10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota. Some birds breed in flocks, at least in part to avoid predation. These Black-legged and Red-legged Kittiwakes only need to fear gulls and Peregrine Falcons , although bad weather and erosion do take their toll on nests.

North Dakota 166

North Dakota LACS Oakland Falcons 166

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2023

A boat ride into this swamp turns up usual suspects like Pied Water Tyrant and Yellow-hooded Blackbird , but also (and most excitingly) three species of kingfisher: Green, American Pygmy and Ringed Kingfisher. I spun around just in time to catch a hulking Peregrine Falcon rocketing by.

Trinidad 29

Trinidad Falcons Primates Monkeys 29

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2014

Ferruginous Hawks breed in the grasslands of eastern Montana, but they are rare in the mountains and in winter, so this bird was certainly a surprise. A second Prairie Falcon just up the road – this one a young male – gave even better, closer looks. Images courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bald Eagle 188

Bald Eagle Falcons Geese Montana 188

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

I was fortunate to rack up a number of lifers in 2013, both at home and abroad ( Varied Thrush in Washington, Brewer’s Blackbirds in California, Burrowing Owl in the Nevada desert). My fiance and I drove nearly two hours to the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in rural Indiana to watch them come in for the evening.

2013 168

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 168