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.

2019 149

2019 Barbados Uganda Costa Rica 149

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? Spring is here!

2015 204

2015 Jamaica New York Birds 204

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

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. What was your best bird of the weekend? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2017 113

2017 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 113

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?

2017 124

2017 Jamaica Birds Experience 124

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

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

APRIL 14, 2013

With the foresight to get my taxes taken care of early, I was free to enjoy the cold spring weather and lingering winter species around here. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a total surprise. He was walking along a trail at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge when he saw a flash of yellow up ahead. How about you?

2013 213

2013 United States Jamaica Birds 213

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2017

I know I neglected to ask you where you were birding this weekend, but don’t ever think that means I don’t want to know. Any good bird sighting deserves to be shared and enjoyed. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2017 100

2017 Neglecting Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2013

I’m wondering if Best Bird of the Weekend is too restrictive a way to consider the avians we encounter from Friday to Sunday. Of course we should seek reasons to celebrate every bird species we share our weekends with, but is the species that delights us most always the most memorable? Birding best bird weekend'

2013 183

2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 183

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2013

The natural attractions of midsummer seem more subtle than those enjoyed during the frantic peregrinations of the world’s migratory species. The best birds of my weekend, believe it or not, were American Robins mobbing a crow. What was your best bird of the weekend? How refined are your tastes in nature? How about you?

2013 159

2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 159

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2021

My readers are already familiar with Beljarica Backwaters, as described in half a dozen posts here at 10,000 Birds. It all started well three decades ago, when I intensively birded the Danube Backwaters by kayak. Now, I have mixed feelings: cautious and by experience mistrustful, but happy. White-tailed Eagles in Beljarica.

Serbia 278

Serbia Protection Deer Boars 278

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2016

All my favorite birders were out at festivals, doing Big Days, or just racking up scores of awesome birds in the field. Even though I only had an hour before work, I racked up just about all the warblers I wanted; any weekend I see a Blackburnian Warbler , I know which species is my favorite. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2016 100

2016 Jamaica New York Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2016

This weekend, millions of people, young and old alike, were driven to explore the most unlikely corners of the world in a relentless, unquenchable thirst to track down species they hadn’t ticked before. And some of the rest of us went birding! But whether you’re questing for Pokémon or birds, at least you got outside.

2016 100

2016 Michigan Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2014

Sunday morning was a perfect morning to get out on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. We saw a total of fifteen species of shorebirds but four stole the show – the peeps! It apparently derives from the typical call notes of the species which, broadly speaking, can sound like “peep.”

Jamaica 186

Jamaica Rights Species Wildlife 186

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2012

My weekend was devoted to a seemingly endless celebration of my son’s 8th birthday, which meant that my best bird was bound to be a backyard species. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2012 183

2012 Jamaica New York Birds 183

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2016

However, more impressive than shorebirds for me were the seven species of tern that (hehe) turned up, especially the cackling flocks of Black Skimmers that wheeled right overhead. Corey got out to Jamaica Bay this weekend and while he didn’t find any rarities he was pleased to see a variety of juvenile shorebirds. How about you?

2016 100

2016 Virginia Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2011

Perfect weeks like the hot (but not too hot) one we’ve just enjoyed here in western New York remind me how good summer is for so many things other than birding. My best bird of the weekend was the energetic Red-tailed Hawk that appears to live right beside the pool my kids and I visit. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 162

2011 Jamaica New York Birds 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

That will be the opening day of the 18th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida. Who knows what great birds 2015 will bring? Like this past January, I will be leading field trips and spending the rest of my time birding. So, basically, I’ll be birding all the time.

2015 218

2015 Wildlife Florida Birds 218

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2012

If you were ever looking for a reason to pay careful attention to the common birds around you, this weekend offered the perfect opportunity. Have you been participating in the Great Backyard Bird Count ? You won’t be surprised to learn that Corey had many good birds to choose from for his Best Bird of the Weekend.

2012 157

2012 Birds Jamaica New York 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

As migration proceeds in fits and starts I find myself torn between wanting to find as many birds as I can on each birding outing and wanting to take my time with each species that I haven’t seen since they left for fairer climes back in the fall. Take some time with the birds this spring.

Jamaica 215

Jamaica Wildlife Birds Experience 215

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Of course, that is just my perspective and I have been known to think that birds that don’t show up until May are late if they aren’t here by mid-April. I tend to get angry when I have not seen the number of birds I think I should have and when I am angry I type fast and crazily. Besides, suffering brings birds, right?

New York City 170

New York City New York Walruses Birds 170

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2011

The Cape May Warbler is an outstanding bird and an outing that includes one is almost undoubtedly considered successful. I was fortunate enough to spot the individual in this post at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where it was foraging in bushes and small trees between four and fifteen off of the ground.

Tigers 160

Tigers United States Jamaica Pennsylvania 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

And, sure enough, as the sun set birds came over in ones and twos and fours and fives, adding to what was already a pretty darn big flock of birds spread out on the West Pond. Mostly the ducks were Red-breasted Merganser and Greater Scaup , the two most prevalent species on the pond, but there were a few other birds mixed in as well.

Ducks 181

Ducks 2011 Jamaica New York 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

All the local avian characters have been extra-antsy despite the weather, all contending for best bird of the weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. Where Are You Birding This First Weekend of March 2011?

2011 159

2011 New York Deer Birds 159

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2013

Long-tailed Duck is one of my favorite birds that we see on the Christmas Bird Count. For some reason, probably related to my having been exhausted after spending the entire day birding for the Queens County Christmas Bird Count, last year, after our compilation dinner, I agreed to be the compiler for the count starting this year.

Birds 164

Birds New York City New York New Jersey 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Which, naturally, got me to thinking about the newly erected order Suliformes, a development I mentioned in my December column, 2010′s Top 10 Developments in Bird Taxonomy and Systematics , but which I thought deserved further examination, for it’s one of those stories that defines the era in which we are living and birding.

2011 160

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birding / Where Are You Birding This Third Weekend of March 2011? Where Are You Birding This Third Weekend of March 2011? Mama mia, no birding for me! Share your plans in the comments below.

2011 150

2011 Birds Deer South Dakota 150

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2021

I collected not one, not two, but a shocking three county birds this weekend and feel grateful for the best looks I’ve had at Marbled Godwit , Piping Plover , and Cerulean Warbler in ages. How can a goatsucker not be Best Bird of the Weekend? What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

Soreing 160

Soreing Jamaica Birds Collecting 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2012

Nassau County, New York, March 2009 After having fully explored the trail around the West Pond at Jamaica Bay , we four bird bloggers agreed to load up Patrick’s car and head over to Jones Beach to see what kind of birds we could find there and some other locations in Nassau County. And what a look at a life bird!

New York 160

New York Butcher Birds Geese 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 13, 2011

Moved by an unseasonable bout of optimism, I went owl-chasing this weekend and actually encountered what has been a true nemesis bird for me: Northern Saw-whet Owl ! For Corey, this was a weekend without a single standout species but with many birds that were pretty darn neat. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2011 133

2011 Deer Birds Owls 133

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

In this post, we’ll share the most positive of the positives, at least for those who write for 10,000 Birds who decided to share. Of all the birds that make the list for a given year one of those birds must be the Best Bird of the Year. We are always content bird-watching around Broome anyway!

2020 258

2020 Birds Costa Rica Germany 258

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2021

July in New York City is generally an unpleasant experience. Not only that, but the birding is typically not great either. But this July has been magnificent for birds in Queens. I’ve already added two species to my burgeoning Queens life list , seen another for a second time ever, and the month is just over half over.

Jamaica 264

Jamaica Birds New York City New York 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Today we are looking at two species that can be difficult to separate under typical field conditions. I have encountered this situation only one time in my birding experience. The people with whom I was birding thought this ID was a no-brainer, based solely on their familiarity with the location. But not while flying.

2011 124

2011 North America Deer America 124