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 156

2011 New York Deer Birds 156

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 155

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 155

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2018

This past Sunday I led a birding outing in Queens for New York City Audubon. The focus of the trip was ducks and we hit a couple of hotspots in central Queens, Baisley Pond Park and Willow Lake Preserve, and then we took a quick stop at World’s Fair Marina to track down a few more species. Stop 1 – Breezy Point.

Geese 116

Geese New York City Ducks Jamaica 116

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2011

In fact, yesterday when I spent the day birding the coast of Long Island and Queens with my frequent birding partner Seth, we both had to shed layers of clothes because it was so warm and sunny. The lack of cold and snow has not deterred snow birds from showing themselves this year. It was weird. That was nice.

United States 200

United States Jamaica Birds Owls 200

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2019

There are few places in Queens that I like birding in winter more than Baisley Pond Park. When I go to Baisley, which is located in the neighborhood of South Jamaica, I know that I am, at the least, going to see at least ten species of waterfowl, a variety of gulls, some sparrows and other songbirds, and perhaps a raptor or two.

Ducks 114

Ducks New York City Geese Canada 114

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2013

All winter long I birded the old Edgemere Landfill, especially after the surprising Le Conte’s Sparrow just before the Queens Christmas Bird Count. The site is just too interesting, too potentially good for vagrants, too underbirded, and too picturesque not to bird it as a Queens birder. Snow Geese at Edgemere in January.

Geese 203

Geese New York City New York Jamaica 203

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

Ducks, swans, and geese may initially appear easy to identify. 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. Or, for an increasing number of birders, an “interesting hybrid.”.

North America 162

North America Asia Europe America 162

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 26, 2018

It was almost a month ago that I wondered how many species of ducks, geese, and swans could be found in my home borough of Queens in a single day this winter if I really put forth the effort. If I could just find all three scoters, an eider, and a couple good geese I could make it to twenty-nine species!

Geese 100

Geese Jamaica Ducks Barn Owls 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2012

Nassau County, New York, March 2009 After having fully explored the trail around the West Pond at Jamaica Bay , we four bird bloggers agreed to load up Patrick’s car and head over to Jones Beach to see what kind of birds we could find there and some other locations in Nassau County. And what a look at a life bird!

New York 160

New York Butcher Birds Geese 160

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

DECEMBER 31, 2018

The only way these birds could be less fun is if there were an Intermediate Scaup. And even if such a bird existed and were endangered no one would want to see it. At least Barnacle Geese are named for an arthropod. Here on 10,000 Birds, where we love all birds, the paucity of posts about scaup stands out.

Ducks 213

Ducks New Zealand France Germany 213