10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

Just under a fortnight ago, I saw a report on the local bird alert of a sighting of a group of approximately 20 Nacunda Nighthawks at a wetland not more than 20 minutes from where I live. It seemed to be good birding judgement to scan the seasonally flooded wetland in the couple hours of daylight available before the storm arrived.

Livestock 219

Livestock Ducks ALA illegal 219

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It took me a while to wrap my mind around the concept of Birds and People , Mark Cocker and David Tipling’s book that, in 592 pages, explores the intersection of just that—birds and us. Nor have I overlooked “sightings” of birds in movies mouthing other birds’ calls. I’m not sure why.

Birds 218

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 218

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2012

John from A DC Birding Blog , and Patrick from The Hawk Owl’s Nest at Jamaica Bay at 8 AM Saturday morning for some birding. The Red-winged Blackbirds that were busy staking claims to breeding territory by singing from bushes, trees, and marsh plants were not groggy at all.

New York 164

New York Honduras Jamaica Geese 164

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2011

She ate everything from Rock Pigeons to caterpillars, earthworms to Brewer’s Blackbirds, but her staple diet consisted of plump, toothy, charismatic, and abundant Pocket Gophers. During the meal she was mobbed by several blackbirds and an American Robin. When she returned the following year she had refined her hunting technique.

Gophers 212

Gophers Blackbirds Tanzania Hunting 212

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2011

Ever present Brewer’s Blackbirds and Common Ravens interrupted her mellow park-side life by mobbing her whenever she got too close for comfort. On this occasion, she successfully snatched up a gopher too close to the blackbird nesting colony and got escorted away with the prey still firmly in her grasp.

Gophers 192

Gophers San Francisco Blackbirds Hunting 192

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

I was pretty new to watching birds and photography when I first met this Red-tailed Hawk. It was actively hunting the grassy slopes and barely paid me any attention as I tried to figure out how to get as close as possible without changing its behavior. She would hunt the hillsides right next to where I was sitting.

San Francisco 226

San Francisco Gophers Hunting Blackbirds 226

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. Secondly, New Zealand had already experienced on wave of extinction due to the introduction or rats and human hunting.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

At some stage, a salmon-hunting bear at a shingle beach came too close, mere 9 steps. Finally, the list of birds mentioned in the examples include: Acorn woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus. Brewer’s blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus. Red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus. Arctic tern, Sterna paradisaea.

Animal 115

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 115

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

And, sure enough, as the sun set birds came over in ones and twos and fours and fives, adding to what was already a pretty darn big flock of birds spread out on the West Pond. Mostly the ducks were Red-breasted Merganser and Greater Scaup , the two most prevalent species on the pond, but there were a few other birds mixed in as well.

Ducks 172

Ducks 2011 Jamaica New York 172

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

In July of 2010, I checked into a bed and breakfast on Lafayette Square, a little frustrated because I hadn’t yet had a life bird on my epic journey across most of America. Eastern) territory, and birding from a speeding car on the interstate is not really conducive to identifying the finer points of sparrows.

Sparrows 167

Sparrows St. Louis Kansas City Kansas 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2023

In short, it was the perfect day to go birding, so I grabbed my binoculars and camera and set off for the forest. The trouble with mature pine forest is that it isn’t really very good for birds, and in winter there’s little to be found there apart from Goldcrests and Coal T**s.

Barn Owls 219

Barn Owls Japan Rats Owls 219

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

Since I go birding every Monday, I decided that perhaps it was a sign, and asked if I could participate. The various national versions of Ducks Unlimited are mostly an outgrowth of sports hunting. I’ve never had to develop the patience required to count birds as far as the eye can see.

Pelicans 223

Pelicans Blackbirds Ducks Hunting 223

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2017

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. A couple of Red-winged Blackbirds , some Common Ravens , a flyover Pileated Woodpecker.

New York 101

New York Owls Beavers Puerto Rico 101

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2017

Like many “wildlife areas” it is open to waterfowl hunting during the season. On the way up we stopped about 20 miles south of the wildlife area at the Grass Lake rest stop on highway 97 where we spotted some unexpected birds. The road into the wildlife area was a treasure trove of birds.

Wildlife 100

Wildlife Chipmunks Sparrows Blackbirds 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2016

I dipped a bird recently – possibly a lifer. First I noticed a red cap – a male, then striped flanks and pale-red undertail, but couldn’t see its wing because some part of the bird remained hidden by a branch at any given time. It’s the boar hunting season. We started from the village at, perhaps 50 m a.s.l. What to say?

Greece 255

Greece Woodpeckers Boars Eagles 255

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2017

Great Cormorants are not a bird Americans get excited about in Europe seeing as we have them in the United States but I will say that they were much more willing to be closely approached than in the U.S. Our original plan had been to take a cable car up into the mountains to look for high elevation birds like chough, snowfinch, and ptarmigan.

Austria 100

Austria Europe Birds United States 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

As 2013 draws to a close we here at 10,000 Birds thought that it would be a great idea if we, like we did in 2010 , 2011 , and 2012 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds! Sound good?

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2019

Yesterday morning I spent some time visiting some of my favorite Queens birding spots, hoping to find one of the Black-bellied Whistling Ducks that have invaded the northeastern United States this year. But there was decent light and birds to digiscope so I set myself up and started taking pictures. The attacker came on at high speed!

Ducks 113

Ducks United States Blackbirds Hunting 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

Old cars, antique gas pumps, and neon lit motels, were just up Jeanne’s photographic alley, and Lake Tucumcari was sure to be a birding hot spot for me. Unfortunately, the lake was the victim of several years of draught, but the grassy areas held a few nice birds, and there were a few surprises along the way. This was a first!

Albuquerque 123

Albuquerque New Mexico Mexico Sparrows 123

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2012

I want to know – just roughly – how many birds I have seen in my life. Not how many bird species , but how many bird individuals. The critical aspect is this: I will only find out how many birds I have counted and written down. I have no idea! of the individuals present at the time of my visit.

Germany 185

Germany Birds Ducks Woodpeckers 185

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. Last weekend I wasn’t on the hunt for any species in particular though. For my eBird list , I estimated 150 birds.

Trinidad 184

Trinidad South America Blackbirds Industry 184

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2011

In the birding community, standardization of common names has followed, and is an on-going project (with mixed success.) In some cases, this has increased beauty and precision, saving us from a morass in which every red bird is a Redbird and every blue jay is a Blue Jay. Also known as Meat-bird, Moosebird, and Lumberjack.

Hunters 183

Hunters Falcons Ducks Montana 183

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2017

If you are interested in observing shorebirds at roost or feeding you need to ultimately turn to a tide chart to see where the sea is and if there will be any birds visible! We were content to bird-watch the area on foot and there was plenty to observe. Broome’s tide chart for 2017 is here. Holy Island causeway as the tide drops.

Seals 100

Seals Geese 2017 Ducks 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2023

The person who named this bird apparently cleverly chose the name Yellow-rumped Flycatcher to distinguish the bird from the Narcissus Flycatcher, which is also yellow-rumped. In Chinese, this bird is called White-browed Flycatcher, which introduces some (possibly undesirable) logic into the world of bird names.

Monkeys 147

Monkeys Birds South Korea Owls 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2023

I am here to write on birds, however, and I shall bat in my crease as the cricketers say. As a commemoration of this day, however, I do wish to share snapshots of several recent encounters I’ve had with female birds over the last couple of weeks. The laughter paused while we tried to keep our lenses on a Yellow Warbler , though.

Trinidad 230

Trinidad Bats 2020 Sanctuary 230

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

I’ve decided to get into the bird tour business. Get up early, point at lots of birds, go back to the hotel for celebratory wine. If any birds give trouble just make up an answer, then say it with confidence. Guaranteed to produce birds you’ve never seen before or your money back! I mean, how hard could it be?

New Zealand 205

New Zealand Ducks Australia Mountain Goats 205

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