10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2019

I brushed the screen of my tablet and the image of a small bird, bold in black and gray and chestnut, filled the screen behind me. No brand recognition at all.” “But of course you’ll want to tailor your selection for your particular branding needs. And having a bird named after you or your company shows that.”

Branding 159

Branding Falcons California Condor Birds 159

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

There were three profound questions my birding group discussed while we birded Trinidad and Tobago, back in December 2012: (1) How many Bananaquits could fit on a banana? (2) 3) What was the best guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago? The bird guide question was a conundrum.

Trinidad 196

Trinidad Birds South America Research 196

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. And, the birds are awesome. Ringer Anhingas and darters , cormorants and shags , frigatebirds , gannets and boobies , pelicans , and the tropicbirds all share a characteristic found in no other living bird: Their feet are totipalmate.

2011 153

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 153

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2011

” But the tanager brand is changing. Most of these birds are small, finch-like species with thick, conical bills for cracking seeds or eating insects. ” For these reasons, it is perhaps no surprise that bird bills have played a prominent role in their classification. (PDF:

2003 213

2003 Sparrows Family South America 213

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2022

When you spot a brand new bird identification guide, especially for your home region – in this case, Europe – reaching for it comes naturally. A few months ago I birded Amazonia and carried another weighty tome with me, a 1.2 pounds) heavy Colombia field guide with its 1900+ species.

Europe 253

Europe Birds Colombia Branding 253

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2022

When you think of the best birding in the south of Asia, it is Malaysia that comes to mind, although you are likely not to even think of the country as such: you are dreaming of the (Malaysian) province of Sabah, in the north of the island of Borneo. And yet, it easily fits the largest pocket of my reporter’s vest.

Malaysia 241

Malaysia Singapore Asia Birds 241

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2018

Following passage of the United States Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the California Condor ( Gymnogyps californianus ) was among the first 75 species listed for protection, the so-called “Class of 1967”. They’re becoming an expected sight there – and one that’s hard to miss given their immense size.

California Condor 104

California Condor Oregon California Zoos 104

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2017

Shallows provide an ideal spawning ground for almost 50 fish species and submerged islands breeding ground for more than 100 bird species. Beside several well-showing Red-backed Shrikes , the highlight was one uncommon Lesser Grey Shrike (highly localized ** , with only 700 to 1000 breeding pairs in Serbia).

Romania 121

Romania Serbia Turtles Blackbirds 121

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

February 12 is Darwin Day , the birthday of the brilliant author of On The Origin of Species. 10,000 is the approximate number of bird species in the world but certainly not the actual number. 10,000 is the approximate number of bird species in the world but certainly not the actual number.

Groups 182

Groups Branding Species 2009 182

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2018

In addition to my monthly posts here, I have also written short pieces and feature articles that rely on bird-related scientific literature. Other papers are locked behind paywalls.) That research ultimately led to an article about the conservation efforts regarding the Laysan Duck in the June 2017 issue of Birding.

Transported 113

Transported 2011 Research 2012 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2017

The point is, the field guide I grabbed without hesitation was the National Geographic Field Guide to the Birds of North America, 7th Edition by Jon L. No other field guide to North American birds does rarities so comprehensively and so well. (To I miss the shorebird and get it a few days later, but that’s not the point of this story.

North America 184

North America America 2017 Birds 184

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2013

We can bird all over the world, and although we are not guaranteed a field guide to every single region and country in the world, there are a whole lot more of them than in the mid-1970’s, when world birders like Phoebe Snetsinger often had to put together their own checklists and guides. I couldn’t wait to give names to all my new species.

Ireland 173

Ireland France Breeding Eggs 173

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2019

For a third year in a row, Birds and Booze has dipped on a bird-themed Champagne to recommend for New Year’s Eve. There just doesn’t seem to be much – if anything – out there, a scarcity addressed in last year’s Birds and Booze post for the New Year. Well, we’ve done it again.

Geese 134

Geese Branding France Poland 134

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

Our first shopping trip when we arrived in Florida was to buy a field guide and that afternoon we thought we had a soft drink can sitting on a fence-you know the brand-no, it’s not that…it’s a cardinal! It has the common names of the birds in English, Afrikaans and Eastern Bantu and Native languages!

South Africa 158

South Africa United States Austin Alligators 158

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2020

Whiskey Month at Birds and Booze: This January, Birds and Booze at 10,000 Birds is setting its sights on whiskeys all month long. In the above preface to Whiskey Month at Birds and Booze, we’re promised “rugged Celtic landscapes of Scotland and Ireland and the birds that inhabit them”.

Ireland 193

Ireland Branding Species Industry 193