10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2020

The prospect of identifying a certain number of species in a given amount of time pushes us to pay more attention to birds no matter what the circumstances (although I suggest keeping the exclamations about species identifications to yourself during such solemn situations as funerals, graduations, and watching episodes of The Sopranos).

Costa Rica 260

Costa Rica 2020 Morals Farming 260

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

These arid hills, cloaked in a mosaic of deciduous scrub and desert vegetation, form a northern outpost for several Neotropical species while also harboring several key endemics and southwestern Nearctic species. I had point blank life views of this tricky species from within a few feet. Lesser Roadrunner with a cicada.

Mexico 191

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 191

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2017

Birds with white on them are much more likely to take the form of goodies like the Snowy Cotinga , or two species of tityras. In Costa Rica, even the super shy Slaty-backed Forest-Falcon is seen more often than the island pigeon with the snow-white cap. The Bat Falcon that joined us for breakfast. .

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica San Jose Bats Birds 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2019

As with any home inhabited by birders, we have kept track of all species heard or seen, night and day. The farm would have even more birds if not for the bio-diminishing blend of poison and monoculture but the adjacent hedgerow does support quite a few species especially when the figs and other trees are in flower or draped with fruit.

Costa Rica 156

Costa Rica Barn Owls Birds Parrots 156

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2011

But the jawbone…that was from a bat! Oehlenschlager apologized that he couldn’t say the exact species of bat. It was either a big brown bat or a hoary bat. Oehlenschlager said that because two teeth were missing, he couldn’t give a positive id on the bat.

Bats 203

Bats Dissection Owls Minnesota 203

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2019

In an unhurried half-day of birding, we racked up over 90 species, including killers like Denham’s Bustard , Northern Carmine-throated Bee-eater , and Shelley’s Rufous Sparrow. Plus, the food, service, and accommodations meet the highest standards. How is birding in Murchison Falls, you ask? Mind boggling, I answer!

Uganda 185

Uganda Senegal Africa Game 185

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2016

One website I found suggested a few others that may be true but I hadn’t encountered before, are young cranes actually called colts, or falcons eyas? They may be, but the names haven’t caught on. Jackbirds are young South Island Saddlebacks.

New Zealand 104

New Zealand Parrots Rats Bats 104

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2017

If not, I hope the following tips will convince you to come on down to this easy birding paradise: 100s of bird species are closer than you think. I know, there are literally hundreds of birds in the ABA region and the Western Palearctic too and recent major Big Years have nabbed well over 700 species in the ABA. Yes, hundreds.

Costa Rica 114

Costa Rica 2017 Birds West Virginia 114

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2012

Other species I was looking forward to as possibilities included Anhingas , Magnificent Frigatebirds , and seeing as the sun was supposed to shine, some raptors soaring. Creatures like another species of monkey, White-headed Capuchin , Cebus capucinus , which are also known as White-faced Capuchins.

Honduras 158

Honduras Wildlife Monkeys Transported 158

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 16, 2021

We have nearly 930 species on the official list and with some effort, 700 in a year is a feasible goal. Laughing Falcon – Herpetotheres cachinnans; Tirimbina, 9-Jan. Bat Falcon – Falco rufigularis; Tirimbina, 9-Jan. After all, Costa Rica is no small player on the world birding stage.

Costa Rica 160

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

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. Alex also masterfully worked another tricky species into view for us during that first afternoon, Ruddy Crake (a close relative of the Black Rail ).

Honduras 213

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 213

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2022

8 of them sent 153 lists, noting 645 species of bird across 7 countries (Mexico, UK, USA, Serbia, Australia, Costa Rica, Colombia). It has not resulted in extraordinary numbers of sightings personally, but the beats have been busy on their respective patches and have sent me their lists to collate. The year list finishes at 1628.

Sparrows 230

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Owls 230

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2015

The best bird was one lovely Common Chiffchaff that was very hard to locate in the thick crown of an old juniper tree, followed by one mysterious small falcon. In all that swirling of swallows, I am not certain was there a third species, so I keep watching. It disappeared behind a tree in a split second, showing me only its back view.

Greece 252

Greece Pelicans Geese Breeding 252

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2018

He quickly starts pointing our different species that are all around us, with exceptional and obvious knowledge. Here is one of the Laughing Falcons. Even with what I consider to be two completely lost days, the numbers are as follows: Little Big Year species – 1141. Costa Rica species – 273.

Costa Rica 113

Costa Rica Falcons Mexico Groups 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

Finally, the Similan Islands are perhaps one of the most beautiful islands in the world and form a stunning backdrop to this species, one of the loveliest pigeons in the world. 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 187

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 187

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2021

The year list ends on a provisional 1803 species from 1608 checklists submitted by 12 beats from 16 countries. Most species-prolific was Patrick in Costa Rica, followed by Paul from Mexico. December’s beats found 609 birds after submitting 116 checklists from 8 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, China, Mexico, Serbia and Australia).

2020 221

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots 221

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

Along that stretch, we enjoyed Fork-tailed Flycatchers and other species in the open fields and marshes including Harriss’s Hawk , the local Nicaraguan Seed-Finch , and, best of all, a pair of normally sneaky and secretive Yellow-breasted Crakes walking in the open through a grassy marsh!

Costa Rica 120

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 120

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2023

As mentioned in many other posts on this blog, the avifauna of Trinidad & Tobago consists of several species and family groups occurring very interestingly, in threes. Short-tailed Nighthawk (above and below) Overall, this species seems to be poorly known, which is understandable given its habits. Well, kind of.

Trinidad 130

Trinidad Bats Falcons Groups 130

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2021

9 beats from 8 countries (Australia, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, China, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico), shared 138 checklists for 703 species. The year list to date is 1015 species and 7 have been added to the life list ( 4059 ) from Costa Rica, China and Trinidad and Tobago. 289 Barred Forest-Falcon – Micrastur ruficollis.

Woodpeckers 181

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Parrots 181

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2012

Highlights here (while drinking the thrillingly strong coffee) include Channel-billed Toucan , Crested Oropendola , Turquoise Tanager , Bat Falcon , Barred Antshrike , Blue Dacnis , Green Honeycreeper , Gray-headed Dove , Yellow Oriole , and a suite of hot hummingbirds that deserve their own report.

Trinidad 245

Trinidad South America America Ecuador 245

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

They birded 7 countries during August and recorded 542 species. The year list remains sluggish at 1489 , but the life list received a boost from the eBird taxonomy reshuffle and now includes 4076 species. Stay vigilant and safe. 10 of the beats have submitted 124 checklists which are collated below for your perusal.

Woodpeckers 198

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds California 198

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

11 beats have been out this month and have submitted 136 checklists from 7 countries ticking 634 species. 279 Collared Forest-Falcon – Micrastur semitorquatus. 483 Bat Falcon – Falco rufigularis. 557 Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus. 279 Collared Forest-Falcon – Micrastur semitorquatus.

Woodpeckers 202

Woodpeckers Sparrows Parrots Blackbirds 202

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2018

The pressure is on if you can only get certain species during the first month of the year but if you just want to add any old birds to the year list, everything is fresh! Since I’m in no big hurry to reach any number of species in 2018, my year birding is going to be a fresh one hopefully touched with a good dose of Zen.

Costa Rica 155

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 155

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 240

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 240

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2019

To surpass a challenging number of species, the planning, the conniving for major birding should have begun back in the past, in 2018. Every day counts and to seriously maximize the species total, a birder needs to maximize time in the field at the most productive places during the most productive times and then some.

Costa Rica 113

Costa Rica 2019 Parrots Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Instead of going on about zip lines and other modern, adventure tourism attractions, the birding crowd talks about taking photos of Resplendent Quetzals , seeing dozens of hummingbird species, and the seemingly odd absence of raptors in Costa Rica but nope, we don’t really talk about extinction. Resplendence.

Costa Rica 217

Costa Rica Species Panama Birds 217

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2022

There aren’t many places in the world where one can observe rainforest-dependent species against the stunning blue backdrop of the ocean. It is almost as if the island is filled to the brim with these exotic species, and they are overflowing onto the Caribbean Sea! The archetypical rainforest bird – Channel-billed Toucan.

Trinidad 263

Trinidad Woodpeckers Bats Venezuela 263

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2021

Our brave beats have been putting themselves at risk for your vicarious listing pleasure and 10 of them submitted 151 checklists for 692 species, 2 of which made it onto the life list. Please be careful, Corvid is still out there. Marsh Grassbird and Rufous-faced Warbler come to you all the way from China and bring the life list to 4061.

Sparrows 156

Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds Ducks 156

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

With that logic those trees, if left to grow, should produce something of use to at least one or two species of birds. It’s been some years since I’ve seen any Short-tailed Hawks as the entire valley is now overrun with concrete – but I’m trying my best to create some sort of oasis for any species.

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Hunting Reptiles 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2023

When I showed it to our guide , he indicated that it was not a commonly seen species. Although the crake was a no-show (surprise, surprise), a Bat Falcon whizzed past. It was a wren, clearly, exhibiting typical wren behaviour by only giving me a single opportunity. Coraya Wren , courtesy the single shot special.

Guyana 142

Guyana Trinidad Bats Falcons 142

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. Thus 100 species were missed by the time he woke up and noticed that eBird had reset the counters at midnight(do you guys have nothing better to do?). Bat Hawk – Macheiramphus alcinus. They came home exhausted. Lake Mburo NP.

2019 166

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

They claimed 15 species of bejeweled hummingbirds, 36 wood warblers, a Flame-colored Tanager , Greater Roadrunners (straight from the cartoon), and an oddly perched, metallic green-headed fellow called the ‘elusive’ Elegant Trogon. Peregrine Falcon. One particular issue had a feature on the birds of Madera Canyon, Arizona.

Arizona 139

Arizona Tucson Birds North America 139

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2019

In a warm Catalonian March (I was about to say Spanish, but among quite a few flags, I haven’t seen a single Spanish one), Barcelona was filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets , two charming but alien and invasive species. Steve answers: Bonelli’s Eagle ! Enough is enough.

Terrapins 180

Terrapins Eagles Europe Rats 180

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

They accounted for 562 species at this sluggish time of year. Collared Forest-Falcon – Micrastur semitorquatus. Laughing Falcon – Herpetotheres cachinnans. Bat Falcon – Falco rufigularis. Prairie Falcon – Falco mexicanus. These are the numbers. Alphabetic Taxonomic. 01 Jul 2019.

2019 118

2019 Sparrows Woodpeckers Idaho 118

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2020

At time of writing (usually a couple of days early to avoid the deadline panic), UK is fielding 63 species. 137 Laughing Falcon – Herpetotheres cachinnans. 141 Bat Falcon – Falco rufigularis. 142 Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus. Costa Rica has also submitted 63. 121 Barn Owl – Tyto alba.

2020 158

2020 Costa Rica Blackbirds Sparrows 158

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2018

Our first three days were spent bouncing around from area to area, looking to find the species on my wish list. What did find right off the bat, was an amazing group of people, all willing to help out in so many ways. With the addition of these new species, the Little Big Year numbers look like this: Little Big Year species – 1267.

Texas 129

Texas Tucson San Antonio Owls 129

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

beats have still managed to share 82 checklists and accounted for 737 species. Amur Falcon – Falco amurensis. Laughing Falcon – Herpetotheres cachinnans. Bat Falcon – Falco rufigularis. Collared Forest-Falcon – Micrastur semitorquatus. Yellow Bittern – Ixobrychus sinensis.

2019 119

2019 Jamaica Eggs Woodpeckers 119