10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

If you like birds on posts, if seeing “little brown jobs” posing nicely in the distance as you drive or walk along a dirt road only to have it fly away as you approach makes you deliriously happy, then North Dakota is the place for you. I wanted to see prairie birds and I wanted to experience a new state.

North Dakota 134

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 134

10,000 Birds

JUNE 26, 2012

The water this Northern Pintail is in has human poo in it, which completely ruins the experience of seeing this bird. The majority of diehard birders do not care where they get their birds. There is a caste of birders, however, that do not subscribe to this way of birding…no. White Lake, North Dakota.

San Francisco 202

San Francisco Birds North Dakota Oakland 202

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2016

You don’t know how hard it is to see a common bird until you try to get someone else to see one. This is the lesson I learned at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival back in January when a young birder, Noah Kuck, let me know that he really wanted to see a Carolina Wren. The damned birds wouldn’t show.

North Dakota 116

North Dakota Birds Florida Wildlife 116

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. I started eBirding about the same time I started birding, and I made an early executive decision (a very good one) that any pre-eBird observations simply did not count. Birding trips to Florida , New Mexico , and Texas are obvious too.

Puerto Rico 143

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 143

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

California is blessed with 51 NWRs and Wildlife Management Areas (WMA), second only to North Dakota with 77. Just before the final leg of the auto route, where it begins to turn back toward the Black-crowned Night-Heron roost, I spotted a substantial group of large white birds foraging just off the road.

Wildlife 158

Wildlife San Francisco Sacramento North Dakota 158

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2011

This blog post is devoted to aiming small when it comes to taking part in a birding festival. Hundreds of thousands of us have enjoyed the incredible programs and birding opportunities at some of North America’s largest, longest-running birding festivals. My first question was “What birds do you want to see?

North Dakota 145

North Dakota Birds Ohio West Virginia 145

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2013

I was reading Carrie’s post last month and got to thinking about car birding in general. Personally, I am a big fan of car birding, despite the necessary fossil fuel burning that is involved. For many birders, the thought of car birding is as natural as using a field guide. You will see more birds.

LACS 134

LACS North Dakota Costa Rica Birds 134