10,000 Birds

JANUARY 27, 2012

While this merganser does maintain a strong presence in China throughout the year, it may breed as far north as Russia and winter as far south as Thailand. It is also a species in rapid decline, considered vulnerable by some authorities and endangered by others.

North America 230

North America Thailand Russia Ducks 230

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 23, 2023

Apparently, when breeding, the two parents divide incubation duties, with one bird taking over the daytime duties and another one the nighttime. With a picture of the then-queen of Thailand on it, if I remember correctly. At between 4 pm and 6 pm, to be exact. Of course, many people still know exactly what they did when this happened.

Birds 216

Birds Eagles Elephants Rhinoceros 216

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 27, 2011

Being a shy and skulking bird of the reedbeds, the Black Bittern is evidently rather a tough one to find, especially out of the breeding season. So I couldn’t make it through an entire post about birding in Thailand without having at least one photo of a bee-eater, broadbill, kingfisher or pitta. But I guess you guessed that.

Thailand 170

Thailand Birds Parrots Breeding 170

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

My review copy (well, actually a contributor’s copy—more on that later) was waiting for me when I returned from the ABA birding tour of Thailand and Malaysia (more on that in a separate post) in early March. As I expected, there is a lot to talk about here. Range and Geographic Variation.

North America 148

North America Sparrows America United States 148

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. It’s clear that this is a writing project performed with avian devotion and love.

Michigan 229

Michigan Bahamas Endangered Species Research 229

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

In the 70s, with the survival of the species in jeopardy, the entire wild population was captured and brought into a captive breeding program in southern California. Thailand’s Adopt a Vulture Program – YC Wee, Bird Ecology Study Group. The California Condor has a story well-known by anyone with an interest in birds.

California Condor 181

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 181

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 9, 2013

The Brown-headed Gull is a bird of Asia, breeding from Turkmenistan to Mongolia, and winters along the coasts of Asia. This gull is closely related to, and necessary to separate from, the Black-headed Gull , a bird familiar to any birder from Europe (or even just anyone from Europe!). Notice the white iris.

Turkmenistan 154

Turkmenistan Mongolia Asia Europe 154

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). Larry’s BBOTY – Great Gray Owl.

2014 188

2014 Costa Rica South Africa Birds 188

10,000 Birds

JUNE 7, 2022

I’ve seen Eurasian Wrynecks two times, once in India, not a very good look, and once in northern Thailand, a memorable encounter involving a chance glance from my third-floor hotel window down to a neighboring field, an unusual movement and silhouette, and a grab for my bins and camera. .”

Woodpeckers 234

Woodpeckers Hungary Thailand 2014 234

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 31, 2019

Perhaps you don’t know it yet, but with more than 1000 bird species, palm-fringed sandy beaches, developed tourism infrastructure, moderate prices and political stability, Thailand is a country you definitively want to visit. Binoculars and a field guide, perhaps a scope and anti-leech hiking socks too. Everything else is secondary.

Thailand 189

Thailand Zambia Birds Asia 189

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 19, 2012

On the way I managed to sneak in a manic day of birding in and around the capital of Thailand, Bangkok. I must confess I didn’t fully appreciate it at the time, as the related Australian White Ibis is something of a trash bird in Sydney, but this species is extremely rare in Thailand or for that matter South East Asia.

Thailand 153

Thailand New Zealand Terrapins Asia 153

10,000 Birds

MARCH 25, 2024

In Grey-backed Shrikes (at least those breeding on the Tibetan plateau), the eggs laid during one breeding attempt get larger with time – presumably an attempt to at least partly overcome the disadvantages the last chick faces ( source ). I lowered the volume and after a while they got used to it and slowly went back to sleep.”

Burma 190

Burma Birds Vietnam Laos 190

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 1, 2014

Insofar as they relate to other bird families, they are perhaps closest to the thornbills, another family that is mostly Australian but reaches as far as Thailand and Fiji. Outside the breeding season they may tarvel in large flocks looking for outbreaks of these bugs. That isn’t to say it’s easy, however.

Australia 171

Australia Fiji Hunters Family 171

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2023

I am not sure about the security situation in Iraq these days but at least some people do ornithological research there – resulting in papers such as one titled “Breeding observations of the Black-winged Kite Elanus caeruleus (Desfontaines , 1789) in Iraq” Impressive.

Birds 130

Birds Iraq China Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 20, 2015

We have observed an individually marked Grey-tailed Tattler from Taiwan each year in the non-breeding part of their year since late 2012 and it is especially nice to see its safe return to Broome each year. Wherever you travel to for your Christmas holiday we wish you all the best and may some interesting birds cross your path!

Taiwan 108

Taiwan Australia 2015 Japan 108

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 10, 2011

So, inspired by a similar article on road birding in Thailand, I present road birding in New Zealand. As with any kind of road birding, birding as a car passenger in New Zealand generally restricts the kind of birds you’re going to see.

New Zealand 175

New Zealand Birds Thailand Falcons 175