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 194

Los Angeles Birds District of Columbia Parrots 194

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2015

In February of 2013, I wrote a piece outlining my thoughts on which exotic bird species should be added to the American Bird Association (ABA) checklist. In 2014, the Florida Ornithological Society Records Committee (FOSRC) voted to add this species to the Florida state list. They were right! They are excellent parents!

Los Angeles 154

Los Angeles Miami San Francisco Florida 154

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. The National Audubon Society Birds of North America covers all species seen in mainland United States, Canada and Baja California. The press material says it covers over 800 species, so you know I had to do a count.

North America 279

North America America Birds California Condor 279

10,000 Birds

JULY 6, 2011

We are fortunate in Northern California to have four lakes that support 76% of the total number of nesting grebes in California 1. Eagle Lake, Lake Almanor and Clear Lake have all been identified as Audubon California Important Bird Areas (IBA), meaning that they provide essential habitat for breeding, wintering, and migrating birds.

California 218

California Eagles North America Breeding 218

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2014

Actually, I lie, albatross taxonomy has always been a mess, but there was a period of relative calm, from the sixties to the ninties, when there were about 12 species in two genera. Suddenly there were lots of species, and most confusingly of all, never the same number or types in each book or resource you looked at. Does it hell.

Albatross 169

Albatross New Zealand Breeding California 169

10,000 Birds

APRIL 9, 2017

You believe in birthday birds , right? If you haven’t yet embraced the theory or practice of birthday birds, I recommend that, next time your special day rolls around, you make it a point to pursue a seasonally appropriate species you don’t regularly see.

Los Angeles 100

Los Angeles 2017 Coyotes Birds 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2012

In addition to their homing tendency, breeding swallows are attracted to old nests. In California, the Cliff Swallows usually arrive in February so the agency in charge of enforcing these laws, the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG), considers February 15th to September 1st the swallow nesting season. Authors: T.

San Diego 165

San Diego illegal California South America 165

10,000 Birds

MARCH 23, 2016

That original installation (pictured above) was part of a series of 40 artificial burrows created at three separate locations, all made possible by a grant from Audubon California. This property is located in northern Butte County which is nearing the (dwindling) northern most historic range for this species in California.

Owls 101

Owls California 2010 Colorado 101

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 9, 2015

There are many charismatic endangered birds that capture people’s hearts and imaginations: the colossal California Condor , the evocative Red-crowned Crane , and the adorable Spoon-billed Sandpiper come to mind. Regardless of their popularity, these species and the threatened ecosystems they inhabit are equally spectacular.

Brazil 213

Brazil California Condor Parrots Texas 213

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2017

Spring is in the air, and all around the Baja desert I am seeing a plethora of species, all looking for love, in what appears to the right places. A member of the small Ptiliogonatidae family of silky-flycatchers, of which there are only three other species besides our local Phainopepla , Phainopepl nitens.

Costa Rica 105

Costa Rica Panama Nevada Guatemala 105

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2015

I figured that it is only fair and right to include the male Mountain Bluebird ( Sialis currucoides ) for comparison. Lassen Volcanic National Park is also home to approximately 57 species of mammals ranging in size from the tiny shrew to the North American black bear. Click on photos for full sized images.

United States 173

United States Mammals Squirrels New York 173

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2013

The one thing I really wanted to do on this most recent trip to southern California was visit Santa Cruz Island again. The ride from Prisoner’s Harbor, where we had spent our day, to Scorpion Anchorage, was uneventful, though Desi did fall asleep and I did enjoy pretty good views of breeding-plumaged Pigeon Guillemots.

Whales 150

Whales Whaling Dolphins California 150

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2019

such as California Condors and Passenger Pigeons. His parents moved where opportunity beckoned, taking him from San Angelo, Texas, to Columbus, New Mexico, then to Dallas, and finally on to California. Author Sherrida Woodley thinks deeply about dearly departed birds. She’s already written about Rachel Carson: Secret Birder.

Falcons 178

Falcons California Condor Alaska Texas 178

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 1, 2013

A week ago today, the federal government proposed a “threatened” listing for the Greater Sage Grouse in Nevada and California , as part of a larger study considering whether the species as a whole should be listed. Conservation Endangered Species Act Greater Sage Grouse sage-grouse'

Nevada 160

Nevada Endangered Species Montana Humane 160

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. The California Condor has a story well-known by anyone with an interest in birds.

California Condor 180

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 180

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2013

And so, when Salvador Ramirez left, there were feral goats on the island of San Clemente, the southernmost of the Channel Islands off the coast of California. And so, these goats ate the flora of the island: unique species of Indian paintbrush and woodland star, bushmallow and wirelettuce and morning glory.

Goats 160

Goats Bald Eagle Fox Feral 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

I spotted a Eurasian Wigeon amongst the American Wigeon right out of the gate, but that wasn’t the best sighting of the day. Being winter, this bird is in non-breeding plumage with more brown upper parts and lacking the white face it acquires in its aternate (breeding) plumage. It was foraging in breast deep water.

Wildlife 155

Wildlife 2011 Sacramento Jordan 155

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2013

“Out West” to most Floridians might mean California or Arizona or might even refer to the Gulf Coast of Florida. I’m out guiding a lovely couple from California. Nearly every species of heron and egret in North America forage only feet away, some of them in their dazzling breeding displays.

North America 221

North America Factory Alligators Trafficking 221

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. Brown Boobies ( Sula leucogaster ), Islas Coronado, Baja California © David J. Frigatebirds (Fregatidae) Five species of frigatebird ply the planet’s tropical skies and seas. And, the birds are awesome.

2011 152

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 152

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2011

In particular the South Island destination of Kaikoura is world-renowned for the flocks of albatrosses and giant petrels floating right off the pelagic boat, and the ease of the trip makes it a must-visit for any visiting birder. The final large petrel species is another gadfly petrel, albeit a much larger one than the Cook’s Petrel.

New Zealand 174

New Zealand Albatross 2011 Cooking 174

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 6, 2012

Pelagic birding off the Atlantic coast of Florida can be a frustrating experience, usually involving long waits of up to an hour or more interspersed with brief flurries of activity — a far cry from pelagic birding off of coasts blessed with cold water currents and nutrient rich upwelling such as California, southeast Australia, and Peru.

Florida 164

Florida United States Fish 2005 164

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 4, 2014

There were birders from a wide cross-section of the United States: Colorado, Ohio, Idaho, Iowa, Wyoming, Washington State, Pennsylvania, New York State, New Jersey, California, Texas, Florida. Betty’s Bay was also a great place to see all of South Africa’s cormorant species, including the endangered Bank Cormorant.

South Africa 253

South Africa Africa Leopards Penguins 253

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2011

Any season is good for looking for birds if you have the right mindset. A third species, the Welcome Swallow , is apparently partly migratory. On the grass at the edge of the fence was a large group of California Quail. Sure, in many locations spring and autumn are the highlights if all you care about are numbers.

New Zealand 113

New Zealand Sanctuary North America Guinea 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 31, 2011

The California Quail ( Callipepla californica ) is the California state bird, inhabiting scrub, broken chaparral and woodland edges primarily in California, Oregon, Washington and Baja California. All New World Quail are highly gregarious, typically found in coveys or flocks except during breeding season.

California 218

California Eggs Gophers Rattlesnake 218

Animal Person

NOVEMBER 21, 2010

And managing means killing them, breeding them, and otherwise fiddling with their populations. It has entertaining stories, includes animals people care about because they like them (and also addresses that concept), and it describes how the numbers of various species decreased to the point of being classified as "endangered" or worse.

Polar Bears 100

Polar Bears California Condor Bald Eagle Lions 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 17, 2015

That’s right, the overwhelming benefits to the environment and the economy are generated by non-consumptive uses of the refuges like wildlife photography, environmental education, wildlife observation and interpretation, not hunting and fishing. Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge : Expand big game hunting.

Fish 143

Fish Wildlife Hunting Game 143

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2011

Larry loved getting a jaeger : On a trip to Clear Lake, California, last September, I had the privilege of joining Dr. Floyd Hayes as he and three fellow birders monitored the waterbirds on the entire lake in conjunction with the ongoing four year Grebe Conservation Project there.

2011 181

2011 Birds South Korea North Dakota 181

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 24, 2014

“But lets see … I’d say one of my most memorable releases is that of a Purple Martin , a species of special concern in California. Their population is in serious decline, so their breeding colonies are monitored by biologists. I set my camera up, then got him out. So gorgeous! He pounded away on my hands.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 220

Wildlife Rehabilitation Ohio Tulsa West Virginia 220

10,000 Birds

MARCH 21, 2024

Being a westerner — raised in California, and now living in western Mexico — I was perhaps most excited about the migratory birds that breed in eastern North America. This was only my fourth encounter with the species (all on the east side). Although, truth be told, this species does seem to be a rarity in Tabasco.)

Mexico 193

Mexico Birds Raccoons Baltimore 193

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2012

In responding to Suzie’s post defending wildlife rehabilitation I began to think again about the areas in which animal rights and animal welfare overlap with the field of conservation, and the ways in which they don’t. Animal rights is concerned with preventing the suffering or even use of animals by humans.

Animal Rights 262

Animal Rights Rights New Zealand Animal 262

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

He lamented that he had barely been able to travel during the year — only one trip from New York to California, poor boy — and then went on to give an impressive list of vagrants and first-of-state birds. But it wasn’t until 2021 that I figured out where they are most common: right around our church! In my garden!

Mexico 218

Mexico Birds Virginia Barn Owls 218

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

Covering 1,261 species with data and taxonomy current up to August 2017, the field guide is an exciting achievement. And, then there are the more familiar birds–Wood-warblers, sandpipers, hawks–some species migrants, some species with a wide range. Can you guess which of the species cited above are endemic?

America 213

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 213

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

For mankind to snatch away a species’ very existence is wrong on so many levels that I can’t begin to explain them. However, despite our best efforts to wipe them off the face of the earth, some of the more vulnerable species have managed to hang on. this species breeds. this species breeds.

Albatross 203

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 203

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 4, 2018

The hope and claim is that transferring this process to gull identification works more easily and just as accurately (at least for species) as an examination of plumage and molt patterns. Species Accounts. Gulls Simplified covers 25 species. From the Laughing Gull species account.

North America 199

North America America El Salvador Nicaragua 199

10,000 Birds

APRIL 4, 2023

That’s 18 species in one book. This is more than a collection of species accounts. There are also two pages illustrating the “Holistic Approach,” silhouettes of each species (Western birds on the left, Eastern birds on the right), that allow for comparison of structure, size, and shape.

Los Angeles 209

Los Angeles North America America Species 209

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

If you choose to consider 1944 the year, most people were a little busy right then. Then a little later there was a spot of bother with DDT, but we pulled out of that one ok, with a toolbox that would surely stand us in good stead if we only had the will to use it – legislation and literature, captive breeding programs, nest platforms.

California Condor 197

California Condor United States Guam Whales 197

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2017

I started the year in Florida, traveled to India with the ABA in February, combined family and birding in an August trip to California, and in-between saw very good birds in New York and New Jersey. The answer was right in front of me, a bit to the right, an adult keeping an eye on oblivious tourists, the nest deep within the tree. (2)

2016 109

2016 India Ducks Birds 109