10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2024

Empire Penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) are the largest living penguin species, almost four feet tall (taller when they stretch), and the least likely to be seen on birding or nature trips. It’s part memoir, part travelogue, part scientific narrative, part prologue to making an argument for Antarctic conservation.

Penguins 160

Penguins Seals Leopards Research 160

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2013

She has lived in Maine, California, France, New York, and currently makes her home in Washington, DC. The Washington DC cherry blossoms burst forth in an explosion of pink and white color, rimming the Tidal Basin and the Jefferson Memorial down on the National Mall. I wanted to bird among the blossoms.

DC 196

DC Washington Birds Geese 196

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

These reports (called “ Banking on Nature “) are relevant to birders because they are among the few comprehensive analyses that relate to the economic impact of birders on national wildlife refuges, which are among the more popular birding locations. A number of these NWRs appear on my list of the Top 25 NWRs for Birding.).

Wildlife 252

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 252

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2022

A while back, I wrote several guest posts for 10,000 Birds and Mike and Corey asked if I wanted a regular monthly space. Nevertheless, five years seems a good time to reflect on the blogging experience. Nevertheless, five years seems a good time to reflect on the blogging experience. Bird researchers are good people!

Puerto Rico 130

Puerto Rico California Condor Virgin Islands Laws 130

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. A checklist from Rock Creek Park in Washington D.C. and Canada.

Puerto Rico 149

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 149

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2011

Summer thankfully persists in the Northern Hemisphere, but that doesn’t necessarily mean the birding remains dull. I didn’t run into anything unusual this weekend, so my best birds of the weekend were probably the Barn Swallows wheeling and dealing above the Sterling Renaissance Festival. But probably not too soon, right?

2011 160

2011 Washington Birds Experience 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2019

I first encountered Molly Hashimoto’s bird art in California. Hashimoto’s prints and water color bird portraits differ in materials and style from Harper, but she shares with him a talent for portraying common birds in a lively, accessible, yet new way that belies the artistic processes employed to create the finished image.

Birds 154

Birds Eggs Laws Woodpeckers 154

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2011

Would you believe my best bird of the weekend was a Screaming Piha ? I took my kids on a fun whirlwind tour of Washington D.C. but my best bird of the weekend was in Baltimore, specifically the Aquarium. Did you know that the Screaming Piha is the loudest bird in the world for its size?

Puffins 163

Puffins Baltimore 2011 Washington 163

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2014

Starting in winter as the adults return to and repair their nest on the outskirts of Washington D.C. As an experiment, I also ran this book by a non-birding friend. Based on his reactions, I suspect this would also be an excellent gift for the bird-curious or even those who only really like charismatic megafauna. *he

Bald Eagle 232

Bald Eagle Eagles Endangered Species Washington 232

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 173

Birds Mississippi Vermont Texas 173

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

As 2013 draws to a close we here at 10,000 Birds thought that it would be a great idea if we, like we did in 2010 , 2011 , and 2012 , shared our Best Birds of the Year. We also want to know what YOUR Best Bird of the Year was. Now on to the Best Birds of the Year for those who write on 10,000 Birds! Sound good?

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2014

If there is one order of birds that is guaranteed to draw involuntary gasps and odd keening noises, it is the Strigiformes. A recent experience left me upside-down in a drift of pine needles as finding myself face-to-face with a Barred Owl was such a shock that I lost the power of standing. Birds Barred Owl'

Owls 178

Owls DC Litter Reptiles 178

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

And Flamingos and Hornbills and a Secretarybird and birds with names like Hamerkop and Thick-knee and Eremomela (which I know is a scientific term, but which, when pronounced correctly, reminds me of a Yiddish term of endearment my grandmother used). And so, I went on the American Birding Association Safari to South Africa.

South Africa 254

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 254

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2017

The 118 th Christmas Bird Count (CBC) began yesterday and I’m sure many of you have at least one count scheduled in the next few weeks. If your CBC experience is anything like mine here in eastern New York, you’ll be counting an awful lot of crows. Here’s to uncommon crows, happy drinking and good Christmas bird counting!

New York 124

New York Portland Washington Geese 124

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

Author Sherrida Woodley thinks deeply about dearly departed birds. That one or two or a few might still exist somewhere “incognito,” perhaps in the company of doves or rock pigeons, maybe even somewhere deep within the Olympic Rain Forest of Washington State. He claims to have watched the bird for about twenty minutes.

Pennsylvania 200

Pennsylvania Indiana California Condor 2013 200

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2021

If you haven’t been to Costa Rica, or if you’ve birded Costa Rica but somehow missed their damselflies and dragonflies (not a problem! I know how intense some birders can be), I can tell you from experience that there are some exquisite, stunning odonates flying around there. Paulson received his Ph.D.

Costa Rica 262

Costa Rica North America Family America 262

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 155

2011 New York Deer Birds 155

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2013

The cahow is one wild and crazy bird. And, all the while it vocalizes with the strange-sounding, weird cries that give the bird its name, cries so bizarre sounding that they once kept Spanish explorers from settling the island. other birds that collided with a tower and a radio antenna. You’ve never heard of the cahow?

Birds 169

Birds Rats Breeding 2012 169

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

I recently asked whether Puerto Rico should be part of the American Birding Association’s ABA Area. Both Puerto Rico and the USVI have active birding communities that are currently excluded from full membership in the ABA family. Although different territories, they are nearby and share many of the same birds.

Puerto Rico 158

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 158

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2017

Fortunately, just like when we visited Washington State , Daisy was amenable to taking a boat ride to see some puffins so on the evening of Saturday, 27 May, we (me, Daisy, Desi, and my mother-in-law) found ourselves on a boat in New Harbor watching Black Guillemots swim in the harbor while we waited for our boat to head out to Eastern Egg Rock.

Puffins 100

Puffins Eggs Hunters United States 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2013

Growing up, you may have been told that a baby bird doesn’t need flying lessons. After three years of observation at a Bald Eagle nest in Washington state, I believe that young birds do, in fact, learn to fly — and they appear to learn much the same way we do. … Birds Bald Eagle raptors'

Eagles 188

Eagles Bald Eagle Seattle Game 188

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Birds of California , the new volume in the ABA series, arrived the day I returned. Every bird book seems to be about the west coast this month!) With the boat speed what it was, and being the only birder on board, to stop watching meant I might miss an interesting bird. This is also where a photograph came in very handy.

Dolphins 162

Dolphins Whales Whaling Porpoises 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2011

All twitchers will experience it at some stage or another. For those that might not fully comprehend, the birding slang-term to “dip” or to “dip out on” a bird is to go looking for a particular species and not find it. That bird can then be referred to as a”dip”, the noun version of the word.

Norway 235

Norway Delaware Pennsylvania Philadelphia 235

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2011

Lewis and Clark explored large swaths of the Louisiana Purchase for the United States and I can think of no higher honor for their efforts than having two such becoming birds named for intrepid explorers. But the focus here is on the one bird, Nucifraga columbiana , and a charming and entertaining creature it is. Until then, enjoy!

United States 177

United States Louisiana Woodpeckers 2011 177

Animal Person

JUNE 8, 2009

Beloved family pet Dalmatian, Pepper, is stolen, and after several weeks of searching is discovered to have been experimented on at a hospital and died on the table when researchers tried to implant her with an experimental cardiac pacemaker. Part III: Pepper Goes to Washington. Let's deconstruct: Part I: Where's Pepper?

Animal Welfare 100

Animal Welfare Monkeys Animal Welfare Act Vivisection 100