10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2014

On Saturday I awakened at 3:30 AM, tiptoed out of the house as quietly as I could, and headed north and west to Sullivan County, the first of three counties I planned to visit in a series of surgical birding strikes to see (or hear) the birds I had thus far missed this year as they migrated through New York City.

Breeding 162

Breeding New York Breeders Downers 162

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Any day of birding in New York State that includes a sighting of a Vesper Sparrow is a better-then-average day. Fortunately, they are still common across the Great Plains and the species as a whole does not seem to be in trouble, just the eastern populations. What has caused the decline? … a.

Sparrows 165

Sparrows North Dakota United States Downers 165

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2011

Steve Walter is a New York nature photographer, birder, and long-time member of the New York City Butterfly Club. It also brought back memories of a Fork-tailed Flycatcher that I found in Queens, New York in 2000. To be honest, this was actually a bit of a downer for me.

Florida 207

Florida New York Downers New York City 207

10,000 Birds

JULY 5, 2016

Yes, Neil Hayward was in a position to break the Big Year record—748 species–of the fabled Sandy Komito, a feat that some birders said couldn’t be done (not so much for reasons of birding skill, but because of a different playing field , literally). By the end of February, Hayward has seen 294 birds in five states and two provinces.

2013 125

2013 Arizona Birds San Diego 125