10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2013

It is one of three species of ani ( Groove-billed and Greater Anis are the other two) and together form a unique branch in the cuckoo family. Smooth-billed Anis were relative newcomers as breeders to Florida, having only begun nesting since the 1930s. However, the true reason (or reasons) for their rapid decline remain a mystery.

Florida 208

Florida Virgin Islands Miami Breeders 208

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2012

Truth is, coming in to this year I found myself with some time off after the sale of a business, but I was tied to New York and not really able to travel extensively for family reasons. It really depends on where the strays and vagrants show up in the second half of the year. That’s about 300 species in a typical year.

New York 183

New York Stray Vermont Marine Life 183

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2020

Common Cuckoo is a fascinating bird, an obligate parasitic breeder that employs numerous strategies, including fraud and murder, to survive. But in 2020, with all my travel plans cancelled and pretty much everything shut down, I wasn’t straying too far from Albany, New York for birding. It’s been quite the year, hasn’t it?

2020 251

2020 Birds Costa Rica Germany 251