10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2022

In any case, screech-owls are birds of the Megascops genus, small nocturnal owls found in wooded habitats from southern Alaska to northern Argentina. But why include it if it only occurs from central Panama to Ecuador? The Megascops from southern Costa Rica, this bird was at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge.

Costa Rica 216

Costa Rica Owls Panama Argentina 216

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2012

If you are thinking about visiting the Amazon, and enjoying great birds, a bit of luxury, relaxation, and good food, then you should consider coming to Ecuador and gliding over the Napo River on the Manatee Amazon Explorer. They offer multiple packages and we took a five day trip that took us right down to the border with Peru.

Ecuador 186

Ecuador Peru Birds Parrots 186

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 259

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 259

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2011

Bird watching Recinto 23 de Junio is always a great experience. There are not many places in Ecuador, or for that matter in the world, where you can see these all these birds in the same area. On my latest visit we encounter the Moss-backed Tanager and the Gray Hawk next to the road that leads to the community.

Ecuador 167

Ecuador Birds Industry Farming 167

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2013

I worked hard trying to spot something special but earned little for my efforts until I hit a patch of birds clearly preparing to leave town. And in case you are looking askance at the accompanying photo, that bird is actually a Tropical Kingbird Corey encountered at the mighty Mangaloma Reserve in Ecuador.). (And

2013 150

2013 New York Ecuador Birds 150

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2014

What happens when you visit one of the best birdwatching sites in the region with the highest number of endemic bird species in the Americas in the world’s birdiest country? The area is known for a military base, the legendary Montezuma Lodge, and a boatload of birds. Hope that you’re as fortunate to go birding with Leo!

Colombia 267

Colombia Birds South America America 267

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 20, 2012

My first birding trip outside Ecuador was fantastic and added nearly 200 new birds to my list. My wife and I spent two weeks in Brazil birding the Atlantic Forest and The Pantanal. This was an amazing experience which confirmed the continued destruction of the forest caused by the insatiable expansionism of humans.

Brazil 154

Brazil Ecuador Birds Humane 154

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

“Target birds” The term can foster excitement but is easily contentious. Aren’t all birds worth watching? There’s nothing wrong with appreciating and watching every bird but there’s also nothing wrong about going to great efforts to see lifers only found in dreams. Fiery-throated Hummingbird.

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Panama Birds Eagles 203

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2011

I enjoy fishing almost as much as I enjoy birding. For me there are few experiences more satisfying than releasing a fish that has put up a great fight. The one exception would be the thrill that birding brings. You see for me, birding is all about the quest. But most antpitta species are a severe birding challenge.

Ecuador 150

Ecuador South Africa United States Hunting 150

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2015

” these brown, long-tailed, noisy birds are small enough to hitch rides on backs of the real deal. This spectacular, turkey-like bird roams the floor of tropical forests from eastern Mexico south to northwestern Ecuador. It also ranges widely from Mexico south to western Ecuador. Ain’t I great?

Costa Rica 184

Costa Rica Turkey Ecuador Hunting 184

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2011

These are just a few of the questions that come to mind when watching these bizarre little birds. On a recent filming trip with Tropical Birding in Ecuador I had the awesome experience of getting up close and personal with two bizarre manakin species. Take the Club-winged Manakin for example.

Ecuador 245

Ecuador Colombia Research Birds 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2015

Birders head to Costa Rica to see stunners like Resplendent Quetzal , Three-wattled Bellbird , Orange-collared Manakin , fancy hummingbirds , tanagers, and literally hundreds of other birds. This bunch of possible Costa Rican crypto birds can be grouped into four main categories: (1). Bird species that require further research.

Costa Rica 229

Costa Rica Species South America America 229

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

And where all those birds are? This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. And it raises a question: if all the birds are having a party over there, am I in the wrong spot? I am talking 600 or 700+ bird species. Why am I here?

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

We here at 10,000 Birds thought this would be a perfect time to look back and figure out what each of us considered our Best Bird of the Year, just like we did last year. Not only did we not expect to see this seabird this far inland, it was a life bird for me! We would like you to join in!

2011 198

2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 198

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2011

Birding the High Andes is no joke. So, having been to Ecuador before, I knew that a few days in Quito and surrounds would be good for the old lungs before embarking on our quest for Seedsnipe. The upper Andes is stupendously beautiful Seedsnipes are some of the world’s oddest birds. Their exact taxonomy is uncertain.

Ecuador 223

Ecuador Florida Australia Birds 223

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2011

The amazonian basin is a very important area for Ecuador since it produces 500,000 barrels of oil per day which is the main source of income for our economy. Bare-necked Fruitcrow White-throated Toucan The lake around the lodge provides the perfect home for birds like the Sungrebe and the Agami Heron. Sungrebe (look at his feet!)

Ecuador 155

Ecuador Wildlife Reserve Woodpeckers Owls 155

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

These will be a series of shorter posts that will be scheduled while I’m traveling and filming for Nikon’s Birding Adventures TV. On the contrary, if you are a traveling birder, you might just find your next birding destination right here on 10,000 Birds. And this place has birds to boot!

Portugal 183

Portugal 2011 Deer Birds 183

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2012

A cherished handful of Central and South American locations enjoy international renown as absolutely mandatory destinations for adventurous bird watchers and nature lovers. T&T is a country any birding beach-lover can gladly visit without feeling deprived or compromised. And English is the national language!

Trinidad 249

Trinidad South America America Ecuador 249

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2017

In 2009, I traveled from New York City to the tropical rainforest of Ecuador. The American Birding Association translated it into Spanish as part of its Birders Exchange Program, distributing copies to students and scientists in Central and South America and also making it available free in PDF format.

South America 168

South America Ecuador Reptiles America 168

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 157

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 157

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2021

Collins Birds of the World is “ a must for the travelling birder ,” as the BBC Wildlife Magazine reviewer has put it. When I moved to Botswana, to learn my birds I got myself the thickest local field guide. It is not a concept for a total beginner, more of a reminder to someone with some experience. And I cannot agree more.

Birds 259

Birds Botswana Africa Ecuador 259

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2021

We here at 10,000 Birds dedicated the month of February to highlighting a variety of birding tourism companies, destinations, and guides. After all, there are a lot more birding tourism operators who we haven’t posted about yet! Birding Experiences. Bird Uganda Safaris. Birding Expeditions.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Uganda Greece Ghana 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2019

Ecuador or Botswana, respectively). 17%: Ecuador, Peru. Interestingly, the respondents felt no need to further elaborate why, presuming that everyone knows why they should bird Costa Rica. Australia is understandable: good infrastructure, moderate prices and easiness of finding birds, combined with 350 endemics.

Papua New Guinea 214

Papua New Guinea America Costa Rica Sri Lanka 214

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2021

If you had your choice of one bird family to pursue, to seek out and observe and photograph and kvell over, which one would you choose? A passion for one bird family is also very useful. It provides goals and a definite direction for your birding travels and thoughts; sometimes it even becomes the basis of a book!

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Brazil Ecuador Bolivia 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Spring is for Wheatears Spring is for Wheatears By Dan • March 18, 2011 • 3 comments Tweet Share What is true in the Mid-Atlantic region of the US holds true for Cyprus as well: Spring is prime-time for Passerines.

Cyprus 145

Cyprus 2011 Deer New York 145

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2013

How many times have you been out in the field, failing to find the bird you were looking for, a bird you were certain was there? In this situation, you might have reached for your smartphone to broadcast a call to which you know your target bird would respond. They may experience undue stress and/or needlessly expend energy.

Ecuador 206

Ecuador Research Birds Endangered Species 206

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2013

After over a year of planning and preparation (and after a quick trip to the Pantanal and Chapada dos Guimaraes), I finally arrived at Cristalino Jungle Lodge on the afternoon of August 1st, 2013 to begin my nearly three month long guiding experience here. From a birders perspective, Cristalino Jungle Lodge is situated in a birding paradise.

Parrots 180

Parrots Brazil Eagles Birds 180

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2015

There are many charismatic endangered birds that capture people’s hearts and imaginations: the colossal California Condor , the evocative Red-crowned Crane , and the adorable Spoon-billed Sandpiper come to mind. This is a short series that brings attention to these incredible birds, and my various adventures to try and see them.

Ecuador 214

Ecuador California Condor Blackbirds Parrots 214

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2012

If you know only a little bit about Charles Darwin, you know that he figured out Evolution via his study of the finches (and other birds) of the Galapagos. Today we view the Galapagos birds, including some finches and some mocking birds, as a great example of evolution. This included some birds as well as a fox.

Tortoises 216

Tortoises South America Panama Culling 216

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2012

Corey was lucky enough to meet Carlos while birding in Ecuador , where Carlos was dragooned into accompanying the horde of Queens birders for the day, an encounter that somehow didn’t turn him off of all things New York. Carlos Sanchez is an excellent birder, a Miami resident, and a polyglot. That’s right.

Florida 159

Florida Miami Cuba Bahamas 159

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2024

One night while camping in the Himalayas, the birding friend hears a Satyr Tragopan calling. He leaves the camp to look for the bird, and has never been seen again. Birders will ask: did he see the bird? Is birding a dangerous sport, an extreme sport even? She died in a car accident during a birding trip.

Mozambique 237

Mozambique Birds Ghana Namibia 237

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2011

Our visit had two main purposes, one was to experience the exotic biodiversity of the lowland Choco forest and its birds, and the other was to gauge the state of conservation in this area that has been highly criticized due to the deforestation caused by a the logging company Botrosa.

Monkeys 176

Monkeys Birds Farming Woodpeckers 176

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2023

I guess you cannot be too choosy while traveling, as I have learned when on trips in Ecuador and other places. As suggested before, it might be time to get somebody with at least a vague interest in birds involved in working on the online edition of the HBW. It is still worth the effort for very occasionally seeing one of these birds.

Birds 130

Birds Tigers Humane Ecuador 130

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2020

Will bird tour agencies, guides, eco-lodges survive? Will the threatened species make it through if there are no birding tourists to make those birds and their habitats valuable to local people just the way they are (as opposed to tropical timber)? What will be left of birding tourism? Colombia 1959 bird species 2.

Uganda 261

Uganda Bolivia Ecuador Indonesia 261

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 10, 2021

Last week’s excellent 10,000 Birds holiday gift guide compiled by Mark made me realize that we’ve gone through nearly all of 2021 without reviewing a single distilled spirit here at Birds and Booze. Good birding and happy drinking! We’ve had plenty of beer and wine this year, but no liquor. Dip averted.

Chile 245

Chile South America Peru Bolivia 245