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. In the case of these Tricolored Blackbirds , they are formed for DEFENSE. Look carefully and you can pick out some Least Auklets as well.

North Dakota 161

North Dakota LACS Oakland Falcons 161

10,000 Birds

MARCH 29, 2012

Photographed at Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, MT. Barf at blackbirds. Photographed at Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge, ND. Photographed at Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, ND. Medicine Lake National Wildlife Refuge, MT. See, it’s not so scary! Birders are a timid bunch. Galled at gulls.

LACS 181

LACS Alaska Wildlife Connecticut 181

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

A bit beyond the basics but still fundamental are chapters on bird feeding consequences and problems (squirrels and raccoons, too many blackbirds, hawks and cats, woodpecker damage, window strikes, extreme weather, and bird feeding in special situations, including retirement centers, condos, and apartments. million individuals in the U.S.

Birds 166

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 166

10,000 Birds

JULY 30, 2014

Yellow-billed Magpies are found just inland, and Tricolored Blackbirds can be found on Point Reyes (a legendary migrant trap) by the thousand in the fall. Modoc National Wildlife Refuge, CA. Gull-billed Terns breed in south San Diego Bay, along with Black Skimmers and several other tern species. Good gulling in winter.

California 193

California San Diego Birds Oakland 193

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2012

The boys knew what Owls looked like, they saw Screech Owls (and Barred and Great Horned Owls) at a local wildlife park, and we photographed Burrowing Owl families every year at Brian Piccolo Park. I have decided that the bird is an Alpine Chough, a red-billed blackbird that breeds in the Swiss Alps.

Birds 205

Birds Owls Switzerland Lions 205

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. The Nariva Swamp is the largest wetland on Trinidad, giving to and taking from the relentless Atlantic Ocean on its eastern boundary.

Trinidad 29

Trinidad Falcons Primates Monkeys 29

10,000 Birds

MARCH 10, 2011

I chanced to glance at a bird perched atop the Oak tree in my back yard, figuring it was one of the Blackbirds or Grackles that had recently returned to my neighborhood. The vast majority of Baltimore Orioles that breed in North America return to the tropics between Mexico and northern South America for the cold half of the year.

North Carolina 140

North Carolina 2011 St. Louis Baltimore 140

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 14, 2017

The current ABA Area also excludes parts of our iconic systems of federal lands, including the National Park System ( e.g. , Virgin Islands NP ), the National Wildlife Refuge System ( e.g. , Culebra , Laguna Cartagena , and Vieques NWRs), and the National Forest System ( e.g. , El Yunque NF ). Fish & Wildlife Service.

Puerto Rico 146

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii United States 146

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. Images courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It sat serenely while we scrambled to set up scopes and get our looks, and only took off as we did so ourselves.

Bald Eagle 169

Bald Eagle Falcons Geese Montana 169

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2011

I was looking out a car window the other day and noticed that of all the wildlife most of it was bird. But it happened at that moment that a lot of what I was looking at was avian in nature: a few crows, some sparrows, blackbirds, and other run of the mill inner-ring suburb fliers and flitterers.

Mammals 172

Mammals Rodents Birds Reptiles 172

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 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167