10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2020

I live in the Central Valley, the most populated part of Costa Rica. Once in a while, there’s even that coveted Great Lakes bird intent on doing its own chickadee-like thing, the Golden-winged Warbler. Wondering where its food went, the Merlin flies south too and some come to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 181

Costa Rica Falcons Farming Baltimore 181

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2019

Over-all there were almost 80,000 photos taken, nearly 50 story’s posted on this website, and 10 countries, all with some amazing birds. In the end, I truly did set out to reduce the number of birds that I feature here from 1302, my years total species, down to 10-12. So, there are 21 birds that make my top 10 for the year.

2018 154

2018 Costa Rica South Africa New Zealand 154

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2011

American Black Vulture ( thanks Redgannet for letting me use your photo) I must admit that I too completely underestimated them when I first say the American Black Vulture in Costa Rica. No birds are evil. Happy birding (or turtling), Dale Forbes a. The reality is: American Black Vultures are not evil at all.

Sea Turtles 199

Sea Turtles Turtles Hunting Costa Rica 199

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2019

It ended with little fan fare; in fact I did not even go chasing birds on the last two days of 2018, as I am just plain tired. Not of the birds, but the seemingly endless early mornings, rarely sleeping in my own bed, and the pressure, mostly self imposed, to find yet one more bird. Costa Rica Totals: 351.

Costa Rica 129

Costa Rica Tucson South Africa Bahamas 129

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2019

Don’t you hate it when you cannot communicate while birding overseas? Having mobility issues, I still remember birding from a van along a rather productive dirt road in Costa Rica ( Broad-billed Motmot , Lineated Woodpecker , Cocoa Woodcreeper , etc.), Still, this was a hunting chase and not the proper ecotourism, but B.

Bears 136

Bears San Jose Greece Costa Rica 136

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

2014 has been a good year for us at 10,000 Birds. We’ve traveled to lots of places, seen lots of great birds, and met lots of great birders. So, as we’ve done for the last several years we thought we would share our Best Birds of the Year with you. Below are our Best Birds of the Year. What was yours?

2014 184

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

(This photo is actually of a TK seen a few days later, but it was at our favorite birding gas station pit stop that we also stopped at on our first day. Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences.

Honduras 243

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 243

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2017

This is a bird blog, and my beat is New Zealand, so let me talk about a fish I saw in Australia. My recent trip was fantastic, and really re-kindled my love of diving, so much so that I’ve started planning and saving for a diving (and birding) trip to Costa Rica in 2019. You can get very close to them.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Porcupines Fish New Zealand 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

When Costa Rica becomes a topic of conversation, we don’t usually hear the word “extinction” being thrown around. But how about when the Costa Rica conversation involves a birder? It’s easy to bedazzle the bins with this one when birding in Costa Rica. Must be a joke, right?

Costa Rica 213

Costa Rica Species Panama Birds 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Our recent trip to Selva Verde Lodge in Costa Rica was one such trip that held an unexpected surprise. These birds are regarded by many as the Holy Grail of birding in the Neotropics, not necessarily because of their rarity (Sunbitterns are actually fairly widespread) but because of their other unique attributes.

Costa Rica 251

Costa Rica Suriname Eggs Hunting 251

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2017

In Costa Rica, we don’t get many chances to chase birds. The same goes for other challenging resident birds like the Rufous-vented Ground-Cuckoo, Speckled Mourner, and Gray-headed Piprites. No matter where in the world we bird, it seems like the ones we twitch are the birds that aren’t supposed to be there.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica San Jose Falcons Nicaragua 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2017

Here are some facts to keep in mind about Good Birders Still Don’t Wear White: Passionate Birders Share the Joys of Watching Birds: (1) This is not a dress code. (2) The 37 essays by birders, bird artists, photographers, tour leaders, ornithologists, field guide authors, and other members of the tribe (even bloggers!)

2017 135

2017 Costa Rica 2007 Hunters 135

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

As 2013 draws to a close we here at 10,000 Birds thought that it would be a great idea if we, like we did in 2010 , 2011 , and 2012 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds! Sound good?

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2016

For those who happen to be faithful followers of posts about birding in Costa Rica, no, you haven’t accidentally browsed to the wrong place. Today, I am writing about another very birdy place and an event that I was very fortunate to have experienced, the Champions of the Flyway Bird Race in Eilat, Israel.

Costa Rica 168

Costa Rica Eagles Birds 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

It’s when we lost the mammoths, the sabre-tooth cats, the giant ground sloths, the elephant birds, the marsupial lions, and other iconic giants. We’ve lost perhaps 200 birds that we know of since 1500. Australia’s extinct and threatened bird species. A Remembrance of Birds Past: The Lost Bird Project.

Marsupials 166

Marsupials Costa Rica Elephants Cuba 166

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2017

At one point this week, I was facing the biggest Dip of my birding life. I had committed the better part of five days, before work, after work, weekends, every spare moment trying to a rare bird. In my case, the news came in the form of an e-mail, a “Rare Bird” sighting sent to me as part of the eBird.org reporting system.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Guatemala Bears Hunting 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In this post, we’ll share the most positive of the positives, at least for those who write for 10,000 Birds who decided to share. Of all the birds that make the list for a given year one of those birds must be the Best Bird of the Year. We are always content bird-watching around Broome anyway!

2020 224

2020 Birds Germany Costa Rica 224