10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 30, 2020

“Sit under a fruiting tree and birding shall be fruitful.” ” After spending the last couple months chasing migratory shorebirds, I was aching for some forest birding. And what better way to do it than to fortuitously come upon a fruiting tree being attended to by a multitude of species? Streaked Flycatcher.

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Trinidad Birds Woodpeckers Species 299

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 22, 2023

Guyana’s capital city of Georgetown, a quaint, sprawling network of roads and waterways is a regulated introduction to the country’s 800+ species of birds. Bird number one in a new country, and fittingly, a lifer for me. Lesser Kiskadee A pair of very similar looking birds flew in to confuse things even more.

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Guyana Parrots Birds South America 217

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 9, 2013

The title of this post is a trick question as Trinidad and Tobago actually has two national birds, one for each of the country’s namesake islands. Trinidad is represented by the Scarlet Ibis , a beauty of a bird, resplendent in its crimson hue. the coat of arms of Trinidad and Tobago. When are you going? ….

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Trinidad Birds Game Species 170

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the smaller island of Tobago there are three species of woodpeckers and three species of woodcreepers – one of each is found on Tobago but not Trinidad.

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Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 259

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2023

How can one, in what is barely the second week of the first month of the year – even think of suggesting a Bird of the Year? I began recording my bird sightings with photographs in late 2009, and since then I have seen (or at least heard) a fair proportion of species recorded within my home country of Trinidad & Tobago.

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Birds Trinidad 2020 2012 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2021

The islands and surrounding islets of Trinidad and Tobago boast an astounding list of almost 500 species of birds. There is a recurring theme of threes within the multitude of bird species in T&T, you can see for yourself in some previous posts I made. The post Honey x3 appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

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Trinidad Groups Family Species 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2022

In February 2022, the Collaborative submitted 127 checklists in 7 countries ( Costa Rica , United States , Mexico , Trinidad and Tobago , United Kingdom , and Serbia ). The first four were seen in Trinidad and Tobago and the last in China. The first four were seen in Trinidad and Tobago and the last in China.

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Costa Rica United Kingdom Trinidad United States 244

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2021

Continuing here with the series on threes within the avian landscape of Trinidad and Tobago (in case you missed it, T&T has three each of trogons , antshrikes , spinetails , manakins , hermits , honeycreepers , and resident warblers ) we arrive at one of the more difficult species triads to encounter. Read more about that here.

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Trinidad Breeding Family Species 263

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2021

In the southeastern end of Trinidad, the Trinity Hills rises above the mostly flat interior of the island. This trio of hills stood out to a certain lost seaman over 500 years ago – who took it as a sign of the Holy Trinity and therefore coined the name La Isla de la Trinidad. The smallest of the three is the Little Hermit.

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Trinidad Family Species Birds 264

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2021

Pandemic life has taught me valuable lessons, many of which are in relation to birds. Usually I would be taking people in the field, showing them loads of birds and we’d be preoccupied with what is in front of us at the particular moment in time. The post An Emerging Trend appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

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Trinidad Litter 2020 Groups 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2021

This is not the most confusing aspect of birds by any means, after all there are tanagers which belong in the cardinal family and cardinals that are tanagers. These birds occupy literally every terrestrial habitat within their extensive range, from high altitude forests to coastal, rocky habitat.

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Trinidad Litter Guyana Family 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2021

In my last post here , I spoke of a rather odd trend permeating the birdlife here in Trinidad & Tobago. Many species seemed to come in threes, and today I shall continue my examination of these. Three species of antshrikes are resident in T&T. The post Another Trio appeared first on 10,000 Birds.

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Trinidad Bears Family Groups 245

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2024

Some movement in the grasses almost to our feet pulled me out of gazing and back into birding mode. These tiny birds were barely distinguishable from the ground – but they were certainly birds. After all, they are annual visitors to my native Trinidad and Tobago. I was surprised at how gently the sun rose.

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Guyana Giraffes Brazil Trinidad 235

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2013

And while the birds that we in the western hemisphere refer to as blackbirds in their common names are from several different genera it wouldn’t be unreasonable to think that if a bird is in the same genus as the North American meadowlarks that it would also be called a meadowlark. If only naming birds were so simple!

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Blackbirds Trinidad Costa Rica Nicaragua 167

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 22, 2021

Here in Trinidad, we routinely experience several of these migrants – most of these birds surely pass by unrecorded as not everyone is a birder and not all birders are huge fans of suffering from Warbler Neck. Finding any warblers besides these and the three resident species requires considerable good fortune.

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Trinidad 2015 Suffering Cats 262

10,000 Birds

JULY 12, 2023

All fades under the blinding lights of new backyard birds, however. Regular readers will be well aware that I am a huge fan of sitting at home, sipping coffee, and birding. The benefits of long-term observation of the same birds have fertilized my psyche in ways I never thought possible. Interesting.

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Trinidad Barn Owls Owls Reptiles 244

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 17, 2021

Getting familiar with birds is a process. As a child, poring through the pages of the Encyclopedia of Animal Life (I was gifted this 25 years before I appeared in Audubon magazine myself) birds gripped my attention. Not all the birds, of course, but many of the distinctive and conspicuous species.

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Trinidad Laws Family Hunting 201

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

This was actually the place where the late Richard ffrench spent much of his time as a music teacher, amassing countless observations of birds that would later form the basis of one of the essential birding guides for Trinidad and Tobago. The subtle white edging to the gape of this bird indicates it is near breeding time.

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Trinidad Birds Parrots Falcons 231

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2023

The southern forests of the island of Trinidad are home to the much-maligned Moruga Grasshopper. International organisations have provided “assistance” to the government of Trinidad & Tobago over the years to placate residents and aggrieved farmers. Something was attracting all these birds, and keeping them here.

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Trinidad Squirrels Investigation Bears 147

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2023

With my recent relocation to the central forests of Trinidad, I have been afforded the incredible opportunity of observing three oft-confused species in close proximity to one another. In reality these species are rarely in the same place at the same time, however! Note the extensive rufous on the tail.

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10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Birds of Belize by Steve N. Howell and Dale Dyer and Birds of Costa Rica by Dale Dyer and Steve N. An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Two books, two authors, two countries bursting with neotropical avian diversity. © 2023 by Steve N.

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Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 236

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2021

Trinidad’s cloud forests typically aren’t birded much. These magical forests hide isolated treasures like the critically endangered Golden Tree Frog – not to mention several species of birds not found anywhere else in the country. Not for long though, as the walking began shortly thereafter.

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Trinidad Groups Parrots Species 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 22, 2023

Something that’s irked me more often than I’d like to admit is the inclusion of the word “common” in the name of a bird. It seems almost insulting, sure it allows some insight into the abundance of the particular species in a particular area at a point in time, but all birds are rare and exotic somewhere.

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Trinidad Litter Bears Birds 203

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2020

Typical of the species. The last time I had seen a Summer Tanager was during a Christmas Bird Count in 2012. Sightings in Trinidad have been sporadic, 38 to be exact since the formation of the T&T Bird Status and Distribution Committee. This is an immature bird, as evidenced by the yellow wash on his underparts.

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Trinidad Birds Squirrels 2012 231

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2015

Birders head to Costa Rica to see stunners like Resplendent Quetzal , Three-wattled Bellbird , Orange-collared Manakin , fancy hummingbirds , tanagers, and literally hundreds of other birds. These and several other species might end up being armchair ticks if and when we take a closer look at their evolutionary history.

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Costa Rica Species South America America 233

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

I’ve been learning about what the birds I’m accustomed to seeing occupy themselves with as the months pass by. I’ve seen them many times on Trinidad but they are much rarer on Tobago. So the truth is – I wasn’t really sure if I had seen this species before or not. This one, however, was brown.

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Trinidad Argentina South America Bears 259

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2022

During the second quarter of 2022 (April, May, and June), the Collaborative submitted 581 checklists from 7 countries ( China , Costa Rica , Mexico , Trinidad and Tobago , Saint Lucia , the United Kingdom , and the United States ). The 2022 year list is up to 1,124 species. Good Birding! Lucia Oriole (Saint Lucia).

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Saint Lucia United Kingdom Costa Rica United States 147

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2022

One of the most regularly traversed roads for the purpose of birding on the island of Trinidad is the Arima-Blanchisseuse Road. Most folks who have come here for birding have stayed at the Asa Wright Nature Centre (likely reopening later this year – but more on that to come) which is located along this picturesque road.

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Trinidad Squirrels Birds Species 245

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 21, 2022

It is undoubtedly the most wonderful time of year – when we don our binoculars and boots and head off on a tradition spanning more than a hundred years – that of the Christmas Bird Count! On Trinidad, there was no such state involvement in the count, we were pretty much on our own. Mangrove Cuckoo.

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Falcons Trinidad Ducks Groups 258

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2022

Having spent all my life in Trinidad, it was the first time I would be stationed away from the island of my birth. Last month I took the boat back to Trinidad as I was booked to guide a trip there for a week and a half. The disparity in species could be stark, for example if one were to bird on different sides of the planet.

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Trinidad Turkey Squirrels Species 273

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2021

After a lifetime of lockdown measures we’re all surely chomping at the bit to get back out and slip back into that birding groove. I shall not get into those, as we may never get to the birds! Now, although I have seen this species several times before, we have a unique relationship.

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Birds Owls Litter Trinidad 259

10,000 Birds

MARCH 16, 2022

Specifically, have you ever had a bird elude you so often that you firmly believe there is no hope of ever seeing it – and then voila – it appears one day. As far as resident birds go within Trinidad & Tobago, the Grey-throated Leaftosser is one of the more difficult birds to get a view of.

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Trinidad Owls Birds Species 229

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2022

The twin-island postcolonial paradise of Trinidad & Tobago celebrates its 60th anniversary of independence today, and as much as I am vehemently anti-nationalist I figured I’d draw some attention to this fact. I was on the fence about including it here, but it is a difficult bird to say no to.

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Trinidad Woodpeckers Bears Family 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2022

As we all know, birding is very much a lottery. Sure there were birds. Gradually I was able to get a visual on some of the birds as they flitted about. Even though finding birds may have been difficult, the rainforest itself is a magical entity – especially at twilight. Such is nature. Even the bugs were scarce!

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Trinidad ALA Experience Experiments 255

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 2, 2020

Last weekend I ended up spending some time with a few Glossy Ibises at a nearby wetland here on Trinidad and it got me thinking about some of the other ibis species I’ve managed to see. They are the most widespread ibis species, occurring in every continent except Antarctica. Glossy Ibis. Interesting times.

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Trinidad Adoptable Species Rights 222

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2023

The sky cracked open as we ascended into the modest hills of Trinidad’s Northern Range. Slowly, the shapes of birds were beginning to materialise. We just needed to find somewhere that was less cluttered to allow us some chance of seeing birds! As we say here, de road wash ‘wey. And so, we continued.

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Trinidad Eagles Bears Litter 162

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2022

Admittedly this has never crossed my mind as being remotely interesting, young birds are generally awkward things, not yet fitting into the sleek and streamlined expectation of the dictionary definition of “bird” Furthermore, thrushes are often underappreciated creatures on their own.

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Trinidad Emotional Breeding Cats 147