10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2017

I have been there several times last month, but barely ever managed to do any proper birding! That is hardly a surprise: this area holds 3 to 4 breeding pairs of White-tailed Eagles, which represents the biggest density per square mile anywhere in the country! So, the Belgrade press become acutely interested in birding?

Eagles 173

Eagles Campaign Otters Serbia 173

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2014

Up to the mid-20th century, Pygmy Cormorants were a common breeding species of wetlands around Belgrade… until the wetlands were drained and the birds were lost, at one moment – from the whole of Serbia. What was I doing there? I haven’t even finished spreading gear over the table when the first commuters appear.

Serbia 197

Serbia Protection Legislation Europe 197

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2013

These vociferous little birds can usually be heard throughout the freshwater and saltwater marshes in North America. The male of the species will rattle off up to 200 songs, his repertoire size varying geographically, with the western males having considerably larger repertoires than eastern males 1. Why do they build so many nests?

Sacramento 162

Sacramento North America Wildlife Defenders Of Wildlife 162

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

The name Peregrine means “wanderer,” and northern-nesting Peregrines are among North America’s long-distance migratory species, some moving 25,000 kilometers every year. With the help of a captive breeding program, the Peregrine bounced back, and in 1999, they were removed from the Endangered Species List. Don’t miss it!

Falcons 136

Falcons Wildlife Sacramento Endangered Species 136

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

Yes, the warbler formerly known as Dendroica kirtlandii , now Setophaga kirtlandii , is one of those birds that make birders’ hearts pulse quicker and their legs churn faster. Look what happened when the bird made the first of three appearances at the Biggest Week in American Birding at Magee Marsh!

Michigan 235

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 235

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

Of course, I jest a bit in the above paragraph because as a sometime New Jersey birder I have birded the Delaware Bay and seen sights such as the memorable image below, in which thousands of Red Knots, Dunlins, and Short-billed Dowitchers fly up as if connected telepathically. million in the late 1990’s.

Delaware 181

Delaware New Jersey Research Eggs 181

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2023

(Boring bureaucratic note to dissuade casual readers: This post covers birds seen in Shanghai in January 2023, except for those seen at Tianmashan – these are shown in a separate post. End of note) Probably the most interesting bird in Shanghai this month was a Barred Cuckoo-Dove choosing a small downtown park to feed on berries.

Birds 147

Birds Geese Fish Industry 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

A lot of folks, including this very blog, are using this as an occasion to memorialize not just the Passenger Pigeon but the extinct birds of the Holocene as a group. A species, wiped off the earth, never to exist again. Good, I say. This got me wondering, what was the centennial of the last Great Auk like? We could do it!

California Condor 202

California Condor United States Guam Whales 202

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2017

Larger, denser with avian information than your typical field guide, a Crossley Guide bursts with bird images, photographic plates that verge on the surreal of birds in all plumages and poses against real-life habitats, informing, sometimes overwhelming us with visual and, if you can take your eyes off the images, textual information.

Ducks 122

Ducks North America Geese Hunters 122

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2023

The Great Egret was in breeding plumage and courtship posture–bright lime green lores, head bending down and then snapping up, long, impossibly delicate plumes waving over its body as if possessed by independent spirits. Congress and Senate who recognized the need to protect the birds. ©2023, Donna L.

Connecticut 147

Connecticut Washington Legislation Hunting 147