10,000 Birds

JANUARY 23, 2023

As usual, my experience with such boardwalks was somewhat underwhelming, as was Eshowe as a whole, but there were still a few birds worth mentioning at the forest and in the area surrounding Eshowe. At vulture family gatherings, it is always a bit of a bother for the organizers to cater to the needs of the Palm Nut Vulture.

South Africa 147

South Africa Africa Birds 2018 147

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 203

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 203

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2020

Ivy and I couldn’t shake an owl out of Owl Woods but we walked away with all kinds of FOY species such as the unexpected Yellow-bellied Sapsucker calling high in a tree. But it was during an outing to Rockaway Beach with his family on Sunday afternoon that he saw his Best Bird of the Weekend, his first Piping Plover of the year.

2020 171

2020 Birds Owls Experience 171

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2018

On my wanderings I picked up quite a few species that were new for my year list but my Best Bird of the Weekend was one that countered cruelty with happiness. Mike, too, chose a bluebird as his Best Bird of the Weekend, though his was a different species seeing as he and his family avoided the cruelty of April by being in California.

North Carolina 113

North Carolina Cruelty 2018 United States 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 6, 2014

April bears the most fruit for my family tree, including my own bad apple birthday this week. Does your family celebrate a lot of April birthdays? While I didn’t notice any Neotropical migrants this weekend, I was pleased to spot a Tufted Titmouse , a species I tend to miss during winter. The wood-warblers are back!

New Jersey 172

New Jersey 2014 Louisiana Bears 172

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2022

Or would be, had I encountered more of them – so far, I have seen only a very small share of the approximately 233 woodpecker species, and got decent photos of an even smaller number – not much more than 10% of all of them. The main point of having self-imposed rules when writing a blog is to break them whenever desired.

Woodpeckers 221

Woodpeckers South Africa China Singapore 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 26, 2017

Rochester is still wintry, but bird activity among the common species has picked up quite a bit. On Saturday he dragged his family to the Adirondack Mountains to see a stake out Great Gray Owl in Keene, a first for all three in the family. My best sighting was a Hairy Woodpecker puffed up to fight the cold.

2017 109

2017 Owls Birds Woodpeckers 109

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2021

Good news for those frightened by the title of my last blog post – we are now back in the safe and boring world of highly descriptive headers. It helps that there is a little bird hide almost on top of the hill, guarded by a Chinese lady and attracting a substantial number of species of birds and birders. You are welcome.

China 260

China Birds Zebras Germany 260

10,000 Birds

JULY 8, 2018

July often means travel, which sometimes means tourist attractions, which occasionally means exotic or introduced bird species. The reason I ask is because my family and I visited the Bronx Zoo this weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Following me here?

2018 100

2018 Zoos Birds Raised 100

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2014

While I saw some pretty special species this weekend, the most special was the Gray Catbird because my sweet 7-year niece totally got into finding one; I think I’ve found the next generation birder in the family! If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2014 197

2014 Birds Experience Experiments 197

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 12, 2014

I ask because, despite my deep affection for warmth, indoor plumbing, and uninterrupted Internet access, I found myself and my family enjoying an overnight out of doors. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Why is camping so interesting? How about you?

2014 190

2014 Philadelphia Birds Experience 190

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2014

If you read my weekly posts bookending theweekend birding experience, you know that I pay close attention to phenology. The way the ebb and flow of each season impacts out experience of the natural world must inform our efforts to observe avifauna if we want to optimize our experience. Birding best bird weekend'

2014 167

2014 New York Birds Experience 167

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2015

Actually, signs that winter won’t release its icy grip so readily are also apparent… my traditional Easter family hike was canceled on account of snow. Corey had quite a few species to choose from this weekend but decided that his Best Bird of the Weekend was the simple Tree Swallow. What was your best bird of the weekend?

2015 179

2015 Jamaica New York Birds 179

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2015

Just like we did last year my family spent this past weekend camping at North Lake State Park, up in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains. And, not surprisingly, the breeding birds present were largely the same species as last year which was not a problem at all! Not because of the species but because he knew the species!

Birds 162

Birds New York Family Sparrows 162

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2017

Here’s hoping everyone has a wonderful 2017, full of amazing birds and experiences. I had a bunch of birds to choose from this weekend as I spent the afternoon hiking upstate with the family and all morning on Sunday building up my new year list. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2017 124

2017 2016 New York Birds 124

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2013

I know that families in the United States are already fretting/anticipating September’s arrival. What elevated the kings of kings above other species this time around was their gregarious behavior. Now that we’re later in the season, they are grouping either in family clusters or anticipation of migration.

2013 169

2013 United States Birds Family 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 6, 2018

Family obligations kept me on the sidelines during Global Big Day, but I did manage to sneak in a little birding before traveling. That netted them 136 species, and more birding on Sunday morning got Corey even more. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2018 101

2018 Birds Sparrows Experience 101

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2015

He yelled a relatively unintelligible explanation as he ran to the car, abandoning his family, and sped to Jamaica Bay where he parked and ran out to the breach of the West Pond where he relied upon the kindness of other birders, who let him use their scopes while he got his breath back. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2015 162

2015 Jamaica Canada Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2016

For the sake of family peace, I left my bins at home, which meant that the tastiest species I could put a name to was Dark-eyed Junco , which I’ll be seeing a ton of over the coming months. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. How about you?

2016 124

2016 Birds Owls Experience 124

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 22, 2017

Corey had a great weekend in his hometown visiting his family and making a couple visits to local birding hotspots. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment. Always nice to know the people whose eBird lists you use for field intelligence! How about you?

2017 100

2017 Birds Experience Experiments 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 8, 2012

The month and this particular period is all the more auspicious for me and mine, as so many friends and families celebrate spring birthdays. My family took our annual post-Easter Egg hunt hike at Powder Mills Park, where I spied several gorgeous matched pairs of Wood Ducks along with lots of different woodpecker species.

2012 179

2012 Birds Eggs Hunting 179

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2016

I noticed plenty of species I hadn’t seen all winter, but was most surprised by an energetic Northern Mockingbird. Corey’s Best Bird of the Weekend was either of a pair of Pileated Woodpeckers that he saw at the Ramshorn Livingston Sanctuary in Catskill, New York, while he was on a walk with his family. How about you?

2016 100

2016 Sanctuary New York Woodpeckers 100

10,000 Birds

APRIL 20, 2014

This species is quite rare during migration in my area and this bird was, in one sense, way too early but, for my purposes, right on time. Corey enjoyed his Easter weekend upstate with his family, though he did sneak out in the early mornings to look for birds. How about you? What was your best bird of the weekend?

2014 185

2014 Birds Rights Experience 185

10,000 Birds

APRIL 12, 2022

I do not (yet) have any accessibility issues, and my only experience regarding anything akin to accessibility has been limited to the period when my daughter was in a stroller, which presents only a tiny sliver of the challenges faced by many. It is an eye-opening experience to view a familiar place from a new perspective.

Portland 183

Portland Oregon Laws Experience 183

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 6, 2022

we learn) that are home to coveted boreal species, breeding wood-warblers, and two species of Grouse. There are 461 species on the Maine checklist. This field guide covers 265 species, the ones most likely to be seen–residential and migratory, almost all nesting birds, many wintering birds.

Los Angeles 186

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 186

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2011

What species is shown? And, as a bonus question, from what blog post on 10,000 Birds is the picture taken? We are devoting a whole week to wood-warblers but are only just barely scratching the surface of possible topics involving this amazing family of birds. Read about them here but also get out and experience them.

United States 155

United States South America 2011 2012 155

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2011

Most of these birds are small, finch-like species with thick, conical bills for cracking seeds or eating insects. He goes on to describe how early classifications of the nine-primaried oscines relied on bill shape to determine family boundaries. A new perspective on tanagers Much of the core of the tanager family remains intact.

2003 205

2003 Sparrows Family South America 205

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 21, 2019

While I have written several blogs on the topic (e.g., ” Landfill often made me wander off into some half-forgotten gulling experience of mine. I have visited my local landfill for the last seven years, usually several times per winter, only to recently stumble upon a book called the Landfill!

Angola 178

Angola United Kingdom Mozambique Botswana 178

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2011

On a recent family trip to Jones Beach, on New York’s Long Island, I had the opportunity to observe a small flock of gulls bathing, resting, and preening in some shallow brackish water that had collected behind the beach. I need to go find some sparrows or some other species that are really easy to deal with… a.

New York 177

New York Collecting Sparrows Experience 177

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2018

Audubon Associate Naturalist, have led this tour many times, through tornados, droughts, questionable restaurants, and, sadly, the advent of fracking, and every one of my friends who has participated over the years has raved about the experience and the birds (in fact, one member of our group was on his third or fourth trip, I lost count).

North Dakota 134

North Dakota Birds Sparrows Blackbirds 134

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2015

Many of these species were very high on my life bird wish list, and the country itself would be a totally new experience: a vibrant and enchanting culture, a varied and tasty cuisine, and stunning and new landscapes. Unlike most other members of the family, this species of motmot occurs in quite open and dry habitats.

Mexico 171

Mexico Birds Owls Sparrows 171

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2022

This is also why you very rarely find a photo of a giraffe on top of one of these posts – the other reason of course being that a giraffe photo would be relatively pointless in a birding blog. While 6 local species utilized these artificial nests, the Chinese Grosbeak did not, preferring its own construction.

Singapore 147

Singapore Birds Mountain Goats Giraffes 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2019

So, for example, Essay #15, “Individual Variation,” uses Herring Gulls to introduce the concept that one species, even one species at a specific age, can vary widely in appearance. The Checklist is more than a taxonomic listing of species and chapter number and title; it also contains useful notes on each bird family.

Birds 114

Birds North America Breeding America 114

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2014

En route they will be “birding in nearly every country in mainland North and South America,” and, as they say on their excellent blog , “Our journey is about collecting valuable data on bird species, their status and distribution, current conservation issues, and more along the way. Bicolored Antbird.

San Diego 182

San Diego South America Costa Rica America 182

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 1, 2015

Nate Swick is a contributor to 10,000 Birds, American Birding Association (ABA) blog editor and event leader, and environmental educator. For example, on finding gulls: Close study of gulls is not for everyone, and birders shouldn’t feel obligated to get deep into it if you prefer colorful, less-confusing, families of birds.

Birds 262

Birds North Carolina North America Owls 262

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2014

White-bellied Parrot was one of many target species at either of the canopy towers. ” At first light, many of the larger canopy species commute and call from the canopy: parrots, cotingas, guans, and toucans. 4:30AM: It is time to wake up! Time to wash up, get dressed, and meet the clients for breakfast.

Otters 160

Otters Parrots Birds Brazil 160

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 142

North America Sparrows America United States 142