10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2011

Bobolinks are among my favorite birds. And what kind of bird is black beneath and pale above? The Bobolink is an absurd bird and any birding outing is made better when one spots Dolichonyx oryzivorus. Unfortunately for me and other New York City birders, Bobolinks are hard to come by in our marvelous metropolis.

Breeding 157

Breeding New York City New York 2000 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2014

On Saturday I awakened at 3:30 AM, tiptoed out of the house as quietly as I could, and headed north and west to Sullivan County, the first of three counties I planned to visit in a series of surgical birding strikes to see (or hear) the birds I had thus far missed this year as they migrated through New York City.

Breeding 154

Breeding New York Breeders Downers 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2017

Seriously, cardinals are both gorgeous and interesting , but their familiarity across most of North America breeds indifference if not contempt. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was an easy one to choose. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you? How about you?

New York City 145

New York City 2017 North America New York 145

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2022

The American Birding Association has declared that 2022 is the year of the Burrowing Owl, but if Rosemary Mosco has her way, it will also be the year of the Rock Pigeon. Mosco’s birds (and other creatures in her comics) carry an air of insouciance. I will watch the pigeons of New York City.

2018 229

2018 New York City Birds Abandon 229

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

But for some poorly (or not-at-all) understood reason, its spread across North America has shown a very northwesterly orientation, so while birders as far away from the epicenter of the North American introduction in Florida as British Columbia get to see Eurasian Collared-Doves regularly we New Yorkers and other northeasterners are deprived.

New York 167

New York New York City North America Bahamas 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’ve been fortunate to encounter many owls in my birding life, sometimes because I’m looking for them, sometimes happily by happenstance. It’s also about human-owl interaction on an individual level and a wider sociocultural level, and ultimately how we can use all this for habitat and bird conservation.

Owls 224

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 224

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2021

His second book on migration is a tale of many birds and many research studies all connected by the theme of migration and by his thoughtful narrative voice. Many of these stories will be known to avid readers of environmental news items and social media. This is big, global-level stuff with amazing findings but worrisome data.

Cyprus 259

Cyprus Slaughter Slaughtered Research 259

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2013

When I woke up, discombobulated and confused, I saw that I had a voicemail on my phone from Isaac Grant, a Staten Island birder doing a New York City big year. Edgemere, by the way, has really been coming into its own as a good place to see good birds.). What will be bird 300? Upland Sandpiper for 299!

New York City 137

New York City New York Birds California 137

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2015

New York, I can say with certainty that you have chosen the perfect bird to represent your state. Though it took you until 1970 to designate your state bird – the last in the United States to do so – the Eastern Bluebird is beautiful, has a distinctive song, and is a great example of an environmental success story.

New York 160

New York New York City United States Birds 160

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 210

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 210

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2012

This is just a quick post to share two of the latest birds that made it onto my year list after a quick run to Doodletown and to Mine Road on Saturday morning. Well, the two birds below kind of speak for themselves… Cerulean Warbler at Doodletown Kentucky Warbler along Mine Road … a.

New York City 186

New York City Kentucky United States New York 186

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2013

The former mayor of New York City, Ed Koch, was famous for his catchphrase, “ How’m I doing? But that’s not the case for many birds who live in or pass through the United States, a new report indicates. Birding Conservation News Private land'

New York City 159

New York City United States 2013 New York 159

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

Happy Second Day of the New Year, 10,000 Birds friends! I came late to bird feeding. Jim Carpenter is the founder of Wild Birds Unlimited, the popular bird feeder and seed franchise. There is a lot of information out there about feeding birds—web pages, pamphlets from bird feed retail stores and Audubon centers.

Birds 182

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2013

I saw a few birds as well, the best of which was a spritely American Redstart. Corey had an absurd array of avians to choose from as his Best Bird of the Weekend considering that between Friday and Sunday he saw 148 species in his journeys around Queens, the Bronx, and Sullivan, Ulster, and Orange Counties. Birding best bird weekend'

New York City 156

New York City 2013 New York Birds 156

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Seth is generous with his knowledge, and, knowing this, Corey cajoled him into providing this post about one of the many avian mysteries of New York City. One of the least known stories of New York birding is the tale of the wild Mitred Parakeets. Are they breeding? What, you may ask? It’s possible.

New York City 226

New York City New York Los Angeles South America 226

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2012

Bird song serves two basic purposes – to declare that the place from which the bird sings is that bird’s territory and to attract and keep a mate. Though birds sing because it is a biological imperative I find it hard to believe that they don’t get some basic enjoyment out of the experience as well.

New York City 182

New York City Birds New York Experience 182

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2014

All we do is complain about the lack of migrating birds so far and in New York City if southeast winds are blowing we are nearly despondent because southeast winds mean that the birds are moving north but the easterly component of the winds keep usually keep the bulk of birds to our west.

New York 233

New York United States New York City Breeding 233

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2012

Just take a look at some of the pictures I digiscoped in the first two days of May to get an idea of how great a month May is in the Borough of Queens, New York City.

New York City 158

New York City New York 2009 Litter 158

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

It’s etched into my audio memory, which is quite a feat considering the problems I have recognizing even the most common bird cries. I look up and see three large green birds, the bright green contrasting with dark blue underwings, whitish-grayish foreheads and breasts shining in the winter sun, flying overhead. “We

Chicago 209

Chicago New York City New York Illinois 209

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2012

As passerine migration peters out and thoughts turn to what birds will show up to stay the winter the only wood-warbler left in any numbers at all in the vicinity of my New York City home is the Yellow-rumped “Myrtle” Warbler.

New York City 108

New York City New York Breeding Birds 108

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2019

I consider myself fortunate that I learned to love summer birding before I ever knew what the summer doldrums are, if only because summer was the very first season I began birding. And what do the birds say? Good birding and happy drinking! Birds and Booze News. Hermit Thrush Brewery: Po Tweet.

Detroit 148

Detroit New York New York City Vermont 148

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2012

It is not the fault of Canada Geese that they have become a trash bird. Blame human intervention in the form of breeding programs so that there would be more to hunt. New York City has famously taken to catching and gassing Canada Geese so it is actually getting difficult to find decent-sized flocks of the birds in Brooklyn and Queens.

Geese 162

Geese Canada New York City Birds 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2017

Newburgh is a little over an hour north of New York City so I figured I could get a visit in to a few great locations for breeding birds that I hadn’t yet seen this year. But there were even cooler birds to see! Would the birds still be there? I shouldn’t have worried.

Wildlife 126

Wildlife New York Sparrows New York City 126

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

April, while not as exciting a migratory month as May is in the northeastern United States, is still a great time of year to see migrating birds. In the New York City area the number and variety of sparrows a birder can see in mid-April is astounding.

Sparrows 145

Sparrows New York City New York Fox 145

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

Now that I live in New York City I rarely manage to make it that far north and when I do it tends to be winter, which is kind of odd. Montreal, while far to the north of New York City, is in Canada, which is certainly not the Adirondacks. Shows what I know about when birds breed. Wait, what?

New York City 163

New York City New York Canada Woodpeckers 163

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2012

Cloud, Florida, Doug, with whom I had been birding all day long, found a Yellow-throated Warbler foraging behind us. And while Snail Kites are awesome, especially when you are adding them to your ABA list , a close and confiding Yellow-throated Warbler is almost irresistible, especially for a New Yorker.

Florida 177

Florida New York City Dominica United States 177

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2014

Yellow-throated Warblers are a rarity in New York State and as I mentioned earlier this year they are usually considered an “overshoot,” that is, a bird that usually breeds further south that occasionally flies past its breeding grounds during migration before realizing what it has done and turning around to go back to where it belongs.

New York City 192

New York City New York Breeders Breeding 192

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

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2017

When I was a kid, and couldn’t travel, I thought patch birding sounded dreadfully boring. Because the European Goldfinches presently found in New York are believed to all be escaped cage birds or, at best, a handful of their first-generation descendants. Over time, Pearson’s prediction proved accurate.

New York 106

New York New York City Illinois Wisconsin 106

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

I’ve seen Yellow Warblers in the low shrubs of Western New York pastures, the river valleys of Missoula, and the trees of abandoned industrial sites in New York City. Chuk makes his quip about the Black-winged Yellow Bird; my friend Molly insists that everything is a duck, a pigeon, or an owl.

Connecticut 183

Connecticut Baltimore North America New York City 183

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2014

Earlier this month I had stopped at Forest Park for a quick, late-morning, visit as we birders in Queens tend to do, especially in May, and was impressed by the diversity and number of birds singing. One bird in particular caught my eye – a brilliant Cape May Warbler singing and foraging from ground level up to about ten feet.

New York City 169

New York City Tigers New York Canada 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2013

We New York birders should be awash in migrating wood-warblers, flycatchers, vireos, tanagers, and a host of other birds right now. Sure, the expected wood-warblers that overshoot their breeding range are showing up and even the occasional rarity has appeared, but this spring has largely been dreadful for we northeasterners.

New York City 187

New York City New York Breeders 2013 187

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2012

Unfortunately, developers are hungrily eying the 70-acre parcel despite some local opposition and the fact that it is a wetland that provides excellent habitat to a variety of birds (to say nothing of mammals, insects, etc). Expect to read more about Flushing Airport on 10,000 Birds in the future; the habitat is too good not to visit!

New York City 154

New York City New York Birds Homelessness 154

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2015

New York City in July provides limited opportunities for birders to see birds. That said, there are still chances to observe birds and my favorite way to do so in the summer is at the beach. I saw a Willow Flycatcher , several Northern Mockingbirds , and a bunch of Yellow Warblers. You won’t regret it! ….

New York City 165

New York City New York Blackbirds Collecting 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 14, 2018

Third, Kirtland’s Warbler has only recently made the New York State checklist with two sightings in 2014. ( Sixth, the last really rare bird I wanted to chase in Central Park was a Swainson’s Warbler and work also kept me from seeing that bird. One of which is documented here.

New York 113

New York New York City Michigan United States 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2014

I have a larger post coming out next week as part of a special 10,000 Birds topical extravaganza, so for now just three little things. First, and this is OLD news, dating to several years go. But did you know that there is a bat that specializes in eating birds that are migrating at night? Giant Bats Snatch Birds from Night Sky.

Los Angeles 175

Los Angeles Bats Feral Cats New York City 175

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

Far better just to stay inside and write about birds! As a kid, I took the fact that Blue Jays were found at our feeders in winter and in our woodlots in summer as evidence that they were simple, sedentary birds. New York City makes it clear that this isn’t quite correct. But that’s sort of cheating.

Alabama 107

Alabama West Virginia New York City New York 107