10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2018

There are 35 raptor species that have a presence in the United States and Canada, 56 (more or less) if you count by subspecies, and they are all covered in admirable, exhausting, unbelievable detail in B irds of Prey of the East: A Field Guide and Birds of Prey of the West: A Field Guide by Brian K. Structure & Organization.

North America 191

North America Birds Mississippi Bald Eagle 191

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. I’ll make it three!

New York City 151

New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 151

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 159

2018 2015 Birds 2019 159

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2015

Florida is one of America’s great avian hot spots, renowned for its impressive bird diversity. The official Florida checklist counts over 500 species, and thus Florida citizens had a wealth of State Bird candidates to choose from when they named the Florida state bird in 1927. Northern Mockingbird with fledgling.

Florida 166

Florida Legislature Arkansas Mississippi 166

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2013

How are seasons like species? We’re in the midst of a shoulder season right now, which can be almost as much fun as finding a cool hybrid or intergrade bird in the wild. The bird I was happiest to see this weekend was Eastern Kingbird , a flycatcher that screams summer to me (awesome photo above by Carlos Sanchez ).

2013 158

2013 Mississippi Birds Experience 158

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2014

Sandhill Cranes ( Grus canadensis ) are among the oldest living birds. million years old, over one and a half times older than the earliest remains of most living species of birds. Sandhill Cranes fly south for the winter and in their wintering areas they form flocks of over 10,000 birds.

Mississippi 170

Mississippi Endangered Species Florida Wildlife 170

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2014

There’s no species of bird more associated with the North American desert than Greater Roadrunner. But Warner Brothers cartoons aside, Greater Roadrunner is a much more adaptable species that we give it credit for. It’s not easy to reconcile the vision of this quintessential desert bird in McMansion land.

Missouri 204

Missouri Mississippi Agenda Rodents 204

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2014

There’s a new proposal before the American Ornithologists’ Union’s North American Classification Committee to split Painted Bunting into two species (yay! — maybe, more later) and to name the new species “Eastern Painted Bunting” and “Western Painted Bunting” (no!). Gorgeous Bunting.

Mississippi 270

Mississippi Mexico Alabama North Carolina 270

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2015

She runs Birds of Texas Rehabilitation Center in Austin County, Texas. This attitude of superiority and arrogance can be seen in the recent story about a researcher on the Solomon Islands who mist trapped a bird not seen by scientists for fifty years. The justification was ridiculously laughable: in order to further study the species.

Collecting 240

Collecting Wildlife Rehabilitation Solomon Islands Texas 240

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2019

Well, it’s happened again – my first bird of the year was a crow. For the most part, they conduct their morning journey in silence, but sooner or later one of these crows is destined to become my first bird observation of the year, either by uttering “caw!” Old Crow is named not for the bird, but for Dr. James C. or “uh-huh!”

Mississippi 116

Mississippi Kentucky New York Tennessee 116

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

During the decade, I submitted 1,219 checklists and observed 555 bird species, all in the U.S. I started eBirding about the same time I started birding, and I made an early executive decision (a very good one) that any pre-eBird observations simply did not count. Birding trips to Florida , New Mexico , and Texas are obvious too.

Puerto Rico 147

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2016

Sandhill Cranes , ancient and currently abundant – the most abundant species of crane in the world – are nevertheless almost miraculous to me every time I see them. The five subspecies – Greater, Lesser, Mississippi, Florida, Cuban – show the genetic marks of what the species has had to do to survive.

California Condor 158

California Condor Mississippi Florida Montana 158

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2015

Though I have been birding for a few years now, I had only birded west of the Mississippi once before my recent trip to Austin, Texas. Given how far west I found myself, I was hoping for at least a handful of new birds. I didn’t realize how many new species I would see within the city itself! Monk Parakeet.

Austin 110

Austin Texas Birds Non Human 110

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 28, 2016

To say that my birding has been limited this year is an understatement. So while I may have a hard time calling myself a birder in practice of late, the spirit is still there, particularly when a good bird shows up nearby. Swallow-tailed Kite is an enigmatic species in North Carolina. The birds did not make me wait long.

North Carolina 101

North Carolina Mississippi 2016 Charlotte 101

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2013

In 2013 I birded in two countries, submitted eBird checklists for seven U.S. states and thirty-seven counties, and added a whopping ninety-two species to my life list. I would like to end 2013 with 303, 512, and 1,150 birds on those lists. But what were my top ten birding moments of 2013?

2013 174

2013 New York City New York Trinidad 174

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 29, 2016

The proximity of both slopes also facilitates seeing a lot of different species in a short span because the montane barrier has resulted in differences in terms of species and habitats. But, if you want to go further afield, fear not, there is some wonderful lowland forest birding up near Nicaragua and down south by Panama as well.

Costa Rica 165

Costa Rica San Jose Panama Birds 165

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2014

It is also a good description of the birding in southernmost Florida. However, few realize how unique and how good the birding can be here. Sure, Miami and the Florida Keys do not boast any endemics ( ‘Cape Sable’ Seaside Sparrow is close) at the species level.

Florida 172

Florida Miami United States Stray 172

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2017

Last weekend, I went on a birding binge. I spent two full days where the birding was near constant, and, just to keep the binoculars from being neglected, topped it off with another half day of birding on our drive back from Cano Negro, Costa Rica. Like most of my birding weekends, this one began somewhere in the Central Valley.

Costa Rica 121

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 121

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2015

We were at Colusa National Wildlife Refuge, of course, which is not only home to Falcated Duck, but many other birds. There is no shortage of Snow Geese, and no shortage of birds that feel right at home hanging out just a stone’s throw from you at the viewing platform. These birds look are abominations. Do you see?

Geese 198

Geese Fowl Ducks Mississippi 198

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2014

I was happy to read that the wood stork ( Mycteria Americana ), a bird near and dear to me, was down-sited from the status of endangered to threatened species. Fish and Wildlife Service is down-listing the wood stork from endangered to threatened under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). However, birds in the U.S.

North Carolina 196

North Carolina Bald Eagle South Carolina Florida 196

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2016

“Tis the season for migration, bi bi bi bi bird, bi bird bi bird.” If you were trying to pick out Blackburnian Warblers and other migrants from the September foliage in Central Park, the shores of Ohio, or any other sites in the north a few weeks ago, a fair number of those birds have now made it to Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 157

Costa Rica Morals Birds Mississippi 157

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2011

Feeding birds is generally regarded as a harmless past-time, a wholesome way for people to share nature and enjoy wildlife with the family. However, more and more news stories are popping up this year of communities cracking down on bird feeding. How do you know when you are a little too involved with feeding birds?

Bald Eagle 245

Bald Eagle Birds Deer Minnesota 245

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2012

A few weeks ago I was working out in the garden and noticed a small bird flutter into the garden. This bird didn’t look like the Bewick’s Wrens I was used to seeing. I believe the bird pictured above (click on photos for full sized images) is possibly a young bird going through its prejuvenal molt.

Mississippi 172

Mississippi North America Eggs America 172

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2016

Newly surrounded by wildlife, he found his love of birds reignited. He now lives in Los Angeles, California where he is employed as a natural history tour guide and as a member of the Leica Birding Team. This is Luke’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds. Great birds. I think there’s a number of reasons: 1.

Bald Eagle 239

Bald Eagle Los Angeles Connecticut Eagles 239

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 143

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 143

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 15, 2013

Spoonbills and ibises are stocky, colorful wading birds with distinctive bills: downcurved and pointed in the case of ibises, flat and paddle shaped in the spoonbills (above is my shot of Roseate Spoonbills ( Platalea ajaja ) near a breeding colony in Louisiana). falcinellus ) in Mississippi © David J. A cryptic species?

Louisiana 197

Louisiana Mississippi America Pelicans 197

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 8, 2014

While many people were saying, “OMG COOL” others were thinking “that’s too Big Brother-ish for me” and a few said, “Oh hey, wait, what about birds?” And if you do a bit more searching you can all sorts of people who don’t know anything about birds checking them out and getting too close.

Bald Eagle 194

Bald Eagle Mississippi Eagles Ducks 194

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2015

In February of 2013, I wrote a piece outlining my thoughts on which exotic bird species should be added to the American Bird Association (ABA) checklist. In 2014, the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) voted to add this species to the Florida state list. They are excellent parents!

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Miami San Francisco Florida 154

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2015

Today’s post is written by Monte Merrick, wildlife rehabilitator and co-director of the Humboldt Wildlife Care Center/bird ally x in Arcata, CA. The species name is long enough to be the middle line of a formal English haiku. Less than 2000 grams – more sail, it seems, than bird.

Los Angeles 243

Los Angeles Killing Wildlife Rehabilitation San Francisco 243

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 29, 2014

That’s when the state and feds demand that we fill out complicated forms detailing every bird we’ve taken in during the year, supposedly using the North American Ornithological Society’s abbreviation for each species. Upon arrival, each bird receives a chart, which is soon filled with hieroglyphics.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 233

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Mice Vet 233

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge : Open to migratory bird hunting (youth only). The Refuge is now home to nearly 200 species of birds, over 50 species of mammals, 25 species of reptiles and amphibians, and a wide variety of insects, fish and plants. This is an Urban Refuge !

Fish 143

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 143

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 9, 2017

Sitting on a beach under a coconut tree (but not under the very crown, I know that), I am contemplating birding and the meaning of life… Salty breeze comes from the Caribbean, way saltier than any Mediterranean sea breeze. But why would someone look for that, an easy and common one among the 920+ bird species of Costa Rica?

Costa Rica 139

Costa Rica Reptiles Farming Mississippi 139

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

There is no excuse for putting a banner photo like this on a renowned birding site. So: we have bird identification shorthand, which is usually the bird’s North American Ornithological Society abbreviation, but which could be just one particular rehabber’s nickname for the species. We do real birds.”.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 215

Wildlife Rehabilitation Turtles Turkey Wildlife 215

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 152

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 152

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2012

Many state listers immediately chased it even though the bird was very mobile and did not offer good looks for most who tried. Also, tropical waters lack the dynamics for significant upwellings of cold, nutrient rich water to reach the surface and feed the extreme density of plankton that feed the vast schools of fish these birds rely upon.

Florida 217

Florida Cuba 2012 Bahamas 217

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2011

I know at 10,000 Birds, we’re not only supposed to wow you with blog articles, but we’re also supposed show you some awesome photos. I’m in the middle of three different bird surveys for work and it’s been a fantastic way to watch the changes in fall migration in Minnesota.

Mississippi 210

Mississippi Ducks Minnesota Science 210

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2013

Hello my birding sons and daughters. Not since the advent of the field guide (thanks Roger) have we seen such rapid change in the world of birding. 1) Rare bird reporting has come a long way. I saw the bird the next day, where it was reported to other birders via text messages, cellular phone calls, and more listserv messages.

San Diego 170

San Diego California Condor California Bald Eagle 170