10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2012

On a good day the number of birds that one can spot is amazing, mostly because one traverses a variety of habitat, including two lakes, open ground, fields, scrubby and bushy habitat, several stands of pines, and some stands of hardwoods.

Chickens 165

Chickens Birds Blackbirds 2010 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There were no mammals, little game, and not many birds either. The Eurasian Blackbird was not found in new Zealand before man, but it is now. The reasons for this perceived lack of birds are threefold. California Quail are familiar birds to West Coast birders of North America, and Kiwis too now.

New Zealand 162

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2018

So, I think it is understandable that I have not done a whole lot of birding, well, until yesterday and today. We were able to find a very nice RV park, just a couple of miles from one of my all time favourite birding hotspots, Billy Frank Jr, Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge. That is what birding weather should be.

New Zealand 115

New Zealand Seattle Qatar South Africa 115

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2013

After several game drives, once again we are at the front gate of the Gir National Park in the state of Gujarat. This park protects the largest remaining tract of dry deciduous forest in the west of India, offering visitors 37 species of reptiles, 38 species of mammals and, not to be forgotten – almost 300 bird species.

Lions 232

Lions India Mammals Boars 232

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2012

Way, way back, during our inuagural game of Gone Birding , my friend Molly developed a theory of birds. There I learned, among a plethora of other fascinating facts, that Aristotle also divided the avian world in three: land birds (pigeons!) water birds (ducks!) According to Their Kind Everyone knows this one.

Montana 161

Montana Bald Eagle Owls Ducks 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2015

The Management at 10,000 Birds are pleased to announce that they almost managed to persuade Redgannet to attempt to compile his year list whilst sober or, where that is not practicable, only mildly hung-over. Most will be familiar with a game that matches the face value of playing cards and prompts a loud “snap” to win a hand.

2015 157

2015 Ghana Sanctuary Senegal 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2017

Desi was game and that convinced Daisy. Now, those of you familiar with my tendency to chase birds in New York and knowledgeable of the spate of Great Gray Owls we have had in 2017 might question why it took me to nearly the end of March to make a trip upstate to see one. The first shot of the bird I got. It was stunning.

New York 101

New York Owls Beavers Puerto Rico 101

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2020

Migration (in particular bird migration) is well underway, however. And when I say bird migration I’m referring to a specific group of birds – shorebirds. A Pinnated Bittern gets escorted to another hiding place by a squadron of Yellow-hooded Blackbirds. For my eBird list , I estimated 150 birds.

Trinidad 185

Trinidad South America Blackbirds Industry 185

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2018

As it turns out, many of those very birds that I had hoped to find, all had the same idea, and had moved out of the park as well. Of course, there were plenty of big game around, and so I will post a few of those shots at the end of this posting. I would have to say the most common bird in the park, must be the Common Raven.

Wyoming 106

Wyoming Wolves Grizzly Bear Mountain Goats 106

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2011

This evergreen post, first written in 2004, has become a 10,000 Birds staple. No Christmas carol features birds as prominently as this one. To the birder, this begs the question: what species of birds appear in the Twelve Days of Christmas ? (All respectable publications should have their holiday traditions. Merry Christmas!)

Turtles 279

Turtles 2004 United Kingdom Geese 279

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2011

There are also rattlesnakes, amazing views, fascinating tales of history and prehistory, and of course, many birds. Nearly all of the above made their presence known when I joined my boyfriend and his folks on a tour of the Range’s Red Sleep Mountain Drive, but as usual I was mostly interested in the birds.

Rattlesnake 164

Rattlesnake Bald Eagle Mules Mammals 164