10,000 Birds

JULY 17, 2012

Here they are a common breeding bird, one of our two species that migrate from here to Europe and then south. I had hoped to have some Semipalmated Plover chick photos for comparison but as of last night they seem to be still at the egg stage. Ahh, that’s why. With some serious legs. But in the right light, they glow!

Eggs 184

Eggs North America Breeding Europe 184

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2013

Clicking on the map will take you to an explanation of this important biome, including its climate and its plant and animal species. About three billion birds fly north to the Boreal Forest each spring to build nests and lay eggs. There are nearly 100 species of which 50% or more of the entire population breeds in the Boreal Forest.

Obama 241

Obama 2008 United States Industry 241

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2015

Although the guide describes species from a limited range, the importance of bees throughout the world cannot be overstated. Did you know for example that some species of bee are cleptoparasites , exploiting the nests of other species for their own eggs. If this was a bird guide, we would all have one already.

Ireland 101

Ireland United States Game Species 101

10,000 Birds

APRIL 2, 2019

I like observing them, reading about them, grappling with species and subspecies identification, and even—on a good day—talking about sparrow taxonomy. Peterson Reference Guide to Sparrows of North America covers 61 species of the New World sparrow family Passerellidae that breed in Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico.

North America 143

North America Sparrows America United States 143

10,000 Birds

JULY 10, 2011

July, as all northern hemisphere birders appreciate, is the month when the egg timer flips and everything starts pouring back out again in a steady stream south. Recently local birder Steve Holliday spent some time collating all the local information on ringing reports for this species with some interesting results.

Poland 157

Poland 2009 Europe France 157

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2012

Oil begins to wash up on the beaches throughout May and June of 2010 May 6, 2010 Oil washes ashore on the Chandeleur Islands off the Louisiana coast, an important nesting and breeding area for many bird species. May 13, 2010 BP boss, Tony Hayward, labels the spill as “relatively tiny” in comparison to the ocean.

2010 228

2010 Louisiana 2012 2011 228

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 12, 2022

Let us start with a comparison of size. 14 cm, the Japanese Robin is a bit longer at 14-15 cm – a minor advantage for the Japanese species, unless you are very restricted with regard to space. Both robin species are omnivorous, feeding on insects, fruit, and seeds. A European Robin. A Japanese Robin. How about the diet?

Eggs 237

Eggs Ethics Species Rights 237

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 19, 2012

Both Elk and songbirds have the same basic method of inseminating eggs, which is one of the steps in reproduction (but not by any means the first!), Songbirds grow the offspring internally for only a very short while, and then pop out an egg, which is then cared for over a significant period of time until it hatches.

Mammals 162

Mammals Eggs Abandon Abandoning 162

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 3, 2017

The guide covers 747 breeding residents or regular migrants, 29 introduced species, and 160 vagrants, a total of 936 species. Honeyeaters are “active, noisy and pugnacious” and there are a lot of them–76 species–in Australia. Additional measurements are given for certain species, like penguins.)

Australia 106

Australia Birds Penguins 2015 106

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 4, 2012

The section South Georgia Wildlife describes 65 species of birds, 20 species of sea mammals, nearly 60 species of insects, and more than 40 species of flowering and nonflowering plants. They breed in dense colonies, incubate their single egg on the feet, and take more than a year to fledge a chick.

Georgia 173

Georgia Penguins Wildlife Whales 173

10,000 Birds

JULY 2, 2019

And, I looked at my eBird list and realized I’ve seen nine species of Antpitta and one of Gnateater. Antpittas and Gnateaters covers 64 species in six genera and two families. (I The Species Accounts feature highly detailed text by Harold Greeley, distribution maps, and over 250 photographs by a number of photographers.

Research 137

Research Eggs South America Costa Rica 137

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 29, 2024

The species name athertoni is derived from Lt. Unfortunately, there is not much literature on the species except for the inevitable analysis of the mitochondrial genome. As usual in China, there are some anonymous Leaf Warbler species – but who cares, apart from Bella of Alpinebirding ?

Squirrels 136

Squirrels Birds China Bears 136

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 30, 2023

The Ashy Tailorbird is a good example of the different perspectives of describing a bird – while the English name focuses on the body of the bird, the Latin species name ruficeps refers to the rufous head. The split makes the bird one of the six species endemic to Sabah, Borneo ( source ), four of which I saw during my week at Sepilok.

Woodpeckers 201

Woodpeckers Birds Eggs India 201

10,000 Birds

JUNE 8, 2023

The Fairy Pitta is listed as Vulnerable, with the HBW that the species is “rare; global population probably no more than a few thousand individuals” While the sexes are alike, my guess is that the Fairy Pitta in the photo is a male given its early arrival date in Shanghai.

Birds 130

Birds China Research Tenant 130

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 8, 2022

Given the complexity of the research, the result feels like a bit of a letdown – “northern populations start migration earlier than southern populations, especially in autumn” The species name of the Chestnut-eared Bunting is fucata , from the Latin “fucare”, to paint red. Better safe than sorry.

Birds 200

Birds Eggs Bangladesh China 200