10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 18, 2021

10,000 Birds is running a series of articles by and about tour guides, tour companies, eco-lodges, and other birding travel organizations. We want to help the birding tourism industry come back strong from the COVID pandemic. We work hard to provide the richest and most rewarding experience of the Neotropics.

Guatemala 256

Guatemala El Salvador Belize Honduras 256

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.

Costa Rica 194

Costa Rica Species San Jose Birds 194

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2021

May is a time for birding. We have the slow weeks and months for reading, writing, and dreaming about the birds we’d rather be seeing. Right now, though, we can watch and listen and enjoy. Corey enjoyed getting out early and birding both days this weekend, and has the lists to back him up. How about you?

New York 262

New York Sparrows Birds Breeding 262

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2021

Fortunately, we have birds to look at, so let’s focus on them right now. Fortunately, we have an expansive view of weekends here at 10,000 Birds so I can choose one of the birds I saw in California on Friday before I flew out as my Best Bird of the Weekend. So that will be my Best Bird of the Weekend.

Alaska 239

Alaska California Birds New York 239

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2021

June can be a hit-or-miss month for birding. You may, if fortune favors you, hit good weather or birds. In that sense, June is no different than any other month, right? I’ve continued my inconsistent effort to pick off the species I need for my Monroe County list. What was your best bird of the weekend?

Sparrows 236

Sparrows Birds Farming Experience 236

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2021

Mid-November holds the dubious honor of being one of the most mundane birding periods imaginable in most temperate zones. Not to say, of course, that there’s no point in getting out to see birds this time of year–any day is a good day for birding. He got out on both mornings and saw pretty much expected species.

Birds 202

Birds Woodpeckers Experience Experiments 202

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021

In common with so many other volcanoes, Poas also houses farms, people, and forests full of birds. Eastern Meadowlarks, cowbirds, grackles , and a few other birds are at peace with the cows but for most birds on Poas, the forest is where life is living large. Just like it sounds, birding in place is watching birds from one spot.

Costa Rica 263

Costa Rica Birds Cows Hunters 263

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

I truly do hope I am not tiring 10,000 Birds’ readers too much with my obsession with Michoacán’s ongoing drought, the disappearance of Lake Cuitzeo (Mexico’s 2nd largest lake, in normal years), and our own micro-endemic Black-polled Yellowthroat. But obsessed I am. Had I thrown a rock, I would undoubtedly have hit one.

Mexico 229

Mexico Investigation Science Experience 229

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2020

November doesn’t fit any of the conventional narratives of birding seasons. Nonetheless, November can really cook when the birding conditions are just right. I finally chased down what has been a nemesis species for me at Webster Park, which seems to be one of Rochester’s most reliable winter finch hotspots.

2020 209

2020 Cooking Birds Experience 209

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2020

I am not only surprised but shocked at my second lifer of the month right here in Monroe County. Despite his best efforts Corey didn’t find any truly outstanding birds this weekend as he stomped his way across Queens. A subspecies as Best Bird of the Weekend? What is 10,000 Birds coming to? How about you?

2020 264

2020 Birds Sparrows Experience 264

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2021

Among other things… I go birding. Yes, birding can be a wonderful tool for maintaining mental health. That has certainly been my own experience, but I am not the only one who says this; an ever-growing body of evidence confirms this fact. Why is birding such an effective mental health tool? Green is good.

Birds 242

Birds Emotional Medical Shelters 242

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

Birding in the Caribbean is about islands, beautiful beaches, extra special endemics, rum, and smiles. It could also be much more, maybe less, it all depends on how you want to rock an international birding trip. Go to Costa Rica and you will be looking at other birds but you can still get in some Caribbean slope birding.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Puerto Rico Birds Owls 264

10,000 Birds

APRIL 24, 2024

Dip (verb): [in birding] to miss seeing a bird you were looking for Many times when we speak about the trips we’ve been on we concentrate on the things we experienced, the ruing of missed opportunities tends to be saved for nighttime conversations after a few drinks perhaps. Which birds? The bright yellow birds!

Guyana 223

Guyana Brazil ALA Eagles 223

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2020

In the era of digital cameras and social media, images of birds are easy to come by. Even photos of the rarest of birds can be found, even heart-wrenching images of bird species that are no longer with us. Species like the Gyrfalcon , the aerial powerhouse of the tundra, of stunning, breeding-plumaged May warblers.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Birds Species Woodpeckers 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

The adult males sport that look; a bird created with crayons and an imaginative mind. The female isn’t quite so unreal but is still a cool little bird in her own right. She also makes a mark with her small size, one of the smallest birds in Costa Rica. A Garden Planted for Birds.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 264

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2024

And if you take this phrase, “stamps in weathered passports,” my interpretation is that the experiences from travel are the “stamps” as sights, sounds, tastes, smells, textures, on your “passport,” or soul. Hannah overlooking a valley Traveling into Lesotho from the Sani Pass is an experience more than just the journey to the top.

Lesotho 235

Lesotho Sheep South Africa Africa 235

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. Lesser Striped Swallow.

Uganda 276

Uganda Africa Birds Penguins 276

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

For several years I lived and birded in the south of Africa , and still have my battered second edition (1997) of the Sasol Birds of Southern Africa, the most trusted local field guide. Distribution maps show the relative abundance of a species in the region and also indicate resident or visiting status.

Africa 264

Africa South Africa Swaziland Lesotho 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2023

As usual, my experience with such boardwalks was somewhat underwhelming, as was Eshowe as a whole, but there were still a few birds worth mentioning at the forest and in the area surrounding Eshowe. These Hadada Ibis were right in the garden of the place where we stayed. But the same species was never found again.

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa Birds 2018 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2021

Fortunately, China still has lots of interesting birding locations left for me. But of course, it is also nice to remember past birding trips. One in November 2018 included a one-day birding trip in the Drakensberg area, a mountain range in the border area between South Africa and Lesotho. That does not make much sense, I know.

South Africa 246

South Africa Africa Lesotho Nigeria 246

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. From the monks, maybe?

Birds 226

Birds Germany India 2018 226

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2022

Now, it is much easier for me to achieve first-time sightings of species in Europe than it is in Mexico, at this point of the game. So I might have assumed I would not see new species in the Palmones wetlands. The first gave me eight new species for Spain, of which four were lifers. But this time, I could.

Spain 188

Spain Mexico Europe North America 188

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2023

The area is one of the most important in Greece for birds, comprising more than 270 species. Finally, of the at least 20 species of mammals present here, the otter, the jackal, and the wildcat certainly deserve a mention. Large lagoons farther east are at their best in winter, but I should mention one more bird.

Greece 198

Greece Pelicans Birds Otters 198

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2022

At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into.” So, still room for improvement. Depressing.

Raccoons 229

Raccoons Birds Oregon China 229

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2019

When did birding become so intimately intertwined with technology? But beyond space age gear and technical fabrics, birding also seems to demand a strong, unbroken connection to the internet. For once in a long while, Corey and I share the same Best Bird of the Weekend. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2019 167

2019 Uganda Birds Science 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2023

Considering Broome often experiences cyclones and strong winds it does make sense for the birds to build a more substantial nest to survive the extreme weather. Although Crested Pigeons are quite a common bird Australia-wide you don’t always find a nest, so that you are able to observe the family grow.

Breeding 209

Breeding Australia Eggs Family 209

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2015

Birders head to Costa Rica to see stunners like Resplendent Quetzal , Three-wattled Bellbird , Orange-collared Manakin , fancy hummingbirds , tanagers, and literally hundreds of other birds. These and several other species might end up being armchair ticks if and when we take a closer look at their evolutionary history.

Costa Rica 223

Costa Rica Species South America America 223

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2020

In Costa Rica, our July birding news usually consists of interesting sightings during the mid-summer tours. These and other important birding related questions come to mind and during a normal July, I would be personally and actively helping answer them. Which tours saw the most roosting owls?

Costa Rica 227

Costa Rica Birds Thailand Family 227

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2020

Around midnight, I heard the most emphatic grunting right outside my window–unexpected because I was on the second floor. Corey got out and about birding on both Saturday and Sunday morning, before joining a Black Live Matter march on Sunday. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2020 162

2020 Breeders Birds Owls 162

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.

Los Angeles 210

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 210

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

DECEMBER 24, 2022

December is not the ideal month for bird counts, at least not in Costa Rica. Yes, we do have warm, tropical weather and a fancy assortment of resident and wintering species. However, in Costa Rica, despite being wonderfully warm in December, the birding isn’t as straightforward as one might expect.

Costa Rica 254

Costa Rica Eagles Species Blackbirds 254

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2023

I see myself as an old school birder, which means that I do remember the times when good bird photos were rare and far in between, and the times when bird paintings were getting ever more impressive. Yet, there is one group of birds where even I prefer photographs: gulls. Or slightly off? The colder – the better.

Europe 244

Europe Africa Greece Groups 244

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 176

China Endangered Species Sanctuary Protection 176

10,000 Birds

JUNE 30, 2019

Luckily, for birds, I didn’t have to, as a skulky Winter Wren sought shelter right outside my dining room window, adding a highly improbable third wren species to my yard list. Corey was out birding on Saturday morning in Queens and early on Sunday morning he visited the tern colony at Nickerson Beach.

2019 134

2019 New York Shelters Birds 134

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2019

A hot weekend doesn’t necessarily make for hot birding, but things may be warming up on that front. One truth you learn in the birding business is that birds are always moving in one direction or another. I definitely didn’t see much, but sometimes the usual species satisfy well enough. How about you?

2019 142

2019 New York City Virginia New York 142

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 Birds Mountain Goats Giraffes 147