10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2012

Ourselves, for instance; just consider how many sweet or gritty stories you’ve seen about Olympic athletes’ family backgrounds over the last few weeks. We’re going to look at its family tree today, at where it fits in the grand avian assemblage, at what makes it at once unique yet not so alone after all. But not all.

Family 177

Family Guatemala Stray Groups 177

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

The Latin species name is dissimilis (different, unlike), possibly because the female looks quite different from the male (though based on that explanation, dissimilis would have to be a very common species name). The male Grey-winged Blackbird is similarly attractive. A nice example is the male Black-breasted Thrush.

Horses 196

Horses Family Blackbirds Species 196

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 18, 2019

But North Coast also makes a bird-themed beer, Le Merle, an interpretation of a Belgian, farmhouse-style saison with a name borrowed from the French word for the Common (Eurasian) Blackbird ( Turdus merula ). Birds and Booze readers may remember another saison originally named for le merle that we looked at about a year ago.

Blackbirds 102

Blackbirds California Family Birds 102

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

An associated issue is that the Belize and Costa Rica guides share many of the same descriptions of species, written by Howell. Similarly, descriptions of species repeated across volumes do not lose their accuracy with each publication. Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed. Why are these issues?

Costa Rica 216

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 216

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2018

But the name of this beer had nothing to do with “Sixteen Tons” of coal, or “Okies” from Muskogee, but birds: merle is also the French word for “blackbird”. And, of course, by blackbirds I mean true thrushes of the family Turdidae , of which the Common (Eurasian) Blackbird ( Turdus merula ) is the most famous in European culture and folklore.

Blackbirds 113

Blackbirds Belgium Colorado Wounded 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2021

And many of these species are also strikingly beautiful. Yellow-winged Caciques , showy members of the Blackbird/New World Oriole family, are always conspicuous residents of the region. In an already endemic-rich part of the world, this is where the concentration of endemics is highest. The Hot Country is, well… hot.

Mexico 174

Mexico Blackbirds Sparrows Owls 174

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Some other members of the shrike family were a bit less testosterone-driven at Nanhui – like this Bull-headed Shrike … … this rather attractive-looking Tiger Shrike … … or one of the many Brown Shrikes passing through Nanhui on migration. A juvenile Chinese Blackbird. A happier shrike. ” Hm. .”

Birds 231

Birds LACS France Japan 231

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2019

As is typical of urban birding in Costa Rica, we had small flocks of this species fly over and good looks at the White-crowned Parrot , the other most common parrot in the valley. But, they still occur, the most common species being Black Vulture , Turkey Vulture , Gray Hawk , Short-tailed Hawk , and Yellow-headed and Crested Caracaras.

Costa Rica 196

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Sparrows 196

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

I am shocked to be writing this post already, and doubly shocked that I’ve seen six new species for Queens since I guessed what my next five Queens birds would be just eight months ago, back in March. Eastern Whip-Poor-Will : It’s kind of amazing how rarely this species is reported in Queens. I’ll make it three!

New York City 151

New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 151

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2015

However, there are those species which have a hard time bringing attention to themselves such as Yellow-shouldered Blackbird , Giant Nuthatch , and Vinaceous-breasted Parrot. Regardless of their popularity, these species and the threatened ecosystems they inhabit are equally spectacular. Curassows are such stately birds.

Brazil 215

Brazil California Condor Parrots Texas 215

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 5, 2012

But I have been sick with different kinds and forms of cold since the beginning of December with no interruption, and so has my entire family. A short summary of events described in this former blog post of mine: We are talking about the thrush called Eurasian Blackbird Turdus merula , not the American Icterids. I honestly did.

Germany 160

Germany Blackbirds 2006 Denmark 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2020

Over the years birding Willow Lake I had added nearly eighty eBird checklists at the preserve and netted myself 127 species, good for number two on the eBird hotspot list. Since the pandemic I’ve added one new species to my personal list for Willow Lake Preserve, a Field Sparrow.

Bald Eagle 186

Bald Eagle New York City Birds New York 186

10,000 Birds

JUNE 2, 2015

I’m happy to say that Laura Erickson and Marie Read have written a book, Into the Nest: Intimate Views of the Courting, Parenting, and Family Lives of Familiar Birds , that is not too cute and that does not anthropomorphize. Some chapters focus on one species (Yellow Warbler), some on several related species (Chickadees and Nuthatches).

Eggs 263

Eggs Family 2006 New York 263

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2011

It sheltered him, it haunted him, and it set his thoughts adrift, to the warmth of spring and the family he had. But something happened, and it happened many times: Something has been killing our Blackbirds. The problem is that Blackbirds are incredibly common in suburban and even urban areas of Germany. All were long gone.

Blackbirds 154

Blackbirds Germany Shelters Rodents 154

10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2020

That’s pretty amazing–Bolivia has more bird species than India! The source of this ranking, BirdLife International, lists Bolivia as currently having 1,439 bird species, including 18 breeding endemics. The guide covers 1,433 species, the number of birds documented at the end of 2014, the cutoff point for the book.

Bolivia 174

Bolivia Birds Brazil Switzerland 174

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2013

states and thirty-seven counties, and added a whopping ninety-two species to my life list. I didn’t travel much this year, with a June family trip to California and Nevada and a four-day trip in July to Trinidad and Tobago being my only opportunities to get birds not in the northeastern United States. Red-breasted Blackbird.

2013 174

2013 New York City New York Trinidad 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 20, 2019

I haven’t yet been birding in Europe but whenever I occasionally skim a field guide about the birds on the other side of the Atlantic, I’m always encouraged to find that I’m already familiar with many species found over there, even though most of my birding experience has been limited to eastern North America. I remember the talking (Song?)

2017 117

2017 Portugal Rabbits Europe 117

10,000 Birds

JULY 25, 2018

Out near the tidal flats that make up a good portion of this refuge, there were plenty of Red-winged Blackbirds. Today, I saw a handful of Mallards , two Common Mergansers, and a Wood Duck Family. For those of you following along on my “ Little Big Year” the numbers are as follows: Little Big Year species – 814.

New Zealand 113

New Zealand Seattle Qatar South Africa 113

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2012

Most bird species cannot live by black oil sunflower seed alone. One of my all time favorite bird feeding moments involved a Blue Jay family. Another time to consider taking your feeders down for a limited time is if you get a blackbird takeover when their young leave the nest.

Blackbirds 227

Blackbirds Birds Baltimore Breeding 227

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 10, 2012

I’ve always been rather fascinated by trans-Atlantic bird families, perhaps because of growing up with copious mentions of British birds in my children’s books.

Blackbirds 165

Blackbirds Adoptable Humane Family 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2019

If a list also shows the status for each species, birders on their way to Costa Rica would realize that they shouldn’t really expect vireos with white eyes nor blue heads (but would hopefully know that they should very much report those species on eBird so local birders can chase them!). Toucan species with new names.

Costa Rica 200

Costa Rica Birds Owls South America 200

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2014

It’s not like I had forgotten lists created with friends of ‘songs with birds in the lyrics’, my personal favorites being Sondheim’s Green Finch and Linnet Bird and the Beatles’ Blackbird. It’s relatively easy to classify birds into family groups based on physical characteristics. As they say, the relationship is complicated.

Birds 215

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 215

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2015

An American Redstart sang half-heartedly, a Ring-necked Pheasant ran from me, and Gray Catbirds , Red-winged Blackbirds , and American Robins were everywhere. I saw a Willow Flycatcher , several Northern Mockingbirds , and a bunch of Yellow Warblers. fledgling House Wren seemingly fascinated by my digiscoping rig.

New York City 165

New York City New York Blackbirds Collecting 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2014

I spent this past weekend in Saugerties at my folks’ house in order to look for Easter eggs, let Desi enjoy time with his cousins, and generally have a good ol’ time with family. I had no luck with the rails or bitterns but I did manage to see quite a few species, including some that were very cooperative.

New York 172

New York Birds Ducks Blackbirds 172

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 13, 2011

We had a blast, the family and I, and experienced some amazing natural places, to say nothing of the fine city of Seattle. To go by the numbers, I saw 79 species of bird while in Washington (150 county ticks), 21 of which were year birds and 8 of which were lifers. Here I am, back from my first ever visit to the Pacific Northwest.

Seattle 179

Seattle Washington Chickens Blackbirds 179

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2012

SUPER STARLINGS Tanzania plays host to a wide variety of Starlings, over twenty species in fact. This is the Ruppell’s Long-tailed Starling , a glimmering blue-black bird with a creamy white eye, reminiscent of the Brewers Blackbird but comparatively a little more scarce. It is a showstopper, and for many, a car-stopper.

Tanzania 177

Tanzania Chickens Blackbirds California 177

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2018

Taking advantage of my son, Desmond, having this past Friday off from school our small family decided to do a three-day trip somewhere. Great Kiskadees , White-winged Doves , and, above all, Great-tailed Grackles were the species that couldn’t be missed. Nonetheless, it was nice to see a second endemic species. …

Family 100

Family Monkeys Deer Pelicans 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2013

Flocks of Bushtits made their noisy way through the bushes and a large number of Yellow-headed Blackbirds , which easily increased by ten-fold the number of Yellow-headed Blackbirds I had ever seen, flushed from one reed-bed to another. Later in the season more species show up.

Las Vegas 204

Las Vegas Nevada Birds Blackbirds 204

10,000 Birds

JUNE 27, 2017

From Florida to Maine and back again I toured urban forests, marshes, estuaries, and more, stopping along the way to visit family and friends. Osprey and Royal Terns soared on the coastal winds overhead, and Red-winged Blackbirds sounded their raspy calls just about everywhere. A strong sense of nostalgia washed over me.

Virginia 100

Virginia Branding 2013 Blackbirds 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

I will provide some much greater coverage of my trip, and the species that I was able to photograph in the next couple of weeks, but one of the most exciting birds for me, was found during my stop-over at Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge. These secretive little marsh birds are rarely found out in the open, like most of the rail family.

Oregon 100

Oregon Birds Montana California 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

After writing this last sentence, I looked up the species in the HBW and found the sentence “Song poorly documented” in the appropriate section, while with regard to calls, the description is that “call is a two-note raspy nasal ‘ryeeh-reh’”. These birds have too much taste.

Singapore 147

Singapore Mountain Goats Birds Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

We saw sparrows–a total of 14 species–and we saw many other great prairie birds, and we often saw them perched on posts. Brewer’s Blackbirds often joined the hordes of Red-winged Blackbirds flitting in and out of the taller grasses and few shrubs. back to the birds.

North Dakota 140

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 140

10,000 Birds

JULY 19, 2011

For 13 years now, friends and family have been gathering in an undisclosed corner of Potter County, Pennsylvania during the third weekend of July to create a glorious giant chicken of wood, straw, and gunpowder only to burn it. See why we keep the location undisclosed?

Chickens 174

Chickens 2011 Pennsylvania Birds 174

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2022

The Black-crowned Night Heron is a member of the heron family. The Chinese Blackbird is among the most common birds in our compound. This is often the case in birds – for the young birds, it is more important to be invisible than to impress the other birds of the same species. The juveniles look spottier and are mostly brown.

Birds 162

Birds Fish Germany China 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

I like observing them, reading about them, grappling with species and subspecies identification, and even—on a good day—talking about sparrow taxonomy. Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows of North America covers 61 species of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae that breed in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.

North America 149

North America Sparrows America United States 149

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2015

However, there are a few stand out sites here and there that are significantly better for species like Jabiru, Lance-tailed Manakin, and Nicaraguan Grackle to name a few. BUT, we did see lots of other nice birds, most of them bonus species tough to see elsewhere in Costa Rica. We had several Least Bitterns. This ain’t the wren.

Costa Rica 175

Costa Rica Chile Nicaragua San Jose 175

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Located about 20 miles from Lakeview, Oregon, and sitting at an elevation of 5100 feet, this 208 acre lake is home to many species of fish, including Largemouth Bass, Crappie and Bluegill. This is one of several families of Western Grebes stayed out in the middle of the lake all day. Lets see what fun species I can find over there?

Dogs 103

Dogs Mules Deer Oregon 103