10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2015

We assume natural selection has shaped birds to avoid predators. Noticing predators, reacting to them perhaps with an alarm call, and escaping them, as well as other behaviors, keep the bird alive and thus allow it to reproduce. We would expect, then, that natural selection favors birds that are good at these things.

Birds 135

Birds Research Humane Pets 135

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2018

And yet…take a closer look and you won’t find any hummingbirds acting like cute little singing birds ready to perch on the finger of some lost, happy princess. And that begs the question, anthropocentric comparisons aside, what makes a bird a jerk? So easy to love, admire and cherish! Maybe even pyschos.

Humane 183

Humane Neglecting Investigation Birds 183

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2011

One of the primary reasons that these hawks make such excellent falconry birds is because they are one of only two raptor species (the other is the Galapagos Hawk ) that hunt cooperatively. Consider the following quote, &# Falconry involves the use of birds of prey to kill other birds and animals for sport.

League Against Cruel Sports 270

League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 270

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

They were commenting where they felt most at home – on their favourite FB pages (predominantly American Birding Association). Eric DeFonso: “I was thinking about one particular quote from the blog post today while guiding, pertaining to recounting special bird sightings. ‘ Making sure that all trip participants see all the birds.

Greece 226

Greece Birds Zambia Experience 226

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

Hannah Buschert was first exposed to birds and birding during a required ornithology course at Oregon State University and she quickly caught the birding bug. This is Hannah’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Hannah and Erik ready to see some birds! I love to go on cruises.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2018

Readers of 10,000 Birds know that diversity is one of the great hallmarks of modern day birds. And, he literally wrote the book(s) on California birds. Grinnell and his students conducted surveys of birds in the Mohave Desert, starting in 1908 and running to 1947 (Grinnell died in 1940). More recently, Kelly J.

2018 102

2018 Science Humane Species 102

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2014

Within this range it uses all kinds of wetlands – including mangroves and even the sea on rare occasions – but is not easily found by visiting birders, who mostly rely on seeing small groups or pairs at a few more or less reliable and easily-accessed birding hot spots. No, definitely not the birding.

New York City 165

New York City Los Angeles Timor Indonesia 165

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2011

Feathers are the unique ingredient when it comes to birds. Platypus have bills, bats and bugs can fly, and reptiles lay eggs, but only birds have feathers. The introduction gives both a simple overview of how birds use their feathers as well as brief idea of how humans have been fascinated by feathers since prehistory.

Reptiles 199

Reptiles Bats Eggs Humane 199

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

Producing a book about birds and nesting is a dangerous business. The truth is that there are few images cuter than baby birds in the nest opening their mouths and begging for food, but there are curmudgeons amongst us, myself included, who don’t like to admit this. And of birds courting and mating. We simply refuse to squee.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2012

A lot has happened since I’ve made an appearance on 10,000 Birds. Last month I accompanied Seagull Steve to South Florida for two weeks, which yielded some excellent birds…we missed the Fork-tailed Flycatcher on Big Pine Key, but that’s because we were on the Dry Tortugas, so we aren’t complaining.

United States 106

United States Colorado Virginia Pelicans 106

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2022

Personally I’ve seen over a hundred species over several birding trips there, the overall species list for the location is approximately 160 – a tally that will only increase. It was admittedly difficult to concentrate on any single bird with trogons calling non-stop. This large and charismatic bird was surely the bird of the trip.

Trinidad 258

Trinidad Squirrels Birds Groups 258

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

After weeks of preparation (and not writing many 10,000 Bird posts), my wife and I are finally in Spain. And in between, you can stop at the Cazalla Soaring Bird Observatory ( Cazalla Observatorio de Aves Planeadoras ). Our trip to southern Spain is a work trip, so it was a week until I was able to get out and bird in form.

Spain 147

Spain Birds Mexico Eagles 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

They looked out their windows and across their patios and up from their apartment terraces and saw–birds. This is a delightful book, large (8-1/2 by 11 inches), filled with Sibley’s distinctive artwork and an organized potpourri of research-based stories about the science behind bird’s lives.

2020 264

2020 Birds Groups North America 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2024

I contemplated how the birds were able to achieve such acceleration after sleeping all night without an ounce of caffeine. Once the swifts ascended well above the canopy, they began to look like birds again. Meanwhile, the forest edge was awash with birds. The birds were for the most part playing hard to get, though.

Guyana 234

Guyana Parrots Trinidad Woodpeckers 234

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2023

Having come back to the blog in whatever form and persistency, the overarching subject of language in birding seemed to be a suitable and deserving theme since bird names were part of my original beat. How have birds infiltrated our everyday language, even of non-birders? No birds required. ” – You have a bird!

Germany 208

Germany Birds Hunters Owls 208

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

As you read the below timeline and see the below images, don’t ever forget the perils that walk hand-in-hand with human greed. Oil begins to wash up on the beaches throughout May and June of 2010 May 6, 2010 Oil washes ashore on the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, an important nesting and breeding area for many bird species.

2010 254

2010 Louisiana 2012 2011 254

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2019

Might be a good subject for a continuing feature of some birding blogsite, too.). She wanted to join in the annual Audubon Christmas bird count in 2004, and she did — but she couldn’t identify a thing. I visited the bird for a couple weeks until one day, it was gone. Yellow-headed Blackbird, you’re an easy bird to miss.

Bald Eagle 189

Bald Eagle Blackbirds Birds New Jersey 189

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2016

A recent study found that conducting bird surveys by drone produced results that were at least as accurate, if not more so, than other counting methods. They then studied the images in comparison with conventionally obtained accounts of the colonies conducted at the same time. Which may be all well and good.

Penguins 100

Penguins Birds Research Humane 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2019

Falconry Month at Birds and Booze: I’ve decided to dedicate this month of March 2019 to wines and beers related to the history of falconry – or hawking – for no other reason than that I’ve recently acquired several bottles adorned with mostly medieval European iconography relating to this “sport of kings”.

2016 115

2016 Hunting Collecting Killing 115

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2012

I am writing (hopefully, by the time this posts, have written) on the odd confluence of good birding territory and historic gay cruising zones. The subject begs for facile metaphors and easy comparisons, and rejecting such is one of my favorite hobbies after birding itself. The Magic Hedge in Chicago, of course.

Chicago 189

Chicago Litter Louisiana Montana 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2012

It’s that time of year again and birds are flying north in anticipation of summer romance. Not everybody will find love this season so 10,000 Birds have started a special initiative to help birds to shape up and become the best that they can be. To see all of our Bird Love Week posts, just click here.

New York 203

New York Game Birds Raised 203

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2011

To a birder, migration means that you can live in Minnesota, New York, Paris or Moscow and see exotic tropical birds such as Piranga olivacea and Icterus galbula on a regular basis without buying a plane ticket. The birds do the flying for you. But what is migration, why do birds do it, and how is it accomplished? Image source.

Research 210

Research Humane Compassion New York 210

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The descriptions of the territory’s birds, seals, whales, introduced mammals, invertebrates, and plants are written within the framework of the conversationist, so it is more than a field guide, it is a record of endangered wildlife and the efforts being made to protect it.

Georgia 175

Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whales 175

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2024

If the birds were Germans, Siberian Rubythroats wintering in Xishuangbanna (where I saw them a few years ago) would certainly be described as “Warmduscher” by their fellow species members seen in Shanghai this month. It seems that like me, Oriental Storks are not that fond of humans. ”), etc.

Birds 181

Birds China Humane Battery 181

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2012

Think about the difference between birds and mammals. You’re a mammal, so you might be tempted to use yourself as an example mammal, but humans are actually kind of bad examples of mammals, so perhaps we’ll use a well studied hoofed animal instead. After hatching, the same contrast pertains. What’s that?

Mammals 172

Mammals Eggs Abandon Abandoning 172

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2013

But no, Jim’s eyes only light up when I talk about the Red-tailed Hawk that observes feeder birds from the top of the pine tree behind our building, or the Northern Harriers that in fall kettle over that grasslands preserve. I’m not going to try to explain why people are fascinated by hawks; human-to-avian psychology is not my specialty.

North America 232

North America Bald Eagle Falcons Owls 232

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2024

Welcome to Birding Tongbiguan, part 1. The authors of the paper sound a bit helpless, stating that “At the time of discovery, both birds [two bee-eaters] were still alive, but it was not possible to free them from the net because the bees began to attack the ringer.” Of course, the same applies to pizza services for humans.

Squirrels 145

Squirrels Birds China Bears 145

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2023

And now for something completely different – birds. As you can tell from this post starting with leaf warblers, the ornithological equivalent of watching paint dry (ok, a bit unfair and not really a good comparison anyway, but hey, write your own blog if you do not like mine). Mind you, no long tails in this season.

Birds 130

Birds China Taiwan Raised 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2019

Greeney was recommended to me as a book I HAD to review by no less than three birding friends. I hesitated because a 496-page book about two skulky neotropical bird groups is a little intimidating. I also wondered if a book like this would be of interest to 10,000 Birds readers.

Research 158

Research Eggs South America Costa Rica 158

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2023

Sepilok is one of the best places I ever spent time birding at – I did so for a week and could have easily spent more time there. So, in order to economize a bit, the Sepilok birds are described in three separate posts. Maybe the HBW should be administered by a university with a stronger interest in birds than Cornell.

Woodpeckers 233

Woodpeckers Birds Eggs India 233

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2023

One study in Korea found that 37% of injuries and deaths were caused by predation by natural enemies, another 37% (a worryingly high number) by window strikes, 10% by traffic accidents, 7% each by flooding and dehydration, and 3% by human disturbance. I think the photo shows a male bird, as certain parts of the head seem more black than grey.

Birds 130

Birds China Research Tenant 130

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2018

Peeps are the smallest of our Calidris sandpipers or, as Mike has said here on 10,000 Birds : ‘Peeps’ is the birding term used to describe several species of sandpiper of the genus Calidris that are near impossible to tell apart. Horrible human beings like Trump supporters and pedophiles, that’s who!

Jamaica 121

Jamaica North America America Species 121

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

I did not find much about this bird online except for a paper with the exciting title “A new quill mite Torotrogla emberizae sp. Given that this bird moves very fast and thus leads to bird photographers spending a lot of time getting mostly completely unusable photos, I think the parasitism is well-deserved.

Birds 235

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 235