10,000 Birds

AUGUST 4, 2021

Those infinitely patient saints who read all my ramblings know that over the past year I have been obsessed with the gradual disappearance of Mexico’s second-largest lake, Lake Cuitzeo, just north of my home city of Morelia. The good news is that this summer central Mexico is experiencing its best rains since 2018.

San Francisco 264

San Francisco 2018 Mexico Ducks 264

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2020

I am only responding to my subjective impression of a single species’ appearance here; specifically, that of the Bronzed Cowbird. Especially when I compare it with the other cowbird present in central Mexico, the Brown-headed Cowbird. In contrast, the Brown-headed Cowbird is a same-continent invasive species.

Birds 157

Birds Blackbirds Mexico Cattle 157

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2018

Cattle fields surrounded the small town, the cows forming dark silhouettes against the rapidly graying skies. We felt in high spirits after a gorgeous afternoon in the grassland, tallying up over 20 species of birds, including three lifers for me. Add another species to the daily list!

Kansas 115

Kansas Pelicans ALA Cows 115

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 12, 2016

Designated in 1967 (36 years after Idaho’s), the Mountain Bluebird can be found all year round in Nevada, though in general its range shift southward for the winter months; in the summer, this species can be found as far north as Alaska. Across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Partners in Flight estimates that there are 4.6

Nevada 100

Nevada Idaho United States Alaska 100

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 20, 2012

The very first thing we notice about this large member of the Galliformes is that there is a wild version and a domestic version, and although the two are rather different, they are both given the same species name, Meleagris gallopavo. This is not entirely unknown among domestic animals, but many domesticates have no living wild version.

Turkey 210

Turkey Columbus Spain Fowl 210

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2018

Following passage of the United States Endangered Species Preservation Act of 1966, the California Condor ( Gymnogyps californianus ) was among the first 75 species listed for protection, the so-called “Class of 1967”. Reintroduction efforts expanded to Arizona in 1996, and later, to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico.

California Condor 106

California Condor Oregon California Zoos 106