10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Which, naturally, got me to thinking about the newly erected order Suliformes, a development I mentioned in my December column, 2010′s Top 10 Developments in Bird Taxonomy and Systematics , but which I thought deserved further examination, for it’s one of those stories that defines the era in which we are living and birding.

2011 157

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 157

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 Yes, Europe’s Birds is a photographic guide.

Europe 262

Europe Birds Colombia Branding 262

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

A mozzie bites me, so I take the “Expedition Plus Insect Repellent” from my rucksack (when I think about it now, any local brand would probably be equally efficient, but they lack the word “expedition” which immediately turns you into a proper explorer) and start spraying my hands and neck.

Tigers 255

Tigers India Killing 2012 255

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

I’ve mentioned before the odd melancholy that comes from seeing extraordinary birds while knowing that the extraordinary circumstances that brought them to my local patch also mean they’re likely to perish far from home. Observe how my bird photography skills have improved!

Iceland 164

Iceland Owls Ducks Montana 164

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

FEBRUARY 12, 2013

10,000 is the approximate number of bird species in the world but certainly not the actual number. The truth is that, as far as the actual number of bird species living in our wide world right now, sometimes we have bad days when we lose a bird forever. Birding and Biodiversity. This can happen for a number of reasons.

Groups 195

Groups Branding Species 2009 195

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. I suck at bird songs but this one sounds more like something coming from a pinball machine. Along the cliffs before the citadel, another great bird shows up – a small flock of Alpine Swifts.

Romania 131

Romania Serbia Turtles Blackbirds 131

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2018

After four decades of establishing bitter hoppiness as the hallmark of their brand of craft brewing, American brewers have turned their attention to other brash flavors, diving headlong into sour brewing of late. Good birding and happy drinking! Tart is tart and hoppy is hoppy and never the twain shall meet. Well, until now.

Collecting 100

Collecting St. Louis Dogs Sparrows 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

In publishing the most current thinking, eBird have become the month’s biggest contributor to the life list, expanding it by 7 brand new species and pushing it to 3774. 7 species were added to the life list in the time-honoured fashion of actually identifying the birds in the field. Wood Duck – Aix sponsa.

2019 119

2019 Arizona Ghana Tucson 119

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2017

For 2017, in keeping with all the top businesses, the list will be refreshed and re-branded. All entries will still appear as links and readers who cannot wait for the monthly (first Saturday) updates may also access the 10,000 Birds interactive profile page. Start a new notebook and every bird counts. The year stretches ahead.

2017 100

2017 Australia Sanctuary Woodpeckers 100

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 188

North America America 2017 Birds 188

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 137

Geese Branding France Poland 137