10,000 Birds

MAY 28, 2018

The mighty rhino along with the Cattle Egret. In the same first day plus a couple of hours, my Africa bird count is at 66 species. It is incredibly hard to pick a highlight, but the Lilac-breasted Rollers, Southern Yellow-billed Hornbills, Green Wood Hoopoe and the Kori Bustard are all right up there.

South Africa 121

South Africa Africa Rhinos Mongoose 121

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 28, 2013

We follow the tire tracks in an off-white, salty soil and then, without a word of warning, our guide/driver turns into the bushes, driving left and right… until one and then another Short-eared Owl flushes in front of us. The next two species are the Southern Grey Shrike and the Tawny Pipit , also characteristic for this habitat type.

India 240

India Birds Eagles Boars 240

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2016

Then, we became birders again, noting Common Mynas and Eastern Cattle Egrets on the terraced lawns, Yellow-footed Pigeons, European-collared and Red-collared Doves in the trees bordering the garden squares. Luckily, I didn’t have to look hard to find the Dusky Eagle-Owl’s nest. Target: Tigers. It was a big owl.

India 189

India Tigers Birds Owls 189

10,000 Birds

MARCH 31, 2019

We were met by several Cattle Egret in beautiful breeding plumage feeding on the grass right next to the train station. We had found thirty four bird species so far in Singapore and had to admit defeat due to lack of sleep and returned to the hotel. There was something “not right” about it.

Singapore 114

Singapore Transported Boars Malaysia 114

10,000 Birds

MAY 8, 2013

The smellier the better, particularly as, unusually for birds, many species can boast a robust sense of smell. In any case, our hang-ups with vultures clearly stem from our own issues rather than any inherently bizarre trait of the species themselves. Vultures famously feed on carrion. Dead things. New World Vultures.

California Condor 196

California Condor Turkey North America Jordan 196

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2013

The birding is not exceptional, but you can easily see some of Singapore’s and South-east Asia’s more common species and it does throw up the occasional jewel. My personal list for Paser Ris runs to 75 birds over 15 visits that average out at around 25 species per outing. My favourite site in Singapore is Paser Ris. Spotted Wood-owl.

Singapore 162

Singapore Woodpeckers Parrots Zebras 162

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 13, 2014

Must be a joke, right? Instead of going on about zip lines and other modern, adventure tourism attractions, the birding crowd talks about taking photos of Resplendent Quetzals , seeing dozens of hummingbird species, and the seemingly odd absence of raptors in Costa Rica but nope, we don’t really talk about extinction.

Costa Rica 234

Costa Rica Species Panama Birds 234

10,000 Birds

JULY 29, 2021

and 180 bird species ( Ferruginous Duck , Black Woodpecker ; Icterine , Eastern Olivaceous and Barred Warblers ) recorded so far. I made this tour myself several days ago (late July), and will report mostly on the species I actually found, as well as some mammals. It is a spacious floodplain between the River Danube and the levee, 2.1

Farming 264

Farming Birds Fish Boars 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 19, 2011

In fact, the very first person to guess, Nick , managed to get the third quiz picture correct by calling it a Bald Eagle. Of course, that was the easiest of the three because though the bird in the image is captive, a bird that was injured and can’t be returned to the wild, Bald Eagles do occur regularly and naturally in Queens.

Bald Eagle 113

Bald Eagle Zoos 2011 Parrots 113

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 20, 2018

The pressure is on if you can only get certain species during the first month of the year but if you just want to add any old birds to the year list, everything is fresh! Since I’m in no big hurry to reach any number of species in 2018, my year birding is going to be a fresh one hopefully touched with a good dose of Zen.

Costa Rica 173

Costa Rica Birds Parrots Woodpeckers 173

10,000 Birds

MAY 22, 2022

This will change over time of course and once it rains again you would need to consider if you had the right vehicle to access the area. Dragonflies photobombing on the right as we approach. It is quite possible that you will observe all three species of Ibis- Straw-necked Ibis , White Ibis and Glossy Ibis. Purple Swamphens.

Geese 219

Geese Ducks Breeding 2015 219

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 30, 2015

The first 25 kilometres of the Gibb River Road from the east is good bitumen, enabling those without four-wheel drives to visit some of the gorges, but there is a warning straight away that it is unfenced cattle country and everything roams free. The start of the Gibb River Road from the east. That appears to be part of the challenge!

Birds 152

Birds Australia Cattle Pelicans 152

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2019

This year the big prize must go to Tom who has pushed himself, right to the wire to acheive a magnificent score for a self-funded, wife-organised, wife-sponsored Little Big Year , accounting for 57% of the total. Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Crested Serpent-Eagle – Spilornis cheela. El Centenario Tidal Flats.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Sparrows 113

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 6, 2018

They noted 598 species as a team, bringing the year total to 2118 and pushing the life list to 3555. Watch out for Tom during October to see this anomaly put right. Black Eagle – Ictinaetus malaiensis. Blyth’s Hawk-Eagle – Nisaetus alboniger. Crested Serpent-Eagle – Spilornis cheela.

2018 113

2018 Australia Woodpeckers Los Angeles 113

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 6, 2017

On other occasions we would encounter numerous caravans being towed or large trucks up to 54 metres long transporting fuel or cattle and we would wisely leave the bitumen if it was not a full width road and let the larger vehicles pass. Cattle can be anywhere! Of course another danger is the presence of snakes and crocodiles!

Australia 100

Australia Kangaroos Cattle Reptiles 100

10,000 Birds

JUNE 19, 2013

I pulled over, as this was only the third time I have seen this species, and found a few Australian White Ibis among them, along with Purple Swamphens. The only other time I have seen this species before was in Victoria, at the same site that I first saw Straw-necked Ibis at as it happens. After that?

Parrots 147

Parrots Barn Owls Eagles Australia 147

10,000 Birds

MARCH 8, 2020

Cattle Egret – Bubulcus ibis. Black Hawk-Eagle – Spizaetus tyrannus. Greater Spotted Eagle – Clanga clanga. Booted Eagle – Hieraaetus pennatus. Bald Eagle – Haliaeetus leucocephalus. White-bellied Sea-Eagle – Haliaeetus leucogaster. 01 Feb 2020. 01 Feb 2020. Taloje Creek.

2020 159

2020 Sanctuary Australia Sparrows 159