10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2021

Yellow-winged Caciques , showy members of the Blackbird/New World Oriole family, are always conspicuous residents of the region. A tropical tree called Jocote ( Spondias purpurea ) is in full fruit right now, so almost all of these birds’ ivory bills were dyed a light pink color. And yes, the Caciques are building nests.

Mexico 182

Mexico Blackbirds Sparrows Owls 182

10,000 Birds

MAY 18, 2023

Underneath an arched branch, one familiar bird, a Common Blackbird female… but after a recent split in 2005 by Rasmussen and Anderton, it was elevated to a full species – Indian Blackbird ( Turdus simillimus ). It belongs to the same species as those in Europe, but a smaller subspecies ( Sus scrofa davidi ).

India 147

India Lions Boars Mammals 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2021

After a night at the Point Reyes hostel and a long walk to Limantour Beach the next morning, Katherine and I drove into Point Reyes Station for a breakfast of buttermilk blueberry scones at the excellent Bovine Bakery , where the Brewer’s Blackbirds ( Euphagus cyanocephalus ) outside gathered around us and begged for crumbs.

San Francisco 244

San Francisco 2020 California Blackbirds 244

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 2, 2019

Right at home. In the same low trees, pale lavender colored flowers attracted other species, among them a pair of Melodious Blackbirds that also flicked their tails but in a more pronounced fashion. In typical blackbird fashion, this common garden bird gave occasional, loud, ringing calls. These were. Great Kiskadee.

Costa Rica 182

Costa Rica Barn Owls Stray Dog Blackbirds 182

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2018

Right, smack dad in the middle of Summer Lake Wildlife Refuge. Not another person for miles, and a pair of friendly, well, almost, Great Horned Owls living in the tree right above us. Hundreds of Black-necked Stilts were around the refuge, this group passed right by me on a short morning walk. Now that is a first.

Blackbirds 123

Blackbirds Mules Beavers Wildlife 123

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2019

I have seen this bird right at the Bund waterfront, possibly the most famous tourist spot in all of Shanghai. The Chinese Blackbird was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the Common Blackbird, and does not really look or behave much different. But the way it is, familiarity breeds (relative) contempt.

Germany 133

Germany Cattle Blackbirds Birds 133

10,000 Birds

MAY 24, 2013

Maybe you’ll see a Yellow-headed Blackbird like Meredith did at the Spring Wings Festival ! Much satisfaction in life can be attributed to being in the right place at the right time. If you like your weekends extra long, the United States looks good right about now. Keep your eyes to the skies.

2013 163

2013 United States Blackbirds Birds 163

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 24, 2022

Nor is there any trudging through snow in search of extra hardy species or visits to feeders with the hope of finding a grackle or Red-winged Blackbird that failed to fly south. Yes, we do have warm, tropical weather and a fancy assortment of resident and wintering species. 16 Hummingbird Species. Quite a few hummingbirds were around.

Costa Rica 254

Costa Rica Eagles Species Blackbirds 254

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2021

Other stops revealed more Red-eyed Vireos, additional Scarlet Tanagers, and a few Summer Tanagers but the biggest movements of birds took place right on the coast. How about 500 and then 300 and then another 500 and so on, moving constantly past like some odd version of a winter finch irruption or spring blackbird migration.

Costa Rica 264

Costa Rica Nicaragua Ohio Honduras 264

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2020

I just have to be at the right place at the right time. And then I went and saw six new species so I should have managed to predict at least half of them, right? Yellow-headed Blackbird is a gorgeous bird with a horrible voice. Scissor-tailed Flycatcher : It’s about time one showed up in Queens. Two-for-four.

New York City 153

New York City Birds New York Blackbirds 153

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2020

A Eurasian Blackbird is checking for the remaining maize seeds. A Common Chaffinch is singing, while one male Blackbird chases the other from his precious maize seeds. That is the trickiest moment for him: what if there’s a bear right next to the dirt track? The longer I sit, the more focused I become. The waiting is on.

Serbia 264

Serbia Bears Birds Mammals 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2013

The banner blackbird of most of Mesoamerica as well as much of the southwestern United States is the Great-tailed Grackle. In fact, this aggressive avian ambassador is usually the first bird a visitor encounters, often right outside the airport!

Coyotes 230

Coyotes United States Blackbirds 2009 230

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2018

Flock after flock of blackbirds, ducks, geese, raptors flapping their way north. If you already know the songs of American Robin and Eurasian Blackbird , then you already know what the national bird is doing. If you see some of those birds on a Texas coast, know that many of them flew right through Costa Rica.

Costa Rica 100

Costa Rica Blackbirds Texas Geese 100

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2018

Then, to finish the week, we visited the famous, and not necessarily for all the right reasons, Malhuer Wildlife Refuge. The first part of the week, we parked the RV at a campground right on the water, of Dog Lake, 20 miles southwest of Lakeview, Oregon. I only ran across this one Clark’s Grebe mixed in with in the groups of Westerns.

Oregon 115

Oregon Owls Wildlife Barn Owls 115

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2011

She ate everything from Rock Pigeons to caterpillars, earthworms to Brewer’s Blackbirds, but her staple diet consisted of plump, toothy, charismatic, and abundant Pocket Gophers. During the meal she was mobbed by several blackbirds and an American Robin. Patch was focused and deliberate, consistent and inventive.

Gophers 218

Gophers Blackbirds Tanzania Hunting 218

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2021

Then, I was not sure whether this was the right thing to do. A juvenile Chinese Blackbird. It looked truly terrifying – so terrifying that after taking just a few photos I got out of the car (which they had totally ignored) and walked towards them until they separated. A happier shrike. Oh, to be young and molting again!

Birds 243

Birds LACS France Japan 243

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2014

The three of us were waiting for about an hour at only 2°C, having Great , Eurasian Blue and Coal T**s , Eurasian Nuthatch , Common Blackbird , Goldcrest and Middle Spotted Woodpecker. At the right spot. That afternoon the rain stopped, but the mountain was enveloped in a thick fog, getting ever thicker as one went higher. And we wait.

Serbia 224

Serbia Woodpeckers Europe Blackbirds 224

10,000 Birds

JUNE 6, 2022

The juvenile Chinese Blackbirds get older but still look kind of stupid. Taking the famous statement that Mao was 70% right, 30% wrong (Deng Xiaoping), his decision regarding sparrows certainly falls under the second category. Of course, my least favorite bird is still around – Spotted Dove.

Birds 147

Birds Sparrows China Abandon 147

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2013

Checking out Red-breasted Blackbirds at the Aripo Agricultural Research Station. Really, my entire last day in Trinidad and Tobago should qualify here but I haven’t that full day up so the Red-breasted Blackbirds will stand in. Red-breasted Blackbird. Seriously, go to Trinidad and Tobago right now and see the ibis.

2013 179

2013 New York City New York Trinidad 179

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2018

Not sure that I impressed them, I chose to bluff them and looked left and right for a suitable tree branch to pick. Brewer’s blackbird, Euphagus cyanocephalus. Red-winged blackbird, Agelaius phoeniceus. Finally, the list of birds mentioned in the examples include: Acorn woodpecker, Melanerpes formicivorus.

Animal 115

Animal Bears Stray Dog Blackbirds 115

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2020

I am a birder living in the epicenter of the epicenter of COVID-19 right now. Already in my several walks there recently I’ve enjoyed a juvenile Bald Eagle , hordes of Song Sparrows , an early Common Yellowthroat , a nice Rusty Blackbird , and, most importantly, some moments of calm in a crisis.

Bald Eagle 196

Bald Eagle New York City Birds New York 196

10,000 Birds

APRIL 26, 2013

Day Two: On the second day, I got off to an early start at Ecclesdown Road in the northeast corner of the island, flushing a Crested Quail-Dove right near the beginning. I was beginning to worry about Jamaican Blackbird , as I had missed it the previous day at Hardwar Gap and would have only one more shot at this species if I missed it here.

Jamaica 183

Jamaica Puerto Rico 2013 Birds 183

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2017

I was attempting to photograph some Yellow-headed Blackbirds , resting in the cat-tails, when much to my surprise, this Sora , Porzana carolina , just swam right out, and milled around in from of me. 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

NOVEMBER 4, 2011

It was thrilling to watch her navigate the park, deal with mobbing Brewer’s Blackbirds , Common Ravens , and Western Scrub Jays. But she landed right next to me, just four feet away. Notice that broken #6 primary on her right wing. She would hunt the hillsides right next to where I was sitting. I was hooked!

San Francisco 232

San Francisco Gophers Hunting Blackbirds 232

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 8, 2013

Underneath an arched branch, one familiar bird, a Common Blackbird female… but after a recent split in 2005 by Rasmussen and Anderton, it was elevated to a full species – Indian Blackbird ( Turdus simillimus ). Indian) Blackbird Turdus (merula) simillimus. Three Indian Jackals are walking through a sunset.

Lions 236

Lions India Mammals Boars 236

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. It was quite late in the morning when we saw a family group consisting of an adult and three nearly fully grown juveniles right on the track about 300 meters away.

Brazil 225

Brazil California Condor Parrots Texas 225

10,000 Birds

JUNE 28, 2011

A Jamaican Tody on Ecclesdown Road Ecclesdown Road is one of the best sites to see the declining and rare Jamaican Blackbird Crested Quail-doves are most active at dusk and dawn. v=5PXq4j8-d9A Seeing a Crested Quail-dove right in the open like this was truly special. www.youtube.com/watch?v=5PXq4j8-d9A www.youtube.com/watch?

Hunting 223

Hunting Jamaica Blackbirds Transported 223

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 30, 2017

At Big Lake we saw thousands of American Coots ( Fulica americana ) and huge flocks of Red-winged ( Agelaius phoeniceus ) and Brewer’s ( Euphagus cyanocephalus ) Blackbirds as well as American Goldfinches ( Spinus tristis ) and Bufflehead ( Bucephala albeola ).

California 105

California Sparrows Birds Philadelphia 105

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Brewer’s Blackbirds often joined the hordes of Red-winged Blackbirds flitting in and out of the taller grasses and few shrubs. Right past the Pipit, on a rise, was a Grasshopper Sparrow singing on a Purple Coneflower, a flower we surprisingly saw everywhere. (I back to the birds.

North Dakota 147

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 147

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. It ran right out to greet me, and then ran all around me, checking out the cool smells on my tripod legs. There was a pretty good number of warblers around, including this nice male Wilson’s Warbler.

New Zealand 118

New Zealand Seattle Qatar South Africa 118

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

Yet they also bring up questions, which I’m going to talk about right now before diving into the specifics of the guides themselves. I think we do have the right to expect that artwork and species descriptions when repeated are current, reflect recent studies and taxonomic thought. © 2023 by Steve N. © 2023 by Steve N.

Costa Rica 227

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 227

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2018

The snag at Delevan NWR not only attracts Peregrine Falcons but Red-winged Blackbirds ( Agelaius phoeniceus ) as well. This Belted Kingfisher ( Megaceryle alcyon ) was perched over the pond right next to the SNWR visitor center. I was lucky enough last week to catch the bird perched near the end of a branch.

Wildlife 101

Wildlife Sacramento Bald Eagle Falcons 101

10,000 Birds

JUNE 21, 2013

He steered me right and there it was, my first life bird in Nevada! 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.

Las Vegas 213

Las Vegas Nevada Birds Blackbirds 213

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2017

Mule Deer have always been pretty common in this area, but I got quite a surprise when I cleared a small hill in the road, and nearly ran over a male Pronghorn Antelope , right in the middle of the road. Finally we came to a cross road, where I went straight, and he turned right. It was good to be back!

Dogs 105

Dogs Mules Deer Oregon 105

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2015

Ironically, thanks to the non-sustainable, land poisoning agriculture seen en route, there is a straight, fast, good road that zooms right on up to Los Chiles, the closest town to Cano Negro. I guess that isn’t too surprising since a quick 30 minute float down the river goes right into Nicaragua. We had several Least Bitterns.

Costa Rica 179

Costa Rica Chile Nicaragua San Jose 179

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2013

Icterus is a wide-ranging neotropical genus consisting of the technicolor blackbirds we call orioles. While walking along the beach one morning, I noted a fruiting Dagger Cactus right near the beach, at the top was a bird just destroying one of the purple fruits near the top of plant’s formidable crown.

Baltimore 182

Baltimore Broker North America Raised 182

10,000 Birds

JULY 23, 2014

The Eurasian Blackbird was not found in new Zealand before man, but it is now. Blackbirds and Song Thrushes were also problematic for fruit growers, but it was rabbits that quickly became enemy number one for the fledgling colony, as they striped the ground bare in farm after farm.

New Zealand 162

New Zealand Possums Rabbits Ferrets 162