10,000 Birds

MARCH 3, 2021

Several tour companies and birders seeking to investigate birding in the country with the second highest bird species density in the world indicated that it may be futile to pursue a birding trip to Trinidad & Tobago given the closure of a single (and undeniably significant) lodge. Dreaming of eye-level trogons? We got you.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Woodpeckers Investigation Birds 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 26, 2014

Perhaps our outrage at invasive species can be a bit hypocritical at times. What would birding be without the prospect of twitching the occassional vagrant, which is by definition an uninvited, though in these cases welcome, guest. This is probably too much to think about every time you encounter what we consider an invasive species.

Species 160

Species Feral Cats Feral Miami 160

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 17, 2021

Still, the outing did not produce any new species for the year, or enough good photos for a post here. Instead, I have chosen to write about an idea I’ve had percolating for a while: to tell you what the most common species are down here. I’ll take the most common native species in taxonomic order.

Woodpeckers 337

Woodpeckers Mexico Species Cattle 337

10,000 Birds

APRIL 17, 2023

However, for birders not exclusively interested in Japanese T**s, the nearby Tongli National Wetland Park is definitely more relevant. It would be difficult to identify by its Latin species name only though – albogularis means white-throated, which does not really strike me as this species’ main characteristic.

Birds 147

Birds Asia Battery Woodpeckers 147

10,000 Birds

MAY 25, 2022

It was an undeniably dank morning at the top of this island watershed, and even though we were able to discern some other species like Rufous-tailed Jacamar and the endemic Trinidad Motmot , activity was a bit slow. We were hoping for some of the more secretive species, however. From hidden perches, Blue-backed Manakins vocalized.

Trinidad 247

Trinidad Woodpeckers Species Ducks 247

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2023

Lake Kerkini National Park in the north of Greece is the very best birding area in the Balkan Peninsula and definitely among the top ten hotspots of Europe. Some 320 species have been recorded here, and in springtime it is possible to observe more than 150 bird species in a week. The lake lies at a mere 35 m / 115 ft a.s.l.

Greece 236

Greece Pelicans Birds Stray Dog 236

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2021

That’s because this fascinating part-Caribbean, part-south American country holds well over 800 species of avifauna making it without doubt one of my top three countries in all of the continent to visit. Ok, maybe not the vampire bat…but some of the more “cuddly” species are actually quite easy to see.

Guyana 278

Guyana Otters South America Colombia 278

10,000 Birds

APRIL 13, 2024

I was high and happy, not from “420” drugs but from the altitude and the anticipation of seeing woodpeckers and owls I had never seen before. Soon Steller’s Jay , both Downy and Hairy Woodpecker , Mountain Chickadee , Pygmy Nuthatch and White-breasted Nuthatch were everywhere. I ticked off 9 lifers.

Denver 173

Denver Colorado Ducks Mules 173

10,000 Birds

MARCH 20, 2023

Anyway, in case you are still reading, the main attraction at this hide is Lady Amherst’s Pheasant, which perversely is not featured in this post (it is treated in a separate one, thus grudgingly acknowledging the almost disgusting flamboyance of that species). This species tends to use plenty of hair gel to get the perfect wet look.

Birds 147

Birds Mammals St. Louis Monkeys 147

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 23, 2021

It was also great to finally travel overseas again, meet a lot of people I did not know (and some I did), to be in a new country… and not just the new country, but its best birding area, where almost all local hotspots are yellow (150+ species) and several are ochre (200+ sp.), impressive for Central Europe.

Austria 298

Austria Factory Asia Battery 298

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 24, 2021

Ascending further requires a hike – required to see some high-elevation species absent from elsewhere on the island. Laziness definitely played a part in the decision but truth be told we were happy to simply be in the presence of the forest as it has been many moons since that happened.

Woodpeckers 252

Woodpeckers Trinidad Battery Hunting 252

10,000 Birds

JULY 16, 2020

A Field Guide to the Birds of Mongolia by Dorj Ganbold and Chris Smith (2019) offers more than 500 species in one neat edition. I say “more than” because I am not certain what number of species is covered: on page 8, 512 bird species are mentioned, while on the back cover that number rises to 521.

Mongolia 276

Mongolia Falcons Birds 2019 276

10,000 Birds

AUGUST 26, 2020

This species is rare, hardly ever observed, and severely understudied. EBird, for example, has a total of only 134 observations recorded (5 of them mine), and has only received 9 lists with photos of the species (4 of them mine). But it definitely spends time in Paso Ancho, on its way to wherever.

Owls 156

Owls Woodpeckers Mexico Falcons 156

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 25, 2020

The higher elevation also attracts more rainfall, broad-leafed trees shed their dying leaves onto the floor to make a playground for species like White-necked Thrush, Grey-throated Leaftosser and Black-faced Antthrush. That corner was particularly fruitful as always, we even had appearances by a Cocoa Woodcreeper and a Chestnut Woodpecker.

Trinidad 263

Trinidad Hunting Venezuela Woodpeckers 263

10,000 Birds

JULY 27, 2023

When you have birded a single area as much and for as long as I have birded Michoacán, it becomes progressively harder to find first-time species (“lifers”) there. I had seen several species turn up in new and unexpected places there, but none of them were birds that I had never seen before. … or Green Herons.

Bats 130

Bats Mexico ALA 2020 130

10,000 Birds

JULY 20, 2023

This area offers Mexico’s greatest concentration of endemics, as well as very few species an American birder might have already seen up north. This Bronzed Cowbird definitely is not. But I knew that quite a few charismatic species had failed to turn up. I hoped for a more complete survey of the site’s species.

Mexico 152

Mexico Oregon Squirrels Science 152

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 5, 2019

The lush understory supports a multitude of different ecological niches yet still affords good sightlines to spy the species within. And what a wealth of species the Royal Mile holds. Uganda definitely delivers all the fancy forest kingfishers you could want. Basically, this area promises the very best of forest birding.

Uganda 218

Uganda Africa Monkeys Birds 218

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 7, 2019

Are you the sort of birder who takes comfort in the thought that you might find new species within driving distance of your home? Or are you the kind of completist who is driven to distraction by the knowledge of unseen species in your general vicinity?

2019 113

2019 ALA Birds Woodpeckers 113

10,000 Birds

JULY 7, 2021

With that logic those trees, if left to grow, should produce something of use to at least one or two species of birds. It’s been some years since I’ve seen any Short-tailed Hawks as the entire valley is now overrun with concrete – but I’m trying my best to create some sort of oasis for any species.

Opossums 264

Opossums Barn Owls Hunting Reptiles 264

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 7, 2021

Decades later, Richard Pough’s Audubon Bird Guide, Eastern Land Birds (I happily own the 1948 edition) included nest and egg descriptions for each species as well. And photographs of feathers in the species accounts, which surprised me. Text retrieved from the Hathitrust Digital Library. The first is accomplished well.

Eggs 239

Eggs Birds United States Sparrows 239

10,000 Birds

MAY 15, 2023

For example, a researcher and presumed ornithologist set out with two hypotheses related to the Ashy Drongo (and another drongo species) and wrote a paper about it. For them, God probably was the one instructing the drongos to mob one species but not the other. Why show photos of species as boring as this Ashy-throated Warbler ?

China 189

China 2017 Birds Indonesia 189

10,000 Birds

MAY 19, 2019

It is often useful to look at satellite images on Google Earth to see where there is suitable habitat for different bird species. When we decided to go to see what bird species there were in the undeveloped areas at Changi Business Park we encountered several species of bird that we did not observe anywhere else in Singapore.

Singapore 113

Singapore Birds Zebras Transported 113

10,000 Birds

APRIL 14, 2021

These magical forests hide isolated treasures like the critically endangered Golden Tree Frog – not to mention several species of birds not found anywhere else in the country. Thus unwittingly flushed a Chestnut Woodpecker that was stationed on a liana-covered tree immediately next to the path. Orange-billed Nightingale-Thrush.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Groups Parrots Species 264

10,000 Birds

JULY 13, 2022

It was not a revelatory outing, but the species and photos were surprisingly good. It was definitely a highlight for the day. I’ll end with this Acorn Woodpecker , because, honestly, how could I not? My second outing was a bit farther afield — it took about twenty minutes to drive to my starting point. Weep for me.).

Mexico 147

Mexico California Woodpeckers Sparrows 147

10,000 Birds

JUNE 23, 2019

Confusion is exactly the problem when the topic of bird names arises… and it always arises, particularly when trying to reconcile for a new birder the disparity between what a certain species is called and what it actually is. Too many birds are named for people or locations only loosely associated with a species.

Birds 113

Birds Woodpeckers Ducks Suffering 113

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 14, 2018

In between arctic blasts, I got up to the lake at Hamlin Beach State Park, where I found a very confused and noisy Red-Headed Woodpecker. Well, maybe I was confused at the appearance of this unexpected bird, but it was definitely noisy. He didn’t find anything particularly spectacular but he did see quite a few species.

New York City 100

New York City 2018 New York Birds 100

10,000 Birds

MARCH 15, 2018

During the final stages of the Pan-European bird-atlassing work last year, computer models of Serbian ranges for some 150 bird species were produced for the first time ever. New target species for the next spring field trip. The consequences were amusing.

Serbia 101

Serbia Breeders Breeding Woodpeckers 101

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 16, 2023

Three Chestnut Bulbuls seem to winter on Tianmashan this year – somewhat surprising given that the HBW calls the species a year-round resident in an area at least several hundred kilometers south of Shanghai. The Rufous-tailed Robin seen at Tianmashan is another species that one would not necessarily expect here in January.

Birds 147

Birds China Killing Reptiles 147

10,000 Birds

JULY 15, 2020

And while I definitely consider myself more of a writer than a wildlife photographer, for once I have enough good photos to let my pictures do most of the talking. Black-chested Sparrow is one of Paso Ancho’s flagship species. And I, for one, choose not to let the lack of a few species ruin my enjoyment of many more.

Sparrows 167

Sparrows Cooking Squirrels Owls 167

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 6, 2021

For birders who have visited T&T in the past, the livestock station has always been a staple site for several key species that would be fairly difficult elsewhere. Likely a Tropical Screech-Owl , but nothing definitive. Safe to say no species was left behind! You can view the full list of species here.

Trinidad 264

Trinidad Livestock Groups Eagles 264

10,000 Birds

MARCH 18, 2020

Although relatively common here they’re notoriously difficult to see well – a phenomenon clearly not unique to this species ! A Lineated Woodpecker banged its head against a dry branch. Golden-crowned Warbler is one of the three resident warbler species on Trinidad. I was thrilled to see a Short-tailed Hawk fly in.

Trinidad 227

Trinidad Battery Industry Bats 227

10,000 Birds

JANUARY 5, 2022

There’s an unofficial series of posts on species of birds that occur in threes in T&T (see: bitterns , trogons , antshrikes , spinetails , manakins , hermits , honeycreepers , and resident warblers ). Nothing showed except for a Lineated Woodpecker which I only saw as it flew off. Grey-headed Kite.

Trinidad 252

Trinidad Birds Tigers Groups 252

10,000 Birds

MARCH 1, 2019

With forest on two sides and the expansive Eglin Air Force Base reservation just beyond, avian species have a host of hiding and eating opportunities. I stitched away as I watched the Red-bellied Woodpecker scatter the smaller Chipping Sparrows and Carolina Chickadees as it glided down for a few seed morsels. In my backyard?

Agenda 144

Agenda Birds Louisiana North America 144

10,000 Birds

DECEMBER 30, 2014

Sure, I didn’t like it in 2007 when I was doing a (not very) big year in New York and Black-backed Woodpecker would not cooperate for me. But I had seen one in 2006 and I have since seen them twice more so the species never rose to the level of nemesis bird for me. Below I share my five nemesis birds to be.

Costa Rica 201

Costa Rica Hungary Honduras Birds 201

10,000 Birds

APRIL 30, 2015

Scan of the ridge reveals a distant but definitive Peregrine Falcon. Picture 7: Grey-headed Woodpecker – Picus canus. This time, we were looking for woodpeckers. Should I add, this is my best sighting of this uncommon species – ever! Closer, one Subalpine Warbler performs its display flights.

Greece 250

Greece Woodpeckers Eagles Birds 250

10,000 Birds

MARCH 24, 2015

On one limb sat a lone Turkey Vulture, while in the very next tree perched two Black Vultures; I had never before been able to compare the two species so closely. Definitely a prime photo opportunity! Intent on exploring a tree crevice, a Red-headed Woodpecker had landed only thirty feet above me! Red-headed Woodpecker.

Fish 185

Fish North Carolina Woodpeckers Turkey 185

10,000 Birds

FEBRUARY 8, 2016

It was an enjoyable experience and the better views desired were definitely achieved. Of course, I missed the Lewis’s Woodpecker that had been found at nearby Irvine Regional Park, which also would have been a second encounter with a species I hardly ever get to see but batting.500 What more could I want? Painted Redstart.

San Marino 107

San Marino California Laws Bats 107