10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2023

May is a busy month for birds migrating through Shanghai – and of course, last May was completely missed due to the lockdown. So, I spent a lot of time birding this month, and to keep this post at a manageable length, it mostly only covers the first half of May. The video is notable for the bird basically refusing to move at all.

Birds 130

Birds Raised Cattle Mammals 130

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2020

And this doesn’t mean you are obsessed or a little bit too much into birds because keeping track of a year list actually comes with some side benefits. Yeah, many of us living the birding life do so anyways because we can’t help it. Go birding! Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis; Tambor, 3-Jan.

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica 2020 Morals Farming 263

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 Birds Mountain Goats Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2019

Happy New Year, 10,000 Birds readers and writers, listers and photographers, friends and fellow travelers near and far! Writing a post scheduled for January 1st for a birding blog is a big responsibility. On the first of the year, every bird is a new bird! It was a United States lower-48 birding year for me.

2018 167

2018 New Jersey Michigan North Dakota 167

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2014

The day before we headed south to Perth to circumnavigate Herdsman Lake and see the amazing bird-life there we did a short drive out of town at home in Broome. The road north was closed beyond a certain distance, but the road south remained open and always offers excellent birding opportunities when this happens.

Barn Owls 162

Barn Owls Seals Birds Cattle 162

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2016

So, I birded India, land of Indian Peafowl , Saag Paneer (my favorite Indian dish) and Tigers. Neither are birds, but both involved a lot of birding.). Once we donned our booties and took the brief tour of the tomb, we climbed up to a terrace overlooking the Yamuna River and started birding in earnest.

India 189

India Tigers Birds Owls 189

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2016

I’m a big fan of city birding. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy getting away from it all out in some remote forest or desert, but a good city can combine some excellent birding and outstanding diving, drinking, dining and sightseeing. The gardens are so bird rich books have been written about what can be seen in them.

Penguins 172

Penguins Birds Mongoose Ostriches 172

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2018

The country has one eBird hotspot with 200+ and 48 with more than 100 bird species. Among travel guides, due to its extensive coverage of natural history and birding sites, recommendation goes to Laurence Mitchell’s Serbia: The Bradt Travel Guide (5th edition, 2017). Common Quail , Grey Partridge , Turtle Dove , too.

Serbia 164

Serbia Geese Owls Macedonia 164

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2022

In early 2021, I spent a lot of time going through my bird photos before finally submitting 50 of them to the “Bird Photographer of the Year” competition held in the UK. This photo: Clearly, a fake – if such a bird really existed, wouldn’t many more people know about it?

China 230

China India South Africa Homelessness 230

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds , Terminology / Cow Birds Cow Birds By Rick • March 22, 2011 • 1 comment Tweet Share So what do Buffleheads and Bitterns and Hornbills have in common? They’re all named for livestock.

Cows 142

Cows Cattle 2011 Birds 142

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2020

On the northern birding calendar, October is a time for sparrows, cool weather, and tired fall leaves. In Costa Rica, the tenth month is when birds pass through in droves. but there are other birds, many stopping to stay, many others moving to South America. In Costa Rica, a lot of those birds fly right overhead.

Costa Rica 274

Costa Rica South America Colombia Paraguay 274

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

For many in the birding community, Miami is a destination meant only for ticking off ABA-countable exotics such as Spot-breasted Oriole or Red-whiskered Bulbul. It was truly heart-warming to see the local birding community participate with so much enthusiasm and fervor. This bird was a life bird for him! Gadwall: 3.

Miami 169

Miami 2015 United States Birds 169

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2018

Flashy of look, brash of attitude, and strident of voice, they bomb around announcing every discovery – ripe acorns, sleeping owls, snakes in need of scolding – to the world. The post Shifting Baselines and Sneaky Jays appeared first on 10,000 Birds. 1978, for reference, was the year of my birth.

New York Times 140

New York Times Montana Oregon Deer 140

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2019

Our first destination for observing birds in Singapore during our three week visit in March was Pasir Ris Park. It would be a great location to visit if you only had a few hours in Singapore and wanted to go beyond the airport to go bird watching. We were soon in Pasir Ris Town Park and observing a huge variety of birds.

Singapore 115

Singapore Otters Owls Zebras 115

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2020

6 beats contributed during March and between them they counted 99 birds from porches in 5 countries. Cattle Egret ( Bubulcus ibis ). Ferruginous Pygmy-Owl ( Glaucidium brasilianum ). The post Collaborative list – March 2020 appeared first on 10,000 Birds. Keep your distance. But look, no waterfowl.

2020 151

2020 New Zealand Woodpeckers Blackbirds 151

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2015

The sharp strings are a menace to passing birds – especially kites and other raptors – who cannot see them and sometimes suffer grievous, if not fatal, wounds. The first injured bird Nadeem and Mohammad ever found was a Black Kite.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 263

Wildlife Rehabilitation India Rescue Wounded 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2016

On my recent short family vacation to Miami, I was granted a single day to get out and really bird like a madman. The reason the location is remaining undisclosed is that reliable Mangrove Cuckoos are difficult to find in the American Birding Association area and are a very sought after species. Come on, Carlos!

Florida 124

Florida Miami Birds Owls 124

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2013

This park protects the largest remaining tract of dry deciduous forest in the west of India, offering visitors 37 species of reptiles, 38 species of mammals and, not to be forgotten – almost 300 bird species. We’re here for the birds!”. Yes, we did – so what? Lions aside, carnivores are represented by Leopard, Hyena, Jackal, etc.,

Lions 236

Lions India Mammals Boars 236

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2013

We follow the tire tracks in an off-white, salty soil and then, without a word of warning, our guide/driver turns into the bushes, driving left and right… until one and then another Short-eared Owl flushes in front of us. A Common Kestrel at the nearest bush and a Black Drongo at the next. And how can one stay annoyed after that?

India 235

India Birds Eagles Boars 235

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2016

They used to be but a burgeoning population in need of more living room and land for cattle and crops destroyed a fair portion of those rainforests during the 20th century. But, if you want to go further afield, fear not, there is some wonderful lowland forest birding up near Nicaragua and down south by Panama as well.

Costa Rica 166

Costa Rica San Jose Panama Birds 166

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

…we bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird in the marsh the whole day thru. My birding list for November totals 15 species. 156 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 181 Barn Owl – Tyto alba. 182 Middle American Screech-Owl – Megascops guatemalae.

Sparrows 218

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Costa Rica 218

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2014

Among birders, wildlife photographers, and nature enthusiasts, it is renowned for its incredible concentrations of birds at the end of the dry season. Raptors such as Savanna Hawk , Snail Kite , and Black-collared Hawk and up to five species of kingfisher also join the bonanza in one of the world’s great birding spectacles.

Brazil 165

Brazil Birds Blackbirds Paraguay 165

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2022

8 of them sent 153 lists, noting 645 species of bird across 7 countries (Mexico, UK, USA, Serbia, Australia, Costa Rica, Colombia). It has not resulted in extraordinary numbers of sightings personally, but the beats have been busy on their respective patches and have sent me their lists to collate. The year list finishes at 1628.

Sparrows 245

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Owls 245

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2019

I’m a long-time champion of the IOC World Bird List as a standard for bird names. They give short shrift to New Zealand’s birds, lumping them with odd names no one here uses because the names are shared elsewhere and God knows America isn’t going to take a hit for us. But the Blue Tit was different.

Iran 134

Iran Barn Owls New Zealand Europe 134

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 190

Birds Groups 2015 North America 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

It’s a wonder that any of the beats managed to get out and wave their binoculars at birds this July. Heatwaves, floods, lockdown, football and Olympics. Yet, 79 checklists were submitted by 8 beats, accounting for 366 species in 5 countries. Yet, 79 checklists were submitted by 8 beats, accounting for 366 species in 5 countries.

Sparrows 254

Sparrows Woodpeckers Ducks Blackbirds 254

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2018

The pressure is on if you can only get certain species during the first month of the year but if you just want to add any old birds to the year list, everything is fresh! Since I’m in no big hurry to reach any number of species in 2018, my year birding is going to be a fresh one hopefully touched with a good dose of Zen.

Costa Rica 167

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2015

There were a good variety of birds around the water body and the highlight was our first Black-necked Stork for the year due to our time away for a good part of the year so far. We like to camp in the bush about 60 kilometres south of Derby, because there is fresh water, tall trees and excellent bird-watching opportunities.

Birds 157

Birds Ducks Species Zebras 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2011

This just in… Dan Rhoads, weary to the bone with eyes nearly burnt out from competitive bird watching, just completed his report of the Second Annual Cyprus Bird Race , transmitted it to the 10,000 Birds home office through secret back channels, and then collapsed.

Cyprus 145

Cyprus 2011 Birds Owls 145

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2014

Interestingly, the birding lexicon uses other terms to describe unanticipated arrivals in more positive terms. One wonders how innocent the Spotted Owl finds the rampant range expansion of the Barred Owl. … Here at 10,000 Birds 20 July – 26 July is Invasive Species Week. Sounds so innocent, doesn’t it?

Species 160

Species Feral Cats Feral Miami 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2021

Wherever you might be birding, please stay safe and keep those around you safe too. 1539 is the year list total so far and the life list has reached 4081 as Northern Pygmy Owl , Emperor Goose and Lined Seedeater swelled its numbers. 184 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 217 Great Horned Owl – Bubo virginianus.

Woodpeckers 248

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds Ducks 248

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2018

The auto tour route at SNWR even holds Great Horned Owls ( Bubo virginianus ). The auto tour at Colusa NWR also boasts several other pretty special birds, like this White-faced Ibis ( Plegadis chihi ) … and a Black-crowned Night-Heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ) roost.

Wildlife 101

Wildlife Sacramento Bald Eagle Falcons 101

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2019

On account of its penchant for rice fields and similar open grassy marshes, the Pectoral Sandpiper gets an honorable mention but since Mary and I already saw that far-flying bird on Global Big Day (May 5), I’m only going to talk about the true grasspiper bunch. He had been checking for several days and the efforts finally paid off.

Costa Rica 158

Costa Rica Farming Texas Cattle 158

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2020

8 countries were birded by 11 beats and I am delighted to include Faraaz and Trinidad and Tobago in those stats. 10,000 Birds has yet to take a stance on the developing situation between mainland China and Hong Kong. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Barn Owl – Tyto alba. Little Owl – Athene noctua.

2020 157

2020 Sparrows Blackbirds Woodpeckers 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2017

Sort of like the mega birds, these aren’t your average worm-eating, seed-feeding, chirping guys with brightly colored plumage. In keeping with high diversity in other aspects of the avian kingdom, including falcons and excluding owls, this small country has a raptor list that tops fifty species. King Vulture. Barred Hawk.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica West Virginia Eagles Monkeys 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

And reports of birds nesting – not owls, of course, those weirdo snow fetishists, but other birds nesting – light up my life. Most exotics, at least in the bird world, stick close to their point of arrival and barely hang on – or don’t – over the generations. In 1998 W. And of Wyoming.

Montana 138

Montana 2011 New York Bahamas 138

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2021

The year list ends on a provisional (some beats will be birding ’til the final whistle to try and salvage a ravaged year) 1803 species from 1602 checklists submitted by 12 beats from 16 countries. Imagine that, 13 lists per year where once there were only 12.

2020 230

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Ducks 230