10,000 Birds

AUGUST 5, 2020

Scores of Black-bellied Whistling Ducks circled overhead, these vocal ducks are often hunted illegally here so it was refreshing to see so many. Red-breasted Meadowlarks controlled the drier sections while Yellow-hooded Blackbirds occupied the more flooded areas. We had no idea if the nighthawks would hunker down or flee.

Livestock 202

Livestock Ducks ALA illegal 202

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

At some stage, a salmon-hunting bear at a shingle beach came too close, mere 9 steps. Brewer’s blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus. Red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus. Now, you should know Lucky, he’s no taller than my wife, who is of average height for a woman, and that bear was at least 4-5 times heavier than him.

Animal 114

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 114

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

The Eurasian Blackbird was not found in new Zealand before man, but it is now. Secondly, New Zealand had already experienced on wave of extinction due to the introduction or rats and human hunting. To Victorian eyes the fauna and flora of New Zealand was strange, both in appearance and in its apparent paucity.

New Zealand 161

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 161

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

It was actively hunting the grassy slopes and barely paid me any attention as I tried to figure out how to get as close as possible without changing its behavior. It was thrilling to watch her navigate the park, deal with mobbing Brewer’s Blackbirds , Common Ravens , and Western Scrub Jays.

San Francisco 212

San Francisco Gophers Hunting Blackbirds 212

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2018

Of course, Lema Ranch is one of the locations of my bluebird trails, so I found several Western Bluebirds , including this female intensely hunting ground dwelling insects. There were Black Phoebes hawking insects around the ponds … Ruby-crowned Kinglets foraging in the trees… and a male Bushtit collecting nesting material.

2018 100

2018 Bald Eagle Woodpeckers Turkey 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2012

The Red-winged Blackbirds that were busy staking claims to breeding territory by singing from bushes, trees, and marsh plants were not groggy at all. But Red-winged Blackbirds weren’t the only birds that returned in numbers. But Red-winged Blackbirds weren’t the only birds that returned in numbers.

New York 162

New York Honduras Jamaica Geese 162

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. We worship birds, we hunt birds, we protect birds, and, yes, we eat birds. As they say, the relationship is complicated.

Birds 204

Birds Egypt Family Eagles 204

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2011

Duck MigrationSandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?!Avian Share Your Thoughts « Sandhill Crane Hunt in Kentucky?! • Explore These Related Posts First Phoebe of 2011 Male Ruddy Ducks Oxyura jamaicensis in Basic Plumage Pipits and the Sweet Smell of Seaweed Tree Swallows Return, It Must Be Spring Stalking a Kiwi Icon.Or

Ducks 168

Ducks 2011 Jamaica New York 168

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

Lest you think that modern technology robbed all the challenge from my hunt, though, I would point out that there were a couple of confounding factors. Red-winged Blackbirds and Starlings around the Arch were panting and flocking to the water features like Saharan castaways.

Sparrows 163

Sparrows St. Louis Kansas City Kansas 163

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2022

The various national versions of Ducks Unlimited are mostly an outgrowth of sports hunting. I was very pleased to see several Brewer’s Blackbirds mixed in with a large group of Brown-headed Cowbirds and Yellow-headed Blackbirds. Bronzed Cowbirds may look like those Brewer’s Blackbirds.

Pelicans 205

Pelicans Blackbirds Ducks Hunting 205

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 15, 2023

A hen Chaffinch in contemplative mood Robin s can never resist free food Blackbirds have a very sexist name, for only the male is black Needless to say, no Willow Tit came to the food, and most of the other customers were birds that I see daily in my garden: Blackbirds, Chaffinches and the odd Dunnock.

Barn Owls 201

Barn Owls Japan Rats Owls 201

10,000 Birds

MARCH 27, 2017

I was not happy to learn that after spending most of the afternoon flying from perch to perch and actively hunting the owl had disappeared into some evergreens twenty minutes earlier. A couple of Red-winged Blackbirds , some Common Ravens , a flyover Pileated Woodpecker. Why did we stop for lunch!?!?!)

New York 101

New York Owls Beavers Puerto Rico 101

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 19, 2017

Like many “wildlife areas” it is open to waterfowl hunting during the season. We stopped at the entrance to the wildlife area (see the sign above) where there is a small kiosk with bird lists and hunting regulations as well as maps of the facility.

Wildlife 100

Wildlife Chipmunks Sparrows Blackbirds 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2016

It’s the boar hunting season. The beech forests were dense, landscapes stunning, only that wind… Birds were hiding from it, too, with mostly t**s ( Coal , Long-tailed and Great ), a few thrushes ( Mistle , Song and Eurasian Blackbird ) and numerous Common Chaffinches showing. We started from the village at, perhaps 50 m a.s.l.

Greece 247

Greece Woodpeckers Boars Eagles 247

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2019

I don’t know which bird won but only one came back and continued to hunt… …until it was chased off by a Red-winged Blackbird. The attacked bird kept heading up after the attacker and they eventually flew out of sight. You may see nothing terribly interesting but you can also see a tern battle!

Ducks 113

Ducks United States Blackbirds Hunting 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

American Kestrels, Cooper Hawks , and Northern Harriers also found the hunting here to their liking. I counted about 600 of them, along with a few Red-wing Blackbirds and about 50-75 Yellow-headed Blackbirds. It got to within about 15 yards, calmly hunting for breakfast as it came.

Albuquerque 120

Albuquerque New Mexico Mexico Sparrows 120

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 19, 2020

Last weekend I wasn’t on the hunt for any species in particular though. A Pinnated Bittern gets escorted to another hiding place by a squadron of Yellow-hooded Blackbirds. Their mysterious nature piqued my interest and it’s never waned since. It was a gray morning but the field was abuzz with activity.

Trinidad 173

Trinidad South America Blackbirds Industry 173

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2011

Outside of the Cinclus , Ouzel is also a common name sometimes applied to a variety of Turdus thrushes including the Common Blackbird of Europe, so the literal meaning of the name is “Water Thrush&#. But it sounds so much more sophisticated to say Ouzel.

Hunters 178

Hunters Falcons Ducks Montana 178

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2017

Perhaps most exciting was a Northern Goshawk that we spotted hunting along the river a couple of times. Eurasian Blackbirds were by far the most common thrush though we did see the occasional Mistle Thrush. Instead of the mountains we did another walk along the river and into Innsbrucker Hofgarten.

Austria 100

Austria Europe Birds United States 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 1, 2012

A fine adult male Goshawk where you scarcely ever see it – perched on reeds after an unsuccessful waterfowl hunt As a purely “recreational” birder, who only writes down what is personally interesting, the sum would be 30, or 1.6% of the individuals present at the time of my visit.

Germany 176

Germany Birds Ducks Woodpeckers 176

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 15, 2017

Even the car park was busy with Common Blackbirds, European Goldfinch, Goldcrests and European Robins. . It was hunting season and the men appeared to be mostly targeting the Eurasian Wigeon. Ruddy Turnstone, Grey Plover, Common Redshank and Common Greenshank fed along the edge of the causeway at low tide. Eurasian Curlew.

Seals 100

Seals Geese 2017 Ducks 100

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). Meredith enjoyed her first sighting of an awesome migration spectacle. She blogged about it here.

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167

10,000 Birds

MAY 1, 2023

To be honest, both the robin and the flycatchers shown above remind me of the easter eggs I hunted for as a child – the same strong colors in front of a green background, same time of the year (feel free to insert your own Proust Madeleine reference here) … Bluethroats apparently are good at imitating other birds.

Monkeys 147

Monkeys Birds South Korea Owls 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2023

After not even an hour in position, I noticed a flycatcher hunting about twenty metres away. From Masked Yellowthroat and Yellow-chinned Spinetail to Yellow-hooded Blackbird and Yellow Oriole , we chuckled consistently at the preponderance of yellow in the marsh.

Trinidad 212

Trinidad Bats 2020 Sanctuary 212

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 10, 2014

This fish hunting duck ranges from the northern tip of New Zealand to the sub-Antarctic Auckland Islands (after which it was first named) but is common nowhere. Here we’ll find New Zealand’s only thrush, the Grey-headed Blackbird , it’s only cuckoo-shrike, the Norfolk Triller , and its only starling, the Norfolk Starling.

New Zealand 193

New Zealand Ducks Australia Mountain Goats 193

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2011

Unfortunately, flood conditions had washed out many of the edges and reed beds where I would have hoped to see Gadwalls and Goldeneyes , Yellow-headed Blackbirds and Wilson’s Phalaropes. I did spot a handful of Blue-winged Teal , and on a fencepost a single Wilson’s Snipe – my second and final lifer of the day.

Rattlesnake 163

Rattlesnake Bald Eagle Mules Mammals 163