10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

There are the endemics, which are odd in their own way, and then there introduced species, which are so varied in their type and origin that you get the feeling you’ve arrived at the aftermath of a small zoo that escaped. What is surprising is quite how many species did end up here, and how economically unimportant they were.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

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 163

New York Honduras Jamaica Geese 163

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. Cactus finch, Geospiza species. Galapagos cactus finch, Geospiza species.

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 170

Ducks 2011 Jamaica New York 170

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 212

Barn Owls Japan Rats Owls 212

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

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 216

Pelicans Blackbirds Ducks Hunting 216

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.

Greece 252

Greece Woodpeckers Boars Eagles 252

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. In total we counted seventeen species at the rest stop!

Wildlife 100

Wildlife Chipmunks Sparrows Blackbirds 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

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.

Albuquerque 121

Albuquerque New Mexico Mexico Sparrows 121

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. The rest would be uncounted and not put down in the notebook.

Germany 181

Germany Birds Ducks Woodpeckers 181

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

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. Greater Yellowlegs.

Trinidad 179

Trinidad South America Blackbirds Industry 179

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 181

Hunters Falcons Ducks Montana 181

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. Previously I had only seen this species twice, and both were males.

Trinidad 223

Trinidad Bats 2020 Sanctuary 223

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 200

New Zealand Ducks Australia Mountain Goats 200

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