10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 7, 2023

If you followed Dorian’s adventures on his Big Year blog, Biking for Birds , you are familiar with many of these stories, but not the major one, the internal journey that was going on inside Dorian’s mind as he pedaled and birded: his history and multi-year struggle with alcoholism and related addictions.

Birds 216

Birds Los Angeles Massachusetts New York City 216

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2021

Are 12s right for birding? Or have you ever birded with 12s? With such a background, my decision to test the new birding frontier of Swarovski 12×42 extra-wide FOV binoculars didn’t appear strange at all – to me, at least. If you spot a small bird with, e.g., 8s, you will walk towards it until you get a better view.

Birds 264

Birds Raised Rights Experience 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

In 2007 I was working in a university building that was just begging for bird feeders. This was where I set up my bird feeders, just one at first, then expanding as everyone expressed delight in seeing the Carolina Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Downy Woodpeckers. There were no dead birds for weeks. I hoped it was an anomaly.

New York City 255

New York City Birds Illinois Science 255

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

Chinese Penduline T**s are not particularly woke birds. White’s Thrush is described as “burly” on eBird – not entirely unjustified, I guess, but this description fails to capture the way the intricate patterns of the bird make for great camouflage and also for its own kind of beauty. Maybe the grandparents help.

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Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 198

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 29, 2021

But it seems the birds like this habitat, probably as this is a rare more open area on these otherwise mostly heavily forested hills. The monastery is quite large compared to a bird guide (Bella from Alpinebirding on the left-hand side). And compared to birds, for that matter. Please consult your own bird guide for more details.

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Birds Germany India 2018 213

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2019

Those of us north of the Equator should be enjoying our summer weekends no matter how boring the birding might be. Better, though, is finding a way to raise the quality of your bird sightings and enjoyment of them. Somehow, we managed to flip the script on that by spotting all kinds of birds that the whole group could enjoy.

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2019 Birds California Raised 121

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2024

There’s something wonderfully primeval about the Northern Bald Ibis: it has the look of a bird that really ought to be extinct. The fact that it’s not is quite surprising, as this curious bird has come very close to the brink. Sadly, they no longer breed in Algeria, while in Turkey no free-flying birds remain. (In

Morocco 226

Morocco Austria Algeria Germany 226

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2020

I don’t have a proper post ready for you today, meaning there’s no customary Birds and Booze story and review for now. No, I haven’t lost track of the calendar — though that’s quickly becoming a more common experience in our new reality — but occasionally life gets in the way of blogging, which is what happened this week.

Collecting 264

Collecting Connecticut New York Industry 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2022

Jeff Gordon resigned as president of the American Birding Association, effective November 30, 2021. T]he Association had suffered net losses and has a net deficiency in net assets that raise substantial doubt as its ability to continue as a going concern.”. Simply put, birding is fundamentally different than it was 50 years ago.

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2019 Legislation 2017 2018 285

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 167

China Endangered Species Sanctuary Protection 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2018

July often means travel, which sometimes means tourist attractions, which occasionally means exotic or introduced bird species. Encountering exotics raises all manner of questions in birders, the toughest of which rarely center on identification. We may know these birds well, but should we love them? Following me here?

2018 100

2018 Zoos Birds Raised 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2014

Continued from: Calilegua National Park Birding Trip Report. This is a very hot and dry region known as El Chaco where many interesting bird species can be found. Gonzales the greater the size of soybean farming fields and our expectations to see birds on this road trip had quickly died and turned into a boring flat-land ride.

Argentina 186

Argentina Farming Chile Birds 186

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2018

Birds can be enjoyed in a wide variety of ways. Those of us who chase rare birds for our counties, states, or other human-made geographical distinctions watch birds for more reasons than the twitch. Personally, I enjoy birds in every way. After a bird rich morning at Cope’s.

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Costa Rica Species San Jose Birds 185

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

With the lockdown lasting until the end of May (ironically thus pretty much including the whole spring migration – the divine sense of humor is a rather malign one, I am afraid), June still had the freedom of birding anywhere in Shanghai, not just inside a smallish compound. Accessorizing for birds.

Singapore 147

Singapore Mountain Goats Birds Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 24, 2020

ELs are fat around the waist, their weight is more pronounced towards the front end, and when you raise your fingers, letting ELs rest only against your thumbs, they start falling down, front end first. And when you raise your fingers, well balanced NLs happily rest against your thumbs, not falling to either side.

Chile 304

Chile Argentina Raised Serbia 304

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 22, 2014

Many Northern Hemisphere birders see summer as the nadir of the annual bird watching experience. If you hadn’t noticed, summer is coming to an end and birds are taking once more to their migratory routes. I’m trying to decide where in Western New York to chase birds this weekend… got any ideas for me?

2014 158

2014 New York Birds Raised 158

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2013

Some of us love to chase down preposterous vagrants, while others eschew bird chasing for contemplation of standard local fare and seasonal specialties. I raise this perennial issue because I found myself twitching a rare ABA bird this weekend. So Corey returned the next day to bag one as his Best Bird of the Weekend.

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Oakland 2013 ALA Birds 191

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2022

The raising of these young chicks is not over yet! We are really enjoying the experience of observing another bird species that is black, white and red breed in our local patch. The male Mistletoebird called out as we approached and the chicks continued to call out for more food. Mistletoebird chicks out of the nest.

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Family Breeding Raised Experience 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2022

A recent episode of the American Birding Podcast featured an interview with Virginia Rose (Founder and President) and Freya McGregor (Coordinator) of the non-profit Birdability. The mission of Birdability is to “share the joys of birding with people who have disabilities, and to ensure that birding is accessible to everybody.”

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Portland Oregon Laws Experience 193

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

AUGUST 11, 2015

I am within one of Florida’s sub-tropical zones, and my birding experiences have expanded, with life birds galore. Almost every lunch break I head out onto the beach, looking for birds along the sand. I know what everyone is thinking: “Erika, you are birding at absolutely the worst time of day. Why bother?”

Florida 157

Florida Birds Mice Breeding 157

10,000 Birds

MAY 21, 2013

The Spring Wings Festival , held this past weekend, was the perfect way for a birding-festival newbie like me to get into the swing of things. Its small size, laid-back nature, and ample opportunities to get up close and personal with birds make it a good fit for experienced birders, but also for people looking to get their feet wet.

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Nevada Birds Barn Owls Cows 173

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2013

What if there was an international multi-day Birding competition? Enter the inaugural Peru Birding Rally Challenge , the first international birding event of it’s kind in the world. Think the Birding World Cup or the International Birding Open. Think the Birding World Cup or the International Birding Open.

Peru 227

Peru 2012 Birds Falcons 227

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2019

I couldn’t help thinking this–me, the anthropomorphism hater– as I watched a pair of Philippine Eagles tend their nest, raise a chick, and tear monkeys apart in Bird of Prey: The Story of the Rarest Eagle on Earth , a well-crafted, beautifully filmed documentary with a mission. 1980’s Filmstrip, photo by Eric Liner.

Eagles 203

Eagles Philippines Eggs Birds 203

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2011

During the filming of this production, I got to experience “dirt hawking&#. One of the primary reasons that these hawks make such excellent falconry birds is because they are one of only two raptor species (the other is the Galapagos Hawk ) that hunt cooperatively. League Against Cruel Sports. Survival of the fittest.

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League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 270

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 10, 2012

The family Picathartidae consists of two very unusual birds; White-necked or Yellow-headed Picathartes , endemic to the Upper Guinea forests of West Africa; and Gray-necked or Red-headed , restricted to Lower Guinea forests of Central Africa. White-necked or Yellow-headed Picathartes, Bonkro, Ghana.

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Sierra Leone Ghana Cameroon Equatorial Guinea 268

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.

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Birds Game Wildlife Family 278

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2020

The week before I had tried to walk this trail with my parents and son in the baby jogger, but the constant need to veer off the pathway to avoid those less observant of CDC guidance made the experience more stressful than enjoyable. Piney Z Lake is separated by Lake Lafayette by another raised berm – this time with no openings for paddlers.

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Georgia Transported Horses Fish 151

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2014

Among birds the Egyptian Vulture uses rocks to crack Ostrich eggs, the New Caledonian Crow and Woodpecker Finch (one of several Darwin Finches of the Galapagos Islands), uses sticks to extract grubs from inside a branch. This is similar to the fact that all birds, even first time breeders within a species build identical nests.

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Fish Woodpeckers Ostriches Eggs 163

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

We here at 10,000 Birds thought this would be a perfect time to look back and figure out what each of us considered our Best Bird of the Year, just like we did last year. Not only did we not expect to see this seabird this far inland, it was a life bird for me! We would like you to join in!

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2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 183

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2012

Any worthwhile discussion of baby birds will wisely lean heavily towards young shorebirds, which are surely among the most adorable of all immature avifauna. And despite our evident New World bias here at 10,000 Birds, we have a fondness for Old World shorebirds like thick-knees. We raised this little fella to a young adult.

Senegal 216

Senegal Cats South Africa Experience 216

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 21, 2012

It is thought that the gray morph mimics a bird eating hawk. In this way, the cuckolding Cuckoo can convince its cuckoldee, the Reed Warbler, to back off when the Cuckoo comes around, allowing the Cuckoo to toss out one of the Warbler’s eggs and replace it with one of its own, to be raised by the hapless Warbler parents.

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Hungary 2012 Science Eggs 174

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

British birders are very serious about birding and their birds. This is a very good thing; it means they publish a lot of books about birds (probably more at this point than U.S. This is a very good thing; it means they publish a lot of books about birds (probably more at this point than U.S.

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Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 145

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

And where all those birds are? This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. And it raises a question: if all the birds are having a party over there, am I in the wrong spot? I am talking 600 or 700+ bird species.

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Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2022

It stops those thousands of migrating birds flying across the Gulf of Mexico and directs them right onto the trees, fields, sanctuaries, beaches along the Bolivar Peninsula, where they hopefully find food and fresh water. And us, the birders who travel here from March to May to worship the birds as they seek to survive.

Houston 213

Houston Texas Sanctuary Sparrows 213

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2017

Let’s find out who the lucky winners were… The first way to win a copy of Good Birders Still Don’t Wear White was simply to subscribe to the 10,000 Birds free daily email newsletter, a prize in and of itself! He lives in Sacramento with his wife and daughter, and enjoys county birding throughout the state.

Alabama 108

Alabama Sacramento Florida California 108

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2024

So Eduardo set aside the afternoon to show me some of the city, and take me birding in two city parks. Being a westerner — raised in California, and now living in western Mexico — I was perhaps most excited about the migratory birds that breed in eastern North America. Two other birds, both residents, surprised us.

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Mexico Birds Raccoons Baltimore 197