10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2015

Actually, signs that winter won’t release its icy grip so readily are also apparent… my traditional Easter family hike was canceled on account of snow. 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. Birding best bird weekend'

2015 204

2015 Jamaica New York Birds 204

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2020

Having finally found a Black Vulture for my Queens list , an important tick both because it was long overdue and because it was the tenth bird since my last set of predictions, it is time, once again, to look at what might be coming to my Queens list. Black Vulture – The bird that has been reported the most in Queens that I have never seen.

2018 172

2018 2015 Birds 2019 172

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 2, 2011

Besides the avian attributes of flight, feathers and laying eggs, potoos are quite possibly the most unbird-like birds in the world. Sometimes called “Poor-me-ones&# on account of their haunting calls, these bizarre denizens of the night come in 7 different flavors from the family Nyctibiidae within the order Caprimulgiformes.

Costa Rica 257

Costa Rica Jamaica Eggs Cooking 257

10,000 Birds

JUNE 25, 2019

For many North American birders, wood warblers represent everything exciting, compelling, and immediate about birding. That fallacious family name seems to have encouraged all manner of knaves, dunderheads, and miscreants when time came to label species. Consider some examples: NAMED FOR OTHER BIRDS. NAMED FOR PEOPLE.

Rights 113

Rights Connecticut Tennessee Nashville 113

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

Two-thousand-twelve was a pretty darn good year for me birding-wise and otherwise. Seeing 525 species was nice, as was the fact that I birded in four countries, nine of the fifty states in the United States, and fifty-one counties. Finally, my 2012 Year List easily exceeded the 500 species I had hoped to see.

2012 147

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

The trend at this time of year is a downturn in shared lists and birds reported, nevertheless, 12 (is this a record?) beats have still managed to share 82 checklists and accounted for 737 species. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh. Jamaica Bay, Big Egg Marsh.

2019 126

2019 Jamaica Eggs Woodpeckers 126

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

DECEMBER 13, 2012

With a family renowned for its strong flight and capability to colonize far flung locations (such as the Imperial-Pigeons and Fruit-Doves of the Tropical Pacific, Blue Pigeons of the Indian Ocean, or endemic pigeons of the Canary Islands), this fact comes to no surprise. Is this the closest equivalent to a tramp species in the Americas?

Florida 182

Florida Miami Bahamas Mexico 182

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

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

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 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

MARCH 9, 2011

The little stiff-tails are almost year-round at Jamaica Bay though almost all leave to breed in the summer and in the depths of winter, when the ponds are almost completely frozen, they tend to head for open water. This post has been submitted to Bird Photography Weekly #133. Go check it out! Get yours today!

Ducks 158

Ducks 2011 Jamaica Deer 158

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

MARCH 13, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Bufflehead in Flight Bufflehead in Flight By Corey • March 13, 2011 • 8 comments Tweet Share Bufflehead are one of our most amusing ducks. There is something for everyone at 10,000 Clicks !

2011 150

2011 Ducks Deer New York 150

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2013

If I had my druthers I would be birding the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge pretty much every day from July until September. Can you tell which of the birds in the two photos above is the Long-billed Dowitcher ? Can you tell which of the birds in the two photos above is the Long-billed Dowitcher ?

Jamaica 179

Jamaica Wildlife Falcons Family 179

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

This one is a doozy and your clue is that all of the shots were taken this year in Queens, NY, so a knowledge of what birds can be seen in my fine borough will be of great assistance to you if you have that knowledge. Remember to identify each bird by its full common name in the comment section below. Get yours today!

2011 209

2011 Bald Eagle Sparrows Parrots 209

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

Way back on 16 May I managed to see my 312 bird species in Queens to add to my Queens list. Somehow I forgot that the last time I predicted what the next ten species I would see in Queens would be was back on 30 December 2013, when my list was sitting at 302. Sooty Shearwater – This will take some more dedicated seawatching.

2013 160

2013 2010 2012 2011 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2011

But it wasn’t all that diabolical when you consider that it was the Queens Zoo that served as the setting and I also left this clue: “a knowledge of what birds can be seen in my fine borough will be of great assistance to you.&# Those who are really familiar with Queens should know what birds are in the zoo named for our borough.

Bald Eagle 113

Bald Eagle Zoos 2011 Parrots 113

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2013

In fact, the last one was back on 15 May 2012 when my Queens list stood at 289 and I guessed what my next eleven birds would be that would get me to 300. Now my Queens list stands at a whopping 302, which means I have actually added thirteen species since my last predictions. This was a pair of relatively uncooperative birds at St.

2012 158

2012 2013 New York City Jamaica 158

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2011

Back when we used to run the 10,000 Birds ID Clinic (as opposed to just answering lots of e-mails about bird identification!), we received an inquiry about a bird “about the size of a small duck, much bigger than a jay… a crest similar to a jay or a roadrunner and it has a remarkably long neck.&#

Jamaica 258

Jamaica Fish Adoptable Ducks 258

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2012

Other than my overall life list it is the one to which I most like to add a bird. This explains why when I was upstate celebrating my parents’ fortieth anniversary on Sunday I was not to happy to learn that a Ruff was found at Jamaica Bay. As you already know I am a big fan of my Queens list.

Jamaica 160

Jamaica New York City Abandon Abandoning 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 12, 2012

But Gotham’s many parks have some very suitable habitat for birds from the family Picidae and a birder in any borough of New York will generally find at least a couple of species during an average morning’s birding. They are common but they have spunk which makes them well worth a look.

New York City 260

New York City New York Woodpeckers New Jersey 260

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

I started out my birding life sitting on Benches 2 and 7 at the Jamaica Bay NWR West Pond, my Peterson’s in my lap, studying Green-winged Teal, Northern Shovelers, and the occasional Pintail. But, as with many avian families, the more you look, the more complicated it gets. So much simpler than pinning down those warblers!

North America 175

North America Asia Europe America 175

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2011

Nice. ((** all names have been changed to protect identities and have been substituted with (almost) randomly chosen substitutes suitable for a family of Alpine Accentors.)) Happy birding, Dale Forbes Tags: accentors , Alpine Accentor , Birds , features , polygynandry • Have you seen the cool 10,000 Birds t-shirts?

2011 230

2011 Breeders Breeding Deer 230

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2012

I first met Anthony Collerton when he was trying to see the Barrow’s Goldeneye at Jamaica Bay back in February. It was something like his fifth attempt at the bird. That made me wonder why someone would put so much energy into a species that is regular in New York and not a lifer.

New York 189

New York Stray Vermont Marine Life 189

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

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. Now that’s a nice bird to see!

Jamaica 264

Jamaica Birds New York City New York 264

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

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. Think “white”. Just ask him.

2011 124

2011 North America Deer America 124

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2019

Or How a Serbian Suave Playboy Promoted Birding the Caribbean. Oh, the joys of slipping through the pages of a new book that has just arrived, the Birds of the West Indies by Kirwan, Levesque, Oberle and Sharpe. Having a tropical maritime climate, birding the West Indies comes with a lot of water, from sea spray to humid forests.

Saint Kitts and Nevis 184

Saint Kitts and Nevis Antigua and Barbuda Dominican Republic Cuba 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2011

They are cryptically plumaged birds whose camouflage helps them to blend in with their often arid environments. In southern Africa, there are two species. The Water Thick-knee’s , Burhinus vermiculatus, preference for moist areas may contribute to the eroneous habit of considering them amongst the wading birds.

2011 181

2011 Deer Africa Peru 181

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

But you are here for the birds. The curse of forest birding - a bird drought. Maybe the birds will come to you. They are the only birds able to fly backwards and the 340-odd species come in many different forms. Fantastic caterpillars, otherworldly insects, ghoulish spiders, tiny scattering creatures.

Colombia 279

Colombia Ecuador Bolivia Peru 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2021

As sad as I am to say it, I must: 2021 was one of my worst years for birding since I started looking at feathered creatures with intent in 2006. COVID kept me from traveling internationally, and my only major domestic trip of the year was to California where I have birded quite a bit already. All that said, 2021 was not a total loss.

New York 264

New York Birds California Owls 264