10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2020

One of the many things I did not know about Delhi is that it is the capital city with the second-largest number of bird species (after Nairobi). So when I went there for work last year, I added three days of birding to the trip. Not the most exciting bird in the world, I guess, but still worth showing in a democracy. Black Ibis.

Cattle 193

Cattle India Birds Sanctuary 193

10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2022

Maybe author Sy Montgomery is right when she says that “birdwatchers often look down on falconry,” and maybe not. Harris’s are also, according to Cowan, smarter than other hawks; they hunt in packs and, for that reason, may welcome humans as hunting partners more so than other raptors.

New Hampshire 202

New Hampshire Chickens Hunting Falcons 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2022

The only bird-related activity I can think of is looking at bird photos I took in Singapore in 2015, and adding some irrelevant comments to them. Presumably, birds living in Singapore do not understand German. Lesser Whistling Ducks are “not threatened by hunting as they are not considered good to eat” ( Wikipedia ).

Singapore 210

Singapore Birds Zebras Feral 210

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe today announced as part of Great Outdoors Month the agency is proposing to expand fishing and hunting opportunities on 21 refuges throughout the National Wildlife Refuge System. The Service is committed to strengthening and expanding hunting and fishing opportunities,” said Ashe. “The

Fish 142

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 142

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2011

Widely regarded as the toughest of the 28 Jamaican endemic birds to find, this charismatic dove is somewhat of an enigma. In fact the bird can be fairly common in localized, suitable habitat. In fact the bird can be fairly common in localized, suitable habitat. Such is its captivating beauty.

Hunting 204

Hunting Jamaica Blackbirds Transported 204

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2024

I’ve been a regular visitor to the island of Cyprus for over 25 years, making around a dozen trips during this period, every one in search of birds. I made my most recent visit earlier this month, arriving with my three birding companions, Martin, Mike and Chris, on a warm spring evening.

Cyprus 206

Cyprus Breeders Falcons Hunters 206

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2020

In Costa Rica, our July birding news usually consists of interesting sightings during the mid-summer tours. These and other important birding related questions come to mind and during a normal July, I would be personally and actively helping answer them. Which tours saw the most roosting owls?

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Birds Thailand Family 203

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2012

The Sandhill Crane hunt in Kentucky is over for the season and only fifty birds were killed. While fifty dead birds is still fifty too many, it is better than the 400 that could have been killed under the rules of the hunting season.

Kentucky 154

Kentucky Rights Hunting Killing 154

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2022

We are very lucky that here in Broome we have Tawny Frogmouths right in town. The Tawny Frogmouths had bred once again and they had a young bird with them in the Poinciana tree that they like to use in Cygnet Park. I walked slowly around the tree and then left them to have a quiet day in the park before they go hunting at night.

Breeding 162

Breeding Family Hunting Rights 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 26, 2019

Not all birds are created equal. These are the kinds of birds even those barely cognizant of nature recognize, appreciate, and aspire to. These are the kinds of birds even those barely cognizant of nature recognize, appreciate, and aspire to. Central Africa has one of those birds.

Uganda 252

Uganda Africa Birds Penguins 252

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

When looking for birds in Costa Rica, the Central Valley isn’t the first place that comes to mind. Tongues and patches of green space host birds but most birders leave as soon as they can. Why linger when you can go where the birding is better? Most days, that seemingly random place is right at home.

Costa Rica 247

Costa Rica Sparrows Birds Rodents 247

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2022

Hongbenghe is a very small village in Yunnan, right next to the border with Myanmar. The main attraction for birders here are the hornbills – I have written about them before , so this post will be more on the other birds I saw there in 2017. One road simply ends here, giving the place a real end-of-the-world feeling.

Birds 147

Birds Myanmar China Chicago 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2022

At the beginning it was so big that I was afraid, I kept running and running, and I was glad when I saw walls far away to the right and left, but these long walls have narrowed so quickly that I am in the last chamber already, and there in the corner stands the trap that I must run into.” So, still room for improvement.

Raccoons 204

Raccoons Birds Oregon China 204

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2022

They may be about bird eggs ( The Most Perfect Thing: The Inside (and Outside) of a Bird’s Egg , 2016), or a 17th-century ornithologist ( Virtuoso by Nature: The Scientific Worlds of Francis Willughby, 2016), or How Bullfinches learn songs from humans ( The Wisdom of Birds: An Illustrated History of Ornithology.

Dissection 209

Dissection Birds Research Europe 209

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2016

In front of us, the river is two miles wide… and it is paved with birds: smaller groups of Greater White-fronted and Greylag Geese , numerous Mute Swans and Mallards , plus Eurasian Teals , Gadwalls , Common Pochards , a few Ferruginous and Tufted Ducks , Common Goldeneyes and several Smews. A goose hunt sounds like a WWII battle.

Geese 168

Geese Hunting Boars Birds 168

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2022

Birding is no different – especially when done naturally. At the complete mercy of chance, birds show and hide themselves based on a combination of factors which can all be condensed to a function of time and space. Or as most of us will term it – right place, right time. You can view the full eBird list here.

Trinidad 162

Trinidad Hunting Rights Birds 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2011

Bald Eagle image is by Francois Portmann and is used with permission You know, I’ve been thinking about this whole dustup over hunting cranes in Tennessee and now Kentucky. I think it’s time to hunt Sandhill Cranes. We’ve always hunted Bald Eagles. There was a lot of hunting for Bald Eagles—it is traditionally a game species.

Bald Eagle 250

Bald Eagle Eagles Hunting Kentucky 250

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2015

Ten years ago, those flocks were reduced to a few hundred birds. Nowadays, the flocks are even smaller, merely a few dozen birds. As we speak, in Serbia these birds are still hunted in August and September. Then comes summer and the birds start migrating. Money and effort are being invested in that protection.

Serbia 270

Serbia Slaughter Slaughtered Turtles 270

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2017

Now that the odometer on year lists has rolled back to zero, you’re probably eagerly looking forward to beginning the bird hunt anew. Corey did not see many birds this weekend but he saw a few good ones. What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

2017 101

2017 Birds Hunting Experience 101

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 263

Indonesia Timor Brunei Guinea 263

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2020

Just yesterday I learned that the Barn Owl ( Tyto alba ) is the only breeding bird found in New York that has been documented nesting in every month of the year. This bit of trivia was given in an article in my local bird club’s monthly newsletter about the ongoing breeding bird atlas in New York State. The post Z.

2017 224

2017 Barn Owls Rodents Owls 224

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2022

They have arrived in large numbers this time, but as with all of these bird species that arrive during flood events we don’t know where they came from. There are so many mysteries in the birding world. We all know that bird guides and bird maps are not for the birds to follow, but as a “guide” for us!

2013 197

2013 Collecting Hunting Species 197

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2015

(This photo is actually of a TK seen a few days later, but it was at our favorite birding gas station pit stop that we also stopped at on our first day. Excellent 10,000 Birds posts have been written about Pico Bonito and Honduras by Corey and Carlos , so I’m going to focus on some of my most memorable experiences.

Honduras 242

Honduras Birds Costa Rica Groups 242

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2012

There are few sights more wrenching to a wildlife rehabilitator than a convulsing, lead-poisoned bird. In what some might see as an unlikely alliance, wildlife rehabilitators, veterinarians, and – yes – hunters have banded together to convince those who hunt to use copper bullets instead of lead.

Hunters 175

Hunters Wildlife Rehabilitation Hunting Legislation 175

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 259

Louisiana 2000 Mexico Groups 259

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2015

What do you think makes for a good bird hide? I have asked myself that same question many times over the last six months, until last week, when I was involved in an opening ceremony of five new bird hides at the Palic Lake, by the town of Subotica in the very north of Serbia, along the border with Hungary (all photos are from that area).

Serbia 236

Serbia Birds Spain Hungary 236

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 17, 2019

The Christmas Bird Count was the answer. The IWC census starts from mid-January following the logic that it is the period when the birds have reached their wintering grounds and are rather static, so the chance of double-counting the same flock is minimal. But it is so frustrating to pass the birds by without IDing them!

Geese 139

Geese Serbia Birds Estonia 139

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2022

Most people are familiar with their bright red colours and their long seed pods, but what is worth noting is that birds like them too! They also offer an excellent opportunity for birds to nest. Magpie-larks collect “mud” from our garden where the water we provide for the birds overflows. Magpie-lark nest.

Breeding 147

Breeding Australia Family Collecting 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2015

What do you do when you – a citizen whose rights are protected by the U.S. This is what we need for birds, whose rights as government-protected species are violated every day by free-roaming cats. This is what we need for birds, whose rights as government-protected species are violated every day by free-roaming cats.

Feral Cats 259

Feral Cats Feral Cats Wildlife Rehabilitation 259

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2019

The last ten day days have been one of the most intense, yet invigorating days of birding that can ever remember embarking on. It has almost been a “Perfect Storm” scenario, with several contributing factors all coming together to start me on this birding blitz.

Arizona 119

Arizona Tucson Mississippi Nashville 119

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2015

Those eerie calls come from the Common Loon, the state bird of Minnesota. These black and white water birds are an annual summer presence on freshwater lakes throughout the northern United States and Canada, migrating to the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in the winter. Loons have many characteristics that set them apart from other birds.

Minnesota 166

Minnesota Litter United States Legislation 166

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2017

Still, I felt the familiar excitement of birding a new place. I’ve been to this part of central Alabama before, but always during hunting season, my schedule built around the ridiculously early mornings (i.e. Pretty standard, in terms of bird-fare. Was it a grand slam birding morning? Like, really yellow. Totally not.

Alabama 113

Alabama Birds Deer Turkey 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 24, 2016

Speaking of summer, the coolest birds I saw this weekend were on the festive curtains (pictured above) in my son’s new cabin at sleepaway camp in the Finger Lakes. Pretty swanky, right? But if I have to pick a living bird, American Kestrels hunting along farm roads always work for me. How about you?

2016 100

2016 Birds Farming Hunting 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

Or whether there are certain handicaps that prevent the ready discovery of shorebirds or waterfowl or grassland birds. A community of which I count myself as a member, not so oddly enough, so you’re just going to have to either suffer through this anecdote or try to appreciate the tiny victories that birding can bring you.

Birds 168

Birds Suffering Collecting Hunting 168

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2022

sq mi), which contradict the conservation significance of the bird it was founded for, some three decades ago – the Critically Endangered Great Indian Bustard. My guide, Chirag Solanki, told me he had once been searching here for five days, before he managed to locate the birds. Indeed, I say. And the animals themselves?

Gazelles 249

Gazelles India 2012 Pakistan 249

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 12, 2015

I get that you’re really angry, I mean, he was a popular lion and yes, his cute widdle cubs will probably die to, but I can’t help feeling you’ve kind of missed the point a bit, and well, ending all hunting in Africa will not solve much and maybe make things worse and… No, no, I’m not a hunter. I’m sorry.

Lions 201

Lions Hunting Sierra Leone Buffalo 201

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2011

Returning to New York, however briefly, has been a joyful reunion — not just with old friends, but with my beloved, quirky New York City birds. Shortly after I arrived I got word of the Gray-hooded Gull at Coney Island, and of course I went after it right away. He was impressed by the birders braving the heat and sand.

New York City 162

New York City Bald Eagle New York Birds 162