10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2020

In Costa Rica, our July birding news usually consists of interesting sightings during the mid-summer tours. Where can I see Cabanis’s Ground-Sparrow followed by a fantastic meal ? These and other important birding related questions come to mind and during a normal July, I would be personally and actively helping answer them.

Costa Rica 227

Costa Rica Birds Thailand Family 227

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2022

Towhees are large, ground-hugging sparrows that occur only in North America. Just to complicate things more, four members of the Melozone genus are called Ground-Sparrows rather than Towhees.). Earlier this month, I came across a family of Spotted Towhees (Olive-backed) with a couple of other strange aspects. They are spotless.

Mexico 222

Mexico North America 2015 Sparrows 222

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

JUNE 23, 2019

We should stop naming birds, especially non-European birds, after European and Euroamerican naturalists and scientists, especially if we are committed to making the worlds of birds and birding accessible to more people than the demographics that produced the Audubons, Wilsons, Stellers, and MacGillivrays.

Birds 260

Birds North America Cooking Campaign 260

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

OCTOBER 2, 2018

If you like birds on posts, if seeing “little brown jobs” posing nicely in the distance as you drive or walk along a dirt road only to have it fly away as you approach makes you deliriously happy, then North Dakota is the place for you. I wanted to see prairie birds and I wanted to experience a new state. Scott Barnes, N.J.

North Dakota 147

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2019

Growing up birding in Western New York was also a time when the old woods of the Niagara Gorge were punctuated with the songs of hidden Red-eyed and Warbling Vireos and the lazy notes of Eastern Wood-Pewees. Seeing the uncommon birds is key to reaching a big total no matter where one goes birding. San Vito and Buenos Aires.

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Species Birds New York 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2021

I have often sung the praises of the beautiful birds I can see by driving 3,000 feet / 62 km / one hour down to the little town of Paso Ancho, on the edge of what Mexicans call Tierra Caliente (the Hot Country). Birding there can often be a test of endurance. Of course, Curve-billed Thrashers are some really tough birds.

Mexico 181

Mexico Blackbirds Sparrows Owls 181

10,000 Birds

JUNE 14, 2018

Most birders, attuned as they are to the rhythms of the natural world, probably noticed when migration ended and bird breeding began in their areas. I’m still recovering from last week’s veritable banquet of birding in Honduras, which I’ll be writing about soon. Lucky, right? How about you?

Honduras 100

Honduras 2018 Mexico Birds 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2021

To be honest, this is because the birding has been a bit slow of late. And our rainy season, which to my relief continues to be abundant, does mean that birds no longer concentrate around sources of water. I’m no expert, but I strongly suspect Rusty Sparrows only hunt for grubs when they are feeding babies.

Louisiana 264

Louisiana 2000 Mexico Groups 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 5, 2014

Around this time of year, I keep an eye out for White-throated Sparrows landing around my home… they were right on time! Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a total surprise while on a family outing to Edgemere Landfill in Queens. What was your best bird of the weekend? Birding best bird weekend'

2014 169

2014 Birds Sparrows Experience 169

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2024

However – and I am not saying this out of misplaced national pride – there is one bird in the Netherlands that proves Jefferson wrong and Buffon right: the White-tailed Eagle (or Sea Eagle ). My hotel was right on the A6 motorway and despite the strange location it is undoubtedly the best hotel for the Oostvaardersplassen.

Beavers 146

Beavers Netherlands Eagles Geese 146

10,000 Birds

APRIL 22, 2021

“Birds of the Indonesian Archipelago: Greater Sundas and Wallacea” by James A. kg could be, do keep in mind that this guide covers 4,400 km / 2,750 mi of the Earth’s circumference, or 11% of the length of the Equator, and describes 13% of global bird diversity. Eaton, Bas van Balen, Nick W. Brickle and Frank E. Rheindt is a big book.

Indonesia 264

Indonesia Timor Brunei Guinea 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

I am shocked to be writing this post already, and doubly shocked that I’ve seen six new species for Queens since I guessed what my next five Queens birds would be just eight months ago, back in March. It’s been a good year for birding in Queens! Fortunately, there are birds to help. Even juveniles are distinctive.

New York City 153

New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 153

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

However, no matter how one enjoys or takes in interest in the avian side of life, an official list of the birds for a given area is of vital importance. With the rise in birding tourism, bird lists for entire countries have also become increasingly important. Not every list has Great Tinamou on it. So long buddy.

Costa Rica 202

Costa Rica Birds Owls South America 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2016

I purchased my first Sibley— The Sibley Field Guide to Birds of Eastern North America —in 2003. Am I willing to give up the field guide which bears the mud and dirt of so many falls on so many birding trips? Am I willing to give up the field guide which bears the mud and dirt of so many falls on so many birding trips?

North America 171

North America 2003 Birds America 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2015

Back in early March, Andrew Spencer asked me if I would like to go birding in western Mexico with him and another friend in May. Before I knew it, it was late May, and I was on the road in Colima, Mexico with Andrew Spencer and Nathan Pieplow on a birding adventure! Black-chested Sparrow is pretty sharp! Time flew by.

Mexico 179

Mexico Birds Owls Sparrows 179

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2021

A typical description of the family is that of “a tropical African and Asian songbird that typically has a melodious voice and drab plumage”, another is “small, dull-colored passerine birds of Asia and Africa”, yet another states that they are “often rather plain” Individual species get even harsher reviews.

South Africa 239

South Africa Malaysia Africa China 239

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. For example, we might just enjoy the calls and antics of those White-throated Sparrows while searching for a Harris’s.

Costa Rica 194

Costa Rica Species San Jose Birds 194

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2014

In September, I had the fantastic opportunity to travel to an increasingly popular destination for birding: Honduras. Chris Lotz, the owner of the international bird tour company Birding Ecotours , invited me to join him on a familiarization trip that included several highland sites as well as Pico Bonito Lodge.

Honduras 226

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 226

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. Western Tanager – Pretty unlikely but a guy can dream, right? 0 out of 1!).

2018 164

2018 2015 Birds 2019 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

One of these days, Jeopardy will feature a category called “Field Guides” and the first clue will be: “This landlocked South American country finally got its own bird field guide in 2016, but it wasn’t available in the United State until 2019.” Bolivia doesn’t come up much in discussions of birding travel.

Bolivia 181

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 181

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2020

He has been an avid lover of the natural world since he was a kid, with a strong love for paleontology when he was younger, but he only took up birding in his last year of high school and hasn’t looked back since. This is Luis’s first guest post on 10,000 Birds but hopefully not his last! And something different I got!

Canada 173

Canada Cuba Miami Florida 173

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2014

That’s right, I, along with my family and some really good friends, was camping. It was big, private, right next to the lake, and well-maintained. It also had nesting Gray Catbirds , fledgling Chipping Sparrows , singing Red-eyed Vireos , and a patch of jewel weed that attracted Ruby-throated Hummingbirds.

New York 176

New York Cooking Chipmunks Owls 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

There is GISS and there is Birding by Impression and they are not the same. Birding by Impression is a conscious, deliberate method of identifying and recognizing birds based on the study and evaluation of “distinctive structural features and behavioral movements” and comparison with nearby and similar species. So say Kevin T.

Birds 172

Birds New Jersey Science Groups 172

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2020

Kroodsma waited for years for the right opportunity to record its different songs, a “cascade of sweet and liquid notes,” one naturalist said, “like the spray of a waterfall and sunshine.”. How long does the bird stay aloft, and how many dives does he do? Like he does, say, for the Canyon wren. Does he have favorite places to dive?

Virginia 254

Virginia Boston North America 2020 254

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 25, 2015

The Durango Highway is arguably one of North America’s great birding roads due to the great variety of habitats, the spectacular mountain scenery of the Sierra Madre Occidental, and the numerous Mexican endemics one can target. There are many dusty side roads in this area, many of which offer productive birding.

Mexico 201

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2012

Last week a mystery bird from New Jersey rightly caused a fair bit of confusion among birders of the Garden State and beyond. The bird was a sparrow, that much was clear, but it didn’t seem to fit any of the easily boxes the other North American sparrows can be fairly easily sorted into. New Jersey mystery sparrow.

New Jersey 233

New Jersey North Carolina Sparrows Connecticut 233

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2012

Saturday of this weekend saw a Le Conte’s Sparrow reported from Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn. Somehow, I have never seen a Le Conte’s Sparrow , which leaves a gaping hole on my life list among many other fine Ammodramus sparrows. Heydi had already refound the bird in the company of Andrew Baksh.

Sparrows 181

Sparrows Africa Rights Family 181

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2011

I’m hardly attuned to the specific interests of residents of the other continents, but I know my North Americans pretty well and the United States has much to appreciate right now. Last but not least, birds are on the wing, possibly headed towards your local patch right now! Share your plans in the comments below!

United States 157

United States 2011 Birds Sparrows 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 18, 2013

She’s previously written on 10,000 Birds about birding in the Washington DC cherry blossoms and weddings and birds. . It was mid-summer in the northern woods of Maine, and any time I went birding every call and every song I heard seemed to come from the very highest of treetops, far beyond my range of vision.

Birds 174

Birds DC Sparrows Canada 174

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

After leaving Africa, I was fearing a real let down in my birding. Probably not on most birders Top Ten list, but it was a natural layover for us, we had some great friends living there, and there is a decent list of birds to be added to any year list. That does not mean that we can’t make a stop or two along the way, right?

Qatar 120

Qatar Sparrows South Africa Africa 120

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2019

It’s never too late or too early to buy a children’s book about birds. It’s been a few years since my last roundup of children’s bird books, and children’s book writers, illustrators and publishers continue to produce picture books that feature avian protagonists. First, the board books.

New York City 158

New York City Pelicans Birds New York 158

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2018

The birding around Lago de Yojoa in Honduras is frankly phenomenal, as I learned during a June 2018 birding junket organized by the Instituto Hondureño de Turismo. Peraza , could not sit still knowing that so many tasty target birds could be found within easy driving distance. EL RANCHO HOTEL Y RESTAURANTE.

Honduras 148

Honduras Birds Farming America 148

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. That means that as of right now the yardstick I am holding does not exist because there are no yard sticks that are zero long. That will be much better, right?

New York City 166

New York City New York Walruses Birds 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2018

That circular, uninviting body of water marks the main crater of Poas Volcano, a mountain that hosts the most accessible and nearest area of quality bird habitat to the Juan Santamaria airport. That always makes me wonder just how many birds occur on the slopes of Poas. This Red-faced Spinetail was one of them. Two hundred?

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Species San Jose Birds 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2013

In 2013 I birded in two countries, submitted eBird checklists for seven U.S. At the beginning of the year I said the following about my goals for the year’s birding: I start 2013 with 297 birds on my Queens Life List , 500 birds on my ABA Life List , and 1,096 birds on my World Life List.

2013 179

2013 New York City New York Trinidad 179