10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2014

Complain on a birding trip to Costa Rica? I share this gripe because we of course see more birds before eight in the morning, and from four to five in the afternoon. Or, I bird somewhere near the park during top birding times and enter when it officially opens. Not possible! Where the heck are the raptors? Fogged optics!

Costa Rica 168

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Owls 168

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2016

Most of the trip was taken up with family meals and nights on the town with friends (and suffering a bit in the morning), but I did get away to do some birding in Melbourne’s top birding spot which isn’t so much a dump as the pits. All in all a pretty good handful (barely, they are very small) of birds.

Australia 100

Australia Geese Ducks Birds 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

It actually makes a lot of sense, the geographic features of the isthmus between North America (including Mexico, because Mexico is part of North America) and South America cut across political lines, as do birds. It is the first bird field guide to every country of Central America (plus the islands governed by those countries).

America 214

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 214

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2015

What sets Moorcroft Manor apart from the other (lovely I rush to add) places I stayed at in Southern Africa was the sheer numbers of birds I could see in the grounds. Moorcroft Manor isn’t just a lovely place to stay, its a great birding location in its own right. The fields around the gardens added some other great birds.

Africa 165

Africa South Africa Stud Birds 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2016

The English language, or at least the adherents thereof with more time on their hands than sense, has bestowed us a great number of names to collective nouns for groups of birds. English has not been similarly encumbered with frivolous names for young birds of specific types. They may be, but the names haven’t caught on.

New Zealand 106

New Zealand Parrots Rats Bats 106

10,000 Birds

JUNE 12, 2019

That is because Lago de Cuitzeo receives a huge number of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, with smaller numbers of sparrows, buntings, and other migratory birds in the areas around the lake’s shore. Not only are the species numbers good, but the spectacle of so, so many individual birds can be thrilling.

Ducks 116

Ducks Blackbirds United States Pelicans 116

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

Sitting on a beach under a coconut tree (but not under the very crown, I know that), I am contemplating birding and the meaning of life… Salty breeze comes from the Caribbean, way saltier than any Mediterranean sea breeze. But why would someone look for that, an easy and common one among the 920+ bird species of Costa Rica?

Costa Rica 149

Costa Rica Reptiles Farming Mississippi 149

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2013

Yes, suffering readers, it is time once again for a blog post in verse. A rare bird is reported, genuine, assured. Whether a shorebird , a falcon , a sparrow , You feel the need deep down in your marrow. “Seen the bird?” It’s horrible when a view of the bird is lacked. Birds, birders, and birding.

Mississippi 154

Mississippi New York Suffering Falcons 154

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2021

As things appear to be returning to normal, The UK suffered its worst ever week for Covid infections. Wherever you might be birding, please stay safe and keep those around you safe too. 262 Laughing Falcon – Herpetotheres cachinnans. 266 Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus. 6 Brant – Branta bernicla.

Woodpeckers 248

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds Ducks 248

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2019

The Management are still in Africa, suffering the buffering that comes with remoteness. Red-necked Falcon – Falco chicquera. Lanner Falcon – Falco biarmicus. Bat Falcon – Falco rufigularis. Collared Forest-Falcon – Micrastur semitorquatus. Peregrine Falcon – Falco peregrinus.

2019 142

2019 Farming Sparrows Charlotte 142