10,000 Birds

MAY 9, 2024

Why, Bean Hollow, of course. Peter says that he doesn’t care much for guiding groups. Of course, I had known none of this when the day began. So, without too much optimism, I wrote Peter a message to see if by any chance he would be doing a seabird watch that morning. I was happy to tell him I knew exactly where it was.

California 181

California Sea Lions Marine Life Puffins 181

10,000 Birds

MARCH 14, 2024

The Wood-Rails like to move around in a very visible group. A Roadside Hawk perched on a post next to, of course, a road. But, in spite of a birder friend telling me the town where I was housed should be a good place to see the Russet-naped Wood-Rail , none ever showed up. And two Ferruginous Pygmy-Owls toot-toot-tooted from the brush.

Barn Owls 207

Barn Owls Mexico Parrots ALA 207

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2021

Due to the infrequency of birders’ observations, birding the cloud forest is rife with legends; stories of fantastical sightings of mystical species such as White Bellbirds and Golden-rumped Euphonias course through the lips of any veteran birder hearing of your intent to ascend further than 800m. A productive morning, I thought.

Trinidad 262

Trinidad Groups Parrots Species 262

10,000 Birds

MAY 3, 2024

Of course I will! According to my list, which somehow ended up being the official group list, we saw 41 species in about four hours. On Tuesday, my wife and I travelled 1750 miles (2,800 km) from our home of thirty years in Morelia, to the region in which I grew up, the San Mateo Peninsula of the San Francisco Bay Area in California.

San Francisco 202

San Francisco California Woodpeckers Experience 202

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2023

Of course, the Red-billed Leiothrix is a species native to Sichuan – in Britain, it is now discussed whether to regard it as an invasive species ( source ). So, they recruited some Brown-breasted Bulbuls eager for some extra income and divided them into two groups (for once, grad students were not suited as experimental subjects).

Italy 186

Italy Birds China France 186

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 29, 2024

The photo also illustrates how our drought affects two groups of resident and wintering birds (which number in the hundreds of thousands). Of course, the super-abundance of marsh birds at Iramuco was not really a good thing, as it resulted from severe environmental stress factors.

Mexico 214

Mexico Investigation Science Experience 214

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2022

The exploration of triads within the avifauna of Trinidad and Tobago has taken me through various families and species groups on this blog. On the topic of patience, the Plain-brown Woodcreeper follows rivers of army ants as they course through the forest floor, much like antbirds do. It’s taken a life of its own to be honest.

Woodpeckers 239

Woodpeckers Trinidad South America Hunting 239

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 11, 2023

The second time I saw one was late in 2020 (could be 2021, the pandemic years are a blur), where a small group of photographers were enjoying (apparently) a bird in full view. Of course, a major factor in this decision rests in its status as a resident species. Will it be upstaged by another? Who knows what this year will bring?!

Birds 262

Birds Trinidad 2020 2012 262

10,000 Birds

MARCH 17, 2022

I’m talking, of course, about “my” flock of American White Pelicans. Active feeders, they move across the surface in tightly-packed groups, heads dipping beneath the water over and over and over in search of fish.

Pelicans 227

Pelicans United States Canada Arizona 227

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 13, 2020

Most Americans now live within the ABA Area, but by far the largest excluded group is the Puerto Ricans and the overwhelming majority of them are Hispanic. Of course, as I argued three years ago, it makes sense to add the U.S. For example, the ABA has sponsored conferences and its publications and blog have addressed diversity.

Puerto Rico 275

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Hawaii New York City 275

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 9, 2021

” His classes attracted diverse groups of students, often with little scientific background: “Students have to first pass biology, but most come in knowing next to nothing about birds except that they can fly, that they have feathers, and that they lay eggs.”. In other words, a “spark class” rather than a “spark bird.”

2018 264

2018 Agenda Science Eggs 264

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 27, 2023

Of course, Acorn Jay would have been appropriate, as there’s nothing this bird likes more than acorns, as I was reminded during a recent visit to the Greek island of Kefalonia. There are no fewer than 27 recognized subspecies in six groups. He worked with short lenses on full-plate cameras, so had to be close to his subject.

Norway 198

Norway Ghana Eggs Japan 198

10,000 Birds

APRIL 11, 2024

Of course the last thing that Messrs Baines and Richards would have thought about when they designed it was that one day it would support a flourishing colony of birds of any sort, let alone Kittiwakes. Built in 1902, the architects were George Baines and F. They designed the church to be in the Arts and Crafts style.

Breeding 212

Breeding Russia Alaska Birds 212

10,000 Birds

MAY 7, 2024

I jest a bit, of course, birders will never stop puzzling over Empids. That would be a mistake, these are totally different flycatcher groups with almost totally different features to learn. In addition to the general introduction to the book’s material, there are introductions to each genus: Myiarchus and Kingbirds ( Tyrannus ).

Los Angeles 176

Los Angeles North America Species America 176

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2024

The repeat sightings reveal a great deal about the bird’s movements, but of course we don’t know where it bred. That’s why the current trend to radio-tag birds reveals so much more than ringing, though it is of course vastly more expensive. One assumes Iceland, but there’s no proof.

Lithuania 130

Lithuania Morocco Iceland Ireland 130

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 27, 2021

InkaNatura Travel is the only leading tour operator in Peru owned by Peru Verde, a non-profit conservation group. In groups of two and three the big Red-and-green Macaws come flapping in, landing in the treetops as they eye the main stage below — the eroded clay banks. We also have local offices in Cusco and Puerto Maldonado.

Peru 185

Peru Chickens Industry Groups 185

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2024

This photo, which was shared on a local birders’ WhatsApp group, shows the enormous extension of burning reedbeds on that very windy day. And on Monday, February 5th, something extraordinary happened: The Morelian skies turned brown with smoke from… a lake, that was on fire. But it was two more species that made my day complete.

Ducks 210

Ducks Pelicans Collecting Species 210

10,000 Birds

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Over the course of the following hour or so we observed many different species *coincidentally* alight on the wall near to the body of the fallen yellowlegs. As far as I am aware, these practices have always involved a member of the family group, the flock – at the very least a member of the same species.

Elephants 269

Elephants Ducks Humane Family 269

10,000 Birds

MAY 12, 2020

Organizations : There is a group dedicated to birding, the American Birding Association. Of course, there are many birders who are not members of the ABA, but 12,000 is a modest number, even if the ABA has grown substantially since 2016. Of course, many eBirders live outside the U.S., For example, if just 1 in 10 U.S.

2016 261

2016 North America 2020 2019 261

10,000 Birds

APRIL 3, 2023

And of course, the photos here show a female, as far as I can tell. Of course, this factoid should be presented with a photo of a male, not a female rosefinch. This is not an issue here in Shanghai – I have only seen them in very small groups this winter. Of course, for the birds involved, this often leads to death.

Birds 195

Birds Blackbirds Indonesia Bhutan 195

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 11, 2019

Except, of course, for those who don’t yet know what a double-hyphenate is. Among our bird groups with many such species are the Wood-Partridges, Quail-Doves, Ant-Tanagers, Forest-Falcons, and Tody-Flycatchers. Except that all those are tropical jungle groups, found mostly on the other side of Mexico from where I live.

Sparrows 134

Sparrows Mexico United States Groups 134

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 11, 2019

Rather, I am speaking of what a certain group of birds must experience every day. Of course, birds that are rare, new, or especially beautiful are beloved by most birders. Still, in spite of the thrill we share with each lifer, that is not the rush of blood to the head to which I refer in my title.

Mexico 139

Mexico Horses Species Groups 139

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 23, 2019

Of course, you can use the data in many ways. In just a few clicks I can determine that my 442nd Mallard sighting was a group of 50 at Steigerwald Lake NWR on October 25, 2019, that the checklist was started at 9:46 a.m 10,000 Birds also has an eBird profile and since I as a beat writer in 2016, I have been a part of that group.

Puerto Rico 146

Puerto Rico Virgin Islands Michigan Washington 146

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2021

But, since I know this is my one place to find this Wood-Wren , I of course went looking for it. I, of course, kept my body still, but clicked away to my heart’s content, causing no concern at all to my unaware subject. They also live among a nice group of beautiful neighbors.

ALA 167

ALA United States Mexico Family 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 1, 2020

Several have stayed in our home, and of course, invited us to their own homes. But, of course, I wanted more. Over the years, as the online forum gradually and inevitably evolved into a WhatsApp chat, I found myself forming significant friendships with these birders. At least ten have come to Morelia, to visit my best sites.

Mexico 245

Mexico United States 2019 2013 245

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2020

Sometimes everything appears normal, but of course it is far from normal. There was a small group of Sulphur-crested Cockatoos being destructive as usual! A small group of Spinifex Pigeons wandered down for a drink. Some days it is hard to comprehend what is going on beyond our normal lives. Sulphur-crested Cockatoo.

2020 261

2020 Australia Cattle Groups 261

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 17, 2020

Of course, the events are geared to professional ornithologists, so the material can be technical and assume a background in the subject. But I also dabbled in topics such as Snowy Owl eruptions, urban ornithology, window strikes, and eBird (of course). Grames — What can Ornithologists Tell Us About Global Insect Decline?”.

Puerto Rico 252

Puerto Rico Parrots Protection Ecuador 252

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 22, 2021

The bird guides have not worked for over a year now, and of course being a young industry, most of the bird guides had invested in other alternative businesses. Impact of COVID on Uganda Bird Guides : As it has happened to the avitourism industry globally, Uganda was not an exception.

Uganda 206

Uganda Rwanda Birds Industry 206

10,000 Birds

APRIL 27, 2022

While preparing an article this week for a local newspaper on the nighttime denizens of Tobago, it crossed my mind that I never considered owls as a group, far less target species for any particular outing (except for a select few, upon which I shall expound here). It wasn’t yet light, the sky was still a dark blue.

Trinidad 273

Trinidad Owls Barn Owls Abandon 273

10,000 Birds

JULY 22, 2021

At least, this warbler looks a bit more interesting than the other group of indistinguishable warblers in China, the various leaf warblers (which I decided to boycott in this blog post despite them also being present at Wolongshan – sometimes one simply has to take a stand against what is wrong in this world). Gould’s Sunbird.

China 264

China Pandas Birds Zoos 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 1, 2021

Watching this rhythmic group behavior was actually quite hypnotic. And, of course, there were also Rufous , Berylline , White-eared , and Broad-tailed Hummingbirds to be seen. (I assume that this a form of bathing, as the action is too violent for drinking, or feeding — unless they are eating small fish Gannet -style.)

Laws 200

Laws Mexico Bears Turkey 200

10,000 Birds

MAY 17, 2020

Of course the birds are free to travel and so they do! The small group of seven Red-tailed Black-Cockatoos that we observed most recently were busy feeding on a native tree. Your skin is desperately dry and it is as close to flying that anybody is going to get! They are still destructive as they feed in the native trees.

Litter 239

Litter 2013 Australia Groups 239

10,000 Birds

APRIL 10, 2014

Some birds get disoriented by the city’s bright lights and are knocked off-course. Fortunately, local veterinarians and biologists have formed a group that rescues storm-petrels and ensures that as many birds as possible make their way back to sea before it is too late. They wind up in backyards, balconies, and rooftops every morning.

Peru 269

Peru Chile Rescue Groups 269

10,000 Birds

JUNE 11, 2019

Of course, the California Condor is listed as “endangered” under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and it has been famously subject to some of the most ambitious conservation efforts (including litigation ) ever undertaken for a bird. But this potential population of California Condors will be a “nonessential experimental” group.

California Condor 221

California Condor California Endangered Species Oregon 221

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2022

But, of course, the Wood-Wren was not one of them, as I had already seen it in El Temazcal. There was, inevitably, another group of Little Friends present at Cerro de Garnica that day, and in exactly the large numbers I had hoped for. So eventually, the pilgrimage must be made. So why am I focusing on that species in this post?

Mexico 190

Mexico South America Species America 190

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 16, 2016

Squid Row, Cabo Crazies, and of course the Spring Break follies! Common Gallinules, Pied-billed Grebes, Great Blue Herons, White-faced Ibis, Green Herons, and of course Coots. I was sitting in an improvised hide, photographing a small group of Ruddy Ducks, when just a few yards behind them, a Sora just sort of swam out into the open!

San Jose 147

San Jose Mexico Ducks Hunting 147

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 3, 2024

Hannah Buschert started birding in college thanks to a required Biology of Birds course and a professor who included Sir David Attenborough’s Life of Birds to punctuate lessons. Of course, there are factors in play, a glaring one being listing platform preference (eBird vs. BirdTrack, for example).

Senegal 193

Senegal South Dakota Gambia Birds 193