10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2013

As you enter Lassen Volcanic National Park’s northern entrance the first thing you see along the right side of the road is Manzanita Lake with Mount Lassen in the background. White-headed Woodpecker Male. Yah, another western species. The female White-headed Woodpecker looks like the male without the red occipital patch.

Woodpeckers 154

Woodpeckers North America America Eggs 154

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2023

It covers 403 species: 172 nonpasserine species and 231 passerine species in the Species Accounts, 198 species beautifully illustrated by the author in the Plates section. The scarcity of information on the young of some avian species is astounding. and three of the nine woodpeckers illustrated.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 256

Wildlife Rehabilitation Birds Family Collecting 256

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. Foothill Rainforest! One of those shy antbirds.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2020

One of the ways I could describe the unique mix of birds I can see here in southwestern Mexico, would be to divide our species into five categories. The invasive species are few, but, unfortunately, very numerous. But there is a final group of species here, about which I have not written very much.

Mexico 193

Mexico Birds Honduras United States 193

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2020

Plus a few truly difficult species. Sure, it is an introduced species in Germany. But the Kentish Plover was sheltering its young under its body, and the Little Ringed Plover was incubating an egg — right in the middle of downtown Madrid! Iberian Green Woodpecker, Madrid, Spain. Mandarin Ducks, Munich, Germany.

Austria 147

Austria Spain 2019 Birds 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2014

Mountain Chickadees ( Poecile gambeli ) are a conspicuous cavity nester and one of the 96 species of birds that nest in Lassen Volcanic National Park. They are mainly year-round residents of montane coniferous forests of western North America, primarily in areas dominated by pine, spruce-fir, and piñon-juniper.

North America 172

North America Woodpeckers America Rights 172

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 191

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 191

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2015

And it did so in spectacular fashion, in the form of a mixed-species feeding flock, or a bird wave. They are large groups of birds of all different kinds of species. Cardinal Woodpecker. Bird waves are a feature of birds all around the world. And a large flock can also scare up insects that might otherwise be missed.

South Africa 145

South Africa Tortoises Woodpeckers Birds 145

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2019

The Tierra Caliente, or as biologists prefer to call it, the Río Balsas Basin, is a biological island that shares its very large number of endemic species with the more southern Oaxaca Valley. As a birder, I was eager to find the quickest ways to reach these species from my home. I don’t have to tell you which sparrow is which!

Mexico 114

Mexico Birds Nevada Sparrows 114

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2019

With forest on two sides and the expansive Eglin Air Force Base reservation just beyond, avian species have a host of hiding and eating opportunities. I stitched away as I watched the Red-bellied Woodpecker scatter the smaller Chipping Sparrows and Carolina Chickadees as it glided down for a few seed morsels. In my backyard?

Agenda 140

Agenda Birds Louisiana North America 140

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2019

Confusion is exactly the problem when the topic of bird names arises… and it always arises, particularly when trying to reconcile for a new birder the disparity between what a certain species is called and what it actually is. Too many birds are named for people or locations only loosely associated with a species. Well, no more!

Birds 113

Birds Woodpeckers Ducks Suffering 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

In the late nineteenth century, Eugene Schieffelin, a wealthy New York drug manufacturer, resolved to introduce to North America every species of bird mentioned in the works of William Shakespeare. Our native bluebirds, woodpeckers, owls, and flycatchers have paid the price of bardophilia ever since. Those wacky pharmacists.

New York City 192

New York City New York North America Species 192

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2017

Costa Rica’s winning combination of small size and distinct habitats makes it possible to connect with species as different as Snowcap, Crested Owl, White-throated Magpie-Jay , and glittering tanagers in a matter of thirty-six short hours, even quicker if you push your luck (and your vehicle). aka Tiny Cool Kingfisher.

Costa Rica 142

Costa Rica Owls Birds Eagles 142

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

Lovely Cotinga is the flagship species at Pico Bonito, where it is perhaps easier to see than anywhere else within its range. More than 400 species have been recorded at the lodge to date. Central American Pygmy-Owl is another key species at the lodge. However, for me, there were birds to be seen. Photo by James Adams.

Honduras 163

Honduras Monkeys Birds America 163

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

Before finally connecting to the South American continent about three million years ago, Central America consisted of a series of volcanic islands. Many Nearctic species and families reach their southern terminus in the Northern Central American Highlands, such as Common Raven , Red Crossbill , Steller’s Jay , and even Brown Creeper.

Honduras 214

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 214

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

Diversity of habitat means, of course, great biodiversity, and the Introduction boasts that Bolivia “is the richest landlocked nation on Earth for bird diversity, the sixth richest overall, and the fifth richest in the Americas” (p. That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! ″ x 9.5″x

Bolivia 173

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2015

I hoped to see warblers, warblers, warblers, plus classic northeastern species I had had no opportunity to look for while living in North Carolina. It is a known birding hotspot, hosting sub-boreal species as well as rare birds, like the Black-backed Woodpecker. As its name implies, we were gazing at a true boreal species!

Birds 158

Birds North Carolina North America Woodpeckers 158

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

The Red-breasted Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus ruber ) and the Red-naped Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus nuchalis ) were considered different forms of the Yellow-bellied Sapsucker ( Sphyrapicus varius ) until 1983 when they were split into separate species. The bird shown above arrived at my house at the end of October, a new species for my yard list!

North America 161

North America Alaska Woodpeckers 2010 161

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

I purchased my first Sibley— The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America —in 2003. A guide that feels so right in my hands? David Sibley notes in the Introduction that the order has been changed in some places so similar species could be placed next to each other for comparison purposes.

North America 160

North America 2003 Birds America 160

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

Thanks to fortunate foresight, a lot of land was set aside in Costa Rica as national parks and protected areas (and some of these are easily accessed) but the best forest still happens to be at the terminus of the road and en route, you will be treated to species deficit birding in plenty of pastures.

Costa Rica 244

Costa Rica San Jose Sharks Monkeys 244

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2012

The species was extinct, a vanished part of the vanishing prairie — and not for the first time. John Bachmann headed west to gather material for Viviparous Quadrupeds of North America. You couldn’t see it. Somewhere around the Platte River one of the Audubon boys received a black-footed hide from a fur trader.

Ferrets 184

Ferrets South Dakota Wyoming Captive Animal 184

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.

South America 151

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 151

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2019

But history doesn’t seem to have recorded which species of bird first dared to land on an electrical wire. In North America, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service estimates that up to 57 million birds perish every year in collisions with electrical utility lines. Barnacles as compose. Yet they are ours. We made them.

United States 117

United States Game North America New York City 117

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

August arrived and I was releasing birds knowing they’d need time to adapt prior to making that long flight across the Gulf of Mexico, headed to South America. But lets see … I’d say one of my most memorable releases is that of a Purple Martin , a species of special concern in California. He pounded away on my hands.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 221

Wildlife Rehabilitation Ohio Tulsa West Virginia 221

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

One of the perks about living in Miami is that plane tickets to the bird-rich Caribbean, Central, and South America are often cheaper than going to places like Arizona, Colorado, or California. I made my way to the coast to Hotel Jamaican Colors just north of Manchioneal for the night having seen 23 of my target species already.

Jamaica 179

Jamaica Puerto Rico 2013 Birds 179

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2015

Fernandina’s Flicker, a tongue-twisting alliterative name for one of the most endangered woodpeckers in the world! Navarro’s exceptional drawings illustrate the species accounts. Forty-eight species. Bee Hummingbird, the smallest hummingbird in the world! Cuban Black Hawk, split in 2007 from Common Black Hawk!

Cuba 230

Cuba Birds United States 2000 230

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2012

I have been a fan of the Kaufman Guides since I bought the Field Guide to Butterflies of North America , for a birds and butterflies trip to Colorado. Kaufman guides are colorful and well-designed and convenient, just the right size and weight to slip into a backpack or even a pocket.

Massachusetts 207

Massachusetts North America Rhode Island Ohio 207

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

So, the 49 subject species include birds with interesting family behaviors that we might not see every day (Cedar Waxwing, Great Blue Heron, Peregrine Falcon), migrant songbirds (Tree and Barn Swallows, House Wren), and common, everyday birds (Northern Cardinal, Downy Woodpecker, and, yes, Rock Pigeon). Egg biology, from Part I.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Manky Muscovy Ducks Manky Muscovy Ducks By Mike • March 2, 2011 • 6 comments Tweet Share The Muscovy Duck ( Cairina moschata ) attracts more attention than most ducks, at least in North America. Wicked, right?

Ducks 217

Ducks 2011 Deer New York 217

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2024

Being a westerner — raised in California, and now living in western Mexico — I was perhaps most excited about the migratory birds that breed in eastern North America. This was only my fourth encounter with the species (all on the east side). Although, truth be told, this species does seem to be a rarity in Tabasco.)

Mexico 194

Mexico Birds Raccoons Baltimore 194

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

In the right season, with a little luck, we often find it, and sometimes it perches high and long enough that we can admire its scimitar of a bill, its stern face pattern, and even the patch of rusty red on the undertail that gives the species its English and its scientific names. Wicked, right? at Princeton University in 1990.

2011 140

2011 Tucson Arizona Deer 140

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

Bufflehead are the smallest of North America’s diving ducks. They breed across Canada and Alaska’s boreal forest near ponds and lakes, using nest holes made by woodpeckers, almost exclusively flickers. Wicked, right? In winter most head to the coasts though some stay inland on open water. Hat-tip to Stella.

2011 150

2011 Ducks Deer New York 150

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

Over 3,200 photographs have been used, most showing species in their habitats. There is also text, distribution maps, a dark red bar “warning” about similar looking rare species, and conservation symbols. plus a chapter on “Vagrant landbirds from North America.” The design focuses attention on the photographs.

Ireland 143

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 143

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2011

Lewis’s Woodpecker ( Melanerpes lewis ) In Flight, photos by Larry Jordan Driving home from work last week I finally saw my first Lewis’s Woodpecker ( Melanerpes lewis ) of the fall. Lucky for me, these beautiful and unusual woodpeckers can be found nearly year round in the oak savannah along the road I travel daily.

Woodpeckers 202

Woodpeckers South Dakota Jordan United States 202

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 189

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2012

This post is old news to those who pay attention to what I say on Facebook but I am still pleased as punch to point out that I have finally reached the 500-bird milestone in the American Birding Association area (basically North America north of Mexico). How did I finally reach this lofty peak?

San Marino 105

San Marino Los Angeles Birds Laws 105

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2011

Having never been to Brazil I can’t possibly speak as an expert in terms of what birds are covered or how well species that I have never seen are depicted. The species accounts are written by Robert Ridgely, one of the premiere neotropical ornithologists, and a veteran at writing excellent field guides. Talk about a win-win!

Brazil 201

Brazil Wildlife 2011 Birds 201