10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2021

10,000 Birds is running a series of articles by and about tour guides, tour companies, eco-lodges, and other birding travel organizations. We want to help the birding tourism industry come back strong from the COVID pandemic. Mercedes Rivadeneira has been in the birding tourism and nature conservation business for over 30 years!

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Ecuador Birds 2019 Cattle 259

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2021

Not only have we completed Birding Tourism February , but we’ve also collectively made it through what is usually one of the least exciting birding months of the calendar year. This is not to say that fantastic birds cannot be found in February, but rather that we’re mostly picking through the remainders of the last season.

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New York City Charlotte New York Jamaica 249

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2021

Actually, many birds started their seasonal peregrination weeks ago and may have many more weeks ahead until they’ve reached their destinations. Migration is meaningful to those of us who appreciate when non-local birds invade our local airspace, so make the most of this one. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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Breeders Birds Owls Experience 222

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2024

Dip (verb): [in birding] to miss seeing a bird you were looking for Many times when we speak about the trips we’ve been on we concentrate on the things we experienced, the ruing of missed opportunities tends to be saved for nighttime conversations after a few drinks perhaps. Which birds? The bright yellow birds!

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Guyana Brazil ALA Eagles 211

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

Birds are still, as ever, on the move according to their own rhythms, but the next few months should bring some familiar friends to you, wherever you are. I finally had a chance to visit my brother and his family in their beautiful new home in Westchester. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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Birds Experience Experiments Family 188

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2020

Fortunately, nature assures that, as one suite of birds leaves, another takes its place. Corey enjoyed some good birding on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. But his Best Bird of the Weekend was one he saw with his family on a visit to Jamaica Bay on Saturday evening. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2020 Rabbits Jamaica Pelicans 246

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Birds of Belize by Steve N. Howell and Dale Dyer and Birds of Costa Rica by Dale Dyer and Steve N. Dale Dyer put in years working on his paintings for Birds of Central America , both in the field and in the museum. Howell utilizes the IOC World Bird List (v.11.2, Why are these issues? © 2023 by Steve N.

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Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 216

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2021

We’re still far from peak passerine passage, but getting closer every day… I had to move my bird feeder from its perfect position this weekend, because of–of course–squirrels. Corey enjoyed getting out on birding outings both mornings of the weekend, and was out in nature with his family both afternoons.

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Squirrels Louisiana Birds Experience 240

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?”

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Birds Compassion Eagles Science 260

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2023

Considering Broome often experiences cyclones and strong winds it does make sense for the birds to build a more substantial nest to survive the extreme weather. The Crested Pigeon family remained in the tree away from danger for quite some time with both parents present.

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Breeding Australia Eggs Family 198

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2021

I knocked down several first birds of spring this weekend (not literally) but will always give Best Bird honors to a Saw-whet Owl , especially one showing as well as the one Ivy and I located at Owl Woods on Easter. Corey was extremely pleased to finally get out and about birding again after his family all caught COVID and recovered.

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Texas New York Birds Owls 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2020

That summer generally signals a decline in local avian diversity probably hasn’t sunken in yet, but rest assured the birds you saw this weekend may grow tiresome in another month. Corey enjoyed camping with family and friends for the long weekend after getting tested for COVID and coming up negative. How about you?

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2020 Owls Birds Experience 179

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2020

Whether your weekend is still rolling or you are already preparing for the next one, you probably saw some excellent birds during the first weekend of September. His wonderful family agreed to drive straight there before going home and Corey got a new Queens bird! Now that’s a Best Bird of the Weekend!

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2020 Jamaica Birds Family 156

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2020

I need more birds!! As usual, I restricted my birding activity this weekend to local trails. However, my best birds showed up much closer to home in the form of a chattering House Wren family which apparently displaced my usual Carolina Wren. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2020 Birds Experience Experiments 171

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2020

At least I didn’t have to travel far for great birds; my whole family thrilled to the sight of an adult Sharp-shinned Hawk chowing down on an unspecified rodent in our yard. Corey enjoyed his weekend at his parents’ house in the Hudson Valley though he didn’t see too many birds. What was your best bird of the weekend?

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2020 New York City Rodents New York 170

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2024

So I was delighted when the Seminary grounds turned out to host at least 6 of these beautiful birds. We were happy to experience three birds of prey on this jaunt. There is also a family of Barn Owls on the premises, and I have briefly seen the largest of them (enormous!) flying by at night.

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Barn Owls Mexico Parrots ALA 210

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2020

However, my whole family did take time to appreciate the understated beauty of Mourning Doves. Over the two days he saw a bunch of nice birds but the Best Bird of the Weekend was a singing Common Yellowthroat on Friday morning, either an early arrival or a bird that survived the winter undetected. How about you?

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2020 Birds Experience Experiments 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2020

You may have experienced one of the weirdest weekends of your life, what with all bars and restaurants closed and people maintaining a healthy distance from even close friends and family. Then again, you may have passed Saturday and Sunday in quite the same way you spend all your weekends: looking at birds and communing with nature.

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2020 ALA Birds Experience 177

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2020

The checklist for a basic birding outing has become more complex during the COVID-19 crisis. Your choice for birding spot depends equally on the abundance of birds and scarcity of birders. Yes, birding may not be as carefree as usual, but the freedom, fun, and fascination the act elicits matters more now than ever.

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2020 Birds Owls Experience 178

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2021

10,000 Birds is running a series of articles by and about tour guides, tour companies, eco-lodges, and other birding travel organizations. We want to help the birding tourism industry come back strong from the COVID pandemic. In 2008, with my family decided to build the Limneo Lodge , a small accommodation with only 9 rooms.

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Greece Wildlife Boars Otters 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2023

It is home to four diverse forest ecosystems (deciduous, mixed, boreal, and lowlands), experiences seasonal weather systems ranging from cold dry Arctic winters to humid, thunder-storm filled summers, and, according to the latest official checklist, hosts four professional sports teams with bird names.* state and Canadian provinces.

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North America Birds Owls Canada 213

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 13, 2021

12 species of cuckoos are on the Costa Rica bird list. Tortuguero- one of many excellent birding areas in Costa Rica. Many a birder with years of experience in the Neotropical region has never ever seen or heard an RVG. It was a ground-cuckoo family and they weren’t even shy! boat ride to Cocos Island.

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Costa Rica Panama Cats Washington 257

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2020

Those of us in the United States are celebrating Memorial Day Weekend, normally a time to gather with friends and family for barbecues, beach outings, and other fun group activities. Perhaps for those of us in the northeastern United States the number of birds this weekend has been a bit of a disappoint though. How about you?

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2020 United States Breeders Birds 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2021

It is a well-known birding spot, and a low-budget alternative to Baihualing. While Baihualing is much better for birds, foreigners are currently prohibited from going there, presumably as we all carry Covid-19, even if like me we have been in China the whole year. Anyway, another topic I wanted to mention in this post is birds.

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China Birds Zebras Germany 263

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2021

Fortunately, the waters have long since subsided and I was able to make the trip this past weekend to participate in the Cano Negro Bird Count. Always a fun time, this count involves boat trips, an abundance of Anhingas , and many other birds. It was a treat to see several wintering members of the esteemed Parulidae family.

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Costa Rica Wildlife Tennessee Owls 224

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2021

This shouldn’t have to be stated, especially in a book on bird evolution by an evolutionary biologist with a Ph.D. How Birds Evolve: What Science Reveals about Their Origin, Lives, and Diversity by Douglas J. Futuyma is a synthesis of theory and research about evolution and birds. that’s three birds).

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Science Albatross Research Birds 216

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2022

This, 2022, has been a curious year for books about birds and birding. Dragan]: Europe’s Birds: An Identification Guide , by Hume, Still, Swash, and Harrop is a photographic guide. The artwork of “Europe’s Birds” is dazzling, the text condensed and comprehensive, and the layout and design are without peer.

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Sri Lanka Malaysia Birds Suriname 228

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2023

As usual, my experience with such boardwalks was somewhat underwhelming, as was Eshowe as a whole, but there were still a few birds worth mentioning at the forest and in the area surrounding Eshowe. At vulture family gatherings, it is always a bit of a bother for the organizers to cater to the needs of the Palm Nut Vulture.

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South Africa Africa 2018 Birds 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Yesterday morning was simply one of those incredibly eventful birding sessions, about which I may expound upon in parts within the coming weeks. From genuine rarities to undocumented polymorphism – the magic of birding was truly in full swing. A concrete wall halving one of the ponds was a popular rest spot for several birds.

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Elephants Ducks Humane Family 271

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

Birding in the Caribbean is about islands, beautiful beaches, extra special endemics, rum, and smiles. It could also be much more, maybe less, it all depends on how you want to rock an international birding trip. Go to Costa Rica and you will be looking at other birds but you can still get in some Caribbean slope birding.

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Costa Rica Puerto Rico Birds Owls 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2020

In the era of digital cameras and social media, images of birds are easy to come by. Even photos of the rarest of birds can be found, even heart-wrenching images of bird species that are no longer with us. In Costa Rica, lately, I have been enjoying the class and elegance of bird poster art produced by CaraCara.

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Costa Rica Birds Species Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2019

Corey spent the first half of the weekend finishing up his family trip in southern California and the rest of it getting back to New York and recovering from a red eye. But on Friday evening he and Daisy visited Irvine Regional Park at dusk and were rewarded with Lesser Nighthawks , a lifer and an awesome Best Bird of the Weekend.

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2019 New York Birds California 126

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2016

It is an odd time of year to travel in the Kimberley, especially with a tent, but we had the opportunity to experience the flooded lands and the different birds that make the area home at this time of year. It is lovely to see such beautiful birds in such a lush green environment at this time of year. Tawny Frogmouth family.

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Family Australia Shelters Owls 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2023

The Collared Finchbill is not a rare bird, and it is not endangered, but it is a particular favorite of mine. So, in order to show a few more photos of the bird than the usual two or three had I included this bird in a post of birds seen around Wolongshan, Sichuan), here is one dedicated to the species.

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Vegan Cats Animal Friendly Eggs 179

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

For several years I lived and birded in the south of Africa , and still have my battered second edition (1997) of the Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, the most trusted local field guide. Perhaps birds of prey are somewhat overcrowded, but still well organised. The next page contains an alphabetical Quick Reference.

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Africa South Africa Swaziland Lesotho 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2024

Memorable encounters with Mammals: Part I Most birdwatchers enjoy seeing mammals, but the trouble with mammals is that they tend to be much more challenging to see than birds. I remember the guide on my first Kenyan birding safari remarking that “birding groups always see far more mammals than those who come just to see animals.

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Fur Bulgaria Otters Estonia 187

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.

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Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 250