10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2021

Louisiana is a magical place to bird. At the same time I was ogling Scissor-tailed Flycatchers and Upland Sandpipers, Marybeth Lima was also birding Louisiana. Chapter Two is a potpourri of stories about nemesis birds, birding by ear, birding for science, under the rubric of birding ‘for the love of it.’

Louisiana 264

Louisiana Species Mississippi Alabama 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2021

The adventure of the second European Breeding Bird Atlas, or EBBA2, was the topic of one of my first posts here at 10,000 Birds: In a warm Catalonian March, Barcelona is filled with sunlight and full of Rose-ringed and Monk Parakeets. A portable speaker is placed on the top of the car, playing Tawny Owl calls from a smartphone.

Europe 264

Europe Breeding Denmark Birds 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2020

If you want to write a bird guide, you should have guided people yourself. Howell and Fabrice Schmitt: both of them are international bird tour leaders with WINGS. Birds of Chile – A Photo Guide has 240 pages and more than 1,000 photos accompanied by a brief text to make bird ID easy. And that is what recommends Steve N.

Chile 231

Chile Birds South America North America 231

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2015

Here are some things I’ve learned from the Peterson Reference Guide to Owls of North America and the Caribbean by Scott Weidensaul: The Burrowing Owl is the only North American owl species where the male is larger than the female, albeit, only slightly larger. And the term is ‘non-reversed size dimorphism.’).

North America 245

North America Owls America Dominican Republic 245

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

How much do you know about owls? I’ve been fortunate to encounter many owls in my birding life, sometimes because I’m looking for them, sometimes happily by happenstance. What the Owl Knows: The New Science of the World’s Most Enigmatic Birds is a joyous, fascinating read.

Owls 238

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 238

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2022

It is not particularly big but has a reported 430 bird species including migrants, though during my short stay it seems I missed most of the key attractions among them. Pel’s Fishing Owl, where were you? It goes like this: While fishing, the bird tucks its head down and uses its wings to create a shady area.

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa Birds Research 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 2, 2023

Flight Paths is a splendid but risky title for a book about bird migration. It could easily be mistaken for a book about aviation or space navigation or even a flight simulator game if you don’t read the long, adjective-filled subtitle: How a Passionate and Quirky Group of Pioneering Scientists Solved the Mystery of Bird Migration.

Science 218

Science Illinois Investigation Research 218

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2013

Bird feeding is a major industry. We have citizen science projects like Project Feeder Watch headed by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This past winter was very good for the chance to see boreal owl species in the United States. This past winter was very good for the chance to see boreal owl species in the United States.

Owls 240

Owls Birds United States Tennessee 240

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2018

Zamorano University may be regarded as one of the crown jewels of Latin American higher education, particularly in the areas of agriculture, environmental management, and food science, but this idyllic campus excels for more reasons than simply academics. Add bins and coffee, shake well, and you have the recipe for bird watching nirvana!

Honduras 155

Honduras Birds Kentucky Research 155

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 10, 2015

It’s hard to be a Northern Spotted Owl , inhabiting old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest. For the past 25 years, you’ve been listed as a Threatened species. The principal culprit appears to be competition with Barred Owls for space, food, and habitat. (Photo by the California Forestry Association).

Owls 100

Owls Oregon Washington California 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Birding for the Curious: The Easiest Way for Anyone to Explore the Incredible World of Birds by Nate Swick brings birding back to its roots—a simple, joyous way to enjoy nature using our eyes, ears, hands (for sketching), and brain. There are now no excuses except a lack of curiosity. And, nobody wants to admit that.

Birds 263

Birds North Carolina North America Owls 263

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

But, sometimes an appreciation of birds and birding requires more than a reference book with images of birds and facts about their identifying field marks. There are large avian handbooks and small ‘how-to bird’ guides, and quite a few excellent books of both types have been published.

Birds 116

Birds North America Breeding America 116

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 196

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 196

10,000 Birds

JUNE 22, 2011

Birds evacuate waste in many ways. Birds will barf them back up out of their mouths. Many are familiar with dissecting owl pellets, but several birds will caste a pellet including hawks, eagles, gulls, herons and heck, I once witnessed a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher hack up a small one. They’ve got it coming and going!

Bats 229

Bats Dissection Owls Minnesota 229

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Hugh Powell is a science editor at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Hugh, who years ago helped me find my first Pauraque in the Rio Grande Valley , visited Peru as part of the 2014 World Birding Rally, where he stopped thinking of himself as an experienced birder. This is his first contribution to 10,000 Birds.

Peru 255

Peru Birds South America Owls 255

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2011

I work part time for the National Park Service (although, we’ll see what happens this weekend if there’s a federal government shutdown) and our visitor center is located in the Science Museum of Minnesota. An American Robin was perched on the side of one of the Science Museum vans. Effective, but time consuming.

Minnesota 227

Minnesota Birds Science Woodpeckers 227

10,000 Birds

MAY 5, 2015

There is GISS and there is Birding by Impression and they are not the same. Birding by Impression is a conscious, deliberate method of identifying and recognizing birds based on the study and evaluation of “distinctive structural features and behavioral movements” and comparison with nearby and similar species.

Birds 177

Birds New Jersey Science Groups 177

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It took me a while to wrap my mind around the concept of Birds and People , Mark Cocker and David Tipling’s book that, in 592 pages, explores the intersection of just that—birds and us. Nor have I overlooked “sightings” of birds in movies mouthing other birds’ calls. I’m not sure why.

Birds 236

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 236

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2018

When it comes to initiatives that promote birding, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is hard to beat. Numerous projects take place that monitor bird populations and help educate people of all ages about birds. The Lab also acts as the heart and soul for the very popular (and often addictive) citizen science gem known as eBird.

Costa Rica 184

Costa Rica 2018 Colombia Collecting 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2014

Few people can imagine (or even take seriously) the life of a birding guide at a lodge in the tropics, so I thought it would be a nice exercise to outline what an average day for me was like at Cristalino Lodge. White-bellied Parrot was one of many target species at either of the canopy towers. 4:30AM: It is time to wake up!

Otters 160

Otters Parrots Birds Brazil 160

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2016

New Year’s resolutions from birding friends are starting to trickle in as I write this review. It is the last day of 2015, time to select the bird of the year past and set goals for the bright open future, when everything is new again. The process is called “Wide-angle birding: Be the bird, see the bird.”.

Birds 190

Birds Groups 2015 North America 190

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2014

When people are invested in identifiable individual birds, there’s always the chance that nature will do as nature does, and a beloved bird will not survive the perils of migration or will meet with mischance in the winter months. The many eyes on this particular citizen-science prize have also yeilded other results as well.

Eggs 173

Eggs 2011 Science Falcons 173

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2018

The days for me to add to my Little Big Years species count are getting fewer and fewer, and with it, my budget. Therefore, I am jumping at every opportunity to explore a new area, and subsequent birds that might be there. My first surprise of the day came in the form of a great look at a Barred Owl, just sitting on an open branch.

Oregon 100

Oregon Bald Eagle Owls Groups 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 12, 2019

The American Birding Association celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this year and one aspect of its celebration was a reprint of the first issue of the publication now known as Birding. Thus, at that time, birding information was scarce and local, distributed, if at all, by individuals or rudimentary networks of birders.

UCLA 126

UCLA North America Los Angeles America 126

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 181

San Diego California Condor California Bald Eagle 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2011

Among these white-headed/dark-winged gulls formerly lumped into the genus Larus , there were 18+ recognized species the last time I checked, sharing similarities that make telling them apart for the amateur birdwatcher very difficult. 1998), then the proper name for this species is L. fuscus – should be separated as species.

2011 157

2011 Cyprus Species Deer 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2011

Found throughout South America in ever-dwindling numbers these extremely beautiful birds – threatened by habitat destruction and collection for the wild bird trade – are often difficult to see and hard to find. These threats are further exacerbated by the naturally low reproductive rates of these cavity-nesting birds.

Peru 255

Peru Parrots 2011 South America 255

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2014

I’ve heard plenty of good things about eBird from others, but never felt I needed all the bells and whistles; I also wondered if it would suck the fun out of birding for me, since I like to keep it kind of casual, and also wasn’t sure how much privacy I was willing to surrender. Birding citizen science Conservation eBird'

Science 216

Science 2002 Chicago Adoptable 216

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 10, 2022

According to Wikipedia, “A l owl ife is a term for a person who is considered morally unacceptable by their community” The local Nanhui shrikes are well aware that the word “lowlife” has an owl hidden inside, and mark the appearance of owls in their territory with harsh protests. ” Hm.

Birds 226

Birds China Eggs Owls 226

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2020

They looked out their windows and across their patios and up from their apartment terraces and saw–birds. This is a delightful book, large (8-1/2 by 11 inches), filled with Sibley’s distinctive artwork and an organized potpourri of research-based stories about the science behind bird’s lives.

2020 264

2020 Birds Groups North America 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2023

This area offers Mexico’s greatest concentration of endemics, as well as very few species an American birder might have already seen up north. An American photographic activist (I would have said photo-journalist, but he preferred “activist”), named Steve, had asked me to take him birding in late June.

Mexico 166

Mexico Oregon Squirrels Science 166

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2014

The magnificent history and diversity of birds on Earth came into sharper focus this month with the publication of 28 new scientific papers in Science and other journals. One of the central papers, Whole-genome analyses resolve early branches in the tree of life of modern birds (Jarvis et al. Open Jarvis et al.’s

Family 279

Family Birds Parrots 2014 279

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2014

When the proprietors of Costa Rica’s Finca Luna Nueva Lodge graciously invited Corey and me to visit, we were both thrilled at the prospect of awesome Costa Rican birds at an amazing ecolodge. Anyone attuned to Neotropical birding knows well that the Arenal area is famous for phenomenal birding, perhaps among the best in the world.

2014 229

2014 Costa Rica Birds Groups 229

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 25, 2011

A profound and deep understanding of birds is hard to complain about. Despite the vacant look in the eye of a Rock Pigeon , birds are not stupid…they cannot afford to be, or else they wouldn’t be here now. What does a Flammulated Owl do all night? I believe in science. Now don’t get me wrong.

Emotional 231

Emotional Science Birds Mammals 231

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2012

Nick Lund , formerly at birdDC and then the Birdist , should be no stranger to readers of 10,000 Birds. He’s previously shared his surprisingly strong feelings about the bird logos of NFL and MLB teams. Like any obsessive birder, of course, I’ve found a way to make birding part of the job.

Birds 180

Birds Mississippi Vermont Texas 180

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 13, 2012

NARITA, JAPAN, DECEMBER 2012 – The art and science of layover birding deserves more rigorous study and perhaps a federal grant. While planning a much-needed escape from the Western Hemisphere to Singapore, I had to explore the layover birding potential of Narita International Airport, one of two airports serving Tokyo.

Japan 126

Japan Birds Stud Ducks 126

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 13, 2012

I must say that I never expected us at 10,000 Birds to receive an email asking us if we wanted to review a DVD made from a company dedicated to producing “children’s nature resources (from a Creation perspective).” The DVD packaging features three cherubic children, a cartoon owl, and a Red-bellied Woodpecker.

Science 184

Science Owls Pennsylvania United States 184