10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2013

Back on 14 January Larry and Shari Zirlin were fortunate enough to come across an amazing three Northern Lapwings in a field in New Egypt, New Jersey, while out looking for a pair of reported Sandhill Cranes. It also seemed kind of silly to go that far out of my way for a species that I just saw in November in Montauk.

New Jersey 160

New Jersey Egypt Family Species 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2011

Hoopoe Upupa Epops With a name like that you would just want to see this bird! We saw these birds in Egypt in 1994 and they were just great and Grant saw 5 in Busan, South Korea a few weeks ago, just after I got home to Broome. I was deeply jealous, but I had seen some good birds in Busan that he had missed whilst at work.

Egypt 188

Egypt South Korea Australia Collecting 188

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 16, 2013

Not because you generally see many birds while diving, although the experience of seeing shearwaters flying underwater while cage diving, as I once did, was one I think most birders would enjoy. Diving has taken me to places like Belize, Fiji, Vanuatu, and Egypt, places that coincidentally are fun to bird. Nudibranch.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Goats Vanuatu Fiji 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2019

According to the 13 th -century historian and geographer of Al-Andalus, Ibn Sai’d al-Maghrib’ (1213-1286), the Gyrfalcon was so highly esteemed that the sultan of Egypt was willing to pay 1,000 dinars for birds delivered to him alive – and half that amount even if they were dead upon arrival.

2016 100

2016 Iceland Falcons Europe 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

With fall migration well underway everywhere, it’s a good time to see what’s flying in bird news. Prothonotary Warblers (like the dapper bird above captured for posterity by Corey) should carry frequent-flier cards—a recent Audubon-led study found that one geolocator-toting individual racked up more than 5,000 miles in eight months.

California Condor 165

California Condor San Diego San Francisco Ghana 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 14, 2011

A subject that Aelian returns to again and again is the still-contentious issue of the animal mind , and to what degree the creatures he describes can be accurately said to learn, reason, and have morals.

Hedgehogs 118

Hedgehogs Egypt Animal Fur 118

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 198

South Africa Africa Saint Lucia Birds 198

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2022

The one bird I did not see here, however, was the Bateleur Eagle … One highlight in the area is the Saddle-billed Stork , likely to be the tallest species in the stork family. This bird is represented in an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph. Can’t say that it is a particularly obvious name from seeing the bird.

Ostriches 147

Ostriches Parrots Birds Eggs 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 29, 2023

Nevertheless, the wryneck is an interesting bird – so interesting that there is a whole book about it which Donna has reviewed for 10,000 Birds. It’s a unique bird, even its scientific name is wonderful …” Recently, I watched a wryneck carrying two snails on its body. Ask ChatGPT, not me.

Libya 130

Libya Egypt Woodpeckers Suffering 130

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2011

To a birder, migration means that you can live in Minnesota, New York, Paris or Moscow and see exotic tropical birds such as Piranga olivacea and Icterus galbula on a regular basis without buying a plane ticket. The birds do the flying for you. But what is migration, why do birds do it, and how is it accomplished? Image source.

Research 191

Research Humane Compassion New York 191

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

Adam Riley, owner and managing director of Rockjumper Birding Tours , is a world birder if ever there was one, but has a special place in his heart for his home continent. Adam will be leading 10,000 Birds readers on an amazing odyssey into Africa starting… now! And Africa is the ONLY continent without an extinct bird to boot!

Papua New Guinea 218

Papua New Guinea Madagascar Africa Equatorial Guinea 218

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2014

In birding, we like to think that we don’t need much ‘stuff’. Another book, maybe a bird finding guide. Our ‘stuff’ allows us to bird more, better, further. It defines our birding lives when it’s not threatening to overwhelm our cars and homes. Maybe a spotting scope. And a long lens camera. You get the idea.

Mauritius 172

Mauritius Collecting Egypt Cyprus 172

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2011

I mentioned last week, while talking about rails and the Pacific, that Tonga is not a particularly birdy birding destination. A combination of extinctions and proximity to Fiji means that a trip to that island group would net you pretty much all the same birds plus a whole raft of others.

Tonga 162

Tonga Fiji New Zealand Parrots 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2017

I wouldn’t mind watching birds through palm leaves forever! From my poolside viewpoint I can encompass four countries: Egypt where I am and, over the sea, Israel to the far left (there’s a birding mecca of Eilat), Jordan in the middle and finally the endless deserts of Saudi Arabia to the right. Yes, I sure would.

Egypt 106

Egypt Saudi Arabia Compassion 106