10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2023

Though I have not had a chance to take photos of hummingbirds yet, it is likely that sunbirds are the more photographer-friendly species as they sometimes perch to feed rather than hover. Similarly, both bird families have a distinct significance for humans. A female: no forked tail, not much color.

Humane 147

Humane Eggs Family Species 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 25, 2022

It has been more than 5 years since I last went to Australia, and I was even less of a qualified bird photographer then than I am now. So, the basic idea is to show 15 species of Australian birds in each post and give you the usual trivia about them. The female looks a bit duller but I was assured it has a beautiful soul.

Australia 185

Australia Birds Koalas Parrots 185

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2021

The poster bird of this area is the near-threatened Black-necked Crane. The HBW even mentions the importance of Ruoergai for this species: “Key sites for migrants include the Ruoergai Plateau (China), which is also an important breeding area” Common Mergansers also seem to use these wetlands as breeding area.

China 172

China Mongolia Birds Russia 172

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Construction is still ongoing at Nanhui, there are constant rumors that key birding sites will be made inaccessible … you have to take every Nanhui visit as it is your last (yes, another clichee). Still, there were a few birds there this September. Still, there were a few birds there this September. A juvenile male.

Birds 227

Birds LACS France Japan 227

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2022

” Funny how the difficulty of breeding a species can be illustrated in simple monetary terms. But that may have helped me to see them – the species is quite nomadic and settles wherever there is rain. Ok, back to the (presumably non-sacred, certainly non-mummified) Australian species. ” ( source ).

Birds 147

Birds Australia Sheep Zebras 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2021

It was an unexpected bird tour, without too much planning and aimed at a few target species, of which we saw most, but the main one eluded us… Early morning, leaving the last houses behind… and a Little Owl awaits us on a traffic sign. A fitting end to a sudden bird tour. Nutria) flew by us (this time, it was Q. who dipped it).

Serbia 237

Serbia Birds Romania Eagles 237

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

The main attraction for birders here are the hornbills – I have written about them before , so this post will be more on the other birds I saw there in 2017. The Blue Whistling Thrush is presumably named for its loud human-like whistling, and possibly for being blue. “It is not deep enough yet!

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 218

Dissection Birds Research Europe 218

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

Not professionally – these people come in SUVs and probably never recapture their gas money from the fish they catch (though come to think of it, neither do I with my bird photos). This is ok as birds do not have teeth anyway). One strange thing about Chongming is the inevitable presence of people fishing.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2023

May is a busy month for birds migrating through Shanghai – and of course, last May was completely missed due to the lockdown. So, I spent a lot of time birding this month, and to keep this post at a manageable length, it mostly only covers the first half of May. The video is notable for the bird basically refusing to move at all.

Birds 130

Birds Raised Cattle Mammals 130

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The chapter titles of Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds represent both ends of the spectrum: “A World Full of Poisons,” “Malaria,” “Forest Intruders,” “Lead Shock,” “Shot.” Conservation. It’s not easy. This is the most intense, tragic section.

California Condor 176

California Condor Falcons California Birds 176

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2021

There was a time when I thought each bird species had its own individual song. Then I found out that there was this vocalization called a ‘call,’ so I thought each bird species had its own individual song (but just the males) and individual call. Bird communication is a complex and evolving science.

North America 278

North America Research Birds Groups 278

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2022

See, being in tune with the migration of tiny, globe-trotting birds feels like a secret window to a life so grand we may have to each live several times to begin to fathom it. Lesser Yellowlegs can easily be confused with the aforementioned species except when they are standing next to each other.

Fish 238

Fish Family Eggs Humane 238

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

Producing a book about birds and nesting is a dangerous business. The truth is that there are few images cuter than baby birds in the nest opening their mouths and begging for food, but there are curmudgeons amongst us, myself included, who don’t like to admit this. And of birds courting and mating. We simply refuse to squee.

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2023

This has obviously involved the active targeting of Moruga Grasshopper eggs and young, and an all-out attack involving chemical warfare. In nature, nothing is without purpose; human intervention is what has turned a peaceful forest dweller into a demonic pest after all. Something was attracting all these birds, and keeping them here.

Trinidad 147

Trinidad Squirrels Investigation Bears 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2014

Birds have no boobs. Birds hatch out of eggs, like some species of snakes, who also have no boobs, although with a snake the fact is more readily apparent. While snakes protect their eggs, and may protect their young for a short period of time after they hatch, baby snakes are very soon on their own.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 255

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Birds Eggs 255

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 16, 2020

Large and round-headed, smartly-striped, with a gentle gaze of mysterious black eyes, in the European south of its range this species chooses preserved mountain forests, preferably mixed deciduous and conifers. The bird tolerated us for perhaps a dozen seconds before it majestically took off. Absolutely thrilled!

Serbia 245

Serbia Owls Slovakia Bosnia 245

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2013

When you move on to Montana, you discover that there are worse things that one species of tiny screaming mammal tricking you each year as you try to cope with an influx of songbirds and a winterized memory bank that contains only Black-capped Chickadees and Dark-eyed Juncos (and only about half their calls at that.) You sigh and move on.

Chipmunks 181

Chipmunks Squirrels Rodents Montana 181

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2011

It’s a common call/email/text that most bird watchers get this time of year: “HELP! I just saved a baby bird! Both of those sites allow you to enter your zip code or state and find someone nearby who has the state and federal permits that allows them to treat wild birds. Do not worry about touching the baby birds.

Birds 265

Birds Fox Raised Ducks 265

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2019

Cars whiz past the nesting sites, mere feet from where the seabirds incubate their eggs and where their chicks will inevitably explore. And yet, on the bridge the birds are relatively protected from the dogs, beach-goers, and predators that frequent their traditional habitats along dunes. At first glance, it seems an odd place to nest.

Protection 113

Protection Florida Eggs Hunting 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2014

The recently released 2014 State of the Birds Report lists the Bank Swallow as one of the common birds in steep decline. The report identifies 33 species that do not meet the Watch List criteria but are declining rapidly in many areas. The main reason for this rapid decline, as in the case of most species, is loss of habitat.

North America 188

North America 2014 California Birds 188

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2016

It’s during these months when I cringe anytime there’s a dog on the beach (though usually dogs aren’t allowed at all), for fear it might go after a fuzzy chick or adult sitting on eggs. In Florida, Snowy Plovers are listed as a threatened species, and with every fledged chick comes the hope of a rebounding population.

Florida 100

Florida Eggs Deer Protection 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2014

Nearly wiped out by human heedlessness, development, and pesticide use, under the protection of the Endangered Species Act this handsome fish eagle has made a stunning comeback, rebounding in numbers and recolonizing areas where many thought they were gone forever. As an experiment, I also ran this book by a non-birding friend.

Bald Eagle 226

Bald Eagle Eagles Endangered Species Washington 226

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2016

Sandhill Cranes , ancient and currently abundant – the most abundant species of crane in the world – are nevertheless almost miraculous to me every time I see them. The five subspecies – Greater, Lesser, Mississippi, Florida, Cuban – show the genetic marks of what the species has had to do to survive.

California Condor 157

California Condor Mississippi Florida Montana 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2013

Birds have been migrating earlier. The mechanism by which this is happening in at least some species of birds is very interesting. If you know a lot about birds, this might be entirely expected. But individual birds are not migrating sooner. Then, the birds migrate in relation to the earlier hatch date.

Taiwan 189

Taiwan Iceland United States Breeding 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

The danger of reviewing a field guide to the birds of an exotic country you’ve never been to is that you become obsessed with visiting that country, no matter how far away and how expensive it may be. Did I dare dip my toe into this catalog of tantalizing species? I’m already looking up birding tours of Borneo and pricing airfares.

Brunei 174

Brunei Birds Asia China 174

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2014

In her free time she travels near and far to find birds to continue building her life list, though many of her favorites can still be found right in her own backyard. She has contributed many pieces to 10,000 Birds and writes about her birding adventures on her blog, newbirder.tumblr.com. Lots and lots of birds.

Birds 177

Birds Florida Groups Breeding 177

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2014

We birders are very particular about the birds that we count. We can, of course, count wild, native, species. We can count vagrant species that made it to the area we are in under their own power. There are lots of birds we can’t count. There are lots of birds we can’t count. Americans love chicken.

Chickens 197

Chickens Florida Feral Species 197

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2012

A while back I asked the question, How much bird is there, anyway? I had noted that if you took a quick look around you’d think there were a lot of birds and very few mammals. And some of them would be hiding behind bushes waiting for a chance to jump on some of the birds. 3) Some of these birds were going to die anyway.

Cats 181

Cats Boston Ferrets Killing 181

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2018

According to a Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences study, human-induced climate change has doubled the area affected by forest fires in the western U.S. Birds are able to fly away, but their nests and eggs can be destroyed. I was able to visualize six of the bird houses that survived. over the last 30 years.

Wildlife 102

Wildlife Sacramento Shelters Science 102

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2011

Brown-headed Cowbirds evoke strong feelings in many birders, some of whom can’t abide a bird that lays its eggs in other birds’ nests, often to the detriment of the nest owners’ offspring. Now nearly ubiquitous from forests to urban centers And our young have even more bird species as mentors.

Eggs 158

Eggs Buffalo Sparrows Humane 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2019

Author Sherrida Woodley thinks deeply about dearly departed birds. But he tried, using the Craigheads’ techniques, and he learned from that young bird, and eventually many others along the way. Tom Cade, a quiet, down-to-earth ornithologist, more than once remarked that falconry is really just another form of bird watching.

Falcons 178

Falcons California Condor Alaska Texas 178

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2017

Small, delicate, graceful, the Least Tern embodies all we love about birds and then some. Unfortunately, their preferred habitat is also preferred by their human counterparts, lost to development or full of sunbathers and swimmers. It’s mid-April, and soon they will begin laying eggs. Have you seen their chicks?

South America 102

South America United States Protection Pelicans 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2014

It’s bad enough to be an invasive species — the term shows a major fall in public esteem from the days when acclimatization was the rage. But as a descriptor, ‘invasive species’ doesn’t have a patch on ‘noxious weed’ Call something a noxious weed and there’s no doubt where you stand on it.

Montana 164

Montana Goats Sheep Species 164

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2015

Another species of Python, the African Python ( Python sebae ) has established a small population in the 2,877-acre Bird Drive Area (BDA) in South Florida. Photo Credit: Invasive and Exotic Species of North America (www.invasive.org). Pythons have become skittish and take to the water upon noticing the presence of humans.

Pythons 180

Pythons Florida Mammals Reptiles 180

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

There were three profound questions my birding group discussed while we birded Trinidad and Tobago, back in December 2012: (1) How many Bananaquits could fit on a banana? (2) 3) What was the best guide to the birds of Trinidad and Tobago? The bird guide question was a conundrum.

Trinidad 194

Trinidad Birds South America Research 194

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’ve been fortunate to encounter many owls in my birding life, sometimes because I’m looking for them, sometimes happily by happenstance. It’s also about human-owl interaction on an individual level and a wider sociocultural level, and ultimately how we can use all this for habitat and bird conservation.

Owls 209

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 209