10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2020

A busy, snowy, chilly weekend kept me and birds equally unable or unwilling to meet, so instead I’ll take this opportunity to show respect to American Crows ; these birds gather in massive winter flocks around here, which makes them the true spirit animal of this frigid season. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2020 183

2020 Birds Falcons Experience 183

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

He doesn’t bait birds, call them in, or otherwise mess with their natural behaviors in order to get his superior images. Because he photographs birds acting naturally he can use the images he gets to tell a story. We are pleased to host this guest post and hope it is the first of many to feature Ron’s works on 10,000 Birds.

Falcons 124

Falcons Ducks Utah Ethics 124

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Not all birds are created equal. These are the kinds of birds even those barely cognizant of nature recognize, appreciate, and aspire to. These are the kinds of birds even those barely cognizant of nature recognize, appreciate, and aspire to. Central Africa has one of those birds.

Uganda 296

Uganda Africa Birds Penguins 296

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.

North America 244

North America Birds Owls America 244

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 18, 2020

And this doesn’t mean you are obsessed or a little bit too much into birds because keeping track of a year list actually comes with some side benefits. Yeah, many of us living the birding life do so anyways because we can’t help it. I strongly suggest the experience of sharing Turquoise-browed Motmots. Go birding!

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica 2020 Morals Farming 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 28, 2017

As far back as the late ’70s he’s been entertaining and enlightening birders with his essays and books on the hows and why of birding. The latest from his pen is Birds of Prey , a hybrid between an identification guide and an essay collection, a book of lore that provides a comprehensive overview of the raptors of North America.

North America 108

North America Falcons America Eagles 108

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2022

It’s a slim volume, a republication, mostly, of a chapter from her fine 2010 book Birdology , with some added material including an introduction, in which she describes how she has, a decade after her first experience with falconry (as described in the main part of the book), “come back for more.” We serve them.”.

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New Hampshire Chickens Hunting Falcons 255

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2019

An expanse of habitat as vast as Murchison Falls NP in Uganda, as excessively generous in beauty and biodiversity, permits endless ways to experience both its birds and animals. The Masindi Hotel holds the distinction of being the oldest and most historic hotel in Uganda and has some terrific birds on premises.

Uganda 232

Uganda Senegal Africa Game 232

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 14, 2018

Migratory months are made for Big Days, Big Sits, and generally Big birding hauls. My weekend wasn’t very birdy, but for the Peregrine Falcon found munching on some unidentifiable prey in a mall parking lot! What was your best bird of the weekend? How Big was your weekend? He’ll be posting all about it later today.)

2018 113

2018 Turkey Falcons Birds 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2018

Lacking the benefit of heated shelters, birds must heed that warning or perish. This is why the Yellow Warblers and Baltimore Orioles of summer don’t linger to experience October 31st, and even late fall migrants like kinglets and sparrows move to slightly warmer regions. Laughing Falcon. Lesser Ground-Cuckoo.

Costa Rica 195

Costa Rica Bats Birds Falcons 195

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2019

What qualifies a bird to be included in the top-5? This version extended the list a bit and it turned out that almost every fourth bird was an one-monther. Somewhat unfairly, the second criterion was that I described the observation at 10,000 Birds. Red-footed Falcon by BartBotje/Wikimedia Commons.

2018 124

2018 Serbia Falcons Greece 124

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 28, 2014

It’s all over but the year bird counting, so take stock of any species you’ve added this weekend. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was New York State’s first Couch’s Kingbird in the incongruous location of the West Village in Manhattan. What a way to end 2014’s birding. How about you?

2014 197

2014 New York Falcons Birds 197

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

JUNE 8, 2019

Growing up birding in Western New York was also a time when the old woods of the Niagara Gorge were punctuated with the songs of hidden Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos and the lazy notes of Eastern Wood-Pewees. Seeing the uncommon birds is key to reaching a big total no matter where one goes birding. The Northern Wetlands.

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Species Birds New York 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. Survival of the fittest.

League Against Cruel Sports 270

League Against Cruel Sports Rabbits Falcons Hunting 270

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

Were there any birds about this weekend? The only ones that concerned me were Ravens, Falcons, Seahawks, Cardinals, and Eagles. Of course I still kept my eyes out for other types of birds. What was your best bird of the weekend? If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2013 215

2013 Falcons Birds Eagles 215

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

What do you think makes for a good bird hide? I have asked myself that same question many times over the last six months, until last week, when I was involved in an opening ceremony of five new bird hides at the Palic Lake, by the town of Subotica in the very north of Serbia, along the border with Hungary (all photos are from that area).

Serbia 266

Serbia Birds Spain Hungary 266

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 25, 2015

The Durango Highway is arguably one of North America’s great birding roads due to the great variety of habitats, the spectacular mountain scenery of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the numerous Mexican endemics one can target. There are many dusty side roads in this area, many of which offer productive birding.

Mexico 227

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 227

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2018

Nonetheless, when you positively ID a bird that differs from the usual expectations, you’ve got to spread the word. While I generally loathe these exercises in discerning the nearly indiscernible in the field , subtle evidence points to the bird my local reviewer will likely question. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2018 100

2018 Birds Falcons Experience 100

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.

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Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 238

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 24, 2021

You may have read my recent piece on Birding the Okavango Delta in Botswana here on 10,000 Birds. If you have never thought of India as a birding destination, I’d urge you to give it a good look. Babita Tours has many years of experience organizing tailor-made wildlife tours for private groups in this wonderful country.

India 233

India Wildlife Tigers Eagles 233

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.

2016 150

2016 Portugal Falcons Japan 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2024

Lesser Kestrels are one of those birds that have a special fascination for British birdwatchers. They are very rare birds in Britain, but have been recorded from Scilly in the south to Fair Isle in the north. Lesser Kestrel really is an appropriate name, for they are a lesser bird than the familiar Common Kestrel.

Falcons 238

Falcons Spain Europe 2012 238

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2016

Every year around this very weekend, new birds return from a far-too-long hiatus. Go Cardinals, Ravens, Falcons, Eagles, and Seahawks! Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was any of the horde of Sanderlings he saw in the Rockaways on Saturday morning. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2016 100

2016 New York Falcons Birds 100

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 255

Peru 2012 Birds Falcons 255

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

In September, I had the fantastic opportunity to travel to an increasingly popular destination for birding: Honduras. Chris Lotz, the owner of the international bird tour company Birding Ecotours , invited me to join him on a familiarization trip that included several highland sites as well as Pico Bonito Lodge.

Honduras 248

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 248

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2013

I am back home and recovered from the Birding Rally Challenge in Northern Peru (Rally). Well, I will start by saying I am not new to non-stop birding; some friends and I tried to break the 24-hour record number of birds in Florida (Big day). Photo: Peru Birding Rally. Photo: Peru Birding Rally.

Peru 259

Peru Birds South Africa United Kingdom 259

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 31, 2014

Imagine for a moment that you are a bird. The other options are to continue flying past daybreak, which is dangerous both because you are low on energy and because hawks and falcons might come after you. And, for the record, when I say the birds were close I mean they were really close. You land, right? Of course you do.

New York City 248

New York City New York Birds Sparrows 248

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2012

My Best Bird of the Weekend was a Peregrine Falcon gracing an enjoyable Rochester barbecue; good food, good company, and good birds make a powerful combination. But my extended weekend may hold even better birds once I hit Montezuma NWR. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2012 162

2012 Falcons Birds Owls 162

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2012

As promised, I watched Falcons get plucked, pinioned, and debeaked this weekend. Note that I only condone this treatment for the highly localized Atlanta Falcon. But since these sorry birds are giving avifauna a bad name, I should mention the sleek Cooper’s Hawk I spotted at Turning Point Park. Not a bad bird at all!

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Debeaking Atlanta 2011 United States 167

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2012

I, of course, was focused mainly on Eagles, Falcons, and Seahawks this weekend. Now that’s a good year bird! 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?

2012 167

2012 Falcons Birds Farming 167

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2012

We haven’t seen many birds yet, but did enjoy the sight of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon unruffled by a mob of belligerent Blue Jays. Corey’s best bird of the weekend was a Common Raven that flew over his apartment on Saturday afternoon. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2012 159

2012 Michigan Falcons Birds 159

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.

Nevada 205

Nevada Birds Barn Owls Cows 205

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 190

China Ducks Transported Game 190

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 221

Argentina Farming Chile Birds 221

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2011

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. But the birds he most appreciated were three American Golden Plovers , two of which are pictured below: What was your best bird of the weekend?

Bald Eagle 167

Bald Eagle New Jersey 2011 New York 167