10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2022

Costa Rica has long been one of the more frequently visited global birding hotspots. In addition to providing many people with wonderful life experiences, these birding visits have helped increase our understanding of local bird distribution. More Birding in the Northern Volcanoes. More Pelagic Trips in the Caribbean Sea.

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica Birds Albatross Protection 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2022

Not as interesting as birds, but easier to get photos of – see a few at the end of this post, just put there in an uncaring way as I really went to St. Lucia for the birds. I sometimes wonder why green birds are relatively rare. On the other hand, “at the same time birds want to blend in, they also want to stand out.

South Africa 214

South Africa Africa Saint Lucia Birds 214

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2019

An expanse of habitat as vast as Murchison Falls NP in Uganda, as excessively generous in beauty and biodiversity, permits endless ways to experience both its birds and animals. The Masindi Hotel holds the distinction of being the oldest and most historic hotel in Uganda and has some terrific birds on premises. Mind boggling, I answer!

Uganda 201

Uganda Senegal Africa Game 201

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2022

To be precise, “Birding Shanghai from June 10 to June 30, 2022” – but that is even less of an exciting title than the one above. The reason for this post only covering the period from June 10 being that an earlier post, “Revenge Birding”, was about the first 9 days of June. You should try it too.

Birds 197

Birds Sparrows Protection Humane 197

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2022

One of the reasons that I usually start each year’s species list with a visit to the wetlands of Lake Cuitzeo is that the site offers so many species that I can find nowhere else. So it is odd that this rather drab landscape would host some of our most colorful birds. Not all the colorful species have feathers.

Eagles 229

Eagles Falcons Sparrows Species 229

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2024

My previous post on birding here has received some criticism – apparently I was too harsh on the place. True to my own recipe I would arrive a day or two early to go birding. I’d go with Mexican birding buddy Mau, guided by Kingfisher Birding who also provided the bird pictures. The birds warmed us too.

Ducks 162

Ducks Emotional Cattle Owls 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

That circular, uninviting body of water marks the main crater of Poas Volcano, a mountain that hosts the most accessible and nearest area of quality bird habitat to the Juan Santamaria airport. Recently, while guiding on the slopes of Poas, without too much effort, we had more than a hundred species. Two hundred?

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Species San Jose Birds 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2022

At the end of 2022, let us celebrate the local field guide, a sub-genre that many of us feared would die, the victim of technology, development, and globalization, but which still shines bright, fewer in number but brilliant in quality, thanks to birders and birding organizations that believe in knowing your patch and your state.

Los Angeles 210

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 210

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2015

The wet season is still in full effect and that translates to dynamic birding in every habitat. Sometimes, you gotta travel to find the breaks in the rain but when you do, the toucans are calling, and parrots, raptors, and other large birds are trying to dry out in the treetops. Each year, I hope to identify at least 600 species.

Costa Rica 154

Costa Rica 2015 Species West Virginia 154

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2022

It is near a river, attracting some birds that like to eat wet food. As the national bird of Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe, the African Fish Eagle is usually very busy whenever it stays in these countries, giving speeches, opening shopping centers, etc. The birds I asked about this pretended not to be related to anyone though.

Zimbabwe 147

Zimbabwe Birds South Africa Benin 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2020

As I simply saw too many interesting birds during my short Delhi birding trip in 2019, I decided to cover the trip in two separate posts. There is no ornithological rationale for which birds are featured in part 1 and 2 – it is merely a question of following the alphabet wherever it led me. One of my favorite bird species.

Birds 171

Birds India Zoos 2019 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2020

Over the years I’ve seen a variety of open-country birds there, including Bobolinks , Vesper Sparrow , and American Kestrel. Over the years birding Willow Lake I had added nearly eighty eBird checklists at the preserve and netted myself 127 species, good for number two on the eBird hotspot list.

Bald Eagle 196

Bald Eagle New York City Birds New York 196

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2021

Fortunately, China still has lots of interesting birding locations left for me. But of course, it is also nice to remember past birding trips. One in November 2018 included a one-day birding trip in the Drakensberg area, a mountain range in the border area between South Africa and Lesotho. That does not make much sense, I know.

South Africa 246

South Africa Africa Lesotho Nigeria 246

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 22, 2022

I was tired, as if it were my shoulders that held the sky suspended… So much so that I made no birding plans for this vacation. The lake IBA has about 230 so far eBirded species. It was an odd feeling to be back at the “former lake” which I birded in 2019, before the pandemic. A great day, thanks to Clive.

Greece 242

Greece Eagles Turtles 2019 242

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 15, 2018

I had high hopes for the 5th Annual Queens County Bird Club Big Sit this past Saturday at Fort Tilden. We had persevered through four years at the top of Battery Harris Platform and could bring our experience to bear on the task of trying to record as many species as possible on a single day from that single spot.

2018 210

2018 Bald Eagle Battery Birds 210

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2015

A rare bird is one we don’t see very often. However, that doesn’t mean that the bird species in question is necessarily endangered. None of these are rare in their normal haunts but seeing them in Costa Rica would be a major birding event. Lincoln’s Sparrow for example.

Costa Rica 162

Costa Rica Birds Panama Sparrows 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2015

Yesterday, Sunday, 20 December, was the 2015 Queens County Christmas Bird Count. With the mild weather we had been experiencing we had high hopes for some good birds and we were not disappointed. I covered the western section of the Rockaways which mostly consists of trying to find birds on the ocean, the beach, and the bays.

Bald Eagle 103

Bald Eagle Birds Sparrows Pelicans 103

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2019

It is illegal to feed wild animals, take animals, birds and insects and it is also illegal to release animals in Singapore. Although the tide was in we were still able to observe several species of shorebird on Pulau Sekudu. One bird species that we had hoped for during our visit to Singapore was the White-rumped Shama.

Singapore 133

Singapore Birds illegal Eagles 133

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2014

Yes there are birding sites and there are birds – but hardly much info about them (beside Fat Birder ). When discussing this topic for local media, I often say that because of their White-tailed Eagles , the Scottish island of Mull makes 2 million pounds per year from birders alone.

Serbia 185

Serbia Eagles Birds Sparrows 185

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

“Target birds” The term can foster excitement but is easily contentious. It would be uber cool to lay eyes on a rare lifer, on species that only seem to live on the pages of a field guide but isn’t that somewhat discriminatory? Aren’t all birds worth watching? Looking for Bare-necked Umbrellabird ?

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Panama Birds Eagles 203

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. With 154 eBirded species, the Beljarica shares the 4th place on the list. What has changed in the meantime?

Serbia 168

Serbia Birds Bulgaria Farming 168

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2018

Checking my annual list, I am where I usually am at this time of year: several species short of 200. Still, this way or another, the year is ending with some glorious species, e.g. a rare Greater Spotted Eagle. Usually only several birds overwinter in Serbia – the biggest count ever was less than 10. Their claim to fame?

Moldova 121

Moldova Birds Serbia Greece 121

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2018

It’s busy on the birding side of things as well. Migrant species are around, rarities are waiting to be found (such as, believe it or not, Lincoln’s Sparrow ), and, most of all, we have Christmas Counts to attend to. The counts act as our end of the year birding festivities and 2018 brings us more than ever.

Costa Rica 184

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Falcons 184

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2017

Before the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), there was the Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966. endangered species was issued on March 11, 1967, under the earlier law, and those listings were ultimately grandfathered into the ESA. Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus t. The first list of U.S.

California Condor 103

California Condor Endangered Species Bald Eagle Parrots 103

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2015

2014 was a great year for birding! Read on if you want to indulge me in reliving my version of it… In 2014 I birded in three countries (United States, Canada, Costa Rica), four states (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Florida), and forty-two counties. (I’m That increased my total list from my balcony to 92 species!

2014 245

2014 Costa Rica New York New Jersey 245

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2017

There should be thousands of birds at this time of the year, Dimitris Michalakis from the Karla Lake management authority told me. In early August this year, I saw 77 species here (69 on the lake, plus 8 more in the surrounding areas) but barely more than a thousand individuals. Lesser Kestrel. I am trying to count them all!

Greece 198

Greece Killing Pelicans Eagles 198

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2015

In Costa Rica, when speaking English, we use a combination of words associated with both North American and UK birding communities. Quetzal” In sounding like the name of a rap star, this also gives the bird a modern, catchy title that befits the fame and splendid appearance. A King in flight ( King Vulture ).

Costa Rica 165

Costa Rica Sparrows Birds Eagles 165

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 16, 2021

2021 is already well underway, are you birding? During anxious times, birding is therapeutic, it brings us back to center, can wipe away the worries and act as a source of mental fortitude. Watch some birds today and see where it takes you. Watch some birds all year long and enjoy the journey, keep a list.

Costa Rica 166

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 166

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2019

Next Thursday is the American Thanksgiving holiday – which means it’s time to trot out that old legend concerning Benjamin Franklin’s opinions on two iconic American birds: The Wild Turkey ( Meleagris gallopavo ) and the Bald Eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ). He is a Bird of bad moral Character.

2017 153

2017 Bald Eagle United States Turkey 153

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2020

There wasn’t much in the way of birds in the yard, maybe a Cooper’s Hawk winging through from the north, crows calling and House Sparrows chirping. That’s where the birds were, thousands of gulls, rafts of diving ducks, Buffleheads and goldeneyes buzzing the cold, gray water.

Costa Rica 244

Costa Rica Turkey Iceland Eagles 244

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2021

Insects were held back by weird spring weather, but now the warmth returns and the birds are feasting on the late stirring bugs. June saw 8 beats get their birding boots on and share 90 checklists for your pleasure. Between them, they found 389 species in 5 countries. Flaming June is busting out all over.

Woodpeckers 255

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Niger 255

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

…we bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird, bird in the marsh the whole day thru. My birding list for November totals 15 species. 168 Black Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus tyrannus. 173 Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. 393 House Sparrow – Passer domesticus.

Sparrows 218

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Costa Rica 218

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2018

I hope everyone participated in at least one day of the four day Great Backyard Bird Count of 2018. I submitted five checklists from four different locations yielding 44 species. As I walked out on my back porch on Friday morning, the first day of the count, it was a cool, clear day and the birds were very active at the feeders.

2018 100

2018 Bald Eagle Woodpeckers Turkey 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2016

I’m a big fan of city birding. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy getting away from it all out in some remote forest or desert, but a good city can combine some excellent birding and outstanding diving, drinking, dining and sightseeing. The gardens are so bird rich books have been written about what can be seen in them.

Penguins 172

Penguins Birds Mongoose Ostriches 172

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2018

He made a whirlwind tour of some of the best birding areas in the country, from the Karajukica Bunari peat bog in the extreme southwest (by the border with Montenegro) all the way to the Slano Kopovo Crane Sanctuary in the northeast. He enjoys combining his passion for birds with computer science background to model nocturnal bird migration.

Serbia 143

Serbia Switzerland Farming Birds 143

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2015

This time I was lucky enough to join a fam trip organised by Natural Greece, an ecotourism company from Athens, and spend a few days at my favourite Kerkini Lake, which you already birded through my bins ( April and September ). Picture 2: Lesser Spotted Eagle – Clanga pomarina. Yes, those were four eagles in 20 minutes.

Greece 252

Greece Woodpeckers Eagles Birds 252