting in the mid-1990s, there was a “where to watch birds in…” series of five site guides written by Nigel Wheatley and covering South America (1994), Africa (1995), Asia (1996), Europe & Russia (2000) and Central America & the Caribbean (2001). Family accounts for all 142 bird families recorded from the region.

Africa 174

Africa Botswana Nigeria Namibia 174

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Approximately 2,300 bird species inhabit Africa, however as impressive as that sounds, much smaller South America boasts nearly 1,000 species more. Madagascar’s mammals are equally remarkable; over 100 species of endearing lemurs and bizarre carnivores amongst them!

Papua New Guinea 227

Papua New Guinea Madagascar Africa Equatorial Guinea 227

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2018

The Miami-Dade County Commission approved development of ‘the largest shopping mall in North America’ with a vote of 9-1 last week. This fragile ecosystem is home to 344 feathered species, 300 fish species (salt- and freshwater), 50 species of reptiles, 40 mammal species, and 36 listed species (threatened and/or protected).

Miami 144

Miami Las Vegas Alligators Minnesota 144

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

If a list also shows the status for each species, birders on their way to Costa Rica would realize that they shouldn’t really expect vireos with white eyes nor blue heads (but would hopefully know that they should very much report those species on eBird so local birders can chase them!). Toucan species with new names.

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Birds Owls South America 202

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2020

The authors are Bianca Lopez ( The New School ), Emily Minor ( University of Illinois at Chicago ), and Andrew Crooks ( George Mason University ), and the article is “ Insights into human-wildlife interactions in cities from bird sightings recorded online.”. Why are birds a good proxy for broader human-wildlife interactions?

Chicago 279

Chicago Research Illinois Michigan 279

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2018

In 1850, the Passenger Pigeon ( Ectopistes migratorius ) was the most abundant bird in North America and possibly the world. Lacey of Iowa introduced the nation’s first wildlife-protection law, which banned the interstate shipping of unlawfully killed game. People don’t respect wildlife. A newly created U.S.

Hunting 113

Hunting Hunters Gorillas Wolves 113

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

Both Puerto Rico and the USVI have active birding communities that are currently excluded from full membership in the ABA family. The USVI are smaller and have fewer habitats and, as a result, fewer bird species. All Americans Should be Full Members of the ABA Family. Because it is much larger, this will focus on Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico 160

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 160

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2013

Now you know why the most numerous and widespread of the two swan species in North America used to be known as the Whistling Swan. That is where I found this group of nearly 100 Tundra Swans northeast of the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge as they flew in to the flooded agricultural fields.

California 108

California South Dakota Sacramento North America 108

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

.* So, it’s a good thing that Ediciones Nuevos Mundo, the publishing arm of The Friendship Association, published Endemic Birds of Cuba: A Comprehensive Guide by Nils Navarro, Cuban wildlife artist and naturalist , earlier this year. Navarro’s exceptional drawings illustrate the species accounts. Forty-eight species.

Cuba 236

Cuba Birds United States 2000 236

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2017

According to Reedman , murre is the old Cornish world for a Razorbill , and eventually became a vernacular term for alcids more broadly; murrelet, then, makes simple sense as a name for the smaller members of the family. Fish and Wildlife Service. Some murrelets are named for their styling. The Japanese Murrelet , well.

North America 115

North America Science Collecting Fish 115

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2013

That family name Troglodytidae has now come to mean a barbarian, but way back when it just meant “cave-dweller” This is another reference to their more or less reclusive nature and tendency for the birds to forage in dark places and crevices. But for those of us in the Americas, the cup runs over with species of Troglodytes.

Jordan 203

Jordan Birds North America Tenant 203

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

We spent two blissful days exploring both the waders and wildlife of Lake Yojoa and the tropical splendor of PANACAM Lodge. Since he first started walking his property, he’s located a slew of species so exciting that birders are starting to turn up at his doorstep. But our adventurous group, led by Oliver Komar and Yobani A.

Honduras 144

Honduras Birds Farming America 144

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2011

I was fortunate enough to spot the individual in this post at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where it was foraging in bushes and small trees between four and fifteen off of the ground. The Cape May Warbler is considered a Species of Least Concern by Birdlife International because of its large range and large and stable population.

Tigers 159

Tigers United States Jamaica Pennsylvania 159

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

One such controversial bird is the Veraguan Mango , a small hummingbird species that was, until very recently, believed to be a Panamanian endemic. Veraguan Mango by Carlos Bethancourt Although the Neotropical region supports fewer bird families than Africa, there are considerably more bird species here than anywhere else on earth.

Panama 213

Panama Costa Rica 2011 Cleveland 213

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

First published in 1973 in association with the Asa Wright Center, the book focuses on species descriptions, with illustrations grouped together in plates positioned in the center of the book. It is organized taxonomically, with families identified by first scientific and then popular name. The AOU has not accepted that split.

Trinidad 201

Trinidad Birds South America Research 201

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2011

For native people, living in South America meant living with hummingbirds, and for Europeans, discovering South American meant discovering hummingbirds (and, tragically, exploiting South America meant exploiting hummingbirds, destroying hundreds of thousands for stuffed specimens and in futile attempts to keep them alive in captivity.)

South America 157

South America New York Alaska America 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2014

I had taken the short drive to the park to search for a family of American Dippers sighted near the visitor center by a fellow birder a few days before. I didn’t know what species of woodpecker it was, but I knew it was just in the clearing on the other side of the road. It was July of 2012. It was a cool 48 degrees.

Woodpeckers 173

Woodpeckers California South Dakota Chad 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

We saw a smaller member of the potoo family, Northern Potoo , Nyctibius jamaicensis , at Cuero y Salado Wildlife Refuge, boating and birding the Salado River. Our group got to see another species that is a master of camouflage on our trip for the Honduran Emerald. Later on, we saw a second one that was actually moving!

Honduras 254

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 254

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

The Crossley ID Guide: Waterfowl covers every residential, migrating, vagrant, exotic, and introduced swan, goose, dabbling and diving duck in North America (Canada and the United States): 62 Species Accounts on four swan species and one vagrant subspecies; 15 goose species; 46 duck species; plus accounts for hybrid geese, ducks and exotics.

Ducks 122

Ducks North America Geese Hunters 122

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Getting to know the subtleties in differences between closely related species takes years of dedication and practice. Thirdly, many species of shorebirds display such vast differences in their summer and winter plumages that it is always interesting to note how some birds in the same flock are in contrasting stages of plumage.

Florida 196

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 196

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2011

Fish and Wildlife Service desperately needs your feedback as they craft a new vision for our National Wildlife Refuge System. The results will inform a vision document to be adopted in July 2011 at a national conference to guide the NWR system for wildlife protection into the next decade and beyond.

2011 140

2011 Wildlife Birds Deer 140

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

of Fish and Wildlife Commissioner Jon Gassett has indicated that if enough people write in protest, the proposed hunting season–due to start this December– will be reconsidered. Hunting is on a steady downturn, and nonconsumptive wildlife pursuits are on a tremendous upswing. We can fight them back in Kentucky, too.

2011 252

2011 Kentucky Tennessee Hunting 252

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Today we are looking at two species that can be difficult to separate under typical field conditions. I tried on a purist attitude and chose not to ID the species. To answer this quiz, please do NOT indicate the species of either bird. Extra Credit: Tell us all how you separate these two species (I need the help!).

2011 124

2011 North America Deer America 124

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2011

Costa Rica enjoys an international reputation as an iconic birding location, bursting with epic Neotropical species and breathtaking natural attractions. Zamora Estate protects acres of unspoiled habitat within one of the fastest growing sections of San Jose, a holding that has sustained four generations of the Zamora family.

Costa Rica 172

Costa Rica San Jose Sanctuary Protection 172

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2013

Private property holders with prairie/agricultural land can potentially make a big difference in maintaining and recovering populations of many of these charismatic species. Aside from being one of our best-looking birds, Golden-winged Warblers are one of North America’s most imperiled warblers. Shocking, I know.

United States 159

United States Protection Endangered Species North America 159

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 14, 2011

Long before I moved in New Zealand, or visited or even knew much about the wildlife here, way back then I knew about the Poor Knights. The Poor Knights certainly lived up to their reputation, and to my mind are arguably an essential stop on a visit to New Zealand, even if you only came looking for wildlife of the feathered kind.

New Zealand 184

New Zealand Belize Vanuatu Fish 184

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

Thankfully the days of visiting Africa purely for slaughtering its wildlife have mostly come to a merciful end, and safari operators have adopted the Big Five term to market tours that offer sightings of the fortunate remanants of Africa’s once teeming great herds.

Buffalo 209

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 209

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2019

I birded parks, landfills, fields, backyards, skies, oceans, lakes, ponds, and roads in 15 states–some familiar haunts and patches, some as part of family visits, some while passing through, some adventures with friends (three trips with N.J. In the meantime, it’s a good topic for holiday family gatherings. ” [[link].

2018 163

2018 New Jersey Michigan North Dakota 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

As she has done for many years and with more than twenty species, she adopted a baby bird, a blue jay. The latest and delightfullest in this genre is Saving Jemima: Life and Love with a Hard-luck Jay. To readers and to baby birds, its author, Julie Zickefoose, is a treasure.

Ohio 146

Ohio Adoptable Emotional 2019 146