10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2024

Birders know that some of the finest birding locations in the country are on federal land , which include national parks , wildlife refuges , forests , monuments , and seashores , among others. These lands support countless birds, either year-round, as migratory stopovers, or as breeding grounds.

Virgin Islands 208

Virgin Islands Alaska United States Endangered Species 208

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 3, 2020

If you are old enough, you will remember birding without a phone? Later I carried it because of a stash of bird songs I compiled in it. And now I carry it for the same reason, only now they are a part of the bird ID app. Anyway, I don’t even have an app for the European birds at the moment, but for the Birds of Southern Africa.

Serbia 267

Serbia Birds Ducks Cyprus 267

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2014

The Pink-eared Duck Malacorhynchus membranaceus has to be my favourite duck! For obvious reasons it has listed under “other names” in field guides “Zebra Duck” and it is easily identified from all other duck species in Australia by its distinct stripes.

Ducks 169

Ducks Zebras Australia 2014 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2022

The only bird-related activity I can think of is looking at bird photos I took in Singapore in 2015, and adding some irrelevant comments to them. Presumably, birds living in Singapore do not understand German. Lesser Whistling Ducks are “not threatened by hunting as they are not considered good to eat” ( Wikipedia ).

Singapore 218

Singapore Birds Zebras Feral 218

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2013

This has resulted in a reduction of the number of duck stamps sold. Sales of duck stamps have funded the preservation of wetlands and other wildlife habitat, which in turn has supported an increase in waterfowl populations. This has benefited both the waterfowl hunters and everyone else who likes ducks and their kin.

Ducks 211

Ducks Hunters Hunting Wildlife 211

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2023

The Dutch Island of Texel is well-known amongst European birders due to the exciting number and quality of birds it attracts during spring and autumn migration times. A few Bohemian Waxwings were also a great addition to my life-list and a long-awaited bird. maurus and S.

Birds 229

Birds Groups Ducks Rights 229

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

It has been more than 5 years since I last went to Australia, and I was even less of a qualified bird photographer then than I am now. So, the basic idea is to show 15 species of Australian birds in each post and give you the usual trivia about them. The female looks a bit duller but I was assured it has a beautiful soul.

Australia 185

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 185

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2021

Once I was fully vaccinated and air travel became an option, I looked for a location for my first birding trip since 2019. I settled on Wisconsin, which is home to one of the Top 25 NWRs for Birding that I have not visited: Horicon NWR. So my criteria were as much about birding locations as they were about birds.

Wisconsin 263

Wisconsin LACS Milwaukee Birds 263

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2012

Torrent Ducks are the thrill-seekers of the avian world. Very few birds – or animals for that matter – would plunge head-first into the churning cauldrons of some of South America’s most treacherous rivers. Otun Quimbaya remains a very good place to view this highly enigmatic and entertaining species.

Ducks 240

Ducks Colombia South America Squirrels 240

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2014

It is also known for the 500 exotic species of animals and plants that now call the Sunshine State home. Exotic species are animals that did not historically occur in Florida. One such species is the familiar mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Mottled Ducks apparently genetically intact.

Florida 204

Florida Ducks New Zealand Feral 204

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2015

Three White-faced Whistling Ducks showed up in Villa Marshes in Lima-Peru. Villa Marshes is an Ebird hot spot and popular site among Peru’s fast growing birding community. The hype about these unusual birds grew fast to judge by the number of posts and photos on Facebook. Ducks at Villa Marshes. Ducks at Villa Marshes.

Ducks 157

Ducks South America Peru Adoptable 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2017

Crotty is a birder and lawyer living in Portland, Oregon who loves to share thoughtful , in-depth conservation pieces with 10,000 Birds readers. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), contain many of the nation’s most renowned birding locations, including Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico, Laguna Atascosa NWR in Texas, and J.N.

Factory 117

Factory Ducks North Dakota Nebraska 117

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2019

I like seeing as many species as possible on my life list, year list, state list, patch list, any kind of list. But even in summer I can usually count on 60+ non-endemic species per visit, and in winter, a decent effort can usually result in 80 or more species. I confess: I am a lister.

Ducks 115

Ducks Blackbirds United States Pelicans 115

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2023

Back in July, my fellow 10,000 Birds contributor Dragan wrote a delightful piece about birding Lake Kerkini in spring. I first visited Kerkini and this bird-rich region of northern Greece 15 years ago, and have been returning regularly ever since. My photograph below is of a captive bird).

Greece 208

Greece Pelicans Geese Buffalo 208

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 12, 2019

Nisqually NWR) is one of Washington’s finest and most popular birding locations. It is on my list as one of the Top 25 NWRs for Birding. (As Nisqually NWR is a major staging area for migratory birds , a wintering area for many ducks and geese, and a breeding area for numerous songbirds.

Washington 234

Washington Portland Birds Geese 234

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2023

But does ChatGPT have even a rudimentary understanding of a niche topic like birding? I asked it a few questions about birding locations and the (unedited) results are below, along with some brief analysis. Please note that the availability of specific bird species may vary depending on the season.

United States 162

United States Michigan Texas Virginia 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2020

I recently drove from my home in Portland to Conboy Lake NWR in southern Washington for a birding day-trip. Adams, the refuge is one of the few breeding locations for Sandhill Cranes in Washington. According to eBird , just over 200 species have been observed at the refuge and just under 1,000 checklists have been submitted.

Washington 160

Washington Portland Birds Deer 160

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2014

Yes, cute little Skylarks were all well and good, but what Kiwis really wanted were birds they could shoot and fish they could, uh, fish. New Zealand had, once upon a time, some fairly spectacular game birds, including massive flightless geese, massive flightles rails, and really enormous moa. Female Mallard, photo by Corey.

Species 166

Species New Zealand Ducks Game 166

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 15, 2024

I have been lucky enough to get close views of two massive Old World Vulture species, the Eurasian Griffon and the Egyptian Vulture. Here in Mexico, I can almost always count on Black Vultures and Turkey Vultures to pad each outing’s list by two species. Black Vultures are a bit smaller than all these other species.

Turkey 197

Turkey California Condor Mexico Meat 197

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2013

Some domestic duck breeds, however, present new forms of beauty unseen in their wild counterparts. And, like most domestic ducks, she presents a lot more of it that the wild ducks she towers over! And, like most domestic ducks, she presents a lot more of it that the wild ducks she towers over!

Ducks 126

Ducks Breeding Species Birds 126

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

I truly do hope I am not tiring 10,000 Birds’ readers too much with my obsession with Michoacán’s ongoing drought, the disappearance of Lake Cuitzeo (Mexico’s 2nd largest lake, in normal years), and our own micro-endemic Black-polled Yellowthroat. But obsessed I am. Had I thrown a rock, I would undoubtedly have hit one.

Mexico 214

Mexico Investigation Science Experience 214

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2021

Not too many highlights, not too many species … hard to say whether this is just the usual nostalgia for a better but probably nonexistent past or a real phenomenon. The latter is possible, as the undisturbed areas of Nanhui keep shrinking, leaving less and less space for birds. Somehow, for this bird it is ok.

Birds 232

Birds Humane Japan Ducks 232

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2021

This is the second post in the Birding crème de la crème series (the first, focused on southern Asia, is here ). The bird-richest region of Africa is its equatorial East: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi (unlike the rest, the last one, Burundi, is politically unstable and not recommendable). SERVIR Africa Workshop.

Africa 198

Africa Kenya Uganda Tanzania 198

10,000 Birds

JUNE 4, 2017

After a very good Wet Season with substantially more rain than normal over the first few months of 2017 the land was flooded and a huge variety of birds arrived in the Broome area to take advantage of the ideal conditions for breeding. Two birds on the right and one on the left-note the bills! Australian Painted Snipe nest.

Breeding 100

Breeding Eggs Raised 2017 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2022

Necessity being the mother of invention, and all that, the almost-total disappearance of Mexico’s second-largest lake in the spring of 2021 forced me to try a new birding route last May. As it turned out, the remaining water was too shallow for ducks, except a few Northern Shovelers. Spoiler alert: I did not see any Canvasbacks.

Ducks 211

Ducks Mexico Fish Species 211

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2021

That green grass is not a meadow; it is growing in water deep enough for swimming ducks. The dot in the center of the second photo is a lone Mexican Duck flying just over the water. Most of these are migratory species, for which Lake Cuitzeo is a vital wintering ground. Still life with Avocet and Shoveler.

Ducks 202

Ducks Battery Species Groups 202

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2022

There were a total of 69 Royal Spoonbills and 2 Yellow-billed Spoonbills , but you had to look carefully to see the two different species. We had encountered a Yellow-billed Spoonbill in the area last year that appeared to have a stick embedded in its breast, but we have no idea if this is one of the birds now present. Native flowers.

Breeding 184

Breeding Ducks Species Birds 184

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

Where do you go to bird, when you know you might not be able to go anywhere else? Perhaps one of my reasons for going to the lake was that it guarantees more species in one day than any of my other sites. So off to the lake I went, to see which ducks and shorebirds were still here, and which had already left.

Mexico 164

Mexico Breeding Ducks North America 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2020

LABUDOVO OKNO Ramsar Site and an Important Bird Area represents a section of the Danube floodplain downriver from Belgrade, Serbia, and situated in the south of the Deliblato Sands Special Nature Reserve. eBird list of the recorded species. Nature reserve since 2002. Dubovacki Rit; photos (3) by Slobodan Puzovic. Previous part 1/3.

Turtles 168

Turtles 2002 Serbia Eagles 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

The little stiff-tails are almost year-round at Jamaica Bay though almost all leave to breed in the summer and in the depths of winter, when the ponds are almost completely frozen, they tend to head for open water. She was essentially cream-colored, much lighter than the typical female Ruddy Duck. Go check it out! Get yours today!

Ducks 151

Ducks 2011 Jamaica Deer 151

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

In the more normal years, I would spend January visiting the very best wildfowling spots along the Danube and seeing the best birds there are, so in February I would be well saturated with birds and feeling: Still winter? I observed White-tailed Eagles likely a few thousand times, and this didn’t strike me as the dark young bird.

Otters 257

Otters Croatia Eagles Protection 257

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

Last year there was a spate of books specifically about bird “behavior” – though one might well say that every book about birds, from field guides on up, is about behavior in some way or another. It’s the behavior that makes them fascinating to us. Well, purely physical attributes play a part, too: they’re pretty good looking.).

Alaska 205

Alaska Breeding Kenya Africa 205

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2022

At the end of 2022, let us celebrate the local field guide, a sub-genre that many of us feared would die, the victim of technology, development, and globalization, but which still shines bright, fewer in number but brilliant in quality, thanks to birders and birding organizations that believe in knowing your patch and your state.

Los Angeles 194

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 194

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

It was also great to finally travel overseas again, meet a lot of people I did not know (and some I did), to be in a new country… and not just the new country, but its best birding area, where almost all local hotspots are yellow (150+ species) and several are ochre (200+ sp.), impressive for Central Europe.

Austria 297

Austria Factory Asia Battery 297

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2014

While there are some two dozen birding spots in Belgrade, Serbia, that stand out, in this guideblog I will focus on the river Danube and its floodplain, inside the Important Bird Area “Confluence of the Sava and the Danube Rivers”. The next winter bird spot lies some 4.5 In March and November, Common Cranes are a possibility.

Serbia 232

Serbia Birds Ducks Eagles 232

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Audubon guides to birds have been around since 1946. The first guide bearing the National Audubon Society imprint was Audubon Bird Guide; Eastern Land Birds , written by Richard Hooper Pough, and illustrated by Don Eckelberry. Plate 28 from Audubon Bird Guide, Eastern Land Birds, by Richard H. Knopf, 1994/97.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

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 233

Costa Rica Nicaragua 2019 Farming 233