10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2017

I was itching to get out of the car and bird. Marks National Wildlife Refuge just after dawn. Birds were literally everywhere. Marks Wildlife Refuge. We had a set-in-stone plan to go scalloping on the nearby seagrass beds, and had to head straight past the birding hotspots to the boat ramp and then out onto the bay.

Wildlife 100

Wildlife Florida Pelicans Fish 100

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 143

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 143

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 174

Wildlife Tigers Asia Europe 174

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2021

This is the second post in the Birding crème de la crème series (the first, focused on southern Asia, is here ). The bird-richest region of Africa is its equatorial East: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi (unlike the rest, the last one, Burundi, is politically unstable and not recommendable). Serengeti National Park.

Africa 193

Africa Kenya Uganda Tanzania 193

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

APRIL 25, 2014

“We had a call one morning about a snake and a hawk,” says Tom Sweets, the executive director and chief rescuer of the Key West Wildlife Center , located at the very tip of Florida. The snake was wrapped firmly around the hawk’s tail, neck, and wings, and had enough strength to immobilize the bird but not to kill him.

Reptiles 201

Reptiles Chickens Sea Turtles Wildlife Rehabilitation 201

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 261

Pelicans Wildlife Humane Birds 261

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!

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Wildlife 2011 Sacramento Jordan 155

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2013

Wildlife rehabilitators are not known for our bling. People who work with wildlife wearing nice clothes? People who work with wildlife wearing nice clothes? asked Marge Gibson, when I asked a group of bird rehabbers about their bling experiences. As for nice clothing … right! As for nice clothing … right!

Bald Eagle 216

Bald Eagle Wildlife Rehabilitation Vet Birds 216

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 11, 2011

This is the lesson that Seaside Aquaculture owner Khan Vu has hopefully learned after being charged, found guilty, and sentenced under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. Seaside’s employees denied shooting any birds; however, owner Vu admitted to shooting six pelicans to prevent them from eating his fish. How bad was Vu and company?

Fish 198

Fish Texas Farming Pelicans 198

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2019

It’s never too late or too early to buy a children’s book about birds. It’s been a few years since my last roundup of children’s bird books, and children’s book writers, illustrators and publishers continue to produce picture books that feature avian protagonists. First, the board books.

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New York City Pelicans Birds New York 144

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

SEPTEMBER 20, 2011

Ok, let’s admit that there are many people out there who think of birding as a weird and eccentric pastime. We had 1,000 birds at one home just after a small low pressure system moved through the area. The towns of Rockport and Fulton are great examples of how one bird can inspire entire towns to celebrate their local wildlife.

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Texas Birds Pelicans Wildlife 232

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. Here is a shot of our 5th wheel in the campground, as it were.

Blackbirds 119

Blackbirds Mules Beavers Wildlife 119

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2013

“The young ones are incredibly curious and playful,” says Monte Merrick, the co-Director of Bird Ally X in Arcata, California, which is almost to the border of Oregon. He’s talking about Brown Pelicans. “We He told me about last summer, when Bird Ally X received 246 Brown Pelicans covered not with petroleum, but with fish oil.

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Pelicans Fish California Massachusetts 200

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 147

New York City New York Birds Breeding 147

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 181

Seals Elephants Whales Whaling 181

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.

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Mountain Lions Mules Sheep Lions 100

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.

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South Carolina Turtles Costa Rica Belize 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

MAY 21, 2013

The Spring Wings Festival , held this past weekend, was the perfect way for a birding-festival newbie like me to get into the swing of things. Its small size, laid-back nature, and ample opportunities to get up close and personal with birds make it a good fit for experienced birders, but also for people looking to get their feet wet.

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Nevada Birds Barn Owls Cows 165

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.

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Litter Pelicans Wildlife Australia 162

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? Along with the other two members of the finfoot family, the Sungrebe is a super cool weird bird. For us birders, visiting a wetland is a no-brainer.

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Costa Rica Birds Ducks Pelicans 100

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. The island is half a mile wide and about three-quarters of a mile in length.

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Whales Whaling Sharks Marine Life 259

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 3, 2012

Back when I was trying to figure out what I should do during my time at the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival I was advised by Doug Gochfeld to check out “the Gull spectacle on the beach at Daytona Beach Shores.” We called down to the field trip and they got the bird as well! Whoo-hoo!

Pelicans 162

Pelicans Iceland Wildlife California 162

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. I went to the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida.

2012 143

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 143

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

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.

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Florida Mexico Protection Pelicans 140

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.

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Geese Montana Breeding Pelicans 177

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.”.

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Wildlife Rehabilitation Ohio Tulsa West Virginia 216

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 234

Bald Eagle Los Angeles Connecticut Eagles 234

10,000 Birds

JUNE 15, 2011

The order Suliformes holds a lot of special birds from anhingas and darters to cormorants and shags as well as frigatebirds, pelicans, and tropicbirds. As is often the case in birds, teenagers, and other living creatures, these charismatic colors play a prominent role in the booby’s breeding rituals.

Ecuador 180

Ecuador Peru Hunters Pelicans 180

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. Pelican, Pelecanus spp. “Understanding Animal Behaviour” by Rory Putman.

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Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 114

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2016

Up to 100 kg – possibly a female, my guide and a bear researcher from the wildlife charity Callisto, Yannis Tsanakis, tells me. The tour was organised by the Natural Greece ecotourism specialists from Athens, Greece, in collaboration with the Callisto wildlife charity which has done a lot of work on bears in this area.

Bears 267

Bears Greece Europe Slovenia 267

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. San Joaquin Wildlife Sanctuary. Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge–East Pond. Henderson Bird Viewing Preserve. 02 Dec 2019. 27 Dec 2019.

2019 162

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 162

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

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. Though they haven’t rated a mention thus far, Brown Pelicans were everywhere and are awesome. Sooty Shearwater Puffinus griseus.

Whales 150

Whales Whaling Dolphins California 150