10,000 Birds

JANUARY 7, 2020

Everyone is looking back on their best birds of 2019, so I thought it would be a good idea to look at a book that looks back a little further: Urban Ornithology: 150 Years of Birds in New York City , by P. Buckley, Walter Sedwitz, William J. Norse, and John Kieran. “Wait! ” you’re probably saying.

New York City 169

New York City New York Birds Breeding 169

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

I grew up in Whitestone, and though the birds were not around at that time, I love the fact that they decided to populate this particular area of New York City. According to a December 1970 article in the New York Times , there was a flock of 9 to 12 birds in Fort Tilden. Not in Whitestone, that came later.

Chicago 222

Chicago New York City New York Illinois 222

10,000 Birds

APRIL 16, 2012

The pine barrens of New Jersey look rather plain and boring if you only see them while driving past on the Garden State Parkway or New Jersey Turnpike. By the time urban and suburban sprawl started to reach New Jersey’s pine barrens they were largely protected and today over 1.1 … a.

New Jersey 199

New Jersey New York City New York Leopards 199

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2019

For some reason, even though there are Mandarin Ducks in zoos throughout New York City, this escapee has become an internationally known tourist attraction, even heading the New York Times list of “Five Times the Internet Was Actually Fun in 2018.” Mountain Plover, California. Baird’s Sparrow, North Dakota.

2018 181

2018 New Jersey Michigan North Dakota 181