10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2017

June may be the gateway to summer in the Northern Hemisphere, but the birding still delivers the thrills of spring migration when you have access to the right birds’ breeding grounds. I visited Letchworth State Park this weekend, renowned for a ridiculous density of breeding wood warblers. How about you?

2017 101

2017 Louisiana Birds Breeding 101

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2018

At the top of those destinations is the stretch of Gulf Coast Texas barrier islands starting at Aransas National Wildlife Refuge in the north, through Padre Island National Seashore, to South Padre Island near the country’s border. Of the 300 hummingbird species across the globe, North America only sees fewer than two dozen of them.

Texas 189

Texas North America Alaska America 189

10,000 Birds

APRIL 23, 2013

Its amazing to me that there are still places on earth where wildlife is blissfully unafraid of humans. It was made a National Park in the 1980s and is a major breeding and nesting area for over 30,000 seabirds. There are numerous factors that make Isla Isabel such a diverse and phenomenal wildlife destination.

Whales 266

Whales Whaling Sharks Marine Life 266

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 20, 2015

This map shows the distribution of the World’s bird species, based on overlying the breeding and wintering ranges of all known species. And a mere 120 bird species would be a good reason not to take Polynesia as an option. So, the perfect country to move to needs to have at least twice as many species as Serbia.

Sri Lanka 257

Sri Lanka Botswana Africa Serbia 257

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

However, ongoing research at Sia Essential Species Repository (see below) reveals this is not always the case, and that there are actually five phases between albino and leucistic. I’ve seen her around, when I was setting my traps,” said the trapper himself, who brought her to Tamarack Wildlife Center , in Saegertown, PA.

Wildlife Rehabilitation 205

Wildlife Rehabilitation Wildlife Birds Delaware 205

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2011

Part of the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge, it is an amazing place to take in the seabirds of the North Pacific. The birds are not allowed to breed on the runway, but many loaf around on it. The most dominant tern species on Tern Island is the Sooty Tern. The largest species of noddy is the ground nesting Brown Noddy.

Hawaii 176

Hawaii Breeding Wildlife Eggs 176

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 21, 2016

So close to the pole only a handful of bird species can survive, and even so, death toll is very high, hence their populations must be huge (millions). There are 11 species of birds that breed in the Ross Sea region. On the Balleny Islands Antarctic Fulmar , Antarctic Prion and Cape Petrel also breed. And the Mammals.

Russia 182

Russia Penguins Whales Whaling 182

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2015

Conversely, parts of the world that have traditionally been quite dry may experience more rainfall. That said, there are many species we should be extremely concerned about. I think a lot of people know that climate change is not a positive thing, but do they know whats in it for wildlife? Whats in it for birds?

North America 228

North America Birds San Francisco Suffering 228

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 23, 2012

Tom Dunkerton tipped me off to an area on the Black Merritt National Wildlife Refuge where some of my target birds can be seen. The Space Coast Birding & Wildlife Festival occurs every year at the end of January in Titusville. Not so much anymore, but certainly this is a specialty species anywhere within it’s range.

Florida 172

Florida South Dakota Sparrows Wildlife 172

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 8, 2011

Paging through a fieldguide, it’s always with a sense of dismay and sadness that I come across reference to an extinct species. Islands, for various reasons, experience more extinctions than continents (with Africa being the only continent not suffering a bird extinction!). This bird was kept in captivity until it died a year later.

Madagascar 248

Madagascar Lemurs 2006 Owls 248

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2011

Or maybe, after my experiences with the Scott’s Oriole in Union Square earlier that year, the Tanager just seemed unconfiding and hard to see. I didn’t have my binoculars, but it didn’t take long to suss out that it was a bright, shiny breeding-plumaged male Western Tanager. And that, that was exciting.

New York 169

New York Montana Breeding Fish 169

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2011

I was fortunate enough to spot the individual in this post at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge where it was foraging in bushes and small trees between four and fifteen off of the ground. The Cape May Warbler is considered a Species of Least Concern by Birdlife International because of its large range and large and stable population.

Tigers 159

Tigers United States Jamaica Pennsylvania 159

10,000 Birds

JULY 11, 2018

Now, dont get me wrong, there have been some nice birds, and locations in between, but these two experiences are just so hard to put out of my mind. While there were way less Puffins than any of the other species, they are still so much fun to see. Total Scotland Species – 105. Flying in formation. Mom and her baby.

Puffins 100

Puffins Wildlife Reserve 2003 Farming 100

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 23, 2011

For many birders a highlight of birding the southeastern United States, maybe even the definitive birding experience of the region, is taking in the great numbers and diversity of long-legged wading birds. It was all to easy to catch opportunities for inter-species interactions, like the one below consisting of four species of fish-eaters.

South Carolina 157

South Carolina Alligators Florida United States 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2011

Getting to know the subtleties in differences between closely related species takes years of dedication and practice. Thirdly, many species of shorebirds display such vast differences in their summer and winter plumages that it is always interesting to note how some birds in the same flock are in contrasting stages of plumage.

Florida 202

Florida South Africa 2011 Africa 202

10,000 Birds

MAY 30, 2019

That summer of 1938, when he was ten years old, Cade read of two brothers, Frank and John Craighead, who wrote of their experiences with falcons in National Geographic. ” By 1970 the man who championed Peregrines had convinced Cornell University to build a Hawk Barn for captive breeding of these birds. And grow they did.

Falcons 192

Falcons California Condor Alaska Texas 192

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 2, 2018

He brings to this book an academic background in biology and horticulture and, more importantly, decades of experience developing strategies for the best backyard bird feeding practices. There is also a major section on 180 bird species that is 123 pages long, about 1/3 of the book. Fish and Wildlife Service states that almost 59.1

Birds 183

Birds New York City Squirrels New York 183

10,000 Birds

JUNE 24, 2013

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. This picture actually has three species of shearwater in it - Pink-footed , Sooty , and Black-vented. It was amazing.

Whales 151

Whales Whaling Dolphins California 151

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2012

A lovely looking and distinctive sounding bird (so they say, I sadly have not seen one…yet), the Kirtland’s Warbler can only be found during its breeding season in Jack Pine forests 5 to 20 years old in the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan. Fish and Wildlife Service endangered species list. Forest Service.

Michigan 241

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 241

10,000 Birds

MAY 26, 2011

Views like this offer specialty niches for many high-altitude species. These White-tailed Ptarmigan are without a doubt one of the most sought-after species in Colorado. In the summer, they can be found in their transitional breeding plumage (shades of gray and brown) all over the tundra feeding on localized forbs and willow plants.

Colorado 136

Colorado North Dakota Montana Owls 136

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 14, 2015

We also try to re-nest uninjured baby birds so we don’t interfere with a bird’s breeding cycle. Experience shows that bird parents do feed babies in makeshift nests reattached to tree branches, bushes, gutters, and even tree cavity sections duct taped to another tree. Wild bird rehabilitators want bird parents to feed their own babies.

Wounded 257

Wounded Rescue Medical Cats 257

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2013

The story of the cahow, a “Lazurus species” that was thought to be extinct for over 300 years and then discovered to be breeding on a tiny remote island in Bermuda, is part of modern birding legend. In 1951, there were 18 breeding pairs of cahows discovered on three tiny islands. These are magical experiences.

Birds 173

Birds Rats Breeding 2012 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 3, 2012

What I didn’t know was how this relationship actually works: the mechanics of Red Knot migration, the reduced digestive systems necessary for their long flighta, the need to fatten up quickly so they can fly to the Arctic and breed, how they compete with other shorebirds and gulls and, it turns out, humans, for horseshoe crab eggs.

Delaware 184

Delaware New Jersey Research Eggs 184

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 31, 2012

I even managed to shoot a video with hands trembling of excitement, probably a first of the species. To finally connect with the species and to do so in such subtle light and with two very confiding individuals makes them my Best Bird of the Year! I have chronicled the experience on my blog. Thainamu chose a snipe !

2012 133

2012 Ghana Ireland Birds 133

10,000 Birds

MARCH 11, 2011

Brown Pelicans , and the northernmost Brown Booby breeding colony on this side of the Pacific. Frigatebirds (Fregatidae) Five species of frigatebird ply the planet’s tropical skies and seas. Ringer Gannets and Boobies (Sulidae) Black-and-white gannets breed on the cold, rocky coasts of the northern and southern oceans.

2011 156

2011 Pelicans Papua New Guinea Birds 156

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 5, 2013

Experiments in the field (the famed Asa Wright Nature Center veranda) involving Bananaquits and bananas came up with numbers ranging from 7 to 16, but a tanager always came along to interfere with Bananaquits’ noisy appreciation of their namesake fruit. Even during the breeding season the birds appear to be quite unwary of humans.

Trinidad 207

Trinidad Birds South America Research 207

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2014

I got to see a beautiful female and owlet on a trip to a secret nest location near Howard Prairie Lake (human-made nest structures have enhanced local breeding for these huge owls whose nest success is boosted to 83% on artificial platforms vs. 66% at natural sites). The experience, the place, and the bird combine to make this my BBOTY.

2014 198

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 198

4 The Love Of Animals

FEBRUARY 23, 2011

These professionals also study the development and origin of animal species. Others may work in wildlife management, agriculture and conservation. Working at zoos as curators where they are responsible for acquiring animals, either through buying them from other zoos or overseeing breeding programs.

Animal 100

Animal Zoos Research Science 100

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

Over 3,200 photographs have been used, most showing species in their habitats. There is also text, distribution maps, a dark red bar “warning” about similar looking rare species, and conservation symbols. So, how do you find the species account for Kestrel if falcons are not placed between woodpeckers and parakeet?

Ireland 151

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 151

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Also, I somehow doubt that whether I am stuck at work or not really influences how everyone else experiences spring but this is my blog post so I can use whatever criteria I want to measure how well spring has gone. Spotting 57 species of birds in the couple of hours we put in to seeking out birds was never so ho-hum in my life.

New York City 166

New York City New York Walruses Birds 166

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 212

Mexico Birds Raccoons Baltimore 212

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 7, 2011

To that end please enjoy this quick guide of where to go birding and wildlife watching when based at any of the many World Cup locations. Don’t forget you can also see some wildlife on the road as you go ! North of Dunedin is Orokonui , a wildlife Sanctuary modeled on Karori with a fence to keep introduced mammals out.

New Zealand 157

New Zealand Penguins Sanctuary Seals 157

10,000 Birds

MARCH 6, 2011

Corey encountered a bunch of winners, but 24 Common Redpolls at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, in almost the exact same spot he saw them a couple of years ago, feeding on birch inflorescence by the East Pond, were easily his best birds of the weekend. If you’ve blogged about your weekend experience, you should include a link in your comment.

2011 156

2011 New York Deer Birds 156

10,000 Birds

MAY 23, 2023

Birders often venture into various habitats, such as forests, wetlands, grasslands, or coastal areas, to encounter different bird species. The primary objective of birding is to identify bird species based on their physical characteristics, behavior, and vocalizations.

United States 147

United States North America Birds America 147

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2012

Birding has been an all-consuming interest for Patrick Cardwell since boyhood days spent in a wildlife-rich environment. Here one is close to the scenically impressive Cape of Good Hope National Park as well as the Boulder’s Coastal Park, home to hundreds of breeding African Penguins.

Albatross 190

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 190

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 3, 2020

I’ve been fortunate to see two Penguin species in the wild (African and Galapagos) and have dreamed of seeing more–maybe even all!–especially –especially when reviewing books like A Field Guide to the Wildlife of South Georgia or Far from Land: The Mysterious Lives of Seabirds.

Penguins 278

Penguins Georgia New Zealand Albatross 278

10,000 Birds

JULY 4, 2023

I’m sure many of you have had similar experiences. I’m wondering as I write if you are shaking your head, uneasy that all these FACTS will interfere with your love of observing owls, an experience that easily borders on the mystical for some of us. But what do we know beyond these commonly seen and heard behaviors?

Owls 227

Owls Science Barn Owls Penguins 227