10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2021

The only birds I’m willing to look at during a frigid March weekend are the ones outside my winter. But, of course, it was Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge that paid off the most when Corey carefully scanned the margins of the West Pond and turned up a surprise American Bittern. What was your best bird of the weekend?

Jamaica 166

Jamaica Birds Wildlife Experience 166

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2020

I could definitely use better birding than the dull summer fare observed in the Southern Tier this weekend. Interestingly, the most common bird at our friend’s mountain cabin was, by orders of magnitude, Cedar Waxwing ; seeing waves of waxwings is never a bad thing. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2020 167

2020 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 167

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! How about you?

2020 154

2020 Jamaica Birds Family 154

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2020

Corey got out looking for birds at Jamaica Bay on Sunday morning and is he ever glad he did! Least Bittern, seen well, will almost always be the best bird you get on an outing and in this case it was easily Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2020 164

2020 ALA Jamaica New York 164

10,000 Birds

MAY 31, 2020

Despite the cold, I had to take a run at our last migrants this weekend and was rewarded with a lovely morning of lakeshore birding that included an FOY Tennessee Warbler … don’t know how that one got past me all month! Such cooperation earns the goldfinch Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. How about you?

2020 155

2020 Tennessee Jamaica Birds 155

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2020

Though I traveled to NYC this weekend, Ivy and I nailed down our best bird before I left; a Short-eared Owl has been hunting at a local park not 10 minutes from our house, which makes for the easiest owl sighting we’ve snagged in a long time! What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2020 157

2020 United States Jamaica Birds 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 18, 2019

Don’t give up on the next season of birding just yet. That said, I gave up birding this weekend, not just because of work but in preparation for a MASSIVE trip Corey and I are embarking at the end of this week. Until Mute Swans took over Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, gallinules bred there. Stay tuned for details!

2019 164

2019 Breeders Jamaica Birds 164

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.

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California Condor Falcons California Birds 169

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2015

Not everyone experiences a dip in bird activity during the nonmigratory months, but those of us who do are ready to see some new birds NOW! Corey will be out and about in the NYC area this weekend; if you are too, you’d be crazy to miss the 10th Annual Shorebird Festival at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Jamaica 157

Jamaica 2015 Birds Wildlife 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2019

Now that we’ve entered the third month of the calendar year, take stock: did your birding March come in like a lion or a lamb? My birding was positively sheepish during this busy weekend. He didn’t see a ton of birds but he did appreciate the number of Snow Geese flocking up at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

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2019 Lamb Lions Jamaica 114

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2018

Corey enjoyed shorebirds on the beach in the Rockaways, in the mud at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Wildlife, and on pavement at Floyd Bennett Field this weekend. But of all the shorebirds he saw he appreciated none so much as the Hudsonian Godwit he spotted on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2018 100

2018 Jamaica Emotional Owls 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2019

Even the birding is decent. Corey only birded for a bit on Saturday afternoon and didn’t see much that was terribly exciting. Of what he did see, a pair of Bald Eagles at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge was the highlight, a species that didn’t used to be around in June in Queens at all. How about you?

2019 114

2019 Bald Eagle Jamaica Eagles 114

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2019

If you’re devoting as many free hours to birding as we are this month, you have no time for preamble. i saw plenty of new birds this weekend, some of them in the process of making future new birds. Though I spied quite a few warblers, my best looks were of Scarlet Tanager , a bell-ringer of a bird any day.

2019 113

2019 Jamaica New York Birds 113

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 29, 2019

While some birding runs work well solo, most are greatly improved by good company. In many ways, birding can be so much more than just looking at birds. Saturday morning, Corey got out birding at Jamaica Bay without me and Ivy and was very pleased to find a pair of American Avocets at the north end of the East Pond there.

2019 118

2019 Jamaica Birds Eggs 118

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2018

Car troubles keep shutting my birding plans down, but at least I got out with the family to cut down our Christmas tree. Lacking any other worthy candidate, any one of the six is his Best Bird of the Weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? We skipped that tree, however, in favor of a shaggy Austrian Pine. How about you?

2018 113

2018 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2016

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a close contest. He couldn’t decide between a Bobolink on the barrier beaches of Queens and the Eurasian Wigeon on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay. What was your best bird of the weekend? If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

Lamb 154

Lamb 2016 Pennsylvania Jamaica 154

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2018

The fact that this hour falls in the middle of the night means that most people sleep right through it, but I wonder what would happen if you observes a nocturnal bird like an owl during the hour that gets reset. I found myself in a beautiful part of New York that was so remote that birds apparently couldn’t find it.

2018 114

2018 New York City New York Jamaica 114

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2014

Corey and I were most pleased to see that shorebirds haven’t entirely abandoned the Esat Pond at Jamaica Bay. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. Birding best bird weekend' How about you?

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2014 Abandon Abandoning Abandonment 180

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2016

No luck there, but I did get into a bunch of nice birds, including what I mistakenly thought was my first Brown Thrasher of the year. Corey had a wonderful Saturday birding Queens and Long Island with Carlos Sanchez and Anthony Collerton. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2016 154

2016 Jamaica Birds Falcons 154

10,000 Birds

APRIL 15, 2018

Countless flocks of frigid, sodden birds must be wondering whether they took a wrong turn somewhere. Corey had a large variety of birds to choose his Best Bird of the Weekend from this week and had a hard time making his selection. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2018 113

2018 Jamaica Sparrows Bears 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2015

He yelled a relatively unintelligible explanation as he ran to the car, abandoning his family, and sped to Jamaica Bay where he parked and ran out to the breach of the West Pond where he relied upon the kindness of other birders, who let him use their scopes while he got his breath back. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2015 162

2015 Jamaica Canada Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2018

Either way, birders gotta bird, so make the most of whatever the season offers. Corey spent time on both Saturday and Sunday morning looking at shorebirds on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. What was your best bird of the weekend? There are more than one in the photo above: can you find them all? How about you?

2018 101

2018 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 101

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2015

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was his first Gull-billed Tern of the year at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. How about you?

2015 165

2015 Jamaica Birds Hunting 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2015

Corey spent much time on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay this weekend and saw lots of shorebirds. American Avocet is always a good bird in New York State and it is Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? One, however, stood out from the rest. How about you?

2015 157

2015 Jamaica New York Birds 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2015

Corey had quite a few species to choose from this weekend but decided that his Best Bird of the Weekend was the simple Tree Swallow. In particular, he picked one of the many that has already staked out a claim to a nest box at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

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2015 Jamaica New York Birds 179

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2017

More migrants means more birding fun. Corey’s Beat Bird of the Weekend was a singing male Mourning Warbler at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge that was chosen despite it giving a brief awful look. What was your best bird of the weekend? How did y’all make out? Still though, Mourning Warbler! How about you?

2017 100

2017 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2017

Anyone lucky enough to be high and dry these days can surely appreciate how many birds are on the move. I was thrilled this weekend to see a bird I haven’t encountered in nearly a decade; maybe American Pipit is common in your parts, but I had to scour the East Spit of Braddock Bay to luck into one. How about you?

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2017 Jamaica Birds Experience 124

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2017

But any time of year is the right time to pay attention to uncommon avian behavior, even from common birds. For example, I saw all kinds of special species this weekend, but nothing impressed me more than displays of the tyranny of tiny birds. Any of those dowitchers, gorgeous in the juvenile plumage, was his Best Bird of the Weekend.

2017 113

2017 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2014

are enjoying a long weekend, you got extra time to establish a Best Bird of the Weekend. Did Monday morning birding make a difference? Corey got into some great shorebirds and hungry muck at Jamaica Bay , where a group of Hudsonian Godwits proved well worth the cost of a boot full of mud. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2014 157

2014 Jamaica Birds Groups 157

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2018

Of course I saw tons of Bald Eagles chilling on the ice at Irondequoit Bay, but the bird that thrilled me most this weekend was my second Northern Shrike for the year. Corey had some good birding in Queens this weekend but nothing topped his third-ever sighting of a Tundra Swan in his home borough. How about you?

2018 100

2018 Bald Eagle Philadelphia Eagles 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2017

Most people I know are obsessing over watching eclipses, to the extent that they’ll be traveling hundreds of miles for a fuller experience. Corey will most assuredly spot shorebirds and other attractions at Jamaica Bay NWR. Where will you be this weekend and will you be birding? How about you?

2017 100

2017 Jamaica Birds Experience 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 24, 2014

Corey had a bunch of birds to choose from for his Best Bird of the Weekend after having a marvelous time birding Jamaica Bay’s East Pond on Sunday morning with David. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2014 167

2014 Jamaica New York Birds 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2019

This last year of the twenty-teens was a monumental birding year for me. I saw 863 species of birds, bringing my life list to 1,820. I birded Uganda, which was my first time on the continent of Africa. Such travel brings a lot of birds and the 863 species I saw this year is the most species I have ever seen.

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2019 Barbados Uganda Costa Rica 137

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2015

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend could have been any of a multitude of species spotted on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. How about you?

2015 145

2015 Baltimore Jamaica New York 145

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2014

The good news for those of us who like both birds and sports is that a team with an avian avatar looks likely to make it to the Super Bowl again. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend is one he considered long overdue, his first Buff-breasted Sandpiper in Queens ever! What was your best bird of the weekend? Number 305!

2014 170

2014 Arizona Jamaica Birds 170

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2018

The question isn’t whether you went birding this weekend, because everyone who wasn’t part of the Royal Wedding was out chasing birds. Not only did I bag the beautiful bird I expected, but I also encountered a tasty species I never expect there until I see it every year: Olive-sided Flycatcher. How about you?

New York City 100

New York City 2018 Jamaica New York 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2014

When I saw a Turkey Vulture soaring serenely over the frozen tundra of Rochester last month, I took the sighting as an example of how confused, in a potentially fatal way, some birds can get. Still, the poor bird may be in for some frigid nights ere warm weather settles in. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

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2014 Geese Jamaica Turkey 180