10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2014

On Saturday I awakened at 3:30 AM, tiptoed out of the house as quietly as I could, and headed north and west to Sullivan County, the first of three counties I planned to visit in a series of surgical birding strikes to see (or hear) the birds I had thus far missed this year as they migrated through New York City.

Breeding 152

Breeding New York Breeders Downers 152

10,000 Birds

MAY 10, 2021

What I enjoy–almost more than any other moment of my birding year–is that special spring day when White-Crowned Sparrows deign to visit my humble home en route to their boreal breeding grounds. Of all the species he saw he had one that was easily his Best Bird of the Weekend, as it was a new bird for him in New York State.

New York 253

New York Sparrows Birds Breeding 253

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 2, 2020

Just yesterday I learned that the Barn Owl ( Tyto alba ) is the only breeding bird found in New York that has been documented nesting in every month of the year. This bit of trivia was given in an article in my local bird club’s monthly newsletter about the ongoing breeding bird atlas in New York State.

2017 227

2017 Barn Owls Rodents Owls 227

10,000 Birds

MAY 27, 2013

Now that passerine migration has largely wound down the attention of this New York birder has shifted to seabirds, shorebirds, and the occasional trip looking for breeding birds. Dunlin in breeding plumage are sexy beasts. Not that there is much to tell in this post.

Eggs 145

Eggs New York Wounded Jamaica 145

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2013

A breeding bird atlas is a special kind of book. Corey did just this in this 2011 posting about Vesper Sparrow Pooecetes gramineus in New York State. The project planning team worked with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology to develop a new type of Internet data atlassing application, based on eBird.

Pennsylvania 222

Pennsylvania Breeding Birds Sparrows 222

10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2020

This is not to say that you won’t find great birds where you are, but only that they will likely be the resident breeders or wintering species you’ve already grown accustomed to. Do not allow familiarity to breed contempt… seek out something fascinating while birding this weekend and share your finds with us!

2020 156

2020 Breeders New York Birds 156

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. Photo: Ron Knight.

Endangered Species 160

Endangered Species Protection Delaware Species 160

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

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. Though I will grudgingly admit that a few of the birds we saw were alright, like the Northern Gannets in the bay and the Horned Grebes in breeding plumage. So-so looks at a brown swallow. How exciting. Of course it did.

New York City 162

New York City New York Walruses Birds 162

10,000 Birds

APRIL 29, 2014

All we do is complain about the lack of migrating birds so far and in New York City if southeast winds are blowing we are nearly despondent because southeast winds mean that the birds are moving north but the easterly component of the winds keep usually keep the bulk of birds to our west.

New York 216

New York United States New York City Breeding 216

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2012

The Red-winged Blackbirds that were busy staking claims to breeding territory by singing from bushes, trees, and marsh plants were not groggy at all. By the end of our circumnavigation of the West Pond we had totalled 38 species, a decent haul for mid-March and I hadn’t come close to exhausting my store of Honduras anecdotes.

New York 162

New York Honduras Jamaica Geese 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2019

Royal Terns are interesting to me as a New York state birder as they are exclusively coastal and almost entirely a bird we see in fall after they disperse from their breeding grounds. Why do Royal Terns come north to New York waters every fall? It’s nice to find a banded bird and get the information reported.

New York 133

New York Virginia Breeding Family 133

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 26, 2020

The Eastern Kingbirds I knew from the fields of upstate New York were smartly dressed birds that perched on fences and chased Red-tailed Hawks. This being an uncommon species in upstate New York, I appreciate having an abundance of Cliff Swallows to look at. Eastern Kingbirds Form Flocks. Swallows Everywhere.

Costa Rica 314

Costa Rica West Virginia New York South America 314

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2017

Now that I can travel, I have perversely discovered the charms of really working over one spot of habitat across the seasons and the years; as such I’m on a mission to find 100 species of bird in Socrates Sculpture Park, a bit of Queens between the East River and Vernon Boulevard where artists create open-air displays. Why an asterisk?

New York 103

New York New York City Illinois Wisconsin 103

10,000 Birds

MAY 4, 2012

Queens, New York, May 2009 May is the month of migration in North America. My spring has been pretty amazing so far with 146 species spotted since April 1 and Cerulean , Worm-eating , and Yellow-throated Warblers and a host of other species spotted before May even arrived, but the first couple of days in May have been even better.

New York City 156

New York City New York 2009 Litter 156

10,000 Birds

MAY 14, 2018

Second, the Kirtland’s Warbler was the last “eastern warbler” I needed to see not just in the United States but in New York State. Third, Kirtland’s Warbler has only recently made the New York State checklist with two sightings in 2014. ( One of which is documented here.

New York 108

New York New York City Michigan United States 108

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 8, 2023

It’s not clear how many of the plates have been touched up, redrawn or are new, and I hope we’ll learn more about the process, perhaps when the third book in the series by Howell and Dyer, a new guide to the birds of Mexico, is published.* Other species are splits and lumped and have had their names changed.

Costa Rica 206

Costa Rica Belize El Salvador Birds 206

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2020

For example, when Corey gets the thrill of seeing a Black-throated Gray Warbler in Queens County, New York, he can be almost 100% sure that he is seeing a one-time vagrant, and not a previously undiscovered population. No one really believes that Great Black Hawks will be extending their range into Maine any time soon.

Mexico 297

Mexico Science Breeders United States 297

10,000 Birds

APRIL 18, 2011

Seth Ausubel is one of the best birders in Queens, New York, and Corey is ever-so-thankful that Seth does not use eBird because that way Corey can pretend that he is the top lister in the borough. One of the least known stories of New York birding is the tale of the wild Mitred Parakeets. Are they breeding?

New York City 209

New York City New York Los Angeles South America 209

10,000 Birds

JULY 21, 2014

There is another area of the Queens County CBC where a team will also likely see Monk Parakeets , Myipsitta monachus , but I am seriously determined to count that bird for my area, Coastal Flushing, a section of northeast Queens, New York, that includes Whitestone, home of one of the loudest invasive bird species in the U.S.

Chicago 196

Chicago New York City New York Illinois 196

10,000 Birds

JUNE 3, 2015

Small numbers of migrant wood-warblers were around, with Magnolia Warbler , Wilson’s Warbler , and Ovenbird being the highlights, though perhaps Ovenbird breeds there. And then there were the birds that made me remember for sure that I was in Delaware and not in New York. I wish we got more of them in New York.

Delaware 171

Delaware New York Birds North Carolina 171

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2014

Will Raup is a birder from upstate New York who helped Corey learn a lot about birds when Corey was first starting out as a birder. Other species have certainly expanded their ranges, but never in such a rapid and global scale. For reasons that are not quite clear, this species underwent a massive range expansion.

Cattle 170

Cattle South Korea Suriname Seychelles 170

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 25, 2015

” The fact that they are monogamous and pair up by November, 4 to 5 months before breeding, probably endears them to some. New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. I found this pair among the Northern Shovelers at Delevan National Wildlife Refuge and watched as they perched atop a log for awhile, preening and scratching.

Wildlife 206

Wildlife Ducks 2006 New York 206

10,000 Birds

JULY 18, 2022

According to the HBW, when breeding, male birds do most of the incubation and parenting while females often leave the nest up to one week before the eggs hatch. It concludes that human activity influences the breeding activity of the lapwing. End of side note. To female readers then: the Pheasant-tailed Jacana. How efficient.

Birds 162

Birds South Korea Japan Abandon 162

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 4, 2022

Yes, sure, Rock Pigeons are not a vulnerable species, unless you count the number of times they have been mocked, scorned, and shooed away. They’re apparently not a sensitive species either, because this derision doesn’t seem to bother them at all! I will watch the pigeons of New York City.

2018 209

2018 New York City Birds Abandon 209

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Any day of birding in New York State that includes a sighting of a Vesper Sparrow is a better-then-average day. Fortunately, they are still common across the Great Plains and the species as a whole does not seem to be in trouble, just the eastern populations. What has caused the decline? … a.

Sparrows 165

Sparrows North Dakota United States Downers 165

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 9, 2016

New York City makes it clear that this isn’t quite correct. According to the data the authors gathered from banded and recovered Blue Jays , the species shows both a northward post-breeding dispersal (which we’re probably seeing right now, in September) and a southward migration.

Alabama 104

Alabama West Virginia New York City New York 104

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 23, 2011

One obvious reason is that most have plumage variations between their breeding plumage and non-breeding plumage. Take a look at these range maps for the two species. ” Once you hear the calls of these two species, you will have no problem telling them apart. Why are they seemingly so difficult to identify?

San Francisco 165

San Francisco Delaware Jordan New York 165

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 14, 2018

They just crept west, bit by bit, in a patchwork that included expanded breeding range and wintering territory but not necessarily in the same places or involving the same populations. 1978, for reference, was the year of my birth. But shifting baseline syndrome doesn’t just apply to things that have become diminished.

New York Times 140

New York Times Montana Oregon Deer 140

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2015

Just like we did last year my family spent this past weekend camping at North Lake State Park, up in New York’s gorgeous Catskill Mountains. And, not surprisingly, the breeding birds present were largely the same species as last year which was not a problem at all! That’s my boy!

Birds 162

Birds New York Family Sparrows 162

10,000 Birds

MAY 20, 2015

The Western Kingbird is one of eight species of tyrant flycatchers that breed in North America. Many Kingbirds and other species that regularly hawk prey in the air have a large, broad bill that maximizes their chances of seizing at least some part of an airborne insect when they snap their bill shut. New York, NY: Alfred A.

2001 164

2001 North America New York America 164

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2013

The Montana Field Guide, a helpful online compendium provided by the state government, lists seven species. Three of those — the Black-chinned , Calliope , and Rufous Hummingbirds — breed in the Missoula area. The feeder is new, the red bits shiny, the nectar fresh. It breeds into Alaska.

Montana 203

Montana Alaska Stray New York 203

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 16, 2015

By tagging the Parrot and monitoring the area with remote cameras, scientists hope to learn more about this species and how to keep it safe. Scientists have gathered evidence in favor of a split, naming the Inaguan Lyretail as a separate species , due to differences in vocalization, physique, and behavior, confirmed by genetic studies.

Parrots 165

Parrots Bahamas Monkeys Transported 165

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2013

When I woke up, discombobulated and confused, I saw that I had a voicemail on my phone from Isaac Grant, a Staten Island birder doing a New York City big year. Just like that I had reached 299 species in Queens! Then, having not managed to sleep much at all while I was on the plane, I fell asleep for several hours.

New York City 135

New York City New York Birds California 135

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

In the New York City area the number and variety of sparrows a birder can see in mid-April is astounding. Last weekend in Central Park I managed to see nine species of sparrow in about four hours (ten if you count House Sparrows , which, of course, aren’t actually sparrows), and I missed the reported rarity (a Vesper Sparrow ).

Sparrows 145

Sparrows New York City New York Fox 145

10,000 Birds

APRIL 5, 2016

There are three species of ptarmigan, all found in Alaska. Unlike other grouse species, the male Willow Ptarmigan remains with the female throughout the breeding season to help raise the chicks. Partners in Flight estimates that there are nearly 50 million breeding Willow Ptarmigan throughout the world.

Alaska 102

Alaska Finland Indiana Russia 102

10,000 Birds

JULY 1, 2011

The first time I saw a Western Tanager , it was in New York. Moreover, at the time I had no inkling that I’d be moving to Montana in two and a half years – in fact, it would be nearly a year before I decided to go to grad school and entertained the notion of leaving New York at all.

New York 165

New York Montana Breeding Fish 165

10,000 Birds

JUNE 1, 2021

Pough “with illustrations in color of every species” by Don Eckelberry, Doubleday, 1946. The new series was masterminded by Chanticleer founder Paul Steiner, who was lauded on his death 19 years later for his “brilliant idea of creating bird guides with photographs” and organizing them visually.

North America 278

North America America Birds California Condor 278