10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2022

If you think it is rather pretentious to start a birding blog post with a Kafka story, I fully agree with you. Anyway, the story is not quite how I remembered it, to be honest, but fitting enough to describe the almost claustrophobic birding experience in ever-shrinking Nanhui. I just want to point out it could be much worse.

Raccoons 229

Raccoons Birds Oregon China 229

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

Just under a fortnight ago, I saw a report on the local bird alert of a sighting of a group of approximately 20 Nacunda Nighthawks at a wetland not more than 20 minutes from where I live. Especially as we were at the time about to experience a rapidly advancing tropical storm. Such is birding, such is life.

Livestock 227

Livestock Ducks ALA illegal 227

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

What do you think makes for a good bird hide? I have asked myself that same question many times over the last six months, until last week, when I was involved in an opening ceremony of five new bird hides at the Palic Lake, by the town of Subotica in the very north of Serbia, along the border with Hungary (all photos are from that area).

Serbia 254

Serbia Birds Spain Hungary 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

My family took our annual post-Easter Egg hunt hike at Powder Mills Park, where I spied several gorgeous matched pairs of Wood Ducks along with lots of different woodpecker species. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2012 192

2012 Birds Eggs Hunting 192

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 that moved were sitting ducks.

Fish 210

Fish Birds Whales Whaling 210

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

That will be the opening day of the 18th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida. Who knows what great birds 2015 will bring? Like this past January, I will be leading field trips and spending the rest of my time birding. So, basically, I’ll be birding all the time.

2015 205

2015 Wildlife Florida Birds 205

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2018

In the afternoon the sun was at my back and the birds on the beach and over the water were perfectly illuminated for some nice digiscoping opportunities. Terns, gulls, pelicans, gannets, and ducks all made their way past and all were digiscoped to within an inch of their lives. But none were quite as fun to shoot as Osprey.

North Carolina 106

North Carolina Fish Hunting Pelicans 106

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

Yet, one other hunting attempt in the same area I do remember. The Mallard did something that all dabbling ducks can do but I haven’t seen any of them doing it but this one – it took a dive and disappeared underwater. (My The next memorable hunt came from winter 2006/07. And, now, at eBird. What is it doing?? And not moving.

Serbia 254

Serbia 2004 Eagles Chickens 254

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

I first encountered Molly Hashimoto’s bird art in California. Hashimoto’s prints and water color bird portraits differ in materials and style from Harper, but she shares with him a talent for portraying common birds in a lively, accessible, yet new way that belies the artistic processes employed to create the finished image.

Birds 159

Birds Eggs Laws Woodpeckers 159

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2017

Twitching is a British term used to mean “the pursuit of a previously located rare bird.” Basically, I never had the time to chase birds. My second twitch, during the winter of 2011, was also in the area of McArthur where an American Tree Sparrow ( Spizella arborea ) was spotted during a Christmas Bird Count.

California 100

California North America Wildlife Campaign 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2013

“In 80 birding tours to more than 100 countries, that was definitely the best day of birding I have ever had in my life!’ What a way to sum up what is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest birding sites and certainly my favorite in southern Africa. However, the great birding experience that is Sani starts lower down.

Lesotho 178

Lesotho Africa Birds Rats 178

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 197

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 197

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

He doesn’t bait birds, call them in, or otherwise mess with their natural behaviors in order to get his superior images. Because he photographs birds acting naturally he can use the images he gets to tell a story. We are pleased to host this guest post and hope it is the first of many to feature Ron’s works on 10,000 Birds.

Falcons 118

Falcons Ducks Utah Ethics 118

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

I don’t really know – from my own experience with school bullies or from Jack London’s novels? At some stage, a salmon-hunting bear at a shingle beach came too close, mere 9 steps. Finally, the list of birds mentioned in the examples include: Acorn woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus. Mallard duck, Anas platyrhynchos.

Animal 115

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 115

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 151

2017 Costa Rica 2007 Hunters 151

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

If there is one thing that Kiwis care about, it’s birds. No, wait, not birds. One thing visitors love to see in New Zealand is Kiwi, the national (sort of) bird, and they also enjoy seeing some of the other birds the place has to offer. Kiwis care about rugby. A good place to see the enigmatic Kokako.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 22, 2015

The Little Egret walks in front of her, a dozen Lesser Whistling Ducks flies noisily low above water and through a flooded grass wades one Black-winged Stilt. The Osprey tries another hunt, finally a successful one, while Telia goes deeper into the water and lies down. The Sun is getting lower, painting both grass and the tigress gold.

Tigers 252

Tigers India Killing 2012 252

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

These reports (called “ Banking on Nature “) are relevant to birders because they are among the few comprehensive analyses that relate to the economic impact of birders on national wildlife refuges, which are among the more popular birding locations. A number of these NWRs appear on my list of the Top 25 NWRs for Birding.).

Wildlife 258

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 258

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2012

If you ever wonder why so many American birders leaven their love of nature with a little self-loathing, look no further than the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife-Associated Recreation , which the U.S. Bird watchers definitely pay, even if our economic contributions are patently ignored. Birders pay bupkis.

Ducks 252

Ducks Hunters 2006 Wildlife 252

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

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 168

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 168

10,000 Birds

MARCH 5, 2012

What this land-locked country lacks in endemic birds it more than makes up for in accessibility of tough species, numbers of birds and the overall wildlife experience. It is also home to the largest concentration of African Elephants on the planet and over 450 bird species. We are currently filming in Botswana.

Botswana 215

Botswana Zebras Lions Elephants 215

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2014

even before I took binoculars, I was always chasing, hmm… impressionable experiences. Can birding possibly compare? I haven’t put myself in life threatening situations while birding (unless you count paddling with crocodiles ?). More of a hunt? Birding Europe Serbia wetlands' Museums – majority of them?

Farming 247

Farming Serbia Europe India 247

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2012

No matter, the warm fire and comforts of home are nice, as is the winter birding here. On the way I managed to sneak in a manic day of birding in and around the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. So much birding was squeezed into this day that I have had to break it up into two posts! If you have two days there are even more options.

Thailand 155

Thailand New Zealand Terrapins Asia 155

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 245

2020 Birds Costa Rica Germany 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 9, 2011

You start hearing and catching glimpses of birds as soon as you land, particularly the fast moving Tui. One bird I apparently heard at the landing (although it didn’t register to me) was the Fernbird , New Zealand’s only Old World warbler (or more accurately megalurid warbler ). Get yours today!

New Zealand 149

New Zealand 2011 Deer Cats 149

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2013

One of the nice things about Christmas in New Zealand is that we get to experience it in the summer, when things are pretty kicking here. So you’ll have to wait till next year for me to post more rambling and incoherent thoughts about hunting or how I managed to not see a single pitta in Borneo. Birds New Zealand Wellington'

New Zealand 167

New Zealand Hunting Sanctuary Ducks 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 31, 2013

This scraggly collection of islands and deep long bays forms the tip of South Island closest to to North Island, but till this point my only experience of the area had been the long passage down Queen Charlotte Sound to reach the ferry terminal of Picton. That isn’t to say we didn’t see any birds.

New Zealand 165

New Zealand Charlotte Hunting Family 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2013

Thankfully it did not last long and then brought some surprising birding opportunities that we normally only experience in our Wet Season. We counted over three hundred of these birds within easy view and no doubt there were many more. Whiskered Terns on the fence-line and ducks in flight. Birding Australia Broome'

Falcons 157

Falcons Ducks Raised Cattle 157