10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2019

When we first landed here in Tucson, Arizona, fate worked her magic, and one of the first people I met was Luke Safford. Luke is a coordinator with the Tucson Audubon Society, and was incredibly helpful with getting my feet on the ground, as far as South East Arizona Birding. Open to the public seven days a week, with about 1.75

Tucson 114

Tucson Arizona Sanctuary Virginia 114

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2019

Another friend recently commented that while she loved all forms of birds, owls were, well, just something special! I drove past, not wanting to spook them, and then tried to figure out where to park, to get the best use of the early light, back ground, and bird location. This is a look at the man-made burrow openings.

Owls 161

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 161

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2019

As we march ever closer to the end of 2019, I continue to marvel at the number of birds that pass thru, or reside in this relatively small area. After an extensive year of travel in 2018, I have mainly focused on Pima County and the Tucson area for my birding.

Arizona 117

Arizona Tucson 2018 2019 117

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2012

This is Arizona This is Arizona This is Arizona! Our friends at Swarovski Optik organized a Birding Social Media Summit to discuss the many ways in which birding and socal media intersect. We saw lots and lots of drool-worthy birds through jaw-dropping optics in breathtaking locations.

Arizona 170

Arizona Tucson North America Texas 170

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2017

It’s a well-known fact that southeast Arizona in summer is awesome. My first birding trip ever was to Arizona. I saw a lot of birds, learned a lot about birding (including the fact that I had lousy binoculars), and gained good birder friends. But, it was the Curve-billed Thrashers that were my bird of the morning.

Arizona 103

Arizona Lovebirds Phoenix New Jersey 103

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2021

As devoted readers of 10,000 Birds know , the writers contribute checklists to a joint eBird account called the “ 10,000 Birds Collaborative.”. The state with the largest increase was Arizona , with 139 species added. Every month, Redgannet summarizes the checklists, providing an updated life list, year list, and country list.

United States 212

United States West Virginia Puerto Rico Minnesota 212

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2023

But does ChatGPT have even a rudimentary understanding of a niche topic like birding? I asked it a few questions about birding locations and the (unedited) results are below, along with some brief analysis. Please note that the availability of specific bird species may vary depending on the season.

United States 162

United States Michigan Texas Virginia 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2021

We here at 10,000 Birds dedicated the month of February to highlighting a variety of birding tourism companies, destinations, and guides. After all, there are a lot more birding tourism operators who we haven’t posted about yet! Birding Experiences. Bird Uganda Safaris. Birding Expeditions.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Uganda Greece Ghana 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 17, 2022

We might have limited space but we make up for it with a massive amount of biodiversity including well over 900 bird species on the official Costa Rica bird list. With good reason, lots of birders visit Costa Rica and we also have a good sized local birding community. However, the latest addition wasn’t any of these.

Costa Rica 228

Costa Rica Latvia Albatross Netherlands 228

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

North America is home to many amazing bird species, including several which require a special effort to see and appreciate. These birds also invite one to sites that are unique within the United States – the climate, vegetation, and landscapes all add context and heighten the experience of seeing one’s first Elegant Trogon or Painted Bunting.

America 264

America Arizona North America United States 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2019

South East Arizona is known for some truly amazing birding, and another one of the specialties that this area is known for is the Sulphur-bellied Flycatcher – Myiodynasters luteiventris. Just another great reason to plan at trip to South East Arizona! Just another great reason to plan at trip to South East Arizona!

Tucson 156

Tucson Arizona Birds 156

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2022

I’m not quite sure where I was at the time, probably working, and it was six more years till I got my state Henslow’s Sparrow at Shawangunk NWR (a shorter drive and a more cooperative bird). She frames her story with first a Doonesbury comic strip (remember Dick Davenport, the bird watcher?)

Birds 264

Birds Sparrows Connecticut New York 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2019

Now that Jeanne and I have settled here in Tucson, Arizona, we have been questioned by our friends dozens of times….Why 10 countries, over 1300 bird species, and now I have limited my various twitches to just one county, Pima, which pretty much surrounds the greater Tucson Arizona. Why Tucson? I want to establish a base here.

Tucson 113

Tucson Arizona Birds Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2021

Birds of Colombia (Lynx and BirdLife International Field Guides) by Steven L. Hilty “Sadly, a few specimens, salvaged from these shipments, were so rare that they have never been found in the wild”, an unexpected sentence in Steven Hilty’s introduction to the Birds of Colombia touched a sentiment deep inside me. Neither have I.)

Colombia 264

Colombia South America 2000 Birds 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2022

At the end of 2022, let us celebrate the local field guide, a sub-genre that many of us feared would die, the victim of technology, development, and globalization, but which still shines bright, fewer in number but brilliant in quality, thanks to birders and birding organizations that believe in knowing your patch and your state.

Los Angeles 210

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 210

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2022

Thank you, goddess of birding luck and text group people).* My inner self felt stuck in an area between disbelief and total joy and the voices near me were echoing this state of mind: “Oh My God,” “I never thought I would see this bird,” “Look at that bill!” “How did that bird get here?”

Birds 263

Birds Compassion Eagles Science 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The chapter titles of Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds represent both ends of the spectrum: “A World Full of Poisons,” “Malaria,” “Forest Intruders,” “Lead Shock,” “Shot.” Conservation. It’s not easy.

California Condor 190

California Condor Falcons California Birds 190

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2015

Now this is only a personal suspicion, but I reckon that the birds of the Sonoran Desert have set up candid cameras and are getting their Youtube footage by enticing birders close enough to the cholla bushes for the spiked fruit to make the leap onto their innocent carriers. Birding Arizona Cactus Wren Sonoran Desert'

Phoenix 178

Phoenix Arizona Kittens Birds 178

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2019

Most birders that have spent any amount of time chasing down our fine feathered friends have learned that most cities waste treatment facilities are incredible magnets for many species of birds. One of the small cities south of Tucson Arizona, Amado, has a very small pond, right along highway 19, also known as the Nogales Highway.

Pelicans 164

Pelicans Tucson Arizona Groups 164

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2019

Fast becoming one of my all time “Go To” spots, Florida Canyon, just a few miles north of Madera Canyon has yielded yet another great bird. As you might know, Bushtits could possibly hold the record for all time “Most Hyperactive Bird” as they just never sit still. This bird was a Bushtit, but it turned out to be the Black-eared form.

Florida 113

Florida Arizona 2014 Texas 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2019

When you think of Southeast Arizona Birding, and the unique birds that can be found there, it conjures thoughts of roadrunners, hummingbirds, trogons, and the many other desert residents. With close to 30 avid birders all gathered around the one sycamore tree, I am pretty sure the bird was ready for some peace and quiet.

Tucson 146

Tucson Arizona Florida Rights 146

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2019

Now that Jeanne and I have finally settled on Tucson, Arizona at least for a while, I will pick up where I left off at the end of 2018. Arizona, specifically the South East portion of the state, will be my “beat” for the rest of this year. This bird’s arrival sent ripples thru the bird world all across the country.

Arizona 144

Arizona Tucson Florida 2018 144

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

In September, I had the fantastic opportunity to travel to an increasingly popular destination for birding: Honduras. Chris Lotz, the owner of the international bird tour company Birding Ecotours , invited me to join him on a familiarization trip that included several highland sites as well as Pico Bonito Lodge.

Honduras 226

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 226

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

Birders know that some of the finest birding locations in the country are on federal land , which include national parks , wildlife refuges , forests , monuments , and seashores , among others. These lands support countless birds, either year-round, as migratory stopovers, or as breeding grounds. But what else should birders know?

Virgin Islands 224

Virgin Islands Alaska United States Endangered Species 224

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

American White Pelicans spend their winter months along the Gulf states, California, parts of Arizona, and Mexico down into Central America. I’m talking, of course, about “my” flock of American White Pelicans. They migrate north through the Western United States, breeding in pockets all the way up through Canada.

Pelicans 242

Pelicans United States Canada Arizona 242

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2013

After nearly a week of traveling through Arizona’s very dry southeastern corner, I decided to make a detour to Flagstaff for a change of pace, a change of scenery, and a chance at seeing an assortment of birds more typical of the Great Basin than the Sierra Madre of Mexico. Birding Trips Flagstaff woodpecker'

Arizona 140

Arizona Woodpeckers Phoenix Birds 140

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2020

Yes, it’s the same species that so many North American birders have looked for around the San Pedro River (myself included) and like those Arizona birds, our urban Gray Hawks likewise use riparian zones. The bird was nice enough to stay for at least 30 minutes, drying off as best it could during intermittent stormy weather.

Costa Rica 308

Costa Rica Mice Arizona Squirrels 308

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

For example, this is really the only time of year I get excited about cardinals, at least if they are from Arizona. The good news for those of us who like both birds and sports is that a team with an avian avatar looks likely to make it to the Super Bowl again. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

2014 177

2014 Arizona Jamaica Birds 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2022

states — all but Florida, Texas, Arizona, and California. And it means that it is getting harder and harder to find FOY birds. I go there on Mondays to see birds, feeling thankful that most other Morelians only go there on the weekends. But then, there is still not that much competition here.

Mexico 200

Mexico Arizona Horses Texas 200

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2019

Rarely does the name Madera Canyon come up without most North American birders taking pause to recognize the importance to birding in the Southwest U.S. Madera Canyon is a large area, with over 20 different hot spots and some amazing diversity of birds. Most days you will get a good look at the Arizona Woodpecker.

Arizona 146

Arizona Woodpeckers Turkey Sparrows 146

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. This 90 acre lake, managed by Arizona Fish and Wildlife is about a 45 mile drive from Tucson, and 9 miles from Mexico, as the Chihuahuan Raven flies.

Mexico 135

Mexico Tucson Arizona Ducks 135

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2020

The NYC owls have little to do with the book in front of me except that it too is about birds and people. The 26 essays in When Birds Are Near are all about the real-life and emotional spaces where people overlap with birds. The essays range widely in place, bird, and voice, though the emphasis is on the North American.

New York City 198

New York City Birds Owls Fox 198

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2012

Tucson, AZ, August 2012 – When you get a bunch of bird bloggers together, which you do you imagine comes first: birds or blogs? Hot Mallards , both pure and manky Spanish speakers can trust that Agua Caliente is aptly named, but the birds can be as hot as the water. Where else can you see something like that?!

Tucson 154

Tucson Arizona North America Sparrows 154

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. Think Arizona meets Costa Rica with a Mexican twist. Photo by Andrew Spencer.

Mexico 201

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 201

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2019

Although sometimes thought of a bird of the Southwest, the condor’s historical range reaches as far north as British Columbia. The population in Arizona, Utah, and Nevada was designated as such in 1996 , before the first release from Vermilion Cliffs National Monument in Arizona. appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

California Condor 233

California Condor California Endangered Species Oregon 233

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2017

It is not always obvious which side of a bird-related conservation lawsuit is the right side. Audubon thought there should be some wild condors to serve as “guide birds” for condors that would eventually be released from the captive breeding program. As many birders know, the last wild California Condors were captured by the U.S.

California Condor 108

California Condor California District of Columbia Utah 108

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

Since 2016, writers at 10,000 Birds have been contributing checklists to a joint eBird account called the “10,000 Birds Collaborative.” The writers at 10,000 Birds span the globe, but I am particularly interested in the lists for the United States, as that is my “beat.” For the United States, there is also a state list.

Rhode Island 114

Rhode Island United States West Virginia Puerto Rico 114