10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2015

Though I have been birding for a few years now, I had only birded west of the Mississippi once before my recent trip to Austin, Texas. Given how far west I found myself, I was hoping for at least a handful of new birds. As we walked, I noticed two unique birds on the power lines. Monk Parakeet.

Austin 108

Austin Texas Birds Non Human 108

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2011

Corey’s best bird of the weekend was a wicked Chuck-will’s-widow at Prospect Park on Saturday. My own best bird was Caspian Tern , right on time along Lake Ontario. For those of you playing along at home, this gives me 17 new ABA birds for a total of 467 as of May 1, 2011.

2011 157

2011 Mississippi ALA Sparrows 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Newly surrounded by wildlife, he found his love of birds reignited. He now lives in Los Angeles, California where he is employed as a natural history tour guide and as a member of the Leica Birding Team. This is Luke’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Great birds. Sociability.

Bald Eagle 232

Bald Eagle Los Angeles Connecticut Eagles 232

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

MAY 2, 2014

It is also a good description of the birding in southernmost Florida. However, few realize how unique and how good the birding can be here. A cool climate on one side and wide expanses of water on the others creates isolation as many temperate land bird species seem unable to colonize areas south of Lake Okeechobee.

Florida 171

Florida Miami United States Stray 171

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2019

. “Where they stop and water and get some food before they continue their migration,” the voice continues, and, if you’re not a birder you could be excused from a sense of confusion–is this a film about migrant birds or migrant people? ” and then adds, “The border wall is no barrier to birds.”

Advocacy 266

Advocacy Mexico United States Texas 266

4 The Love Of Animals

MAY 18, 2011

Years of experience told the team that if a chick isn’t around other cranes during its early months, the possibility of imprinting on a human increases, making it difficult to return the chick to the wild when ready. The team came up with a unique solution: Pair the two birds together. So what does the future hold for these two pals?

Rescue 100

Rescue Mississippi Endangered Species Humane 100

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 151

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 151

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge : Open to migratory bird hunting (youth only). The Refuge is now home to nearly 200 species of birds, over 50 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, and a wide variety of insects, fish and plants. This is an Urban Refuge ! Why would you open it up to hunting?

Fish 142

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 142

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 14, 2019

I started to bird from a kayak. Paddling around the Veliko Ratno Island Reserve in almost downtown Belgrade was such a liberating experience of getting close to nature while not having to travel far or invest much. For a while, I birded from the least birdable white water racer, the one with those flares behind the cockpit.

Birds 216

Birds Experience Experiments Botswana 216

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2012

Nick Lund , formerly at birdDC and then the Birdist , should be no stranger to readers of 10,000 Birds. He’s previously shared his surprisingly strong feelings about the bird logos of NFL and MLB teams. Like any obsessive birder, of course, I’ve found a way to make birding part of the job.

Birds 170

Birds Mississippi Vermont Texas 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

For many in the birding community, Miami is a destination meant only for ticking off ABA-countable exotics such as Spot-breasted Oriole or Red-whiskered Bulbul. However, few realize that this flat, densely populated county boasts one of the highest list totals of any county east of the Mississippi. This bird was a life bird for him!

Miami 165

Miami 2015 United States Birds 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2012

The bird came first, just in case you were wondering. The name has always seemed to apply to a rather motley group of birds, from the exquisite Scissor-tailed Kite of east Africa, to the grotesque Hook-billed Kite of Central America, and various and sundry examples in between. This is a bird that does not mess around.

Mississippi 157

Mississippi North Carolina Raleigh Groups 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

The experience was marvelous — but it also weighed heavily on me. That’s because I’d already seen the conclusions contained in a study that Audubon (my employer) was preparing to release, a study about birds and climate change. Birds are finely tuned to the climatic conditions that support them.

Species 173

Species Science Los Angeles 2000 173

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2011

On this final day of 2011 it is time, just like it was on the final day of 2010 , to share your Best Birds of the Year. Well, actually, your Best Bird of the Year will only be shared here if you took the time to respond to the post in which we here at 10,000 Birds shared our Best Birds of the Year.

2011 161

2011 Birds Ohio North Dakota 161

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

This, I am told, is seawatching , a birding activity in which one stands in one place, sometimes for hours, and watches for birds of the sea and lake and river. It is acceptable to point out other sea creatures–dolphins or whales or dragonflies–but the main goal is the observation and identification of the birds.

Ducks 225

Ducks Groups Species North America 225

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2017

With enough planning, you can enjoy a family-friendly, bird-rich vacation in the Panama Canal zone. Any dedicated birder visiting Panama City should first consider the Canopy Tower , one of the most important and beloved birding lodges in the Americas. Despite the golf course, this place host all manner of birds and mammals.

Panama 100

Panama 2017 Monkeys Family 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2015

Maybe it was a version of the Mississippi River, maybe it was a version of the Warren River, likely both. Non-bird watchers without binoculars and experience are notoriously bad sources of information. Atop the ridge, where no one will ever build cabins because it is too high up, is a grove of white pines. More alarm calling.

Humane 201

Humane Eagles Investigation Research 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2012

First, it was really close to the road, close enough that the birds in the nest, if it was a nest at all, would feel the wind from the larger, faster passing semis. and in the world of birds, a pair of eagles qualifies. Consider this thought experiment. And, that bird might well do better than it otherwise might.

Eagles 173

Eagles Bald Eagle Coyotes Mississippi 173