10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2021

“This beautiful and singular bird, although a constant resident in the southern extremities of the peninsula of Florida, seldom extends its journeys in an eastern direction beyond the State of North Carolina.

New York 264

New York South Carolina North Carolina Massachusetts 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2022

Thank you, goddess of birding luck and text group people).* My inner self felt stuck in an area between disbelief and total joy and the voices near me were echoing this state of mind: “Oh My God,” “I never thought I would see this bird,” “Look at that bill!” “How did that bird get here?”

Birds 264

Birds Compassion Eagles Science 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

The fact that this hour falls in the middle of the night means that most people sleep right through it, but I wonder what would happen if you observes a nocturnal bird like an owl during the hour that gets reset. I found myself in a beautiful part of New York that was so remote that birds apparently couldn’t find it.

2018 114

2018 New York City New York Jamaica 114

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2021

The survey also sought to identify “the key attributes important to birding experiences” and learn more about “decisions to participate in birdwatching and level of identity as birdwatcher.”. For example, the survey (of eBirders) found: “Nearly all respondents (99%) indicated they participate in birdwatching or birding.”.

Minnesota 264

Minnesota Research Pennsylvania Ohio 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2018

Countless flocks of frigid, sodden birds must be wondering whether they took a wrong turn somewhere. Corey had a large variety of birds to choose his Best Bird of the Weekend from this week and had a hard time making his selection. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2018 113

2018 Jamaica Sparrows Bears 113

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2011

And it looks even better in my hands while I dream about a visit to regions of Brazil I had scarcely heard of before being provided with a review copy of the first volume of the Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil.*

Brazil 221

Brazil Wildlife 2011 Birds 221

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2013

Wildlife rehabilitators are not known for our bling. Second, even if we do, we have discovered through bitter experience that jewelry can either be snatched or, like very small guns, used against us. People who work with wildlife wearing nice clothes? People who work with wildlife wearing nice clothes? And parrots =.”.

Bald Eagle 240

Bald Eagle Wildlife Rehabilitation Vet Birds 240

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2016

These seasons of transition make for exciting birding. Best of all, your birds next weekend may be even better than what this weekend offered. Corey could have chosen any of several new birds for the year for him in New York for his Best Bird of the Weekend this weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2016 102

2016 Jamaica New York Laws 102

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2017

I know I neglected to ask you where you were birding this weekend, but don’t ever think that means I don’t want to know. Any good bird sighting deserves to be shared and enjoyed. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2017 100

2017 Neglecting Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2016

I don’t know which legislative branch to appeal to, but there ought to be a law that mandates life birds on a birder’s birthday. I spent several hours of an otherwise excellent weekend dipping multiple times on a rare ABA Tufted Duck. What was your best bird of the weekend? Sure beats cake! How about you?

2016 100

2016 Legislation Jamaica Laws 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2013

The Spring Wings Festival , held this past weekend, was the perfect way for a birding-festival newbie like me to get into the swing of things. Its small size, laid-back nature, and ample opportunities to get up close and personal with birds make it a good fit for experienced birders, but also for people looking to get their feet wet.

Nevada 191

Nevada Birds Barn Owls Cows 191

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2012

The water this Northern Pintail is in has human poo in it, which completely ruins the experience of seeing this bird. The majority of diehard birders do not care where they get their birds. There is a caste of birders, however, that do not subscribe to this way of birding…no. Oh wait, it doesn’t.

San Francisco 230

San Francisco Birds North Dakota Oakland 230

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 2016 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2012

Do you get out birding much? If you’re checking in here on a Monday morning, chances are you have a bird tale to tell. Then again, maybe like me you simply enjoy hearing about the avian observations of others even when you can’t make time for your own bird chases. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2012 165

2012 Birds Medical Owls 165

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

APRIL 5, 2011

My 8-year old daughter got interested in birds from a VERY early stage. By age 2 she could identify over 10 species of birds in our Johannesburg, South Africa, yard by call alone. So I guess for some people birding skills come naturally but, for others, birding skills need to be learnt. And perhaps 20 others by sight.

Birds 279

Birds Game Wildlife Family 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. I started eBirding about the same time I started birding, and I made an early executive decision (a very good one) that any pre-eBird observations simply did not count. Birding trips to Florida , New Mexico , and Texas are obvious too.

Puerto Rico 159

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 159

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 205

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 205

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

From spring hole to spring hole we slowly moved, our captain providing running commentary on the number of gallons flowing from Silver Springs, the number of movies that had been shot here, and the wildlife seeking shelter within the cool waters. We watched for a few minutes, waiting for the Anhinga to pop back up to the surface.

Florida 100

Florida Fish Turtles Shelters 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2018

In a recent post, Corey listed five things to do when it is too cold to go birding and one of those things is planning birding travel. Here in Portland, Oregon, it is more frequently too rainy rather than too cold to go birding, at least comfortably. Thus, my “good birds” are likely the opposite of an eastern birder.

San Francisco 100

San Francisco Portland United States Puerto Rico 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2015

That’s interesting from a weather point of view, but not so good when it coincided with my graduation birding trip. Yes, I had officially graduated from the Duke Nicholas School of the Environment, and I was not going to let a little rain keep me from birding! Still, we were in for another birding surprise.

North Carolina 182

North Carolina Alligators Wildlife Woodpeckers 182

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2012

On this final day of 2012 it is time, just like it was on the final days of 2010 and 2011 , to share your Best Birds of the Year. Well, actually, your Best Bird of the Year will only be shared here if you took the time to respond to the post in which we here at 10,000 Birds shared our Best Birds of the Year.

2012 133

2012 Ghana Ireland Birds 133

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) attempts to calculate the economic contribution of National Wildlife Refuge visitation to local communities. Rather, birding and other wildlife observation ( e.g., photography) are lumped together as “non-consumptive” uses of a refuge. Much of this economic activity is due to birding.

Wildlife 266

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 266

10,000 Birds

MAY 29, 2011

We three insane Swarovski Triathlon Hawks made our way back through downtown Cape May to our first post-kayak birding location, the 2nd Avenue Jetty, where we found bupkis. On to a small pond where we hoped to see a dabbling duck or two but found only more bupkis. So we stopped birding. It was a bupkis fest!

Soreing 165

Soreing Birds Suffering Woodpeckers 165

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

This is particularly poignant if the bird has disappeared during the course of my birding days or “on my watch” as I like to think of it. Islands, for various reasons, experience more extinctions than continents (with Africa being the only continent not suffering a bird extinction!).

Madagascar 251

Madagascar Lemurs 2006 Owls 251

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. Don’t forget you can also see some wildlife on the road as you go !

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Birds 157

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

British birders are very serious about birding and their birds. This is a very good thing; it means they publish a lot of books about birds (probably more at this point than U.S. This is a very good thing; it means they publish a lot of books about birds (probably more at this point than U.S.

Ireland 157

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

I don’t really know – from my own experience with school bullies or from Jack London’s novels? Illustrated with drawings by the author’s wife, wildlife artist Catherine Putman, “Understanding Animal Behaviour” has 178 pages. Finally, the list of birds mentioned in the examples include: Acorn woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus.

Animal 116

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 116

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2013

Long-tailed Duck is one of my favorite birds that we see on the Christmas Bird Count. Participating in a Christmas Bird Count is tiring but essentially simple. Participating in a Christmas Bird Count is tiring but essentially simple. Many years of experience have been lost. No muss, no fuss.

Birds 164

Birds New York City New York New Jersey 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2024

So Eduardo set aside the afternoon to show me some of the city, and take me birding in two city parks. Being a westerner — raised in California, and now living in western Mexico — I was perhaps most excited about the migratory birds that breed in eastern North America. Two other birds, both residents, surprised us.

Mexico 221

Mexico Birds Raccoons Baltimore 221

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2011

For many birders a highlight of birding the southeastern United States, maybe even the definitive birding experience of the region, is taking in the great numbers and diversity of long-legged wading birds. But would you believe that that sort of amazing wader show is increasingly common up the coast as well? Who knew?).

South Carolina 157

South Carolina Alligators Florida United States 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

Of course, excellent opportunity to go birding with my friends Brad and Laura. My colleague Doug wrote me an email describing the whereabouts of these “rosy finches” and my wife had to manage my excitement with horse tranquilizer… What a fantastic little birds. It is mid-March and I am back in Colorado for meetings.

Denver 182

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 182

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Which, naturally, got me to thinking about the newly erected order Suliformes, a development I mentioned in my December column, 2010′s Top 10 Developments in Bird Taxonomy and Systematics , but which I thought deserved further examination, for it’s one of those stories that defines the era in which we are living and birding.

2011 158

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 158

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. Fish and Wildlife Service conducts every five years or so. Birders pay bupkis. billion to almost $4.1

Ducks 257

Ducks Hunters 2006 Wildlife 257

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2011

As part of the Wildlife Conservation Society Birds of Brazil giveaway we asked readers of 10,000 Birds to name the bird in Brazil that they would like to see more than any other species. It is a really neat bird that I have not seen before. It would mean that I was birding in a really cool place!

Brazil 225

Brazil 2011 Birds Wildlife 225

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

My own trip was not an intensive birding experience, and August is clearly not the most productive month. I chalked up 132 species in a pretty relaxed eight days, during which birds shared the agenda with culture. What has changed in the meantime? Black Stork and three pairs of White-tailed Eagles breed here. eBird bar chart. #2

Serbia 177

Serbia Birds Bulgaria Farming 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2023

Most years, a day in January of serious birding around Lake Cuitzeo can give me around 85 species. So up north I go, always hoping for a good harvest of year birds. This past January, however, my experience was even better. As a result, we managed to see an even 100 bird species in one day — a record for both of us.

Blackbirds 147

Blackbirds 2020 Ducks Mexico 147