10,000 Birds

JANUARY 25, 2019

I’m hardly the first person to observe that it’s all too easy to get overwhelmed by bad environmental news, and the title Endangered and Disappearing Birds of the Midwest sounds like a pretty major downer.

Indiana 125

Indiana Downers Iowa Illinois 125

10,000 Birds

MARCH 2, 2012

But two days ago, this Debbie Downer got her comeuppance! It was the most of either species I can remember seeing in one place, and they were hyped about the berries that the mountain ash still bore. He took it in good spirits.

Downers 169

Downers Montana Fish Wildlife 169

10,000 Birds

NOVEMBER 2, 2011

Listed as a Species of Special Concern in New York and as threatened or endangered in Connecticut, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, Poocetes gramineus is in trouble in the northeastern United States and, considering the decline shown in Ontario’s second breeding bird atlas, in eastern Canada as well.* What has caused the decline?

Sparrows 165

Sparrows North Dakota United States Downers 165

10,000 Birds

JUNE 9, 2014

The next hour plus netted me a host of other species, including my two other targets, Virginia Rail and Common Gallinule. After Gumear Falls Road I crossed Route 209 to the Linear Park and tracked down an Alder Flycatcher that is always present there, my eighth flycatcher species of the morning.

Breeding 152

Breeding New York Breeders Downers 152

10,000 Birds

APRIL 21, 2011

I may now have the distinction of being the only birder to have found two of this species in North America – not bad for a guy who hasn’t been blessed with a great deal of luck at finding major rarities. To be honest, this was actually a bit of a downer for me. As I mentioned, my goal was to find and photograph Gray Kingbird.

Florida 161

Florida New York Downers New York City 161

10,000 Birds

SEPTEMBER 12, 2014

In 1952, at least in the US, no one wanted to be a Debbie Downer. A species, wiped off the earth, never to exist again. Extinction is what befalls the species that fails to adapt, to survive, to thrive. Most species go extinct. We must fight to save every species we can, every ecosystem, every niche. What a horror!

California Condor 193

California Condor United States Guam Whales 193

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 104

2013 Arizona Birds San Diego 104