10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Chinese Penduline T**s are not particularly woke birds. White’s Thrush is described as “burly” on eBird – not entirely unjustified, I guess, but this description fails to capture the way the intricate patterns of the bird make for great camouflage and also for its own kind of beauty. Maybe the grandparents help.

Birds 189

Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 189

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2019

Birdwatchers tend to like the rare, the exotic – yet many common birds are exciting as well. With that in mind, I would like to introduce what might be the 20 most common birds of Shanghai. Today`s species are just the first 10 by alphabetical order. But the way it is, familiarity breeds (relative) contempt.

Germany 126

Germany Cattle Blackbirds Birds 126

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2023

In Tobago’s wetlands and forests we see the seasons changing in the faces of the birds. The first step in preparing for the breeding season is getting ready for courtship. The often overlooked Cattle Egret has legs that turn bright pink during this brief courtship period. Even its eyes change colour!

Cattle 178

Cattle Bears Breeding Animal 178

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

With the lockdown lasting until the end of May (ironically thus pretty much including the whole spring migration – the divine sense of humor is a rather malign one, I am afraid), June still had the freedom of birding anywhere in Shanghai, not just inside a smallish compound. Accessorizing for birds.

Singapore 147

Singapore Mountain Goats Birds Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2020

Like many of you, I had plans for this year’s spring migration: to bird the very best tour of the Balkans, heading for northeastern Greece. First, 800 km of driving from Belgrade through Bulgaria to very NE corner of Greece and the Dadia Forest National Park with its 36 species of diurnal raptors, out of Europe’s 38.

Greece 227

Greece Bulgaria Birds Serbia 227

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2020

This can mean some interesting birding, if you can bear the Shanghai heat … Of course, the egrets and herons described in my last post are still around. Cattle Egret … though some of them seem to want to hide (which is really difficult for a white bird). Sanderling: A bird with strong work ethics.

Tigers 176

Tigers Breeding Cattle Bears 176

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2023

The Latin species name cruentus , “blood-stained” has the same background Blood Pheasants mainly feed on mosses – not many bird species do this as mosses are not very nutritious. One of the threats to the Blood Pheasant comes from overgrazing by cattle.

Kansas City 130

Kansas City Kansas Livestock Eggs 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

Not professionally – these people come in SUVs and probably never recapture their gas money from the fish they catch (though come to think of it, neither do I with my bird photos). This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway). One strange thing about Chongming is the inevitable presence of people fishing. End of side note.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2022

On that glorious day, I observed ten critically endangered birds, representing 8% of their Costa Rican, or 2% of their global population!! In my previous post , I dealt with Rancho Naturalista Lodge itself and birding within their private reserve. But, let’s start at the beginning.

Costa Rica 227

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 227

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2018

Serbia has 317 eBirded species so far, or 89% of the 356 in the national checklist. The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. Spring migration March to April , 270 eBirded species. Breeding season May – June , 261 eBirded species (yet, only about 242 breed in the country).

Serbia 147

Serbia Geese Owls Macedonia 147

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. Striated Heron in breeding plumage – extra plumes and blue lores. We had no idea if the nighthawks would hunker down or flee. Great Blue Heron.

Livestock 205

Livestock Ducks ALA illegal 205

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2014

The official definition of CR status says the species could be gone within ten years, or could lose 80 per cent of its population within three generations – whichever comes first. CR being the highest category in the Red List , if I want to see some of those birds, I better hurry! Locals being vegetarians, why are there no birds?

India 242

India Sudan Ukraine Camels 242

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

If you like birds on posts, if seeing “little brown jobs” posing nicely in the distance as you drive or walk along a dirt road only to have it fly away as you approach makes you deliriously happy, then North Dakota is the place for you. I wanted to see prairie birds and I wanted to experience a new state. Scott Barnes, N.J.

North Dakota 135

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 135

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2016

I’m one of those people who thinks all birds are beautiful, from the drab House Sparrow to the pink Roseate Spoonbill. Yet, there is one bird that looks like a piece of fallen sky as it zips around eating summer insects, one bird whose blue color is so perfect that birders and non-birders alike can’t help but stare.

Nevada 100

Nevada Idaho United States Alaska 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2013

In short, the accepted view used to be that a small breeding population of Egyptian Vultures inhabited Southern Africa, but has vanished facing the spread of towns, roads and farms. It was not the first note I have published, but was the only one about a bird I have never laid my eyes upon!

Sudan 220

Sudan Macedonia Botswana Serbia 220

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2012

Have you ever enjoyed one of those brilliant birding expeditions, the outing where every target species takes its cue with machine precision? The lush pastures of the Aripo Livestock Station sustained herds of happy Buffalypso , a special breed of T&T beef cattle named for their Water Buffalo heritage and Calypso-happy country.

Trinidad 176

Trinidad Birds Fast Food Cattle 176

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2020

Having observed the Cattle Egret in breeding plumage at the Derby Poo Ponds on June 19th we found ourselves at Windjana Gorge first thing the following morning. We soon added Sandstone Shrike-thrush to our 2020 bird list and it is a great place to find them without too much walking. A couple of crocodiles. Northern Fantail.

2020 259

2020 Australia Cattle Groups 259

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2017

There should be thousands of birds at this time of the year, Dimitris Michalakis from the Karla Lake management authority told me. In early August this year, I saw 77 species here (69 on the lake, plus 8 more in the surrounding areas) but barely more than a thousand individuals. Lesser Kestrel. I am trying to count them all!

Greece 181

Greece Killing Pelicans Eagles 181

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Unlike Barred Owls they were accompanied by no great controversy , and unlike Cattle Egrets or Eurasian Collared Doves they didn’t come as an abrupt continent-hopping surprise. The post Shifting Baselines and Sneaky Jays appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Feature image by Dave Menke courtesy of the USFWS.

New York Times 140

New York Times Montana Oregon Deer 140

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2016

New Year’s resolutions from birding friends are starting to trickle in as I write this review. It is the last day of 2015, time to select the bird of the year past and set goals for the bright open future, when everything is new again. The process is called “Wide-angle birding: Be the bird, see the bird.”.

Birds 189

Birds Groups 2015 North America 189

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

Cattle fields surrounded the small town, the cows forming dark silhouettes against the rapidly graying skies. We felt in high spirits after a gorgeous afternoon in the grassland, tallying up over 20 species of birds, including three lifers for me. Add another species to the daily list!

Kansas 114

Kansas Pelicans ALA Cows 114

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2014

Since I have started to bird by kayak, it took me a lot of time to realise that paddling is not the synonym for birding and that I can bird without a paddle, although I cannot paddle without a pair of binoculars. To avoid the predator, the duck – dived, and that was the only time ever to observe this species doing so.

Serbia 237

Serbia Stray Dog Protection Botswana 237

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2013

Hybrids between separate species are rare. But they do spark an interesting and somewhat controversial debate that inevitably leads back to the same old question of what constitutes a species. Suspected hybrids between heron species, whilst extremely rare, have been documented for some time. Birds herons and egrets hybrids'

Florida 169

Florida Arizona Cattle California 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

Birds are supposed to have feathers and birds without feathers look incomplete, like they left home with shaving cream on their ear and toothpaste spots on their shirt. The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. Griffon Vulture , photo by Alan Tilmouth.

California Condor 177

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 177

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2012

Kazakhstan – May 2009 After our excellent time at the Korgalzhyn State Nature Reserve we bid a fond farewell to its gorgeous grassy terrain and made our way to a location where Sociable Lapwing were known to breed. Above is the area where the three pairs we observed were nesting which we were told was rather typical for the species.

Kazakhstan 127

Kazakhstan Cows 2009 Endangered Species 127

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2013

Grey Hypocolius is a Holy Grail of Middle Eastern birding. Part of its attraction lies in it being a monotypic bird in the family Hypocoliidae – there are no other bird species in its genus and family. No, birds are way too smart for that stupid trick. But I have never seen any bird with anything like it!

India 213

India Iran Pakistan Afghanistan 213

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2012

Jersey has always gotten a bad rap in general (the smells of the turnpike, the Jersey shore, the governor), and in the world of birding, the state often seems to be symbolized by two words: Cape May. The New Jersey Bird Records Committee (NJBRC) documents 465 species of natural origin. Press, 2003).

New Jersey 188

New Jersey Birds 2009 Bald Eagle 188

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Nick Sly, a friend of 10,000 Birds who writes intermittently at the thoroughly-recommended Biological Ramblings , is an ornithologist who graduated not so long ago from Cornell only to be cast out into the real world where he keeps a wry eye on all things biological! The youngest bird in this clutch is only two or three days old.

Eggs 268

Eggs Venezuela Porcupines 2008 268

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2020

While entering our double kayak I asked Andrew Hester, a local bird expert, if bilharzia is present in the shallows of the Ngotwane Dam, further down the river. Among 60 or so heron species in the world this is the only one using this peculiar fishing technique. Cattle Egret 16. Grey Go-Away Bird (Lourie) c. Grey Heron 4.

Botswana 182

Botswana Africa 2001 Fish 182

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2022

It didn’t take too long after the big rain event at the end of January for Roebuck Plains to flood and the birds to arrive. The highway out of Broome towards Derby has also become great for bird-watching. Sadly, one of the first birds that we saw was a recently deceased Barn Owl. Intermediate Egret in breeding plumage.

Barn Owls 180

Barn Owls Cattle Ducks Reptiles 180

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2011

Outside of hardcore twitchers looking for specialty birds and after speaking to thousands and thousands of birders, I have concluded that most people really do not put much emphasis on our prairies. While we continue to decimate our short and tall grass prairies many species reach their inevitable peril.

Prairie Dogs 162

Prairie Dogs Colorado North Dakota Soreing 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. This is not entirely unknown among domestic animals, but many domesticates have no living wild version.

Turkey 199

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 199

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2021

This bird species is known to travel large distances around Australia. They are no doubt breeding here once again this year. They are quite possibly here to breed once again. All of the station access is flooded from the highway and the birds are lining the tracks. Wedge-tailed Eagle -bigger than the cattle!?

Geese 251

Geese Eagles Australia Breeding 251

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2019

We have just returned from an incredible three weeks in Singapore, where unlike many others who visit the country we spent the whole time in nature parks, forests and gardens observing birds. The only shopping we did was to buy fresh fruit and some Asian snacks for while we were out all day hiking and birding.

Singapore 114

Singapore Transported Boars Malaysia 114

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2016

After five years of waiting and watching, we were so elated with this news of a successful breeding at the preserve that we applied for another grant from Audubon California. This property is located in northern Butte County which is nearing the (dwindling) northern most historic range for this species in California.

Owls 101

Owls California 2010 Colorado 101

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2012

Although extinction is a natural phenomenon, experts have determined that the current rate of bird extinction is somewhere between 1,000 and 10,000 times the background rate. The Gray Crowned-Crane is a new addition to the list of the world’s Endangered species, creeping up a category from Vulnerable.

Endangered Species 185

Endangered Species Species Morocco South Africa 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2021

The very best wetland birding around Belgrade, Serbia, is not to be found in the locally famous and tourist-promoted Obedska or Carska Bara Ramsar areas, but at Beljarica Backwaters and the fish farm triangle of Centa, Baranda and Sakule villages, in the Tamis River floodplain. mi, to the Vrbovski turnoff.

Farming 264

Farming Birds Fish Boars 264