10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2017

In early August this year, I saw 77 species here (69 on the lake, plus 8 more in the surrounding areas) but barely more than a thousand individuals. There was a Short-toed Eagle ahead, taking flight to be replaced by another ST Eagle. A few Lesser Kestrels by the dyke wall, then a Black-eared Wheatear at some cattle fencing.

Greece 205

Greece Killing Pelicans Eagles 205

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2020

The 83 checklists submitted during July contained 459 species. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla. Eurasian Blackbird – Turdus merula. Chinese Blackbird – Turdus mandarinus. Wood Duck – Aix sponsa.

2020 160

2020 Sparrows Blackbirds Woodpeckers 160

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2021

My birding list for November totals 15 species. Thank goodness that the rest of the beats have been busily birding,that’s what they like to do… 9 of them submitted 114 checklists via eBird and amassed 525 species from 7 (China, Australia, Mexico, Costa Rica, UK, Serbia and USA) countries during November.

Sparrows 230

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Costa Rica 230

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2021

They birded 7 countries during August and recorded 542 species. The year list remains sluggish at 1489 , but the life list received a boost from the eBird taxonomy reshuffle and now includes 4076 species. Stay vigilant and safe. 10 of the beats have submitted 124 checklists which are collated below for your perusal.

Woodpeckers 225

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds California 225

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2020

149 checklists were submitted, accounting for 465 species. Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis). Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus). White-tailed Eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). Eurasian Blackbird (Turdus merula). Chinese Blackbird (Turdus mandarinus). Red-winged Blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus).

2020 156

2020 Sparrows Niger Woodpeckers 156

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2022

8 of them sent 153 lists, noting 645 species of bird across 7 countries (Mexico, UK, USA, Serbia, Australia, Costa Rica, Colombia). It has not resulted in extraordinary numbers of sightings personally, but the beats have been busy on their respective patches and have sent me their lists to collate. The year list finishes at 1628.

Sparrows 254

Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots Owls 254

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2021

The year list ends on a provisional 1803 species from 1608 checklists submitted by 12 beats from 16 countries. Most species-prolific was Patrick in Costa Rica, followed by Paul from Mexico. December’s beats found 609 birds after submitting 116 checklists from 8 countries (USA, UK, Costa Rica, China, Mexico, Serbia and Australia).

2020 247

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Parrots 247

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2021

11 beats have been out this month and have submitted 136 checklists from 7 countries ticking 634 species. 189 Black Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus tyrannus. 251 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 308 Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. 346 White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla.

Woodpeckers 230

Woodpeckers Sparrows Parrots Blackbirds 230

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 16, 2021

We have nearly 930 species on the official list and with some effort, 700 in a year is a feasible goal. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis; San Joaquin de Heredia, 1-Jan. Black Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus tyrannus; Tirimbina, 9-Jan. Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus; Tirimbina, 9-Jan.

Costa Rica 171

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 171

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2021

Our brave beats have been putting themselves at risk for your vicarious listing pleasure and 10 of them submitted 151 checklists for 692 species, 2 of which made it onto the life list. Please be careful, Corvid is still out there. Marsh Grassbird and Rufous-faced Warbler come to you all the way from China and bring the life list to 4061.

Sparrows 164

Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds Ducks 164

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2021

9 beats from 8 countries (Australia, USA, UK, Serbia, Costa Rica, China, Trinidad and Tobago and Mexico), shared 138 checklists for 703 species. The year list to date is 1015 species and 7 have been added to the life list ( 4059 ) from Costa Rica, China and Trinidad and Tobago. 201 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.

Woodpeckers 203

Woodpeckers Sparrows Ducks Parrots 203

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2020

They contributed 150 lists accounting for 1032 species and more than 36,000 individual birds. Thus 100 species were missed by the time he woke up and noticed that eBird had reset the counters at midnight(do you guys have nothing better to do?). Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Banded Snake-Eagle – Circaetus cinerascens.

2019 190

2019 Chile Texas Sanctuary 190

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2018

The pressure is on if you can only get certain species during the first month of the year but if you just want to add any old birds to the year list, everything is fresh! Since I’m in no big hurry to reach any number of species in 2018, my year birding is going to be a fresh one hopefully touched with a good dose of Zen.

Costa Rica 175

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 175

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2024

There was a large raft of hundreds of American Coot , an American White Pelican and lots of duck species. We checked out the shrubs for songbirds while returning to the car and were rewarded with a displaying Red-winged Blackbird. We then checked the Presa El Nogalito for one bird species in particular. The birds warmed us too.

Ducks 170

Ducks Emotional Cattle Owls 170

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2019

172 lists were shared and 1004 species were seen, both records for October, so well done beats! Rusty Blackbird – Euphagus carolinus. Black Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus tyrannus. Ankeny NWR–Eagle Marsh. Ornate Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus ornatus. Martial Eagle – Polemaetus bellicosus.

2019 126

2019 China Battery Jamaica 126

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 3, 2019

They accounted for 562 species at this sluggish time of year. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Golden Eagle – Aquila chrysaetos. Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Eurasian Blackbird – Turdus merula. Yellow-headed Blackbird – Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus. Lago de Cuitzeo.

2019 123

2019 Sparrows Woodpeckers Idaho 123

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2021

9 beats submitted 172 checklists from 7 countries (UK, USA, Costa Rica, Australia, Serbia, China and Trinidad and Tobago) for 640 species. The list for the year has reached 1276 and the life list has been stretched to 4066 with red ticks from China, Australia and Trinidad and Tobago, thanks to Kai, Claire and Grant and Faraaz respectively.

Woodpeckers 158

Woodpeckers Sparrows Blackbirds Ducks 158

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2016

Back in Costa Rica, walks through coffee and fields near the house, and a few other day trips have upped the list to 250 species. The year has just started, there are hundreds of other bird species to look for, I wonder if I can reach 700 species for Costa Rica by December 31st? White-eyed Vireo! .

Costa Rica 102

Costa Rica 2016 San Antonio Sparrows 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2019

beats have still managed to share 82 checklists and accounted for 737 species. Red-winged Blackbird – Agelaius phoeniceus. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Melodious Blackbird – Dives dives. Bonelli’s Eagle – Aquila fasciata. Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Nea Skioni.

2019 125

2019 Jamaica Eggs Woodpeckers 125

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2020

They noted 719 species between them. 217 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 239 Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. 240 White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla. 525 Eurasian Blackbird – Turdus merula. 603 Yellow-headed Blackbird – Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus.

2020 297

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds 297

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2020

At time of writing (usually a couple of days early to avoid the deadline panic), UK is fielding 63 species. 102 Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. 118 Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. 251 Eurasian Blackbird – Turdus merula. 253 Chinese Blackbird – Turdus mandarinus.

2020 166

2020 Costa Rica Blackbirds Sparrows 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 5, 2020

“Birding Over Time” compares the number of species recorded over a month with that month from previous years. Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Yellow-hooded Blackbird – Chrysomus icterocephalus. Eurasian Blackbird – Turdus merula. Ornate Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus ornatus.

2020 152

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Blackbirds 152

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 20, 2015

The warm, sunny climate beckons a wide variety of passerines, raptors, and shorebirds to spend the winter, inflating the species diversity to the extent that Miami-Dade can go toe-to-toe with counties in Texas and Arizona during this season. Can we hit 200 ABA-countable species in four days next year? Cattle Egret: 133.

Miami 171

Miami 2015 United States Birds 171

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 26, 2020

These include Little Corellas , Red Wattlebirds , Little Wattlebirds , Common Mynas , Common Blackbirds , Galahs , Australian Magpies , Superb Fairy-wrens , Grey Fantails , Crimson Rosellas and Red-browed Finch. Two Australian Magpies had discovered a Wedge-tailed Eagle roosting at the top of a very tall tree. Wedge-tailed Eagle.

Buffalo 171

Buffalo Fish Koalas Cattle 171

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 6, 2021

The beats are famed for their inclusion on the nice side of the ledger and this month 9 of them shared 163 lists from 7 countries (Australia, Costa Rica, USA, UK, Serbia, China and Trinidad and Tobago) and accounted for 735 bird species. Mike doubled up with “smushed”, a new addition to the adjective list.

Sparrows 208

Sparrows Woodpeckers Ducks Parrots 208

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2021

The year list ends on a provisional (some beats will be birding ’til the final whistle to try and salvage a ravaged year) 1803 species from 1602 checklists submitted by 12 beats from 16 countries. Imagine that, 13 lists per year where once there were only 12.

2020 241

2020 Sparrows Woodpeckers Ducks 241

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2019

Whatever it was, Corey was found at his keyboard 2 hours later, covered in blood and snot and sporting a cut lip, having announced that he and Mike would rescue the failing list by taking personal responsibility for adding 300 species. Short-toed Snake-Eagle – Circaetus gallicus. Martial Eagle – Polemaetus bellicosus.

2019 146

2019 Farming Sparrows Charlotte 146

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 1, 2020

This shows the top birders, by species or checklists submitted. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Wedge-tailed Eagle – Aquila audax. Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. White-tailed Eagle – Haliaeetus albicilla. White-bellied Sea-Eagle – Haliaeetus leucogaster. Lago de Cuitzeo.

2020 166

2020 Wildlife Reserve Tigers Wildlife 166

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2019

In publishing the most current thinking, eBird have become the month’s biggest contributor to the life list, expanding it by 7 brand new species and pushing it to 3774. 7 species were added to the life list in the time-honoured fashion of actually identifying the birds in the field. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.

2019 120

2019 Arizona Ghana Tucson 120

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2019

978 species were tallied this month from 163 checklists. Only 123 species appear on both sides of the life list. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Crested Serpent-Eagle – Spilornis cheela. Short-toed Snake-Eagle – Circaetus gallicus. Changeable Hawk-Eagle – Nisaetus limnaeetus.

2019 113

2019 Ghana Australia Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 4, 2017

Last year they shared over 1200 checklists and managed to achieve a stunning total of 2647 species from 32 countries. Last year’s magnificent total of 2647 species is the target to beat, but other results could prove interesting. 1499 species were seen in the eastern hemisphere in 2016. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis.

2017 100

2017 Australia Sanctuary Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2019

The engaged and generous beats ( 10 of them) have shared 188 checklists during January and have accounted for 859 species from 8 countries (USA, Australia, Costa Rica, Brazil, Argentina, UK, New Zealand and Serbia. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Greater Spotted Eagle – Clanga clanga. Alphabetic Taxonomic.

2019 113

2019 Australia Jamaica Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2019

April was a busy time for the beats with 10 of them contributing 164 lists to accumulate 744 species from 7 countries; Costa Rica, USA, Australia, Serbia, UK, Brazil and Barbados. White-bellied Sea-Eagle – Haliaeetus leucogaster. Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. Eurasian Blackbird – Turdus merula.

2019 113

2019 Australia Ghana Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2018

They found 673 species and advanced the yearly total to 1019. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Black Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus tyrannus. Ornate Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus ornatus. Greater Spotted Eagle – Clanga clanga. Wedge-tailed Eagle – Aquila audax. El Centenario Tidal Flats.

2018 100

2018 Australia Los Angeles Albatross 100

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

In reverse order, the medals were awarded for “most species seen in a country”, to Australia with 420, USA got the silver, scoring 556 while the runaway winner was Costa Rica with 646 species. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Crested Serpent-Eagle – Spilornis cheela. El Centenario Tidal Flats.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2018

During October, 7 countries (Costa Rica, Australia, USA, India, Hong Kong, UK, Serbia) were birded by 11 beats who shared 135 checklists and noted 697 species. Black Eagle – Ictinaetus malaiensis. Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle – Nisaetus alboniger. Crested Serpent-Eagle – Spilornis cheela. 16 Jun 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2018

They noted 598 species as a team, bringing the year total to 2118 and pushing the life list to 3555. Black Eagle – Ictinaetus malaiensis. Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle – Nisaetus alboniger. Crested Serpent-Eagle – Spilornis cheela. Ayres’s Hawk-Eagle – Hieraaetus ayresii. 16 Jun 2018.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 113