10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2015

For everyone else, this is as good a time as any to look forward to another twelve months of health and happiness… and birds, obviously. The only birds I had eyes for this week were the Cardinals, Ravens, and Seahawks that kicked off the first week of NFL football. Now that’s a fun bird to see! How about you?

2015 154

2015 Game Falcons Birds 154

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2017

Such a pleasant little sparrow, and easily Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. They appeared in numbers everywhere, harassing each other or any other bird they could find. At Chincoteague NWR, I was amazed to spy a Merlin playing a dangerous game of cat-and-mouse over the ocean with a Black-throated Blue Warbler.

2017 124

2017 Virginia Sparrows Game 124

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 218

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 218

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2014

I am not dissatisfied with guides who do not manage to find the target bird, if they do try with all their heart. I will equally recommend a guide who finds the target bird and the one who does everything within birding ethics to find it and fails. In my eyes, what counts is how someone plays the game.

Birds 227

Birds Botswana Free Range Leopards 227

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2011

While the Rovio Angry Birds game franchise is hugely popular and has even led to a post here on 10,000 Birds that speculated on the identification of what the Angry Birds birds actually are , little attention has been paid to those that came before. Real Angry Birds? The bird that started it all.

Birds 247

Birds Owls Game Rodents 247

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2016

Maybe this whole comparison falls apart upon closer scrutiny, but these are still fine days to be looking at birds! Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a pair of Red-shouldered Hawks that have taken up residence in his parents’ neighborhood in Saugerties, in upstate New York. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2016 100

2016 Eggs Chickens New York 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2014

Of course both Mike and I were out and about spotting some birds this weekend. I could have chosen any of the four Snowy Owls I saw this weekend as myBest Bird of the Weekend but I decided that I preferred a Purple Sandpiper at Breezy Point, Queens, (pictured above) mostly because it was feeding on a jetty while waves crashed over it.

2014 154

2014 Seattle Pennsylvania Game 154

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2017

Don’t think we’ve noticed that most of you don’t play along with this game of sharing the best–meaning the coolest, rarest, fanciest, or dearest–bird species you’ve spotted in a given weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? Your year will be much better for it! How about you?

2016 100

2016 2017 New York Birds 100

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.

Fur 207

Fur Bulgaria Otters Estonia 207

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2011

My 8-year old daughter got interested in birds from a VERY early stage. By age 2 she could identify over 10 species of birds in our Johannesburg, South Africa, yard by call alone. So I guess for some people birding skills come naturally but, for others, birding skills need to be learnt. And perhaps 20 others by sight.

Birds 279

Birds Game Wildlife Family 279

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2012

If owls have traditionally eluded you, get back in the game… your luck may be turning. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was an American Oystercatcher , one of several he saw along the shore of Queens’s Rockaway Peninsula. It’s not a rare bird but it is a fun bird to watch.

Barn Owls 188

Barn Owls 2012 Owls New York 188

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

Population density is far lower than in most parts of the city, and public transportation is limited – probably bad news for the people living on the island, but good news for the birds. The many small ponds and waterways attract quite a few ducks, though presumably due to their China experience, they are extremely wary of people.

China 173

China Ducks Transported Game 173

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

In fact, a game is on even as I write this, which means I’ve got no time for idle banter. The best birds of my weekend were Seahawks, Eagles, Falcons, Cardinals, And Ravens. Corey had a hard time choosing his best bird of the weekend. Mine was fun and footballtastic.

Bald Eagle 167

Bald Eagle New Jersey 2011 New York 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2015

Ethiopia, a landlocked country situated in the Horn of Africa, has firmly established itself as one of Africa’s top birding destinations. Its great diversity of habitats hosts an incredible bird count of over 900 species, including Africa’s 2nd highest list of endemics and near-endemics (after South Africa). Yellow-billed Stork.

Ethiopia 251

Ethiopia Sudan Leopards Birds 251

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2023

After Jason recently asked ChatGPT for birding advice, the management consultant in me – constantly thriving for efficiency improvements – immediately thought of the next step. The Seasonal Spectacles: Shanghai’s birding scene comes alive during the spring and autumn migration seasons.

China 183

China Endangered Species Sanctuary Protection 183

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2021

“Gamebirds” to some, cool, cryptic understory birds to the birding people, grouse crouch protected as unfettered winds sway the top of the tall prairie grass. Then there are the ones that live in PA , the state bird, “the grouse” that a great many non-birders are aware of, my Uncle Fred was one of them.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Chickens Pennsylvania Litter 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2022

Hannah Buschert was first exposed to birds and birding during a required ornithology course at Oregon State University and she quickly caught the birding bug. This is Hannah’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Hannah and Erik ready to see some birds! I love to go on cruises.

South Africa 264

South Africa Mice Albatross Africa 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge : Open to migratory bird hunting (youth only). The Refuge is now home to nearly 200 species of birds, over 50 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, and a wide variety of insects, fish and plants. Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge : Expand big game hunting.

Fish 146

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 146

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2012

Namibia is politically stable and a safe country to visit offering spectacular scenery, untouched wildernesses, vast game reserves, superb wildlife and fascinating cultural experiences. Over 700 bird species occur in Namibia, many of them range-restricted and highly desirable southern arid zone species.

Namibia 264

Namibia Angola Lovebirds South Africa 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 27, 2011

So it is the dying seconds of the game, 3rd and long and I still haven’t come up with an idea for a post. It is game day for the 99th Grey Cup , Canada’s annual football party and championship (46 Superbowls? My team, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are in the game, after finishing in the cellar of the league last year.

Lions 176

Lions Game Birds Dogs 176

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2012

No, this isn’t a birding-related insight, but a life lesson to be sure. The best birds of my weekend were Double-crested Cormorants winging over New Jersey’s Meadowlands as I left Sunday’s Giants game. What was your best bird of the weekend? Have you learned anything new lately? How about you?

New Jersey 102

New Jersey Connecticut 2012 Game 102

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2011

Corey carved time out of his complicated schedule to bird Central Park with Nate. The birding gods rewarded them both with a Yellow-billed Cuckoo in Central Park’s ramble, though a White-throated Sparrow , a good bird in June, was a close second. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 160

2011 Falcons Blackbirds Game 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

Having been penned in our house for the last month (and more), the last time we have been out birding seems like a distant memory. I was ardently working to finish a years-long project on the birds of T&T so those last few weeks have not been bird-less by any means. A tree that is loved by birds is also loved by the birder.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Hunting Venezuela Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2015

We assume natural selection has shaped birds to avoid predators. Noticing predators, reacting to them perhaps with an alarm call, and escaping them, as well as other behaviors, keep the bird alive and thus allow it to reproduce. We would expect, then, that natural selection favors birds that are good at these things.

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Birds Research Humane Pets 131

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2011

During the filming of this production, I got to experience “dirt hawking&#. Dirt hawking is a form of falconry that involves hunting rabbits and other small game with Harris Hawks (other hawk species also qualify). The odds are pretty much even between raptor and prey – as it would be with a wild bird and a prey animal.

League Against Cruel Sports 270

League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 270

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

2014 has been a good year for us at 10,000 Birds. We’ve traveled to lots of places, seen lots of great birds, and met lots of great birders. So, as we’ve done for the last several years we thought we would share our Best Birds of the Year with you. Below are our Best Birds of the Year. What was yours?

2014 202

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 202

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2016

By the time this post publishes, I’ll be on an airplane heading back to the United States following a truly remarkable two week visit to Uganda as part of a group of western birders visiting there to promote the inaugural African Birding Expo. The enigmatic Shoebill is perhaps Uganda’s most famous bird.

Uganda 171

Uganda Africa Squirrels Tanzania 171

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2012

But eastern Zimbabwe is an almost mythical place and a highly productive birding destination. I have had the privilege of birding Zimbabwe on a handful of occasions. The country is also famous for its regular sightings of that most wanted of birds, the African Pitta. Just be prepared for well…almost anything.

Zimbabwe 208

Zimbabwe Buffalo Mozambique Birds 208

10,000 Birds

JULY 9, 2019

Getting to actually see four species, in the last two weeks, and to hear two more is almost unheard of in my experience. Another friend recently commented that while she loved all forms of birds, owls were, well, just something special! I counted a total of 9 owls, with 4 being mature adults and 5 juvenile birds.

Owls 167

Owls Arizona Tucson South Africa 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2012

Few experiences birding get me more excited than adding a new bird to my Queens list. My latest addition, a Parasitic Jaeger off the coast, finally got me to my 289th bird, well over a year since I got my 279th. The first time I did this I accidentally added twelve birds to my list before reviewing it.

Connecticut 180

Connecticut 2011 2012 Jamaica 180

10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2012

Birding’s Holy Grails. One of the most highly desirable birds in the world, the Pel’s Fishing Owl is a true phantom. The bird eluded me for nearly 20 years until I stumbled across one at Phinda Private Game Reserve , where I worked in northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Owls 258

Owls Fish Botswana Barn Owls 258

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2013

Growing up, you may have been told that a baby bird doesn’t need flying lessons. After three years of observation at a Bald Eagle nest in Washington state, I believe that young birds do, in fact, learn to fly — and they appear to learn much the same way we do. It really looked like a game of tag.

Eagles 197

Eagles Bald Eagle Seattle Game 197

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2014

My initial reaction was, “Really, dude, of all the birds that you’re allowed to have in Wisconsin, you choose the bird that is going to make birders who don’t understand falconry angry?” They’re not known to be the easiest birds to work with , especially when the temperatures are high. Go home now!”

Wisconsin 254

Wisconsin Falcons Owls Hunting 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For birders, it’s the extremely large book, shelved in a place where it can’t crush the field guides, used to research the history of a bird in their area. It included surveys of nocturnal and marsh birds, and a point count survey of songbirds.

Pennsylvania 245

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2019

While the hunting of game with trained birds of prey can be a controversial topic among birders , falconry was a valuable early source of information on birds, and its history, culture, and imagery continue to fascinate bird lovers, as we shall see. Good birding and happy drinking!

2016 136

2016 Portugal Falcons Japan 136

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2012

They are not necessarily the biggest African animals, but represented those that were considered a real hunter’s worthy prey or “game” – the African Elephant, Cape Buffalo, Black Rhinoceros, Leopard and king of the jungle, the Lion (which of course doesn’t inhabit jungle but savanna!).

Buffalo 220

Buffalo Rhinoceros Elephants Leopards 220

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 21, 2012

It’s one of the many advantages to life south of the Mason-Dixon line, and I don’t know whether it’s the mild winters or the wintering birds forcing our residents to hold their own earlier, but from Christmas Bird County season to the Ides of March there are Timberdoodles doodling in the fields out at the Farm.

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Farming Game Experience Experiments 162