10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2014

From a birder’s perspective however, this is both a shame and a blessing, as I will show below based on my observations of the species on the island of Java in November. The prinias are a group of around 25 Old World warbler species found in Africa and Asia. The Brown Prinia is an Asian species with a very peculiar range.

Burma 163

Burma Laos Birds Indonesia 163

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 30, 2013

Also known as the Flyeater, this tiny bird is the only representative of the Australasian warbler family found in mainland Asia, and very similar to my own Grey Warblers in New Zealand, even their songs. It’s actually a surprisingly nice location and one you can ge a lot of great birds that are hard to get elsewhere in Thailand.

Thailand 104

Thailand New Zealand Family Bats 104

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. I used to live in Botswana, where there are about 450 bird species in an area a few dozen miles from the capital; then somewhat naively moved back to Serbia with mere 250 species around the capital.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2013

At the time this post goes live I’ll be wandering around Hong Hong in a bemused state of mind trying to identify not only the native birds but the multitude of other species released by the inhabitants into the area. The Brown-headed Gull is a bird of Asia, breeding from Turkmenistan to Mongolia, and winters along the coasts of Asia.

Turkmenistan 157

Turkmenistan Mongolia Asia Europe 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 196

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 196

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Carlos chose a pigeon that pretty much everyone should want to see: My best bird of the year came right at the beginning of January as I was wrapping up my travels in Thailand. Apart from being an incredibly exciting bird, this is a species I had longed to see since my first trip to southern Africa way back in 1991.

2014 202

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 202

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2019

In such a case, you might opt to book an eastbound flight, or a series of flights, from Lisbon to Sao Tome and Principe, Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, then Sri Lanka, Thailand, Borneo, PNG, Tahiti, Ecuador, Guyana and finally to Costa Rica…. The main island of Sao Tome has about 100 species and 17 endemics among them. for savanna species.

Costa Rica 201

Costa Rica Sri Lanka Rwanda Papua New Guinea 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2019

Some of those “statistical errors” came as surprises to me, e.g. Cuba, Bolivia, Uganda, Sri Lanka, Thailand (this is also a clear message to their tourism boards to invest more into promoting avitourism). If I were answering those same questions, my answers would probably be Ecuador, Uganda and Thailand. What would be your choices?

Papua New Guinea 214

Papua New Guinea America Costa Rica Sri Lanka 214

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2019

Perhaps you don’t know it yet, but with more than 1000 bird species, palm-fringed sandy beaches, developed tourism infrastructure, moderate prices and political stability, Thailand is a country you definitively want to visit. Among them are 20 endemics and near-endemics, and 58 vagrant species. And what do you need to pack?

Thailand 204

Thailand Zambia Birds Asia 204

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2012

And, to give his dream year a little more oomph, he created a grand once-in-a-lifetime goal: to track down and see every pitta species in the world in one year. I get my own idea of the lunacy of Gooddie’s quest when I talk to a friend who has birded Asia and Africa. I’m reading a book about a man who is doing a Pitta Big Year,” I say.

Hunters 207

Hunters Sri Lanka Asia Solomon Islands 207

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2012

On the way I managed to sneak in a manic day of birding in and around the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. The flowerpecker, an attractive species, was actually responsible for Peter becoming a birder in the first place! Our next species was decidedly uncommon, a Black-headed Ibis circled overhead for a minute before flying off.

Thailand 156

Thailand New Zealand Terrapins Asia 156

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2021

I already had Nordmann’s on my life list from a single sighting of two birds in coastal Thailand back in 1995. To underline the mystery of this species in 2019 a Nordmann nest was discovered; the first in 40 years! In south east Asia, the birds are tied to the estuarine habitat and are recognised as crab specialists.

Australia 264

Australia 2019 Thailand Russia 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

I don’t remember where I first learned about Elizabeth Gould–possibly when I was birding Doi Angkhang, Thailand and saw a stunning little bird named Mrs. Gould’s Sunbird–but I have been fascinated by her story and her art for the past five years.

Australia 210

Australia Birds Europe Collecting 210

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2020

Will the threatened species make it through if there are no birding tourists to make those birds and their habitats valuable to local people just the way they are (as opposed to tropical timber)? Here’s an example: in 2015, American birder Noah Strycker broke the global Big Year record with 6042 recorded species. Thailand 1065 18.

Uganda 261

Uganda Bolivia Ecuador Indonesia 261

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2011

The world of birding is filled with challenging groups well known to all, birds like gulls , Empidonax flycatchers or cisticolas that require attention to the tiniest details in order to assign an individual to a specific species (if it can be done at all). Subspecies humii , Thailand. Above we have an example of the species.

Samoa 175

Samoa Vanuatu United Arab Emirates Tonga 175