10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2022

Instead, they usually just describe species seen at a specific location, with the vague notion that these descriptions might be interesting to other birders. Perhaps the star bird here is the Nonggang Babbler , which was first observed by professional ornithologists only in 2005. The birds are not closely related.

China 204

China Birds Asia Vietnam 204

10,000 Birds

JUNE 16, 2022

Last week, I wrote about my recent trip from my current home of Morelia, Mexico to my childhood home of the San Francisco Bay Area in the United States, and how several species can be found in both places, in spite of how far apart they are, and yet look quite different in each place. Different, but the same, if I may.

Mexico 194

Mexico San Francisco California United States 194

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 21, 2015

At the Northwest corner of San Francisco is Point Lobos. With the breeding colony concentrated on one small island this species is vulnerable to a catastrophic weather event. These factors have caused the IUCN to rate this bird as “Near Threatened” 2. www.youtube.com/watch? www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUBX_tlHySc.

San Francisco 158

San Francisco North America Seals Sanctuary 158

10,000 Birds

JUNE 29, 2022

Anytime I travel, I do what it takes to get in some birding. After all, the best way to find new birds is to look in new places. Birding being best in the early morning, I get up before they do, and try to be back by breakfast — their breakfast. Morelia time), and still start birding at 6 a.m. San Mateo time).

San Francisco 147

San Francisco California Battery Ducks 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2017

We here at 10,000 Birds are excited to announce a new beat writer who will have his first post go live tomorrow. Please give a warm welcome to Jason Crotty, who will be writing about “General Birding and the Law” on the second Tuesday of each month. Welcome aboard, Jason! We look forward to reading your blog posts!

Puerto Rico 100

Puerto Rico San Francisco Portland Laws 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 8, 2019

I was poking around my eBird checklists recently and came across one from one of my more intriguing days birding. Like many birders, I’ve had “patches” where I routinely go birding. Patch birding is rewarding because the birds become familiar, as do the changes across the seasons. There is satisfaction in the everyday.

San Francisco 128

San Francisco Portland Whales Whaling 128

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2012

This bird was photographed a few years ago in Connecticut, by Corey Finger. Recently a Fork-tailed Flycatcher was reported from a park in San Francisco, a long ways away from its home in Central and South America. I know birders just as well as I know birds, and I was not ready to put all my faith in this fantastic sighting.

San Francisco 171

San Francisco San Diego Connecticut South America 171

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

MARCH 31, 2012

A quick search in the archives here at 10,000 Birds found no mention of this beauty. It was almost as if the species had been forgotten. This individual was seen during a recent visit to San Francisco while I was looking for a Great Horned Owl’s nest in Golden Gate Park. All the birds seen today were males.

San Francisco 208

San Francisco North America Owls America 208

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2019

Just imagine, for instance, that a new species of white-headed gull was added to your field guide every few years and you’ll have an idea of the current head-scratching state of proliferating IPA variations. Good birding and happy drinking! The post Pelican Brewing Company: Brut India Pale Ale appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

Pelicans 118

Pelicans India San Francisco Oregon 118

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2011

It is one thing to read the scribblings of a birding celebrity, a field guide author, the birderati. It is another thing entirely that is happening here, now, on 10,000 Birds. You see, we have scored the most incredible coup ever in the history of the bird blogging world. Ladies, keep your underwear and optics on tight.

San Francisco 210

San Francisco Birds Pelicans Woodpeckers 210

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2015

As I always do on the way home, following a short visit to the San Francisco Bay Area, I take in at least one of the National Wildlife Refuges (NWR) found in the Sacramento Valley. One species I can always count on at Colusa NWR is the Black-crowned Night-Heron ( Nycticorax nycticorax ), which boasts a large resident population.

Wildlife 158

Wildlife San Francisco Sacramento North Dakota 158

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 184

Seals Elephants Whales Whaling 184

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2015

So what does climate change mean for birds? Though all birds will be somehow impacted by climate change, I think it is important to note that not all will suffer. As deserts expand, birds suited to arid climates may be just fine. That said, there are many species we should be extremely concerned about.

North America 214

North America Birds San Francisco Suffering 214

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

JULY 5, 2017

I am sure that the most memorable first bird sightings have a way of sticking in your head. Since most of my birding world revolves around the art of photography, the first image is a little bit more solid, fixed as it were, even if it is never printed or display in some manner for public consumption.

San Francisco 100

San Francisco Shelters Canada California 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2019

But every Monday, he explores the wonderful habitats and birds found within an hour of his house. This is Paul’s first post for 10,000 Birds. My first birding period was over 40 years ago, in the San Francisco Bay Area. I continued to bird off and on through my university years in Santa Barbara.

San Francisco 116

San Francisco Mexico Turkey California 116

10,000 Birds

MAY 16, 2024

Last week, I returned to Morelia, Mexico, my home for the past 30 years, from twelve days in the San Francisco Bay Area, where I spent my childhood and teenage years. This considerable distance is why I am always surprised to see so many of the same species in both places. While in California on this trip, I saw 75 species.

San Francisco 167

San Francisco California Mexico Advocacy 167

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2016

This is Jason’s first contribution to 10,000 Birds: Birders were rightly alarmed by the armed occupation of the Malheur NWR in Oregon. One of the nation’s premier birding locations had been overrun by an armed militia and the occupation unexpectedly endured for weeks. Individually, many NWRs protect crucial bird habitat.

Wildlife 189

Wildlife Grizzly Bear Puerto Rico United States 189

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

Take a look at these range maps for the two species. If you live north of the San Francisco Bay area in California like I do, or north of Delaware on the east coast, you would most likely be looking at a Greater Yellowlegs. I photographed this bird at Arcata Marsh , far north of the Lesser Yellowlegs’ normal range.

San Francisco 165

San Francisco Delaware Jordan New York 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2016

In conjunction with our concept change, we hired a San Francisco Bay Area graphic artist to design our new logo, and we’ll be ramping up even more, our social media presence on Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and Instagram. To my 10,000 Birds readers, I’d love to get your comments here in response: 1. WE NEED YOUR FEEDBACK.

Wildlife 184

Wildlife San Francisco Legislation Ducks 184

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 27, 2013

Sagebrush and Bell’s Sparrows are the birds to talk about. Although this list may not be comprehensive by any means, here are some potential splits that could shake up North American birding in the coming years. Clapper Rail: A recent study suggests the world’s Clapper Rails should be split into 3 species (maybe more?),

San Francisco 175

San Francisco Fox Sparrows California 175

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2014

When everyone is using tapes on a bird, it will tape the bird out”, I observantly pointed out to him. I told him where I last had the bird and he stumbled over to the spot, looking forlornly at the slope that the warbler had previously occupied a few minutes earlier. .” “Well, yeah. Sound familiar, Slick?

San Francisco 220

San Francisco New York Experience Experiments 220

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2012

In January 1971, two oil tankers collided under the Golden Gate Bridge, spilling more than 800,000 gallons of crude oil into the San Francisco Bay. 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.

Bird Rescue 198

Bird Rescue Rescue San Francisco Birds 198

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

This lake, with a surface area of up to 150 square miles in good years, is my go-to site for dozens of waterfowl and shorebird species, so I take its health personally. It is also a vital wintering and migratory site for most of these species, so I imagine they take its health very personally, as well.

San Francisco 264

San Francisco 2018 Mexico Ducks 264

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2019

These reports (called “ Banking on Nature “) are relevant to birders because they are among the few comprehensive analyses that relate to the economic impact of birders on national wildlife refuges, which are among the more popular birding locations. A number of these NWRs appear on my list of the Top 25 NWRs for Birding.).

Wildlife 245

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 245

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2011

Please give a warm welcome to Walter Kitundu, the latest addition to the bevy of beat writers on 10,000 Birds. Walter first came to our attention on 10,000 Birds when he made a comment here – and are we ever glad he did! He is an excellent photographer and his blog, Bird Light Wind , is well worth a visit.

San Francisco 202

San Francisco California Condor Coyotes Minnesota 202

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2020

For, in birder lingo, a split occurs when subspecies are determined to be, in fact, entirely separate species. If you happen to have seen both species, your life list can increase without you even leaving the house. Two former species can also be joined into one, the same way. Do we really need to talk about sad events?).

San Diego 175

San Diego San Francisco Mexico Baltimore 175

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

I recently asked whether Puerto Rico should be part of the American Birding Association’s ABA Area. Both Puerto Rico and the USVI have active birding communities that are currently excluded from full membership in the ABA family. Although different territories, they are nearby and share many of the same birds.

Puerto Rico 152

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 152

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2019

So, it just might be that pisco – the beloved South American grape brandy contentiously claimed by both Peru and Chile – is the only spirit named after birds. The etymology of the city name itself is debatable, but according to the Chilean linguist Rodolfo Lenz, it comes from the Quechua pishku , meaning “bird”.

Peru 122

Peru San Francisco Parrots Chile 122

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2014

I have been searching through the internet this evening trying to find support for some behaviour that I witnessed at Fort Mason, San Francisco, this week. It was at the bottom of some steps leading from the gun placements at Fort Mason in San Francisco. My first internet search was an attempt to sex the bird.

San Francisco 178

San Francisco Maryland Jordan Lifestyle 178

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2023

(My Shoebill photographs, incidentally, were digiscoped from a small boat, so they’re not as sharp as they could be, but they are great reminders of an encounter with an extraordinary bird). Tawny Owl , one of the first birds I remember seeing (at the age of five) Like most of us who watch birds, I enjoy listing.

Sri Lanka 232

Sri Lanka Kenya San Francisco Greece 232

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 29, 2021

I may still develop this idea, but I’ll advance the information that the only species on his list that I commonly see here are, in order of prevalence, the Yellow-rumped , Wilson’s , Townsend’s , Black-and-White , and MacGillivray’s Warblers. (Don’t “Respect this area; it is the home of wildlife.

Los Angeles 191

Los Angeles San Francisco Costa Rica Birds 191

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

To get out to the deep water we have to cruise for hours which necessitates leaving late in the evening, trying to sleep on an uncomfortable, moving boat, and waking up in the predawn hours to spend not-enough-time amid amazing birds before suffering through the long, boring ride through the “dead zone” back to shore.

Whales 109

Whales Whaling Albatross Dolphins 109