10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2023

Everyone loves baby birds; 10,000 Birds even had a Baby Bird Week once upon a time! Baby birds are cuteness personified, possibly even more so than other baby animals, including human babies, and pose interesting questions of survival and development. Aren’t they usually in their nest with their parents?”

Wildlife Rehabilitation 289

Wildlife Rehabilitation Birds Family Collecting 289

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2013

A birding friend of mine listed nesting White-headed Woodpeckers ( Picoides albolarvatus ) on the local Shasta County listserve so I thought I’d head up to Lassen Park to check it out. White-headed Woodpecker Male. The female White-headed Woodpecker looks like the male without the red occipital patch.

Woodpeckers 154

Woodpeckers North America America Eggs 154

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2020

North America is home to many amazing bird species, including several which require a special effort to see and appreciate. In the summer, they are the highest altitude breeding songbird in North America. South Texas Birding & Nature. So let’s look at this sampler, shall we?

America 264

America Arizona North America United States 264

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2014

As I got out of my car, about fifty feet from Manzanita Lake, I heard the loud drumming of a woodpecker. I didn’t know what species of woodpecker it was, but I knew it was just in the clearing on the other side of the road. Range map courtesy of South Dakota Birds and Birding. Click on photos for full sized images.

Woodpeckers 194

Woodpeckers California South Dakota Chad 194

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

Why would I call these beautiful woodpeckers the “clowns of the avian world?” ” Besides the facial features of the Acorn Woodpecker ( Melanerpes formicivorus ) appearing somewhat clown-like, they are a joy to watch and some of their antics are sure to bring a smile to anyone’s face. www.youtube.com/watch?

Woodpeckers 201

Woodpeckers Breeders Groups North America 201

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2020

When it comes to one’s most exciting bird sightings, of course, it all comes down to context. I wouldn’t change my central Mexican endemics for any other region’s birds. So my favorites for 2019 includes a good number of birds that are rather common elsewhere, but were firsts for me.

Austria 189

Austria Spain 2019 Birds 189

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 7, 2021

The adult males sport that look; a bird created with crayons and an imaginative mind. The female isn’t quite so unreal but is still a cool little bird in her own right. She also makes a mark with her small size, one of the smallest birds in Costa Rica. A Garden Planted for Birds.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica San Jose Birds Farming 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2020

One of the ways I could describe the unique mix of birds I can see here in southwestern Mexico, would be to divide our species into five categories. We also have many species that we share with the rest of Mexico, Central America, and/or the southwest of the United States. But, once you bird beyond the U.S.

Mexico 252

Mexico Birds Honduras United States 252

10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2017

Black Woodpeckers are usually easy to find in Germany. However, even in the age of alternative facts, there is no denying it: Here in Germany, Black Woodpeckers are no big deal. However, even in the age of alternative facts, there is no denying it: Here in Germany, Black Woodpeckers are no big deal. Well, they are big.

Germany 100

Germany Woodpeckers Luxembourg North America 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2018

Leaves and birds in the Appalachian Mountains. North Bend State Park, West Virginia. North Bend State Park, West Virginia. Strong populations of birds reside in the hardwood forests and dense understories in this north-eastern location of West Virginia. Pileated Woodpecker. Photo by © Mike Kendrick.

West Virginia 203

West Virginia Virginia Kentucky South Carolina 203

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2023

David Tomlinson The recent announcement by the American Ornithological Society that it intends to replace names of all birds named after people has caused quite a stir here in the UK. I have a fascinating little reference book called Whose Bird? Collecting birds was clearly a dangerous pastime. We don’t need any more.

Falcons 246

Falcons Collecting 2003 Wounded 246

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2019

A straight shot to my bird feeder. My yard is a birding hotspot. The feeder dangles from a clothesline between two pine trees, beckoning a range of bird varieties. I stitched away as I watched the Red-bellied Woodpecker scatter the smaller Chipping Sparrows and Carolina Chickadees as it glided down for a few seed morsels.

Agenda 177

Agenda Birds Louisiana North America 177

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2022

In 2007 I was working in a university building that was just begging for bird feeders. This was where I set up my bird feeders, just one at first, then expanding as everyone expressed delight in seeing the Carolina Chickadees, Dark-eyed Juncos, and Downy Woodpeckers. There were no dead birds for weeks. ©2012 Donna L.

New York City 264

New York City Birds Illinois Science 264

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 189

North America 2003 Birds America 189

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2012

The American Acclimatization Society was a group founded in New York City in 1871 dedicated to introducing European flora and fauna into North America for “both economic and cultural reasons. He allegedly proposed to introduce every species of bird mentioned in the plays of William Shakespeare to the United States.

North America 235

North America United States New York City New York 235

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2013

After nearly a week of traveling through Arizona’s very dry southeastern corner, I decided to make a detour to Flagstaff for a change of pace, a change of scenery, and a chance at seeing an assortment of birds more typical of the Great Basin than the Sierra Madre of Mexico. Lewis’s Woodpecker, flycatcher or woodpecker?

Arizona 143

Arizona Woodpeckers Phoenix Birds 143

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 237

Mexico Costa Rica Arizona Birds 237

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2019

Certainly what I would consider to be an under birded area, eBird.com lists 232 species on 397 total check lists. One raft along had over 380 birds in it. Virtually every species of duck from North America has been seen here at one time or another. The kayaker acts a great scale to the size of the large flock of birds.

Mexico 156

Mexico Tucson Arizona Ducks 156

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2013

People get frustrated with European Starlings in North America, they are non native and they can snarf up food quickly at the feeders. There are feeders that allow a woodpeckers to hang upside down and starlings have a tougher time doing that (though a small percentage seem to figure out it).

Woodpeckers 140

Woodpeckers North America Birds America 140

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2013

In North America, that is. The ABA currently lumps the Mangrove Warbler and Golden Warbler with the Yellow Warbler (the IOC lumps Mangrove and Golden Warbler together but splits them from the Yellow Warbler that breeds in North America.) Birds Mangrove Warbler names Yellow Warbler'

Connecticut 220

Connecticut Baltimore North America New York City 220

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2019

That was a work trip, although I still managed to find a few mornings to bird. So you can bet some more birding was in order. An October trip meant many European birds had already flown south for the winter. My second encounter with this bird, in Vienna, turned out to be a bit more dramatic! The Long-tailed Tit.

Switzerland 140

Switzerland Austria Europe Spain 140

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2014

Mountain Chickadees ( Poecile gambeli ) are a conspicuous cavity nester and one of the 96 species of birds that nest in Lassen Volcanic National Park. They are mainly year-round residents of montane coniferous forests of western North America, primarily in areas dominated by pine, spruce-fir, and piñon-juniper. v=2hn4cO3iVKE.

North America 172

North America Woodpeckers America Rights 172

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

Happy Second Day of the New Year, 10,000 Birds friends! I came late to bird feeding. Jim Carpenter is the founder of Wild Birds Unlimited, the popular bird feeder and seed franchise. There is a lot of information out there about feeding birds—web pages, pamphlets from bird feed retail stores and Audubon centers.

Birds 189

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 189

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2012

Tucson, AZ, August 2012 – When you get a bunch of bird bloggers together, which you do you imagine comes first: birds or blogs? Hot Mallards , both pure and manky Spanish speakers can trust that Agua Caliente is aptly named, but the birds can be as hot as the water. Where else can you see something like that?!

Tucson 154

Tucson Arizona North America Sparrows 154

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2015

June is an interesting time to bird in northwestern Maine. Sure, the birds are out there, but to see them you have to face…the dreaded…black flies. I hoped to see warblers, warblers, warblers, plus classic northeastern species I had had no opportunity to look for while living in North Carolina. Big mistake. Kennebago Lake.

Birds 163

Birds North Carolina North America Woodpeckers 163

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2015

When I first approached the nest tree I saw an adult squirrel climbing the snag near the sapsucker entrance and, knowing that squirrels will eat bird eggs and nestlings, I was quite concerned. Williamson’s Sapsuckers have the highest dependence on ants of any North American woodpecker 1. It should be here later today.

Squirrels 157

Squirrels Woodpeckers North America Eggs 157

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 225

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 225

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2017

I just returned from a glorious birding trip all over Cuba, so I am just going to ignore the pile of spring bird books on my dining room table (most of which arrived while I was gone), and write a bit about my favorite Cuban birds. Like flycatchers, the bird continuously forages for insects.

Cuba 189

Cuba Birds 2015 Bahamas 189

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 253

Honduras Costa Rica El Salvador Arizona 253

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2013

Mousebirds (order Coliiformes) are one of the perennial puzzles in bird systematics. They do not look or act much like any other birds (my photo above shows a Speckled Mousebird , Colius striatus , in Nairobi, Kenya). But to what other birds are mousebirds related? Birds Africa genetics taxonomy and systematics'

Kenya 200

Kenya Parrots Africa North America 200

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. For birders, it’s the extremely large book, shelved in a place where it can’t crush the field guides, used to research the history of a bird in their area. It included surveys of nocturnal and marsh birds, and a point count survey of songbirds.

Pennsylvania 258

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 258

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2019

The tendency of birds to alight onto the wooden posts, steel towers, and metal wires that constitute our power and communications infrastructure turns any car ride into exciting and endless game of drive-by identification. A common sight to all birders: the bird on the wire.

United States 129

United States Game North America New York City 129

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

Rick Wright is a well-known birding tour guide, author, blogger, and general wordsmith. He was a Beat Writer here on 10,000 Birds for awhile, contributing wonderful pieces, and we miss him a great deal. Our native bluebirds, woodpeckers, owls, and flycatchers have paid the price of bardophilia ever since.

New York City 237

New York City New York North America Species 237

10,000 Birds

MARCH 7, 2011

home about advertise archives birds conservation contact galleries links reviews subscribe Browse: Home / Birds / Bird Surprises Bird Surprises By Bill • March 8, 2011 • 9 comments Tweet Share Sometimes we watchers see birds do things that surprise us—things birds are not supposed to do.

2011 244

2011 Birds Michigan Ohio 244

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2012

More birds are adorned in more practical, which is to say muted tones. It certainly looks good on birds from the Americas ( Elaenia , Flatbill , Greenlet , Piculet , Piha , Siskin , Thornbill ) to Africa ( Flycatcher , Thrush ). One rather colorful name for a stock yet sober shade of green is OLIVACEOUS.

Cameroon 185

Cameroon Comoros Africa Woodpeckers 185

10,000 Birds

JUNE 18, 2014

These elegant birds nest in cavities of various sites, including trees, cliffs, and nesting boxes. Nests are usually in hollow parts or in old woodpecker nests, between rocks in cliffs or in porous vapor holes of volcanic formations, and in nesting boxes under eaves of buildings or on trees 1.

Eggs 172

Eggs North America 2007 Woodpeckers 172

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2012

The bird shown above arrived at my house at the end of October, a new species for my yard list! If you look closely, you will spot a sap well at the very top of the photo, right above the bird’s beak. References: 1 Birds Of North America Online a. Click on photos for full sized images.

North America 176

North America Alaska Woodpeckers 2010 176