10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 19, 2016

Several hours after we saw it and reported it to the listserv other birders saw the bird attacked by not one but two Peregrine Falcons. From a symbol (to me) of resilience to a falcon’s plaything in a few hours. It will never make it to the Paramo in the high Andes for winter nor return to the tundra to breed.

Culling 157

Culling Falcons New Jersey Killing 157

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 11, 2018

Black Stork and three pairs of White-tailed Eagles breed here. Other birds of the Rusanda are Great Bittern , Purple Heron , Eurasian Spoonbill , Meadow and rare Red-throated Pipit , Icterine Warbler , Eurasian Penduline Tit , Lesser Gray Shrike , breeding Red-footed Falcon , Little and Long-eared Owls , etc. eBird bar chart. #4

Serbia 149

Serbia Birds Bulgaria Farming 149

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2014

Ferruginous Hawks breed in the grasslands of eastern Montana, but they are rare in the mountains and in winter, so this bird was certainly a surprise. A second Prairie Falcon just up the road – this one a young male – gave even better, closer looks. Images courtesy of the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

Bald Eagle 168

Bald Eagle Falcons Geese Montana 168

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2014

Kirtland’s Warbler is a classic niche species; they breed in only very specific conditions, which occur in only a very specific area. Fish and Wildlife Service. this species breeds. Fortunately, there were still a handful of immature birds alive at sea, and a few years later they were back on Toroshima breeding again.

Albatross 197

Albatross Endangered Species Geese Alaska 197

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 19, 2020

Set in an abandoned oil refinery where wildlife is slowly regaining control save for the desperate attempts of golfers to retain all eighteen holes, industrial ghosts loom over rolling freshwater lakes bordered by fifty foot tall trees. The subtle white edging to the gape of this bird indicates it is near breeding time. Black Vulture.

Trinidad 193

Trinidad Birds Parrots Falcons 193

10,000 Birds

JUNE 20, 2019

The Kerkini Lake National Park is my favourite birding area in the whole of the Balkans and while I’ve been here in April and again (migration), September (migration), October (coffee break), December and January (wintering), this was my first time in the breeding season, in May. But nowadays, they, too, breed here, about 20 pairs this year.

Greece 188

Greece Pelicans Buffalo Fish 188

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 18, 2014

Fish and Wildlife Service has listed the “Rufa” population of Red Knot ( Calidris canutus rufa ) as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The other sub-species, Calidris canutus roselaari , migrates along the Pacific Coast and breeds in Alaska and the Wrangel Island in Russia. Red Knot in non-breeding plumage.

Endangered Species 160

Endangered Species Protection Delaware Species 160

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 1, 2012

Early this morning I was out on the south end of the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge looking at common shorebirds and hoping for rare shorebirds. This one was not as bright as the one previously found but still retains some breeding plumage.

Jamaica 165

Jamaica New York Wildlife Falcons 165

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 28, 2012

Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, North Dakota. Some birds breed in flocks, at least in part to avoid predation. These Black-legged and Red-legged Kittiwakes only need to fear gulls and Peregrine Falcons , although bad weather and erosion do take their toll on nests.

North Dakota 160

North Dakota LACS Oakland Falcons 160

10,000 Birds

MARCH 30, 2011

I was lucky enough to get off work early the other day and thought I would head out toward Battle Creek Wildlife Area and try to get some better photos of the Harlan’s Red-tailed Hawk I’ve seen on Dersch Road. Driving on these less traveled country roads is always relaxing and unhurried. This one was all puffed up after preening.

Bald Eagle 161

Bald Eagle Leopards Turkey Eagles 161

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2013

I went to the Space Coast Birding and Wildlife Festival in Titusville, Florida. May – Migration’s Peak and Breeding Begins. I also spent a bunch of time on the East Pond at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and, as usual, managed to see some birds on workdays. Peregrine Falcon. What happened at the end of January?

2012 142

2012 Czech Republic Hedgehogs Hungary 142

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2011

Many a birding trip starts with a longish drive from the airport to the first birding site with these common roadside birds being the first taste you get of a country’s wildlife, and I feel that many bird trip reports, interested mostly in mega-rarities, gloss over the amazing experience this first drive can give.

New Zealand 172

New Zealand Birds Thailand Falcons 172

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 Birds 157

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 6, 2018

The guide covers the all–1194 species in the Species Accounts, including 959 native breeding species, 219 Nearctic migrants, 8 breeding visiting species, and 5 introduced species. Of the native breeding species, 112 are endemic or “very nearly endemic.” (Can Can you guess which of the species cited above are endemic?

America 211

America El Salvador Costa Rica Honduras 211

10,000 Birds

APRIL 19, 2023

Within Nariva Swamp is Bush Bush Wildlife Sanctuary, a sandy, low-lying peninsula populated by palms, strangler figs, and other hardy forest trees. I spun around just in time to catch a hulking Peregrine Falcon rocketing by. When Nariva Swamp delivers though, you better be ready!

Trinidad 29

Trinidad Falcons Primates Monkeys 29

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 4, 2016

There are 28 chapters—“Waders,” “Large Waterside Birds,” “Owls and nightjars,” “Birds of prey” (pulling together vultures, hawks and falcons), “Aerial feeders” (swifts, swallows, martins), etc.—plus So, how do you find the species account for Kestrel if falcons are not placed between woodpeckers and parakeet?

Ireland 140

Ireland Birds Groups Falcons 140

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 2, 2014

This is evident in the introductory material, which includes sections on The Origin and Evolution of Borneo’s Birds, Conservation in Action, Vegetation and Bird Life in Borneo, Climate, Rainfall and Bird Breeding Seasons, and Bird Migration. The plates show differing plumages as required by the individual families and species.

Brunei 172

Brunei Birds Asia China 172

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2016

My first ever story for 10,000 Birds was about the wonderful city reserve of Karori Wildlife Sanctuary, here in Wellington, a city that has been my home for 9 years this week. I was told that a few minutes ago a Peregrine Falcon had been seen on one of the islands, but I couldn’t find it. Common Moorhen.

Geese 100

Geese New Zealand Germany Ducks 100

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 177

Albatross Penguins Dolphins Whales 177

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). My heart was beating so fast and I was giddy with laughter.

2014 182

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 182

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 27, 2013

My fiance and I drove nearly two hours to the Jasper-Pulaski Fish and Wildlife Area in rural Indiana to watch them come in for the evening. I was fortunate to rack up a number of lifers in 2013, both at home and abroad ( Varied Thrush in Washington, Brewer’s Blackbirds in California, Burrowing Owl in the Nevada desert).

2013 167

2013 Birds Costa Rica India 167