10,000 Birds

JUNE 5, 2011

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will be meeting on Wednesday and will be voting on the removal of sixteen species from the state’s endangered species list , including four birds – Snowy Egret , Brown Pelican , Limpkin , and White Ibis.

Endangered Species 174

Endangered Species Florida Species Pelicans 174

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 137

2019 Barbados Uganda Costa Rica 137

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. National wildlife refuges provide premier outdoor recreational opportunities across the Nation.

Fish 142

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 142

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2016

Today is the United Nations World Wildlife Day, a time to celebrate and raise awareness of the living world around us. I remember, several times while motionlessly surveying birds, I found myself being investigated by Striped Field Mice , who would dare to come to sniff me. No, birds are way too smart for that stupid trick.

Wildlife 172

Wildlife Tigers Asia Europe 172

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

A couple of weeks ago, I shared some of my favorite photos from my several years of birding. They are certainly not good enough to get me close to the world of professional wildlife photographers, but each is special to me in its own way. Many of my favorite photos show as much of the surroundings as the bird they surround.

Pelicans 260

Pelicans Wildlife Humane Birds 260

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

I didn’t really have time to stop, but as I was passing by, I saw hundreds of American White Pelicans fly up and thought I’d better take a drive through and see what else was there. • Explore These Related Posts Another California Bird? It was foraging in breast deep water. You never know what you might see!

Wildlife 155

Wildlife 2011 Sacramento Jordan 155

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

Happy New Year, 10,000 Birds readers and writers! Everyone is looking back on their best birds of 2019, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at a book that looks back a little further: Urban Ornithology: 150 Years of Birds in New York City , by P. The Bronx also has a special place in birding history.

New York City 146

New York City New York Birds Breeding 146

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Imagine waking up to the call of thousands of ducks, geese, and every kind of marsh bird you can imagine. Right, smack dad in the middle of Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge. By the time we left, I had recorded one new Lifer, 12 New Year Birds, and a total of 76 species. Part of this loop goes right by the old barn.

Blackbirds 119

Blackbirds Mules Beavers Wildlife 119

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2013

Its amazing to me that there are still places on earth where wildlife is blissfully unafraid of humans. It comes as no surprise that this was one of Jacques Cousteau’s favorite places and he filmed the area and its wildlife extensively for his tv series. A Brown Booby, one of three booby species to be found on the island.

Whales 258

Whales Whaling Sharks Marine Life 258

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2017

This diversity makes for a very unique birding experience. One where you get to enjoy the many different local desert birds, right along side the birds that make the warm salt waters they home. Despite the eyesore that is this mine, the wildlife continues to thrive in this harsh environment. Brown Pelicans.

Mountain Lions 100

Mountain Lions Mules Sheep Lions 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2017

Unless those non-birding folks happen to be duck hunters or love to go fishing, they tend to stay away from the marshes, the riparian zones, the bottom lands. See the birds? This area is the only place where this species can be seen in Costa Rica. For us birders, visiting a wetland is a no-brainer. This one is an Anhinga.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Birds Ducks Pelicans 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. And, the birds are awesome. Ringer Anhingas and darters , cormorants and shags , frigatebirds , gannets and boobies , pelicans , and the tropicbirds all share a characteristic found in no other living bird: Their feet are totipalmate.

2011 151

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 151

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 10, 2017

We were looking for turtle tracks, but my eyes were drawn to the dozens and dozens of birds feeding and resting as the sun brightened the sky. Looking for turtle tracks (but also birds and shells). Brown Pelicans and Laughing Gulls still appeared as silhouettes in the dim light, flying or resting on old wooden pilings out in the waves.

South Carolina 100

South Carolina Turtles Costa Rica Belize 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 7, 2015

I only had a few days in California while visiting my brother at Berkeley, but we couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to visit one of the most famous birding sites in the country: Point Reyes National Seashore. Add those life mammals to the life birds I already expected to see, and I was practically vibrating with excitement.

Seals 180

Seals Elephants Whales Whaling 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2014

The Snow Geese in particular are popular with viewers all along the flyway, inspiring much comment even in bird-rich areas like Bosque del Apache (as shown below.) At Freezeout they may number 300,000 – in fact, the majority of the individual birds making their way up this flyway will stop at Freezeout on any given year.

Geese 176

Geese Montana Breeding Pelicans 176

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 142

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 142

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2016

The exposed mudflat provided ample foraging opportunities for birds, and Brown Pelicans , Willets , and White Ibises dotted the shallow edges, keeping a safe distance from the teenagers. Rookery Bay, FL. As we watched, a slightly different silhouette soared in from the blue sky above, landing gracefully near a Red Mangrove tree.

Florida 140

Florida Mexico Protection Pelicans 140

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 28, 2014

Last Saturday we were able to visit Berry Springs Nature Reserve late in the afternoon, which is located to the south of Darwin and alongside the Territory Wildlife Park. The wildlife park is actually going to be 25 years old next month and will have free entry to celebrate. Arafura Fantail. Crocodile warning at Darwin River Dam.

Litter 162

Litter Pelicans Wildlife Australia 162

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 232

Bald Eagle Los Angeles Connecticut Eagles 232

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

Two full days at Hart Mountain Wildlife Refuge, three days at Dog Lake, and a short visit to Upper Cottonwood Lake brought back many great memories, in addition to a nice list of birds. Then, to finish the week, we visited the famous, and not necessarily for all the right reasons, Malhuer Wildlife Refuge.

Oregon 114

Oregon Owls Wildlife Barn Owls 114

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

So I asked seven wildlife rehabilitators, “Tell me your favorite (or one of your favorites) release story – the kind that makes you keep going, in spite of everything.”. “A Sophie had serious doubts about whether she was really a bird. Sophie the Scissortail was the most difficult but the most satisfying bird of the season.”.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 214

Wildlife Rehabilitation Ohio Tulsa West Virginia 214

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

While photographing the Brown Bears in the Russian Far East, a friend of mine, Jovan “Lucky” Lakatos, was with Michio Hoshino, Japanese-born nature photographer specialized in Alaskan wildlife and experienced in how to behave facing this apex predator. Cactus finch, Geospiza species. Galapagos cactus finch, Geospiza species.

Animal 114

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 114

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Big flocks of birds are one of nature’s greatest wonders… how do they end up in those formations? As the world’s leading ornithologist, I can only offer you one piece of advice when sorting through a flock of birds. ALWAYS assume there is some other bird species in there that you have not found yet.

North Dakota 161

North Dakota LACS Oakland Falcons 161

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2011

Now that I have added ten more birds to my Queens life list we must revisit the list and predict my next ten birds in Queens (and see how my last set of predictions turned out). Queens, the finest borough in New York City, as I may have mentioned before, is where I have now seen a whopping 279 species!

Jamaica 156

Jamaica Owls 2010 New York City 156

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2013

Our time on the island was spent looking at birds, exploring, picnicking, throwing rocks in the water, and admiring a very cooperative Santa Cruz Island Fox. Then the birds showed. This picture actually has three species of shearwater in it - Pink-footed , Sooty , and Black-vented. Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus.

Whales 150

Whales Whaling Dolphins California 150

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

Not an urban legend From the time I was a small child, I would flip through the pages of field guides and imagine the stumbling across this or that amazing bird. Unlike the hobbits, space aliens, and vampires in the other books I read, the strange birds tucked away in the Peterson Guide sometimes came to life.

Pythons 179

Pythons Litter Montana 2006 179

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. Thus 100 species were missed by the time he woke up and noticed that eBird had reset the counters at midnight(do you guys have nothing better to do?). Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary.

2019 161

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 161

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2019

Common Nightingales were singing, a squadron of Dalmatian Pelicans was in the air and everything was exactly where it should be, including myself. At mid-day, we took a boat tour of the heronries and the pelican islands with Nikos. Dalmatian Pelican © Dusanka Stokovic-Simic. In that count, my wife and I passed for locals.

Greece 189

Greece Pelicans Buffalo Fish 189

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2017

A few weeks ago I led a field trip to Butte Valley Wildlife Area. It was a destination I had never experienced so I made a few phone calls and got some information from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife agent who actually runs both the Butte Valley and the Shasta Valley Wildlife Areas, which are about 25 miles apart.

Wildlife 100

Wildlife Chipmunks Sparrows Blackbirds 100

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2023

My British total was a mere 172 species – not bad, but not very good. However, I have to put it in perspective by explaining that during the year I hardly ventured out of East Anglia, and almost every bird was seen in Suffolk or Norfolk – I live on the county boundary. My 100th species was a Spoonbill.

Estonia 216

Estonia Portugal Greece Barn Owls 216

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

14 countries were birded this month by 13 beats; a record participative effort! 172 lists were shared and 1004 species were seen, both records for October, so well done beats! Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Ash Creek Wildlife Area (LAS Co.).

2019 112

2019 China Battery Jamaica 112

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

Little was known about oiled bird care at that time and despite the courageous attempts of hundreds of volunteers, only 300 birds survived from the 7,000 collected. This 12,000 square-foot facility, completed in February 2001, is one of the two primary oiled bird facilities built by the Oiled Wildlife Care Network (OWCN) in California.

Bird Rescue 194

Bird Rescue Rescue San Francisco Birds 194

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

The trend at this time of year is a downturn in shared lists and birds reported, nevertheless, 12 (is this a record?) beats have still managed to share 82 checklists and accounted for 737 species. Spot-billed Pelican – Pelecanus philippensis. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge.

2019 118

2019 Jamaica Eggs Woodpeckers 118

4 The Love Of Animals

APRIL 20, 2011

HBO’s new documentary “SAVING PELICAN 895.” Directed by Academy-Award nominee Irene Taylor Brodsky (HBO’s “The Final Inch” and “Hear and Now”) the film is the story of the 895th pelican to be rescued and rehabilitated by a dedicated team of wildlife experts and everyday people, many of whom travel the world responding to oil disasters.

Pelicans 100

Pelicans Louisiana Endangered Species 2009 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

For mankind to snatch away a species’ very existence is wrong on so many levels that I can’t begin to explain them. However, despite our best efforts to wipe them off the face of the earth, some of the more vulnerable species have managed to hang on. Fish and Wildlife Service. this species breeds.

Albatross 198

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 198

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

My own trip was not an intensive birding experience, and August is clearly not the most productive month. I chalked up 132 species in a pretty relaxed eight days, during which birds shared the agenda with culture. With 154 eBirded species, the Beljarica shares the 4th place on the list. What has changed in the meantime?

Serbia 150

Serbia Birds Bulgaria Farming 150

10,000 Birds

MARCH 4, 2019

As always, I spent most mornings out looking for birds, and because the seven of us had only a single minivan to get around, I had to keep my morning outings relatively brief so I was confined to Tybee Island. Not that doing my birding on Tybee Island was some kind of horrible chore but the 5.2 How did I find so many species?

Georgia 171

Georgia Cats Neutering Birds 171