10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2019

I’m hardly the first person to observe that it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed by bad environmental news, and the title Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest sounds like a pretty major downer. Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest by Matt Williams – Indiana University Press, $29.00.

Indiana 136

Indiana Downers Iowa Illinois 136

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2014

And some of those options may be more beneficial to birds than are acres and acres of cornfields. In it, researchers from Wisconsin compared cornfields with grasslands in terms of which provided better bird habitat. That’s the gist of a new study published in PLOS ONE.

Badgers 173

Badgers Wisconsin Birds Research 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

However, no matter how one enjoys or takes in interest in the avian side of life, an official list of the birds for a given area is of vital importance. With the rise in birding tourism, bird lists for entire countries have also become increasingly important. Not every list has Great Tinamou on it. Juvenile Gray Hawk.

Costa Rica 203

Costa Rica Birds Owls South America 203

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2013

I don’t think this is anything new but I’ll say it: Birds are rarely depicted accurately in movies. But my sci fi loving husband insist I give it a go on Netflix so here I am typing a blog entry for 10,000 Birding wondering how on earth I’ll survive two more movies of this epic snail. Birds hobbit movies'

New Zealand 240

New Zealand Wisconsin Birds Minnesota 240

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2011

I may have to buy a smartphone : For more than a year, Berres (and his graduate students, of course) have been testing and improving the fruit of that inspiration: WeBIRD, the Wisconsin Electronic Bird Identification Resource Database. This is going to be good. Hat-tip to Rich Guthrie.

Wisconsin 260

Wisconsin Species Birds 260

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 12, 2017

When I was a kid, and couldn’t travel, I thought patch birding sounded dreadfully boring. For example I added two new species just this morning. Species #75 for Socrates Sculpture Park is Red-winged Blackbird. Why an asterisk? Nichols describes them as “a common resident of Central Park” in the 1890s.

New York 107

New York New York City Illinois Wisconsin 107

10,000 Birds

MAY 11, 2013

It is easy to tell when some species become extinct — a Martha or a Lonesome George dies and there are no more, not now, not ever (until science fiction kicks in.) ” that leads to comments like “…my wife and I observed what I could swear is that exact bird two days ago, on a pond in NE Wisconsin!”

Myanmar 201

Myanmar Bangladesh Ducks Wisconsin 201

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2011

How anyone can possibly resist a bird that has been called Whiskey Jack is beyond my comprehension. Others include Camp Robber , Lumberjack , and Moose-Bird. The bold gray-and-white birds know what humans are good for and that is as a source of food! There are at least eleven subspecies and the birds pictured here are all P.

Washington 172

Washington Wisconsin Michigan Minnesota 172

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2013

While many worked on the issue, we here at 10,000 Birds like to believe that Julie Zickefoose’s heartfelt and powerfully written blog post here on 10,000 Birds in October of 2010 had a lot to do with the tabling. And tell ‘em 10,000 Birds sent you! This time around, Vickie Henderson is once again sounding the alarm.

Tennessee 242

Tennessee Hunting Hunters Wisconsin 242

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 24, 2013

Great Gray Owl , Northern Hawk Owl , Snowy Owl – this trinity captures the imagination of most birders with their imposing presence, unique adaptations, and beauty as among the most desired species of bird to see in the world. Within minutes, I spotted a crisp, cold white bird flying right in front of the car.

Minnesota 202

Minnesota Owls Bald Eagle Hoarding 202

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2014

Most of the books about extinction, including Fuller’s Extinct Birds (now, ironically, out of print), describe what was lost and look for explanations, scientifically and historically. The idea of Lost Animals was conceived after the publication of Extinct Birds (2001), a 400-page, four-pound book on 75 extinct species.

Animal 270

Animal Mammals Hawaii Dolphins 270

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 9, 2013

The general public is out and about, birds and animals are raising their young, and human/wildlife interaction is at its peak. A robot that feeds baby birds so I can take a nap,” wrote Jodi in Massachusetts. “A Why is there no state or federal money available to care for federally protected species? Summer is high season.

Wildlife 253

Wildlife Wildlife Rehabilitation Oklahoma New York 253

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2014

I’ve got bad news for you, provided you do or have or will live and bird and list in North America. Before we turn our attention to your various bird lists, let me tell you a story about some wheatears of the genus Oenanthe that are found in Kazakhstan’s Mangghystau province. Yes, that’s right. But sit down first.

Kazakhstan 165

Kazakhstan Iceland Mongolia Wisconsin 165

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2017

Crotty is a birder and lawyer living in Portland, Oregon who loves to share thoughtful , in-depth conservation pieces with 10,000 Birds readers. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), contain many of the nation’s most renowned birding locations, including Bosque del Apache NWR in New Mexico, Laguna Atascosa NWR in Texas, and J.N.

Factory 119

Factory Ducks North Dakota Nebraska 119

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2011

These are just quick turkey car accident links I’ve found on my usual birding news feeds, but I’m sure many more are out there. Also, a turkey fight and display will attract the attention of predators, I’m sure many a turkey lek gets ambushed by coyotes causing birds to flee in utter panic.

Turkey 246

Turkey Hunters New Jersey Boston 246

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2019

Author Sherrida Woodley thinks deeply about dearly departed birds. But he tried, using the Craigheads’ techniques, and he learned from that young bird, and eventually many others along the way. Tom Cade, a quiet, down-to-earth ornithologist, more than once remarked that falconry is really just another form of bird watching.

Falcons 196

Falcons California Condor Alaska Texas 196

10,000 Birds

JULY 28, 2011

Outside of hardcore twitchers looking for specialty birds and after speaking to thousands and thousands of birders, I have concluded that most people really do not put much emphasis on our prairies. I can certainly speak about the Midwest where states like Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota, etc.

Prairie Dogs 165

Prairie Dogs Colorado North Dakota Soreing 165

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

Yes, the warbler formerly known as Dendroica kirtlandii , now Setophaga kirtlandii , is one of those birds that make birders’ hearts pulse quicker and their legs churn faster. Look what happened when the bird made the first of three appearances at the Biggest Week in American Birding at Magee Marsh!

Michigan 245

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 245

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 13, 2018

Since 2016, writers at 10,000 Birds have been contributing checklists to a joint eBird account called the “10,000 Birds Collaborative.” The writers at 10,000 Birds span the globe, but I am particularly interested in the lists for the United States, as that is my “beat.” Citizens), it would do well, with 107 species.

Rhode Island 114

Rhode Island United States West Virginia Puerto Rico 114

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2020

The NYC owls have little to do with the book in front of me except that it too is about birds and people. The 26 essays in When Birds Are Near are all about the real-life and emotional spaces where people overlap with birds. The essays range widely in place, bird, and voice, though the emphasis is on the North American.

New York City 206

New York City Birds Owls Fox 206

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 264

Wildlife Maryland San Francisco Minnesota 264

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. is going to have to go to Michigan or Wisconsin. Here are some U.S.

Albatross 221

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 221

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 28, 2015

This being a life bird for me I had no choice but to take the drive. During the 1980s, the Pacific Coast Population swans became the source of eggs for several restoration programs in Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Iowa 2. The good news is that these majestic birds have been increasing in numbers every year!

North America 177

North America Iowa Wisconsin America 177

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2011

What could motivate gunmen (I cannot call them hunters) in two states to deliberately kill North America’s tallest and most critically endangered bird? It may be as sick as deliberately targeting an endangered species for death. No one who witnesses a morning rise of sandhill cranes can fail to be moved by the magic of these birds.

2011 244

2011 Hunting Kentucky Hunters 244

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 16, 2017

I watch birds pretty much all the time. This may come as a surprise to folks who keep their birding casual, or who limit their watching to a backyard feeder. I watch birds all the time and I can’t help it. I never stop birding no matter where I am, Costa Rica included.

Costa Rica 182

Costa Rica Solomon Islands Wisconsin Farming 182

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

It is the 100th Anniversary of the extinction of the species known as the Passenger Pigeon and writers are paying attention. And, when you think about it, it is pretty remarkable that anything new can still be said about the bird. We have a lot of source material. “Winter Sports in Northern Louisiana: Shooting Wild Pigeons.”

2014 162

2014 Killing Michigan Kentucky 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2014

Every western dove and flycatcher that turns up along our wind-swept coast came there from somewhere; every alcid that somehow makes it to Wisconsin likewise, but in reverse. Desperate birds notoriously take desperate measures. Expected, but still lovely native species that liven up our urban spaces.

Feral Cats 167

Feral Cats Wisconsin Feral Cats 167

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 15, 2022

Apparently, there is a traditional Chinese saying that seeing one pheasant in the wild is better than seeing ten other birds. Of course, this is nonsense – pheasants are probably among the most overrated of all birds. The name of the bird apparently comes from the color of its tail feathers. The pimps of the avian world.

Rhode Island 147

Rhode Island Research South Dakota North Dakota 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2022

A while back, I wrote several guest posts for 10,000 Birds and Mike and Corey asked if I wanted a regular monthly space. Another observation is that researchers are generous with their time and respond to inquiries about their research, even by birding bloggers. Bird researchers are good people! Somehow, that was five years ago.

Puerto Rico 185

Puerto Rico California Condor Virgin Islands Laws 185

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2022

A while back, I wrote several guest posts for 10,000 Birds and Mike and Corey asked if I wanted a regular monthly space. Another observation is that researchers are generous with their time and respond to inquiries about their research, even by birding bloggers. Bird researchers are good people! Somehow, that was five years ago.

Puerto Rico 130

Puerto Rico California Condor Virgin Islands Laws 130

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2019

Gingerbread birds: Speculaas cookies are prepared in the Low Countries to celebrate Saint Nicholas (Sinterklaas) on December 6th. There’s no doubt that the ancestry of Æppeltreow’s Sparrow Spiced Cider can be traced to the mulled drinks of the Middle Ages, but the identity of the bird on the label is more uncertain.

Sparrows 147

Sparrows France Asia Europe 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2018

In 1850, the Passenger Pigeon ( Ectopistes migratorius ) was the most abundant bird in North America and possibly the world. According to Stanley Temple, a professor emeritus of conservation at the University of Wisconsin, “the extinction was part of the motivation for the birth of modern 20th century conservation.”

Hunting 118

Hunting Hunters Gorillas Wolves 118

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2018

Birders have been encouraged by the American Birding Association and others to buy Federal Duck Stamps. The argument is straightforward: birders (and others, including hunters) buy stamps and the federal government turns around and obtains important bird habitat. In June, the 2018-2019 Federal Duck Stamp was released. And the U.S.

Ducks 203

Ducks Wildlife Texas Hawaii 203