10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2022

Most of the usual birds seem present, a frog or two call from a small wetland, and a few other expected animals are there too. We would marvel over cheery flocks of green and bright yellow Carolina Parakeets and then we would see them decline until there were just two, maybe one lonely bird, and then we would witness their forever absence.

Costa Rica 272

Costa Rica Parrots Albatross Birds 272

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2016

All of these titles deal with birding in specific North American geographic areas: The Atlantic coast, Pennsylvania, and Texas. The photos show the forms of the bird seen on the east coast and are annotated with notes on plumage and other distinguishing field marks. It’s time for some short book reviews. Well, short for me.

Pennsylvania 181

Pennsylvania Texas Whales Whaling 181

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Birds of California , the new volume in the ABA series, arrived the day I returned. Every bird book seems to be about the west coast this month!) With the boat speed what it was, and being the only birder on board, to stop watching meant I might miss an interesting bird.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Whales Whaling Porpoises 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2021

Have you ever birded a place so young that birds still have no names ? … – part 2 – Once I finish this writing, with a strange mix of emotions I will put the Lynx field guide Birds of Colombia to the bookshelf for the first time, more than half a year after I received it. Later, we would be seeing dolphins every day.

Dolphins 264

Dolphins Colombia Otters Birds 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2015

Sometimes great birding days are not about all the birds you see. I had spent the morning on Navarre Beach, walking the pier looking for sea turtles and dolphins, then making my way down the beach. As I hopped in my car to head home, I pondered the Florida birds I had yet to see. Some are great because of just one.

Sea Turtles 159

Sea Turtles Dolphins Birds Turtles 159

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2011

You should know by now that there are a good number of birds that spend an appreciable amount of time underwater. And then there are the crazy-awesome Dippers and one should not forget the great diving birds like Gannets and Albatrosses. See, with a little bit of imagination, even a scuba diver can find birds all over the place.

Sharks 207

Sharks Thailand Dolphins Fish 207

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2019

It was the sixth year in a row of the Queens County Bird Club Big Sit, my favorite event of the year. As always, I was the first to the platform and in the light northwest wind and under a full moon I sipped my coffee and willed birds to make some noise so I could start checking off species. and Lincoln’s Sparrow.

Pelicans 141

Pelicans New York Whales Whaling 141

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

I bring this up not to boast (well, not much) but because I think that this approach to wildlife travel is somewhat neglected in birding circles. Read most accounts of how birders see birds outside their patch and one way or another, they’re tourists. In the Bahamas I swam in a pod of feeding dolphins.

Uganda 163

Uganda Sharks Africa New Zealand 163

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2014

However, in this post, I’d like to lay out the basic numbers as we pretend to know them about overall bird mortality, human related causes of mortality, and somewhere in there I’ll note that the number of birds that are killed by windmills is so small that it says “zero” on my pie chart. So keep that in mind.

Killing 274

Killing Cats Fish Birds 274

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2023

He’s the author of The New Neotropical Companion (2017, originally published in 1997), a must-read for any birder preparing to travel to Central and South America, the Peterson Reference Guide to Bird Behavior (2020), and a long list of other books and articles. There are changes in where to find the birds.

2006 268

2006 Tortoises Sea Lions Sea Turtles 268

10,000 Birds

JUNE 13, 2015

There are no pelagic trips” That ironic pseudo-haiku almost sums up pelagic birding in Costa Rica. However, since you might see shearwaters, storm-petrels, a jaeger, Sulids, and who knows what else, it does have birding mojo. boat and as one might imagine, it was sunny, hot, and kind of bird-less. The PMMP awaits.

Costa Rica 157

Costa Rica Birds Dolphins Rescue 157

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2013

Our time on the island was spent looking at birds, exploring, picnicking, throwing rocks in the water, and admiring a very cooperative Santa Cruz Island Fox. Then the birds showed. We estimated at least 3,500 sooties and over 1,000 dolphins. Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus. Pink-footed Shearwater Puffinus creatopus.

Whales 151

Whales Whaling Dolphins California 151

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

Usually, it’s “Bird eating fish” but here we have a case of a “Bird-eating fish.” Now and then individual catfish of various species hunt nearer the surface and larger catfish such as the American Channel Cat will take a duck or other water bird. pigeons, Columbia livia ).

Fish 215

Fish Birds Whales Whaling 215

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2014

We sail into the relative calm of a cliff, the mast takes an upright position, navigation becomes calm and quiet… quiet enough for our bird guide, Andrea Bonetti to pick up a voice of a Western Rock Nuthatch coming from the rock face. We come closer to it, but I cannot find the bird with binoculars. diomedea ). Practicalities.

Greece 246

Greece Malta Croatia Birds 246

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Most of the books about extinction, including Fuller’s Extinct Birds (now, ironically, out of print), describe what was lost and look for explanations, scientifically and historically. The idea of Lost Animals was conceived after the publication of Extinct Birds (2001), a 400-page, four-pound book on 75 extinct species.

Animal 270

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 270

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2013

Today we take a brief reprieve from birder commentary to talk actual birds, specifically those of Santa Cruz Island, where my lowly-esteemed colleague Seagull Steve is currently doing field work on some of the nearshore seabirds there. The fundamental question is, where is it? is concerned.

California 174

California Birds Sea Lions Whales 174

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2011

Last week I introduced the Great Frigatebird , one of five species of man-o-war bird. Here I’ll finish off what I started, looking at the lives of these amazing birds, using the pictures I took working on Tern Island in French Frigate Shoals, Hawaii. They are capable of covering great distances, perhaps like an albatross.

Albatross 167

Albatross Birds Hawaii Philippines 167

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2015

It was a pelagic trip organized by See Life Paulagics and it was a pretty memorable trip with five species of shearwater, Leach’s Storm-Petrels , Wilson’s Storm-Petrels , a variety of dolphins, some sharks, and a variety of other sea life. Three South Polar Skuas at once! Awesome! ….

New York 162

New York Penguins Sharks Dolphins 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2018

This area of unspoiled barrier islands would surely be a treasure trove of new birds for my fresh life list (probably just 50 or so at that time). But, I’d added the birds above to my life list – a good trade in my young mind. There were Atlantic bottlenose dolphins frolicking in the water, and eagles perching in the pines!

Georgia 155

Georgia Eagles Bald Eagle Dolphins 155

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Kaikoura is New Zealand’s finest birding destination, and seeing it brought low is a terrible blow. Thanks to it’s marine canyon it’s the place to see Sperm Whales, swim with Dusky Dolphins and New Zealand Fur-seals, and watch albatrosses, shearwaters and petrels.

New Zealand 169

New Zealand Albatross Seals Fur 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2016

I’ve been to the Sounds before, but I had never visited them specifically to bird, which means I hadn’t seen the specialities there. This trip was to rectify that. I took a tour out of Picton with Eko-Tours – who are pretty much the only outfit birders can use, so it’s just as well they do it well. A Bellbird singing.

Charlotte 122

Charlotte New Zealand Seals Fur 122

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2017

When I was a kid I loved books like My Side of the Mountain , Island of the Blue Dolphins , and Julie of the Wolves. Stark, a white Gyrfalcon , is a falconry bird born and raised. Still, she’s nearly more falconry bird than 13-year-old Karma (yes, she has hippy parents) can handle at the book’s opening.

Falcons 122

Falcons Wolves Dolphins Montana 122

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2013

Birds, like this Great Shearwater , are attracted to the chum slick set out by the ship’s crew. Birding Florida pelagic petrel tropicbird' Days are long (3:00AM to 9:00PM) with the trip involving over 100 miles of travel off the coast to the east wall of the Gulfstream. The next pelagic trip of 2013 will be on Sunday, July 21st.

Sea Turtles 167

Sea Turtles Florida Chile Dolphins 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2012

Or are the deaths of dolphins and seabirds in Peru caused by something more nefarious?

Dolphins 145

Dolphins Peru 145

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2013

I will never tire of banging Kaikoura’s drum as the best place in the world to see albatrosses, and since albatrosses are the among the best birds in the world it amazes me that none of you have made it out here yet (actually, some of you have, per some of the comments, but Corey hasn’t). As you can see the birds are really close!

Albatross 167

Albatross New Zealand Seals Fur 167

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Whereas much pelagic birding involves arduous trips out to continental shelves with nothing but gulls on the way, you pretty much start hitting albatrosses a few minutes out of the little harbour and they keep coming for the duration of the trip. This lovely bird is Westland Petrel. I wasn’t disappointed. And they were fighty.

Albatross 199

Albatross New Zealand Dolphins Whales 199

4 The Love Of Animals

OCTOBER 3, 2013

And there are many kinds of animals to choose from, everything from birds, frogs and dolphins, to a variety of dog breeds. To be honest, it was actually really hard to pick because there are so many fun choices (the bunny, frogs, and birds were very tempting) but of course I had to get something to represent our sweet pup.

For Animals 100

For Animals Animal Zoos Dolphins 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2016

One of my ambitions for this year is to do more birding around New Zealand, and in particular try and knock off a few of the possible species here I haven’t seen yet, perhaps with a mind to breaking 100 species here in a year. A big bird in a bigger sea. Halfway through the trip one enters the Sounds and the pelagic birding ends.

New Zealand 100

New Zealand Albatross Cooking Dolphins 100

Critter News

JUNE 19, 2010

Like forest creatures trying to escape a fire, marine animals such as dolphins, sharks, mullets, crabs, rays and fish are congregating in surprisingly shallow waters off the Florida coast line as they flee the encroaching oil spill. Meanwhile, oil-covered birds crawl deep into swamps and don´t come back out.

Sharks 100

Sharks Dolphins Animal 2010 100

4 The Love Of Animals

AUGUST 7, 2013

Discovery Cove is an all-inclusive day resort experience where guests enjoy a one-of-a-kind opportunity to swim with dolphins, snorkel with rays and tropical fish, hand-feed exotic birds and relax on pristine beaches. To discover more, visit DiscoveryCove.com and follow them on Facebook.

Sharks 100

Sharks Gestation 2013 Dolphins 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Birding has been an all-consuming interest for Patrick Cardwell since boyhood days spent in a wildlife-rich environment. In this epic post, Patrick depicts just how dynamic the pelagic birding is off Cape Point in South Africa.

Albatross 193

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 193

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2016

The other day, Redgannet, when sharing the 10,000 Birds combined bird list for 2016 , mentioned that I had made some sort of notable contribution by submitting 25 checklists in one day. The reasons for this protocol are as unique as this unique type of birding. That sounds exciting, like there’s some sort of story there.

Whales 100

Whales Whaling North Carolina Mammals 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2011

But later in August, Alexander Suh at the University of Münster emailed me about a new paper he and his colleagues have just published: Mesozoic retroposons reveal parrots as the closest living relatives of passerine birds (PDF). Galahs ( Eolophus roseicapilla ) in Victoria, Australia © David J. Ringer Suh et al. Ringer Suh et al.

Parrots 198

Parrots Falcons Indonesia Rodents 198

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

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. Officials reported 48 marine mammals, mostly dolphins, and 87 dead sea turtles during the first two months alone.

2010 251

2010 Louisiana 2012 2011 251

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2016

So close to the pole only a handful of bird species can survive, and even so, death toll is very high, hence their populations must be huge (millions). There are 11 species of birds that breed in the Ross Sea region. As a consequence, the Ross Sea has one of the highest concentrations of seabirds in the world.

Russia 184

Russia Penguins Whales Whaling 184

4 The Love Of Animals

MARCH 17, 2011

Elephants, whales, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and alligators use low-frequency sounds to communicate over long distances, often miles; and bats, dolphins, whales, frogs, and various rodents use high-frequency sounds to find food, communicate with others, and navigate. Empathy Among Elephants. Photos courtesy of iStock.

Emotional 100

Emotional Animal Whales Whaling 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 7, 2021

When you bird afar and wander wide, you carry a field guide to the birds of the region you are exploring, a pair of binoculars, likely a camera, perhaps a spotting scope and a tripod too, plus clothing, medicines, toiletries, electronics, money and documents… Did you notice the missing item? Yet, those bird guides are hefty.

Madagascar 258

Madagascar Mammals Lemurs Seychelles 258