10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2017

And it is even less frequent in New York City where we only have one species of hummingbird, the Ruby-throated Hummingbird , and they don’t nest very often. How many species can you identify singing in the background? Make sure to swing by 10,000 Birds for updates! She sits tight in this video.

Jamaica 100

Jamaica Wildlife New York City New York 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2020

Another month, another movement of the world’s birds from one point to the next. Corey enjoyed a morning walk on Saturday with three friends at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, where they spotted over fifty species between mosquitoes and biting flies. It was easily Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend.

2020 171

2020 Pennsylvania Jamaica Birds 171

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2013

It is extremely unusual that we birders can still walk the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in November. I saw two other species of shorebird during my walk up and down the east side of the East Pond. What I lacked in species diversity I made up for with good looks. … Trips Jamaica Bay November shorebirds'

Jamaica 183

Jamaica Geese Ducks Canada 183

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2021

I collected not one, not two, but a shocking three county birds this weekend and feel grateful for the best looks I’ve had at Marbled Godwit , Piping Plover , and Cerulean Warbler in ages. How can a goatsucker not be Best Bird of the Weekend? What was your best bird of the weekend? How about you?

Soreing 156

Soreing Jamaica Birds Collecting 156

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2015

Late morning this past Thursday, 27 August, I was on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay. Birding is weird like that.). Then another bird walked through my field of view that didn’t look like the average peep. I tried to capture this behavior in the video below but it was difficult to stay with the bird and to keep it in focus!

Jamaica 156

Jamaica Wildlife 2011 Birds 156

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 262

New York Birds California Owls 262

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2014

That will be the opening day of the 18th Annual Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida. Who knows what great birds 2015 will bring? Like this past January, I will be leading field trips and spending the rest of my time birding. So, basically, I’ll be birding all the time.

2015 205

2015 Wildlife Florida Birds 205

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2024

The chapter titles of Feather Trails: A Journey of Discovery Among Endangered Birds represent both ends of the spectrum: “A World Full of Poisons,” “Malaria,” “Forest Intruders,” “Lead Shock,” “Shot.” Conservation. It’s not easy. This is the most intense, tragic section.

California Condor 190

California Condor Falcons California Birds 190

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2019

This last year of the twenty-teens was a monumental birding year for me. I saw 863 species of birds, bringing my life list to 1,820. I birded Uganda, which was my first time on the continent of Africa. Such travel brings a lot of birds and the 863 species I saw this year is the most species I have ever seen.

2019 142

2019 Barbados Uganda Costa Rica 142

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2019

Even the birding is decent. Corey only birded for a bit on Saturday afternoon and didn’t see much that was terribly exciting. Of what he did see, a pair of Bald Eagles at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge was the highlight, a species that didn’t used to be around in June in Queens at all. How about you?

2019 115

2019 Bald Eagle Jamaica Eagles 115

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2015

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. In particular, he picked one of the many that has already staked out a claim to a nest box at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. What was your best bird of the weekend? Spring is here!

2015 191

2015 Jamaica New York Birds 191

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2015

He yelled a relatively unintelligible explanation as he ran to the car, abandoning his family, and sped to Jamaica Bay where he parked and ran out to the breach of the West Pond where he relied upon the kindness of other birders, who let him use their scopes while he got his breath back. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2015 162

2015 Jamaica Canada Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2017

But any time of year is the right time to pay attention to uncommon avian behavior, even from common birds. For example, I saw all kinds of special species this weekend, but nothing impressed me more than displays of the tyranny of tiny birds. What was your best bird of the weekend? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2017 113

2017 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2018

The question isn’t whether you went birding this weekend, because everyone who wasn’t part of the Royal Wedding was out chasing birds. Not only did I bag the beautiful bird I expected, but I also encountered a tasty species I never expect there until I see it every year: Olive-sided Flycatcher. How about you?

New York City 100

New York City 2018 Jamaica New York 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2015

Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend could have been any of a multitude of species spotted on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed. How about you?

2015 145

2015 Baltimore Jamaica New York 145

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2017

I know I neglected to ask you where you were birding this weekend, but don’t ever think that means I don’t want to know. Any good bird sighting deserves to be shared and enjoyed. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2017 100

2017 Neglecting Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2013

With the foresight to get my taxes taken care of early, I was free to enjoy the cold spring weather and lingering winter species around here. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was a total surprise. He was walking along a trail at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge when he saw a flash of yellow up ahead. How about you?

2013 200

2013 United States Jamaica Birds 200

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2013

The natural attractions of midsummer seem more subtle than those enjoyed during the frantic peregrinations of the world’s migratory species. The best birds of my weekend, believe it or not, were American Robins mobbing a crow. What was your best bird of the weekend? How refined are your tastes in nature? How about you?

2013 156

2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 156

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 18, 2013

I’m wondering if Best Bird of the Weekend is too restrictive a way to consider the avians we encounter from Friday to Sunday. Of course we should seek reasons to celebrate every bird species we share our weekends with, but is the species that delights us most always the most memorable? Birding best bird weekend'

2013 175

2013 Jamaica Birds Wildlife 175

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2016

All my favorite birders were out at festivals, doing Big Days, or just racking up scores of awesome birds in the field. Even though I only had an hour before work, I racked up just about all the warblers I wanted; any weekend I see a Blackburnian Warbler , I know which species is my favorite. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2016 100

2016 Jamaica New York Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2016

This weekend, millions of people, young and old alike, were driven to explore the most unlikely corners of the world in a relentless, unquenchable thirst to track down species they hadn’t ticked before. And some of the rest of us went birding! But whether you’re questing for Pokémon or birds, at least you got outside.

2016 100

2016 Michigan Jamaica Birds 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014

Over three hundred species of birds have crossed my field of view in Queens in that time including thirty-eight thirty-nine species of shorebird. Year after year birds would be reported only for me to miss them. Then, as we were about to continue on, Seth said, “There’s your bird!” Two Buffies!

Jamaica 208

Jamaica 2008 Killing Wildlife 208

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 11, 2014

Every single summer when I am out experiencing the mud and heat and shorebirds on the the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge I find myself getting into the same silent argument with myself. Then, invariably,shortly thereafter I spot the other species and decide that it is better. Which bird is the better bird?

Jamaica 165

Jamaica Wildlife Birds Species 165

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 25, 2014

Sunday morning was a perfect morning to get out on the East Pond of Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. We saw a total of fifteen species of shorebirds but four stole the show – the peeps! It apparently derives from the typical call notes of the species which, broadly speaking, can sound like “peep.”

Jamaica 182

Jamaica Rights Species Wildlife 182

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2012

My weekend was devoted to a seemingly endless celebration of my son’s 8th birthday, which meant that my best bird was bound to be a backyard species. What was your best bird of the weekend? Tell us in the comments section about the rarest, loveliest, or most fascinating bird you observed.

2012 176

2012 Jamaica New York Birds 176

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2012

An iPhone 4S is an amazing tool for birders, as Sharon Stiteler has already let readers of 10,000 Birds know. Still pictures are fine but using the video function not only allows you to capture the bird or birds in motion but also their songs. How many species do you hear singing? What species? It was awesome.

Chicago 160

Chicago Birds Jamaica Wildlife 160

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2018

Peeps are the smallest of our Calidris sandpipers or, as Mike has said here on 10,000 Birds : ‘Peeps’ is the birding term used to describe several species of sandpiper of the genus Calidris that are near impossible to tell apart. Especially juveniles like this bird. Juvenile Least Sandpipers are amazing.

Jamaica 116

Jamaica North America America Species 116

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2012

Jamaica Bay National Wildlife Refuge, 15 March 2009 It was at about 1:30 AM on Saturday morning that I startled awake and found myself sitting in an empty subway car in an unfamiliar location. John from A DC Birding Blog , and Patrick from The Hawk Owl’s Nest at Jamaica Bay at 8 AM Saturday morning for some birding.

New York 166

New York Honduras Jamaica Geese 166

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2012

On a recent walk around Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge I took the following picture. Here, let me zoom in for you… It’s a Gray Tree Frog , Hyla versicolor , a common species at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Why is it interesting? What if I give you a clue? Do you see it now? And do you know what it is?

Jamaica 156

Jamaica Wildlife Species 156

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2011

But, as with so many other species, these birds have been left to do their own whistle blowing. West Indian Whistling Ducks are the largest of the eight different whistling duck species. West Indian Whistling Ducks in Jamaica The decline of the West Indian Whistling Duck has been a steady but gradual one. Until recently.

Antigua and Barbuda 232

Antigua and Barbuda Puerto Rico Dominican Republic Jamaica 232

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2014

Sometime last fall, unbeknownst to me, I was volunteered to lead a field trip for the Queens County Bird Club. Fortunately, we didn’t find a whole pile of rarities, so hopefully lots of people won’t end up birding my patches! We also spotted a singleton Black Scoter , a lone Long-tailed Duck , and both species of loon.

Jamaica 133

Jamaica Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 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. Second, once you’ve identified that distant scaup to species do you feel like you’ve accomplishaed anything? ” Imagine that! ” I rest my case.

Ducks 213

Ducks New Zealand France Germany 213

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2017

And so ended the birding day of the W. We survived mosquitoes, poison ivy, arguments about the route, traffic, and everything else that was thrown at us and we managed to break the record for the Seatuck Birding Challenge, which had stood at 117. Sadly, four other teams did as well, and we finished fourth with our 123 species.

Bald Eagle 100

Bald Eagle Jamaica Birds New York 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 13, 2013

I decided to spend my day Friday birding the heck out of my home borough to see how many species I could track down for the day. Nonetheless, I ended up with 124 species of birds in Queens in the just-over-twelve-hours I spent birding. ” They were all over the North Gardens at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

Jamaica 151

Jamaica New York City Oakland Bats 151

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

MAY 22, 2019

Refinding the owl would bring me the gratitude of all of the birders who were unable to see the bird in the limited window between when it was found and when it disappeared. I still had a few hours before I had to pick up Desi from school and I was torn between going home for a nap or looking for more birds.

Jamaica 113

Jamaica New York Owls Eggs 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2013

A week ago this past Friday I did a Queens Big Day in that I spent the whole day birding across a variety of parks in Queens looking for birds. I didn’t plan it well and I was mostly just enjoying birding my favorite borough for the entire day. It was fun and I ended up with 124 species.

Jamaica 171

Jamaica Eggs Baltimore Wildlife 171